Good idea or bad idea? Vote in the Poll or leave a comment below. I completely dislike it, apart from losing an hour, which could be spent sleeping, it also messes with your blog timestamp, so apologises for those that have struggled to leave a comment. 
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Just spent an hour with a surveyor looking at some cracks in my house, seems that geology is not a cause, but the difference between the solid front foundations and the shallow foundations at the back of the house, hopefully the back won’t fall off whilst I’m asleep.
Through the Teaching Expertise email I have found a new blog featuring Geography teacher Phil Avery as he prepares for an expedition to Antarctica.
In Year 11 in the WJEC course and in year 9 we will be looking at Hurricane Katrina, thanks to Noel Jenkins, who highlighted this video by U2 and Greenday, there is a message here, but what is it?
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Very busy and very tired. Maybe good news, I might in October be visiting Bangladesh on a fact finding mission with regards to teaching and learning, fingers crossed. Thanks to Mr Hamer who helped me with my application.
Mrs Marston and I attended the Pilot Conference in Birmingham on Tuesday, love the venue and it’s food! Nice to see Jo and Justin, missed Alan because he was busy doing something called teaching 
, I’ve sent him more ’stuff’ in the post. Also got to type my notes up. We came back with a number of ideas which we will be developing. Easter holiday list is already growing including Easter Revision and Pilot Development.
We also have the first Ilkeston GCSE Geography Conference on next Thursday, yet to complete my presentation.
The blog is currently a little quiet due to Year 10 Work Experience. Enjoying Stringy’s updates of his work experience in a hospital! Would love to hear of any other interesting experiences.
Also heard that ex-student and Geographer Mark Henshaw is now off to Afghanistan, best wishes.
Oops, missed World Water Day.
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But has it been worth it?
£7 million pounds, over a year and a half later, with concerns about the spiraling costs, the sustainability of the Chinese granite and the design plans, Nottingham’s revamped Old Market Square is complete. The Old Market Square was looking a little dated and needed a make-over.
A competition was held and Gustafson Porter’s ’Guardian of the City’ was the winning entry.
The design seems to be faithfully adhered to… The first change you notice is now the vast open space, I personally found this a little uncomfortable, but this may be due to the fact that the area has been enclosed for such a long period of time.
Many people have criticised this open space as being like old Soviet style central square!
This view looking from the elevated ramp, now shows the vastness of the area. I’m happy to report that the famous Lions have been retained, though I don’t know whether the ribbon and tag is a bit of irony…
Close to Friar Lane, is the main focus of the new square, a water feature, which will be framed by light, as the website states…
A dynamic channel of water enters the square from Chapel Bar leading visitors to the Water Terraces at the north west end of the square, Here one can sit on benches and steps and rest amongst water or under the dappled light of trees with a balcony view into the events and activities placed in the square’s unobstructed heart.
The water channel continues across the square as a route to Exchange Walk, Cheapside and the Council House. A similar route of light is placed between Smithy Row and Friar Lane, leading to Nottingham Castle. These diagonal routes will enable access to specialist markets and popular events in the centre of the Square, whilst at the same time ensuring pedestrians easy access to all parts of the city centre.
At the moment it isn’t much to look at, I haven’t seen it working, so can’t comment. At night I’ve seen the testing of water funnels that rise from the white stone, to be honest these looked pretty impressive.
This is the top of the granite water feature, where water will run across and around the feature via channels.
At the back of this feature is a seating area, but I’m slightly worried that it seems isolated from the rest of the square, I imagine the water will also be deep here; but potentially the shade and running water could be pleasant on a warm summer’s day.
I do like the landscaping on the sides of the square, particularly the grass verges…
There was been much press about ’stakeholder’ use of the area, there is some good Geography here, I know of one colleague in another school who’s students feel that they may be gentrified out of the square, it was been traditional a haunt/meeting place for alternative and ‘emo’ types. Skaters are another group that utilised, though were not particularly popular with the local authority, the original square, I imagine ollies will be out here! Fines will also be enforced for litter droppers, including chew gum- good, I hate it.
A bit disappointed with these signs though, come on Nottingham! Brown tape after seven million pounds….
Over the coming weeks the redevelopment will be celebrated, including an official opening by Princess Anne! There have already been some interesting modern art installations, the Sonic Forest being my favourite. I’ve just found out there is a live webcam as well, but only during certain hours.
My opinion is reserved at the moment until everything is working, but
what do you think? Money well spent…
P.S. Much better than Derby!
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A Japanese blogger has subverted one of my Tokyo photos from Flickr, got no idea why, but looks great.
Birmingham tomorrow for the Geography Pilot conference….
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Managed to upgrade to new Wordpress, without I think any hiccups. Struggling to feel motivated today, wading through a selection of R.S. Full Course mock answers, whilst producing some new weather and climate resources for Year.11, I will be sad to lose traditional weather and climate. Also trying to prepare some cover work, we have Year 9 Parent’s Evening tomorrow, and I’m off with Mrs Marston to the Pilot meeting in Birmingham. Spent part of the day listening to my free The Big Ask c.d. from the Observer, o.k. but nothing to write home about.
I start each lesson with a bit of ’show and tell’, random bits and bobs, but I thought I would start with the question I’m bound to be asked from tomorrow, will it snow sir?
Sadly one of the reasons why we tend to get less snow, is because most of it was been dumped on higher relief to the West, when moist air reaches relief is forced to rise and cool, leading to the formation of precipitation. At the start of the week, Western Wales and Snowdonia seem to get some snow, as do later the Pennines, I’m afraid by time it reaches us, no precipitation of College stopping proportions. We’re basically in the rain shadow, or snow shadow as it would be…
The air at present is coming from the North-West, from year 9 and as Year 11 Geographers should be able to tell you, this will bring a Polar Maritime wind, one which is cold, but full of moisture, hence some snowfall. Tuesday is unusual in weather terms.
There is a subtle change in wind direction, this time it comes from the North, an Arctic air mass, bringing with it very cold air. This is very unusual, notice the very cold temperatures on Tuesday morning. Will the cold snap last?
No, as you should know from Year 9, the above feature is a Depression, which should bring some relief (of a different kind) as it passes over the United Kingdom, should be some interesting winds though, as the air is drawn from the high pressure over the Atlantic to the low pressure over Europe.
So in summary, cold, a few flakes but nothing that will result in the East Midlands coming to a halt, I hope
Must finish the first part of my R.E. mocks, then there is the Opera about Binge drinking in Nottingham.
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