Category Archives: personal

amusements, arts, current affairs, personal, thoughts

A Modern Day Maudie?

On Wednesday this week there was this wonderful picture (below right) of the delightful “not quite Essex girl”* Mrs Beckham in The Times (just see the close-up of those feet!) .

One was struck by the uncanny resemblance to Osbert Lancaster’s rather more upper class heroine, Maudie Littlehampton, seen (above left) in a characteristic 1966 pose.

** Mrs David Beckham, née Victoria Adams (aka Posh Spice) is described in Wikipedia as “an English singer, dancer, fashion designer, author, businesswoman, actress and model” – whoever wrote that surely had their tongue firmly in their cheek, didn’t they?! She actually comes from Goff’s Oak, a area of my home town, and just a couple or three miles on the Hertfordshire side of the Herts-Essex border.

Hat-tip: Noreen of Norn’s Notebook

arts, history, nudism, personal, photography

OMG Aren't They Horrible!

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There seems recently to be a trend for displaying photos of oneself in youth, and as is traditional adding the refrain of “OMG aren’t they horrible”. Far be it from me not to join a sinking bandwagon when I see one, so here are a selection of the pix I’ve so far found of me.

First off, on the right, here I am aged 7 (in 1958) with our dog, Suzie (Sue for short). This is clearly taken in our back garden during the summer, probably by my father with his Box Brownie.

And next a couple of years later (I’m guessing I was 9 or 10) while on holiday camping at a nudist club somewhere in Essex. It was a hot summer and in this I’m pouring cold water over my mother. This would have been taken by my father on his Box Brownie.

Next we have some from when I was in the Scouts.

Here I am (in the centre) at the age of about 12 (so 1963) preparing to take part in the Scouts annual St George’s Day Parade, which our troop led with drum band. I can roughly date this as Vic, the guy with the “leopard skin”, was our troop leader and left a year or so later at 16; the big gormless-looking lad helping him is Eric Castle who was (I think a year) younger than me, so he must have been 11 to be in the Scouts. Apart from being somewhere around Cheshunt I’ve no clue where this was. Again probably taken by my father on his Box Brownie.


In these two I must be about 14 (so 1965) as I’m the one leading the drum band at the St George’s Day parade. I definitely remember this as I know we did this route at least two years running; I suspect this was the first year we used this route and the first year I was “drum major”as I think it is still Vic with the bass drum. Again probably taken by my father on his Box Brownie, although it must have been around this time he started using 35mm.

Now we’ve jumped to summer 1971 and a professionally taken photograph of the University of York Cricket Tour at the end of the Summer Term (so the end of my second year as an undergraduate). We spent a short week playing around Ipswich and Cambridge; this was taken outside the Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge pavilion before a match. I’m in the back row, third from right and badly in need of a haircut. And no, I can’t name all the other guys; except I know the guy front right is Eddie Pratt who was doing Chemistry with me.

Finally we’ve jumped to 1984. I don’t know who took this, but it’s in my family history collection. This is me (centre, with hands in pockets and gold-rimmed glasses) with my parents at the opening of Noreen’s blockbusting exhibition “Jolly Hockey Sticks” at Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood (now V&A MoC). I was (almost) down to weight in those days as I had not long recovered from glandular fever. I was 33 and we’d been married not quite 5 years. Eeek; that’s a lifetime ago! I wasn’t grey then either.

I’m sure I have other photos but they aren’t to hand. I’ll have to raid my mother’s files next time I go to see her; there should be some more of me in my teens and maybe twenties although I doubt there’ll be any of me under about 5 as I don’t think my father had a camera then; and of course, yes, there are wedding photos somewhere.

Are they horrible? Well actually, apart from the one of me as a student (horrible glasses and in need of a serious haircut), no I don’t think they are horrible. Photos of me now are far worse: very unfit, seriously overweight and going down hill rapidly into senility. I wish I was as fit now as I was in that nude photo of me at 9 or 10! But that, as they say, is life.

memes, personal, photography

Flasher


Flasher, originally uploaded by kcm76.

This week’s self-portrait: 52 Weeks 53/52 (2009 week 09). Finally back to where we started at the end of February. This is also my February self-portrait for the Flickr 12 months group.

Self-portrait taken in the mirror using flash.

It seems treacherous but this will be the last weekly self-portrait. I’m glad I did this, but I have struggled at times to be at all creative enough given the amount of time I don’t have to spare. However I will be taking a monthly self-portrait, and I may return to weekly someday.

books, memes, personal, photography, science

Memories Meme


Memories Meme, originally uploaded by kcm76.

This week’s Flickr Photo Meme is about Memories. As usual here are the questions and my answers:

1. What is a special memory of childhood? Hot summer days camping at nudist club; I would have been about 10; in consequence I’ve never been uncomfortable with my body or anyone else’s
2. A memorable romance with? Faith, when I was a postgraduate; I was 23. she was 32; she taught me a lot
3. What was the most memorable gift you have ever received? My first camera, a Halina, has to be up there near the top; I don’t recall exactly when I was given it but I must have been about 12 or 13; look where it has gotten me!
4. What place have you visited that had a memory attached to it? Rye, East Sussex; I remember it from camping with my parents when I was 4 or 5 and have been back numerous times in recent years with Noreen
5. What was a memorable occasion that you recently attended? Almost any meeting of the Anthony Powell Society; this trip to the Widmerpool area of Nottinghamshire was an interesting day!
6. What was the most memorable toy you ever had? My teddy bear and black cat, both of which I still have, must be very near the top of the list
7. Who is the most memorable teacher you ever had? There were many, but Bob Goss and Derek Beadle, who taught me Chemistry and Physics, respectively, in the 6th form were probably the stars
8. Do you have a special collection that is memorable? My Memories, of course! I’m not really one for collecting personal mementos
9. What is your most cherished memento? Noreen, for lots of reasons and not just because she married me!
10. What trophy, ribbon, award, certificate are you most proud of that serves as a memory of an important event? My PhD, not just for the academic stuff but for all the formative extracurricula things too
11. It would be wonderful if all memories were good, but some aren’t; is there a bad memory that you carry with you? Breaking up with my first fiancée, Jill, at the start of our second year as undergraduates; I nearly failed my Part I exams as a result
12. What is your favourite summer memory? Playing Cricket, not that I was ever any good

1. Mother & Son, 2. FAITH: Earth element focal art bead pendant/necklace 1, 3. Halina 35X, 4. Rye, 5. AP Soc Members at Wysall, 6. Little Black Cat, 7. is there a shark behind me? …is that a yes?, 8. memories collage, 9. Noreen, 10. Student Life, 11. Jack and Jill went up the hill, 12. Playing Cricket

As always these are not my photos (except numbers 1, 5, 6, 9 which are mine) so please follow the links to enjoy the work of the photographers who did take them!

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

amusements, arts, personal, photography

Rusty, the Danish Bacon Hound


Rusty, the Danish Bacon Hound, originally uploaded by kcm76.

Ladies and Gentlemen! Let me present, at no expense to this august establishment, Rusty, the Danish Bacon Hound.
We must apologise for the state of his coat, he’s in need of a good hose down as he’s clearly been grubbing around the pig pens.
(Made from thin white card after a design by David C Mills.)

[Later] Noreen thinks he should be called Streaky rather than Rusty, this also being a characteristic of the coats of Danish Bacon Hounds.

memes, personal, photography

Valentine's Meme


Valentine’s Meme, originally uploaded by kcm76.

This week’s Flickr Photo Meme is, quite naturally, about Valentine’s Day. As usual here are the questions and my answers:

1. Type in Valentine’s Day and pick your favourite picture!
2. How old were you when you fell in love for the first time? I’m guessing about 11.
3. How many times have you been in love? Properly in love, maybe 3?
4. What is the most romantic moment you’ve experienced? The first time Noreen and I had sex
5. What is your favourite love song? Monteverdi 1610 Vespers. How’s that for eccentricity?
6. What movie has your favourite love scene? Nah, I only do stills; don’t get all this video stuff!
7. Where is the most romantic location/destination in the world? Anywhere, it doesn’t matter where; it’s the other person and the ambience that counts
8. What gift do you think is the most romantic? ,b>Oneself, surely
9. Which do you prefer – Chocolates or Flowers? ,b>Always flowers; I’m not supposed to have chocolates
10. What is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you? Say “Yes”
11. Who do you think is the most romantic leading lady or man on film, TV or stage? The young Bo Derek
12. Most romantic book you’ve ever read? Any truly old book will do; books are almost as magic as cats!

1. E’ville Con 2009 logo, 2. Eleven, 3. everyone needs to draw a skull or maybe 3, 4. Angel Wars 3: Choosing sides, 5. Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, 6. Two Months On Flickr…Thank You, 7. Anywhere, 8. ugly_dolls, 9. There are always flowers, 10. She Said Yes To A Single Yellow Rose, 11. bo derek96, 12. Old Books [2]

As always these are not my photos so please follow the links to enjoy the work of the photographers who did take them!

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

personal, science

Research, 35 Years On

Thirty-five years ago I was a postgraduate student at the University of East Anglia and in the middle of the research for my doctorate. In simple terms I was looking at how metal-compounds interact to quench light-driven chemical and physical processes in organic compounds; this was done using pulses of laser light which typically lasted millionths of a second (a technique called laser flash photolysis). The technique was already well characterised and the metal-induced photochemical quenching already of industrial importance in developing additives to make plastics more light stable – after all one doesn’t want buckets or sinks which fall apart after a short while as happened in the chemistry labs at University of York when I was an undergraduate there. In our research we were extending the work to try to better understand the physics of the systems at a quantum energy level, and (as my supervisor memorably expressed it) fill in one piece of the jigsaw puzzle which is photosynthesis – the chemical and physical processes by which plants turn water, carbon dioxide and light into energy, sugars, proteins and oxygen; the veritable bedrock of life. It was but a very tiny piece of a massive jigsaw puzzle and to this day I still do not understand how it earned me a doctorate!

This was at the time when Lord Porter (then Professor Sir George Porter) who won a Nobel prize for the invention of flash-photolysis was at the Royal Institution and was just beginning to develop systems using picosecond lasers which we thought at the time was mind-blowing. (A picosecond is one million-millionth of a second, so around a million time shorter than the equipment I was using).

Thirty-five years on scientists are now on the threshold of putting in the very last pieces of that jigsaw. This at least is the way I read today’s BBC News item which describes scientists watching the reacting electrons in the molecules using a similar photolysis technique but with laser pulses lasting just 100 femtoseconds, that’s one ten-thousandth of a billionth of a second (or ten thousand million times shorter than an average camera flash). I’m not so much gobsmacked at the rate of technological innovation – one has almost come to expect that – but more that not only has this been done but that it is possible to achieve such incredibly fast pulses of light AND use them to watch chemical reactions in such real-time detail. It is something we dreamt of doing but never imagined would become a reality. For me this is much more gobsmacking science than any piece of cosmology or particle accelerator physics.