White Cottage

David Briggs

2012-01-03T16:16:00.000Z

Listened to the latest programme (2 Jan 2012) on Pipedreams this morning and heard David Briggs' Te Deum recorded in Gloucester Cathedral. This blew me away with the combination of plainchant and French-style cathedral organ improvisation. I had to buy the CD and found it here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003IEAMG2. I can't wait to get it.

Nokia Lumia 800

2012-01-02T16:23:00.000Z

My old mobile (LG GM750 - so painfully slow I replaced it once but the replacement was no better) was coming up to the end of its contract and I have been wondering what to replace it with. In the end, I had no choice - I wanted to stick with the Vodafone network, being by far the best for Alveston and the Lakes, and I wanted to stick with Windows Mobile if I could, because, maybe naively, I thought this was the best way to synchronise with Outlook calendar and contacts on the desktop. So I went into the Vodafone store in Yate before Christmas and they said they only offer one Windows phone and that was a Nokia Lumia 800.

Here are some thoughts on the phone so far:

Pros
Very responsive
Built around tiles which are very easy to use
No stylus required (but typing requires smaller fingers than I have)
The people tile links to contacts which automatically link to their facebook pages
Most apps you would ever need are available in the marketplace
The link up between Microsoft and Nokia seems to be paying dividends and this is promising for the future

Cons
Synchronises with windows live in the 'cloud' rather than directly with the desktop using activesync, so may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this has the advantage of accessibility from any computer connected to the internet
Synchronisation can be slow
Does not download Outlook categories
Battery life is one day (but this is the same as my previous phone)

Overall, I very much like this phone and it is a joy to use. It would be difficult to beat - iPhone should be worried.

See also: http://thenokiablog.com/2011/11/09/nokia-lumia-800-review/

Computer freezes randomly

2011-12-02T11:49:00.001Z

My desktop computer has started to freeze randomly. I have found this blog http://computercleanup.blogspot.com/ which has a very easy to follow checklist of things I can do. So here's hoping one of them solves the problem.

Another Brocken Spectre

2011-11-26T13:17:00.001Z

Exactly a year after seeing my first Brocken spectre on Bow Fell, we came across another one on Coniston Old Man while in the Lake District this week. Here is a videoclip I loaded to YouTube and a picture. This time, you can see 3 concentric rainbows.

My Farm

2011-07-04T11:02:00.001+01:00

I'm thinking of joining http://www.my-farm.org.uk/. Sounds interesting for anyone wanting to know more about the connection between food and farming. You can get involved with running Home Farm, Wimpole Estate owned by the National Trust.

Desert Island Discs

2011-06-01T12:03:00.001+01:00

I have just put together my Desert Island Discs and entered it here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/your-desert-island-discs

Mozart Requiem
Beethoven Violin Concerto
John Ireland Hymn "My Song is Love Unknown"
Bach Mass in B Minor
Handel Messiah
Elgar Dream of Gerontius
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no 2
Saint-Saens Organ Symphony

Also rans:
Bach Toccatas
Beethoven Symphony nos 3, 6 & 9
Beethoven Piano Concerto no 3 & 5
Mozart Piano Concerto nos 21 & 23
Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Vierne Finale from Organ Symphony no1
Franck Organ Final
Verdi Requiem
Faure Requiem
Faure Cantique de Jean Racine
Dvorak New World Symphony
Berlioz Requiem
Brahms A German Requiem
Bruckner Symhony no 4
Mahler Symphony nos 1, 2 'Resurrection', 4 & 5
Purcell Funeral music
Schubert Symphony no 8 'Unfinished'
Dvorak 'New World' Symphony
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
Allegri Miserere
Tavener The Lamb
Schostakovich Piano Concertos

It is so difficult to decide, but I wanted to include organ, piano, symphony and concerto as well as choral, and have all different composers.

See a fuller list of my favourites here:
http://www.whitecottage.org/mymusic.htm

Check your e-mail addresses!

2011-04-05T23:31:00.000+01:00

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her e-mail address, and without realizing his error, sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her e-mails expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in.

I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P. S. It sure is freaking hot down here!!!

Tubular Fells

2011-04-05T23:30:00.000+01:00

Now for sale - an interesting map of the Lake District.
See http://www.tubularfells.com/

Lawrence Dallaglio on Desert Island Discs

2011-02-25T11:16:00.001Z

Quotes from this morning's Desert Island Discs:

"Only a life lived in the service of others is worth living." Albert Einstein

"You can earn a living from what you get but you only get a life from what you give. Take it from me baby, giving is always best." Andy Ripley

Verdi Requiem in Tewkesbury Abbey

2011-02-03T15:14:00.000Z

I'm very much looking forward to singing in this event which is being held on June 4th.
For more details, see here:
http://www.tyndale-choral-society.org/SCCG/SCCG-R1-BS.html

The Bluebird Project

2011-02-01T22:16:00.001Z

I can't wait to see Bluebird rebuilt.

http://www.bluebirdproject.com

Mont Blanc

2011-01-30T19:44:00.000Z

Just found this video about Mont Blanc which gives a good idea of what's involved in climbing the highest mountain in western europe.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/fast_track/9255987.stm

Backups

2011-01-07T10:07:00.001Z

For my own reference, here is my backup regime.

Desktop
Carbonite subscription automatic
Windows backup weekly automatic to hard drive
McAfee free selected files

Laptop
McAfee free selected files
VStuff free selected files
Dropbox free selected files

Mobile Phone
Windows MyPhone
PPC Pim Backup from FdcSoft

Today programme

2010-12-10T10:04:00.001Z

Heard on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that 13 of the top 20 choirs in the world are British. (Source: Gramophone magazine.) See below for podcast. Apparently, the judges were not all British! The reason given for the quality of our choral singing is the Anglican tradition of church music. Hurrah! John Eliot Gardner's Monteverdi Choir (THE BEST) and Polyphony (singing music by Eric Whitacre) were featured. Richard Harries commented on 'Thought for the Day' afterwards - a positive report on the Anglican Church for once.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/today/today_20101210-0940a.mp3

Eurofighter

2010-11-27T00:26:00.000Z

Caught this plane by Coniston Water on my camera using burst mode. Turns out to be the eurofighter!

Brocken spectre

2010-11-26T21:29:00.001Z

Saw my first Brocken spectre on Tuesday on Bowfell. What a great sight. This picture doesn't do it justice. I thought I would never see one. It was there in a flash and then it was gone.

Here is an explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocken_spectre

Sparrowhawk

2010-11-10T11:06:00.000Z

Saw a sparrowhawk in my garden yesterday. It looked more like this:

than the kestrel:

Trekking in the Alps

2010-08-04T12:09:00.001+01:00

Here is my webpage with routes and pictures of my holiday in the Alps: http://www.whitecottage.org/trek-alps2010.htm

Sanders Reproaches

2010-04-03T12:18:00.002+01:00

I recommend this blog entry http://5-against-4.blogspot.com/2008/03/reproaches-stark-unanswerable.html which has a link to a stunning performance by St John's Anglican Church Choir, Elora in Canada:

I have now bought the Naxos disc http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554823 here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Psalms-Soul-John-Sanders/dp/B00004VXDB
We performed this at St Mary's Church, Thornbury yesterday (Good Friday).

Ordnance Survey launches OS OpenData

2010-04-02T17:44:00.002+01:00

For more information see here:
http://openspace.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/openspace/index.html

Floods in the Lake District

2009-12-11T16:49:00.007Z

Here are some pictures which show the flooding around Coniston Water last month.

Bouthrey Bridge over the river Crake at Water Yeat

Lake Bank Boat Club boat house

Coniston Water overflowing on to the A5084

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews/local/cumbria.shtml for more information.

Carnedd Uchaf becomes Carnedd Gwenllian

2009-09-26T11:54:00.002+01:00

See here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8275729.st m

PLBs - a good thing or not?

2009-09-19T10:38:00.002+01:00

Walkers: see this interesting article here:
http://www.walkingworld.com/home/index.asp?id=1&nid=621
What do you think?

Data Developments

2009-09-10T22:23:00.004+01:00

This is a note to anyone interested in sharing information, tips, questions, etc about Data Developments software for charities: Donations Coordinator, Finance Coordinator and Membership Coordinator. Thornbury Church have started using this software this year and are keen to exchange ideas with anyone else new or experienced with these systems. If you are interested (and may have come across this blog using a search engine), then do please contact me using the webmaster e-mail address or comment on this item.

A mystery

2009-07-10T09:36:00.004+01:00

This is currently the subject of an archeological dig and is in a local wood.

5 spot burnet

2009-07-10T09:19:00.002+01:00

There are many of these moths on the golf links at Lower Hazel this year. I've never heard of them before, never mind seen them (that I recall).

Green woodpecker

2009-05-29T16:12:00.002+01:00

I've often wondered what bird makes this call as I see a green/yellow back disappearing near local woods. Now I know. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH3hP3Lt_Sk.

Britain's Favourite View

2009-05-11T23:36:00.001+01:00

Here is Britain's Favourite View taken earlier this evening.

Charles Valentin Alkan

2009-04-25T19:22:00.006+01:00

I bet you haven't heard of this composer. Neither had I until this morning. But he is an eye-opener - or should I say ear-opener. He was a neighbour of Chopin and contemporary of Chopin and Liszt. Have a listen. His organ music should be interesting. He composed funeral music for a dead parrot 100 years before Monty Python! He sadly died pinned to the ground by a falling umbrella stand.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k121z

Latin saying

2009-04-24T11:15:00.002+01:00

I heard a Latin saying on the radio this morning: Solvitur ambulando, meaning "It is solved by walking".

Coast to Coast on BBC4 starts next Thursday

2009-04-02T14:49:00.003+01:00

BBC4 are starting a new series following the success of the Wainwright Walks. Julia Bradbury is walking Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk (ref http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jqp0m). The first episode of six starts next Thursday at 8.30pm. You must see it - or, better still, walk it!

Haydn: The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross

2009-02-22T20:45:00.008Z

St Mary's Church Choir and Cadence are performing Haydn's The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross at 6pm on Palm Sunday evening, 5 April at St Mary's Church, Thornbury.

Letters to Myself

2009-02-22T20:24:00.003Z

Listened to an interesting programme on BBC radio 4 "Letters to Myself" this afternoon based on letters written by people to themselves sometime in the future. Some of them were from this website: http://www.futureme.org.

Choir jokes

2009-02-22T14:04:00.003Z

Guide to the SATB Choir

In any chorus, there are four voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Sometimes these are divided into first and second within each part, prompting endless jokes about first and second basses. There are also various other parts such as baritone, countertenor, contralto, mezzo soprano, etc., but these are mostly used by people who are either soloists, or belong to some excessively hotshot classical a cappella group (this applies especially to countertenors), or are trying to make excuses for not really fitting into any of the regular voice parts, so we will ignore them for now.

Each voice part sings in a different range, and each one has a very different personality. You may ask, "Why should singing different notes make people act differently?", and indeed this is a mysterious question and has not been adequately studied, especially since scientists who study musicians tend to be musicians themselves and have all the peculiar complexes that go with being tenors, french horn players, timpanists, or whatever. However, this is beside the point; the fact remains that the four voice parts can be easily distinguished, and I will now explain how.

THE SOPRANOS are the ones who sing the highest, and because of this they think they rule the world. They have longer hair, fancier jewelry, and swishier skirts than anyone else, and they consider themselves insulted if they are not allowed to go at least to a high F in every movement of any given piece. When they reach the high notes, they hold them for at least half again as long as the composer and/or conductor requires, and then complain that their throats are killing them and that the composer and conductor are sadists. Sopranos have varied attitudes toward the other sections of the chorus, though they consider all of them inferior. Altos are to sopranos rather like second violins to first violins - nice to harmonize with, but not really necessary. All sopranos have a secret feeling that the altos could drop out and the piece would sound essentially the same, and they don't understand why anybody would sing in that range in the first place - it's so boring. Tenors, on the other hand, can be very nice to have around; besides their flirtation possibilities (it is a well-known fact that sopranos never flirt with basses), sopranos like to sing duets with tenors because all the tenors are doing is working very hard to sing in a low-to-medium soprano range, while the sopranos are up there in the stratosphere showing off. To sopranos, basses are the scum of the earth - they sing too damn loud, are useless to tune to because they're down in that low, low range - and there has to be something wrong with anyone who sings in the F clef, anyway.

THE ALTOS are the salt of the earth - in their opinion, at least. Altos are unassuming people, who would wear jeans to concerts if they were allowed to. Altos are in a unique position in the chorus in that they are unable to complain about having to sing either very high or very low, and they know that all the other sections think their parts are pitifully easy. But the altos know otherwise. They know that while the sopranos are screeching away on a high A, they are being forced to sing elaborate passages full of sharps and flats and tricks of rhythm, and nobody is noticing because the sopranos are singing too loud (and the basses usually are too). Altos get a deep, secret pleasure out of conspiring together to tune the sopranos flat. Altos have an innate distrust of tenors, because the tenors sing in almost the same range and think they sound better. They like the basses, and enjoy singing duets with them - the basses just sound like a rumble anyway, and it's the only time the altos can really be heard. Altos' other complaint is that there are always too many of them and so they never get to sing really loud.

THE TENORS are spoiled. That's all there is to it. For one thing, there are never enough of them, and choir directors would rather sell their souls than let a halfway decent tenor quit, while they're always ready to unload a few altos at half price. And then, for some reason, the few tenors there are are always really good - it's one of those annoying facts of life.. So it's no wonder that tenors always get swollen heads - after all, who else can make sopranos swoon? The one thing that can make tenors insecure is the accusation (usually by the basses) that anyone singing that high couldn't possibly be a real man.. In their usual perverse fashion, the tenors never acknowledge this, but just complain louder about the composer being a sadist and making them sing so damn high. Tenors have a love-hate relationship with the conductor, too, because the conductor is always telling them to sing louder because there are so few of them. No conductor in recorded history has ever asked for less tenor in a forte passage. Tenors feel threatened in some way by all the other sections - the sopranos because they can hit those incredibly high notes; the altos because they have no trouble singing the notes the tenors kill themselves for; and the basses because, although they can't sing anything above an E, they sing it loud enough to drown the tenors out. Of course, the tenors would rather die than admit any of this. It is a little-known fact that tenors move their eyebrows more than anyone else while singing.

THE BASSES sing the lowest of anybody. This basically explains everything. They are stolid, dependable people, and have more facial hair than anybody else. The basses feel perpetually unappreciated, but they have a deep conviction that they are actually the most important part (a view endorsed by musicologists, but certainly not by sopranos or tenors), despite the fact that they have the most boring part of anybody and often sing the same note (or in endless fifths) for an entire page. They compensate for this by singing as loudly as they can get away with - most basses are tuba players at heart. Basses are the only section that can regularly complain about how low their part is, and they make horrible faces when trying to hit very low notes. Basses are charitable people, but their charity does not extend so far as tenors, whom they consider effete poseurs. Basses hate tuning the tenors more than almost anything else. Basses like altos - except when they have duets and the altos get the good part. As for the sopranos, they are simply in an alternate universe which the basses don't understand at all. They can't imagine why anybody would ever want to sing that high and sound that bad when they make mistakes. When a bass makes a mistake, the other three parts will cover him, and he can continue on his merry way, knowing that sometime, somehow, he will end up at the root of the chord.

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Soprano

The rest of the choir exists just to make you look good.
You can entertain your friends by breaking their wineglasses.
Can you name an opera where an alto got the man?
When sopranos want to sing in the shower, they know the tune.
It’s not like you are ever going to sing the alto part by accident.
Great costumes - like the hat with the horns on it.
How many world famous altos can you name?
When the fat lady sings, she’s usually singing soprano.
When you get tired of singing the tune, you can sing the descant.
You can sing along with Michael Jackson.

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Alto

You get really good at singing E flat.
You get to sing the same note for 12 consecutive measures.
You don’t really need to warm up to sing 12 consecutive bars of E-flat.
If the choir really stinks, it’s unlikely the altos will be blamed.
You have lots of time to chat during soprano solos.
You get to pretend that you are better than the sopranos, because everybody knows that women only sing soprano so they don’t have to learn to read music.
You can sometimes find part time work singing tenor.
Altos get all the great intervals.
When the sopranos are holding some outrageously high note at the end of a song, the altos always get the last words.
When the altos miss a note, nobody gets hurt.

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Tenor

Tenors get high - without drugs.
Name a musical where the bass got the girl.
You can show the sopranos how it SHOULD be sung.
Did you ever hear of anyone paying $1000 for a ticket to see ‘The Three Basses?’
Who needs brains when you’ve got resonance?
Tenors never have to waste time looking through the self-improvement section of the bookstore.
You get to sing along with John Denver singing "Aye Calypso."
When you get really good at falsetto, you can make tons of money doing voice-overs for cartoon characters.
Gregorian chant was practically invented for tenors. Nobody invented a genre for basses.
You can entertain your friends by impersonating Julia Child.

Top Ten Reasons for Being a Bass

You don’t have to tighten your shorts to reach your note.
You don’t have to worry about a woman stealing your job.
Or a preadolescent boy stealing your job.
Action heroes are always basses. That is - if they ever sang, they would sing bass.
You get great memorable lyrics like bop, bop, bop, bop.
If the singing job doesn’t work out, there’s always broadcasting.
You never need to learn to read the treble clef.
If you get a cold, so what.
For fun, you can sing at the bottom of your range and fool people into thinking there’s an earthquake.
If you belch while you’re singing, the audience just thinks it is part of the score.

Aelfwig's Stone

2009-02-16T22:09:00.004Z

Could this be Aelfwig's Stone from which the name Alveston was derived? Grid reference: ST 624 875 at Lower Hazel.

I am pleased to see this track opened up just below the stone - could be ancient.

Fry's English Delight

2009-02-15T22:47:00.003Z

Listened to this programme about cliches this afternoon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d5cd8 on radio 4. Entertaining and interesting. Do you know the derivation of "Sick as a Parrot" or "the Dog's B*ll*cks"?

Rory Bremner

2009-02-13T12:11:00.004Z

I am a great fan of Rory Bremner because of the way he combines humour, impressions and political satire. You can see his blog here: http://en.wordpress.com/tag/rory-bremner/

I have just found this videoclip I have not seen before.

Evernote

2009-01-18T16:57:00.002Z

I've just discovered Evernote. This looks jolly useful. I'm going to try it out - and it's free (unless you want to upgrade).

Masonry paint

2008-12-24T11:39:00.004Z

I cannot recommend this Leyland Truguard Pliolite based masonry paint highly enough:

It fills in small surface cracks, keeps its colour and lasts several years in the wettest of weather conditions. It is available at Johnstone's Leyland Decorating Centres, see here:

Not only that, but I ordered some more yesterday afternoon from the Bristol (St Phillips) Decorating Centre and it was delivered free of charge this morning at 9am (Christmas Eve)!

Berghaus advert

2008-11-04T17:09:00.000Z

Worth a look! http://www.berghaus.com/ourworld/LeoAndAnnikenBaseJump.aspx

Cadence & Continuo in Provence

2008-10-18T09:40:00.003+01:00

Had a lovely week in Provence. We were based in Avignon and visited a lot of places. More details can be found on the Cadence page of my website. Within 20 minutes of posting my YouTube video of the Roman arena at Nimes, a frenchman corrected me. It was at Arles not Nimes!

Robert Peston

2008-10-01T10:17:00.004+01:00

If you are interested in the current goings on in the financial world, BBC's Robert Peston is a key reporter and his blog can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/.

Cotswold Way

2008-09-25T11:51:00.006+01:00

At last, I completed the Cotswold Way last Friday.

Here is the last leg:
Cotswold Way Old Sodbury to Bath at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

I have put a page on my website about the Cotswold Way, see here.

Hear Here! Beat the Clock

2008-09-18T11:16:00.004+01:00

Test your classical music knowledge here! Warning: it is addictive!

Ospreys in South Lakeland

2008-09-11T16:10:00.003+01:00

Are there ospreys in South Lakeland? They have been reported there in the Beacon Fell log book and also in the Westmorland Gazette. I reckon I saw one on my last visit to the Lake District around Beacon Fell.

Radio 4 For One Night Only - The Prom of Peace

2008-08-15T14:00:00.005+01:00

Quite ironic that this was on the radio today with Russia in Georgia - and even more ironic at the time when a Russian soloist and orchestra were playing Czech music during the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia (as it was then) in 1968.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/foronenightonly/pip/aj66v/

More Czech music at the Proms tonight and next Thursday.

Can Maths be fun?

2008-08-14T11:01:00.002+01:00

Try this fun quiz from BBC Radio 4: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7558000/7558786.stm

Don't look now!

2008-07-27T13:57:00.005+01:00

Found on http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/

Extreme Cellists

2008-07-24T18:29:00.006+01:00

I've heard it all now - on BBC radio 4's 6 o'clock news tonight in fact: http://www.extreme-cello.com/ - four peaks challenge!

Vodafone 1615

2008-06-29T09:34:00.017+01:00

I thought I would put a few of my experiences down for my future reference and maybe it will be of some help to others.

I wanted to upgrade my phone and PDA to a single unit which could browse the internet, send and receive e-mails, take photos (ideally geotagged), have an inbuilt GPS for Google Maps, TomTom, Anquet, etc, have normal PDA functionality with notes, calendar and contacts, and of course make phone calls! Not a lot to ask. Oh, a sliding keyboard would be nice as well. But I also wanted to stay with the Vodafone network as it gives me the best coverage where I live and also in the Lake District.

So off I went to the Vodafone shop in the Mall one day and put the question to them. They hadn't heard of geotagging, but they recommended the Vodafone 1615 which is the HTC TyTN II, which had TomTom installed so I guessed it had a GPS. However, they hadn't got one in to show me. So I went to PC World and found a Vodafone salesman and he agreed that the Vodafone 1615 fitted the bill. They had got one in and I signed up for one there and then.

There is a long story which I won't go into about how I switched telephone numbers so I could use my old mobile number of the new phone. Anyway, that was successful eventually and I needed to switch the SIM cards over.

That was several weeks ago now and I have been having fun ever since trying to see how to use different sofware. People might be interested in each of them and the problems I have been having and in most cases the solutions.

Windows Mobile
I found that Windows Mobile 6.1 is now available from Vodafone (see here). I am always keen to upgrade software wherever possible as the latest software is usually an improvement - better functionality and fewer bugs. You need to back up the whole of the contents of the phone's memory (not the card) or be sure you can recover the contents by synchronizing from your PC Outlook, files and programs, etc. This can be a pain but is not a bad idea from time to time as it gives you an opportunity of throwing out files or programs you don't use or need. The only problem I have had with the new version is that the GPS Photo function was turned off. I found that you can turn it back on by hacking into the registry using Mobile Registry Editor and changing a value. See here.

ActiveSync
The latest version is 4.5 and it still has problems with large amounts of data. I have had a problem with certain error codes when synchronizing. I have a large number of contacts, e-mail folders and calendar entries. I think the problem was down to the e-mail folders. (Typing in the error code got a number of threads. These were not complimentary to activesync and WM6, but seemed to point to e-mail synching.) I have disabled synchronizing e-mails as I can get e-mail directly from the phone. However, I had to reduce the folders and re-establish a new connection before it worked properly. I have since increased the number of folders with no problem.

Anquet
Pocket Anquet now works properly on my machine. I have been in e-mail correspondence with them to solve some problems. Even though this is a phone, I needed to load the PocketPC version of Anquet. I have managed to get the GPS to talk to Anquet and obtain a GPS position and tracklogs by using GpsGate (see below). The tracklogs can be uploaded to Anquet on a PC, saved as a .gpx file and uploaded to EveryTrail.

Google Maps
This is a relevation. I can see where I am using Google map and satellite views. It would be good if this had a tracklogging facility.

GPS
Anquet suggested that I needed something like Franson GpsGate so that multiple applications could use the GPS data. I have installed this. It has the additional functionality of creating an NMEA logging file on the phone (and even on a website, so that your movements can be tracked by someone else - sounds useful for trekking!). Also, an NMEA file can be read by EveryTrail.

Geotagging
This is also a relevation. With the GPS Photo option, you can add information to a picture which records where it was taken. If you upload the photos to Flickr, for example, Flickr (limit 100Mb per month) can show the pictures on a map (a Yahoo map) exactly where they were taken. You can load them directly to EveryTrail as well and show them on your tracks. Picasa can also show photos on a map (limit 1Gb), but this time it is a Google map, which is much better, but it doesn't seem to be automatic - you've got to place them by hand - and they can't be imported to EveryTrail.)

Here is my first tracklog with photos on Everytrail using the phone: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=28616. My wish is that Anquet will be able to do the same thing on an OS map using their new MARS system when it has been launched.

Microsoft Money
Microsoft do not support a Pocket PC version which can be synchronized with old versions of Money. Shame on them! So the only way I have found to do it is using Ultrasoft Money. I am trying this out on trial and it looks as though it does the same as Pocket Money.

TomTom Navigator
This program comes free with the phone. However, you can only get one free map (in my case I downloaded Bath which includes the Bristol area). Anywhere else you have to pay for.

Media
ActiveSync 4.5 assumes you want to sync Media files. This takes a very long time and requires a lot of space. Unless you want to use your phone as an mp3 player or view videos, I would disable this and only copy across files you want manually.

Blogging
Another 'nice to have' feature is to be able to blog from the phone. I have used Mail-to-Blogger, and this works, but Vodafone doesn't support blogger mobile (sending messages to go@blogger.com).

Battery
This seems to be the weakest link. With the GPS on, the battery was 50% down after 2 hours use. It takes a long time to recharge as well. I have got an extended battery which doesn't seem a big improvement. It adds to the thickness and weight of the phone. I have been told of iDOL which I might consider at some future date.

Cardiff Philharmonic

2008-06-21T13:35:00.004+01:00

Sang in Mahler's Symphony no 2 with the Cardiff Philharmonic last night at St David's Hall, Cardiff (see here) - absolutely fabulous! There were 116 members in the orchestra and 200 singers. There are rumours of the Verdi Requiem next year - yes, please!

The Gloucestershire Society

2008-06-15T20:27:00.000+01:00

Sang Mattins with Cadence for the Gloucestershire Society at this lovely little church in Ozleworth Park. Lunch at the Gumstool (Calcot Manor) afterwards - fantastic!

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen

2008-04-26T22:58:00.006+01:00

Saw Harry Christophers and The Sixteen tonight at Tewkesbury Abbey. They are on their choral pilgrimage around the country singing music of 16th century Tudor England. This is highly recommended, superb singing in superb surroundings - go and see them if you get the chance.

Severn Bridges

2008-04-26T15:31:00.002+01:00

Took Dexter to the Severn Estuary at Aust this afternoon. This is a panoramic view between the two bridges. I am uploading more pictures on his blog.

Bluebells and cowslips

2008-04-20T16:33:00.004+01:00

Found both this afternoon at Sheepcombe and Lower Hazel.

Mahler's Resurrection Symphony

2008-04-19T19:08:00.007+01:00

Members of the Alveston Singers and Thornbury Choral Society are joining the Cardiff Philharmonic Chorus in a performance of Mahler's Symphony No 2 ("Resurrection") on 20 June. See Cardiff Philharmonic for details of the concert. This piece is 97th in this year's Classic FM Hall of Fame. It should be near the top - a truly inspirational work. Here is the fifth movement in which the choir will be singing, divided into 4 parts on YouTube. The choir starts to sing at 1 minute into the third part.

Euro-whiff

2008-04-19T15:48:00.004+01:00

Did you smell the 'euro-whiff'? I did last night at about midnight and I live in South Gloucestershire! See the BBC and Telegraph websites.

Free compost bin

2008-04-14T19:59:00.003+01:00

Whilst searching for the best price for a compost bin, I found this recyclenow website. You can get a free 220 litre compost bin here if you live in South Gloucestershire. Or you can find out what special offers there are in your area here.

Sayings

2008-04-13T14:19:00.008+01:00

In church today, Dr Anne Spargo in her last sermon with us, reminded us of the fable of the chicken and the pig:
One day the chicken said to the pig, 'Hey, I've got a brilliant idea. The two of us should go into a business partnership.'
'Great,' said the pig, 'but what sort of business?'
'Oh, I don't know ... how about the bacon and egg business?'
'Well, that seems like a good idea, let me think about that,' said the pig. 'Wait a minute, though - it's okay for you to produce eggs, but for me to produce bacon I'd have to give up my life.'
'That's right,' said the chicken, coldly.
Well worth remembering the difference between contribution and commitment.

Yesterday, on Any Questions, Archbishop Sentamu reminded the Radio4 audience of Archbishop William Temple's saying: "Coincidences seem to occur much more frequently when I pray".

Gift Aid

2008-04-12T14:25:00.003+01:00

It was expected that when the income tax rate was to reduce by 2% to 20% on 6 April this year that the tax reclaimed on Gift Aided contributions to charities would correspondingly be reduced. This is not the case. The welcome news for all charities is that they can continue to reclaim 22%. This came out in the 2008 budget: the additional 2% is called transitional relief.

Alveston Weather

2008-04-03T13:57:00.003+01:00

Just found this cool website. Should be of interest to anyone in Alveston with an eye on the weather! I cannot find out who runs it though?!

Classic FM Hall of Fame - results

2008-03-26T20:39:00.008Z

Further to my previous entry here the results are now out and the top 3 are:

1 Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
2 Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
3 Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

It couldn't be that this year is the 50th anniversary of Vaughan Williams' death that has something to do with it? (Note: the Alveston Singers are singing his Benedicite in June.)

My top 3 were:
1 Beethoven: Violin Concerto
2 Mozart: Requiem
3 Handel: Messiah
and they were placed 45th, 19th and 20th respectively.

The Apprentice

2008-03-26T19:56:00.001Z

The Apprentice starts again tonight at 9pm on BBC1.

Archbishop Robert Runcie

2008-03-26T19:45:00.005Z

Just heard this on tonight's Radio 4 comedy programme (The Museum of Curiosity):

Baron Runcie (former Archbishop of Canterbury) said: "the church is like a swimming pool; all the noise is at the shallow end". Very true!

Start the Week

2008-03-17T09:22:00.010Z

Listening to Start the Week with Andrew Marr. One of his guests is Simon Russell Beale, the actor, who was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. He is starting a new series called Sacred Music on BBC4 starting on Good Friday at 8pm and Easter Day at 8.30pm featuring the award-winning choir The Sixteen, conducted by its founder Harry Christophers. Must see!

BBC Music Magazine

2008-03-10T18:48:00.006Z

Reminder to myself - I must get it!
Informed by the BDOA of the April issue of the BBC Music Magazine. The free CD is of David Briggs playing Vierne's Organ Symphony No 3, and Widor's Symphony No 5, plus a 5 minute improvisation by David Briggs on the bell chime of St Sernin Basilica, Toulouse, where this recording is made. It is a recording on the magnificent original Cavaille-Coll instrument.

Tewkesbury Abbey

2008-03-10T18:36:00.004Z

I visited Tewkesbury Abbey for the first time on Saturday. Why I have not visited this splendid place before, I just do not know. Anyway, having a friend stay for the weekend was an ideal excuse to go, and I recommend a visit to this Norman abbey.

Converting .mov files to .avi files

2008-02-29T17:04:00.004Z

Videoclips on digital cameras tend to be .mov files which can be played by QuickTime. However, if you want to edit them using Windows Movie Maker, they need to be converted into .avi files first. You can do this by purchasing QuickTime Pro, or for free by using RAD Video Tools. If at first the latter does not work, try different compression types. I use Intel Indeo for my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 camera clips.

New BBC homepage

2008-02-28T08:55:00.002Z

Just looked at the BBC homepage. You can now customise it - very useful.

Mock the Week

2008-02-14T23:12:00.003Z

Hilarious clips from Mock the Week, currently being repeated on BBC2.

On my doorstep

2008-02-12T23:45:00.000Z

Found this frog on my front doorstep wanting to come in after choir practice (mine not its!).

Karl Jenkins: The Armed Man

2008-02-09T21:47:00.000Z

Attended a workshop to rehearse and perform this work with Thornbury Choral Society today at Thornbury Baptist Church - excellent work, excellent conducting (Steven Kings), excellent venue!

Excess Baggage

2008-02-09T17:40:00.001Z

Did you listen to this morning's Excess Baggage programme on BBC Radio 4? Included was a feature on the Island Man who is the first person to sleep on all of the 162 Scottish islands over forty hectares (as featured in this book - must put it on my wish list). You can hear Mendelssohn's Overture "The Hebrides" (Fingal's Cave) here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ne5sb1LBaJw

Embedded routes and photos on walking logs

2008-02-08T16:55:00.001Z

I would really like to do what you can do with EveryTrail (see earlier posts) with OS mapping.

The Ordnance Survey have just announced the launch of OpenSource for developers. This looks like rather hard work unless you are used to Java programming.

Anquet tell me that they are soon to launch something similar to EveryTrail but with OS mapping so I will be interested to see how that pans out. However, there are licensing restrictions with showing OS maps on websites, so I will be getting in touch with OS to see exactly what the situation is. Watch this space.

The demise of the British pub?

2008-02-08T14:32:00.000Z

Listened to You and Yours on BBC Radio 4 at lunchtime. You can listen again here at BBC iPlayer. There was mention of the Black Swan in Ravenstonedale which the BAsWC have used as a base for memorable walks in the Howgills. Is diversifying the way forward for the country pub?

Lunar eclipse

2008-02-05T17:26:00.000Z

The next lunar eclipse is on 21 February at about 3am! See wikipedia for more information.
Here is a YouTube film of the one on 3 March 2007 taken from Bristol!

Another test of EveryTrail

2008-02-03T15:42:00.000Z

A Cotswold Way leg last month. The software is a bit quirky and takes some getting used to, but I haven't found anything better yet....
Cotswold Way Cleeve Hill to Stanway at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks

EveryTrail

2008-02-03T14:49:00.002Z

Experimenting with this EveryTrail website after a walk yesterday. This is the result. Looks very useful. You can upload a GPS route with digital photos and the photos will be marked on a Google Earth map using the clock in each! I suppose this is a form of geotagging. Note that Google Earth now has a 'terrain' option.
River Severn walk at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:Share GPS tracks
I have started to use this for my walklog.

Here is a YouTube demo of EveryTrail:

Avalanche awareness quiz

2008-02-01T17:45:00.000Z

Click above for a very useful quiz from Glenmore Lodge.

Pancake Day is on Tuesday!

2008-02-01T12:10:00.000Z

Something I found in a YouTube news item on the BBC website:

Look up other videos by Provster Productions - hilarious.
You might like to look up this website as well: http://www.welovepancakes.com/home/

Satmap Active 10 GPS

2008-02-01T01:11:00.000Z

At last a dedicated GPS with OS mapping! See here.
Here are two reviews/discussions: here and here.
It is also reviewed by Trail Magazine here:

You can win one here at outdoorsmagic.com.
You can subscribe to YouTube channels Trail Magazine and Country Walking Magazine for more useful videos.

Freebies

2008-01-30T16:01:00.000Z

I have started to publish some freebies on my website. You can access them here.

Rachmaninov's 'Bogoroditsye Devo'

2008-01-26T17:21:00.000Z

Another favourite choral piece of mine. There are several versions on YouTube, but I think this is the best - Melbourne University Choral Society singing in Melbourne Cathedral.

Alveston Parish Plan

2008-01-26T15:23:00.000Z

If you live here in the parish of Alveston, you are being asked to complete a questionnaire. This is a project funded and managed independently of the Parish Council. I recommend it be completed as they are key inputs for the production of a plan that our community can follow to improve the way we live.

While searching, I have found this Alveston Parish walk which mentions White Cottage (an old dressmaker's workroom). This guide has some interesting local history, including the fact that Alveston is derived from ‘Alwihs Stone’, probably a neolithic stone.

Extreme Dreams

2008-01-26T14:45:00.000Z

Have you been watching Ben Fogle and Extreme Dreams on BBC2 which is currently on every weekday evening at 6.30pm? You can watch the programmes on BBCi Player for 7 days after the programme. Although I find it irritating to watch/fast-forward 8 minutes of repeat at the beginning of each programme and several 'still to come...' previews, plus a preview of the following day, this week has been particularly interesting for me, having just been to Nepal myself! Highly recommended for the scenery but one wonders why the people (including a brave lady with lupus) are chosen to go and then I found an answer here, as I suspect! There is a thread on the newsgroup uk.rec.walking here. I have lost count the number of times that Ben is 'worried'.

Aerial flight over the Lake District

2008-01-25T13:50:00.000Z

Found this YouTube video of a flight over the Lake District starting from Cark and flying over the Crake Valley, Coniston Water, Dow Crag and Goatswater, Wastwater, Great Gable, Scafell Pike and Helvellyn. Can you spot my holiday home (Lingmell)?

Pipedreams

2008-01-24T22:53:00.000Z

Just discovered this site (internet radio station devoted to organ music). Worth a visit by all organists and anyone interested in organ music.

I was doing a search for Ian Tracey, Liverpool Cathedral to find this DVD which has been recommended to me. (Scroll down to PRDVD1.)

Royal Mail

2008-01-24T22:08:00.000Z

Did you know you can buy and print stamps with address labels at home for letters and parcels? See here. You can also find a postcode here.

Classic FM Hall of Fame

2008-01-24T21:44:00.000Z

Closing date for entries is midnight on Sunday 27 January. I put my entry in today as follows:

1 Beethoven - Violin Concerto

2 Mozart - Requiem

3 Handel - Messiah

NHS Blood and Transplant

2008-01-19T14:35:00.000Z

You can sign up online here for National Blood Service and here for UK Transplant.

Eric Whitacre

2008-01-19T11:12:00.000Z

Heard this piece ("Sleep") yesterday on ClassicFM, so searched for it on YouTube. There are a number of videos; here is one.

This reminds me that I heard his "Lux Aurumque" some time ago and made a note to buy it some day. (I think I may have ordered it from Britannia Music Club, but then they went bust.) Here is the composer conducting it in a recording session.

Both are on this CD:and can be bought here: Amazon or CastleClassics.

Save Windows XP

2008-01-17T13:09:00.000Z

Are you happy that Microsoft are ceasing support of Windows XP in June?

Petrol prices

2008-01-16T11:51:00.001Z

Have you a thing about petrol prices? Here is a useful site: Petrolprices.com, which you need to sign up to free of charge, but it gives you the cheapest fuel prices within a given radius of a given postcode. One day, this site http://www.pipelinecard.org/ may carry some clout.

It Pays to Watch

2008-01-16T11:32:00.000Z

Did you see last week's programme on five? This is the first in a series. This website http://www.itpaystowatch.co.uk/ shows additional web only footage. The programme features Martin Lewis who has his own website http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/. You can also subscribe to the Moneysavingexpert YouTube channel .

Suffolk

2008-01-05T11:44:00.000Z

Spent the New Year in Suffolk. Highlights were:

The Froize Inn

Orford Church & Castle

Aldeburgh
Here are the graves of Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears and Imogen Holst in the churchyard there:
The Golden Key in Snape

Internet CD shops

2008-01-02T21:23:00.000Z

I have been a member of Britannia Music Club for many years and have had good terms as a result. However, they have now gone out of business, so I have had to look elsewhere. Before Christmas, I put in a large order with Castle Classics. They have been able to get all my requests, with good customer service, although there have been some delays.

John Tavener: The Lamb

2007-12-24T10:49:00.000Z

This is my favourite carol; we sung it last night at our Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in St Mary's Church, Thornbury.

Vodafone 2222

2007-12-23T14:32:00.001Z

Received a text message from the Vodafone 2222 traffic service this morning warning me of the treacherous conditions on the roads. This is presumably because I use the service a lot. It is really good and I am surprised not more people know about it. I use it all the time when I am travelling long distances on the motorways to tell me where the hold-ups are. Highly recommended.

Classical music collection catalogue

2007-12-22T22:55:00.001Z

I have just uploaded my music collection to http://www.racksandtags.com/mikeelcock/ using OrangeCD software. This can now be accessed from anywhere and by anyone.

Raul Prieto

2007-12-22T22:53:00.000Z

Just found these fantastic YouTube videoclips of Raul Prieto playing Durufle's Toccata and Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens - a must-see for any organist! You can see his website here: www.raulprieto.net. I have an organ music playlist here which contains some of my favourite organ music.