Diamonds and Rust

Finally, I took a few pictures of hydrangeas and rusting metal in the rain yesterday, just to see what I could get out of them. I like images of decay - must go back to Manchester and roam the back streets near the centre, they're packed with decaying Victorian architecture.

More here.

Click on these for larger images. And play 'Sheets of Rain' by the Blackeyed Susans while you look at them.

Rain on hydrangea

Rain on washing line

Rain on spider's web

Kingdom of Rust

Change and decay

Raindrops on hydrangea, redux.

Here Comes The Rain Again

Proper thunder, wind, everything I've been hoping for. Shame that I came to work only wearing my lightest summer trousers and shirt. Shoes too. You've all been very quiet today. Surely you aren't all on holiday? Or is it because I've been going on about books and news.

BS Bingo!

'Umbrella of support' - complete with a picture of an umbrella in case we haven't seen one. Which is unlikely, as we're in Wales and it's been raining solidly for 12 hours…

I have allies - other people who've noted that this course is identical to all the others I've been on. The structure and exercises (breakout sessions ffs?) are literally the same as the conference I was at on Monday, about academic careers. Still, it's interesting to talk to people from other sports. I'm tempted to hang around with the swimmers, because they're fatter even than me.

Stumville welcomes scientific adventurers

I defended Wolverhampton against the jibes of the metropolitan chattering classes yesterday, then went home, dined on pretzels and haggis, and watched a programme about rain. I do happen to be most at home in drizzle, despite not being a water vole, but even I thought that this show had the potential to be as dull as mere ditchwater. How wrong I was. Once past the tedious old 'English people like rain, even though they moan when Wimbledon and the cricket are rained off' waffle, I learned stuff.

Brilliantly, I learned that in 1862, Glaisher and Coxwell ascended to 37,000 feet (7 miles - that's the stratosphere!) in an open balloon for meterological purposes - and they set off from Wolverhampton Gasworks. Eat that, Rutherford Laboratories!