(We have hi-tech bike sheds at the Computer Lab.)
Parking in our street used to be a free-for-all, but they’ve added some double yellow lines now.
In-store signage is often not very well thought out. Long-time readers may remember the seasonal toilet rolls at one of my local stores, and an aisle entirely free of long-life milk at another.
Yesterday we spotted this in HomeSense in Cambridge:
The bizarre messages continue elsewhere in the store. Above one checkout was a sign with an arrow saying “Pay up to 60% less here.” Less than what? Less than the ticketed price? Less than at any other checkout in the store? Do these people have any grasp of how meaningless these signs are? Or — more worryingly — do signs as meaningless as this actually work on the general populace?
Now, they may be cleverer than they look. My nephew Matt points out that they might be trying to encourage people to buy today because the savings will be lower tomorrow. This does make some sense, because it’s the kind of store that, though it looks mildly interesting from the outside, I think few people would voluntarily enter twice.
The new Materials Science and Metallurgy building, Cambridge.
I cycle past this sign regularly:
I think this indicates that all of Cambridge is now part of the Cavendish Lab. I know they’ve been expanding a lot recently, but I didn’t realise they’d got that far.
On the other hand, I may be confused. It’s difficult to keep a clear head when you’re cycling backwards like that.
We were amongst the visitors to the splendid new McGrath Centre at St Catharine’s College today.
Hauxton Mill, just south of Cambridge, was the last commercially-operating water mill in the area. It ceased operation just over 40 years ago.
I walk past it regularly with my dog, and it’s always been a mysterious, intriguing, and very closed, building.
Until today. As we approached, I noticed that the door stood ajar, and it turned out to be because a man was inside checking the electricity meter. (I was struck by the irony.) He was just about to leave, but kindly let me stick my head inside. It was one of those moments when I was very glad I happened to be carrying my camera, even though I only had time to fire off a couple of quick shots.
If only, as they say, these walls could speak…
(Click for larger versions)
Update – I later tweaked one of the photos and posted an improved version here.
The Great Gate, Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge.
You can probably just make out the helix on the floor which is part of a new memorial to Francis Crick.
When you live here, it sometimes can be easy to forget how lucky you are.
© Copyright Quentin Stafford-Fraser
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