Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[AlunB]

Actually I take that back. Ironically in a post about communication I made my point pretty badly and you are right to pick me up on it. We clearly agree on this and it would be daft to fall out over a minor point about ties made mostly for (failed) comic effect.

No problem, squire.

All good.

[Woodsey]

Would you do 7 days on a train from Moscow to Beijing Tony?

Am perusing it right now but not sure if I could do 7 days on a train.

http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm#Trans-Siberian_route_map

[MANTIS01]

A triumphant day spent intoxicated by the rich history of Hampton Court.

I was surprised by the location thinking it would be out in the countryside, but no, given a wide choice of palaces and locations Henry VIII liked Hounslow best.

The architecture and gardens are spectacular and William III’s apartments are interesting, but being a Tudor buff it was walking into The Great Hall that made me giddy with excitement. The Story of Abraham tapestries and stunning ceilings were my particular favourites as these are original to the day.

As I stood there contemplating life at court in the 16th century Anne Boleyn walked in followed by a group of school kids. She directed everyone’s attention to the stage where the king’s throne sat. She said only the most important and revered people of the day are permitted to sit in the king’s seat. So I went and sat in it, and I can tell you it felt normal and like I belonged. I invited my mrs to join me in the Queen’s seat but her face was red with embarrassment at this point and she shot off to the Privy Chambers. I suppose some people aren't cut out for royality, but admittedly the rather aggressive laughter from the children was disconcerting. I just thought yeah you enjoy yourself while you can Anne.

The young Henry exhibition was disappointing thou. I find it tragic that his legacy is that of some bad tempered fat ogre and thought this could have been better. I mean for many years he was a hero king and had all the attributes of a great leader. It was only later in his reign after a freak jousting accident that he became a different person. Very much like when Michael Jackson’s hair caught fire in the Pepsi ad.

Anyway, well worth a look.

[tikay]

Would you do 7 days on a train from Moscow to Beijing Tony?

Am perusing it right now but not sure if I could do 7 days on a train.

http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm#Trans-Siberian_route_map

Morning Andrew, sorry for the delay in replying.

In short, no.

7 days may be a shade of overkill, & it is not like the train, or the railway, has rustic charm, it is a modern air-conditioned affair, & you strike me as a more adventurous type of traveller.

There are some wonderful train journeys in Russia though, & I was lucky enough to do the St Petersburg - Moscow trip some years back.

For me, much of the fascination is the Stations, & I rarely visit a strange faraway town without popping into the local railway station.

I was on a Live Update with Jen Mason somewhere once, we had a day off, so I told her I'd take her somewhere nice. Her face was a picture when we got to a Railway Station. The thing is to wander onto an open platform & sit on a train, too. Yup, edgy stuff, & it explains why I am such a hit with the girls.

I went to North-West Scotland last Christmas, & visited numerous Stations, from Fort William, to Kyle of Lochalsh & many of the little railway "halts" in the area. Great memories.

In the photos below of Kyle of Lochalsh Railway Station, the Station is the sticky-out-bit in the aerial photo. Truly the end of the line.

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[tikay]

A triumphant day spent intoxicated by the rich history of Hampton Court.

I was surprised by the location thinking it would be out in the countryside, but no, given a wide choice of palaces and locations Henry VIII liked Hounslow best.

The architecture and gardens are spectacular and William III’s apartments are interesting, but being a Tudor buff it was walking into The Great Hall that made me giddy with excitement. The Story of Abraham tapestries and stunning ceilings were my particular favourites as these are original to the day.

As I stood there contemplating life at court in the 16th century Anne Boleyn walked in followed by a group of school kids. She directed everyone’s attention to the stage where the king’s throne sat. She said only the most important and revered people of the day are permitted to sit in the king’s seat. So I went and sat in it, and I can tell you it felt normal and like I belonged. I invited my mrs to join me in the Queen’s seat but her face was red with embarrassment at this point and she shot off to the Privy Chambers. I suppose some people aren't cut out for royality, but admittedly the rather aggressive laughter from the children was disconcerting. I just thought yeah you enjoy yourself while you can Anne.

The young Henry exhibition was disappointing thou. I find it tragic that his legacy is that of some bad tempered fat ogre and thought this could have been better. I mean for many years he was a hero king and had all the attributes of a great leader. It was only later in his reign after a freak jousting accident that he became a different person. Very much like when Michael Jackson’s hair caught fire in the Pepsi ad.

Anyway, well worth a look.

Now THAT is a Trip Report. You should do more of that, you write in a unique & very odd but interesting style. King Mantis. Yup, that works.

Glad you enjoyed it, it really is spectacular, & it is no more than 800 yards from my London place. I wish I'd known you were down, you could have come round, & I'd have cooked one of my specialist meals for you & Mrs Mantis. I am curious what sort of lady she is, too, as you are not exactly Mr Normal, if you get my drift.

I've had the place there for 10 months now, & I adore it. The Thames is just magnificent, achingly beautiful, & I take a walk or a ride somewhere along the Thames almost every day, it gets me away from the internet hurly-burly, & you cannot begin to imagine it's charm, much of the riverside seems to be very 1950's ish.

Hope you are well, & life is good.

Hampton Court Palace was one of Sir Christopher Wren's jobbies, & he had a house right opposite it, (still there now) across the way from the Green, & next to the Royal Stables. There can be few more beautiful parts of London.

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[MANTIS01]

Well actually Hampton Court is a Thomas Wolsey jobbie, but let's not split hairs as Sir Christopher Wren did do some remedial building work back in the day. Anyway it's difficult to know what style to present trip reports from historical buildings to a poker forum in. Doing one at all is odd I guess.

I thought you lived in the Derby countryside? Can't imagine you like the hustle and bustle of London, especially at Christmas. 

Oh and Mrs Mantis is a very tolerant woman.

[tikay]

The amount of ducks, geese, swans, even gulls around "my" part of the Thames is extraordinary, & I try to go visit a different place each day, always armed with a variety of food for them.

They all have their own social order, too, with the Swans being the most territorial. There is usually an aplha-male - alpha cock? - who ruules the roost, & estsblishes a pecking order. Absolutely magnificent things. I believe that Swans & Geese are closely related, but the geese are very different in nature, it seems to me.

Suggest you look away now if you don't enjoy swan, geese & gull photos. My photography skills remain totally poo, but I enjoy the challenge immensely. As a bird photographer, I'm deffo a lol-pro.

 I took all these myself, though I expect you guessed that.

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[tikay]

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[tikay]

The construction work in the background is the re-building of Walton-on-Thames Bridge, which is rather a shame, as the existing bridge is rather lovely.

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[tikay]

The top photo is a Jackdaw, & I think it captures their character, all strutty & bolshy-like.

No idea what make of gull that is though.

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[RED-DOG]

Excellent photos. Subjects in frame and in focus. Wow!




This one in particular.  That tree in the foreground really adds depth and aids perspective. I see also that you were mindful of the rule of thirds.

Real art that is.

PS-  Don't tell me it was unintentional. That kite wont fly.

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[Tal]

It's surprisingly easy to compare types of poker player to birds:

- you've just described jackdaws as strutty and bolshy;
- ostriches (although they don't) are associated with burying their heads in the sand;
- magpies take any shiny thing they've come across as their own (so I four-bet-jam cos I'm like so ahead of his three-bet-range it's sick) even when they have no idea what it is;
- chickens flee at the first sign of trouble
- dodos are already out

And don't get me started on dem pigeons...

[tikay]

Well actually Hampton Court is a Thomas Wolsey jobbie, but let's not split hairs as Sir Christopher Wren did do some remedial building work back in the day. Anyway it's difficult to know what style to present trip reports from historical buildings to a poker forum in. Doing one at all is odd I guess.

I thought you lived in the Derby countryside? Can't imagine you like the hustle and bustle of London, especially at Christmas. 

Oh and Mrs Mantis is a very tolerant woman.

No no no, I believe Wolsey LIVED there, he did not build it, he was a King ffs, Kings don't build things. But yes, it was some time later that Wren toddled along & spruced the place up from a  working-mans budget Palace to a proper job.

I do live in Derbyshire, but I've taken a place in London whilst the job lasts, the travelling was getting too much for me, but once that terminates, I'll go back home, never to be seen again. I don't like the hustle & bustle of London, no, but it's handy for the office & TV Studio, & it's a grand part of London. I get to the office before the traffic, around 6am usually, & go home before the afternoon rush hour, so it's OK. 

Oddly, in a piece of bad timing, I now go up to the Leeds office more frequently, which is a bit of a round-trip in a day, but it's not too bad, I sit & poodle along the Motorway musing on the increasing oddities of internet life. I'm up in Leeds on Monday as it happens, on some Client "blind-testing" stuff, which is incredibly interesting.

Christmas? Ugh, it is racing up again. I'll probably escape to North-West Scotland rent a Loch-side cottage again. I spent last Xmas up there, & it was far & away my best holiday ever, the scenery & wildlife up there is beyond words, & the place is totally deserted at Christmas, you can drive for hours on the "main" roads & never see another vehicle. I struggled at first with the total lack of internet or mobile phone signals, but once I'd been there a few days, I got used to it, even comfy with it.

Mrs Mantis is very tolerant? You know what, I had surmised that already. Soul-read, or what?

[Tal]

Ooh the British Seaside Resort Seagull, who provides hours of entertainment but spends all day whenever a back is turned nicking everyone's chips and defacating from a great height.

[tikay]

Excellent photos. Subjects in frame and in focus. Wow!




This one in particular.  That tree in the foreground really adds depth and aids perspective. I see also that you were mindful of the rule of thirds.

Real art that is.

PS-  Don't tell me it was unintentional. That kite wont fly.

Click to see full-size image.

Well I took over 600 photos & the dozen or so I Posted were the only half-decent ones.

The one you mentioned, yes, it was quite deliberate, I remember you telling me about that, & I now "get" the rule of thirds thing.

It is not art though, so pack that in, it's a photo.