Winter Wonderland

All Saints, Staplehurst
Originally uploaded by Maff Knight

I've been working from home this week. Not through choice particularly, but through a lack of trains into London.

Yesterday there were no trains at all into or out of London and today the service was patchy. A friend phoned me this morning to say that her train had not moved for ages and that I shouldn't bother trying. So, I didn't. Come on, would you need telling twice?

I am glad that I didn't attempt the journey though. Another friend had to stand for the entire journey of two hours (twice the time it would usually take) and yet another friend had a three hour journey this morning.

Hopefully things will be back to normal tomorrow, as I am booked to go on a course. Besides, I don't think I can stand another day of trying to use our webmail.

Harry Hill goes back to school

Yesterday Harry Hill paid a visit to his old primary school in Kent, to help with a campaign to get their playing field back. BBC South East today report here.

Staplehurst School has been without a playing field for two years, since it sold some land to the local PCT for a new medical centre to be built. During this time the children have not had a sports day.

The field has been fenced off after work to improve the drainage was inspected and ruled unsafe. Google Maps shows the drainage work quite clearly.

Harry hoped to return for sports day when everything was sorted:

Maybe, who knows, I could race someone at the egg and spoon race as that was my particular area of expertise.

Crossway - house of the future

Crossway in Staplehurst, Kent is the dream home of architect Richard Hawkes:

Design with a conscience…

A house in Staplehurst, Kent that rejects the faceless vanity of contemporary architecture borne of a relentless lifestyle industry in place of design that explores the uniqueness of 'place'..

Crossway demonstrates how contemporary design can celebrate local materials and crafts to produce a highly efficient building that sits lightly on the Earth

When completed it will utilise cutting edge technologies for heat and energy and grey water storage and underground rain water storage for irrigation and reuse.
Richard's blog has some interesting articles on sustainable living and has regular updates on the progress of the build.