Ghostly Encounter?

OK, I know he lived to 100, and died over 8 years ago, but I saw Bob Hope at the shops today.

No, not that Bob Hope. The Bob Hope was born in Eltham, part of the London Borough of Greenwich. The Bob Hope I saw was born in the north of England, he only lives in Greenwich.

I worked with him at Kidbrooke School, also in the London Borough of Greenwich. He's retired now, having taught at the school for decades, and the closest he came to the Hollywood of his namesake was teaching this man:

Because Jude Law went to Kidbrooke Shool.

And of course, Jamie Oliver did his School Dinners programme there.

No wonder Americans think all the English know each other.

Brother's Keeper - Day 6

Poor baby looks so unhappy when he hears there's nothing that can be done for his mummy.

Brother's Keeper - Day 5

This was a tough one to catch. It's blurred. It's poorly composed. But it's his tongue in full flick.

Brother's Keeper - Day 4

When Bobby Met Frankie.

Pengies and Cubs

No prizes for guessing where I went today.

The new penguin exhibit has been open since May, but these are the first pictures I've taken of the residents.










For a while I could only see one cub, who was sitting with dad. Then mum gave them both a feed.



Finally mum took a rest while big sister supervised a bit of meat-eating.

Brother's Keeper - Day 3

Don't frown, baby, let Val kiss it better. Whatever "it" is.

Planners' Folly

The friend I spent Christmas Day with lives a 30-mile drive away, and to get there part of my journey is along the M25 London Orbital motorway. This bridge runs across it at a place called
Polhill. For generations Polhill was a place of beauty, where families would go in spring to pick bluebells. Then the developers decided in their wisdom to reduce it to a cutting on the motorway.

The story is that, when planning the motorway and its crossings, exits and entries, thsoe responsible looked at a map, and at this site saw a line. "Aha!" they said, "There's a road. We must build a bridge across the motorway to accommodate it." And so they built this award-winning scissor arch bridge.

Sadly, the line on the map was just...a line on a map! A multi-million pound line. No one checked it on the ground. If you google bridges on the M25, you find that the Kent Sub Unit of South East Road Construction Unit takes responsibility for the design of what is described as a "pedestrian bridge, the Polhill Bridleway". I have never Seen anything on the bridge, nor have I tried to find the way on to it, but if there is a way, it's certainly well hidden. Well, at that price, I suppose they can afford to hide their mistake.

Brother's Keeper - Day 2

Just a hint of a smile - but enough to melt the heart.

Brother's Keeper - Day 1

He wants me to talk - I'll talk!

Christmas Day Albatross

I don't have any interesting photo editing or creative software on my computer (been disappointed too many times) so it's just Plain Bobby (if there is such a thing!) for Christmas Day.

I think he just realised he forgot to send our Christmas cards.