Michael's Meanderings

As Maria was an official Clerkenwell and Islington Guide, she had a key to the Clerk's well room and we were able to have a close look and read up on the history.

After spending a while there we continued down Farringdon Lane, then turned right into Pear Tree Court, then right down Clerkenwell Close past the Peabody Trust Clerkenwell Estate, until we got to St James Church, we went through the gardens behind the church and out on the St James Walk (turning left). We continued on until reaching Kingsway Place (Sans Walk) which was in a previous life a middle school (now luxury flats), and before that the site of two prisons. We turned left to loop back to Clerkenwell Close where we turned right traveling up to Northampton Road, past the children's adventure ground under re-construction and then past two further gardens to Exmouth Market and Our Most Holy Redeemer of Clerkenwell, built in 1887 on the site of the Spa Fields Chappel. The church is London's only Italian basilica style church.

Then past the old Finsbury Town Hall, and the new Family History building to the park opposite the Sadlers Wells Theatre where the Lillian Baylis Tree is planted, this replaced the previous tree, planted earlier. Lillian Baylis was deemed to have saved the Sadlers Well theatre. At which point the guided tour ended and we went off our separate ways.

I made my way to King's Cross and thence to South Kensington, and the Science Museum, where I had booked to see the IMAX 3D film of the start of the putting together the International Space Station.

End of part two.

As Maria was an official Clerkenwell and Islington Guide, she had a key to the Clerk's well room and we were able to have a close look and read up on the history.

After spending a while there we continued down Farringdon Lane, then turned right into Pear Tree Court, then right down Clerkenwell Close past the Peabody Trust Clerkenwell Estate, until we got to St James Church, we went through the gardens behind the church and out on the St James Walk (turning left). We continued on until reaching Kingsway Place (Sans Walk) which was in a previous life a middle school (now luxury flats), and before that the site of two prisons. We turned left to loop back to Clerkenwell Close where we turned right traveling up to Northampton Road, past the children's adventure ground under re-construction and then past two further gardens to Exmouth Market and Our Most Holy Redeemer of Clerkenwell, built in 1887 on the site of the Spa Fields Chappel. The church is London's only Italian basilica style church.

Then past the old Finsbury Town Hall, and the new Family History building to the park opposite the Sadlers Wells Theatre where the Lillian Baylis Tree is planted, this replaced the previous tree, planted earlier. Lillian Baylis was deemed to have saved the Sadlers Well theatre. At which point the guided tour ended and we went off our separate ways.

I made my way to King's Cross and thence to South Kensington, and the Science Museum, where I had booked to see the IMAX 3D film of the start of the putting together the International Space Station.

End of part two.

As mentioned last time, I did go to the Prince Charles Cinema to see "Moon" in the main viewing screen downstairs, using my free ticket gained when I signed up. It's a bit like a lower budget 2001 or a and updated Silent Running, or a cerebral Dark Star. ie an excellent movie with a tour de force performance by Sam Rockwell. Possible Hugo nominee for next year.

Yesterday I took the day off, for two reasons. There is a guided walking tour of Clerkenwell (where I work) every Wednesday morning from 11:00am and after working in the area for over 20 years I thought I should learn a bit of the history.

There were only 3 people on the walk, and our guide was Maria Pedrocco Hanrahan. Note I'm going to retrace my steps virtually using Google Maps. We started outside Farringdon station (one of the oldest underground stations in the world). We started walking past The Castle, the only pub in the UK with a pawnbroker license, from the Prince Regent! Walked down Turnmill Street, then left into Benjamin Street, and through the park, originally the burial ground for St John's priory. We left oposite a house commissioned by Janet Street Porter on the corner of Britton Street and Albion Place. We continued down Britton Street until nearly to the Jerusalem Tavern opposite Mountford House, originally a Gin distillery! Then down Briset Street to St John Lane where we walked through St John's Gate, crossed Clerkenwell Road and then to St John's Square, outside the unchurch like St John's Church, which is a private church, so we couldn't go in. Then through Jerusalem Passage and then down Aylesbury Street to Clerkenwell Green where the Lenin Library (at No 37) is, it was previously a Welsh School, past the old Middlesex assizes court house to the actual Clerk's Well that the area is named after.

I've got to stop now to get back to work! Continue tomorrow.

The next three weekends I going to be away. Next week at Constitution in Cambridge, then Anticipation in Montreal and then the local juggling festival at The Hawth.

So the last two weeks or so at work have been hectic, working as part of the team working on laptop encryption. Usually I might get one or two voice mail messages a week, over the last two weeks I've had 10+ a day! We've encrypted nearly 600 laptops so far and are nearly done!

I re-read the last 3 Harry Potter books prior to seeing The Half Blood Prince at the Cinema. I think they got the balance right, turning a book that long into a movie requires cuts and modifications, and I think it turned out OK.

A week ago last Thursday I went to City Airport at Docklands, just so I could tell how long it took to get there, and to find it. Since I'm flying from there to Montreal via Amsterdam next Tuesday. I also stopped off to see the Thames Barrier an then stopped at Gatwick for something to eat, as it was getting late.

Last Saturday after getting my back adjusted I walked from Hove to Brighton, since it was sunny. My niece was due to bungee jump on Saturday and when I spotted a crane on the seafront I texted to find out where she was. When I got home I discovered that the crane I'd passed was the one she'd jumped from!

I haven't managed to get many walks around Bedelands recently, due to poor weather at the weekend, and inertia! I have however been walking from Hove to Brighton, when it hasn't been raining, so I think that makes up for it. This Saturday I managed to buy some fresh Tamarinds, which I hadn't tasted since I was living in Barbados 40 years ago. The same shop also had fresh sugar cane but it was expensive, and wasn't my favourite even as a kid.

I've just ordered a new bike from ASDA it was only £75 including delivery, but at least I'll find out if I can still ride, and enjoy the process. I haven't been on a bike in about 30 years so... I didn't want to spend a few hundred pond and then discover I hated it ;-)

On Saturday 4th July after getting a deep tissue massage I walked along the beach from Hove to Brighton, since it was a nice day. This last weekend the weather was less pleasant so it didn't try it, though I did take photos of old family haunts. My great grandfather's shop at 74 Goldstone Villas is only 4 doors away from my chiropractor! Then the family home at 12 Connaught Road, and my grandfather's old house at 24 Brooker Street. Some of the buildings around them had changed, but they seemed to be almost unchanged.

At work I've been heavily involved in a laptop encryption project, using McAfee Endpoint Encryption. For all three charities we support all their laptop are being encrypted s access to data on them is restricted to nominated users. So even if the laptop is lost or stolen, sensitive data will not be accessible.

Also on the work front on Friday morning it was discovered that over night a daring rooftop break in had occurred and the Police had to be call. Non of my stuff was touched, but ....

And finally Torchwood, watched last week and will need it's own posting!

The last two weeks manages to include 3 juggling classes. And things have been getting good!

The first class of the term we got 2 new people and one not so new person joining, which kept the numbers up and meant the class could continue.

The day was nice and sunny so I walked to the school (new location meant that I can actually get there, if a lift isn't available. Managed some work on club passing with P. Self Pass pattern is now getting solid.

Week 2 weather was less nice so got on the train for the short hop to town. Did some more jugging with P and worked on the 3,3,10 pattern (this follows the pattern, self, self, pass x 3 then self, pass x 3 then pass, pass, pass x3+1 (ie pass 3 times in one pattern, 3 times in the second pattern and 10 times in the third pattern) The best we managed was 3,3,8 ;-( We did however manage to throw 10 passes on their own (so I knew I could do it) We also tried triangle passing with three of us, catching from one person and passing to the other, not too successfully (but that we tried....) We did manage self, pass, with 16 passes though.

The previous week end I decided to try my hand at fire club juggling again (ie I tried but got nowhere last year, I wasn't really a good enough club juggler then). Unfortunately the flames were rather excessive when I started, and by the time the flames had died a bit when I did juggle most of the flame died out. I'll have to try again later (possibly with better clubs!)

Week three P and I managed 10 passes and stop a number of times, though we kept failing on the elusive 3,3,10 until finally success was achieved! I did the happy dance I was so pleased.

This was one of my goals from the start of term, the first to improve my club passing had already been achieved. Getting past twenty passes with self, pass is another (that's in my grasp). Passing in groups of three or more, while not lasting very long is improving and then there is success at the 3,3,10 pattern. Now I have to be able to do it with other partners!

K and I did some self, pass passing. We aren't as well synced as P and I but D joined us as we managed some fairly consistant four person + passing.

On to other topics, this last 3 weeks I've been on the backup rotation at work, which isn't the most interesting, logging success or failure of backup jobs and changing tapes is fine one week in four or six but palls after two plus weeks!

I'm in the process of upgrading my kitchen, and I've also ordered a new 32" flat screen TV (my current one I got second hand nearly 20 years ago!) Sky+HD have just updated their program interface, and you can now see you currently selected channel while looking through the program guide (I believe TiVo has had this for years). It also stacks series so material you record doesn't take as much screen space. You can choose to record a single program or the whole series. But you still can't select anything that is more than 7 days in advance.

Last Saturday I saw Coraline in 3D in Brighton (after visiting my chiropractor). After my Imax experience in Bradford it was a bit of a disappointment, the glasses didn't work as well over my glasses and there was less use of 3D WOW! factor. Later in the Bank Holiday week end I watched The Hunt for Gollum which shows what amateurs can achieve when they sets their minds to it.

I've finally caught up with Dexter series 2. It's been resident on my Sky+HD box for months and since they started showing series 3 last mont... It's one of those show that once you start watching you wonder why you didn't catch it when it was broadcast. Ive got the fist few of S3 to look forward too!

I almost forgot, with the good weather, I've managed to get in a walk around the Bedelands farm area both week ends. Last Sunday I saw half a dozen rabbits, a magpie and a number of black birds though if they were crows, ravens or blackbirds I couldn't tell. I took some photos which may appear at some future time. The change from leafless winter to current spring time leafy greenness has been wonderful to see.

The last two weeks manages to include 3 juggling classes. And things have been getting good!

The first class of the term we got 2 new people and one not so new person joining, which kept the numbers up and meant the class could continue.

The day was nice and sunny so I walked to the school (new location meant that I can actually get there, if a lift isn't available. Managed some work on club passing with P. Self Pass pattern is now getting solid.

Week 2 weather was less nice so got on the train for the short hop to town. Did some more jugging with P and worked on the 3,3,10 pattern (this follows the pattern, self, self, pass x 3 then self, pass x 3 then pass, pass, pass x3+1 (ie pass 3 times in one pattern, 3 times in the second pattern and 10 times in the third pattern) The best we managed was 3,3,8 ;-( We did however manage to throw 10 passes on their own (so I knew I could do it) We also tried triangle passing with three of us, catching from one person and passing to the other, not too successfully (but that we tried....) We did manage self, pass, with 16 passes though.

The previous week end I decided to try my hand at fire club juggling again (ie I tried but got nowhere last year, I wasn't really a good enough club juggler then). Unfortunately the flames were rather excessive when I started, and by the time the flames had died a bit when I did juggle most of the flame died out. I'll have to try again later (possibly with better clubs!)

Week three P and I managed 10 passes and stop a number of times, though we kept failing on the elusive 3,3,10 until finally success was achieved! I did the happy dance I was so pleased.

This was one of my goals from the start of term, the first to improve my club passing had already been achieved. Getting past twenty passes with self, pass is another (that's in my grasp). Passing in groups of three or more, while not lasting very long is improving and then there is success at the 3,3,10 pattern. Now I have to be able to do it with other partners!

K and I did some self, pass passing. We aren't as well synced as P and I but D joined us as we managed some fairly consistant four person + passing.

On to other topics, this last 3 weeks I've been on the backup rotation at work, which isn't the most interesting, logging success or failure of backup jobs and changing tapes is fine one week in four or six but palls after two plus weeks!

I'm in the process of upgrading my kitchen, and I've also ordered a new 32" flat screen TV (my current one I got second hand nearly 20 years ago!) Sky+HD have just updated their program interface, and you can now see you currently selected channel while looking through the program guide (I believe TiVo has had this for years). It also stacks series so material you record doesn't take as much screen space. You can choose to record a single program or the whole series. But you still can't select anything that is more than 7 days in advance.

Last Saturday I saw Coraline in 3D in Brighton (after visiting my chiropractor). After my Imax experience in Bradford it was a bit of a disappointment, the glasses didn't work as well over my glasses and there was less use of 3D WOW! factor. Later in the Bank Holiday week end I watched The Hunt for Gollum which shows what amateurs can achieve when they sets their minds to it.

I've finally caught up with Dexter series 2. It's been resident on my Sky+HD box for months and since they started showing series 3 last mont... It's one of those show that once you start watching you wonder why you didn't catch it when it was broadcast. Ive got the fist few of S3 to look forward too!

I almost forgot, with the good weather, I've managed to get in a walk around the Bedelands farm area both week ends. Last Sunday I saw half a dozen rabbits, a magpie and a number of black birds though if they were crows, ravens or blackbirds I couldn't tell. I took some photos which may appear at some future time. The change from leafless winter to current spring time leafy greenness has been wonderful to see.

This seems to be my default setting in general, and on LJ in particular. I've had a busy 3 weeks and really should have noted this here, but...

Flew directly to Atlanta, on Tuesday 6th, on a flight with three flight designation, AF3622, DL59 and AM5699! All went well till I got to Atlanta when my bag went missing and was discovered after over an hours wait, on the wrong carousel

First, I spent 6 days with filkferengi and spouse, and managed to go walking in the park with one or other of them every day, despite the cold these jaunts were quite enjoyable. In the middle of this visit was gafilk which had been relocated into the hotel basement. Apart from that it went very well with concerts by Barry & Sally Childs-Helton, Larry Kirby, Harold Feld, Emma Bull, and the Ropers. I didn't see most of the 2x10s but did catch filkerdave performing live via the internet.

On Monday our traditional listie (and others) dinner at the Crescent Moon, had to move to Blue Ribbon Grill, due to the former going out of business. nlbarber managed to come, even though due to family issues she had to miss Gafilk. A good time was, I think had by all.

Wednesday brunch was with filkferengi and drsigne at the IHOP, my most visted eating establishment (if I had written every day there'd be more IHOP and other food related material).

Then Thursday I flew back, getting home on Friday 16th and spent the weekend recovering from jet-lag.

On Friday there was a power cut which means that many IT systems were unavailable, and until power was restored four and a half hours later most of us were twiddling thumbs.

One of my colleagues, who I've worked with for 7 years was also leaving that afternoon and I really wanted to get away to say good by, so I had to fly through the Friday check-list once power was back. The leaving party was in the pub round the corner (in London there is always a pub around the corner) and I was able to get a drink to toast goodbye. I didn't sty long as I'm not keen on pubs, since I don't usually drink, and they are very noisy!

On Saturday I went shopping in the morning, as I need to visit a couple of shops that closed a mid-day (including the Post Office as I had to send my Dad a birthday card) It was a lovely day so there was no hardship walking to an from town. Saw Primeval on TV (in between the final of The One and Only)

Since going on walks with filkferengi I promised myself that since there was a nature preserve only a few metres from my door that I would at least had a look around. Well 20 years after moving here I finally visited Bedelands Farm. With the weather fine and sunny, though a bit crisp. it was ideal weather for a walk. Unfortunately I didn't have any walking maps so I did worry a bit that I might get lost, but despite this I did get back to my starting point just under an hour after I left. I'm not really sure WHERE I went but I did see trees, meadows, ponds (with ice glinting on the surface) moss and fungi! The only down side was a few places where the path turned into mud, a few wood chips would have done a lot of good. Next time I'm going to take a camera!

Last week I mentioned a Team Building, away-day and have been meaning to document it but... This was supposed to include every one in the company, half on Wednesday night and Thursday and the other half on Thursday night and Friday (it's a small company).

Anyway Wednesday after work four of my colleagues and myself made our way to the Farringdon Tube station and after a fair wait caught a direct Metropolitan Line train to Chesham (which is the closest station to the conference centre).

Since it was still a nice sunny afternoon, after an hour on the train, when we arrived in Chesham,(it was just after six), we decided to walk. The instructions we had been given indicated that the station was five minutes away from the conference site by taxi. At 30mph this would indicate a distance of under 3 miles, which with a average walking speed of 4mph ought to be less than 45 minutes walk. Just over an hour after we started, we arrived to check in and find our rooms. We were almost late for the first presentation!

In the first presentation we were told that we had done well as a new start-up in the charity sector but we could do better and that this was what the following day was about.

Then we broke for dinner, which was very nice. There was a good selection of material on the menu, I had Chicken liver and Pork terrine with apricot & sultana compote as a starter followed by Roasted pork belly on bubble & squeak with boiled vegetables. Finishing of with an excellent cheesecake.

We then broke for a final short presentation and then I tumbled into bed (I was very tired after the walk!) The bed rooms was in a large cottage a few meters away from the building with a double bed and an en-suite shower. very comfortable. [More to come?]