Cheating

I do not know if an octopus, possessed of eight arms, could work faster but I, with the standard two, am going to have to cheat and bandbox my latest blog entries. I can not back-up and process my photographs with attendant notes and write everything I would like to write when it is fresh in my mind. Nothing seemed very fresh yesterday when a tired mind and tired body were still recovering from night shifts. For that reason, we got going well after the middle of the day and drove to Gosport for the ferry. Although the offer was there, I had to resist the temptation to go to Jessops, Hedge End and risk going further than Saturday's speculative visit to Currys to look at cameras. Tempted by the Panasonic FZ-100 and, unexpectedly, by the Fujifilm HS10, I found that I had too much information to digest and new criteria to consider. I could suddenly see some advantages to using AA batteries. Furthermore, we are about to be bombarded by yet more new products from several manufacturers. The only thing I can say with certainty is that I have no use for a 3D camera.
So, back in Gosport or, by now, in Portsmouth after the ferry ride, food was a priority - as I rarely have my lunch at 2pm - and a vague idea of a boat trip was forming. It was our third visit to Giraffe, Gunwharf Quays and I commend both food and service. It did add to the occasion sitting outside on a wonderful, blessed afternoon. On a previous visit to Gunwharf we had been disappointed that boat trips finished early. yesterday, in the Dockyard, we discovered one leaving at 4pm which allowed just enough time for a quick dabble in the fascinating surroundings before boarding. The tour then provided exactly what I wanted with close approaches to both Naval Base and Continental Ferry Port. There were a lot of naval vessels moored but it is a sad reflection on the state of our armed services that the majority were decommissioned or otherwise idle. It is astonishing that all three (current) Type 45 Daring Class ships were in - they are Daring, Dauntless and Diamond. It is rumoured that we can not afford to run them. What must be the morale of their crews and commanders? I would not much mind if the government of the day decided that we would reduce our armed services to the levels necessary only for the immediate defence of the United Kingdom. Instead, successive haphazard and incoherent defence reviews commit those services to more and more often far-flung activity with ever fewer resources. There is no obvious long-term plan beyond ostensible cost-savings.

When we have commitments in London we frequently stay one night before or after and are fortunate to be able to do so. Today then our destination was our favoured Heathrow Renaissance - close enough to London for most purposes - and we did not intend to waste the journey. Our first stop after a late breakfast was the RHS Garden at Wisley where the tulips were fantastic.

The car parks, although close to over-subscribed, receive little attention at Wisley so random parking leads to poor use of the space available. We went on for only my second visit (I think) to Brooklands. Much has changed in the area in the 6-7 years since my last visit and Mercedes-Benz World was evidently providing pleasure to many. The Brooklands Museum itself is a bit of mixed bag and I can only be honest in my review. Money has been spent on facilities and the contents of the shop but the aircraft displays (more than the vehicles) are close to being preserved but largely unrestored junk. There is, to be fair, a similar experience at many museums across the transport spectrum. We bought a Couple membership to show support but the fact that the Concorde (DG) attraction is £4 (£3 for members) more is inexplicable. I must say though I got a lot of enjoyment out of the exhibits. At both Wisley and Brooklands I had to contend with the insouciant and the medicated and, this being the Easter holiday, their lovely children/grandchildren. I turned it into a bit of a challenge; it is quite a skill to exclude completely from ones photographs the people at a busy venue. I have done it with patience (possibly a misrepresentation of one of my smaller virtues) and not Photoshop. As the results arrive on Facebook and Flickr, I hope you enjoy them.