Classic FM Hall of Fame - results

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

The Apprentice starts again tonight at 9pm on BBC1.

Archbishop Robert Runcie

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mock the Week

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

On my doorstep

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

Karl Jenkins: The Armed Man

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

Click above for a very useful quiz from Glenmore Lodge.

Pancake Day is on Tuesday!

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

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

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

Rachmaninov's 'Bogoroditsye Devo'

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

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

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

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)?