Homelessness in Cambridge

In recent years we seem to have seen an increase in rough sleepers on the streets of Cambridge. For a fact, some are "on the make", tapping in to the many tourists we see here. Some are mentally ill people who seem to have fallen through the cracks and are rough sleeping.

With so many jobs locally, people should not need to rough sleep. "Can you spare a few pennies please?", is the call. Rather than give directly to people who may spend the money on drugs, I prefer to regularly donate to a homeless charity. This way you know the money is really helping. There is little doubt that, for whatever reason, there are some genuine people who need help.

Yet More Houses

We moved to this village in 1975 when the population was just over 4000. It is now over 6000. 

Wherever there is a gap more houses get built. These cater for the well healed and rarely for ordinary workers. For example, the space in the photo has recently been built on. At one time it was a pub carpark.

Corpus Clock

One of the most photographed things in Cambridge must be the odd clock outside Corpus Christi college.

Every time I walk past it in the summer there are loads of visitors taking photos.

Cambridge

The centre of Cambridge is certainly colourful. As well as this float (see photo) we had a couple of buskers singing classical opera, which was very good.

Cambridge Market

These flowers were on sale in Cambridge Market on Wednesday. Next door was a stall selling sweets. 

Kings, Cambridge

This probably has a real name (sorry, don't know it) but it is the lawn separating Kings College from the River Cam in Cambridge, UK. In the summer, there are lots of tourists taking photos of punts or Kings College Chapel, but this is a cold January morning. 

Memories of John Betjeman's famous poem "Sunday Morning, King's Cambridge"  "
...The white of windy Cambridge courts, the cobbles brown and dry,..."

Cambridge Snow

As the photo shows, there was a thin covering of snow in Cambridge earlier. This photo was taken at about 1000z today.

Lunch Out

We ate a 3 course lunch today at Cote Brasserie in Bridge Street, Cambridge. £13.50 each, and they add the gratuity to the bill (much better than tipping in my view). If the service was poor you can remove this gratuity. Service and food were very good. We will go there again.

See www.cote.co.uk

Reflections

Anglesey Abbey, a National Trust property about 4 miles from here, has beautiful grounds at any time of the year. A few days ago it looked very "wintery" as the photo shows.

All change

In the UK BHS has closed its doors. Many of the shops are now being occupied by other retailers. This one in the Grafton Centre, Cambridge, UK is undergoing extensive changes. I have no idea who is coming here next. Boring to many, but a reminder to me of when these changes happened. Picture taken from a moving bus.

Student Flats in Cambridge

Years ago we bought a car from West's garage in Cambridge. They moved and now they are building new student flats on the site. This photo was taken from a bus tonight in the dark. No doubt these are "posh" flats with en suite facilities. Not a bit like we had back in the 1960s.

Food

Every Tuesday and Wednesday I travel into Cambridge for University of the Third Age lectures.

On Tuesdays it is, "Weather and Climate" and on Wednesdays, "Samuel Pepys". We are very lucky in Cambridge having a huge variety of courses.

Afterwards, my wife joined me for lunch.

Wild Flowers

On Parker's Piece, Cambridge, UK. I think these were planted by the pupils at Park Side School.

Parkers Piece was the focus of a big celebration in 1838 to celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria.

It is also acknowledged as the home of Association Football rules. It is a famous park in Cambridge.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker%27s_Piece

Cambridge Grand Arcade

A few days ago we walked through the Grand Arcade in central Cambridge. This is a covered pedestrian shopping centre. I don't think I have bought much here.

Visitors to Cambridge

As a famous university town, Cambridge gets a fair number of visitors. With BREXIT, I guess the money now goes even further.

This was a group of visitors from the Far East outside St Johns College. Of course, you have to take a few photos! This café, Le Pattesier, just opposite St Johns, serves decent meals at decent prices, with a smile.

Backs (Cambridge), UK

Recently, we visited the Backs (of the colleges) in nearby Cambridge, UK. With all the flowers out, this really is a sight. This is in the grounds of St Johns College.

We really are quite lucky living so close. As residents, we get free entry into the colleges.

Cambridge Bikes

Cambridge is famous as a university town filled with bikes! This shot, just across the road from Trinity College, is typical. There are a lot of bikes in Cambridge. In the summer months it is filled with foreign students on bikes, most who are lost and not used to being on the left of the road.

Cambridge

Cambridge is famous for its Backs and Colleges. This is a view along Trinity Street. Lots of bikes!  Kings is about 400m further along on the right.

At this time of the year there are fewer visitors around. In the summer it can be heaving.

Blackbirds

Every other Tuesday I have been going in to Cambridge on the service bus to my U3A course on Polar Studies at the Scott Polar Institute. As the speaker today was commanded to go to the Economic Forum in Davos, we had a different speaker at short notice: he was very good.

On the way in, I just relax and count the bird species I see. Usually it is between 8 and 12 different species, although in total I have seen many more.

What struck me today was the vast number of blackbirds. They were everywhere. I am not sure why there seem to be so many: are the marking territory or seeking mates?

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/b/blackbird/. The image on the LHS is on the RSPB site.

There are some waxwings in Cambridge. These birds come from Scandinavia and are quite rare most winters. I have yet to see one. They are often seen eating berries in supermarket car parks.

Cambridge Christmas Lights

Today, Cambridge was ablaze with Christmas lights. Some shops have had Christmas displays since at least early October. This was the view on the way to the bus stop at Drummer Street.