Category Archives: Photos

A 1000-year old skyscraper? What larks, eh, Pip?

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I have harboured unkind thoughts about a town, after visiting only its industrial areas, and given no consideration to the fact that it may have a good heart…

Yesterday we went to Rochester, in Kent, to see the castle and cathedral. And it’s a cracker of a castle!

Rochester Castle, By Quentin Stafford-Fraser

OK, so it’s not quite a millennium old – closer to 900 years – but what’s great about it is that you can still get up to the top, and it’s several stories high. I’ve seldom been on something so old and so tall.

Rochester Castle, By Quentin Stafford-Fraser

The main floors have long-since disappeared, but the galleries and stairways built into the walls mean it can still be climbed.

Rochester Castle, By Quentin Stafford-Fraser

Rochester Castle, By Quentin Stafford-Fraser

And when you reach the top, you feel as if… well… as if you’re on top of a real castle.

The town has plenty more to offer, too. The Cathedral is just over the road, and rather pleasing.

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral

There are nice spots for a cream tea:

The Precinct Pantry, Rochester

And just behind the cathedral is Restoration House, famous, amongst other things, for being Dickens’ model for Miss Havisham’s house in Great Expectations.

Restoration House

All in all, a good day out.

Rochester Cathedral

You can see some more Rochester pictures here.

Summertime

…and the living is easy.

Some recent shots around Cambridge.

Wimpole

Foxton Green

From Foxton Wood

Wheat

King's College

‘iPad (and low keyboard)

On the London train recently I was using a bluetooth keyboard with my iPad, and it was a very good match for the limited space in the seat. The iPad sat on the little table-shelf thing and the keyboard on my lap, partly under the shelf.

It may not look it, but it was really comfortable, and the Vodafone 3G connection held up well. There is no way I could have done productive work in this space on my laptop, but I managed to fire off quite a few emails and Skype messages on the iPad, and, of course, it had enough battery for the journey there and back and quite a lot of use in-between…

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…

Those familiar with Cambridge will know the rollers which allow you to move the very heavy punts between the lower and upper river.

Last week some of us decided to ride the punt down the rollers, which I’ve done many times before, but they seemed to be rolling rather better than in the past, and you can’t steer the thing as you’re going…

DSC06789.JPG

Many thanks to Sarah McKeon for the photo…

S.O.S. – Save our signs

I know very little about spectator sports, as can be demonstrated by the fact that I only found out two days ago that the World Cup was starting yesterday.

However, it’s hard to avoid it completely, so I overheard enough news about unfortunate goals in yesterday’s match to recognise the irony of the banners hanging from the ceiling of a local supermarket:

No doubt the young marketing chappie who thought up this excruciatingly clever play on words now feels a little foolish.

This, of course, is why you really need Digital Signage: so your message can react quickly to changing events!

Brotherly Love

Downtown Philadelphia tonight.

Sunshine below, blue sky above

On my walk this morning with Tilly. More info about the walk, and further photos, on Wagipedia.

No dogs please?

I disagree. I think some do!

Gateway to Heaven

The view from Crishall churchyard

The Foggy, Foggy Dew

As seen last week by the doggy, doggy few.

The Cam at Grantchester

The tracks of my tyres

On the slopes of Mt Rainier.

The Mistaken Wife

Yes, I know all the jokes about “anybody who would marry Quentin…”

This to let you know, gentle reader, that Rose’s book of that name, the third in the Mary Finch series, is officially published tomorrow. We’re having a launch party tonight…

The Mistaken Wife

However, rumour has it that it’s already available in certain fine bookshops – Waterstones in Cambridge being an example – and you can also find it at the usual online booksellers. Readers in North America will need to order from the UK, or wait until the US edition is published in the autumn…

Links and more information at RoseMelikan.com

© Copyright Quentin Stafford-Fraser