Bits and pieces, news, views, reviews and stuff
Going through some old photographs I found this one of my grandfather camping in the forests in Vosges in Eastern France in 1929.
I had no idea he did this, it must have been interesting to travel in Europe at this time. Just driving around in his car, parking up, pitching the tent and camping overnight.
This is the only photo I have of that trip.
One of the things I learnt when I visited Hastings Castle in Sussex, was that this was the site of the first Norman castle, where the building pretty much started after the initial Norman invasion. Everyone has probably heard of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, though the actual battle was some miles away, as was the initial landing of Normal soldiers.
We took the West Hill Lift to get to the castle. There are two “lifts” in Hastings, the East Hill Lift is the steepest funicular railway in the UK.
If you are interested in the history of Hastings, then Hastings Castle has a lot to offer in their video presentation on the history of the castle. The remains of the castle are only some ruins, most of which have not just fallen down, but due to a combination of sea erosion and demolition, most of the castle ground are “missing”.
The video presentation does provide a lot of context about the castle and after watching it is worthwhile to walk around the ruins as you can see them in a wider context. I found it fascinating that after the castle fell into disrepair it was pretty much buried in soil and undergrowth, and forgotten about until Victorian times.
Some of the castle material were used to build a church which comprises most of the remaining ruins.
The main walls were used to protect the castle, but most of them have either fallen into the sea, or were inadvertently (or was it deliberately) knocked down in the Victorian era.
Compared to the view form the inside of the castle, you can see the ruins from the neighbouring hill, but you don’t really get a full feel for the place.
So why is the blog title, Certainly interesting, but…. well the castle is certainly an interesting place to visit, but the price of entrance, to me seemed rather steep. At £15.80 for a family four.
For over ten years now, there has been an exhibition of sand sculptures on the beach at Weston-super-Mare. To call them sandcastles is a bit of a misnomer as these are truly remarkable sculptures and the artists have spent hours and days carving the compacted sand.
We have been most years and I bring my camera to capture the sculptures, here are some photographs of this year’s carvings.
These sculptures all start like this, wooden frames, filled with sand which is then compacted down.
I really enjoyed this advert from Walmart.
https://youtu.be/oGrSw7wK4no
Can you spot all the cars?
Last year I posted my top ten tweets for 2017 and I did the same in 2016 which were interesting to see which tweets of mine were popular.
The top tweet back in 2016 was this one for #WednesdayWisdom
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. #WednesdayWisdom
— James Clay (@jamesclay) May 18, 2016
Whilst top tweet for 2017 was this one from the 2017 ALT Conference and it was my sketchnote of Bonnie Stewart’s keynote on openness.
My sketch note of the @bonstewart keynote here at #altc pic.twitter.com/1ZvARS9R7t
— James Clay (@jamesclay) September 5, 2017
My tenth most popular blog was a response to another tweet of mine which was responding to the question:
Men of Twitter, is there a woman that you look up to in your own field or in another one? Who is she and why does she inspire you?
Also @dresdeb @nicwhitton @liz_isabella @RosieJHJones @EdTechYogi @TrabiMechanic @angefitzpatrick @senorcthulhu I learn so much from these people and they inspire you to think differently about stuff. Just one, no there are many.
— James Clay (@jamesclay) July 26, 2018
The ninth most popular tweet was a response to a Jeremy Vine about tweeting and cyclists. My point was that signs don’t work!
This should read
— James Clay (@jamesclay) July 2, 2018
If every sign saying CYCLISTS DISMOUNT was replaced by one saying EAT DOUGHNUTS we would solve the obesity crisis https://t.co/gcMzVpJueM
The tweet at number eight was responding to the question:
Men of Twitter, is there a woman that you look up to in your own field or in another one? Who is she and why does she inspire you?
There are many great women in edtech that I look up to. follow @MarenDeepwell @sheilmcn @DonnaLanclos @LornaMCampbell @sarahjenndavies @bonstewart @audreywatters @KerryPinny @ambrouk @VivienRolfe @chrissinerantzi @suethomas @suebecks @Dr_Black @actualham @WarwickLanguage @jsecker
— James Clay (@jamesclay) July 26, 2018
The seventh most popular tweet was my sketch note of Maren Deepwell’s keynote at the 2018 ALT Conference.
#altc my sketch note of the @MarenDeepwell keynote hare at the ALT Conference pic.twitter.com/Jahr4BWJuk
— James Clay (@jamesclay) September 13, 2018
The tweet at number six was about Bristolian emoji.
Inspired by @natlibscot here ‘s some Bristolian emoji
— James Clay (@jamesclay) July 18, 2018
😘 Alright my luvver?
👥 Babber
🧠 Keener
😳 Ark at ee
😄 Gert
❤️ Gert Lush
🛍 Cribbs
👍 Innit
🏘 Sadly Broke
🌉 Brizzle
👍🚌 Cheers, drive!
💚 Mint
🥙 Jason Donervan
💙 Proper
🍏🍺 Scrumpy
🗺 Where's it to?
❗️Mind
Fifth tweet was a reply to Andy Ihnatko with a composed image of Andy with Beyonce on the International Space Station.
Okay… Will this help? pic.twitter.com/rFaP0WropO
— James Clay (@jamesclay) January 30, 2018
No real idea why the tweet at number 4 was so popular, it was just a complaint about some issues I was having with Twitter back in April.
Still having @Twitter issues. Unable to access many pages on the web app, and tweets not loading on the iOS App. Tweetdeck working as is https://t.co/jnkaZ1wG4O which is why I can post this. Bizarre.
— James Clay (@jamesclay) April 17, 2018
The third tweet which saw The Range competing with WHSmith on shop floor tidiness.
Ah The Range trying to outdo WHSmith. cc @WHS_Carpet pic.twitter.com/YaUjyEmIpn
— James Clay (@jamesclay) February 8, 2018
Second most popular tweet was about a carpet, a carper in a WHSmith in the Bristol area.
Some great looking @WHS_Carpet here from the [REDACTED] WHS store. All the carpet was like this. It really needed replacing. I felt dirty just walking on it. pic.twitter.com/wTZUY6kLIE
— James Clay (@jamesclay) August 21, 2018
My most popular tweet in 2017 was about the newly revamped WHSmith at Bristol Temple Meads complete with storage cage!
Ooh nicely spruced up new WHSmith at Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station. Compete with new flooring (no carpet), new signs, new shelving. Original storage cage in shop floor though. cc @WHS_Carpet pic.twitter.com/fJg0EgO6f8
— James Clay (@jamesclay) June 21, 2018
Over the last twelve months I have published 89 posts.
The tenth most popular post on my personal blog was Cinematic Advent Calendar #07 – The Eagle has Landed.
In at number nine, is one of a few posts about the harbourside in Bristol, Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Five
Eighth most popular post, was about how Trenchard Street in Bristol had changed from the 1970s to today.
At number seven, was a post about the Bryan Brothers’ Garage Demolition, Bristol, in 1999.
The sixth most popular post was about A nice clean new shiny Millennium Falcon as would be seen in the Solo: Star Wars Story film.
The post at number five was a post containing photographs from the harbourside in Bristol. Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s
Fourth most popular post was Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Three. This was another post containing photographs from the harbourside in Bristol.
Post at number three, Changes at the railway station, was how things have changed at Weston-super-Mare railway station.
Second most popular post was some photographs from the Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s
The most popular blog post this year was Cinematic Advent Calendar #05 – Leon.
From stranger danger to playing in electricity substations – the public information films of the 1970s were often truly terrifying.
I remember these PIFs from my childhood they were terrifying then as much as they are today.
I saw the Woman in Black (the play) at the Grand Opera House in York in the late 1980s. It scared the hell out of me back then. The marketing for the play only mentioned the two male actors, as we left the theatre, we were checking windows as we went home.
I bought Susan Hill’s book that year and I couldn’t bring myself to not just read it, but I couldn’t even it have it on my bookshelf, it would give me the shivers, the hairs on the back of my neck would rise.
Even now just talking about the Woman in Black, gives me the chills, walking in London earlier this year I passed the Fortune Theatre on Drury Lane and they were showing The Woman in Black.
At that point I felt scared…
This made me smile.
Yes we managed to get them all… I have seen and photographed all 67 sculptures. Here they all are, click the images for larger versions.
Out of the 67 I don’t think I could choose a single one as a favourite. I really like 65. Swallows & Amazons as well as 33. Rocket Man. 50. Spock made me smile as did the cleverness of the Lego constructed 38. Cracking Build Gromit!. I appreciated the poignancy of 25. Bristol’s Own and the wonderfully clever 29. Alex the Lion.
So no I didn’t have a favourite, but I did enjoy “collecting” them all.
