Thames Valley Trial Head

Marlow Thames Valley Trial Head '12 - Images by Rob Bowker

 Divisions 2 and 3 coming soon - click to shop

500 crews braved the water at Dorney on a day when the sun failed to make any meaningful appearance. Lots of wooly hats, red noses and a frozen photographer or two. Hope the weather improves for the Olympics.

Mute swans

A pair of mute swans (Cygnus olor) mock the cold, leaden skies over Dorney Lake, Buckinghamshire.

Ironbridge Rowing Club

Panorama of Ironbridge Rowing Club supplied by Panoramic Earth

The Iron Bridge from upstream

Panorama of The Iron Bridge from upstream supplied by Panoramic Earth

Under The Iron Bridge

Panorama of Beneath Iron Bridge supplied by Panoramic Earth

Marmalade

For my money, this is the most visually appealing part of the process (no pun intended)

Weapon of choice - Opinel. There isn't a quick way to shred peel, so a light but sharp knife works best for me

Lots of pith, not much flesh, don't be tempted to taste the bitter juice. Also, best kitchen gadget ever - a beechwood juicer

The muslin cloth is lost so Robin's sling from his (now mended) broken arm stood in

Jarleks in the decontamination chamber

New toy takes the guesswork of when to stop - in about 16˚C, by the look of it

New toy number two. Uncanny how clean the jars stay using a tundish

Labeling or a typecast? Any excuse to use a typewriter, a 1950s Olympia SM3 in this case

A convoluted but relatively exciting and unusual recipe for this Bitter Seville Orange Marmalade.
I've been using the same recipe for several years and it comes out different every time. Out of the 10 jars, I put a capful of scotch in six. Sounds so wrong. Tastes so good.

Towering teasels

Weather

Returning from a haircut in Cholsey. Me, that is, not the weather.
Portrait format not too screen-friendly, so here's a, erm, landscape too.

Might be quite good fun to animate some of these?

Wallingford Meadow

A little summer sunshine on a grim January day

Beer and chips