about JohnH
Sorted, fit. Current activities are photography, hiking, motorbiking, trail biking, music, geology/geoscience, dinner-at-home, travel and more.
Best way to get in touch : 
A paean to Keswick Cab 2 - Fibre broadband in the Lake District
So why not take a photo next to a fibre broadband box as much as next to a classical fountain? The new technology which defined the cities of the Roman Republic and Empire was water: aqueducts brought fresh running water to enliven the fountains and fill the cisterns of the rich. More modest households fetched their water from the communal spouts. Houses close to the water points were the more desirable and thus the more expensive.
Contemporary residential life is increasingly dependent on fast broadband for social, entertainment and administrative or business purposes. And this depends on the proximity to the broadband cabinet, which are, unfortunately, rather less than ubiquitous.
Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy and Heathy 2018
I've enjoyed a really good 2017. Here are some of the highlights:
- Getting to ride over the Grossglockner High Alpine road in Austria Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße
- Finding the peace and quiet of Hólmavík and the black sand bay at Snæfellsjökull in Northwest Iceland
- Rediscovering Tuscany with Terry: Garfagnana and the Alpi Apuae
- Revisitihg Styhead Tarn with Terry, where we camped a night getting on for 25 years ago
- St. Tropez with Denis and Michel
- My new bike (CBR600RR) on the Col du Galibier - 2642 m.
And here's the cake Terry has baked for Christmas cake 2017
I’m basically a Two wheels Good - Four wheels Bad person but this weekend has been an exception, renting a white van was an exigent to bring back my share of the family heirlooms from my Mother’s bungalow in Gloucestershire. That was a Toyota Proace 1.6l, 6-speed panel white van, an interesting experience to drive: the ride is higher so the view is good. Pedals a bit heavy (would be fine wearing boots) and the steering a bit vague compared to a small car. The hand-brake is on the opposite hand to the gear stick and there’s no rear-view mirror in the centre of the windscreen. Flashy females driving posh 4WD Chelsea Tractors give way meekly and it really does turn out that white vans are nice to each other, making space and generally being polite on the road. Food for thought; a van like that would transport a sports motorbike, for example to a summercamp, and it wasn't so awful to drive and park either.
Merry Christmas and All the Best for 2017 to you.
Some of the highlights of another full year.
- Hiking up from the Grand St Bernard pass La Chenalette, Grand St. Bernard pass, 2850 m.
- Motorbiking to the fine Alpine roads of Switzerland Alps biker blog 2016 also riding with so many biker friends at the GLME 2016 Ascension bike camp
- BSGS geology field trip to Madeira In the land of dykes and sills
- Day hike from London to Blencathra (868 m.)
- Just the one concert at the Barbican this year but it was good: Alpine Symphony: LSO, Pappano at the Barbican
- And for the one trip that ticked all my boxes, Sentier Blanc-Martel, Bike tour of the Grand Canyon of the Verdon and my photo gallery Grand Canyon of the Verdon - photo gallery
Update: I withdrew from UCL at the end of the second week. I'm very disappointed but the course hasn't worked for me in many ways.
Freshly printed undergraduate pass in hand, my fresher selfie in the quad at University College London. This shot had to be a real selfie, ie taken myself with the camera held out at arm’s length. Note the brand new UCL hoodie too.
