tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-275231842024-03-07T05:14:21.815+00:00Retirement RocksWelcome To My Ramblings/Photos.
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.comBlogger845125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-34028991311045295262013-10-16T01:21:00.003+01:002013-10-16T01:30:08.527+01:00A New Beginning.<span style="font-size: x-large;">I have moved to a new blog site on Wordpress so if you'd like to follow me over there, I'd be delighted to have you accompany me on my future blogging journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Click Here : <a href="http://www.retirementrocksblog.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: red;">www.retirementrocksblog.wordpress.com/</span></a></span></div>
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-91458578193824416852013-10-03T10:23:00.000+01:002013-10-03T10:27:13.736+01:00The Season Of Mist And Mellow Mistiness<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blimey it's been 2 months since my last post. Clearly trying to post a photo-a-day didn't stir my blogging gene and even more clearly, I don't live an interesting enough life to blog about it regularly, so what to do ? Post when the mood takes me ? Give up completely ?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For now I'm taking the former route and today I'm posting because I got up at 8:10am and so I'm grumpy !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being up and about......well up at any rate as so far there isn't much "abouting" going on.......at this ungodly time of day has only served to push me further into my SAD state of mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">SAD is Seasonal Affective Disorder and according to my font of all things medical, Wikipedia, the symptoms may consist of :</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">difficulty waking up in the morning</span>. Absolutely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">morning sickness</span>. Thankfully not at all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">tendency to oversleep and overeat</span>. Definitely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">a craving for carbs leading to weight gain</span>. Oh hell yes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">lack of energy</span>. Can't be bothered answering that one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">difficulty completing tasks</span>. Ha ! I don't even start tasks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">withdrawal from social activities</span>. See above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- <span style="color: red;">decreased sex drive</span>. Decreased ? Mine is in neutral and heading for reverse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So with all this in mind, I woke at 8:10am and decided to get up and see if an early start would help my mood. Now you need to bear in mind that I never go to bed before 2am and never go to sleep before 3am so rising around 8am is VERY unusual for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Has it helped my mood ? Not so much ! All it's done is give me more hours to be SAD !!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's October. It's cold and damp and, this morning at least, very very misty. So misty in fact that I can barely see the house across the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And no, I don't live out in the countryside where my neighbour is 3 miles away and yes, I have opened the curtains. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's just freakin' misty. Proper pea soup misty. Foggy even. Yes it's foggy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I can't even look forward to the sun burning it off anytime soon. We probably won't see the sun here again till next summer and even then, only for a fortnight before the nights draw in and it starts all over again. Don't get me started.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As if I needed more reasons to be SAD, <b>Virgin Media</b> has given me one. They provide my broadband, tv and landline phone service and last weekend, just before midnight on Saturday, the broadband part of this service went down for about 30 hours. I say "about" because I was asleep on Monday morning when the service returned so I can't be more accurate. But it was over 28 hrs for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Everytime I rang them, I got a recorded message acknowledging the outage in my postcode area, informing me that an engineer was on his/her way and that the approx time for the service being available again would be XX:XX.......a time which kept moving along with each phone call. Then after 18 hours the message was updated to inform me that the engineer was on site (he/she must've been flown back from their foreign holiday) and they stopped giving an availability time ! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since its return on Monday morning, I've been trying to find out what caused this outage and why it took so long to fix the fault. I pay Virgin Media £1200 a year for this service and I feel it's only right that they explain such a long break in said service.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've written to them twice but my emails go to India where their support people live and I think we all know what that means. I get polite, stock replies which have been pasted into the email and are full of "we understand your concern" and "we are sorry to hear this" type sentences but never do they answer my query. The latest one was a gem.........</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"</span>As we're an e-mail support team we do not have the necessary expertise to be
able to offer technical advice but we have a technical support team of
specialised advisors who will be happy to help you out".<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brilliant. This coming from the contact address on their web site that you are supposed to use for broadband issues. Don't have the necessary expertise ? So why is your email address on the web site !?! And anyway, I'm not asking for technical advice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So yes, this morning I'm SAD and grumpy and frustrated and even a tiny bit angry. Not good reasons for posting a blog but as I can't shout at the Indian call centre staff, I'm using Blogger as my escape valve. And do you know, it's working. The steam is slowly escaping with every letter typed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course it could be the neat Amaretto in my coffee that's slowly making me more mellow. Or pissed. Probably both !!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's now 10:10am so basic maths tells me 2 hours have passed since I got up and what's occurring ? Well I've had my coffee and my date & coconut porridge but I'm still half asleep, still half pissed and still can't see the house across the street. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On second thoughts, I think the mist has gone and I can't see the house across the street because my windows are filthy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd clean them but as you know, I've no energy and can't complete tasks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's so SAD. </span><br />
<br />Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-1442312614776132452013-08-01T13:43:00.001+01:002013-08-01T13:43:24.746+01:00Is It Monday Yet ?<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, thinking that uploading a photo a day from my extensive collection would get my blogging juices flowing again clearly didn't work very well !</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm pretty much the same with most things I do. Take exercise for example. For 3 weeks in July, admittedly when the weather was fantastic, I went out for a 50 minute walk EVERY day and it was great. The idea was to take it steady and build up my speed and hopefully I'd get fitter AND lose some weight too. Then I missed a day and I totally lost momentum. I've not exercised now for over a week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Converting my VHS home video to dvd ? Yeah that also started with great enthusiasm but after creating 7 or 8 dvds, I lost interest and am still stuck back in 1991. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've thousands of photos to name and catalogue because if anyone asked me for a photo of Whitby Abbey, it would take a day of searching to find one. Same with music. I've hundreds of downloaded albums but many need to be edited so they can be quickly found. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The list of things that need to be done around the house grows and grows. I've needed new curtains for 20 years; a new fireplace is on the list, not to improve the look of the living room but because the current fire is so old, British Gas won't service it anymore and on full power it puts out less heat than a candle. A small candle that only gets lit on a Tuesday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was in my yute that I took the maxim "never put off till tomorrow what you can put off till the day after" and merged it with the old song lyric "till the 12th of never" to create my life mantra.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So what to make of all this ? Am I lazy ? I think that much is clear. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also like to start projects but quickly lose interest in them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I'm going to make a start on things again. But it's Thursday so no point in doing so this week. I mean, it's nearly over. So Monday it is then. I'll go and check out new fire places. Pop into a curtain shop and see what's what. I might copy another vhs tape to dvd. That'll be enough for one week I think.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just not sure which week !</span></div>
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-66151959536702072772013-06-16T21:37:00.001+01:002013-06-16T21:37:57.102+01:00Photo-A-Day 16th June 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I stated in the previous post, most of the Farne Islands are actually just rocky outcrops and the low lying ones make navigating around the area very treacherous indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After many discussions and requests, the <b>Longstone Lighthouse</b> was built in 1826 and was manned by William Darling and his daughter Grace on 7th September 1838 when the paddlesteamer "Forfarshire" hit the nearby rocks at 3am in terrible weather and broke in two.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Knowing the weather was too bad for the lifeboat to leave nearby Seahouses, William and Grace set off in a 21ft rowing boat to help the survivors. They returned to the lighthouse with 4 or 5 survivors (reports differ) and while Grace remained with the sole female survivor, William and the other 3 (or 4 !!) went back and gathered up 4 more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There were other survivors who managed to leave the ship in a lifeboat but a total of 42 of the 62 people on board, died that night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Grace Darling, whether because of her age (22) or the fact she was female, became an instant heroine and was praised by the nation and received a large financial reward for her courage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last week we passed close to the lighthouse on the boat trip to see the birds on Inner Farne and despite the choppy waves, I managed to get my own photo of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The name of Grace Darling is almost as well known here today as that of nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale but while Florence lived to the ripe old age of 90, Grace died of tuberculosis at 26.</span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-35831939897239516862013-06-15T22:53:00.002+01:002013-06-15T22:53:55.269+01:00Photo-A-Day 15th June 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well I've been back a few days after my "sudden impulse" 6 day tour around the NW of Scotland and what a trip it was. The weather was perfect every day and the scenery was absolutely spectacular.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In all, I took 624 photos and video clips so for the next few blog posts, I'll put up a photo from the tour despite putting most of them up already on my Facebook page. I know there are blog readers who don't use Facebook so for those who do, sorry that you have to see them again !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Actually this first photo is from the first day of the tour before I actually reached Scotland. I went up the east side of England, through Newcastle to Whitley Bay, a seaside resort I'd last been to about 30 years ago. Then I drove on to Seahouses where I'd booked online to go out on a 2.5hr boat trip to Inner Farne, one of the many Farne Islands that lie just off the coast of Northumberland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These islands are famous bird sanctuaries and my main reason for going on the boat trip was to see some puffins as it was breeding season and many thousands were on Inner Farne.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The boat was due to set sail at 2pm and after spending too much time in both Newcastle and Whitley Bay, I only just made it. Once onboard I was able to relax and soon we were passing the smaller islands, just a collection of rocks really, which were covered in both birds and their poop. A LOT of poop. In fact from a distance it seemed there was snow on the rocks !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As we approached Inner Farne, I wondered why the people from the previous boat trip were waiting at the dock with umbrellas up and wearing waterproofs. Then I noticed the people on 'my' boat were doing the same and as we disembarked, I found out why.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All along the edge of the long wooden pathway up to the main viewing area, Arctic Terns had nested and while one sat on the egg(s), its partner would dive bomb anyone passing by. They used their long needle like beaks to stab any part of our bodies that they could, usually our heads, and if that didn't work, they'd follow it up with pooping on us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was like the school hill scene from "The Birds" except in our case, ALL the birds were real. Parents covered their kid's heads with anything they could and I was glad I'd taken a baseball cap and a light hooded rain jacket (a golf jacket actually as I thought it might rain) as I needed both ! Maybe it was the jacket's black colour but in any case, having run the gauntlet twice, I was relieved that I avoided any poop and despite some close calls, my head was intact. Others were not so lucky and many were liberally covered in the white stuff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Up at the viewing area on the very edge of the cliff, birds were everywhere, on every surface. From Cormorants to Black-Headed Gulls, Guillemots to Razorbills, it was a twitcher's dream ! Of all the breeding birds on the Farnes, Puffins are by far the most common with over 36,000 pairs last year. There were several Shag fights going on over nesting areas and some were pretty vicious. Eggs were bumped out of nests as parents fought for possession of a nest and residence was no guarantee. The noise was deafening and off to one side, the superior Puffins were keeping their distance and did not want to be involved with the rough stuff. Being burrow nesters, they didn't need to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They were settled quite some distance away but with my 200mm zoom lens, being able to rest it on a solid fence and then enlarging the resulting photos via Photoshop, I got some decent photos. This one is my favourite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Being on the rocks, the Puffins were all adults as the Pufflings would've been safe in their burrows further away. I really wanted to see and photograph Pufflings but it was not to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Surviving the fierce Terns on the way back to the boat, we headed to shore and then I drove up the coast and crossed into Scotland. A couple of miles further on I got to my b&b by 7pm. This was the only one I'd pre-booked as I knew they were plentiful in Scotland and I didn't want to be tied down each evening. I'd just start looking from about 6pm or 7pm and that way I was free to go as far along the route each day as I wanted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That plan worked out perfectly as I got great b&b's every evening ranging from £25 to £35 which I thought was excellent value for money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">More tomorrow............. </span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-20058235955608766212013-06-04T23:46:00.001+01:002013-06-04T23:46:27.180+01:00Photo-A-Day 4th June 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No time for much of a byline today as I'm getting ready for a sudden departure in the morning as I'm off on a road trip to the tip of the UK, John O'Groats at the top of Scotland. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The weather forecast is semi decent for the next few days so I'm being all impetuous and just going !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway here is a photo I took yesterday inside the ruins of Fountains Abbey on a glorious day which wore me out as I walked miles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Donno when I'll be back so there may or may not be regular posts or "photo-a-day" posts for a wee while, the noo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-44680965590266783652013-06-03T21:51:00.000+01:002013-06-03T21:51:25.816+01:00Photo-A-Day 3rd June 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The following is a classic example of how, when I'm leaving some 'exotic' location, I sometimes say "well I'll never be back here again" as those words seem to ensure that I will be !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In December of 2005, Deb, Den and I went on a cruise which took in 9 Southern Caribbean islands. One of the first was St. Maarten or to be more accurate, Sint Maarten as we went to the southern half which belong to The Netherlands and not the northern half which belong to Ze French ! Zut alors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With our cruise ship berthed with several others at Wathey Pier, we got a water taxi across Great Bay to the capital 'city' of Philipsburg. We strolled along the main street with all its gaudy tourist shops and then hit the beach for a spot of R&R before heading back to the ship. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You don't get much time when visiting 9 islands on a cruise !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was only when we were sailing to our next destination that I remembered the main claim to fame of Sint Maarten, namely Princess Juliana International Airport, or more precisely, its airstrip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes this is the airport where pilots have to come in so low over the beach that lies just by the start of the airstrip that those on the beach can almost touch the undercarriage. Then when large jets are taking off, they use the same airstrip and as they increase power for the start of takeoff, the hardy, or foolhardy souls on the beach line up to be blasted back down the beach and, in some case, end up in the water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">None seem to care that a stone or other object could also be blown back at them with potentially fatal results. This is the jackass generation after all and they live for the thrill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So in 2005 as we headed towards another awesome Caribbean sunset, I uttered those infamous departing words as I really did want to return to go onto that beach when a large jet was landing. I really didn't think it would happen though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ha !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fast forward to April 2010 and as part of a more relaxing cruise (only 4 islands this time), we were back in Sint Maarten. This time I wasn't going to miss the opportunity of going to the airport and Maho Beach and so we hired a taxi and went straight there. As they approach the beach, car drivers have to look carefully to make sure no planes are about to take off or else they could end up closer to the beach than they'd like to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our driver dropped us off at the Sunset Bar, just past the beach and we walked back to the mid point to wait for the Air France jet that was due to land just after noon. As the time approached, the word soon went around those on the beach and all eyes scanned Simpson Bay towards the horizon. Suddenly a sharp eyed kid next to us said he saw it and in no time the dot became a recognisable plane.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was poised with my still camera and passed my video camera to Deb so we'd be sure to record the event one way or another......or even both. I wanted to pan around to follow the plane to get the classic view I'd seen so often on the internet. I also wanted to zoom in as much as possible so the plane would fill the viewfinder but in doing so, I overcooked it and chopped off the tail of the plane !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was so annoyed with myself and although I fired off a series of photos, this was the side view I really wanted to be perfect. Hey ho.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maybe third time lucky ! Who knows.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYIvoJJIi0EtcDLInPH5ke3O_MlJPvac_9FE49_lRL71iEadS-dFDLtLeUd60IGmjo6jXUNfkzlCNmmyYyfKYtQW0xKYqpdE47K6nlgiUUoeKzCzoY4Totf_W1A5MqobosR3f/s1600/IMG_4218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYIvoJJIi0EtcDLInPH5ke3O_MlJPvac_9FE49_lRL71iEadS-dFDLtLeUd60IGmjo6jXUNfkzlCNmmyYyfKYtQW0xKYqpdE47K6nlgiUUoeKzCzoY4Totf_W1A5MqobosR3f/s640/IMG_4218.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Not long afterwards, a large jet taxied to the end of the airstip close to the beach, turned around and lit up its afterburners ! From the relative safety of the side of the beach, we watched dozens of people lining up to be blown away and getting their wish. Some did in fact get blown into the water but I think theyere showing off and did the last few yards themselves with no help from the rapidly departing jet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was quite an experience and one I'll remember for a long time. Worth going back for !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-17104579508109948092013-06-02T19:11:00.000+01:002013-06-02T19:11:50.046+01:00Photo-A-Day 2nd June 2013.<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Between 1989 and 1998, I'd visited the US 13 times and been to every state except Alaska and Hawaii. On 9 occasions, I'd gone for 3 or 4 weeks in the summer and on 4 other occasions, I'd spent 2 weeks over Christmas with friends in Georgia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then in April 2000, I decided I wanted to go for a longer trip and so I took a 6 month work sabbatical and had a fabulous time with friends Debby and Dennis in Michigan. We crammed so much into those 6 months that hardly a day went by without us being off touring somewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We went on a long "trip out west" by driving across the northern states to Seattle, then down the coast to San Francisco before heading east through the southern states and finally turning north back to Michigan. More full rectangle than full circle !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We also went on a family float trip which involved blowing up huge inner tubes and gently floating down a river on a blisteringly hot summer's day with a stop for a picnic along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A drive down to the Florida Keys was also a highlight as it was my first time in Key West and we also found time to get tickets to watch the launch of shuttle mission STS101 from the Kennedy Space Centre on the drive home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So all in all I'd had a fabulous time and as a thank you to my hosts and also to cram in one final trip, we flew to Las Vegas in late October and stayed at the newly opened Aladdin Hotel & Casino. In fact it was so new that final touches were taking place and some areas were still to complete.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was a fabulous hotel with 37 floors and 2,456 rooms and we had stunning views overlooking the Vegas Strip and were able to look down on the beautiful musical water display at the Bellagio "across the road." It was even better at night, as most things are in Vegas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I only had my little 1mp Kodak digital camera back in those days so the quality of the photos weren't great but this one will always remind me of both that Vegas trip and also the US 2000 holiday as a whole.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEahovRa2Ba-6kshmgd2L-qUhXUjyKo2ZeWZk2xemnzZi5MIDPPXvoUShEawQ4hortWsq3donExv3MnlSHqtCOIobaSKUKz1WBW4LYpBciIblCQaHLgSHC896XmF1Y-AAoAAk1/s1600/Belaggio+Casino+From+The+Aladdin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEahovRa2Ba-6kshmgd2L-qUhXUjyKo2ZeWZk2xemnzZi5MIDPPXvoUShEawQ4hortWsq3donExv3MnlSHqtCOIobaSKUKz1WBW4LYpBciIblCQaHLgSHC896XmF1Y-AAoAAk1/s640/Belaggio+Casino+From+The+Aladdin.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Aladdin had 2 rooftop swimming pools and during our stay, I got some great outdoor views looking down on the Strip. Sadly most of those Vegas photos were lost when my external hard drive was corrupted so I'm left with just the one above, taken through the room window with the associated reflections.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I guess that, in a way, knowing this was the exact view we had from the room window adds to the memory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nothing lasts for long in Vegas and within 3 years, The Aladdin had gone into bankruptcy, to be sold to Planet Hollywood. By 2007 it was fully rebranded as The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino which, amazingly, it still is today ! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway, when we got back to Michigan, it was very hard to think I was at the end of this wonderful US trip. So I started to find out what would be needed to stay longer ! The IBM sabbatical 'rules' said I could have a year off and so they had no problem giving me another 3 months to add to the initial 6. The US authorities were ok with this too but as a visitor visa is only good for 6 months, I had to pay a fee to have it extended. Finally I paid $100 and had my return flight date altered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sorted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Did we sit around for those 3 months ? Hell no. In November we had another road trip to Key West and in December we went on a Caribbean cruise, my first of many !!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I vividly remember getting back to my desk in January 2001. I stood for some time looking at it and thinking "I don't want to do this anymore." The time off hadn't fired me up for a return to work. Quite the opposite. Despite being only 48, I started planning for my retirement at 50, the earliest date possible. Fate was with my plans as a few months later IBM wanted volunteers for early retirement and my hand shot up so fast I almost pulled a muscle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And so it was that on 25th June 2001, on my 49th birthday, I retired. I got a sweet package from IBM which included a generous lump sum to cover me for the year before I would be able to get my private pension. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And where did I go for my first trip as a retiree ?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On 7th November 2001 I flew to America for 4 months !!</span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-19677555136644930352013-06-01T22:41:00.000+01:002013-06-01T22:45:30.664+01:00Photo-A-Day 1st June 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Five years ago this month I went on a short canal boat trip with Daphne and Stephen along a stretch of the Leeds - Liverpool canal starting just south of Skipton and turning around at Barnoldswick. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite crossing from Yorkshire into Lancashire, it was probably only a round trip distance of about 15 miles as the crow flies but as canals don't go in straight lines, it was more like 26 miles we travelled. Also, if that crow had been on a canal boat going at about 4mph </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and also been able to work the many locks that raise and lower the canal waters up and down the sloping terrain,</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> it would've taken it 3 full days to make the trip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Which is how long it took us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As long as you have someone with you fit enough to work the locks, a canal trip is a wonderful way to chill out and see the stunning countryside of the UK from a unique perspective. After years of volunteer work cleaning and restoring many disused stretches, there are now 2,200 miles of navigable canals in the UK with the vast majority of these miles being in England. The Leeds - Liverpool canal is 127 miles long so we only saw a very small part of it but it was more than enough to make me want to see more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite occasionally crossing over or under a main road, the canal took us out into the countryside, well away from the busy traffic on those congested roads and after just a short time from setting off, the loudest noise we heard was the relaxing (and comforting) putt putt of the boat engine as it pushed us gently along. Wildlife took no notice of our peaceful passing and swans and other waterbirds were our constant companions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As it got dark, we'd simply tie up by the side of the canal for the night and have supper in the cozy surroundings of a local pub before returning to the boat to sleep. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-dXViE6rnM1QzXK8fUW4FhQfnYiTATzkfUT_Mj-H3UW0HN5AyWttcyHdCL0r5O8hmmx_lui2GI_lQmuMJP3Y1S62y0xAl5YipjuzGnyzSyWG5toasMEmZkaxhP9V_ND8xTr-/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-dXViE6rnM1QzXK8fUW4FhQfnYiTATzkfUT_Mj-H3UW0HN5AyWttcyHdCL0r5O8hmmx_lui2GI_lQmuMJP3Y1S62y0xAl5YipjuzGnyzSyWG5toasMEmZkaxhP9V_ND8xTr-/s640/IMG_3310.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was an idyllic break and often I'd just stretch out on the top of the boat and watch the world go by at 4mph. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here is a <a href="https://vimeo.com/home/myvideos/page:2/sort:date/format:video" target="_blank"><b>15 minute video</b></a> I put together at the time and it gives a good impression of the relaxing weekend we had.....well apart from working those damn locks !</span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-46960549252732644072013-05-31T23:59:00.001+01:002013-06-01T03:36:43.139+01:00Photo-A-Day Friday 31st May 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the late summer of 2010, on our 2nd foray into Continental Europe (Italy the previous year), Daphne, Stephen and myself got the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk and drove North for a few days in Bruges and then Amsterdam. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then we drove down and toured the East side of France before making our way up the West side and back to Dunkirk for the return ferry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This was my first time touring France and I loved every moment of it. The roads, major and minor, were so empty of vehicles that it was a joy to drive on them......even with the toll charges.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But it was the countryside that took my breath away, and of course the beautiful, hot weather made even better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the return leg we were in the Dordogne area of France and spent several hours relaxing in the scenic town of Brantome. Actually scenic didn't do it justice as it was a photographer's dream with stunning views everywhere. Majestic buildings, clean clear water and my usual criteria for a good tourist photograph, blue skies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This photo sums up Brantome.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WpTLZHs7pS0qp7RR5SgAGLd2iQz4hMz6AMQtKXSlkAwtwZmYWSt0I_69lIwW3I_CL4ulIRc_ZRbmaeM2I5IrOrkFu2QYhVSk_3AF4aBLIFr6rhV5vM-KNAAv5zM_5FIms0mb/s1600/IMG_6743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WpTLZHs7pS0qp7RR5SgAGLd2iQz4hMz6AMQtKXSlkAwtwZmYWSt0I_69lIwW3I_CL4ulIRc_ZRbmaeM2I5IrOrkFu2QYhVSk_3AF4aBLIFr6rhV5vM-KNAAv5zM_5FIms0mb/s640/IMG_6743.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As we left, I glanced back to try and take it all in one last time as I never expected to be back there again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I should've known better as we did indeed pass near Brantome last summer on the way back from Spain and it was a unanimous decision to spend a few hours there again. We had a lovely outdoor meal at a small restaurant on one of the main streets leading to the location in the photo and when we got to the water area, it was a complete deja vu experience as everything was the same........including the clear blue sky and the bright yellow canoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hopefully I'll get to France again this summer and it remains to be seen if Brantome will be on the route. It'll be hard to pass it by !</span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-89585517121128186932013-05-30T23:18:00.001+01:002013-05-30T23:22:06.070+01:00Photo-A-Day Thursday 30th May 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the end of September 2004, I was almost half way through another 6 months staying with my friends in Michigan (they now live in Florida) and on the spur of the moment we decided to go on a cruise to Hawaii.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As you do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can't remember exactly how it came about but we saw a great last minute 13 day cruise deal online and we just went for it. Things became a bit hectic after that as once we'd booked it, we only had 3 or 4 days before we were due to fly to Vancouver to catch the <b>Carnival Spirit</b> which would take us to Hawaii over the course of the following 5 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next 8 days would see us going island hopping as we'd cruise from one to another before finally docking again at Honolulu for the flight back to Michigan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This was my first time leaving America whilst already on holiday there since my run in with immigration the previous year and I know my name was on their list after that fiasco. So it was that I was again questioned at length before finally being allowed to board the cruise ship and there and then I made my mind up to contact Homeland Security on my return from the cruise to complain about my treatment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I won't go into the details here but some months later I got a letter back apologising for my treatment and was assured I'd never have trouble again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I haven't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From Vancouver we had a wonderfully relaxing cruise to the Hawaiian Islands and I was able to cross that state off my list, leaving only Alaska still to visit. The ship docked at the 4 largest islands - Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai - and we had plenty of time to explore them all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We'd hired cars for 'the big island' (Hawaii) and for Oahu (our favourite) and this is my photo at the Hard Rock Cafe at Lahaina, Oahu as it always reminds me of our time there. This has to be the best HRC in the whole world if location is a factor. It's right across the road from the Pacific Ocean with stunning views from the patio where we had our meal, watching the occasional cruise ship out on the water. If you click on<b> <a href="http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/tour.aspx?LocationID=61&MIBenumID=3" target="_blank">this link</a></b> and pick the patio still on the right, you'll get a view of where we were in this photo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the last day, having cruised full circle back to Oahu, we used the rental car and went to Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbour and The Honolulu Hard Rock Cafe on a packed day before heading to the airport for the flight back to Detroit.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqgSYW4iD6OPDyUbD79pi2he9fzRtZRMToP1Y2sQ5G6R3Z435HxPuzuDxzcBlKyLqi_tQo6KfXMwI1tBm-u-mwBJ6XNF-3EP-_RVcmXt76Hoz78IExtmDK8caRBRWNOG4zrVj/s1600/114-1484_IMG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqgSYW4iD6OPDyUbD79pi2he9fzRtZRMToP1Y2sQ5G6R3Z435HxPuzuDxzcBlKyLqi_tQo6KfXMwI1tBm-u-mwBJ6XNF-3EP-_RVcmXt76Hoz78IExtmDK8caRBRWNOG4zrVj/s640/114-1484_IMG.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was easily the best cruise I've ever been on and it was a great way to see the main islands which are all so different.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-76923008291871876002013-05-29T18:46:00.002+01:002013-05-29T18:47:59.674+01:00Photo-A-Day Wednesday 29th May 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Starting in 2009, and after 20 years of always touring America, I decided I'd missed out on trips to Continental Europe and so, with my friends <a href="http://www.mydadsacommunist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Daphne</a> & Stephen, I went to Italy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We flew directly to Rome and spent 3 days there before driving off for 2 weeks of touring the stunning countryside and historic cities of Northern Italy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On our first full day in Rome, we went to The Vatican and when we got to the end of the <b>Via dei Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro</b> and turned left onto the <b>Via della Conciliazione</b>, that first view of <b>St. Peter's Basilica</b> will live long in the memory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But even more stunning was the classic outside view from the top of the dome and that is my photo for today. Millions may have taken it before me but this is MY view and MY memory.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKun2DAs2wKblLS7ZII92DQ80_smipIozkclqQzi3qzYuoTrinAMyI7MPQ3rYEnu417yFM3m1otgDWCPoj27d3Ka4wIY5tn3StyHXLdYwDycu0f61JR1sGxHT725lcIG7a10ZR/s1600/DSCN1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKun2DAs2wKblLS7ZII92DQ80_smipIozkclqQzi3qzYuoTrinAMyI7MPQ3rYEnu417yFM3m1otgDWCPoj27d3Ka4wIY5tn3StyHXLdYwDycu0f61JR1sGxHT725lcIG7a10ZR/s640/DSCN1242.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll remember it mainly because I could hardly keep the camera steady as I was so pooped from the climb up to and then around the dome. If I'd realised that being a tourist in Rome meant such exercise, I've have trained for the trip ! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was the first of many signs that I was 'getting old.'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-51998183225021717472013-05-28T21:01:00.000+01:002013-05-28T21:10:26.804+01:00Photo-A-Day Tuesday 28th May 2013<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I can't seem to find the blogging muse these days or maybe because I'm still in a sort of pre summer hibernation funk due to this cold, wet, crappy weather, I thought I'd cheat and create an easy daily theme for myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Many personal sites and blogs post a photo a day taken on that day but I've many thousands of photos taken over the decades that have rarely, if ever, been illuminated by the light of the internet and so I thought my theme could be to post a random photo a day and try and say a few words about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The downside to this idea is that with my bad memory and the lack of any data from the photos themselves (being pre digital or the data being lost due to being copied and edited many times), I may often post photos I can say little about - apart from where they were taken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My digital experience started with a 1mp Kodak camera back in 1899 or sometime (ok 1999) and so the quality of some photos may appear a bit iffy on modern computer screens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway to not be egotistical in any way, the idea is simply to post a photo a day and if any are interesting to anyone, then that will be a bonus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And it'll get me blogging again ! Ok maybe that's a downside too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So first up, a scanned copy of a pre digital photo from about 1991 when my annual summer tour that year took me through Texas. Once in Dallas I just had to drive a few miles north to visit the location of the hugely popular hit TV series of the same name.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite the show having ended a few months earlier, it was still uppermost in many people's minds and as I'd been a fan and watched every episode, it was very cool to go there. The house and the land around it was private property and in any case, the interiors were filmed back in the studio in California so I didn't need to see inside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was a gift shop run by the owners to the right of the house and when I was there, the mother was serving behind the counter. Of course she herself wasn't famous but I still asked her for a photograph and she was happy to oblige. Sadly that one has gone AWOL over the years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The photo....not the woman. Although maybe she has too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also managed to get a photo of myself in front of the main gates but it's in a frame and I've never bothered to scan it. It was also to the left of the gate in this photo and led straight to the front of the house and it didn't have the ranch name over it like this one does.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpPz6Zq20iw-gFXyvZYZA4jf2krPQW_H1TIcDSv5KPUWU6OJt2jLXPyV7BFMcAChOQXs0HuJZUuBBZjlXJGeio8OUX4u2zjkn6EIV-eZ-7I-gOFlfut1P64VS_x1t3bpYFjP9/s1600/Southfork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpPz6Zq20iw-gFXyvZYZA4jf2krPQW_H1TIcDSv5KPUWU6OJt2jLXPyV7BFMcAChOQXs0HuJZUuBBZjlXJGeio8OUX4u2zjkn6EIV-eZ-7I-gOFlfut1P64VS_x1t3bpYFjP9/s640/Southfork.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've always said that was the warmest day I've ever experienced anywhere and I was sweating so much, I could hardly see to take photos. Lugging around a full size VHS camcorder didn't help either. How the actors did their thing in suits etc is beyond me. No wonder they were always drinking !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So there you have it....random photo No.1</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until tomorrow.............</span>Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-83867409213092470492013-05-08T18:41:00.000+01:002013-05-08T18:49:12.184+01:00Brimham Rocks<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last Thursday the sun rose early, stretched and decided to hang around for the day. And so it was that I decided to go for a drive as it was the first day of decently warm weather we'd had so far this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I'm planning on exploring the UK this summer, I'd been thinking about becoming a member of a couple of the organisations that would allow me free access to stately homes, historic houses, beautiful gardens and scenic locations up and down the country. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fancying a spot of exercise as well as a drive, I decided to revisit <b><a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brimham-rocks/" target="_blank">Brimham Rocks</a></b> as they were only 50 minutes away and if I joined the National Trust, I could park for free and thus 'save' on the £4 charge. I became a member online, paid the £41.50 fee, got a temporary access card via an email which I printed off and I was set to go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First up, I needed lunch so I went to the Crown Carvery pub, <b>The Wellington</b>, on Wetherby Road and ate outside in the glorious sunshine. A good start.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Putting <b>Brimham Rocks</b> into my GPS, I headed off NW to Harrogate Road and once through the town, went west on the B6165 towards <b>Pateley Bridge</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm glad I had the GPS as signs for <b>Brimham Rocks</b> were as rare as squirrel eggs as far as I could see. I knew I was eventually turning right onto <b>Brimham Rocks Road</b> (the clue is in the name) but a sign at the start of the B6165 at Ripley would've been both informative and helpful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway there was a good clear National Trust sign at the turnoff onto <b>Brimham Rocks Road</b> so better late than never I guess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This road was delightful with open Dales fields on both sides and on a sunny early spring day like last Thursday, it was a joy to have it to myself. Any Americans bringing their RVs over to explore this area.....beware. This road is NOT for you. Actually it would be a tight fit for a good old British caravan but like I said, I had it to myself and my little Clio purred along with its recently replaced timing belt showing no signs of wear !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finally I arrived at the car park and despite the presence of 3 others cars and a school van, I found a spot and parked up. Ok one little niggle right away. In an effort to be all ecological and green, they've used wooden 'beams' to mark out the parking bays on this otherwise gravel parking lot but have used metal nuts and bolts to secure them into the ground. I dread to think what this could do to your tyres if you go over them and, say, turn the wheels a few times to get properly into the bay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After placing my newly printed temporary NT membership pass on my dashboard, I noticed a man going to the pay and display machine and then looking a bit confused as he wandered back to his car where his wife and 2 young kids were waiting. As I got out of my car he came up to me and in slightly broken English, asked if there was a charge for only staying an hour as that's all the time they had for their visit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I knew already that the minimum charge was £4 for 3 hours and I'd remembered thinking that was a bit unfair for anyone wanting less time for less money. The man opened his hand and showed me 3 pound coins and before I'd thought about it, I fished a pound coin out of my pocket and gave it to him. It was only later that I doubted that he only had £3 on him but maybe that was all the change he had. Anyway, it was my good deed for the day and hopefully they enjoyed their hour there !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I walked the very short distance to the rocks and sure enough, they'd not changed much since my last visit, several years earlier ! Actually I'd been several times before as I've always been a bit of a climber and the rocks were perfect for my level of fitness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sadly I soon discovered that those days are gone and at 60, I looked at some high ledges and spaces between the rocks and thought......hmmmm, I could do myself a mischief here or even....hmmmmmm not a chance in hell ! Then again, I was wearing jeans so didn't have much in the way of "freedom of movement" so that'll be my main excuse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With so few people around, it was great to be able to take photos without anyone (else) clambering over the rocks. I didn't mind the occasional visitor as they'd help to give scale.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzy0iNdZ9WevUMl7s_KMvqosJbUOV_Sd7vxdXGnP8TCpVhWrA7JffcvjFfsnDmxn7i066xIvBBklMyuYgE9qcB_PGfGXyW1VWi2xFxZLvC0NlqnOooTSgrRLfw0b2JhC2QVdh/s1600/DSCN8004+%5B1600x1200%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzy0iNdZ9WevUMl7s_KMvqosJbUOV_Sd7vxdXGnP8TCpVhWrA7JffcvjFfsnDmxn7i066xIvBBklMyuYgE9qcB_PGfGXyW1VWi2xFxZLvC0NlqnOooTSgrRLfw0b2JhC2QVdh/s640/DSCN8004+%5B1600x1200%5D.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the top of one particular rock I found two half drunk bottles of pop, probably dumped by two of the kids who were now gathered around the school van in the parking lot ready to leave. As it wasn't far, I picked up the bottles and walked down to the car park intending to put them into a bin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well I would've done if there HAD been a bin. Not one. Two car parks and not one bin !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With the British attitude concerning litter (even if there is a bin nearby I'll just drop my litter on the ground as someone is paid to pick it up anyway), it might be reasoned that bins are pretty useless but at least have them for those of us who do like our scenery unspoiled by litter. Without them, there is no option. The NT told me they have daily collections by volunteers but come on, surely that's playing into the hands of the litter louts AND does nothing for the views between those daily collections. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">End of rant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I left the bottles behind the pay and display unit so at least they were hidden from most views.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Backup up at the rocks, there were a few 'proper' climbers doing their thing and despite the rocks not being that high, many had sheer sides which were a decent challenge and good for training purposes for future harder climbs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> It was while at the top of one of the taller rock formations that I had an epiphany. Always happens to me when nowhere near a restroom !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To be serious, it came as I glanced across to my right, away from the usual views over the Dales. It came about as there were no leaves on most of the trees so I could see much more than on any previous visit. I saw more rocks !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Holy crap on a stick !! There were dozens more formations spreading as far as the eye could see.....and last Thursday, on top of that rock, with no leaves in the way, I could see quite a distance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All those times I'd been to the rocks, I'd thought the small group near the car park were the only ones. What an idiot. I should've known. I'd never seen any of the ones on the website and as for the visitor's centre and gift shop etc........nope, I'd never seen them either !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I went exploring and what a revelation....rocks to the right of me, rocks to the left of me and so on. In fact you couldn't move more than a few feet without coming across another formation. And again, with so few people around, I felt I had them all to myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I found the balanced rock, similar to the one in <b>Arches Natl Park</b> in Utah and one with strange eroded notches in its side which made it look like the portholes of a ship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As you can tell from these photos, and the ones to come, there was a sort of main path that would take you past many of the rock formations; to see them all, you had to get off this path and go on ones created by the feet of the thousands of visitors who had explored the location over the years. Some were grassy and easy to walk along but others you had to make yourself by walking over smaller rocks and navigating around trees, rocks and other natural obstacles. It was great. I loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Finally I came upon the visitor's centre which I knew wasn't open during the week at this early part of the season. It all made sense now. I finally understood why you'd need to spend several hours there. The rocks covered a vast area. By now i'd been there just under 3 hours and there was still so much to see but I needed to get back home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll include one short video clip as most were too long for Blogger to deal with here. There is no commentary from me except for occasional heavy breathing as I'd climbed over pretty much every rock between the car park and the visitor's centre and, technically speaking, I was knackered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sad to say, uploading it to Blogger has reduced the original HD quality so much that you really should leave it at this small size. If you click to make it full screen, you'll get something like from a BBC documentary from 1947.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Four final shots. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First up, my initial view of the visitor's centre off to the left in the distance, taken from the top of a rock. Then on the way back, a black & white view of a tree growing out of another formation. The penultimate photo shows a formation looking like an Egyptian Sphinx (and later I learned it was called....the Sphinx !) and finally I came upon a pair having a read/nap in the late afternoon sunshine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Perfik.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Back in the car, I really didn't fancy the drive back through Harrogate at rush hour and the A61 to Leeds at that time would've been pretty awful too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well it was as if my GPS knew that, as it took me back a different way which totally avoided Harrogate and instead, took me along delightful Dales roads, one as straight as an arrow for miles so clearly 'made' by those Yorkshire Romans ! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It also took me along the B6451 past <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Menwith_Hill" target="_blank">Menwith Hill</a></b>, the joint UK/US 'listening station' with it's 30 distinctive golf ball shaped radomes. I'd never been that close to them before but resisted the temptation to stop for photographs as somehow I knew doing so would add about 2 hours to my home time ! Or maybe 2 years !!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wanted my supper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So that was it. A grand day out as Wallace would've said...if he'd been a real person and with me. The sun shone, the rocks were brill and I got a lot of much needed exercise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I slept like the proverbial log that night. And I'll be going back for sure.</span></div>
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-688417315311442432013-04-16T19:30:00.001+01:002013-05-08T19:27:51.107+01:00One Direction - As Long As It's Left.<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes I know, another 'clever' title that I'm hoping will get me pop fan readers ! Desperate times etc but it IS sort of relevant.</span><br />
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Anyway, no one has asked me, but I'm claiming that yesterday was the first day of Spring here in the UK. </span><br />
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Given the winter we've had, my recipe for Spring was a hint of sunshine, a drizzle of blue in the sky all coming together with a <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">soupçon of heat.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Yesterday we got all that although personally, I could've done without the gale force wind which blew my hair all over the place...a bit like Mick Miller in a wind tunnel !</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Given my penchant for staying up till 3am and thus not rising till about noon, I was a bit annoyed that the weather was so good and half the hours of daylight had already passed me by. Still, I'm nothing if not adaptable and no sooner had I showered and come down the stairs than I was planning on having a trip out.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">I fixed some coconut and date porridge (highly recommended) as it only takes a few minutes and is very filling - a good idea as I'd no idea when I would eat next. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">12:15 and I was off.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Off where ? I'd no idea.....not a clue.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Back in the day when I got my first car and petrol was (relatively) cheap, I used to go off with little clue as to a destination. I just fancied touring the countryside without a care in the world and lots of 60's cassettes to keep my fingers drumming on the steering wheel. Ahhhh cassettes. Google them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">For obvious reasons, I've rarely done it since.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">So it was that I sat in my car in my driveway and tried to think which way to go for my first move. When in doubt I always pick left, being that I'm left handed I suppose. Thus my neighbour on my left was quite surprised when I pulled up onto her driveway and her net curtains twitching couldn't disguise her look of horror ! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Deciding to go a bit further afield, I set off again and kept turning left when I had a choice to make. I found myself at a junction with the A58, the main road between Leeds and Wetherby and remembered that just a few hundred yards to the right was <b>The Wellington</b>, a carvery pub I used to frequent in the days before I discovered the slightly better, although more expensive, <b>Queens</b> on Harrogate Road.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">I'd been on the road for all of 7 minutes and clearly I needed a break and what better way to have a break than to rest and stuff my face at the same time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><b>The Wellington</b> do a 'small' carvery for £3.49 which I think they expect only children to take up. Ha ! For £3.49 I'm your man.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">The carvery choices are exactly the same, it's just that the plate is smaller for the small price.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Evidently <b>The Wellington</b> hadn't heard of my food stacking ability and I managed to get my usual quantity on board despite the size of the plate. Ok so I left a trail of carrots and peas in a rich, dark gravy as I carefully made my way back to my table but hey, them's the rules.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">40 minutes later I was back in the car with a destination in mind. I'd used some of my eating time to check the map on my tablet (free wifi at <b>The Wellington</b>) and I decided to go to <b>Pickering</b>, a North Yorkshire market town where I felt I'd get some much needed exercise by exploring its delights on a sunny Monday afternoon.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">The drive was delightful. My mp3 player was blasting out 100 Top Power Ballads, the roads were quite empty and the countryside was basking under the rays of a blinding sun. England is truly grand on a good day. We just don't get many.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Approaching <b>Pickering</b> I had an epiphany. I wanted to see the sea.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Just like that. I'd ruled out a trip to the sea when at home thinking where to go. Now I wanted it. Go figure.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">The sign said <b>Whitby</b> 21 miles and that was good enough for me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">The great thing about going to <b>Whitby</b> meant I'd be going up over the North Yorkshire Moors and I'd recommend that A169 road to anyone who loves driving. The route also takes you past "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hole_of_Horcum" target="_blank"><b>The Hole Of Horcum</b></a>" which, sniggers aside, is a wonderful natural depression that reminds me of <b>Meteor Crater</b> in Arizona, but with more grass !</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">I stopped for a bit of fresh air but it was a bit TOO fresh as the wind almost blew me off the ridge. I felt sorry for the ice cream van owner who was parked at one end of the car park surveying the only car there.....mine. But not sorry enough to buy anything from him.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">At 3:30pm I arrived in <b>Whitby</b> and was just delighted that the weather had, if anything, improved. The wind had dropped a lot, there was much more blue in the sky and it was quite warm. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">I wasn't sure what to expect, tourist wise, for a Monday afternoon in April. It wasn't too bad at all. <b>Whitby</b> can be very crowded in mid summer but yesterday it was almost perfect. There were a few student groups (French and Japanese) but for the most part, I only had to wait a few seconds to get photos of the main sights with no one getting in the way.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">I started off on the swing bridge over the <b>River Esk</b> as that view is always picturesque with the houses and the boats and, naturally, the water.</span></span><br />
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<span dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I then decided to go up to the church and abbey on top of the east cliff overlooking the town. This was clever thinking as to get there requires one to climb 199 steep steps and having been to <b>Whitby</b> many times, that climb is not to be attempted at the end of a day's exploring. Fresh legs are definitely needed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Most of <b>Whitby</b>'s streets are narrow but on the way to the 199 steps, the aptly named <b>Church Street</b> is only wide enough for one vehicle - so a good idea that it's pedestrianised. Then it gets even narrower.</span></div>
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<span dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the start of January, prolonged rainfall, plus a burst drainage pipe, caused a large portion of the cliff in front of St. Mary's Church to fall away. As this section contained part of the graveyard, the news headlines reported that the landslide opened up these graves, causing remains to slither down to the homes below. The link between the town and Bram Stoker's Dracula was gleefully brought up in this reporting.</span></span></div>
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<span dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There were men working on the cliff and the whole area was condoned off which was a shame as I used to love sitting on the benches near the edge, taking in the vista before me, the town and harbour below and the views across to the west cliff and the imposing statue of the famous maritime explorer, Capt. James Cook. </span></span></div>
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<span dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I looked around the graveyard and was quite surprised at the age of some of the residents when they'd died. We tend to think of few people living beyond 50 or 60 in the 18th/19th century but clearly some were made of sterner stuff....</span></span></div>
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<span dir="auto"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back down the steps, there were many interesting speciality shops along <b>Church Street</b> and their windows were as interesting as anything at the top of the cliff.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span dir="auto"><span style="font-size: small;">Back in the town, everywhere you looked there was a photo op. I wanted to go to parts I'd never </span></span>been to before and that took me out along a small stone pier on the east side of The Esk before strolling along the west side towards the lighthouse. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd never been beyond the lighthouse before but as the setting sun was casting a lovely light on <b>Whitby</b>, I walked to the very end which gave wonderful views back towards the town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is the final shot I took and just as well as after taking it, my camera battery ran out !</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was pretty drained by this time too and as it had been 6 hours since the carvery meal, I was ready for the <b>Whitby</b> food experience.....fish and chips. Yum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I took my takeaway to a bench by the harbour and was immediately pestered by seagulls, coming right up to my feet and continually squawking to get some of my food. I knew better than to throw anything at them as that would produce a fight and attract more gulls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But when I'd had enough to eat, I still had loads of chips in the box so I did toss a few onto the ground before putting the box in a nearby bin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well what followed was a scene worthy of Hitchcock himself as the dozens of gulls on the ground suddenly went into a fighting frenzy and were joined by dozens more from above. I had to walk through them for a few feet and was only safe from them when I tossed the box in the bin. Then they all disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived ! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I returned to the car and could see from a distance that of all the cars in the park, mine was the only white one. As such, it has 2 gulls on the roof and one on the bonnet (hood) and as I got closer and they cleared off, I saw plenty of poop on the car too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A trip to the car wash will be needed and because bird poop is like acid, it had better be in the next few days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The drive home was lovely too as there was still just enough light for half the trip to be able to see the countryside....even the <b>Hole of Horcum</b> again. Going at 30mph through a small village a few small birds flew across my path and I couldn't avoid hitting the last one. I felt the bump as at least one wheel went over it and when I glanced in my rear view mirror, it lay unmoving in the middle of the road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was really upset about it but today when checking my car, there was no damage !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sorry bird lovers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So considering my late start and having no initial idea where to go, I'd had a brill day out and have decided to do it again as often as possible.....weather permitting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Which probably means twice in July and once in August !</span><br />
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-90490554002386671042013-03-04T17:33:00.000+00:002013-03-04T17:33:16.522+00:00On This Day In History........Tis that time of year again when I remember the skills of Mr. Nair, or Mr. Ramanpillai Unnikrishnan Nair MBBS, MS (Genl), FRCS (Eng & Ed), FETCS to give him his full title.<br />
<br />
20 years ago today, Mr Nair tinkered with my ticker's plumbing by replacing a few parts of blocked piping from near my heart with bits cut from a length of good piping from my left leg.<br />
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As a result, my heart is still going (fairly) strong but my left leg withered and died ! Joking.<br />
<br />
I used to look at statistics for how long such grafts would be expected to last but I gave up many years ago. Most people had bypass surgery in much later life than me and so would die 10, 12 or 15 years later from various causes not always related to their surgery.<br />
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Last December, soon after the 20th anniversary of the heart attack that necessitated the surgery, I made email contact with Mr. Nair to both thank him for what he had done for me and to just let him know I was clearly one of his many long term success stories. I also shared my concern that I might be on borrowed time.<br />
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I got the following reply the next day.....................<br />
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<b><i>Thank you very much for writing to me. I am very pleased to hear that you
are doing well. </i></b></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b><i>Please don't get too anxious that your grafts are 20 years old. I had to
operate on an ex-patient last year who had had a triple graft 21 years earlier
and this time he needed an aortic valve replacement. When he had the repeat
angiogram as part of the pre-operative investigations, all the three grafts were
found to be in excellent condition. So it rewards you to look after yourself by
being regular in health activities and diet, which can prolong the lifespan of
the grafts. I hope this case history will give you some reassurance.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>I retired from the LGI in March and have in the last few months stopped
seeing patients privately as well. It is very kind of you to write to me to show
me your appreciation, which I will cherish with gratitude. </i></b><br />
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Not many cardiothoracic surgeons would have bothered replying but as well as being a wonderful surgeon, Mr. Nair was a lovely man....and only 5 years older than me !<br />
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As I've said before on this blog, I went 'private' for my surgery for several reasons.<br />
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1) I had free private cover (BUPA) through work.<br />
2) The NHS waiting list for my surgery was 6 months.<br />
3) Mr. Nair said I probably didn't HAVE 6 months.<br />
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So it was a no brainer really !!<br />
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I've still got the itemised bills from all parties which I then passed on to the insurance company who then sent me their payment details. The total for everything, including the tests before surgery and the physiotherapy afterwards came to £15,991. <br />
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Normally I'm a fully paid up NHS patient so back then it was an eye opener to see everything itemised from the actual surgery fee to every aspirin I was given, from x-ray charges to sticking plasters. One item always peeked my interest.........<br />
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Fogarty Softjaw 6mm Spring Clip..........£25.98.<br />
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Apparently this reduced-force spring clip minimizes vessel trauma while maintaining occlusion so hopefully not an item sourced from B&Q.<br />
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The thing that got me was that it came under the bill heading of a prosthesis so......is it still inside me ? I know my chest was cracked open to give access to the 'working area' and that metal wires were later used to hold it together short term while nature did it long term. 12 weeks after the surgery I flew to America for a holiday (recuperation.....as far as work was concerned !) and I remember half hoping I'd set off the metal detectors at the airport !<br />
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I didn't.<br />
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I took some video of my time in the hospital......just in case I didn't make it. A sort of living will thing. I remember talking to the camera a few hours before being taken for the operation and it was quite surreal doing so. I also took much happier footage after I'd come out of the ICU and was able to walk a few steps. I filmed my left leg where the long 'angry' line of the cut (from just above the ankle bone to mid thigh) was held together with numerous staples and also the lesser scar on my chest. The leg one looked much worse and hurt much worse too. Go figure.<br />
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Sadly that video tape from 1993 has gone AWOL and that's a shame. I may have loaned it to someone, never got it back and now I've no clue where it is. As the footage before the operation was kinda personal, I'm not even sure I would've loaned it out so maybe, just maybe, it's in the house somewhere. <br />
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Anyway.....20 years ago eh ?!! Doesn't time fly ? At least it's time I've been given and the great thing for me is that for the last 12 of them, I've been retired and so better placed to enjoy them. Wooohoooo.<br />
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And once again, thank you Mr. Nair. Enjoy your retirement too !<br />
<br />
<br />
Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-46964970305404217942013-02-28T15:45:00.000+00:002013-02-28T16:29:12.053+00:00Spring Is In The Air ?Yesterday was a lovely day weatherwise and I've not been able to say that for many months. It probably wasn't quite a harbinger of Spring but it was good enough for me to dust off the car, charge up the GPS and go for a spin into the countryside.<br />
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Now I realise that the days of 'going for a spin' died out when petrol here started being sold by the litre. This came in on 1st October 1995 although the switch over had been taking place since the late 1970's.<br />
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That's when prices seemed to go up overnight and have been going up ever since so that these days, we need to almost save our precious and very expensive petrol for essential trips, like to the shops or to work or to pick up the Chinese takeaway when they don't deliver !<br />
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I remember when I got my first car and I'd just go out for a drive for the pure enjoyment of it all. Yes I know I should've been at work but those were the good old days when you could take a sickie and not risk losing your job.<br />
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I'd drive to the coast, have seaside fish and chips and be back home in the late evening all for 3 florins. If I did need a fill up along the way, I'd stop at a petrol station where a young fella would fill up the car, clean my windscreen, check my tyre pressures, valet the inside and leave a mint on my seat. Not sure why he spent so long taking my girlfriend to the rest room but she seemed happy enough when she returned.<br />
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Despite petrol now costing 500 squillion times more, we have lost out on all that service. We have to fill up the tank ourselves, clean our own windscreens and drive around in rubbish filled cars. As for tyre pressures, who checks those anymore ? Oh I know we're advised to do so weekly but come on, who like me goes from one annual service to another without ever checking our tyres ? I'm not even sure where they are on my car ! I'm told I have 5....who knew !!<br />
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And the inside of my car has more computing power than took Armstrong et al to the moon and back, allegedly. Added to what came as standard, like many young and tech savvy drivers (shut it !) I've added the smartphone in its cradle, the GPS on its mounting, the mp3 and FM transmitter on the dashboard and since last week, the Nexus 7 on the passenger seat. It's no wonder the lights dim when I start the car !<br />
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Actually of all those gadgets, it's the FM transmitter I love the most....as far as in car entertainment is concerned. Being a basic car, it came with a standard radio/cd player with no input for an mp3 player. I tried one type of FM transmitter so that it would play via the car speakers but it was a bit of a failure. I got a new one a couple of years ago and it's brill. It's smaller than a classic zippo lighter and rests in a spare cup holder and means I can listen to MY music and not the (mostly) drivel on the radio.<br />
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So yesterday, with a tankful of petrol bought when it was 10p a litre cheaper (2 days ago), I tootled along the A65 at a typically retired person speed and enjoyed the clear blue skies above me and the open road before me. Well I say open road but we all know those also passed away in the pre litre days. These days if you can get into 5th gear at any point during a trip you've most likely strayed onto a motorway. On A roads, the best you can hope for is forward motion.<br />
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I set off with the idea of going to Skipton (25 miles but 50 mins) as I knew a walk around the canal area would be both good for a bit of exercise and for taking photos. There are always loads of canal boats moored there and with several companies offering 30 minute trips, there is always action on the water too.<br />
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The drive there was lovely and I enjoyed every minute. Despite my previous comments, slightly tongue in cheek, the A65 was almost empty except when passing through Ilkley, always a bit of a bottleneck. As well as the open road, there were sheep (if not lambs) in the fields and the Yorkshire countryside was at its most glorious. Low stone built walls, neat farmhouses, hillside villages and numerous streams were all visible through my newly cleaned windscreen - as I'd cleaned it myself before setting off !<br />
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20 miles from home, the A65 climbs up into the Dales between Ilkley and Skipton and passes Chelker Reservoir built in 1866 to serve the Bradford area. God this blog is educational.<br />
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There are 4 wind turbines along the far edge of the reservoir as at this height, there is nothing much to stop the strong wind blowing across the waters. For some reason only 2 have blades so really there are 2 turbines.....and 2 tall white towers !!<br />
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I pulled off the road to get some (very) fresh air and take a pic.............<br />
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Then it was on to Skipton and being market day, it was quite busy.<br />
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Actually as Skipton has no less than 4 market days a week (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat) and it's a popular Dales town, it's always busy. I parked near the canal, had a walk around and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine, if not the freezing temps.<br />
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When walking back to the car, I noticed this sign on a van window parked outside <a href="http://www.skiptonpieandmashshop.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38&Itemid=49" target="_blank">a cafe</a> which was a funny take on the usual "No Tools In This Van" which is supposed to stop thieves from breaking into commercial vehicles. As if !<br />
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Then I had to return to Leeds to 'run an errand' and got back before the onset of the rush hour madness that makes driving on the A65 a misery.<br />
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So is Spring in the air ? Well today's weather is the same as yesterday with clear blue skies and 8F and with no rain forecast for the next few days, it's certainly looking promising weatherwise.<br />
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But whether I can save enough to afford the petrol for more days out is another matter.<br />
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Ahhh for the good old days when petrol was relatively cheap, the roads weren't filled with cars and petrol station restrooms were only used for one thing !<br />
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Once again nostalgia ain't what it used to be.<br />
<br />Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-87271762498792661212013-02-22T19:19:00.001+00:002013-02-22T19:19:13.033+00:00When Buying A Laptop, Take One Tablet And........Well I've gone a full week without a laptop and nothing bad happened. I survived.....just.<br />
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Survival was helped by<a href="http://www.mydadsacommunist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Daphne</a> loaning me her iPad and by also having a smartphone ! Good backup, eh ?!<br />
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Of course neither of these could fully replace an actual computer so I spent the week looking at many models and reading reviews till I was about ready to scream and get an abacus !<br />
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Customer reviews on sites like <b>Amazon</b> can give a very slanted view on a laptop. People give 3 stars out of 5 because the delivery was a day late, the box was damaged, it came with hard to understand Windows 8 or the company's help desk was based in India. As none of these 'complaints' relate to the product as such, it's best not to ignore a laptop choice just because it gets several low scores.<br />
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So I read and read and after several days, I was just about ready to go for a desktop pc and have it built to my specs. But I really wanted a laptop despite using it mostly in the house - in fact for the last 2 years, my old laptop didn't even have a working battery so HAD to be used indoors.<br />
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In the end I decided to make a list of 'must have' specs and look for a laptop with them installed. There weren't many ! I guess my sights were set high.<br />
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On Wednesday I went to a PCWorld in Leeds and looked at their selection and made my choice. A <a href="http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/pc-peripherals/notebook-computers/high-performance/NP550P7C-S02UK-spec" target="_blank"><b>Samsung NP550P7C</b></a>.<br />
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Before this week, I wasn't even aware<b> Samsung</b> made computers so I wanted to check out a few reviews before making the purchase. It wasn't easy as it's not a common model and of course as I knew already, there are many differing specs depending on the country and even the store. As far as I could see, the specs on Samsung's own site was pretty close to the one I saw in the store except it came with 8Gb of memory which was one of my spec criteria.<br />
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Based on the few reviews I could find, I decided to buy it and returned to the store yesterday to do so. It cost more than I'd initially wanted to spend but there is a mini story behind that too.<br />
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I never had any wish to get a tablet before my laptop 'broke' last week but for some reason having Daphne's iPad changed my mind. I didn't NEED one, but I wanted one. Go figure. My idea was to get a medium powered laptop plus a <b>Nexus 10</b> tablet for mobility. As<b> Nexus 10</b>'s had been out of stock for weeks with no sign of any coming in (they can only be bought from the Google Store in the UK), I was just checking the site daily but was resigned to not having one for many weeks. <br />
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Whilst in PCWorld I looked at all the tablets and liked the <b>Nexus 7</b>. I knew all about it from reading numerous reviews but to have it in my hand made all the difference. I wanted one. At £200 less than the <b>Nexus 10</b>, I couldn't resist and decided to put that money towards a more powerful laptop. Hence the <b>Samsung</b>.<br />
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I got the <b>Nexus 7</b> there and then and the<b> Samsung</b> 24 hrs later so right now I'm in geek heaven setting them up. Getting to grips with Windows 8 has been an issue but like breaking a wild horse, I'm slowing getting it tamed and it's not quite the beast it was on first power up.<br />
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One point came up pretty quickly; it's all very well getting Facebook and email notifications on the smartphone, tablet and laptop but after a cacophony of sound for a few hours, I had to mute the sound on two of them ! Syncing isn't always a good thing. Just ask Jack Dawson !<br />
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Titanic joke there.<br />
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It'll take weeks to get the<b> Samsung</b> to the point where it has most of the programs that were on the old one. That's always the case and a bit of redundancy will be a good thing as I had a lot of rubbish on the old one. Time for some downsizing I guess. <br />
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But at least I can blog using a full keyboard and of course that's the main thing !!<br />
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Finally, mention of a d'oh moment from last Wednesday. Having bought the Nexus 7, I came home and as the loaner iPad browser was still on the Google Store site from earlier on, I hit reload and couldn't believe my eyes when it showed the <b>Nexus 10</b> was now in stock with a delivery of 3-5 days. Arrrrggggggggg.<br />
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As it was still in the box in the bag, I knew I could take the <b>Nexus 7</b> back for a refund but after thinking about it for a short time, I decided I liked the <b>7</b> better as it was almost as good a product and its handy size was just what I wanted.<br />
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Time will tell if I've made 2 good choices but so far, so good, although the<b> Samsung</b> hard drive is quite slow and undermines the awesome power of the processor and speed of the graphics chip. A new drive may be needed but that's for the future.<br />
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It'll all be documented in my Amazon review ;-)<br />
<br />Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-51277433347714626762013-02-17T14:15:00.001+00:002013-02-17T14:15:38.019+00:00Lappy's DemiseLast Thursday I felt my laptop was slowing down a bit so as it had been powered on for over a week, I decided to power it off for a few minutes.<br />
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When I powered it up, or tried to, it gave out a long beep almost straight away followed by 2 shorter beeps. I'm not sure what that would be in morse code terms but in laptop terms, I knew it wasn't good. The screen remained black with not a flicker of life. Rats.<br />
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Actually I said something much ruder but 'rats' will do here.<br />
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So it came up into Windows, I think, as I HEARD it go through the process. I'd no choice but to power it off and try again, ever the optimist. Same result.<br />
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It was either the screen or the graphics chip on the motherboard and both of those on a laptop mean death. <br />
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Thankfully I keep all my photos, music and tv/movies on an external drive so there is little data I NEED from the laptop but it's still a pain in the butt and in the wallet and I could do with neither. The hard drive is fine so when I get a new laptop, whatever I need can be copied across.<br />
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But now I have decisions to make; for a short time I thought about getting a tablet and forgetting about a replacement laptop altogether. Sadly it soon dawned on me that tablets are no substitutes for computers as for one thing, they don't have USB ports so I couldn't access all my external drive files. That alone would be a show stopper.<br />
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Then I thought about getting a laptop AND a tablet and that's still my plan today. I was thinking of getting a cheap basic laptop and a top of the range non Apple tablet to have the best of both worlds so as I had no experience of tablets at all, I asked Daphne if I could borrow her iPad for a few days and she said of course.<br />
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That's why I'm typing this on it right now and it's also why I know I don't want one for myself !!!<br />
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My smartphone experience has been with Android based phones and I've been more that happy with that system. I don't like Apple products and the iPad is no exception. Each to their own and that is just my opinion as always.<br />
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At the moment I'm leaning towards a Nexus 10 as I want a screen big enough for watching movies when I'm travelling as I'd take the tablet and leave the laptop at home. As for the choice of laptop, I just can't bring myself to think in terms of 'cheap' and as I do a lot of photo and video editing, cheap just won't cut it. For that reason I've even thought about getting a desktop instead but no, I want the portability of a laptop so will stick with that.<br />
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So that's the situation right now. I'll do my usual time consuming searches and review checks before making my choices but that will be in conflict with my 'want them now' attitude when it comes to buying new electronic devices.<br />
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I'd like to thank Daphne for the loan of her iPad and although I don't want one, it is a nice piece of kit. Being an iPad2, I think many of the 'cons' will have been sorted with later incarnations but as with all Apple products, the price alone puts me off. <br />
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Until I get the new kit, my blogs may be short and sweet as typing on a smartphone doesn't lend itself to long blog posts !!!<br />
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-64814664322917282302013-02-13T21:09:00.002+00:002013-05-08T19:31:47.165+01:00Duchess Of Cambridge Bikini PhotosLast Wednesday I drove <a href="http://www.mydadsacommunist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Daphne</a> to Hull for her work and as I knew she'd never been to <b>Beverley Minster</b>, we stopped there on the way home.<br />
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I've always loved <b>Beverley Minster</b> and the town of <b>Beverley</b> is pretty neat too. It's very much like <b>York</b> but smaller and.....well....neater. So is its Minster which I find more welcoming; <b>York Minster</b> might be much more impressive in size, but that makes it very cold and impersonal in my opinion.<br />
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Unfortunately <b>Beverley Minster</b> was having renovations done inside and so parts were roped off from the general public. The storage of construction bits and pieces had overflowed into other areas as well so all in all, the poor old Minster wasn't showing itself at its best for our visit.<br />
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Still, I think Daphne liked it and as usual, we both took our fair share of photos, despite a Minster man constantly watching us in the forlorn hope that we'd cough up some money for a photo permit. He'd made the mistake of telling us that under the circumstance (the work going on), he'd waive the need to buy a permit as long as we only took a few photos.<br />
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I probably took about 50 as did Daphne so <i>MAYBE</i> we abused his generosity a bit !
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We pretty much had the place to ourselves so it wasn't hard to get a shot of Daphne with no one else in the picture. It wasn't a particularly sunny day but enough light was available to show off the stained glass windows and with so many of them, the coloured light hitting the stone columns added to the overall beauty of the Minster.<br />
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By the time we left, it was a bit too dark to take decent photos of the outside and actually it's not the easiest building to photograph, given its location right in the centre of the town. Everytime you try and back up to get it all in, you come up against a house or shop.<br />
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I did take one photo in town on our way back to the car as it was of an interesting butcher's shop. I particularly like "pigeon's breasts" for sale although as with the beef and venison on offer, I'm not sure why they decided to make the shop name so inaccurately specialised.<br />
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Fast forward to this Wednesday, today in fact, and the weather has taken a nose dive. The snow came back but seemingly just for today.<br />
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This was how I saw it from my bedroom window.............<br />
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It continued to fall all day and as it was particularly 'wet' snow, it stuck to every surface, even my front door window.<br />
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Here are a few more shots of it but it wasn't a lot and should be mostly gone by tomorrow.<br />
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I'm glad it didn't come yesterday as we had some drama here with a burst water main around the corner at a busy road junction. I first noticed it when I looked out to see what the weather was like as I wanted to go for a walk. I saw water flowing down past my drive and yet the drive itself was bone dry !?!<br />
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I went out to investigate and went round the corner and there was quite a torrent of water pouring down the next road so I tried to follow the flow back to its source. This was strangely difficult as in places, the water was actually flowing in several directions !<br />
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I finally tracked it to a couple of areas at the junction of two roads where water was bubbling up through the tarmac. I came home and phoned the water company who said it would be treated as an emergency given my description. About 15 minutes later 3 vans, a digger and several workmen turned up and went about trying to find just where the burst pipe was under the large area of tarmac.<br />
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In this day and age of sophisticated equipment that can locate a 500 year old king's body under a car park, I loved seeing one of these workers 'listening' for the flow of underground water using a 5ft long thin metal rod with what looked like a small eat trumpet at one end.<br />
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It seemed to work as they managed to locate the burst pipe and worked through the night to repair it. I got a call from the water company this morning to let me know what was happening (as I'd reported it) and that the junction would be fully repaired with new tarmac by the end of Friday.<br />
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I was very impressed.<br />
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So there you have it - Beverley, snow and lots of water. Nothing at all to tie these 3 topics together but they were all part of the rich tapestry of my life over the last week here in rarely sunny England.<br />
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It's no wonder I watch a lot of tv !!<br />
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P.S. What about those <b>Kate</b> photos I hear you ask ? Sorry, I just need to get my readership numbers back up after my blogging break ! Hey it could've been worse.....I could've mentioned <b>Susan Boyle</b> in the title !!<br />
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<br />Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-29857660410010062282013-02-07T19:49:00.001+00:002013-05-08T19:37:03.931+01:00David Attenborough's AfricaLast night the BBC broadcast the final show in Sir David Attenborough's "<b>Africa</b>" series and what a stunning series it has been.<br />
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I've followed the BBC's natural history shows from the earliest black and white series, through colour, widescreen, HD and even 3D and the technological developments have served to bring many hours of incredible images to my television sets, which have also changed over time ! <br />
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Over the years, mega series like <b>Life On Earth</b>, <b>The Blue Planet</b>, <b>Planet Earth</b> and <b>Frozen Planet</b> have held me fascinated with the world we inhabit and smaller specialised series like <b>Madagascar</b> and now <b>Africa</b> have shown me that I know very little about places I thought I knew a lot about !<br />
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I may be biased by having just watched "<b>Africa</b>" on the biggest and best television set I've ever owned, but in my opinion it's the best series of the lot. The footage of the animals, birds and insects has been stunning enough, but the images of the scenery will live with me forever. The sheer size of the continent took my breath away from the first episode and Attenborough's team did a spectacular job in presenting the diversity of this great land to we, the viewers.<br />
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From fertile grasslands to barren deserts, towering mountain ranges to flat plains and the savannah to the rainforests, Africa was spread out before us over these 6 shows.<br />
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I have to admit at this point that although technically 'created' by me, all these photos come from the BBC footage of "<b>Africa</b>" and so I guess I've been a bit naughty.<br />
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Hopefully the BBC won't sue me for copyright infringement !<br />
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I went through the 6 shows and edited out stills that I both liked and that summed up everything that I felt was best about the diversity of the continent. <br />
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As such, the photos are very small in size (average 50kb each) but as the footage was HD, they stand up quite well to full screen enlargement. Do try it.<br />
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As wonderful as the scenery footage was, it was naturally eclipsed by that of the animals. So many scenes were filmed for the first time and I watched with jaw dropping incredulity at sights of births and deaths and fights and frolics. <br />
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As with them all, this series took many years and a huge crew to film and I'm glad to say that the time and effort they put in is reflected in the quality of the shows.<br />
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But the stars were the animals. They put on quite a show by just being themselves. I watched, fascinated, whilst they searched and often fought to the death for food for survival. I watched, equally fascinated, as they played in family groups, both during the day and at night. I watched, with less fascination, whilst they mated and bizarrely, death sometimes followed this act as well !<br />
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It's been very hard to pick out stills from 6 hours of "<b>Africa</b>" footage as every frame was a gem in its own right. Every technique known to modern nature film making was used to bring these animals right into my living room and if the series had been broadcast in 3D, I'd have had to view it from behind my chair as the numerous close ups were VERY close up indeed.<br />
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I think the real benefit of long range filming, mostly from helicopters, is that the animals are totally unaware of humans being near them and so go about their daily lives as nature intended, so to speak. Back in the day, I remember most animals would simply stop what they were doing and just peer at the cameras as the crew had to get up close to film them. <br />
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Then they'd bolt !! As did the crew sometimes !<br />
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Now we can get up close without them knowing and we can see what they get up to, often for the first time. With newly developed HD Starlight cameras, we saw activities at night previously unknown to naturalists. For example we saw rare black rhinos coming together at a water hole simply for a social gathering. Previously it was thought they were solitary creatures and certainly not up for a par-tay by the pool !<br />
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To be able to see all this in such clarity from the comfort of my armchair, was a true delight.<br />
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Having now watched all 6 hours of the series, I have to say that the footage that will stay with me for the longest time belong to two fighting giraffes, an old bull and a young upstart. Using high speed cameras, we were able to see them fighting almost to the death by using their heads (and those two small horns) as lethal 'weapons', the ultimate winner going for the relatively fragile legs of the vanquished after several hard body blows.<br />
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After somehow getting the old bull on the ground, the young upstart went for the 'killer' blow but experience won the day. The old bull cleverly dodged the head swipe and with the upstart open to attack, gave it an uppercut to the soft underbelly which sent the youngster fully to the ground. After a while, so we were told, it managed to get up and stumble away with its tail literally between its legs.<br />
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And there was me thinking giraffes were graceful, peaceful creatures. Who'd have known ?!<br />
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During this series, it definitely wasn't a case of the usual disclaimer....."no animals were hurt in the making of this film." But at least they were hurt, killed and eaten by each other !! And I had a ringside seat.<br />
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But the beauty far outweighed all that and most of the photography was jaw dropping..........<br />
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Now remember that all these are low size photos generated by me from the series footage. Hopefully they will encourage anyone who has not seen the series to look for catch up broadcasts or wait for it to be shown in your country. No doubt it'll be out on dvd in the coming months and again, I'd encourage you to buy it and see for yourselves just how stunning it is.<br />
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Certainly I could watch it again and again....and have done !<br />
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Two stills sum up the whole series for me.<br />
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The first is a dung beetle reverse pushing a ball of dung up a desert dune by using its back legs for better grip and pushing power. The downside to using this technique is that the beetle can't see where it's going and so when it does get to the top or edge of a dune, it rolls down the other side. I guess as long as this roll is 'on the way home', then it actually saves a bit of time !<br />
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But often a dune slope is so steep that the beetle and ball simply can't make it first time and so it rolls to the bottom and has to start again....and again....and again. This reminded us that in nature, when you never know when or where your next meal is coming from, simply giving up is not an option. I couldn't get a well focused frame as the beetle was constantly on the move but you can still see the effort involved.....and that his back legs are doing the pushing and his head is mostly buried in the sand.<br />
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The final still is of the great man himself.....Sir David Attenborough.<br />
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After telling us about the risk of extinction for the black rhino due to poaching. he introduced us to a cute baby rhino that was almost tame due to being looked after by conservationists.<br />
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Despite being 86 and not as agile as he used to be, Sir David got down to the rhino's level and engaged in a 'conversation' with it by making noises similar to those it was making.<br />
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It was a delightful end sequence to the whole series and showed us yet again that Sir David loves all animals and over the course of his 60 years of natural program making, he has lost none of his enthusiasm for his subject and just as importantly, lost none of his ability to let us share that enthusiasm.<br />
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-30154662446955540752013-02-04T16:36:00.001+00:002013-02-04T16:36:12.447+00:00And Then There Were Three............<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I've said in some blog post years ago, my mum was one of twelve; yes good guess, a Catholic family ! As far as I know, the photo above is the only one of the lot of them together and by my reckoning, was taken in the mid 1930's. <br />
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I say this because my mum was born in 1922 and she is the one 3rd from the left holding the youngest, Kevin.<br />
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As of today, Kevin is the only male still alive as his brother, Edmund, died last night. It seems he had cancer but swore Kevin to secrecy and he kept that secret. Edmund and Kevin left the ancestral farm in N. Ireland while I was still at school there and moved to England. They lived about 85 miles apart since then and visited each other regularly.<br />
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Over the years, death has reduced the 12 until now only 3 remain, 2 aunts still in N. Ireland and Kevin in England. The irony is that I'd been planning on visiting Edmund for some weeks now and kept putting it off. I've all the time in the world and he lived in a delightfully picturesque English village called Chaddersley Corbett near Kidderminster in the Midlands so it's a nice drive and a lovely destination.<br />
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Sadly that came into my thinking as I decided I wanted good weather for the 300 mile return trip and even thought about getting a Travelodge or something nearby to spread the visit over 2 days. Then, as I've thoughts about visiting Devon this summer, I thought about visiting Edmund on the way down there as my route would take me only a few miles from him.<br />
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Now it's too late. He's gone.<br />
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We rarely know what the future holds although to some extent, Edmund did. I can't say that hiding his cancer from everyone robbed me of getting to see him as he had it for a relatively long time and I've had more than enough time to go and visit him......I just kept putting it off. My fault.<br />
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The 12 were always very close. When I was growing up, the aunts and uncles were always visiting each other and rarely a day passed without one or another dropping in for a cup of tea and a 'bite to eat.' It was that generation - no mobile phones, no internet. If you wanted to chat, you visited. <br />
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I found out about Edmund's death via a Skype call from a relative in Manchester.<br />
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We may have moved on enormously in terms of communication options but somehow I feel we've lost something along the way. Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-68263909117705888642013-02-01T14:13:00.001+00:002013-02-01T14:13:58.408+00:00And The Winner Is.......................The start of each year brings with it a plethera (love that word) of award shows where all the 'luvvies' get a chance to stand up in front of their peers and thank every bloody one of them for helping them get where they are today. And their agents, and their foreign adopted kids and their parents and their partners and so on. Sometimes even fans get a mention too but that's usually only when they receive a 'popular vote' gong.<br />
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In reality we know they are a back stabbing bunch of ego maniacs who would just perform in front of a fast food line if given half a chance. <br />
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And as for the acceptance speeches......OMG. These usually involve initial hugging and faux cheek kissing, a fair bit of gushing, the occasional lame in-joke, promises to keep it all short, the total betrayal of such promises and finally, LOTS of crying. The best sign of their acting ability is how they feign surprise when their names are announced and then proceed to get out the dreaded sheets of A4 and say "I wrote a few words just in case........!!! " <br />
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Actually reading your speech is often a good thing as it saves us having to listen to ad-lib speeches which usually show us that an actor without a script is like a shop dummy without clothes. Pretty useless.<br />
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Thank God there isn't an award for the 'best' acceptance speech !<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NG9p1FFwxb0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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A lot of people think that The Oscars is the only awards show in town. It's certainly the biggest but certainly not the only one. We here in the UK get the worst of both worlds as we get the shows from the old world and the new. How's this for a statistic : in 2013, America has 91 televised awards shows !! And we've got quite a few ourselves so it's a wonder the world isn't awash with a tsunami of acceptance tears.<br />
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Anyway the main reason for this post is not to complain about The Oscars as I do like to know what movies have risen about the crop even though I can make my own mind up in most cases. The thing is, with only a trailer, the cast list and a few reviews from the critics to go by, it's not easy to know which ARE the risers worthy of my pension money. I've seen several of the best picture nominees already and I know my fav so far but what about you, my dear and cherished readers ?<br />
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On the right of my blog is a slide out section and I've included a poll today. If you would be so kind as to scroll over there and tick from the list of officially nominated movies, I'd appreciate it very much. I think it's designed to stop multiple votes so I'm sorry, Ben, I know you want to win but you can't keep ticking <b>Argo</b>. It really wasn't that good anyway !<br />
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The poll is open till midnight on Oscar night - that's midnight here in the UK as that's when I believe the ceremony begins in LA. If you see more of the movies during the month, you CAN return to the poll and change your vote. Clever stuff eh ?<br />
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It's Friday so that means Chinese and Movie evening with my dear friends, <a href="http://www.mydadsacommunist.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Daphne</a> and Stephen and this evening we might watch any of the nominated movies but I'm thinking more <b>Ice Age 4</b> than <b>Les Miserables</b> !<br />
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And to end with, why wasn't "<b>The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel</b>" nominated ? Even I might have cried then !<br />
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-70443143159613790532013-01-30T13:00:00.001+00:002013-01-30T13:00:57.620+00:00Alarming NewsApologies for the slightly worrying subject name but this short (hurrah I hear) post is just about home alarm systems - well mine in particular - and at least I got your attention ! <br />
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My system has just had its annual service (Methodist in case you're wondering) and Matt, or maybe Mark as he muttered his name on arrival, left a few minutes ago. Now I don't know how many of you know this, but like a lot of people, I had my system installed a few days AFTER I was burgled ! <br />
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Yes, yes, I do know it's a lot better to do things the other way round but let's face it, one was my choice and the other certainly wasn't. If I hadn't been burgled, I'd probably not have an alarm system today.......human nature being what it is.<br />
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Anyway, one morning about 15 years ago I came downstairs to find all my kitchen cupboard doors wide open. I can tell you it was a "Sixth Sense" sort of moment and it's proof of how movies play a bigger role in my life than crime as I immediately thought.........dead people ! With none around at the time that I could see or who owned up, my next thought was why did I open all those doors before going to bed ?!<br />
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Finally it sank in that I'd not been visited by unhappy dead people. Nor had I come down for a midnight feast and couldn't decide what to have. No, I'd had visitors of a different sort and as this knowledge sank in, I have to say I went through a series of emotions from shock, through disbelief to mounting anger. I checked around and thankfully very little had been taken......in fact I couldn't see that anything had been taken. Had I been visited by the notorious Irish Burglars ??!! A lot of my cds had been thrown around the living room but clearly the invaders hadn't thought enough of my musical tastes to take any !<br />
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It was disbelief that lasted the longest as I'm a very light sleeper and if anyone had told me that one or more people would break into my house while I was asleep, I'd have told them it couldn't possibly happen. But it had. Then something hit me like a blow to my naughty bits. I went outside and sure enough there was a space where my car had been. They might not have taken anything from inside the house but they'd taken my most valuable possession from outside ! <br />
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Ok so they'd taken the car keys from inside the house but let's not be picky and ruin the plot here.<br />
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Anyway, long story short, I got my car back a few days later when it was found abandoned and undamaged nearby (when the petrol ran out, so did the fun) and I had the locks changed on both it and the house doors.<br />
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It was THEN I thought about having an alarm system fitted as clearly I was a heavier sleeper than I thought. Those few nights spent between the break in and having the alarm fitted were the worst of my life. I hardly slept a wink as we're always warned that thieves tend to return so I didn't waste much time. I had motion sensors fitted all over the place and felt particularly happy about the tiny personal/panic alarm box fitted at the side of my bed as I'd already decided that if I DID hear intruders in the house while I was in bed, I'd not be taking up my baseball bat (bought partly for that reason as well as a nice US souvenir) and charging downstairs like some sort of domestic Rambo. Oh no, you never know how many there might be and if they'd be armed to the teeth.<br />
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Burglars hate noise, so having the alarm go off would be enough to have them on the run and nothing in this house is worth me getting bashed over the head for.....even my John Denver's Greatest Hits Limited Edition Box Set.<br />
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So when Matt, known as Mark, looked like he was packing up to go, I reminded him he'd not asked me to go to my bedroom (stop that now....I'm only on the basic cover) and activate the panic button as part of the test/service. He apologised and said it's because so few people have that part of the system installed these days that he forgot in my case.<br />
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I couldn't believe it as, like anyone else who has actually experienced a break-in will tell you, peace of mind is paramount and having the ability to activate the alarm from your bed is wonderful. He said they've actually been asked to remove the tiny box, about 2.5 inches square, from existing installations because the people don't like the look of them.....maybe before having the room redecorated or something !<br />
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WHAT !!!???!!!!<br />
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I hope those people never have to know what it's like to wake up at 2am to noises downstairs and experience that stomach churning feeling. You can talk big and say you'd grab something heavy (no not your half asleep partner) and charge down the stairs like a rogue elephant to protect your loved ones and loved belongings. You wouldn't do it in most cases. Why would you.....not knowing if a gang of drugged up , tattoo covered airheads were fixing tuna sannies in your kitchen using machetes to cut the bread ?! <br />
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No, I love my panic button. I love to press it once a year during the annual service. I love the deafening noise the inside and outside alarms make when I do so.<br />
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I love sleeping well at night.Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27523184.post-45408050727980328662013-01-29T23:00:00.002+00:002013-01-29T23:00:35.512+00:00Back In The Saddle AgainThis evening, my blogger friend, <a href="http://www.theyearzero.org/">Milo</a>, asked me to update my blog with the URL of his latest literary incarnation and in doing so, I noticed great changes had been made with blogger itself.......for example, many new dynamic templates had been added.<br />
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I looked at a few of them and despite losing a few of the extras I'd set up on my old template (like the time and weather in Leeds and Sebring, most recent comments and number of visitors etc) I've decided to renew my interest in all this by giving my blog a huge revamp. Hence the template you see before you.......flip panels for every blog post. <br />
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It's a bit......different......and I'm not sure I'll keep it but at least it does highlight those posts with photos in case anyone wants to go to those at any time for a looky look. <br />
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For those not good at exploring web pages, if you move your arrow over to the right, a slideout bar will appear with some options, starting with my blog archives. Use this to bring up the flip panels from each year going back to 2006, when I started blogging. For some reason, most of the posts from 2006 don't show as having photos - but they do. Clearly something happened within Blogger in Dec 2006 and suddenly photos appear. If you click on a post in 2006, it may well have photos but sadly you'll just have to see them within the post and not via the flip panel. Hey ho.<br />
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Like I said, I may decide to go for a different template later as this is VERY radical for me and I'm not sure I do radical at my advanced age. I do like the flip idea but it's a bit weird to me to go to my blog and not see any text right away. Freaks me out that it's all gone AWOL but one flip later, and there it is.<br />
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Anyway, moving on, it's mid winter here in the UK. We had a bit of snow a week ago and of course, as expected, the country came to a grinding halt. Snow has this effect on us as it always comes as a complete surprise and we just don't know what to do about it. So we close schools, stay off work and yet still manage to block most main roads by abandoning our cars as soon as the first flakes hit our windscreens.<br />
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"<i>OMG we're under attack by that white stuff.......run for the hills. Oh sod it, there's even more up there </i>!"<br />
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Of course, being retired like wot I am, I had stocked up on food and so I sat it all out in the comfort of my centrally heated house. I watched the rush hour chaos from my cosy recliner chair and living room window and even enjoyed the sight of a few showoffs going by on skis pulling their spoilt offspring on sledges. <br />
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It was 4 cms of snow on a Leeds residential street for goodness sake.....not exactly the Iditarod trail !<br />
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Sadly it didn't last long. At its worst in my street, this was the scene and I think you can tell which was my car ! Told you I didn't go anywhere.<br />
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As these final two photos show, it was a case of here today and gone tomorrow as these were taken 24 hrs apart. The thaw had already started in the first one as evidenced by the lack of snow on the cars.</div>
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So it was fun while it lasted and snow was part of the reason I wanted to spend winter here at home after 10 years of spending them in America, mostly in Florida. Mad ? Probably, but I do like snow covered scenes.</div>
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Obviously I do miss the sun and warmth but hey, maybe we'll have a great summer as I plan on exploring this undiscovered country and good weather would be very nice.</div>
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Right, more updates to follow and I have to say, it's good to be back...........</div>
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Silverbackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05291532400330204120noreply@blogger.com6