Tree-Mendous (part two)

'Hello Pete.'

'I've been fiddling with my sky box for the last half an hour because I couldn't get any channels....'

'Oh?'

'Then I went out side and your tree has fallen on my sky dish.'

'Oops!'

And so it was that one of the remaining parts of our hawthorn tree fell down (taking with it Pete and Lena's sky dish and our shed) and to avoid further drama we decided to take the rest of the tree down.

Tree R.I.P.

First!

First raspberries, first broad beans and first purple podded peas.

They all taste yummy.

Bland Designs?

I spend most of my working day looking at buildings - either plans, or photographs or the real thing. It can be quite dispiriting when the majority of the new buildings we deal with are bland, run-of- the-mill or down right poor. And that got me to thinking about buildings that do inspire and really make a positive contribution our towns and countryside. In terms of historic buildings I love places like Clevedon Pier (surely the finest pier in the country now that the West Pier in Brighton is no more) or the Chapel at Lancing College (above), High Cross House near Totnes (left), the whole railway village in Swindon (everything from the works buildings, offices, railway workers houses and the magnificent Mechanics Institute), or the World War I airfield at Yatesbury, Wiltshire (complete with its hangars and officers barracks and mess).

But most of my work is dealing with new buildings and there are some great things being done (even in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire). Three of my favourites are in Chippenham - the County Records Office:the office where I work and this pair of houses right in the town centre:

Despite the local press criticising it I think the new offices for 'St James Place' in Cirencester are great (certainly a whole lot better than the leisure centre it replaced or the new leisure centre that has been built alongside).

I hasten to add I had nothing at all to do with any of these buildings - I specialise in the bland and downright poor.

With so much in our environmment to be a bit glum about these days its heartening to see buildings that can still lift the spirits and inspire. Kevin McCloud eat your heart out!

Bon Voyage QE2

Mum and Dad have been going for trips on the QE2 for a long time. With great ship sailing off into the sunset (or at least Dubai) towards the end of the year this was to be their last voyage. So Ali, Bess, Grandma and I went to wave them off from the dockside. Having driven down to Southampton we were a bit disappointed to be told by a security guard that we couldn't get into the dock yard and then having made our way to the dockside the viewing gallery (that used to allow you to get right up close to the ship and be face to face with passengers on the deck) had been closed - for security reasons. So we had to stand behind a security fence peering up at the pointy end of the boat. However, nothing can really take away from what a magnificent and elegant looking boat the QE2 is.

The sun came out, Mum,Dad and their freinds, Keith and Ide, came out on deck, Bess shouted 'Hello Grandad,Hello Granny' at the top of her voice, we all waved wildly, the fog horn sounded and Bess cried.

Eventually with a lot of encouragement from an unfeasibly small-looking tug she moved away from the dock side and made her majestic way up the Solent. We watched until she was a dot on the horizon.

We'll miss you QE2 and I'm sure Mum and Dad will too (especially the midnight buffet,eh dad?).