Mad Man In A Box (Part II)

Tonight sees the return to our screens of Doctor Who, when series seven (not season seven)  resumes following the Christmas Special. The first episode of the year- The Bells of Saint John- will introduce Jenna Louise Coleman's character, despite already appearing twice before*. Work that one out.

What better way to celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who than with a Royal Mail First Day Cover set?











There are 8 episodes scheduled for the remainder of the current series, before the 50th anniversary on 23 November.


* Series 7 episode 1 "Asylum of the Daleks" and the Christmas special "The Snowmen."

Ruin Of Corfe Castle

Today I'm publishing a couple of images from a recent visit to Corfe Castle in Dorset, which dates back to William I.

The Castle was later used as a Royalist (or Cavalier) stronghold in the 1642-1651 Civil War. Following the defeat of the Cavaliers by the Roundheads, Parliament ordered the destruction of most of the Royalist bases, including Corfe Castle.

 

Find out more about this impressive ruin here.

You Know It's Spring

It's officially Spring in the UK and the start of British Summer Time is a week away.

How do we know this?

One sure fire give away is that we have up to 40cm (around 16 inches) of snowfall forecast! This time last year we had temperatures of up to 21 degrees Celcius, about 70 degrees F...

Trip To Jerusalem

No, not a visit to the Holy Land but a stop at one of, if not the, oldest pubs in England. Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem* is part cut into the rock foundations of Nottingham Castle and claims to date back to 1189.

Cold, wet and moody.

A warm welcome (and roaring fire) awaits...












Thankfully the food didn't date back to the the 12th century and was pretty good. Read more about The Trip, as locals refer to it, on the official site.





* When exactly did we start using words like 'Ye' and 'Olde' to imply authenticity or something quaint and ancient LOL?

Manchester United 1 - 0 Reading

'Nuff said.

Magic

I'm sharing this night time image of Shakespeare's Globe theatre, taken (from the Millennium Bridge) during a recent visit to the Big City.

Spring Too Soon

A few days before the end of February the UK Met Office announced Spring was due to start on 1st March. So what, you might ask; many countries mark the beginning of the seasons on the first day of a given month.

The only problem for me is that I was taught as a child that seasons were determined by the position of the Earth relative to the Sun. For the UK, that would mean Spring starting as the Sun enters the Northern Hemisphere on the Equinox, about 21st March.

And the point of this rambling observation?

Well since Winter is 'officially' over, how come it's been so bitterly cold since Sunday and it's been snowing heavily? So heavily in fact that car drivers were stuck overnight in their vehicles.

Spring. I don't think so LOL.

Short Term Memory Loss?

I've just seen on the BBC Sport page that Reading manager Brian McDermott is to leave the club following the recent run of poor results. Despite seemingly doing no wrong last season.  What short memories we all have.

Is it always the manager at fault or should lack lustre performance from those on the pitch be to blame?

9 March Reading 1 - 2 Aston Villa

Seven Inches Of Pleasure*

I'm not one to boast.

Seriously I'm not one to boast but recently I treated myself to a little bit of gadgetry and in so doing joined the 21st century. I've invested in a Kobo Arc tablet ereader. It's such a pity the first ebook I wanted to purchase and download (a Tom Clancy) is only available in German LOL.

And of course by spending my hard earned money rather than hoard it, I'm doing my bit to get the economy going. Aren't I selfless? LOL



23 Feb Reading 0 - 3 Wigan
2 Mar Everton 3 - 1 Reading

Royals have now fallen back to 19th position, second from bottom. Relegation from the Premier league is looking a strong possibility.




*That's a screen size of 177.8mm when measured on the diagonal.