Syntagma Media is on the move.

We’ve been planning a move of office for a year but have been unable to find anywhere with the right combination of location and facilities. Until now.

The historic Quay district at Exeter’s Watergate

Next week will be spent packing up and the move will happen over the weekend beginning February 1st.

We’ll probably be offline for a few days while we struggle to get the comms going again, but all should be set again by Monday the 4th.

The new Syntagma Towers will be situated in the Elizabethan Quay area of Exeter.

A few moments ago there was an enormous racket outside Syntagma Towers. People passing were looking up in the sky as if a giant asteroid was about to hit us.

I rushed outside with the new camera (12X zoom) and found our police helicopter hovering directly above our little haven of peace.

Darn, I thought, they’ve caught up with us at last.

I’m now hoping it was just a training exercise, or maybe a criminal gang was hiding in a neighbour’s garden.

It’s gone now. We live to fight another day.

Updated

I took the opportunity of great weather today to down tools and grab the camera for another photowalking session in my “Summer in Exeter” (Devon, England) series. I really am doing the 4-hour workweek this August — and why not.

The series can be seen in full by clicking on the Flickr logo in the sidebar.

The Exe Valley running through the heart of Exeter

This is taken from the centre of the city and shows the Exe Valley which runs through it. The great thing about Exeter is that you’re never far from country and farmland wherever you’re situated. You can see the 18th-century streets leading to the River Exe, which runs from right to left down the valley — unsighted in the picture.

These Georgian cottages (below) are in the street shown directly ahead in the pic above. If you were to remove the plastic rubbish bags and the overhead cables, you could film a Jane Austen novel here. Mind you, you’d have to lay a dirt surface across the street as they didn’t have metalled roads in those days. Takes you back though, doesn’t it?

Cottages from Jane Austen’s day — slightly gentrified

Going forward — across the other side of the street are the offices of a media company in another old building. I love the combination of modern knowledge-based companies housed in 18th-century surroundings. They are so complementary they could have been made for each other. You may then get some idea of where the new Syntagma Towers is going to be situated.

This is the end of the street where Georgian meets Victoriana. It’s so quaint here you almost expect to see Charles Dickens in a stove-pipe hat coming around the corner. There’s an office to let right ahead across the road, but it’s far too small for the industrial needs of Syntagma Media. Very pleasant spot for an internet business, though.

18th century meets Victoriana in the centre of Exeter

Below, and just around the corner from the cottages, is the Old Priory, which is 900 years old. That means it was built around 1107. Next to it, out of shot, is the Old Mint, where Exeter’s coinage was made. Strange to think the Government in London had nothing to do with such important stuff in those days — except collecting taxes in the coinage, of course.

The Old Priory and Mint, around 900 years old

But 900 years is a long time for a building to stand and remain so sturdy. It really doesn’t look a day over 850.

Lastly, a wonderful French-style office building with Exeter Cathedral behind. Now that really would make a great Syntagma Towers. We’d have to borrow the Cathedral towers, of course.

French-style office building with the Cathedral towering behind

Only this morning someone asked me where we got our name Syntagma from. It happens quite a lot.

The original Syntagma Towers in Athens

The boring answer is that I found it through Linguistic Philosophy — do not switch off! It means creating a “whole” from many parts, as words make up a sentence. A bit like a blog network, in fact.

There is a much more famous meaning, though. Syntagma is the name of the Greek Constitution, and also the Square where the Parliament (pictured) is located. I really didn’t know about all that when I named this ship and all who sail in her : Syntagma.

The guidebooks say :

Syntagma (constitution in Greek) is the square in front of the Parliament (formerly the King’s Palace, built between 1836 and 1840 by King Otto and financed by his father Ludwig I of Bavaria) and it is considered the main square of Athens.

Interestingly, our Syntagma is number one on Google for the word “syntagma”, just above the Greek Constitution and Square.

How’s that for fame?

Almost everyone I know is on holiday right now. Mostly they’ve gone to sweltering latitudes to escape the constant rain and floods here in England.

A typical English summer scene — this year at least

Contrariwise — as usual — I’m staying at home this year, although living on the English Riviera is a good incentive not to leave.

Actually, we are planning a major location move in October to a new Syntagma Towers. So, instead of leaving everything to the last minute, I’m going to spread it out over the next two months to lessen the load.

All this is just to say, normal service will continue here at Syntagma over the holiday period. Wherever you’re going, have a great time — and stay in touch.

Mind how you go.

The rain has partially abated giving us a brief glimpse of that big, yellow ball in the sky, whose name temporarily escapes me. Time for Photowalking again.

You know it’s summer in East Devon when the Red Indians arrive. That’s right, Red Indians. Or should I say “Native Americans”? Nah, when I hear John Wayne say it instead of “Injuns”, I’ll follow suit. Promise.

Before you say they’re really Sid and Bert from Clapham, just look at that rawhide skin. You don’t get a tan like that in South London.

You also know it’s summer in Exeter, when this :

… sprouts this :

The mobile Northcott Theatre arrives like clockwork every July. I notice they’ve covered it up this year. Given the liquidity of this year’s warm patch, that could be a very good idea.

So, what goodies have they got lined up for us?

Yes, Macbeth … sorry, “the Scottish play” — there’s a curse on the name, apparently. And Cider with Rosie, that old favourite of lecherous topers everywhere.

I’ll give the Mac… Scottish play … a miss, I think, after a trauma I received when young watching Laurence Olivier in a production at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. At a crucial moment, the great man stumbled and almost fell flat on his face. Well, it was the Scottish play!

A quick look at Princesshay, our state of the art shopping centre, set to open in October. Looking good, Princess!

So there you have it, Devon after the Deluge. Normal photowalking resumes next week.

In a post on the 4th of July, I claimed that U.S. vistors to Syntagma outnumbered Brits by 4 to 1. How wrong could I be!

That figure was one set in stone some time ago. Such statistics tend to stick in the mind to be repeated over and over.

I’ve just checked again and that ratio is now a staggering 89 to 1.

Even on our most British site — Royal Anecdotes – it’s now 24 to 1.

Thank you America. You’re the tops.

It’s Midsummer day in the northern hemisphere. Time to write jolly, mocking posts about global warming (bring it on) — and, true to form, it’s not at all warm here in the West Country of England.

The ancient Chinese used to say that winter was born on Midsummer day. If that sounds pessimistic, the corollary is that summer is born on Midwinter day. It just never feels like it, though.

Last night, as always, a great collection of esotericists, sun worshippers, astrologers and oddballs assembled at Stonehenge overnight to watch the sun rise, as their ancestors did 3000 or more years ago. As ever, with the first rays of the sun peeping over the Heel Stone outside the circle, the gathering throng starts to dream about … breakfast. Human nature never changes.

I’m told it was cold and wet last night, but that many long drafts of mead and local ale made it tolerable at least. Good luck to them. I’m all in favour of noble traditions being kept up, so long as it doesn’t involve me.

Syntagma wishes all its noble readers a happy Midsummer day (Midwinter in Australia) and a great summer to come.

This morning I headed down to the Quay area of Exeter in our continuing quest for a new HQ for Syntagma Media. The Quay is now a rather upmarket resort for both residents and tourists.

Although Exeter is a little way inland from the sea at Exmouth, the river Exe runs through it. In Elizabethan times (1500s) they made the Exe navigable for cargo boats beyond the Port of Topsham by building a canal and quay in Exeter itself. The picture below shows part of the waterfront.

The Watergate (no connection to President Nixon), built in the ancient Roman town wall, was the last of the Gates to be constructed.

Below you can catch a flavour of the touristy atmosphere now with one of the riverboats ready to chug off.

And here’s a sniff of the older feel to the place. Each of these warehouses and storage buildings is now converted to modern use.

Ah, a welcome wateringhole — The Prospect Inn — one of the many old pubs along the quay. Loading those boats with wool and woollen products must have been thirsty business, as is taking photos.

So that’s the Quay. Not a lot for us there, alas, but worth photographing nonetheless.

You can see the whole set of these pictures in larger sizes by clicking on the Flickr logo at the top of the sidebar.