Nymans Woods
A walk in the woods around Nymans Gardens in the High Weald of Sussex, between Haywards Heath and Crawley.
Dreaming of Venice
Victorian houses terraced on the side of the denes of Brighton, glowing in the dawn light of late winter; reminding me of paintings by Canaletto or the frontages of the Grand Canal in Venice at sunset.
Col des Abeilles (995 m.) & Plateau d’Albion (850 m.)
Winter ride to see snowy mountains
My route was to ride, battling against the wind, up the Valley of the Rhône and then across the Vaucluse in the foothills of Mt. Ventoux (1911 m.). Ventoux remains cloudy but there is actual snow covering the bright white karst of the rocky upper slopes. Frost at the side of the road to Sault around the Col des Abeilles (995 m.), even today there is a cyclist thick in black Lycra, battling the gradient and the bitter wind.
Read more: Col des Abeilles (995 m.) & Plateau d’Albion (850 m.)
Lubéron: the traces of Peter Mayle
Bonnieux
My bike ride seeking the Provence of Peter Mayle. Thirty years on, it’s becoming difficult to find the charming Provence that beguiled the author Peter Mayle and made his book “A Year in Provence” a worldwide best-seller.
GPN London at The Camera Club
GPN London’s meeting tonight at the Camera Club, Kennington, London; a well-attended meeting of this diverse and welcoming group. Camera-stitched panoramic photo of the discussion about contributions on tonight’s subject, “Fashion faux-pas”. Some of the contributed images can be seen on the netting and the screen.
Levada, limpets and poncha - Madeira 6
Another hike, a levada and eating limpets on my last night in Funchal.
Tasting “Animus” Douro 2017 and “Gloria” Reserve Douro 2015
Comparing two strong red wines from the valley of the river Douro in Portugal and then with a port wine from the same area
“animus” Douro 2017 - Vincente Faria, Vila do Conde
Tinta Roriz, Touriga National and Touriga Franca
“gloria” Reserve Douro 2015 - Vincente Faria, Vila do Conde
Aged in oak
These wines are DOC only for the region; both wines are based on Portugal’s main red grape varietal, Touriga National. They appear to be production in excess of the quota for a more specific DOC classification. Touriga National is famous both as a table wine and the main grape varietal for port wine. Both are available in UK supermarkets at an excellent price/quality point with matching labels but neither label gives much further information: we set out to taste what is the difference.
Read more: Tasting “Animus” Douro 2017 and “Gloria” Reserve Douro 2015
My first 750: Kawasaki Z750 (1976)
Biking in 1978: new scans of my photos of my first big bike, a Kawasaki Z750 Big Twin in maroon
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake - New Adventures at Sadler’s Wells Theatre
So Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is not just mainstream, but striped across the schedule for up to two performances per day at Sadler’s Wells theatre as the main Christmas programme. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised, in its original version Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake was uncannily true to Tchaikovsky’s music and spookily accurate with its reading of the Prince as emotionally stunted, almost sociopathic and the swans as the voices in his head of good and evil.
Read more: Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake - New Adventures at Sadler’s Wells Theatre
