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Sheffield
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Favourite Pictures
Here are my favourite shots (plus my favourite mural ! )
Also see Favourite transmitter pictures.
My Favourite Mural
View as one approaches Modderpoort (S Africa) which is most famous for it`s cave church. Unfortunately the latter has had to be fortified to prevent unauthorised access, which rather negatively affects it`s appeal these days.....
I`m not sure why I like this picture so much but I do. It was taken at Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa whilst on an early morning game drive, the latter was well worth having to get up early !
Montjuic Communication Tower (Barcelona)
Designed by Santiago Calatrava it was built between 1989 and 1992 for its opening to coincide with the Olympic Games held in the city, in fact the Olympic stadium is just discernible in the background. It is 136m high and is visible from all over Barcelona. I had to think long and hard about whether I should put this shot in “Favourite Pictures” because it`s not actually that imaginative. But the fact it`s such a beautiful structure, it is a little relevant to the site and the fact that we use it as our “desktop background” (so it must be one of my favourite pictures ! ) persuaded me.
The Moon and the Obelisk at Luxor (Egypt)
San Siro (Milan)
San Siro from the Duomo (Milan).
Eiffel Tower in perfect symmetry parts one and two.
I`m not sure if these pictures are that outstanding but the 1st of Aug 2008 Eclipse in China took a hell of a lot of getting to, so I`m including them anyway. That and the fact the event was stunning !
The viewing site was just N of Yiwu in NW China and careful examination of the above picture will reveal the “official” Eclipse site which was on a lot of the TV coverage.
The top shot was before first contact (between the Moon and the Sun) to show “normal” lighting conditions.
My wife`s sitting down on the job !
The second picture (on the left) is of the Sun gradually being covered by the Moon. Note the clouds which resulted in some stress to the crowds, would they clear in time ?
They did, but only just......
On the left is Totality, the Sun is completely covered by the moon which really does reduce the light levels, as shown in the picture below.
Incidentally it didn`t go as dark as it did in Penzance back in 1999. We were on the Promenade and that particular Eclipse was marred by almost total cloud cover, but it did at least accentuate the darkness.
It was still well worth going to, I won`t be around for the next British eclipse !
How lucky was I to get these pictures ? ! ?
As I walked down the hill from Acklam Wold transmitter, enjoying the beautiful sunshine, the fabulous blue sky and the wonderful view, this little chap (or is it a chapess ?) ran up the road, stopped right in front of me and then looked me up and down a while, before getting bored and darting off. Absolutely fantastic. I`d never have seen it had I driven there.......
Who says that visiting transmitters is boring !
This is Bondi Beach in Sydney (we actually call it Bondi Burn) and I wouldn`t say it was one of my favourite pictures, but it is a very interesting picture none the less.
Why ?
Well there`s a clue in our nickname for it.
Despite the fact that the Australians put a lot of effort into educating people about the dangers of exposure to the southern sun (the famous Slip Slop Slap campaign) there are no sun shelters or parasols available on the beach either for free or for hire. Even more incredibly I was told that is normal for all Australian beaches, and they were surprised to hear that virtually all developed beaches in Europe (and most other continents that I`ve been to) all have sun umbrellas available, including the ultimate Mecca for sun tan worship, British beaches, where they`d usually make more money renting out Snorkel Parkas. You remember them, and don`t try to deny it !
What is this ? !
It`s about 4ft high and located by the river Loxley just below Damflask in NW Sheffield. It`s grid ref is SK 2875 9025.
Is it some sort of flood prevention sluice ?
But what`s the point of it with no other walls about ?
Is it some sort of sheep pen / stock counter doorway ?
But it`s built of 4 to 6” thick concrete ! ? !
Is it a mounting for a WW2 Anti Aircraft gun to protect against bombing of the dam
? (The little known Luftwaffe plan “Der Damm en Busten” -
I had no idea what it was (see the Sheffield Forum discussion of this topic) but I`m fairly sure it was a sluice gate but the earth berms have been removed
Level Crossing With A Difference !
Shetland is a great place for a holiday, loads to see, really friendly people, and it`s light till past 11.00 PM, provided you go in the summer, obviously....... But where else can you use a level crossing across a runway ! Above is the level crossing across the Sumburgh airport runway with a Flybe Saab 340 landing, it`s just above the white fence on the left.
The picture above right is the plane on approach to landing. However, don`t let the above pictures fool you into thinking Shetland`s infrastructure is somehow substandard, it`s actually unbelievably good. The oil revenues probably have a lot to do with it but there are as many swimming pools (albeit smaller ones) in Shetland, population 22,000, as in Sheffield, population 500,000. There are also decent public conveniences in the middle of nowhere, unlike in the UK where you`ve just got to cross your legs, or go for yet another coffee just so you can use their loo, but that just means you have to go again.
Oh right ! (light above head illuminates) I get it now, that`s how they make their money !
So, the unlikely moral of this story is :
Don`t open a coffee shop in Shetland.........
Sri Lankan sunset
My wife Sarah at Kom Ombo temple (Egypt)
Picture 3 (above) reveals the light level dropping quickly, note the shadows proving that the Sun is actually shining, it isn`t cloud cover causing the dim conditions.
These pictures banning trucks from using engine braking in residential areas were taken in New Zealand. It`s what they represent which makes them some of my favourite pictures. Over there they actually value peoples quality of life. People don`t like noise, it`s officially one of the biggest causes of stress. In NZ they try and reduce it, as the above pictures prove. They extend that to clamping down on noisy cars and motorbikes, which I detest with a passion. Those little gits on their bleedin` noisy scooters shattering the peace, I`ll bet you all hate them nearly as much as me. You know what it`s like, you`re out unwinding in the idyllic sylvan countryside surrounded by blessed beautiful peace, and then some ignorant tosser rides by with his deafening exhaust audible from a mile away. I admit it, for a second or two, I could quite happily throttle him........
So how many noisy motorbikes do you think S Yorkshire police prosecuted in 2009 ? I found out using the freedom of information act. The answer ?
None. Zero. Zilch. Sweet bleedin` FA. And, judging by the number of noisy ignorants on the road, I`ve no reason to believe the other police services are any more efficient.
Now noisy bikes and cars aren`t exactly hard to catch are they ?
And the fines could pay for the enforcement.
So if that lack of action isn`t a disgrace then I don`t know what is.
Great Britain, where "the powers that be" really care about people`s quality of life.
Not.
Camper van heaven (nearly as good as boating.......).
How would you fancy waking up to this ? No houses within a mile or two. Perfect peace. But even better than the New Zealand scenery is the friendliness of the people. The owner of the farm not only offered to let us stay here for the night but took an hour and a half out of her day to take us on a Quad bike to see some otherwise inaccessible Maori War poles !
Erasmusbrug Rotterdam. The latter is well worth a visit, loads to do in a fairly compact area and easily accessible by public transport, so it fits in well with a trip over on the ferry !
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