Featured

Vaughan Williams / Tallis by English Symphony Orchestra and Gloucestershire Young Musicians at Gloucester Cathedral

Likal Admin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:00:02 +0000

This is a mix of three concert clips, mainly to show off the local students and pupils playing with the ESO professionals.

It was a wonderful event and a greatly enjoyed by the audience and performers.

The music is from Concerto Grosso by Vaughan Williams and Third Note Melody by Thomas Tallis.

ESO - www.eso.co.uk

Nicholas Cleobury - www.nicholascleobury.net

Ashley Grote - /www.ashleygrote.org.uk/

Filmed by and for Gloucester Likal www.likal.com

The additional performers came from:-

Brookfield Music Centre - www.brookfieldmusiccentre.co.uk
Dutch Chamber Choir Kavoca - www.kavoca.nl
Gloucester Acamdemy of Music - www.gamweb.co.uk
Gloucester Cathedral Choir - www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk...
Gloucester Cathedral Youth Choir - www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk...
Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra - www.glosyo.co.uk
Saint Michaels Singers - www.saintmichaelssingers.org
Voices of Youth
Gloucestershire County Junior Choir
Barnwood Primary School - www.barnwood.gloucs.sch.uk

Increase the Peace

Likal Admin — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:43:10 +0000

www.myspace.com/increasethepeacevolume1

Gloucestershire Dance

Likal Admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:03:10 +0000

Dance in Gloucestershire, at all levels, from teen street dance to working with disabled people to high end work. They often have visiting people to work with. For example Hofesh Shechter created his work Uprising / In Your Rooms while working with them (clip from the Tel Aviv show).

If you want to dance, contact them.

www.dancesouthwest.org.uk/network/gloucestershire-dance

Peter Wyton - Not All Men Are From Mars

Likal Admin — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:19:40 +0000

At time of writing sales page is live. If it has gone, (and it's probably a limited print run), google the title.

Not All Men Are From Mars is a compilation of poems by Poet Laureate, Peter Wyton.

The collection contains poems centred around women including a range of themes from violence and discrimination to individual women of historical importance. The poems offer a searingly honest look at violence and abuse balanced by a humorous analysis of femaleness.

'Not all men Are From Mars' is perfect bound and has a cover specially designed by Juliette Percival. The women in this 55 poem collection, some real, some fictional, range from a Holy Roman Empress to a native American princess and include a lollipop lady, a stilt walker, a waitress and many more. Even Madame La Guillotine gets a mention, as does Peter's daughter who was asked to leave a pub [for knitting] and his wife who is exposed on a hillside.

£5 from the sale of each book will be given to Women's Aid to help continue their work to end violence against women and girls.

www.obergine.com/notallmenarefrommars/

Flooding and Planning

Likal Admin — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:47:09 +0000

Our planning system is ****ed up. But do not despair

It is intent on allowing developers to be able to force Local Authorities to grant permission to build on the Flood Plain, even when everyone knows that this is a really stupid idea.

The law, in this case, is an utter ass, unable to react quickly to our improving knowledge.

And who will end up paying for this mess? We will, the local taxpayers. We will pick up the bill when those poor innocents from out of the area move into their lovely new semis and, a few years later, discover, to their astonishment, that they live on a flood plain.

Now I know the Council will witter on about lack of powers, and it would easy to criticise them for doing so, but I like to be constructive. Here are few modest suggestions, all of which are based on one simple commercial truth - developers will only build if they think they can sell, and stirring up a shit storm (before back filling sewage pipes do it) is the way to go.

The Environment Agency Flood Search

The Environment Agency maintains data on addresses and their flooding history.

The Council should make it clear to developers that, the day they get the street plan, they will notify the EA and instruct them to list all the addresses as having a history of flooding.

They also maintain a list of formal objections that they have to developments. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/aboutus/512398/908812/1351053/57163...

Tan15 also offers scope to those seeking to highlight silliness in developments. http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/wales/government/en/1105619050728.html

Log the dispute with the developers as a formal dispute

So that it needs to be declared in the property particulars. There is a case history on this see - www.guardian.co.uk/money/2002/nov/17/movinghouse.property1

As each buyer moves in, write to them

Detailing the history of the site, and advising them that if they feel that they were in any way mislead during the sales process, to get in touch as the Council might help pull together a Class Action.

Advise the Developer that this will happen, so that the Developer can ensure full disclosure, (the perfect defense in this type of case).

This is easy to do because all buyers will register for Council Tax.

Put Billboards up outside the development

Showing the extent of the 2007 flooding, with a useful web site for more info.

Write to the Insurance Companies

And tell them that the Council would appreciate it if they declined to cover the properties.

Write to the Mortgage Companies

And advise them that, in the opinion of the Council, they would be lending on an insecure asset if they lent on the properties.

Write to all local Estate Agents and Solicitors

Telling them that mystery buyers will be checking their procedures, and woe betide and lawyer who doesn't advise in favour of Flood Risk Search.

And now some good news for the developer:-

I am not a flood plain NIMBY. If we need houses, fair enough, but can we have them designed for their location?

In particular the requirements for flood plain property are as follows:-

Must not impede water flow.
Should not damage the storage/soakage capacity of the floodplain.

The solution is simple - build ABOVE the flood plain.

Instead of putting up houses, which will be drowned, put up 4-5 floor apartment buildings on columns. This could allow the residents to cope with floods of several feet, without any serious adverse effects at all.

The development would not have gardens, but would be set in parkland/nature reserve, in order to preserve the wider benefits of the floodplain. It would probably be surrounded (at least upstream) with a catchnet to prevent any tree trunks or drifting caravans hitting the buildings at damaging speed.

Parking and Cars - could be at the edge of the estate, or under each building. What is important is that the parking slots be on floatable platforms, so that if there is a flood, they rise and ride it out.

I'd buy that - high quality country living close to the heart of Gloucester, a place to run, to lie in the sun. People will buy because they will see that while it is a flooding area, it has been designed to cope. Floods as an adventure is a good thing, floods as a destroyer we need to avoid.

Allotments

Likal Admin — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:59:02 +0000

Allotments

If you want to be green - get an allotment.

Great food - grow the varieties that taste great. (Commercial farmers grow for transport, for looks, for ability to ripen all at the time. Taste is poor 4th).
No food miles.
Organic (if you like).
Ultra fresh.
Save money. Allotments cost pennies a week.
Kudos with your friends (because unless you are a big family, you'll have plenty to spare).

No hard work :-

Allotments needn't mean heavy duty gardening - raspberries, blackcurrants, bush crops, herbs can all pretty much look after themselves if grown through a weed barrier fabric. (Home made summer pudding freezes really well, so long as you don't include strawberries, and nearly any fruit can be used to make fruit vodka - like Sloe Gin but much much nicer).

Known allotments - links that go to their page or somewhere who should be able to help. Add more as Comments.

Gloucester Guy Blogs his Allotment experience - read and be inspired.

Idea for Schools/Youth Groups - rent an allotment and have pupils look after it, and enjoy the produce.

Gloucestershire College

Likal Admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:41:27 +0000

Gloucestershire College - www.gloscol.ac.uk

Charles Wheatstone - Scientist (1802-1875)

Likal Admin — Mon, 07 May 2007 15:04:49 +0000

Charles Wheatstone - Scientist (1802-1875)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wheatstone

Wildlife Watch

Likal Admin — Sun, 06 May 2007 15:03:53 +0000

Wildlife Watch

The Junior section of the Wildlife Trusts - se also Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

http://www.wildlifewatch.org.uk/

Nature in Art

Likal Admin — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:35:40 +0000

Nature in Art - www.nature-in-art.org.uk

One of the top art galleries in the world, specialising in "art inspired by nature". If you know what you like, you'll love this stuff. It's "proper art" ranging from the Old Masters to modern dynamic interpretations, in all media from painting, to cermaics, to carvings, to sculpture, and fabric work.