Welcome to C Sax.net – a brand new theme for 2010 !

   You’ve possibly noticed (I hope) a relatively new section in the right column * csax_net tweets… * which feeds back any of my Twitter ‘tweets’ to the blog – it can get pretty confusing, as I ‘tweet’ all the topics from the blog, but then they come back again as if by magic – although you will also notice stuff there that is purely from Twitter, plus any comments from (e.g.) TheSaxDoctor a.k.a. Stephen Howard…   So if you’re on Twitter, look me up, I’m csax_net – I had to use ‘underscore’ in the name, they don’t do dots…

Whilst Twitter is a recent toy, I’ve been on Facebook for yonks – yes, it’s currently the same picture on both – it’s a good way to ‘spread the word’, and (certainly on Facebook) keeps me in touch with globally extended family and friends by both word and pictures.  There’s nowhere in cyberspace to hide these days…

Anywhere else ?  Well, apart from Friends Re-united and Genes Re-United, I’ve an even older presence on Windows Live / Messenger and probably loads more I’ve momentarily forgotten that are out there, sadly neglected, fading in the mists of time as life – and fads – move relentlessly on.

Well, there I was, wettest day of the month so far, so I thought I’d check out the Rico Metalite M11 soprano sax mouthpiece ( so kindly obtained by for me by Bruce Bailey, who is Florida based, from a US ebayer who didn’t want to mess with UK buyers ) on my Conn Pan-American C-Soprano…

So, I thought – why not also check out how my mini-studio performs, glass roof, pouring rain, traffic noise from the bypass (need I say more ?)

Here it is, the very first take of  Rainy Day Blues !

Well – I need to re-think mic’ing the soprano, possibly two microphones, and maybe slightly better quality ones (or is it me…) – but the good news is that the heavy rain and traffic noise didn’t pick up on the cheapo USB microphone with it’s close pickup pattern.  Even the recording software (Audacity) is free, I’ve got an older version on my elderly steam-driven Compaq notebook. 

Not too sure about the subtlety of the mouthpiece tho’.  Not at all bad for a few bucks, and the C-Sop seems to play in tune with it, although it’s as far on the cork as it can go without fouling the upper octave pad.  Thanks to the unknown players on the freebie internet backing track !

Meaning – Very hot days during July and August.

Origin – The ancient Romans noticed that the hottest days of the year, i.e. in late July and early August, coincided with the appearance of Sirius – the Dog Star, in the same part of the sky as the Sun. Sirius is the largest and brightest star in the Canis Major constellation, in fact it is the brightest star in the sky.  (OK, I know it’s only June, but tell that to the weather !)

Ace (pictured), my faithful Collie cross, and rapidly approaching dog ‘middle age’, will happily exercise (i.e. play…) to the level of exhaustion.  And then some more !  So, after the fourth or fifth consecutive session – there is usually a willing friend ( George , Sabbath and Holly to name a few ) or a gullible human to pester – it’s time to head for the favourite shady outdoor recharging spot.  I know it’s been a good day when she twitches and barks in her sleep.   Go on gal  - chase those cats !   Well done Ace, another day (and lots more fun) tomorrow !

Here’s the   Dogs on ‘flickr’ (click here)    slideshow.

a) hover over the main picture for an ‘i’ - clickable for details, click again to remove

b) move the cursor towards the bottom of the screen to see the thumbnails, move along them with the left/right arrows

c) click on any links/options you see - needs a good test, and you can’t break it !

Hint: For the HELP screen, go to the bottom right corner - and click on Help…

There has been some concern that, since my close encounter with the electronical clippers, that I’ve gorn all “square…”. I spent enough time working as ‘a suit’ to ever go back there – been there, done that !

Please accept this latest picture ( expertly taken yesterday, by Carla ) as proof that neither my character, nor hair, has really changed – although the tawny owls nesting in the beard are sadly no longer there.

However, I have donated the beard trimmings to the local bird population – they will be keeping many a young chick warm on these nippy nights. That’s me, recyclable man…

P.S. Sorry about the baseball cap, Lewis.

Thanks to Microsoft Virtual Earth, even the ‘eye-in-the-sky’ satellite pictures can now show not only an overhead aerial view, but a ‘birds-eye’ view from all four compass points, N/S/E/W.   This is a view of ‘Tucker Towers’ from the East, which, although on the edge of a big estate/village (Southill), is literally heaving with wild-life thanks to the abundance of greenery.  And just across the deserted bypass (bottom right corner) is Radipole Lake, a major RSPB site, so even some of the more exotic migrating species pop across to sample British bird feeders.  The red arrow marks the entrance to Tucker Towers…  Pop in for a brew if you’re ever passing !

Scary, but (in a way) nice – as I don’t have wings, I never realised how good it looks from the air. And, within a radius of a few miles are several strikingly different coastal outlooks around Weymouth, Portland, and along the Chesil and the Jurassic Coast.  Sigh…  And to think I used to live in a concrete jungle under the Heathrow flight-path.  I’m home, and it’s heaven for the dogs !!!

Well, over the last two days we’ve had combinations of sun, very dark skies, bitter winds, rain, hail, something desperately trying to be sleet – and today, Easter Sunday, was no exception…

So I guess the dogs, having been given a quick run to attend to their ‘needs’, and then been well fed and watered, decided there was nothing for it but to soak up what little warmth there was in the conservatory – whilst conserving energy for better times.  Click on the picture for a bigger one !

Whilst Ace ( the Collie-Cross ) snuggled down conventionally on the old sofa, George ( the Lakeland Terrier ) obviously decided on a somewhat elevated position – lets hope he doesn’t roll over in his sleep…

Living on the Dorset coast, within easy reach of a wide variety of coastal scenery, it’s also a bonus that my humble terraced abode opens out onto a mix of open grass, loads of shrubs/trees, and (unfortunately on the other side of the bypass… ) the Radipole Lake Bird Sanctuary.  Ideal dog territory !

The elderly lady next door has her garden festooned with bird feeders, which also attract a variety of wild animals, as well as some more exotic species from the bird sanctuary.  Sadly – often with the odd rogue cat lying in wait for any unsuspecting feeders. My Collie-cross, Ace, is always on the lookout for cats, and is quite good at flushing them out of their hiding places.

So, on one of our (2 a.m.) nocturnal walks this morning, it was no surprise that Ace suddenly shot off into next door’s garden.  Seconds later, after some thrashing around, Ace emerged in hot pursuit of not one, but two, very chunky animals.  Now I’ve seen most wildlife here from field-mice and voles, thro’ rats/squirrels/hedgehogs/rabbits, up to foxes and the odd deer, and even a small herd of migratory cows looking surreal with just their heads showing above a low ground-mist -  but to see Ace in full flight, legging it after TWO BADGERS was really something !  She honestly didn’t know which one to chase…  Decisions, decisions, decisions…

They passed just a few feet either side of me, the closest I’ve ever been a live badger – let alone a beautiful pair like that – and I don’t know who was the most surprised – Ace, me or the badgers.  Off they went, doing their characteristic ‘high-speed scuttle’, in search of cover – wonderful sight ! Ace, as usual, was more interested in the fun of the chase than doing them any harm – and they can really bite – so it was with some relief that she emerged unscathed from the bushes on command, looking disheveled but with tail wagging furiously…  Great fun – she’ll dream about that, more than a few times !

Loads about badgers at badgerland.co.uk

On a day when (to quote from a comment to Lewis) "…it almost seems like I live IN the sea, not near it…" – we went over the causeway to Portland to look at the Chesil Bank – at Chesil Cove, the eastern end of a long ridge of pebbles running along most of the length of the Dorset Jurassic Coast, and the scene of many shipwrecks throughout the centuries.  It wasn’t really sensible to go up onto the sea wall at high tide, too dangerous, so this was taken at low tide, when the storm had almost abated !  I naturally didn’t use my ‘best camera’ – just the almost-unbreakable almost-waterproof one. I can still taste the salt in my moustache, many hours later, so the ‘bracing but salty’ air wouldn’t have done the good camera any favours…

For more pictures (adding over the next few days) click on the ‘more’ below, and click on each picture for a higher resolution image – and a much better view…

continue reading…

OK, the flag is slightly out-of-line with the post, but that’s technology…
Kernow is reborn… If you visit the website, click on the Red Cross/White flag (St George’s) to read it in English – or the Black Cornish flag (like the one here) to read it in Cornish !