memes, natural history, personal, photography

Twelve Old Roses Meme

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Twelve Old Roses Meme, originally uploaded by kcm76.

Here’s a second version of this week’s Flickr meme : A dozen roses!

As I particularly like old roses I decided to do a second version, with all the pictures taken from the Flickr Roses anciennes – Old garden roses group.

As always these photographs are not mine so please click on individual links below to see each artist/photostream. This mosaic is for a group called My Meme, where each week there is a different theme and normally 12 questions to send you out on a hunt to discover photos to fit your meme. It gives you a chance to see and admire other great photographers’ work out there on Flickr.

1. Variegata di Bologna, 2. Louise Odier, 3. Alister Stella Gray 1894 Noisette, 4. Fantastic Smell, 5. Rosa Gallica Splendens, 6. Variegata di Bologna, 7. abeille sur rosier American Pilar, 8. ghislaine de féligonde, 9. Untitled, 10. Reines des Violettes rose, 11. Mme Legras de St. Germain, Rosa alba-hybrid, 12. Cibles

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

medical, science

No this isn't a Pandemic

Jilly over at jillysheep isn’t panicking about the current H1N1 ‘flu scare. She asks “Is this really a pandemic?” Quite rightly she concludes it isn’t a pandemic. I’m interested in (and follow) emerging diseases and their epidemiology (in an amateur way) and I agree with Jilly; here is my (slightly edited) succinct comment to her posting:

No this isn’t a pandemic. In my view (and I hope I’m right) it isn’t even dangerous. As usual it is being hyped up by the media and the politicians are playing to the gallery. Look guys, it’s ‘flu! It doesn’t even appear to be an especially dangerous ‘flu. Sure ‘flu can be nasty and it does kill a few people; it always did; it always will. Yes this will spread. Yes, technically, it may become a pandemic, but IMO not one to worry about. H5N1 Avian ‘flu is potentially more worrysome as it appears to have a higher CFR (fatality rate); SARS similarly. And as for the idea that this ‘flu could be contained in Mexico, well forget it; it never could (just as Avian ‘flu and SARS could never be contained). By the time anyone realised it was around the genie was out of the lamp, however quick they had been, given modern mobility and air travel. This has been around in Mexico since, it seems, mid-March, so the genie was out of the bottle a month before anyone knew (or at least admitted). Look at that month and then ask how dangerous this is. I rest my case!

I don’t relish the thought of having ‘flu, especially as I’m one of those supposed to be at most risk (I’m diabetic) and so get a ‘flu jab every year. And the ‘flu jab to date probably offers me no protection against this Influenza A/H1N1 strain. Next year’s vaccine could include protection against this strain, but only if the scientists get a move on as production of next winter’s vaccine will already have started. Even in spite of this I’m not panicking.

Come on guys, get a life! Is this really all we have to worry about?

memes, natural history, photography

Dozen Roses Meme

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Dozen Roses Meme, originally uploaded by kcm76.

Spring has sprung! Lets celebrate by sending each other a virtual bouquet! So this week’s Flickr meme is : A dozen roses meme! Find the 12 prettiest Flickr roses to build your bouquet.

As I love roses, especially old roses (as you’ll see from the pictures) this was a delight to do.

Photos 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11 are mine. The others are not mine but are all from my Flickr favourites. Please click on individual links below to see each artist/photostream. This mosaic is for a group called My Meme, where each week there is a different theme and normally 12 questions to send you out on a hunt to discover photos to fit your meme. It gives you a chance to see and admire other great photographers’ work out there on Flickr.

1. Mon Amie la Rose, 2. Rose, 3. Apothecary’s Rose, 4. Frosted Roses, 5. Red Rose 3, 6. Rose “Treasure Trove”, 7. Rose “Buff Beauty”, 8. Red Rose, 9. Another beautiful Double Delight Rose, 10. Disco, 11. Yellow Rose, 12. PICT0118

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

memes, personal

I am Wicked

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Somewhere, I remember not where, earlier today I came across Dante’s Inferno Test. So of course I just had to take the test.

And surprise, surprise! I am so wicked that I am banished to the Sixth Level of Hell – The City of Dis! Excellent! Just think of all the interesting people I’ll meet there.

Here is how I matched up against all the levels (though GOK why this might be of interest):

Level Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers) Very Low
Level 1 – Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) High
Level 2 (Lustful) Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous) High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) Low
Level 6 – The City of Dis (Heretics) Extreme
Level 7 (Violent) High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) Moderate
Level 9 – Cocytus (Treacherous) Low

Truly scary, if realistic!

Take the Dante’s Divine Comedy Inferno Test

memes, personal, photography

I Say, You Think Meme


I Say, You Think Meme, originally uploaded by kcm76.

This week’s Flickr meme is I say … You think.

These photos are not mine . . . so please click on individual links below to see each artist/photostream. This mosaic is for a group called My Meme, where each week there is a different theme and normally 12 questions to send you out on a hunt to discover photos to fit your meme. It gives you a chance to see and admire other great photographers’ work out there on Flickr.

As always here are the questions and my answers:

1. Clochemerle … Pissoir
2. Marmite … Toast
3. Green fields … Dog & Stick Farming
4. Umbrella … Edouard Manet, “Le dejeuner sur l’herbe” (no, I don’t get my logic either!)
5. Smoked Nuts … “Round the Horne”
6. Erotica … Pubic hair
7. Zebra … Moiré patterns
8. Po … Don Camillo
9. Caravan … “Cunning Stunts”
10. The Good Old Days … Formerly known as “these trying times”
11. The Queen … “Fat Bottomed Girls” (and yes, I know the rock band are just “Queen”)
12. Clangers … Blue String Pudding

1. Amsterdam Pissoir, 2. Toast art mosaic, 3. Man and his dogs, 4. Lunch on the grass, by Edouard Manet, 5. Jules and Sandy, Musee d’Orsay, Paris, 6. Black and pink…, 7. church & moire, 8. Don Camillo lascia il paese, 9. caravan1975, 10. SunDay’s last SunRays, 11. Very red…, 12. the blue string

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

amusements, current affairs

Green Custard

Some recent odd headlines (mostly from BBC News); with commentary:

Charm offensive
Yes, I agree, charm is offensive

Spray for ‘six times longer’ sex
Ooo eeerr; advent of the 1 metre prick!?!?!

Bottle killing youth sent to jail
Can’t have vicious bottles on the loose; lock ‘em up!

Veteran osprey lays Easter egg
Now I’ve heard of chocolate teapots, but ….

DOWNING ST AIDE RESIGNS
Who’s St Aide? Must be one of those obscure Irish saints

Thieving dwarves cause supernovae
Ah, dwarves in space; new comedy series?

Spam produces 17m tons of CO2
Didn’t know you could still buy Spam

Stephen Hawking
Yes but what’s he hawking?

memes, music, personal, thoughts

My Pink Life

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I stole this meme from Lucy Fishwife; for which we give thanks!

All you have to do is pick a (musical) artist and using ONLY SONG TITLES from only that artist, answer the questions below. Then tag anyone you like.

OK so I choose Pink Floyd.

1. Are you a male or female: Bring the Boys Back Home

2. Describe yourself: Scarecrow

3. How do you feel about yourself: Learning to Fly

4. Describe your parents: Us and Them

5. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriends: Young Lust

6. Describe your current boy/girl situation: Shine on You Crazy Diamond

7. Describe your current location: Up the Khyber

8. Describe where you want to be: Dark Side of the Moon

9. Your best friend(s) is/are: Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict

10. Your favourite colour is: Jugband Blues

11. You know that: Eclipse

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called: The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party

13. What is life to you: A Saucerful of Secrets

14. What is the best advice you have to give: Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk

And I tag: Noreen, Jilly, Katy, Misty, Antonia. Enjoy!

food+drink

East Green

East Green … no it’s not a new BBC soap opera, although, yes, it ought to be a cross between Paddington Green and Eastenders – perish the thought!

No, it’s a delightful new “carbon neutral” beer from Suffolk brewers Adnams’. I’ve known about it for some weeks, and yesterday Noreen managed to buy me a couple of bottles in Waitrose. I know I’m an Adnams fan, but even so this has to be one of the best handful of beers I’ve ever had!

In the words of the bottle: “light golden beer [..] subtle citrus and grassy hop aromas […] a dry and refreshing beer with well balanced bitterness.” Yep that’s spot on. It is light, golden and pleasantly hoppy; just the right touch of bitterness for me (ie. not too much). For those who know their beer it is a cross between Adnams’ Bitter and Shepherd Neame’s “Whitstable Bay”.

Here’s what Adnams’ website says about East Green:!

East Green is a pale blonde beer that began life as an effort to produce an environmentally responsible beer that had flavour and integrity in equal balance. We wanted to design a beer that uses a minimum amount of energy without compromising on quality. We use 100% Maris Otter pale ale malted barley which is grown and malted in East Anglia, we also use Boadicea hops, which are grown in Suffolk’s only commercial hop yard. We chose Boadicea as not only is it available locally but it is also an aphid resistant hop. Aphids, as anyone who has a hop plant growing in their garden will know, love hops, and so aphicides are sprayed during the season to rid the plant of aphids. Boadicea is naturally resistant to aphids and so this cuts down on the amount of pesticides that have to be used. All that aside, I also think it is a great hop. It has a fantastic grassy lemon quality that works so well with this beer. We use the hops at 3 stages during the brewing process in order to maximise the flavour we get from it.

Yep, that’s one stunning beer. Well done Adnams’ Master Brewer. Just keep brewing it please boys!