The Unblinking Eye

This time the pictures are really pretty uninspiring. There were a lot of "just misses".






















Couldn't resist going back for them and a few others I noticed on my way through.

Aren't Our Police Wonderful? Part 2

Just two weeks after a man died minutes after being knocked to the ground by a baton-wielding policeman, and only days after fresh film emerged showing a woman being punched in the face by a police officer, then whacked by his baton, their attention turned to my neck of the woods.

I was returning home in my car from a shopping trip this afternoon. I turned into the street from which my own street leads, and found myself driving between two rows of parked police cars. At least a dozen officers, some in riot gear, were standing in a bunch on the pavement.

I went home and unloaded my shopping, then decided to walk to the local shops to get the one item I had been unable to get at the other supermarket, feeding the ducks en route. Turning out of the end of my road, I found that the other street was now cordoned off, and neither people nor cars were being allowed through. The police wouldn't tell us why we were being kept out, but local people being the gossips they are, it emerged that there had been a report of a gun in one of the houses. SOme of the police were armed (still haven't seen a gun myself, though).

I'm sorry, but you hang around very obviously, for some time, a couple of hundred yards from the house you want to raid? Doesn't sound like the kind of urgent situation that justifies shutting off the whole street without explanation. Besides, people returning from the shops were still being allowed through from the other side of the cordon.

A bunch of local people who couldn't get through were hanging around. One woman whose house was on the other side of the cordon was not allowed through to get home. Even though it's now illegal "for security reasons" to photograph police in the UK, I was not the only one defying the ban.

Eventually, one by one, three young women and a very young man were led out handcuffed and taken to a police van.

After a while I went the long way round, got my shopping and had a cup of coffee, then went back along the river bank to feed the ducks. The cordon was gone, the odd police vehicle remained. Apparently it wasn't such a big deal after all.

A short walk in the country

When our mutual friend Lesley died in January, Jenny and I vowed to keep in touch. We've known each other since we were 11 (that's 45 years, folks!) so there's a good precendent.

Jen lives in East Grinstead in Surrey these days, and it's a couple of train rides away (or a trip round the dreaded M25 motorway, Europe's biggest car park). I've never actually been there before, so I was pleasantly surprised at how old some of the High Street was. We were so busy talking I forgot to take a picture, so I borrowed this from Google.

Jen wouldn't look up for the camera.

We had lunch at a pub by a lake. These darling ducks popped over to keep us company. I have no idea what sort they are.

We had a huge meal, so it seemed like a good idea to take Jen's two rescue greyhounds, Millie and Woody, out for a walk.

About 7,000 miles later we got back to her house. Every muscle in my body from the waist down and the shoulders up aches. I had to console myself with chocolate. I expect no net benefit from the walk.

No Exit

This is another small album, so we only have 5 pictures from the selection, and 4 of those are pretty underwhelming.



















Now let's see what else we could find:

Beast

Despite the fact that I wish he was sitting next to my bed, I don't think the first picture is a great choice. That means yielding to the temptation of adding a few extras.






















I think it was worth it.

Only a week to go!

The song came to me this morning, and just BEGGED to be used to celebrate the imminent return of Vincent D'Onofrio as Bobby Goren, with lots of Bobby smiles.

Four-and-a-half hours later the finished product was born.

Happy Birthday Snarkangel

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Good Child

It seems to me that the episodes I capped late must have been done hurriedly, 'cos this is another one, and the caps don't reach 301. There are also too many distant shots for my liking, so I've trawled through for some more dribble-making ones.

I think there's something here for everyone:

Season 3 DVD

I had an email from Amazon - it's on its way!

Easter Sunday seems to be a strange time to send it out, though...