20°C, light clouds
The map is from Microsoft, it is capable of showing more detail, but you have ot follow the link to see it. It appears that the recent maps are more detailed than the flight sim; both owned by Microsoft.
Eastern Siberia, just so you know. Though in the middle of the world’s largest continent, there is water everywhere.
Firefox: get version 3.5+ if you use this and a multicore processor- it now seems to multithread evenly on all four here. That is good, it means that the browser is nearly as fast as Google Chrome.
FSX-scenery: as long as they are relatively simple, making airstrips for this flight simulator doesn’t take long. I got six started or done yesterday. Okay, I admit, it was a monster session on a day of pouring rain.
Most of these strips are next to rivers, some are old cold-war bomber bases with very long runways, most are semi-derelict. Some are closed.
Siberians don’t usually live far from a river (it’s transport, food and somewhere to drive in the long winter months). These landacapes are obviously remote, barren and frighteningly beautiful- to use an old-fashioined word- ‘sublime’.
AVsim’s library is back online so there will be available there soon. I may as well use Live’s Skydrive here to host them too.
Weird lands; have a look in Google-Earth.
There is no bridge connecting Pevek to the island; okay so what?
But how do you remove the erroneous bridge in FSX flight sim?
Any suggestions?
Break up for summer today. Forty days where I choose what to do; no bells.
Ordered some new prints for the house, included "The Girl With The Pearl Earring". I know everyone is familiar with this one and I am taken in by its charm as much as any. It seems odd to buy a print that is larger than the original though, so it’s only 30cm high.
The others are by Wyeth and another that I’ve forgotten. There will be time to frame them.
Only a short slot in which to write. Hope the tent dries out in this half-hour. After, I shoot out for a meal organised by QM. Still trembling with tiredness, all credit to noisy kids talking all night on the camp-site. Why girls, all the loud conversation, it’s only rain? The solution was obvious but not to hand- ear-plugs.
We did feel a certain moral superiority on the hiking trips; we staff hiked. Other schools’ staff manned checkpoints sitting in their cars having driven up onto the plateau. Our kids had expected us to do just that when they asked about this; the answer shut them up. We packed our rucksacks and hiked up the climbs too. In fact, on the second day, we’d worked out that we could give them an hour’s head-start and get to the checkpoints before them. That depended on the extreme slowness of our kids of course, and that is the way it turned out to be.
Rosie quickly became the trip’s mascot. On leaving yesterday the girls gathered by the gate as we drove out, all waving and cheering. When close enough I could hear "bye Rosie" etc. hey, what about me? It’s me that marks your coursework!
that dog impressed everyone, she changed quite a few minds about the virtue of the poodle breed. She also did a fine job of pre-washing the girls’ saucepans- Rosie likes beef stew, noodles and spaghetti hoops.
A day for conflict, borrowing, exasperation, reconciliation; a day for an early night.
…night.
This storm is getting further away…
Even the kids are tired at work; they feel like us. I caught two fast asleep in the computer room; they woke lost and surprised, staggering with pins & needles.I feel for them.
Girls and colour: Marking Y9 coursework recently, I frequently see concepts that I haven’t worked out for myself yet. The kids have ot evaluate their projects and define areas for improvement. One issue comes up time and time again, that is : colour anbd gender. It seems that many believe that some colours are pretty much owned by one gender or the other- most notably, pink for girls. If I wear a pink shirt to school, or use a pink pen, some of the girls express their indignance. Is it not allowed, have you got exclusive rights? Where does such a belief come from?
Currently baffled; clearly I have some work to do on this concept.
Not for the first time has this idea appeared in my drawings, perhaps a painting in the future.
Deep: deep down to-the-bone tiredness. I know I have talked of this before, but the feeling stirs memories of previous end-of-term feelings. My whole being seems to know there is only a few weeks to go.
With all that, writing up a risk-assessment is the worst thing to do – at the best of times it saps all of your verve. We all have to do these, but consider the numbers, the hours spent and multiply by the payrate. It’s a privilege to live in a country with such overflowing wealth.
A recession; there can’t be?
Crane fly- what are you doing here two months early?
Wild Orchids: Looks whiter in the photo than on the ground. A good find Mum.
Last few days have been plagued by punctures, on the bike this time. What do you know… you have none for nearly a year then several in one week. It’s so
r a n d o m ! Note the use of the teenagers’ "random".
If it wasn’t, the puncture rate may be more evenly spread over time. Reminds be of the doodlebug paradox (which isn’t one).
Spirit of Turpentine 