More from Essex... and Aden

Some more photographs from the 1920s and 30s photograph album which may have belonged to a family who lived near Clacton-on-Sea. As i mentioned last time i suspected there was a farming connection with the album's once owners due to the number of photographs of farm animals. Such as this one.

This one is entitled "Our hens 1921".

 

Now for something different. Later in the album are three photographs which have been taken in the Middle East, luckily these photographs have inscriptions on the back which have been reproduced below.

"New roads at Aden, March 1932. Work office on right at back. ME just behind camel in white". Is that M.E. or "me"?

"Works of buildings coolies making new roads at Aden, March 1932"

Water Orton

I didn't travel on any trains this weekend, however i did take my Mum to see her friend - who lives very close to Water Orton station so i took the opportunity to take a few photos! To be honest by car is probably the best way to visit this station as it doesn't have a very good service (especially on a Sunday). It was a wet dull day though this did show off the station building brickwork to good effect i think.

Review of 2017 : July

July was a month of travelling to new places and revisiting my very earliest haunts (not that i remembered them). It started with a trip up to Merseyside and tracking down the first house i lived in when i was a toddler. There was also a return to the Stratford Canal.

Mid month i headed to Berkhamstead to visit the castle, and also to walk the canal there. In doing so i also visited Milton Keynes for the first time in years. I explored around Birmingham's railways including visiting Marston Green station, the first time i've been to the station in the place i was born (though to be honest i work a mile away these days so its not exactly a lost world).

Finally at the end of the month a visit to Cheltenham and Gloucester and especially Gloucester Docks. I shall be exploring more of the South West in 2017. Song of the month was "precision" by The New Division.

Crosby

 Berkhamstead station

Berkhamstead castle

Canal in Berkhamstead

Gloucester docks

A Xmas card on an IBM 1401

Back in the days of "old iron", when computers filled large rooms and printers were huge noisy affairs creating novely calenders and cards was quite the thing. The Snoopy calender from 1969 was something every "real programmer" had apparently. But how about using an IBM 1401 mainframe (and a 1403 printer) to create a greeting card?

Ken Shirriff (who's blog is one of the best out there to be honest) took up the challenge. It's not quite as simple as it sounds as the card needs to be folded and so normal printed text would be sideways. Here is how to do it using BDCDIC characters. The code is provided in case you have a handy 1401 yourself. Or just watch the video below.

Review of 2017 : June

After a very hectic (and train filled) May, June was a little quieter and had some canal exploration - two long canal walks in fact. I walked the Coventry Canal from Bedworth to Longford, in doing so also passed the start of the Oxford Canal. I also visited Olton and did some more canal walking there - this time along the Grand Union.

Then came a very long canal walk, from Lapworth to Wootton Wawen. This completed the final parts of the Southern section of the Stratford Canal i had yet to visit. Finally i also took some train photos in Derby.

Song of the month was "do it again" by Trevor Something.

Bedworth

Olton

Lapworth

Derby