Violets in the workplace.

One day, many years ago, I was instructed to attend a one day seminar on Violets in the Workplace. I thought it a bizarre topic but, always ready to widen my knowledge base, I dutifully trudged along to the meeting.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the subject of the seminar was not a discussion of the place of floral arrangements in a working environment but the threats of coercion, bullying and physical abuse and how they should be dealt with. 

'Violence in the workplace' is what the man had said, not 'violets'. 

Perhaps he had skipped the classes on enunciation.

As I was mowing the lawn today I decided to leave my 

wild violets in their workplace.

Filming for The One Show, BBC TV 1

Several weeks ago I spent two hours in this room at the London Passport Office 'filming' for the BBC TV's One Show.

The result was broadcast yesterday.

Don't bother to watch it.

This is the crew who filmed me.

They are more interesting than the programme.

Passport Portraits of Yesteryear no. 25

Continuing the series of passport portraits from my collection.
Peruse and wonder.

Gacesa Vikola and his wife, Margarita, are subjects of King Alexander I, monarch of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Vikola studied and then obtained an official position in the administration. These are the photographs on his passport which enabled them to visit the Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1931. 

The exhibition was organised by France in response to the Empire Exhibition in which Great Britain had showcased all the products of its empire in Wembley in 1924. France invited all the colonial powers to take part. Britain declined the invitation.

Westminster attack.

I don't like being too close to the action.

Police presence outside the Houses of Parliament after the attack.

The cordon closing Parliament Square.

My day in London was in Central Hall, Westminster.

Turning around the buses to send them back.

Blocking off the streets.

I was glad to get home.

Silly place to park a lorry.

What a silly place to park a lorry! 

It is blocking the end of the cycle lane. 

But the lorry is quite legally parked because the council have painted a parking space on the road in exactly that spot.

It's called an integrated transport network.

Dear stupid pigeon...

Dear stupid pigeon.

This is called 'a window'.

It is made of glass which is a hard but transparent substance.

This means that you can see through it but not fly through it.

Every other bird in the garden understands this.

When will you get it into your birdbrain that you are not a special case?

Why not just sit in the tree and watch us eat our supper like all your feathered friends?

You will find it less painful.

Famous author at the BBC

Martin Lloyd and Katy Long discussing passports,
 as seen from the producer's box.

I spent a pleasant hour and a bit today being interviewed by Katy Long who is making a documentary programme for BBC Radio 4.

No broadcast date yet but I'll 

let you know.

Moonrise over the orchards.

Opposite my house, the moon rising over the orchards, soon to be covered with 3,000 new houses. 
The orchards that is, not the moon.

Tarporley welcomes cyclists.

The Old Fire Station Coffee Shop in Tarporley is not the only enterprise to apparently welcome cyclists.

The Swan Hotel, also in the High Street sports an ancient Cyclists Touring Club winged wheel on its facade. 




Although why they have painted out the lower 'C' on the sign I cannot imagine.














If you are cycling to Tarporley, here are the relevant distances for you:

How much is that doggy in the window?

How much is that doggy in the window and how many of them are real?

I'll give you a clue: it's more than one and less than five!