Author: Chris Jefferies

I live in the west of England, worked in IT, and previously in biological science.

Blast from the past… 12

Dad went to the RAF Recruiting Office in Gloucester for a medical; everything was good except his eyesight, but they passed him for aircrew.

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Notes from bygone years – Novembers one and all
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

November 2022

In November 2022 our friends Jim and Kevin drove over from St Neots to visit us for a day. Jim’s wife, Pam, couldn’t make it this time. We took them to see the Corinium Museum, and Jim was very impressed by some of the mosaic floors on display. Kevin, being an engineer by trade, was interested in the Roman iron tools on display.

A jigsaw map of Cirencester

A few days later we had a visit from Sean and Tania, friends from Bedford. So lots of ‘easterners’ visiting us during November!

And some friends lent us a lovely jigsaw made from an old map of Cirencester as it was in the late 19th century; we enjoyed fitting the pieces together and noticing the many changes that have taken place here over the years.

This month I published an article about Clifford’s Tower in York.

< Oct 2022 – Dec 2022 >

November 2021
Batsford Arboretum

In November 2021 we visited Batsford Arboretum near Moreton-in-Marsh. This is an informal collection of trees, planted in the grounds of a lovely old house. It’s as much a large garden as it is a botanical collection. A great day out (and a good garden centre and restaurant into the bargain).

I published an article about a remarkably clever computer emulation of evolution.

< Oct 2021 – Dec 2021 >

November 2018
Book launch

In November 2018 my sister, Cindy, launched a new book. Cindy is wearing the red hat in the photo; the new book was The Outrageous Fortune of Abel Morgan. You can find it in bookshops as well as on Google Play Books and Amazon.

I wrote about murmurations in November; if you don’t know what these are, you will be amazed. Play the video in the article for a grandstand view (with music).

< Oct 2018 – Dec 2018 >

November 2013
Taking out the old

In November 2013 our kitchen was being modified. Walls had to come down to incorporate a corridor, pantry and old coal bunkers into the main space followed by the addition of a steel beam, replastering and installing a full new kitchen. For a while it was a real mess!

I posted an article on reusable rockets.

< Oct 2013 – Dec 2013 >

    November 2008
    Undignified!

    In November 2008, Donna’s cat, Truffles, was getting on in years and had developed one white whisker, she looked lop-sided and it was very amusing. She developed more later, and looked far more dignified.

    I wrote an article about how blessed we are, together and individually.

    < Oct 2008 – Dec 2008 >

    November 2003
    Nominet certificate

    In November 2003 Nominet confirmed that I held the registration for the internet domain name scilla.org.uk, Donna and I have been using it now for a little over twenty years.

    < Oct 2003 – Dec 2003 >

    November 1998
    Eurodisney

    November 1998 saw us living in Tilly Cottage in the village of Tilbrook near Kimbolton. Donna went for a weekend visit to Eurodisney in Paris with a group of friends.

    < Oct 1998 – Dec 1998 >

    November 1993
    German visitors

    In November 1993 we had a visit from our German friends Gunter and Heidi Klauss. Judy and I met Gunter when he was in Cirencester on a school exchange. He stayed with several families during his time at Cirencester Grammar School, including a spell with my parents; so he and I knew one another rather well.

    < Oct 1993 – Dec 1993>

    November 1988
    Watching the carnival

    In November 1988 we took the train to Weston-super-Mare to view the Bridgwater Carnival. It was cold but a lot of fun. I took some video of the various floats as they passed. These images of Judy, Debbie and Beth are stills from the video.

    < Oct 1988 – Dec 1988 >

    November 1983
    Long Ashton Research Station

    In November 1983, discussions were ongoing about moving research on nursery stock from Long Ashton near Bristol to East Malling in Kent. Long Ashton was to focus on arable crop research and the team I was part of, working on fruit tree pollination, would be moved or closed down. With school age children, this was an anxious time.

    < Oct 1983 – Dec 1983 >

    November 1978

    In November 1978 Debbie was three and Beth was just 6 months. We were living in Yatton, near Bristol; at the time both were within the county of Avon. We lived in a 1960s mid-terrace house with three bedrooms and a tiny kitchen.

    < Oct 1978 – Dec 1978 >

    November 1973
    Sunset from the flat

    In November 1973, we were living in Belmont Road, Bristol. We had rented a first floor, unfurnished flat; this enabled us to buy some second hand furniture, save towards a house deposit, and raise a mortgage. The photo shows a sunset from our living room window.

    < Oct 1973 – Dec 1973 >

    November 1968

    In November 1968 I was in my third year at the University of Bath, studying for a BSc in Horticulture; Judy was in her second year at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, studying Biochemistry. Naturally we wrote to one another frequently. In November we discussed a possible trip to see the 1970 Oberammergau Passion play, but as Judy rightly pointed out, we were already too late to find travel and accomodation for an event that is always massively oversubscribed.

    < Oct 1968 – Dec 1968 >

    November 1963

    In November 1963 I was living in Victoria Road, Cirencester, and I was in the Fifth Form at Cirencester Grammar School, also in Victoria Road. There could be no excuse for late arrival at school!

    < Oct 1963 – Dec 1963 >

    November 1958
    Toy master certificate

    In November 1958 we were living in Queen Anne’s Road on Cirencester’s Beeches Estate; I was in my 6th and final year at Querns School. I achieved my toy master’s badge at Cubs.


    < Oct 1958 – Dec 1958 >

    November 1953

    In November 1953 we had fireworks in the back garden. I don’t think there were big public displays in those days, families bought a few rockets, a Roman candle or two, and a Catherine wheel. I remember Bengal matches that burned in pretty colours, and sparklers to wave around to make light patterns. Jumping Jacks used to leap about on the ground and frighten people, they were banned when I was a bit older.

    < Oct 1953 – Dec 1953 >

    November 1948

    At the end of November 1948 I was four months old. I would have been growing bigger and stronger, interacting more with Mum and Dad and other adults, beginning to vocalise more, and showing some interest in my surroundings.

    < Oct 1948 – Dec 1948 >

    November 1943

    In November 1943 Dad went to the RAF Recruiting Office in Gloucester for a medical; everything was good except his eyesight, but they passed him for aircrew. The following day (1st December) he was to go to London for further tests and to face the Selection Board.

    < Oct 1943 – Dec 1943 >

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    Chuck Pfarrer

    Chuck’s maps are clear, informative, and up to date. He posts fresh material most days

    Chuck is a retired US Army SEAL (amongst other things). He writes and speaks from a position of considerable knowledge on military matters generally. On his X account, he analyses available information about conflicts around the world, at present particularly focussing on events in Ukraine.

    Chuck thinks through whatever information he can glean from online sources and conversations with his contacts, and very quickly transfers the information and his conclusions onto excellent maps. He publishes the maps on his X channel. The maps are up-to-date and informative, but sometimes contain minor errors, like misspelled place names. Given the fact that he builds these maps so fast, I think he can be forgiven these minor errors.

    Chuck’s maps are clear, informative, and up to date. He posts fresh material most days (but not every day) and in addition to the maps he includes views and opinions of his own, brief reports on events happening on the ground, and comment on what he has read or heard on public news channels.

    The Mryia Report podcasts frequently contain input from Chuck, too.

    I normally dip in to Chuck’s X account daily to see what he has posted in the previous 24 hours, and I’m usually rewarded by a new map or two, a brief analysis of a recent event or description of a weapon system newly in use.

    See also:

    Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

    Every day , they collect and analyse data … , build an overall picture of what is happening … , and make the results available

    ISW is a US think tank researching and reporting on conflicts worldwide. They issue daily bulletins on events in Ukraine and Russia as the war develops and continues. I’ve been reading these regular reports for a long time and greatly appreciate them.

    There may be much more detail here than most people require; the reports are long and very thorough. One great thing to remember and appreciate is that ISW makes no attempt to predict outcomes of military actions or military planning.

    They have no access to classified information, nor do they ask for it. They study publicly available sources only. These include free and commercially available satellite images, for example from NASA infra-red detectors which enable them to identify fires and explosions on the ground. They use videos published on YouTube and elsewhere, images on Facebook, X and so on from which they can sometimes geolocate events from the visible surroundings. They also assess public announcements by government and military spokespeople, media interviews and so forth.

    Every day , they collect and analyse data of this kind, build an overall picture of what is happening on the ground, and make the results available in a daily digest with extensive text and maps. It’s an invaluable service.

    Check out their website and the page on their Ukraine updates.

    See also:

    Yaroslava Antipina

    Read Yara’s various projects for a refreshing rest from some of the other sources in the list

    Yaroslava (Yara for short) lives in Kyiv. Like all the citizens of Ukraine she is living in a country at war – with all that entails. But Yara is not content to just sit idly by while her country and her city cope with missile and drone attacks. She has thoughts, opinions, and a delightful attitude to the arts, craft, music and traditions of her nation.

    She writes about all these things and more, she takes and shares photos, usually very good and striking photos of the architecture, people, and the natural world around her. Sometimes she travels.

    What I most like about Yara is that despite everything she brings a balanced and kind approach to a situation that is anything but balanced and kind. She provides news roundups, thoughtful comment, and even creative writing.

    Find her on X, in greater depth at The Warcoffee Blog, on her daily news roundup War Coffee Daily, and her Public Letter (a new idea that I hope will continue after an initial trial).

    Read Yara’s various projects above for a refreshing rest from some of the other sources in the list, sources that necessarily deal with the violence of war, or the more technical aspects of events.

    See also:

    Links- Russian invasion of Ukraine

    Some of the sources include analysis and comment, others do not. Read widely; be aware.

    Finding out what is happening on a day-to-day basis isn’t always easy. Many ordinary news sources have biases of one kind or another based on who owns them, funds them, or reads them. This is true for newspapers, TV, and internet sources alike.

    The list below is not exhaustive. It contains people and organisations I trust to tell me the truth to the best of their ability, to describe the events and facts as they see them and the consequences that may flow from those events and facts. Some of the sources include analysis and comment, others do not. Read widely; be aware.

    The list of links follows, with more explanation at the bottom of the page.

    Articles:
    Military and meta-military sources:
    News sources:
    Podcasts:

    Ukraine: The Latest

    Searches:
    Social websites:
    Sources from Russians:

    Note: These are not ‘official’ sites, I will not include those as I judge them to be biased and unreliable. The links here are to Russian expatriot sources. People and organisations unable to share truth from within the country.

    Videos:
    Further explanation

    I’ve started by providing some bare links, when I can I’ll add details about each source.

    If the Russian invasion and its consequences are topics you’re interested in, you may find the list helpful. As time allows, for each person or organisation I’ll explain some of the features and advantages as I see them. I’ll add more items as I discover them and will remove any that I feel are no longer useful. If you are aware of other sources that I should consider, let me know in the comments or via my contact form.

    Why am I publishing this list of links? And why now, in late 2023? There are two main factors. First, I believe that this war is a pivotal event historically; future historians will recognise this very clearly. What Ukraine is fighting for is freedom and the right to determine it’s own future. Ukraine is internationally recognised as an independent nation with well-defined borders, has a seat at the UN, enjoys a democratically elected government, and has no ambitions to encroach on its neighbours’ rights or territory. Russia, on the other hand, has shown an aggressive attitude towards its neighbours (not just Ukraine). It holds elections in a mockery of democracy, and its leaders seem to think threats, cheating and lies are acceptable ways to govern and conduct international diplomacy. Russia is the playground bully, pushing around the weaker kids and screaming in rage when opposed. (Russia is not alone in this approach, but is certainly the primary example.)

    The second factor is that interest in the war has been fading. Public interest in long term situations is fickle, we focus more on new and recent events. That’s to be expected, it’s human nature. The easier it is to find fresh, up-to-date information, the better. This list is my way of encouraging readers to remember, to remain involved and interested. It’s also an attempt to make the information more accessible.

    What is being done to Ukraine by Russia is wrong. What happens next is of critical importance to the entire world. Why? Simply because it will set the course of events going forward.

    What can you do?

    Do you want to live in the freest possible world where individuals and nations are kind to one another? Or do you prefer to live in a dark and fearful world where individuals and nations harm one another to achieve their aims and objectives? You must choose. The real world is forever a mix of light and dark, good and evil, kindness and cruelty. But all of us can affect the balance just a little by our own voices and actions, and even more by our collective voices and actions.

    Be kind, and encourage kindness in others. Resist cruelty whenever you see it. Remain informed and stay alert. Do not be silent, share your thoughts with all who will listen.