1895 South transept window dedicated to George Herbert; stained glass of Hereford Cathedral

The great stained glass window in the South transept of Hereford Cathedral represents the text from Te Deum Laudamus “The glorious company of the apostles praise thee”, according to Hereford Cathedral: Stained glass (ISBN 978-0-7117-4491-2.

The saints shown are, from top to bottom, left to right:

• Saints Benedictus, Bonifacius, Thomas Hereford, Ethelbertu Rex, David Meneui, Dobritius, 
• Saints Augustinus Cant., Gregorius, Augustinus doctor, Creadda, 
• Saints Ionatius, Polycarp, Ambrosius, Iohannes Chrys, Hieronimo, Athanasius 12? 

There are rows of shields above and below the pictures of the saints of which two are probably the Bishopric of Ely (Gules three Ducal Coronets two and one Or, ie. A red shield with three gold ducal crowns) and the Bishopric of Hereford (Gules three Leopards’ Faces reversed jessant-de-Lis two and one Or, ie red shield with three upside down leopard’s heads on fleur-de-lis in gold).

The gold shield with five blue chevrons can also be seen in the top part of the window above the Cathedral shop.

The shield divided blue and red vertically, with three lions, is similar to that of Sir William (de) HERBERT "1st" Earl of Pembroke, knighted by Henry VI in 1449 (http://keithblayney.com/Blayney/Herbert_Einion.html).

Challenge: Can you identify the other shields!

In the bottom left hand corner is a roundel with three wheat sheaves, the mark of the window’s maker, Charles Eamer Kempe. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/peter.fairweather/docs/Kempe_mainpage.htm.

He had initially trained under Clayton and Bell who later manufactured another stained glass window in Hereford Cathedral, the West window.

The South Transept window is dated to 1895, by which time Kempe had set up his own studios and workshops, after being disappointed with the quality of other companies, and had relocated to 28 Nottingham Place in Central London. Kempe had a distinctive style that grew in popularity in the late 19th Century. The window is dedicated to George Herbert, who was dean of Hereford Cathedral for 27 years.

Eight stained glass windows in Hereford Cathedral are described individually and in detail in separate articles, links below 

• Fragments of 14th century medieval and modern glass. 
• 1852 East Window, Lady Chapel, 
• 1864 North Transept. 
• 1895 South Transept.
• 1902 West Window. 
• 1910 Frances Leigh window. 
• 1920 King Charles I tableau window 
• 2007 Audley Chapel – Traherne Windows. 

1910 window dedicated to Frances Leigh; stained glass of Hereford Cathedral

In the south aisle of the nave of Hereford Cahedral, the fifth window from the west depicts four biblical mothers with their children as the main figures with four virgin martyrs below them

From bottom to top, left to right

• Dedication: “To the Glory of God and in memory of Frances Leigh, wife of the Dean of Hereford.Died 18 December, this window is the gift of English and American Friends.” 
• Virgin Martyrs, Saints: Agnes, Dorothy, Margaret, Catherine. 
• Mothers & Children, Saints: Ruth & Obed, Hannah & Samuel, Elizabeth & John the Baptist, Eunice & Timothy 
• Saying: If God so loved us, God is Love, We ought to love one another 
• Saint Francesca surrounded by children. 

The inclusion of black child around Francesca is a tribute to Frances Leigh and her work towards improving the lot of freed slaves in America, something that leads to an interesting family history linked to slavery in the US and the treatment of freed slaves after the abolition of slavery.

Frances’ mother was Fanny Kemble, an actress who married Pierce Butler. He owned significant property in Georgia, US, and inherited a plantation with over 400 slaves.

Pierce took Fanny to his plantation in 1838 where she was shocked about the slavery and became active trying to better their situation. She had two daughters Adelaide and Frances, who stayed with their father when she finally divorced him.

Fanny went on to write a journal of her stay on the plantation, using it as a basis to argue against slavery; it was published during the American Civil War, which led to the abolition of slavery in the US.

Kemble, Fanny. Journal of a residence on a Georgian plantation in 1838-1839. New York : Harper & Bros., 1863. http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view/4055512?n=52&s=6

Her daughter Frances returned to the plantations with her father after the civil war, where they began working the plantation again, this time with their freed black labour force of former slaves.

Frances carried on running and improving the estate after her father’s death, meeting and marrying James Wentworth Leigh, the future dean of Hereford Cathedral, who helped improvethe estate further. Mirroring her mother in terms of trying to improve the black (ex-slave) worker’s lot, Frances saw the past institution of slavery in a more sympathetic light, apparent in her writings Ten Years on a Georgia Plantation Since the War: Leigh, Frances Butler, 1838-1910 http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/leigh/leigh.html.

Both women wrote at a time where the superiority of the white race was implicit in their beliefs, whatever their views on slavery. So if you read their accounts, I recommend reading as a counterbalance the following article on Slavery in the US

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_the_United_States) and the speeches of Obama (http://obamaspeeches.com/) and Nelson Mandela (http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Inaugural_Speech_17984.html).

The window was designed and made by James Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) who were successfully active in stained glass and glass until 1981, when bought by Caithness Glass
http://www.whitefriars.com/history2.php; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Powell_and_Sons

Also see: Hereford Cathedral: Stained glass (ISBN 978-0-7117-4491-2)

Eight stained glass windows in Hereford Cathedral are described individually and in detail in separate articles, links below 

• Fragments of 14th century medieval and modern glass. 
• 1852 East Window, Lady Chapel, 
• 1864 North Transept. 
• 1895 South Transept.
• 1902 West Window. 
• 1910 Frances Leigh window. 
• 1920 King Charles I tableau window 
• 2007 Audley Chapel – Traherne Windows. 

1902 West window dedicated to Queen Victoria; stained glass of Hereford Cathedral

The West window in Hereford Cathedral is a glorious dedication to Queen Victoria, “Erected to the Glory of God and in memory of Queen Victoria by the women of Hereford Diocese, May 13th, 1902”

The rows of figures depicted from top to bottom, left to right are:

• St Mary, God, St Ethelbert Herefordensis (The Cathedrals patron saints) 
• The different levels of angels = Troni, Seraphim, Domcines (?), Virtutes, Principati, Botestates, Angeli 
• Arch Angels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael 
• Saints Bertha, Augustus(?), Brigida, Eduardus Confessor, Frides (?), (?), Ida Centre - Queen Victoria in her youthful aspect 
• Bottom row – Saints of Great Britain and Ireland = Saints Patricus, Etheldreda, Georgius, Andreas, Margareta Scotia, David 

The west front of Hereford Cathedral fell down in 1786 and James Wyatt was called in to repair the damage, though the repair was not well received. Thus, there was a more sympathetic reconstruction of the West wing between 1902 and 1908, by John Oldrid Scott (1841–1913) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Oldrid_Scott.

The window was commissioned in this period by the women Hereford and made by Clayton & Bell 1902.

Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. Their windows are found throughout the United Kingdom, in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Clayton and Bell’s commercial success was due to the high demand for stained glass windows, their use of the best quality glass available, the excellence of their designs and their employment of efficient factory methods of production. They collaborated with many of the most prominent Gothic Revival architects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_and_Bell.

Another famous stained glass designer and manufacturer, Charles Eamer Kempe, had initially trained in their studios and his own later workshop was responsible for the stained glass window of the South Transept in Hereford Cathedral.

Also see Hereford Cathedral: Stained glass (ISBN 978-0-7117-4491-2)

Eight stained glass windows in Hereford Cathedral are described individually and in detail in separate articles, links below 

• Fragments of 14th century medieval and modern glass. 
• 1852 East Window, Lady Chapel, 
• 1864 North Transept. 
• 1895 South Transept.
• 1902 West Window. 
• 1910 Frances Leigh window. 
• 1920 King Charles I tableau window 
• 2007 Audley Chapel – Traherne Windows. 

1920 window dedicated to Sir James Rankin of Bryngwyn; stained glass in Hereford Cathedral

The stained glass window in the 6th bay from the West Window in the south aisle of the nave depicts a historic scene from Hereford on the 4th September 1645.

During the English Civil War, Hereford changed several times; whilst it was in the centre of a royalist area, it was an important link in the supply route and targeted by the parliamentarians.

The city was taken in 1642 and plundered, to be retaken by Royalists, who were evicted again the next year for a period.

Colonel Barnabas Scudamore took on the job of rebuilding the city’s defences and gaining the townspeople’s support for the next two years. In 1645, the city held out when besieged by the Parliamentarians until relieved by the King’s forces. On September 4th, Charles entered the City. Colonel Scudamore was knighted immediately and the city was given a new Coat of Arms.

This is the scene depicted in the window.

The new arms included three lions of Richard I of England, ten Scottish Saltires signifying the ten defeated Scottish regiments, a very rare lion crest on top of the coat of arms signifying "defender of the faith" and the even rarer gold-barred peer's helm, found only on the arms of one other municipal authority: those of the City of London.

According to Hereford Cathedral: Stained Glass, King Charles is handing the charter to the Mayor, William Carter. Dean Herbert Croft and Lord Scudamore are also shown.

Challenge: can you identify any or all of the figures apart from the King and the Mayor?

Just 3 months later Hereford was captured by subterfuge by the Parliamentarians and remained so till the restoration of 1660!

Below the tableau are four arms, the outer two contain the Scudamore shield, “gules, three stirrups, two and one or” (red shield with three stirrups). http://www.skidmore.edu/centennial/seal/. Then there is the arms of Hereford after the addition of Charles I charter, and the arms of Charles I himself.

Hereford in the civil war
http://www.herefordwebpages.co.uk/civilwar.shtml 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereford

The window is dedicated “In memory of Sir James Rankin of Bryngwyn in this county Baronet born Christmas Day 1842 died 17 April 1915 Chief Steward of this City 1878-1915 Member of Parliament for Leominster and North Herefordshire for nearly 30 yrs. This window is erected by his son Lt. Col. Reginald Rankin Bt 1920”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_James_Rankin,_1st_Baronet

Photo of Sir James Rankin, post 1902

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait.php?LinkID=mp53252&role=sit&rNo=2

His son, Sir Reginald, the 2nd baronet, was a big-game hunter who had shot the largest snow-leopard on record in India and who had survived being frozen after falling asleep in the Andes.

The grandson, Sir Hugh Rankin lead an equally colourful life and the curious can find out more here: http://www.muchdewchurchsociety.org.uk/local_history_group%20-%20People%201.htm

Not so often quoted are the exploits of Niall Rankin and his wife Lady Jean Rankin, Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who together were involved in the preservation of rare ducks and geese. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1358480/Lady-Jean-Rankin.html

The shield at the very top of the window is a Rankin arms "Or a cinquefoil Gules between in chief a battleaxe erect between two boars' heads couped and in base a boar's head couped between two battleaxes erect Sable". Below it are the shields of the Hereford Bishopric and possibly that of Ely.

The window was made by Powells of Whitefriars, who had also made the 1910 window dedicated to Frances Leigh in Hereford Cathedral
http://www.whitefriars.com/history2.php; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Powell_and_Sons

Also see: Hereford Cathedral: Stained glass (ISBN 978-0-7117-4491-2)

Eight stained glass windows in Hereford Cathedral are described individually and in detail in separate articles, links below 

• Fragments of 14th century medieval and modern glass. 
• 1852 East Window, Lady Chapel, 
• 1864 North Transept. 
• 1895 South Transept.
• 1902 West Window. 
• 1910 Frances Leigh window. 
• 1920 King Charles I tableau window 
• 2007 Audley Chapel – Traherne Windows. 

2007 Traherne window, Audley Chapel; stained glass in Hereford Cathedral

Thomas Traherne, MA (1636 or 1637, Hereford, England - ca. 10 October 1674, Teddington) was a metaphysical English poet and religious writer.

He grew up and went to school during the turbulent years of the Civil War, when Hereford changed hands several times between Royalists and Parliamentarians.

After gaining his degree in Oxford, he returned to Credenhill near Hereford. He was first a parish priest for 10 years and then as the private chaplain to Sir Orlando Bridgeman, the Lord Keeper of the Seals of Charles II.
(Life of Traherne: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Traherne)

His work was not recognised until rediscovered in manuscripts and published at the very beginning of the 20th century.

The Centuries were published in 1908 and it is mainly from these that Traherne scholars advised the Cathedral to look for extracts. These were then used by Gloucestershire based stained glass artist Tom Denny to design and complete the newest stained glass windows in the Cathedral, in the Audley Chapel in 2006/07.
(The Centuries: http://www.spiritofprayer.com/traherne.php)

The four panels contain the following scenes; Do zoom in to see a lot of hidden detail and symbolism!

• Light one from bottom to top: A stream fed pool (and Tom Denny’s signature 2006 on right); figure running through a cornfield; in the distance, the city of Hereford. 
• Light 2: above a phoenix, a cross of fire surrounded by animals, birds and battling men. 
• Light 3: A figure standing at one with creation with insects, minerals and Credenhill church in a river valley. 
• Light 4. View through a gate to a crowded city. 

Again, I thoroughly recommend looking closely at the designs for all the hidden detail

Rather than go into a full description of detail here, you are directed to the Hereford Cathedral leaflet “Stained Glass to Commemorate Thomas Traherne”.

Other stained glass commissions by Tom Denny:

A church full of windows at St. Christopher, Warden Hill, Cheltenham; three windows for Gloucester Cathedral; a window for St. John's, Slimbridge, Gloucester; a window for St. Mary's, Powerstock, Dorset; a window for St. John's, Accrington, Lancashire, and a window for the Diocesan Museum, Regensburg, Germany. (http://www.roughwood.net/ChurchAlbum/WestSussex/Nuthurst/NuthurstStAndrew2004.htm)
2002: Work and Prayer. St. Catherine & St. John Chapel Tewkesbury Abbey (http://professor-moriarty.com/info/section/stained-glass/designers/england/denny-thomas-work-prayer-tewkesbury-abbey). 2010: Tom Denny is currently working on an enormous Transfiguration window that illuminates Cuthbert's shrine at Durham Cathedral. (http://www.bsmgp.org.uk/Events/Lectures.htm).

Eight stained glass windows in Hereford Cathedral are described individually and in detail in separate articles, links below 

• Fragments of 14th century medieval and modern glass. 
• 1852 East Window, Lady Chapel, 
• 1864 North Transept. 
• 1895 South Transept.
• 1902 West Window. 
• 1910 Frances Leigh window. 
• 1920 King Charles I tableau window 
• 2007 Audley Chapel – Traherne Windows. 

Huntingdonshire - Irrelevant for business?

Huntingdonshire business

View more presentations from Miltoncontact.

Some might be forgiven for believing that Cambridge and Peterborough are the only regions in our county, especially with the branding of Greater Cambridge which now reaches from Royston to Wisbech.

So is Huntingdonshire irrelevant in the greater scheme of things?

We begin humbly when establishing that Cambrideshire & Peterborough together account for just 1.6% of all the businesses in England (about 30,000 out of 1,844,030). Cambridgeshire is surrounded by counties that each contain more businesses than it does, bar Bedfordshire.

However, Cambridgshire and Peterborough together do have a total GVA (gross value added)  of about £17 billion (2008), which is above average for population of 760,000.The major contributor is Peterborough (25% of GVA, followed by Cambridge City (23%) followed by - Huntingdonshire at (19%)!

In terms of business numbers, Huntingdonshire (6985 businesses) and South Cambridgeshire(7025) dominate, followed by Peterborough (5070) and Cambridge city (4115).

The top four business categories as defined by the Office of National Statistics for Cambridgeshire in general and Huntingdonshire in particular are

1. Professional, Technical and Research
2. Construction (in 2008)
3. Information and Communication 
4. Business Administration and Support Services

In fact, nearly a quarter (24%) of Huntingdonshire's businesses are knowledge based, with Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire each having 30% of their business in the knowledge based sector. These figures are well above the 21% for the UK as a whole.

So we can see that far from being an insignificant part of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Huntingdonshire is a key location throwing its weight behind the success of  region.

Indeed, in terms of numbers of businesses, Huntingdonshire leads the county in Production (515 businesses), Wholesale (415), Retail (470) Transport (260) and Arts, Entertainment, Recreation & other services (480).

Even delving a bit further into the detail brings up some interesting surprises. Richard Wishart of Delivery Management alerted me to the fact that defense and defense related industries form a hidden force within the area of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough; the core regions are Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire who have 60 of the 85  businesses in their areas.

My answer to the question, "is Huntingdonshire irrelevant in the greater scheme of things?" is therefore a resounding no!

What sectors do you think are Huntingdonshire strengths or weaknesses?

Businesses in Wales, A North-South divide?

North Wales was a successful destination for my holiday this year, with fantastic scenery, great beaches and lots to visit! It was also a region that from a business perspective looked very dependent on tourism, as hinted at by some people I talked to.

Was this true? Curiosity overcame me on my return home and some of the results are here in the slideshow above.

Looking at Wales overall, there is an indication of the impact of tourism in the high retail and accommodation business categories. However, this is balanced by business support and professional, scientific and technical businesses.Agriculture is also important.

The interesting results come when you break down the different business categories by county and region. The combined numbers of businesses for all the counties from Anglesey to Ceredigion and Powys (2/3rds of Wales) were outnumbered by the activity of the Southern Wales counties.

If Camarthernshire and Pembrokeshire are added to the 2/3rds or Wales, then the graph of business categories shows a clear distinction between those 4/5ths of Wales where Agriculture was a significant activity and the 1/5 in the south where it was not.

We stayed in Gwynedd where the dominant businesses are agriculture, construction, retail and accommodation, reflecting the impressions that I had gained.

There is an existing base of professional, scientific & technical as well as business support businesses. Surprisingly, the labour statistics suggest that whilst less positive than for England, the Gwynedd figures are not too dissimilar to the rest of Wales and the numbers of people qualified at all levels are high than in the rest of the country.

With self employment jobs in Wales increasing overall, this might be a route forward for new enterprise births in sectors outside of tourism. The geographic isolation would be irrelevant, especially if the communications network for mobile and network based broadband was good enough. BT already claims that it has 99% coverage and rival Virgin is testing out alternative routes via electricity cables.

The question is, in these economic hard times, will there be a real committment to fast track the 4/5ths of Wales that are lagging behind the 1/5th in the South, to give them a securer economic future.

Report UK Business: Activity,. Size and Location – 2009.
NOMIS Labour Market Profile for Gwynedd
Statistics for Wales: Statistical Bulletin; Key Economic Statistics for August 2010
BT Broadband statement on coverage
Virgin's Broadband via electricity cables

North Wales as a Holiday destination

I can recommend renting a holiday cottage in Wales; we fell on our feet when booking through the Snowdonia Toursit Services and found a small cottage tucked away in the small hamlet of Soar, near Talsarnau, just north of Harlech.

1 Ysgodly, Soar was fitted out comfortably for our group of three and boasted several advantages - a roof over your head for the rainy day in, a fireplace, and lots of electric sockets for all those phone and camera charges and laptops you may be unable not to bring along.

The location gives unparalleled access to the historic towns from Barmouth to Pwllheli. There are lovely beaches, such as at Porthmadog and for the steam fanatic, TWO narrow gauge railways, the Blaenau Ffestiniog Railway and the Welsh Highland Railway are there for the ride.

The main coastal railway line is also a beautiful way to view the scenery in comfort and has the added delight of being boardable from request stops and is much cheaper if you get a day's roving ticket.

The wonderfully surreal village of Portmeirion is visible just across the Estuary from Talsarnau and readily accessed via the Toll bridge, which saves a considerable round tour and is worth the 40p crossing (ticket valid both directions)

Inland, there is breathtaking scenery from gentle rolling mountains to the loftier heights of the Snowdonian peaks. Snowdon and Cader Idris being visible on clear days. Beddgelert is also a good place for a walk, either along the river on a circular easy path (seemed suitable for disabled access) or further down into the gorge for the sound of rushing water as you take a more adventurous route.

On the rainy day, we visited the Llechwedd Slate Caverns for the deep mine trip (there is another trip as well), and the romantically inclined might like the underground lake boat trip at another slate mine.

You could eat out at any budget but looking around was worth it to find excellent eateries at your price level; I recommend the Yr Fen Hecws Restaurant just off from the main road in Porthmadoc who gave attentive service and excellent food at a reasonable price for our lunch.

For self catering, there was a Spar in Harlech or the Tesco's in Porthmadog, both about a quarter of an hours drive away.

Driving is an interesting experience on some of the narrower roads, with unforgiving walls or rock on one side, so take care and enjoy the scenery rather than rushing around.

Other articles from the break in Wales are:
Creative Steps to filming Welsh water (see what heavy rain is really like!)
Bones over Mallwydd Church most likely to be from a whale (on the homeward journey)
Some Wildlife in Wales (YouTube video)

What holiday destinations do you recommend?

From UAVs to novel lighter-than-air craft

My friend and business colleague Richard Wishart came back from the Farnborough Airshow 2010 enthused by the future of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).

We moved on to discussing the advances in solar powered flight that would allow these UAV's to stay airborne for weeks at a time, demonstration vehicles such as the Helios shown above and the manned Solar Impulse are already in existence.

Back home my mind was churning over other developments that would assist in this area.

Ultralight materials would be a definite benefit, and there are currently solids such as silica aerogels of ultra light density. Amazingly an evacuated version, the silica nanofoam, apparently has a density equal to or even lighter than that of air. I suspect there are structural problems with it at the moment!

We could of course also look to lighter-than-air aircraft, something I would love to see commercially done again. Currently either Helium airships or hot air balloons are available options.

The ideal would be a vacuum buoyed airship, as conceived by Francesco Lana de Terzi in 1670 - but we do not have materials light yet strong enough to hold large volumes of vacuum without collapsing under air pressure.

There is another option, replacing hot air with steam - this can give twice as much lift as hot air at the same temperature; the  Flying Kettle project and the German Heidas have done feasibility testing, with the latter achieving a 30 minute flight with a 5kg payload!
What thought experiments or ideas have you played with recently?

Perseid meteors and a Jupiter rising in Milton

Thank heavens for the clear skies between the showers of the day and the promised torrential downpours tomorrow. We wandered down beyond the last streetlight in Milton to the open fields by Fen road to look out for the promised Perseid meteor shower.
We were not disappointed, with five or six bright meteors and a number of fainter ones, often just registering as a hint on the eye.
Naturally, my camera never seemed to be pointing in the right direction, and always hit the quiet period whilst undergoing the minute long exposures! Added to that was the strong light from cars and trains at inopportune moments as I also tried to record the rise of Jupiter- it was as if fate was aligned against me!
Fortunately light banter by partner and daughter, and then later by the Coston's kept me sane through these interruptions.
Imagine therefore my delight when screening the photos to find two with clear, if faint, meteors racing through the sky against a backdrop of star streaks due to the long exposures.
What unexpected delights have you found on your photos when you looked at them on a larger screen?

How I improved my blog after Ann Hawkins' seminar

From Wordle-images

Ann Hawkins of the Inspired Group gave an excellent seminar on Blogging, with items for everyone; from the novice to the active blogger, at the Huntingdonshire Business Network monthly seminar last Friday. I left with my mind buzzing with ideas on how to change my blog.

Here's how I improved my blog in six steps

1. Updated my Blogger Template


Blogger has included some additional user friendly design features  to the blogger dashboard since I first set up my blog in 2007. I therefore had to update my blog to a newer template to be able to use these. Fairly straightforward, though I did have to reintroduce my Google Analytics tracking code.

The real benefit is that the Blogger dashboard then has a tab called "Design", which makes changing the layout and adding elements very simple by adding "Gadgets" that you desire!


2. Adding Labels/Categories to organise my articles.


My overall interests are wide and varied, under the umbrella of helping businesses communicate in Print, Pictures and Person. I can equally be active facilitating transnational company meetings, doing a local photoshoot or publishing a book for a local author. By adding the "Labels" gadget to my blog design, I was able to categorise my blogs into subject areas and present them in a Tag Cloud form in the right column.

3. Adding a search bar

Another useful addition was a search bar so people could search by keyword. Oh Bliss, it was so simple to set up compared to what I would have had to do a couple of years ago!

4. Social Media Links

Since many people are now on a variety of social media, it only seemed appropriate to add links to my locations in Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to the blog template. This was a little more complicated as I had to obtain HTML code snippets and logo images from each social network. Fortunately, I was able to copy this from my Newsletter template. Blogger provided a gadget that permitted the introduction of  your own HTML or Java code blocks.

5. Newsletter subscription invitation

Another key element was to introduce some code that would allow people to subscribe to my Newsletter for updates. I use Aweber for managing my newsletters and mailings and provided a short javascript code that  I could just copy and paste into a new Blogger gadget field. (I spent more time ensuring that the opt-in responses did contain links to the free gifts offered).

6. Including Key text elements in the blog

Ann's talk was a timely reminder to be

• interesting and useful
• use attractive headlines
• think about recurring themes for the search engine optimisation of the blog
• Finish with a Question to invIte responses

Well, I certainly think my blog has been dramatically improved after following some of Ann's tips in her excellent Seminar! 

But what do YOU think? What would you have done differently?

Creative Steps to Filming Welsh Water

Developing a story using clips from existing videos in your collection is a great creative way to generate new material. Here is the process I used to create the video above.

1. Collecting Material
During my holiday in Wales, I recorded a whole series of shorter video scenes (over 30) with a wide variety of subjects, including some of the most dismal rainy day we encountered!

2. Looking for connecting threads
Reviewing the clips, I was struck by overlapping groups of clips that contained

• Walking/feet
• Water (rain, sea, rivers, faucets)
• Weather

3. First Story Board
Initially, I used a video editing program (Corel Video Studio 12) to simply arrange all the selected clips in these themes in chronological order, e.g.

• Standing in stream on Porthmadoc beach
• Walking out of stream into sea
• walking along in sea
• walking on dry sand
• Walking up to Watertank
• River Mawddach at Ty'n-yGroes
• Glaslyn River in Beddgelert gorge
• Walk in torrential rain back to cottage watertank

Total run time nearly 20 minutes


4. Edited Story Board
I then looked to see if I could rearrange the video clips to get a consistent story. The watercycle emerged as the main theme, walking as a connecting thread and the dripping water tank as the beginning and end. Superfluous clips were removed, resulting in:

• Walk in torrential rain back to cottage watertank
• Glaslyn River in Beddgelert gorge
• Walking out of stream into sea
• Walking up to dripping watertank

Total run time 9 minutes

5. Completion
Trimming of final clips, insertion of transitions and addition of title and end.

Final run time 3 minutes and 29 seconds


Other combinations and different stories are possible from the original collection of 30+ video clips.

What's your story?

Bones over Mallwyd Church most likely to be from a whale!

The porch of Mallwyd Church in Gwynedd, Wales, just off the A470, displays two large bones which were apparently dug up nearby. They have been variously described as Dinosaur bones, Mammoth tusks and Whale bones! As a former biologist, I could see that one bone is clearly a rib.

This was a real conundrum as my search suggested that the local geology does not favour the dinosaur bone theory. Mammoths did survive until about 14000 years ago in Shropshire (see Daily Mail article), so were a possibility, and Welsh sailors did work in whale rich regions (did you know that the word Penguin probably comes from the Welsh for pen= head and gwyn=white?).

The question was niggling at the back of my mind so I sent an enquiry with the photos above to the experts at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.

I received an almost instant response from Tom Sharpe, Curator (Paleaontology and Archives)
"Thanks for sending the picture. The bones are not dinosaur and they are not tusks, and from their fresh appearance they don't look like mammoth. One of the bones is most likely a modern whale rib while the rounded element looks like the end of a limb bone, but it's hard to say without seeing a view of the rest of it. But again, it's probably modern whale. If we are talking about Mallwyd near Dinas Mawddwy in Gwynedd, then the bones are not local. I would guess they were brought back by some seafarer from the village. They may well have ended up in a garden or field and were subsequently dug up. I hope this helps"

Brilliant and very helpful! Demonstrating the value and expertise that is available in Museums, not just in Wales but near where you live too.

Have you seen any strange objects and been curious enough to try and find out what they were? let me know in the comments box below!

Viewing Photos in 3D for Cambridge Open Studios

3D films have been all the rage this year and 3D television is also promised soon. I was therefore inspired to return to taking photographs of subjects, so that they could be used in 3D images for my Cambridge Open Studios 2010.

The process is quite simple:

• Photograph a subject, then
• move 6 or 7 centimeters to the left and photograph it again
• Display the pictures next to each other, with the Right photograph on the left, and the Left photograph on the right.
• Stand at a distance from the photos and allow your eyes to cross slightly
• If successful, you will suddenly see three images, with the central one in 3D and the two flanking it in 2D
• This process is called "cross viewing" and can adapted to images of any size.

Can you cross view the images in the Picasa slideshow (follow the link in the slideshow above)? please give it a try and comment!

My experience was that about 30% of people could cross view images easily, so I had to rapidly readjust my intention to make the whole of my Cambridge Open Studios exhibition 3D this year! However, I have also set up some images with mirrors that can be seen in 3D for over 95% of people.

Perhaps the most intriguing 3D picture for me was the aerial view from my low flying Air Berlin flight from Stuttgart to Duesseldorf.

I photographed some cooling towers at a Power station. Because I was using a pocket camera with a slow response time, the plane had traveled a few hundred meters before I took the second of the two pictures. The result is a definite 3D image, demonstrating Hyperdimensionality (it is more 3 D than you would normally observe).

Taking photos fro 3D images has a long history after its invention by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1838, with 3D peepshow machines (with saucy images) being set up in the early part of the 20th century and of course with aerial reconnaissance flights, where the images could be used to determine the heights of buildings for both civilian and military purposes. Wikipedia gives an excellent review of all the different forms and viewing methods at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereoscopy.

So, please do have a go and comment on whether you are able (or not) to see the images and what you think!

Lancaster photo walk - Evening (and Morning)

The air took on a golden hue as I set off from Kelsey Street in Lancaster with camera and tripod in hand, letting chance lead me to photo opportunities.

At the station, the taxi drivers briefly broke off their discussion  (I-phones v Blackberrys) with good humoured advice where to go to take photos and where I would more likely have my camera nicked from me.

So it was across the bridge behind the station along West Road, to find the stone wall on the right having doors at strange angles. At the top was the castle (and prison), its top turrets still hit by the evening sun, so through to the Priory Gardens where three students were celebrating their end of year with a barbecue. The backlit figures glowed against the green of the trees as they soaked the remaining warmth of the day in relaxed conversation.

On their advice, I headed past the headless reclining tombstone muse to take the path down towards the river. The threeway Millenium Bridge provided some challenges in the fading light and I promised to return in the morning (which I fortunately did).

I headed for the city centre which was awash with celebrants out on the town at various stage of alcoholic assisted merriment. Turning into Marketgate out of curiosity, I bumped into a party of four out to celebrate a birthday and it seemed a good idea all round to try and take some pictures.

Avoiding flash, long exposures were indicated, which required posing still for a few seconds - something we had difficulty achieving amongst the joking around. Success came eventually and we parted, with my cheek blushed with lipstick from a parting kiss by the belle of the quartet!

Light was fading fast as I trudged back uphill  - where a major teenage birthday party was underway, with guests spilling out onto the road and into the park in front of the castle. Another quartet was taking a break from the party and there was just enough light to photograph a tableau and an accidental motion blurred exposure of the couple's passionate kiss!

Back in Kelsey Street, I reflected that chance had indeed been in my favour, as had the overall friendly nature of people across three different generations in Lancaster.

High flying women - Role Models I know

Last Friday was the first time (in 5 decades) that my flight was flown by a woman. And it was a surprise to feel surprised, because between a third and half of my business contacts are women.

Whilst gender segregation in occupations does still exist, with stereotyping current even in preschool children (GENDER EQUALITY IN ACTION), equality legislation has at least made entry into all occupations possible. The key change is the self confidence and belief of girls and young women that they are equally, if not more, capable to do anything they put their minds to!

Indeed, both the decorator/painter in the Gold Leaf Hotel in Zuffenhausen and the Air Berlin co-pilot expressed surprise at the concept of being positive role models. Yet Dr Linda Papadopoulos' study in 2010 for the Home Office on The Sexualisation of Young People suggested that positive role models were particularly required for both genders at this time, especially with the media & music trends to apparently diminishing the role and respect for women, reversing equality gains made over the past century.

Furthermore, equality is currently still the prerogative of women in a restricted number of countries (see the suffrage link below) and we in the west should remember that, even just a century ago, women had few rights themselves let alone the vote. If seen walking unaccompanied in Victorian London or US cities they would be approached by men on the immediate assumption they were streetwalkers (i.e. were immoral, available for sex etc.) - perhaps a corollary of the fact that practically the only way a woman could become an independent high earner was as a courtesan (from SuperFreakonomics by Levitt & Dubner).

So here is my contribution and celebration of progress to date, in the form of just a small selection of female role models that I know and admire professionally or whom I have encountered as fore-runners into previously gender segregated occupations!

Some interesting links are:
Women in Aviation - Organisation
Timeline for Women in Aviation - starts in 1784!
Women in Rural Enterprise - a network
Women in Science and Engineering & Construction
Women in Business Network - franchise
Women's suffrage or rights to equality and voting by country
Womens liberation from early beginnings to the current 3rd wave
Women's status in the 19th Century

Phototour: The Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month comes to Milton

If you went down to the woods today, you were in for a big surprise - in Milton Country Park that is, where I came across the first old Gypsy caravan close to the entrance. Milton Country Park was home to Gypsies, Roma, Travellers - by invitation, as part of the Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month.

Proud owner Bill Goodman was happy to chat and let me have a closer look at his small caravan dating back to the 1910-1920 period, lovingly painted and with doors open so you could see the interior. An almost delicately cast lovely old stove on the left, the raised bunk bed at the back which we laughed would be a problem for a six footer like myself, and the ceiling which was covered in padded patterned fabric for insulation.

I had to return home to get my camera as the photographic opportunities were fantastic. Candy Sheridan who had organised the event told me "We wanted to have a meeting going back to the old values!" And consequently the fields of the Country park now housed an assortment of caravans and vehicles that shouted out the pride of their owners through the lovingly and highly decorated and furnished interiors of the painted caravans to the gleaming spaceships of the road in chrome and steel of the seventies, with their cut crystal glass windows.

My impromptu stay extended to nearly three hours as I not only photographed the sights (see slideshow above) but also talked to the open and generally very friendly travellers there. As a long term camper (with tents), I recognised the relaxed air in which the plots are settled and the neighbours getting together to help each other out.

By six pm, a small open wood fire was on the go with three men tending a pot of bubbling water and adding the vegetables, whilst the young woman from a nearby caravan came across to start off the lamb mint burgers in a pan on the fire.

The event was the brainchild of Candy Sheridan, a Gypsy councillor from Norfolk, two months ago - when it became apparent that previous venues (e.g. Strawberry Fair) were not available. With the help of  Sarah Baylis they found Milton Country Park willing to host the event.

Candy's caravan had a constant stream of visitors and friends as she cheerfully chatted with me and expressed her delight, that for once this was a wholly community organised event without agencies and other charities, that had fulfilled her desire for a family day out for both visitors and exhibiting travellers.

She introduced me to others from the Gypsy community actively involved whether politically (such as herself and Richard Sheridan - President of the Gypsy Council and regular advisor to local and national government) or culturally such as broadcaster, photographer and film maker Simon Evans - also author of "Stopping Places: A Gypsy History of South London and Kent". Patricia Knight, the National Coordinator for Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month,  also turned up later, resplendent in a lovely golden orange shawl.

The pleasant leisurely afternoon with camera and conversation provided a gentle antidote of extensive business traveling with clients in the past week (though that too had its pleasures) and was a welcome start to the weekend.

If you missed the event this year, look out for the next one in 2011!

Helping the next generation find out what makes us tick!

I was approached by Mervyn Foster, friend, HBN member and Toastmaster (also see Nordic Walking), asking if we UK business people could assist a master's student at Radboud University Nijmegen.

Kimberley den Brok is a Communication and Information Science student at the Radboud
University (the Netherlands), and is currently conducting research for
her master's thesis among Dutch and British people - on the effectiveness of
TV commercials!

Kelly is specifically looking for British respondents, and asked if we could help her by completing her questionnaire on the impact of different adverts.

I've had a go and it is not too onerous, so please do also join in by going to:
http://bit.ly/aeouiN

Quarry Mill to Sudbury Hall to Windsor with FIWA Glass

Glass is that most wonderful of materials, a clear window to the outside world that protects you from the elements, or a light that can be transformed by colour as it shines inward.
Modern technology has taken glass further, as I found out on my tour to UK prospects with Rüdiger Danders (CEO) and Claudia Thiele (International Sales) of FIWA, a German glass company specialising in double glazed units of modern glass.
Coatings can not only minimise heat loss, they can also be used now to create reactive glass that will darken at the touch of a button; you can protect against damage by toughening or laminating with the consequence that if, like many a filmstar, you try to dive through it, you are more likely to bounce than shatter the pane.
Our travels took us up north to Manchester and then back down to London over 3 days, with the odd couple of hours in-between where I introduced them to some of the more delightful stops on the way.
Quarry Mill nr Manchester was supposed to be a lunchtime stop for food but we ended up wandering around and up the magical garden that had been lovingly recreated there with the help of National Trust volunteers.
Our trip south began with a slight detour through the fantastic scenery of Derbyshire and onwards with a stop for evening tea at Sudbury Hall. After an overnight stop and a meeting in Banbury, we headed for a brief stop in Windsor before our final appointment and trip back to the airport.
Glass has been a recurring theme and it was only a couple of days later, in Lincoln Castle, that I came across a medieval reenactment; like a Brueghel painting, workers were clustered around, making a clay oven which was to be used for making stained glass the next day!
For more historic glass also see
Stained Glass by Alfred Manessier
The Park Hotel Preston
The windows of St Mawes Church

From Trafalgar Square to the UK's Supreme Court

Accompanying Mirko Kisser of Celloon in April to various clients in London (also see article on QR Codes), we had the opportunity for a walkabout, starting at Trafalgar Square, where I have fond memories of taking part on the Fourth Plinth as part of Anthony Gormleys One & Other and we ended up at the Supreme Court of the UK, which had only been in existence at its new location since moving out of the House of Lords in October 2009.