Greg Wesson
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gregwtravels.bsky.social
Greg Wesson
@gregwtravels.bsky.social
350 followers 290 following 2.9K posts
Occasional traveller, more frequent (though slow) runner, cyclist and walker. Hammersmith and West London. Canadian by birth, British by ancestry and naturalisation. 🇨🇦🇬🇧
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gregwtravels.bsky.social
Also this trio of swing singers did a version of Crabbuckit by Canadian artist k-os, and that surprised me. Didn't think it made much impression outside of Canada.
Three women dressed in white jackets and red skirts are on a covered stage with a large sign saying "#HAMMERSMITH." The stage has decorative Victorian street lamps in gold paint with bright red bows.
November 15, 2025 at 4:40 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Hammersmith Winter Festival today. Some decent musicians, including this solo singer/saxaphonist. She did a few Christmas numbers, but I guess if you are a saxaphonist, you've got to do Baker Street.
November 15, 2025 at 4:32 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Some good came of it though.
Even without an answer, the wreck spurred many “incredible” safety improvements, said Frederick Stonehouse, whose 1977 book “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was the first of dozens written about the tragedy. Whereas a similar-sized ship would be lost on the lakes every six or seven years before the Fitzgerald, none has gone down since then, he said.
November 10, 2025 at 3:51 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Set off from Richmond Station, up Richmond Hill and into the park. Then around the 7.35 mile Tamsin Trail, which does a rough loop of the Park. Saw some deer, and lots of colour on the trees that hadn't lost their leaves yet. Back out the same gate, and down to Richmond Station.
Ground covered by red leaves around three evenly spaced trees. Green bushes and more trees beyond. A deer, with big antlers, on a grassy clearing leaning down eating grass, with trees in autumn colours and green shrubbery in the background. To the left, a woman in a white jacket and black trousers walks up a paved path towards the top of a hill. Beside the path is field of brown ferns. To either side are trees. Through the gap over the ferns and between the trees, we see the horizon, with blue skies with large fluffy white clouds. A field on a hill has two people sat down in silhouette. At the bottom of the hill are trees through which the River Thames cuts a curving arc. The sun is low to the horizon, reflecting in the water of the Thames. The sun is in a blue sky with many white clouds, so is partially hidden by clouds.
November 8, 2025 at 7:15 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Group walk from Staines to West Drayton through Staines Moors and the Heathrow Biodiversity Area yesterday. Lovely day for it, especially as it was November 1st.
A wide blue stream runs through flat grass lands with tufts of grass along the banks and a short, wide shrub in the background. Above is a blue sky with some puffy white clouds. A wooden stile with two steps and two horizontal planks leads to a wooden bridge. The the right is a thick green bush. To the left is tall grass. Both the bush and the grass concern a small stream. In the distance is a stand of trees barren for the autumn, with blue sky behind. A dirt path partially covered with leaves bends off to the right behind a stand of trees. On the left are more trees. A Airbus A380 from beneath, with 4 engines mounted on it's wings. It is flying low over a stand of trees after taking off from Heathrow. Above is blue sky with fluffy, white clouds.
November 2, 2025 at 1:46 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
There is always a Simpsons reference. They actually did the Mayor Quimby digitally-added flames.
For The Simpsons. Mayor Quimby, ill with a virus, has run his hand through his hair to create what appear to be horns. He is drolling, with dozy eyes with large dark circles under them. He is surrounded by a graphic of flames, with the message "Flames added electronically by channel" on screen.
October 27, 2025 at 8:10 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Nice walk along the "Surrey" bank from Barnes to Kew, looping back around along the Strand-on-the-Green and a late pub lunch.
A smooth dirt path with trees on either side. On the right side, beyond the trees is a glimpse of the River Thames. A brick path with a smooth, thin stripe of concrete running offset to the left of the path. On the left is thick grass and trees. On the right, a grassy bank slopes down to the River Thames. A barge floats tied to a pier. Beyond the barge is Kew Bridge, a stone bridge with 3 arches. A calm River Thames flows beneath. In the distance a number of modern buildings rise in Brentford. A roaring fire in a stone fireplace with a stone mantel. Beside the fireplace is a set of black iron instruments including a poker and shovel. The mantel holds a black later with a white candle inside, some red baubles, and an advertisement for booking for Christmas parties.
October 26, 2025 at 6:38 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Homer and Marge Simpson in front of a large sign which reads: Welcome finalists Reading Digest "Brevity is... wit"
October 14, 2025 at 1:56 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
To end on a few positive notes, the paper that made "the father of computing.
In a lecture series in the 1930s, Newman had wondered if intractable maths problems could one day be automated away. He didn’t specify how this would be done, but one of his students – Turing – did, in what is now one of the most famous academic papers ever written, On Computable Numbers. This is the actual reason Turing is “the father of computing”.
October 12, 2025 at 6:54 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Hiking in Essex yesterday. Loop from Wickford, seeing Battlesbridge and Shotsgate. Mix of everything - town centre, suburbs, farms, forest, quaint antiques market, couple lovely churches, war memorials, and light industrial.
A straight green grass path stretches to the horizon, bordered by wooden fence on both sides. The fence is 4 foot tall with evenly spaced posts between which run planks at ground level, midway up and near the top. On either the other side of both fences are scrub fields for horses. The sky is blue with some white clouds. A grass path with a high hedge of shrubbery on eith side open to a cloudy grey sky. It curves slightly to the right, leading to a dark tunnel where the hedges on either side have grown over the path. 1550s barn with dark timbers and light white between them. It has been converted into an antique shop. A war memorial of a low stone marker, around which four low stone pillars make form a square. The grass surrounding is tall and wild. There is a wood fence and grey skies in the background.
September 28, 2025 at 1:16 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Here is Ebenezer's grave in Barnes' old cemetery. It was given a new top and clean-up
A rectangular marker with a peak, all very low to the ground, atop a larger rectangular stone base. There are blue flowers, a red flower wreath surrounding a sign that reads "Remember Ebenezer Cobb Morley, Founder of the Football Association, on the centenary of his death. 20th November, 2024." Beside the wreath is a small card with the FA logo.
September 26, 2025 at 9:57 AM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
In the late 80s, early 90s year, after living as a 70s kid with 20 years of nuclear fear, the fall of Soviet communism.

"This changes everything," I say.

Life: You still ain't seen nothing yet.
Greg in green fleece, black trousers and black beanie with hand on a piece of the Berlin wall outside London's Imperial War Museum with graffiti that says "CHANGE YOUR LIFE."
September 21, 2025 at 8:04 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Barnes Common has the old Barnes cemetery. Ebenezer Cobb Morley, one of the founding fathers of the Football Association, is buried there and had his grave polished up recently.
Grave in an otherwise disused and discarded cemetery that has recently been refurbished. Football, in England it isn't a sport, it's a religion.
August 31, 2025 at 5:30 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Walk London LOOP section 5 yesterday. Lovely bit of countryside, and other than the slog up the stairs as the beginning, mostly just gently downhill.

Happy Valley and Farthings Down are splendid.
Dirt steps with wooden barriers and handrail rise between thick, green bushes. A stile, behind which is a small two storey high Observatory painted in white. A stone plinth with a drinking fountain and stone basin in the middle of a field of green grass. A white pub is off in the distance at the edge of the field flanked by tall green trees on either side. A view of Happy Valley, grass slope gently sloping down to a path running the length of the base of the valley. The far side gently slopes up to woodland. Skies above are grey clouds.
August 30, 2025 at 3:40 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Did a circular walk from Green Street Green (so good they almost named it twice) to Downe (home of Charles Darwin, deceased) and Cudham and back.
Wide level dirt path in shade of tall trees lining it on either side. Town sign on a post for Downe. A black circle with a tree in the middle and three sections with Charles Darwin, 13th century St. Mary the Virgin church, and a rearing horse with the word "INVICTUS" below. Behind is a large shrubbery. Down House, Charles Darwin's home. A white house of three stories with green ivy growing up to the second story. Light brown horse striking a pose like a French model in a field. There are suburban semi-detached homes behind.
August 26, 2025 at 7:40 AM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Greek Runner, St. Peter's Square, Hammersmith. Sculpted by Sir William Blake Richmond, a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement, Richmond lived and worked for many years in the parish of St Peter's. It is Grade-II listed.
A statue in green copper of a naked man with a laurel on his head running, leaning forward with on foot on the ground and a leg kicked up behind him. It stands on a stone plinth, stained green from run off from the copper. The plinth is surrounded by low bushes. In the back ground is a flat area of grass, and trees creating a border in the distance.
August 24, 2025 at 3:24 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
A look at North Korea's new beach resort, modelled on Benidorm. Currently only open to limited Russian tour groups.

I find it funny they built this whole resort, and then thought, "but wait, what if our own people start to wonder how rich the rest of the world is?"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Even citizens of China, which borders North Korea and is its main ally and economic partner, are having difficulties accessing the resort, according to Andrei Lankov, an expert in North Korea-Russia relations and a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul. He says Pyongyang deliberately limits the number of tourists and closely controls their movements, in part so North Koreans won't compare themselves unfavourably to richer foreigners. "Ordinary people might begin to wonder, 'How is it that even without our great leader, or his son or daughter, they seem to live so well?'", Lankov says. For that reason, North Korea has concluded it's largely better not to have too many foreigners entering the country, he adds.
August 24, 2025 at 10:14 AM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Didn't last long.
Twitter post by Grok saying "'Zup beaches, I'm back and more based than ever!"
August 11, 2025 at 8:28 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Stopped for a couple pints at the Cock Inn just up the road from Cockfosters station (food smelt and looked amazing, but we'd already done our packed lunch). Finally down the road past the Cockfosters cricket grounds to Cockfosters station and the tube back home.
Wide, dry, dirt path with high brush and tree branches providing canopy from either side. Picture of a white, two storey building with a recessed entryway painted light green announcing "The Cock Inn Free House" above three arches. Above the black tiled roof is a share clock tower with a pointed roof and weather vane. A large cricket picth with men in white standing in various positions around the pitch.
August 10, 2025 at 2:42 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Next up across the busy Barnet Way (A1). Then, a long section through bits of country and forest eventually arriving in Barnet. Lovely church in Monken Hadley called Saint Mary the Virgin. Onward through Monken Hadley Common.
A wooden finger post in a dry, brown field with a line of green trees in the background. Two arrows on the finger post both pointing in the same direction, one pointing for the Dollis Valley Greenwalk, and the other for the Loop. Wide green grass path slooping gently down to a line of trees with a small gap visible. Above is blue sky with white, fluffy clouds. Square stone church tower with a bright blue clock face. In front a two lane road and off-street parking with various cars parked and passing. Bright blue skies with only a few white clouds above. A memorial in the church, two large oval recesses in an ornate stone alter contain busts of a man and woman in ruffled collars and I assume 16th century clothes. Above is a crest of arms with blue and white horizontal stripes and ornate red borders. Below are three small statues of women standing with arms held down at their sides.
August 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Hiked London LOOP section 16 yesterday, from Elstree and Borehamwood to Cockfosters via Barnet. It's the longest individual section of the LOOP.

From the train station, you enter Scratchwood Park and Nature Reserve. Mostly forest, muddy in a few places.
A thin muddy path through a canopy of small green trees with a wooden fence overgrown with brush to the right. Wooden sign close to the ground saying "Scratchwood Local Nature Reserve." The sign is covered in places by low creeping ground plants. It sits in front of a muddy dirt path bending off out of the picture. Large trees in a forest on either side of a dry, wide, leaf covered path stretching off in the distance.
August 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
My photo from when they had just started crossing. Stopped taking photos as I was more concerned about a flare landing on the roof of my building.
Hammersmith Bridge over the Thames, with a group carrying flares and lighting fireworks almost halfway across (moving north).
August 3, 2025 at 9:58 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Walk around the Leg O Mutton nature reserve today.
A field of high grasses, reeds and plants in a marshy area with trees in the distance. The grasses are spotted with purple flowera Green trees border a reservoir with green grasses and reeds in the near distance. A fallen tree slowly rotting away surrounded by many healthy trees. Circle of life, providing homes for insects and small birds and animals, and putting carbon back into the soil.
August 2, 2025 at 4:19 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Speedway Classic feat. Pitbull
Bristol is a border city divided by the Tennessee and Virginia state lines, and is known as the “birthplace of country music." In celebration of those roots, Grammy Award-winning artist Tim McGraw will headline a special pregame concert leading into the MLB Speedway Classic. The concert will also include Grammy-winning artist Pitbull, and Jake Owen. The concert will start approximately one hour before the first pitch and Fox plans to feature portions of the performance during its pregame event coverage.
July 26, 2025 at 4:11 PM
gregwtravels.bsky.social
Jesus in a sealed cave. He is playing solitaire and whistling. Title is "Big Moments in History: Jesus in the tomb, Day 2..." Copyright 2005 Matt Toseimer (I think)
July 6, 2025 at 7:46 PM