I was in Kenya in November and Kenya (during the election campaign) for a holiday. I left before the troubles started but here are a few of my photos.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Monday, January 07, 2008
It's a long time since I did this journey
The last time I travelled to London on an earlyish Monday morning was in mid November. I have forgotten what a drag it can be to get up so early to experience dark, cold mornings and the joys of National Express operated trains, (the successor to GNER). We are passing Durham now and the sky only just has a hint of daylight.
Lack of daylight also restricted what I could do on the allotments yesterday. Getting 2 derelict allotments back into use is not the easiest of Mission Impossibles! The one I worked on yesterday belongs to our friend Glenys but she is hoping for a large amount of help from us to get it working. I spent yesterday chopping back a gigantic hedge along one side of the allotment. It was almost akin to something from Sleeping Beauty, complete with large thorns (my hands are still painful!) And probably hasn't been touched for 100 years as well. At least now however we have a good supply of logs!
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Sunday, January 06, 2008
The Good, the Bad and the Videos
I decided to take a bit of time off this evening from politics and casework to catch up with some of my video editing. I got back from Kenya 3 weeks ago (before the violence flared up). I edited 6 videos from the safari I went on to Kimana, in the shado of Mount Kilimanjaro. These are now up on YouTube and the links are below if anyone wants to see them. I've also added in a couple of links to some Kenya videos I edited last week.
I am also listening to the soundtrack to that classic film "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) by Ennio Morricone. I saw the film again on tv a few days ago and mentioned to David that if he ever saw a CD of the soundtrack, he should get it. The parcel from Amazon arrived this morning. There's efficiency for you!
The video links:
Hippos and Crocodiles
Lions
Zebras
Birds
Giraffes
Elephants
Monkeys staying at our hotel
Wart hogs
Reptiles and me covered in snakes
I am also listening to the soundtrack to that classic film "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) by Ennio Morricone. I saw the film again on tv a few days ago and mentioned to David that if he ever saw a CD of the soundtrack, he should get it. The parcel from Amazon arrived this morning. There's efficiency for you!
The video links:
Hippos and Crocodiles
Lions
Zebras
Birds
Giraffes
Elephants
Monkeys staying at our hotel
Wart hogs
Reptiles and me covered in snakes
Friday, January 04, 2008
The wrong windscreen wipers on the track
For excuses, this one is quite original. The windscreen wipers had broken down on my train. As a result the train was turned around at Doncaster. I am now travelling backwards. Such a pity I am travelling in a carriage that contains a child that shrieks constantly with a terrifyingly shrill ear splitting decibel level that would raise the dead. And sitting a couple of seats in front of me are two guys who keep having very loud conversations in which each repeats what the other says. I think I'll go to sleep now and wake up when we get to Newcastle.
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Wednesday, January 02, 2008
My Highlights of 2007
A bit late but here are my own highlights of 2007. Two sections: political and personal.
Political
1)getting re-elected to Gateshead Council with the biggest vote, majority and share of the vote of any candidate in Gateshead.
2)capturing Labour’s Mugabe-style bully-boy tactics on camera and posting the result up as the “Battle of Trimdon Green” during the Sedgefield by-election. You know you want to see it again!: Battle of Trimdon Green
3)discovering there was to be no election in the autumn whilst out picking sloes near our village of Sunniside – I should have left the blackberry at home!
4)the conference vote for the Trident motion – ever so close but clinched by a last minute intervention from Ming.
5)exposing Blaydon Labour MP David Anderson for spending taxpayers’ money on a personal attack on me and my Lib Dem colleagues in Gateshead – he ended up having to repay the money!
6)experiencing Labour making complete fools of themselves in my ward over a leaflet they put out (in October when they thought there was going to be an election) attacking us (they simply made up ridiculous claims about Lib Dem run Newcastle which didn’t even have a shred of evidence to support them). The editor of the leaflet subsequently denied any knowledge of the contents of the leaflet even though his name was all over it. I’m sure we’ll be reminding everyone in the local elections in May about this, were this person to stand again!
7)enjoying the spectacle of Tyne Bridge Labour MP David Clelland announcing publicly that he has stopped using taxpayers’ money to pay for his website so that he no longer contravened the rules on MPs’ allowances, therefore allowing him to continue to use the site to attack me personally!
8)attending the announcement of Nick Clegg as the new leader. I had to fight with the other photographers to get a place at the front!
9)the shock of learning about Ming’s resignation. We only knew half an hour before it was announced on tv.
10)the Sedgefield by-election campaign.
Personal
1)in November, I welcomed the fact I have now spent half my entire life with David – 22 years!
2)safari in Kenya and seeing African elephants in the wild.
3)visiting a reptile park in Mombassa and having a number of snakes put round my neck. I have a video of this: Snakes and Lizards
4)Kayaking along the coast of Madagascar.
5)snorkeling with turtles over a coral reef on the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.
6)giving my sandals away in Madagascar because they needed them more than I did.
7)giving away most of my shirts to kids who rowed out to our ship when we arrived at the island of Anjuan in the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean. They needed them more than I did!
8)buying enough spices in Zanzibar to keep us in experimental cooking for years!
9)filming wild ponies on the hills above Penmaenmawr in North Wales. Yes, there is a video: wild Welsh ponies
10)Handing on one of my videos to the London Transport Museum for use in an exhibition they were running. The video: A trip on the London Eye
Political
1)getting re-elected to Gateshead Council with the biggest vote, majority and share of the vote of any candidate in Gateshead.
2)capturing Labour’s Mugabe-style bully-boy tactics on camera and posting the result up as the “Battle of Trimdon Green” during the Sedgefield by-election. You know you want to see it again!: Battle of Trimdon Green
3)discovering there was to be no election in the autumn whilst out picking sloes near our village of Sunniside – I should have left the blackberry at home!
4)the conference vote for the Trident motion – ever so close but clinched by a last minute intervention from Ming.
5)exposing Blaydon Labour MP David Anderson for spending taxpayers’ money on a personal attack on me and my Lib Dem colleagues in Gateshead – he ended up having to repay the money!
6)experiencing Labour making complete fools of themselves in my ward over a leaflet they put out (in October when they thought there was going to be an election) attacking us (they simply made up ridiculous claims about Lib Dem run Newcastle which didn’t even have a shred of evidence to support them). The editor of the leaflet subsequently denied any knowledge of the contents of the leaflet even though his name was all over it. I’m sure we’ll be reminding everyone in the local elections in May about this, were this person to stand again!
7)enjoying the spectacle of Tyne Bridge Labour MP David Clelland announcing publicly that he has stopped using taxpayers’ money to pay for his website so that he no longer contravened the rules on MPs’ allowances, therefore allowing him to continue to use the site to attack me personally!
8)attending the announcement of Nick Clegg as the new leader. I had to fight with the other photographers to get a place at the front!
9)the shock of learning about Ming’s resignation. We only knew half an hour before it was announced on tv.
10)the Sedgefield by-election campaign.
Personal
1)in November, I welcomed the fact I have now spent half my entire life with David – 22 years!
2)safari in Kenya and seeing African elephants in the wild.
3)visiting a reptile park in Mombassa and having a number of snakes put round my neck. I have a video of this: Snakes and Lizards
4)Kayaking along the coast of Madagascar.
5)snorkeling with turtles over a coral reef on the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.
6)giving my sandals away in Madagascar because they needed them more than I did.
7)giving away most of my shirts to kids who rowed out to our ship when we arrived at the island of Anjuan in the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean. They needed them more than I did!
8)buying enough spices in Zanzibar to keep us in experimental cooking for years!
9)filming wild ponies on the hills above Penmaenmawr in North Wales. Yes, there is a video: wild Welsh ponies
10)Handing on one of my videos to the London Transport Museum for use in an exhibition they were running. The video: A trip on the London Eye
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Quarter of a million YouTube viewings
At the end of last week, I hit a milestone on my YouTube channel - quarter of a million viewings of all my videos. It's odd to think that two years ago, I have hundreds of video clips shot all over the planet yet I had no audience for them. Very different now and I still have hundreds of clips to edit and post up, especially after my recent visit to East Africa and Madagascar.
Travel video viewings still outstrip my political ones but the number of viewers I have for the latter are growing. Anyway, here's my top ten with viewing figures:
Travel video viewings still outstrip my political ones but the number of viewers I have for the latter are growing. Anyway, here's my top ten with viewing figures:
1) 46,691 Inside a former secret Soviet Submarine Base, Balaklava, Ukraine - I filmed this in October 2006 and surprisingly, it has now grabbed the top slot. If you are in to submarines and nuclear fallout bunkers, this is the video for you!
2) 46,650 Copacabbana Beach - One of the best beaches on the planet, if a little busy with sunbathers and joggers. If you are ever in Rio de Janiero, find time to visit. I made this video in December 2005.
3) 23,297 A Trip on the London Eye - Filmed this in September 2005. If you suffer from vertigo, this is definitely for you!
4) 12,666 Cuba's 2nd city: Santiago de Cuba - Rather surprised this one has such a following. The Havana video I shot on the same trip to Cuba in June 2006 has had less than 1000 viewings.
5) 8,968 Egypt: Pyramids and the Sphinx - I filmed this in November 2004. I was surprised how close the pyramids are to the centre of Cairo.
6) 7,271 Orang utans in Borneo Feeding time for a group of orphaned orang utans in a place called Sepilok, Borneo. I filmed it in November 2002 on a trip to the Far East.
7) 6,154 A view from the Petronas Towers - I think at the time I filmed this on the Sky Bridge on the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, in November 2002, it was the tallest building in the world. It has since been overtaken.
8) 3,206 Gauchos and horse riding, Argentina - This one is rising fast. I filmed it in December 2005 when on a ranch in Argentina about 100km from Buenos Aires.
9) 3,061 Port of Batumi, Georgia - another one that surprises me for being in the top 10. I visited Georgia on the Black Sea in October 2006. I suspect this one is popular with Georgian expats.
10) 2,805 Battle of Trimdon Green - my top political video and the one that probably put an end (for the time being) to the Robert Mugabe style of democracy Labour endorses in their strong areas. This was filmed in July 2007 in Sedgefield when a Labour mob invaded the meeting that was to launch the Lib Dem campaign for the by-election to replace Tony Blair. Labour tried to break up the meeting physically. But once this video appeared on YouTube, Tyne Tees Television and a large number of Lib Dem blogs, Labour dropped these tactics. Don't expect such renewed adherence to open democracy and free speech to last long. The narrow minded Mugabeites of Labour will be back.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Clegg visits Cowley St - more exclusive photos
Nick Clegg came to Cowley St yesterday to talk to staff. We were packed into the board room to meet him. Exclusive photos of the event......
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Photos from the Leadership Declaration
Another photo exclusive of sorts (ignoring the fact the room was full of other photographers!) but here are the photos I took at the declaration yesterday of the new Leader.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
It was a shock to the system
Having arrived back from Kenya on Tuesday, I suffered 2 shocks to the system. Firstly, it was so damned cold! We looked in stunned amazement at frost on everything, having hours before been wandering around in shorts in temperatures of abour 40C.
Secondly we realised Christmas is coming up. That was probably more of a shock to the system. So last night we went down to the Metrocentre, that great cathedral to the gods of retail, though not quite as full of worshippers as I had feared. Still it was bad enough. And frankly, I didn't get any shopping done though I did do a good performance as a bag carrier for David. He will have to do my shopping for me through the week for, strangely, there is an event coming along this coming week that is likely to occupy a modest amount of my time.
And now for something completely different. This is me getting covered in snakes in Kenya: Snake Video
Secondly we realised Christmas is coming up. That was probably more of a shock to the system. So last night we went down to the Metrocentre, that great cathedral to the gods of retail, though not quite as full of worshippers as I had feared. Still it was bad enough. And frankly, I didn't get any shopping done though I did do a good performance as a bag carrier for David. He will have to do my shopping for me through the week for, strangely, there is an event coming along this coming week that is likely to occupy a modest amount of my time.
And now for something completely different. This is me getting covered in snakes in Kenya: Snake Video
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Cowley St Xmas Party - exclusive photos!
The Cowley St Xmas party was held last night and here are some of the exlusive photos I took before leaving to catch a train home to Tyneside.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Shooting elephants (on camera and video)
National Express took over the franchise for the East Coast Line from GNER recently. Having been out of the country for 15 days, tonight is my first experience of their running the route. I am leaving Kings Cross heading home now.
I nearly didn't have my seat though that was not caused by National Express. Instead, I found my seat occupied by a bloke stuffing his face with a big mac and occupying the neighbouring seat with his bag. I politely told him he was in my seat. A significant amount of huffing and puffing followed by the angry packing up of his food took place. He then moved over to the seat behind me, which was also reserved. He then proceeded to have a loud conversation on his phone with someone to whom he was rude, demanding and foul-mouthed.
Anyway, for those interested, I have been in Africa and on the Indian Ocean for the past two weeks. Two weeks of taking photos of elephants and lions in Kenya, visiting a spice farm in Zanzibar, swimming with turtles in the Comoro Islands and paddling a kayak in Madagasgar. I will post up the entries from my diary over the next few days, along with some of the 1100 photos and 3 hours of video I shot. (This is actually 500 fewer photos than I took last year when I went on a cruise around the Black Sea).
I have also just left the Cowley St Xmas party. Photos to follow tomorrow.
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I nearly didn't have my seat though that was not caused by National Express. Instead, I found my seat occupied by a bloke stuffing his face with a big mac and occupying the neighbouring seat with his bag. I politely told him he was in my seat. A significant amount of huffing and puffing followed by the angry packing up of his food took place. He then moved over to the seat behind me, which was also reserved. He then proceeded to have a loud conversation on his phone with someone to whom he was rude, demanding and foul-mouthed.
Anyway, for those interested, I have been in Africa and on the Indian Ocean for the past two weeks. Two weeks of taking photos of elephants and lions in Kenya, visiting a spice farm in Zanzibar, swimming with turtles in the Comoro Islands and paddling a kayak in Madagasgar. I will post up the entries from my diary over the next few days, along with some of the 1100 photos and 3 hours of video I shot. (This is actually 500 fewer photos than I took last year when I went on a cruise around the Black Sea).
I have also just left the Cowley St Xmas party. Photos to follow tomorrow.
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Back to delayed trains
Having just spent two weeks on the Indian Ocean, I have returned to find every train I wanted to catch is delayed. Last night it was the Gatwick to Victoria. Now it is the West Croydon to Victoria, delayed for an unknown reason. I have to catch a train to Newcastle tonight. Troubles come in threes!
I have avoided newspapers, internet and tv for 2 weeks and my blackberry was switched on only twice during the time I was away. So I have no idea about any news from the past fortnight. Has anything happened?
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