I advise the teachers at this kindergarten once a week. The children are always cheerful.

The flowers in my garden are finally starting to bloom!

Here is a sight at Austin Ranch, on the southwest corner of Plano Pkwy. and Windhaven Pkwy.



These horses are actually wire horses, but look real at night.

NCR (the visible offices) were outside what became Brent Cross shopping centre across the road on the North Circular, and I assume 1000 was another nearby site. As far as I remember the owners of NCR were my friend's father and uncle who lived near me in adjoining houses, and had the number 144 (if that means anything to you) on one of their number plates. If you knew them then we know the same people.

When I used to collect train ticket nearly the whole Southern Region used NCR machine validated tickets, I have thousands. They made many varieties but the NCR 21 was the one that used the proper traditional tickets, others like the 51 used the huge pieces of paper with Inter City on them for all journeys including one stop on a local line.

ncr21 tickets Here they are, coming from Southampton you probably saw them all the time.

re the fog, I can't think of a thick fog in the last five years, there just hasn't been the moisture around but even in a wet year there'd only be a couple a year.

I was going to do a photo today of the same view fine and sunny but it's overcast and drizzling ... another day

I don't think you will find those people 'owned' NCR. NCR was/is a huge multi-national with the parent company in the US. The UK head office was in Marylebone Road and they had branches in about 60 or more countries. They made everthing from adding machines, cash registers, accounting machines to main frame computers. Now they just seem to do a lot of ATMs. They had factories in Dayton, Ohio, in Germany and in Scotland (at least five) and possibly in more countries.

I just Googled and found an item dated January 2007 about them slashing some 650 Dundee jobs, it refers to the $6bn firm - so unless these people you know are very wealthy...

NCR made a profit of $539m in 2005 and employed 29,300 people around the world. Dundee's Volume manufacturing was being shouldered by free capacity in Beijing, India and Budapest.

NCR announced on Monday that it planned to split into two public companies: Terradata, a $1.5bn data warehousing firm that operated on £309m profits at the last count; and NCR, which manufactured point of sale, payment and cash machines with a profit of $251m on a $4.5bn turnover.

The Register

Love those horses!

Today's effort ... it's a raindrop! The other half walked out when I was trying to take the picture and all he could say was "seen it all now"

You're right Sue, the two firms shared the same office site, had the same products, but someone must have got them confused and I was told they were somehow connected. But a little research has the history of what was a local company, Gross Cash Registers who were probably little known outside the UK, and were sold in the 70s. Without your information I'd have got these two places mixed up permanently. The buildings were derelict for about 10 years at Brent Cross and since demolition have been left vacant, giving an awful blot on the landscape every time you pass it on the main road. I've seen a lot of changes since 1960 as I've been using that stretch the whole time, although my memory of course doesn't go back quite as far.

This beautiful Stone Anglican Church is out in the middle of the Manitoba prairie. Built by the local farmers in 1892.






We took an elderly Aunt out to see a relatives grave as she missed his funeral. When we arrived there was no one around, but the church door wasn't locked and there was a collection plate with money on it by the door for donations. Rural live has its benefits crime wise. I thought why can't it be like this everywhere.

Looking for lunch:

My silly pet torturing a PET bottle - his favourite toy .

This is the colonnade that runs around a lovely old building in Hong Kong It is the much loved Legislative Council or Legco Building
.

Such an exciting day so far, a trip to the hospital for a blood test followed by a visit to the pharmacist to get my medication. This little pile cost me £14.70, or in dollars about $29. I didn't actually want them all so some can be added to my stockpile

Yesterday the bus stop, today the buses that were coming towards it.

While on our drive in the country, we drove through a Wind Farm. The government here is trying to build more of these to produce electricity.




There were at least 40 of them and they were almost completely silent as they turned.

Post deleted by ilovecats

Lovely pics today.

This is the village green at Northiam in Sussex. Queen Elizabeth I had an alfresco banquet here on one of her royal progresses, but the oak tree that sheltered her has been badly damaged: all that's left is the stunted little thing in the middle of the background.

Not a photo but it is a picture ...and drawn by me. The Xara forum brings out a monthly tutorial showing how to draw various graphics. This magnifying glass is one of them (with my own variation). It took ages to get the hang of making the shapes and fills:



Link to a larger image
More faithful to the original tutorial.

Very clever.

Maggie brought her bed when she visited today, and Winston thought it worthy of investigation. He didn't dare get in it though! (That's Katt's job...)

Trying once again. A cactus flower. Not.

(I'll be in touch Jar_). A Peony in our garden:

I've been in Warsaw the past couple of days, so here's the picturesque Castle Square in Warsaw old town. All of these buildings, and over 95% of the rest of Warsaw, was systematically destroyed by German occupation forces during WWII, but painstakingly rebuilt by the Polish people.

That picture is lovely, Aramis. it looks like a painting.
Here is my village minibus. I catch it every morning at 6. The drivers are very sweet. They know where to drop everyone off at home, and they are great for sources of news around the area.