Return from the mysterious east

The absence of postings over the past three weeks has not been due to a lack of material, but more a lack of easy internet access while travelling abroad. We've been visiting various places located between 52 and 53 degrees North latitude and 1 degree East and 5 degrees West longitude and I have several new observations to post. I'll try and dole these out over the next few days as I get back into a more routine schedule.