10.05.06
Google Earth
So yes, its really cool and I am sure has some practical uses – but for the purposes of most people its just a parlour game trying to find your house. Paul found his pretty easy – Google have photographed SW France well (ok ok so they don’t have their own personal satellite but you know what I mean). Sadly Enfield doesn’t have quite the same importance. This is the best I could do.
So the green line is the N4 which you can see makes a C ring around Enfield – that’s the bypass which the trucks don’t use and thunder through the village anyway.
The blue line is the M4. There is a thick black line which goes a bit curvy and a straighter black line: that’s the railway (curvy) and the Royal Canal (straight). South of the motorway you can see another thick black line – that’s the Blackwater River.
Then the by-pass (green) links in a U to the motorway.
Ok, so MY house IS head south of that green roundabout which overlays the motorway. When you reach the southern post tip you would head west. That’s out little road (which you can’t really see) but some of the fields are brown – they must have been ploughing at the time.
We are surrounded by roads, water and rail. And horribly close to the motorway. You can’t see it, but jesus, we can hear it. They are SUPPOSED to conduct sound tests which haven’t happened yet – get this – they have to wait for two days of no wind and rain. Its IRELAND. It will be windy and rainy for the next 8 months. If they do the test and its over certain limits, they have to put up sound barriers. I’ll be dead before this happens.
We have an intenstive planting programme underway. Hopefully it will help. Bastard motorway people.
John of Dublin said,
October 5, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Hi Sarah, I think the new trees should help you to some degree. We are backing onto a lovely golf course but there is a nearby secondary road which causes a certain level of noise. There are decidious trees in between and I notice the road is a bit noiser in winter. I’d say good thick conifers would help a lot!
BTW I hadn’t used that version of Google maps, thanks for the link, the detail is amazing in some places. I could see the cars in our driveway!
pth said,
October 5, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Sarah,
its not just Enfield thats not in the picture. I’m in the sticks and would expect lower res than the nearby big town of Lavaur, but not at all. Res for Lavaur looks about the same as Enfield, http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&om=1&z=15&ll=43.735259,1.790771&spn=0.014388,0.039911&t=k.
Is it the damn French farmers getting subsidies again!
Daniel K. said,
October 5, 2006 at 2:53 pm
While, you’re at it, any chance you post pictures of any jewellery you have and the value if you have had them assessed recently?