Museums and Concords Cambridge Wednesday 2nd July

My photos are certainly taking forever to load here in Cambridge.(update took 3 days to load)  Fancy a University town and poor internet, doesn't quite make sense. Or perhaps it is another Google problem, lots of us have complained about the photos not loading, and there was a note a couple of weeks ago from google that they were looking into it.

So because my aunt will get withdrawal symptoms, I am posting Wednesday's post, and will then update it with the photos later.

 But I guess technology has come a long way from when computing was first introduced, and for that reason, and given that I started work with 40 column punch cards and Electronic Multiplying Punches way back 51 years ago, I was particularly looking forward to the Computer Museum.

This is a small main frame and tape unit

80 column cards

Paper tape

Heidi took us to an industrial estate, where the exhibition was housed??  We made our way in and the receptionist was a 16 year old volunteer.  Not sounding very professional up to this point.  Inside the couple of rooms they had amassed lots of mobiles and home computers, and focused on the games that are played.

Into another area, and there was an old disc stack, now we have one of those in our shed,

and it was my job to lift them, unscrew the top cover and place them in the disc drives.  But this one was sitting by itself, with not even a story board to tell what it was.  It got worse, nothing about 40 column systems at all.  No ICL or ICT computers, but they did have some 80 column cards and then paper tape.  Nothing to indicate how they were used, I was very disappointed indeed especially at the 7 quid charge to go in.  I really don't think it should be called a "museum" more a display of equipment.  Not worth visiting at all.

For the Apple fans

Old style mobile phones

One thing that we wanted to try before we left was lunch in one of the Farm Shops.  We didn't know what to expect and went to one just outside Cambridge.  The shop sold all sorts of fruit and vegetables, including dog food, which is double the price of our 15 kg bags.

After lunch we headed to Duxford to the British Imperial Forces Museum.  This is sited on the original base which was used in World War II.  Lots of planes on display, and never would I have thought I would have been inside a Concorde.  Amazing the things you do in your life!

Flight recorder on the Concord

After lots of walking, it got a bit boring for me, and I gave the last two hangers a miss.  John had a look at the American exhibition.

Getting ready for the show on 12th July, look at the low flying plane

Seats on the BOAC

While I waited, I was entertained by an old plane doing very low flights over the base.  There is an airshow next week, and he must have been practicing.  

Some shots of the plane low flying that Samsung put together, quite clever really!
There was something for everyone at Duxford, I am sure their open day will be a success

Going to be a busy week here, with bike races and air shows.

I also learnt that the towns around York which are very well decorated, were given grants to spruce up the towns, but Cambridge, being a bike town missed out on funding.

Here are a few photos of our B&B, lots of paintings on the wall, but no information about them all.

Anstey Hall

  

Fire alarms this morning because someone burnt the toast, but look at the chandelier

I didn't get all my pictures loaded last night, and missed sharing those of the Cambridge Folk Museum

1953 TV

A Bedbug mattress!

Early vacuum cleaner

Early Washing machine

Early ironing machine

Our restaurant last night was over the road from the main museum

Price of Oysters Craig and John bought them for $5 a dozen in Tasmania

There are 34 College Halls including 3 Theology ones

Our final day in the UK tomorrow.  We haven't worked out where we are going to visit on the way to Heathrow, as yet.

Will seem strange not writing my posts while John snores on the bed.  I haven't regretted one moment of the trip, well after I learnt to walk for miles that is.  Our B&B's have lived up to my expectations, and as I have been doing a fact finding exercise, I am going to do my ratings when I am home.

One thing that we have noticed is the lack of Traffic Police on the road.  3 vehicle speed cameras in 11 weeks of travelling.  Hardly any doing any road work at all.  Roadworks, well they are everywhere.  Diversions, in just about every town.  John has driven close to 6000 miles, and we have been incident free, so far.

The narrow roads and not being able to find parking in popular locations have been frustrating.  Even in Leicester where they are spending mega pounds building a new beaut King Richard III centre, does not have any parking within co-ee of the Cathedral.  Hopefully they will construct a car park on top of the new buildings.

Some of our frustrations and probably everyone else as well,  paying to park in some place it is really, a bit of a stupid exercise when out in the middle of no-where, or charging 20 per hour, must cost them more to provide the service than what they recoup.  The severe lack of photo opportunity spots, as well as the growth overhanging the highway or road signs is another.

But it will be sad to leave.  I feel quite at home here, and could easily live somewhere in the country, with some land around, and particularly in one of the beautiful homes in Harrowgate.  I will be very glad to go home to my level home, climbing all these flights of stairs gets some getting used to.

My friend Mary often says, is it as good as home?  And I think I am extremely glad that my Durnford great grandfather decided to come to Australia in the mid 1850's, because while Australia does not have the beautiful buildings, the architecture nor the history, we have something completely different with our lifestyle, starting of course with the weather.

I have so many photos to cull, so much family history to update, and family stories to Blog about, I have certainly ticked many more off my bucket list, the biggest finding my immediate family.