Colours

Found this today. Well worth a read if you're into 'conspiracy', colour, fashion (for or against) and strange all-powerful bodies!

Personally I know what colours (and styles, cuts etc) suit me and what don't and I'll wear what suits me regardless of it is in fashion (or the shops) or not.

But that's me all over.

Nuts

Once again the labelling gods are having a laugh.

Today I bought a packet of mixed dried fruit and nuts for snacksies. And yes you guessed it - the packet said 'Warning: product may contain nuts'

Its' a mad, mad world out there.

1111 miles later

Well I had intended to blog a day-by-day account of our trip, but despite taking Maggie (baby laptop of Warren's and I do mean baby) and the 3G card he is testing for Orange, we failed to get much of decent signal South of St Austell, hence the time lag.  So here is a roundup of our trip:

The Eden Project:
Very cool, very big and sadly very wet. The biomes are truly amazing feats. The Mediterranean one was interesting with citrus and olive groves, vines, peppers, sunflowers, cork trees and a whole host of other temperate plants. These were interspersed with appropriate sculptures: the vines for instance were a scene of Bacchanalian feasting, whilst the cork trees had a herd of pigs fashioned out of wood. All in all very well worth a visit.

Fowey:
A beautiful typical fishing village with very narrow twisty streets barely wide enough for the car let alone the car and pedestrians. Very picturesque, with excellent little side streets for exploring and finding fabulous views of the port and town. We have added to our art collection: a Raku-fired clay fish (scroll down to the white crackle carp), by Rod Hare. We fell in love with him for his expression, but when we bought him from The Cry of the Gulls Gallery and learned how he was made our admiration increased. Raku firing involves plunging the piece into a vat of sawdust straight from the 1000 degree C second kiln firing. Unsurprisingly this sets the sawdust alight which gives a crackle effect to the glazed parts and blackens the unglazed areas. Apparently the artist amazes his peers as he makes finer and more delicate items than anyone else and they still don't go bang during the process. So our challenge for the week was to make sure he didn't get smashed whilst we continued our travels! (He made it back safely and now sits proudly on Warren's shelves.)

St Mawes is another pretty coastal town where we had a great dinner at the Victory Inn, a traditional pub. I had the best omlette I have ever had (possibly excepting those made by my Father!) it was full of crab meat and wild mushrooms and was quite delicious. 
 
Onto Falmouth where we decided to take advantage of the Park and Float option which shares it start and end point with the Park and Ride we Brits are more used to. Despite some drizzly rain it was a lovely little trip through the harbour which allowed us to approach the National Maritime Museum of Cornwall from the sea and so get the best view of it. It is a purpose-built structure which is designed to be very low maintenance, to blend with its surroundings and to evoke memories of the days of wooden shipbuilding. Really a good building.

The most amazing part for me was the 'Tidal Zone' which was the basement of the Tower which has two floor-to-ceiling windows so you can see the tide movements and measure them against the scale on the wall. As it was Spring tides last week the difference in high and low tides was about 20 feet - we went at the start and the end of our trip round the museum just to check!

On our way to our final B&B in Bude we visited the National Seal Sanctuary. Here they tend to rescued Grey Seal pups and get them ready for release back into the wild. There are some permanent residents too who, for varying reasons, cannot return to the wild and who all have their own characteristics and quirks. It was great following the staff round doing the breakfast feed to all the different pools. There are also a couple of pairs of Sea Lions some of whom have retired from their performing careers and one who has come all the way from Massachusetts, USA! I really loved seeing the work the staff do and it took me back to my days at Nottingham, my love of animals and my constant amazement at nature's adaptations to habitat.

Our final stop before Bude was Tintagel Castle. (This has pretentions to being one of King Arthur's seats. It is run by English Heritage and there is a short video you can watch before getting into the castle. It is full of very tenuous links and inferred possibilities - so far-removed from fact that to be honest I don't believe a word of it.) 

The Castle is a fair hike up lots of steep steps cut into the rockface. It is set on a headland which is much larger than you imagine when you first get to the top of the initial steps, but is well worth the stiff calf muscles of the next morning as the views are magnificent. Looking East reminded me very much of Archers Bay on the St Lucy coast on Barbados and I shall try to post a picture of each so you can see the similarity. The difference is, of course, that Archers Bay is beautifully sunny whereas Tintagel is typically grey, but never mind!

After much sight-seeing and getting up early for the breakfast part of our B&Bing we decided we would treat ourselves to one night in a hotel. We ended up here. Very nice thank you! We had a wonderfully lazy afternoon drinking G&Ts on the terrace outside the pool complex, were completely decadent with room service for dinner and I only got out of bed the following morning with enough minutes to spare to get to the reception desk to checkout at midday - marvelous!

We drove (well I drove actually - wow the TT is wonderful to drive, so much power she does exactly what you want when you want and accelerates uphill in 6th gear!) to a little village just outside Oxford for a party at Si and Elaine's. We met up with our TEC buddies, had fun in the pool with super-soakers and had a BBQ. All very good fun.

We finally set off back to Nottingham at 9pm and I have to admit to failing to keep awake to keep the driver company as I was shattered.

Sunday was another lovely lazy day of unpacking all the gifts etc bought on our trip and sorting myself out for coming back to work this morning. We headed into town mid-afternoon and bumped into a very old friend of mine, Frances Drummond-Moray, whom I've not seen for years. We headed for Starbucks, some welcome coffee and a catch up. Fran is working for an urban regeneration project in Hammersmith, London, which sounds so worthwhile and I do admire her for it. She also does some stints at the Globe Theatre which she loves.

The milometer clicked up to 1111 miles and about 25 hours as we turned into Warren's car park on Saturday night for our whole trip. I had a ball. I need to do some work on some of the photos, but then I'll post a few as a taster and try to figure out the best way to show you the rest. 

Basking Otters and basking sharks...

I got to drive the TT today! Wow, what power. Really lovely to drive.
 
Today we went from Sedgemore to St Austell. First stop was Buckfastleigh (affectionately called
Fastbuckleigh by the locals, as apparently it makes lots of money from s tourist types!). Here we
visited the Butterfly farm and Otter Sanctuary. The butterflies were beautiful and plentiful -
turquoise, red, oh so pale cream and oh so dark delicate strips. Lots of lovely stripy catterpillars
too. The otters were largely sleepy, but there was one couple that were up for a bit of play. The
two couples we saw were so human in some of their behaviour. There was one couple, both sound asleep with one taking up all the room and the other being squashed up in a corner. You could almost hear the other one saying "Stop putting your feet in my face,and stop taking up all the room." The other couple were out in the sunshine: One was very active and running around clicking away at all the visitors whilst the other was lounging in the sunshine having a doze. We reckoned the latter had the right idea today - it was blazingly hot.
 
Then we headed onwards and went to the National Aquarium at Plymouth. A detailed walk through the life of water from falling on moorland and heading into a stream through rivers and to the sea. I
think the most amazing bit was a HUGE tank which had a curved acrylic wall. So you could stand and be almost surrounded by the fish and water. It was cool and then the large shark swam straight for us and got really very close.

We are staying tonight and tomorrow in a sweet little B&B run by a lovely couple.

More tomorrow.

OTT

Never have so many TTs been seen by so many in such a small space. Well not by me anyway ;-)
 
Today's event (the TTOC's Annual Meet) was great. It rained a little this morning which could have ruined things - it certainly dissuaded loads of people from entering the Concours d'Elegance - but it turned into a lovely afternoon with plenty of sunshine to bounce off the oh so shiny TTs.
 
I did my bit this morning and helped on the gate to make sure Brooklands didn't get diddled out of any ticket money etc, which was a fab way to meet all the owners and gaze longingly at all the lovely cars. There were a few non-event attendees as well who had decided to come to Brooklands for the day and had non knowledge of the event. They were all great and most were only too happy to get the bonus of seeing all the TTs on site. The funniest was a TT that arrived who had no knowledge of the event - I love pure coincidence!
 
We did the Test Hill this afternoon. Blimey! The Test Hill was designed to test the clutch and brakes of cars and is a three-part track: it starts at a 1:8 incline and moves through a 1:5 section to finish at the top at 1:4! Very steep and you do have to give it some whellie to get it all the way to the top. A little scary the first time, as all good things in life seem to be, but after the third and final go you just want to go again, and again and again...
 
The final highlight of the day was a 'group photo'. We got all the aTTendant (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) TTs up on the banking section of the original 1907 racetrack in a 6 by 17 rows phalanx making a grand total of 99 cars. (I think that there was one which turned up too late which could have made us a round ton, but never mind.) It was a most impressive sight and I can't wait to see the photos courtesy of Malcolm. I will post one when we get the low res versions.
 
All in all, I really enjoyed myself today. More than I worried I might and it was cool. Although I have to say I haven't worn a polo shirt since my time at UNU and today reminded me why - they no longer really suit me - and the 'gold' (for which read bright yellow) colour of today's one was especially bad!
 
I did buy some TT merchandise: a baseball hat to replace the one I have had since UNU too and a t-shirt which has a wonderful slogan of 'Nice TTs'. I'll leave you to guess where the logo is located...

WE'RE ALL GOING ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY :-)

Finally, for the first time since my fabulouso trip to Barbados in February I have a week's leave!!
 
Tomorrow Warren & I head off towards the South Coast for the TTOC Annual Meet which should be fun. This year it is at Brooklands Race track and no doubt the famous 'test hill' will be tested by many a TT owner over the next couple of days. The grand finale of Sunday's event is a group photo of all the attending TTs on the banked curve of the race track itself - that should look awsome! Will try to post a pic next week.
 
Then on Sunday we are off to (hopefully!) sunny Devon & Cornwall for a week's driving, B&Bing, relaxing and doing really as little as possible except eating ice-creams, reading books, lounging, drinking G&Ts and eating...
 
More later...

Dumb signs

Along similar lines really a collection of daft, sily and downright dumb signs all 100% genuine...

Ridiculous Roadsigns:
When this sign is underwater, this road is impassable. No sh*t.
The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free but the bull charges.

Idiotic Instruction:
Warning remove child before folding. Label on a pushchair.
Do not drive car or operate machinary. Spotted on a bottle of children's cough medicine.
No Keyboard detecgted. Press any key to contine. An error message seen on a computer screen. - One for you techies out there.
Do not activate with wet hands. Written on a hand-dryer in a public toilet.

Goofy Grammar:
Quicksand! Any person passing this point will be drowned by order of the District Council. On a beach in England.
Closing down thanks to all our customers. Outside a factory.

Awful Adverts:
FREE ESTIMATES at almost no cost. Garage forecourt.
Wanted: Ejection seat tester. Involves a small amount of travelling. Employment Agency.

Terribly Translations:
Broken English spoken perfectly. Hotel in Mexico.
Is forbidden to steal Hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis. Hotel in Tokyo.

Mad Mathematics:
Open 24 hours except 2am to 8am. Pizza restaurant in London.
Open seven days a week and weekends. Restaurant.
Lunch served from 12:30 to mid-October. Seafood restaurant.

Pointless Proclamations:
When two trains approach each other at a crossing they shall both come to a full stop and neither shall start up until the other has gone. A Law in Kansas, US.
Beware! To touch these wires is instant death. Anyone found doing so will be prosecuted. At a railway station in the US.

Outrageous Orders:
A Bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the Church Hall. Music will follow.

Nutty Notices:
After tea break staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board. Found in an office kitchen.
Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken. Spotted in a factory.
If you feel we have failed you in any way we shall be only too pleased to do it again at no extra charge. Found in a dry cleaner's shop.

Shop Names

Ever noticed how small business tend to try very hard to come up with apt names for their shops? Most notably haridressers, but others too. Well here are a few I have noticed in Edinburgh over the last few days:

Hairdressers
A Cut Above the Rest
Wind in her Hair
Dye Cut

Others:
The Well Bread Sandwich
The Craftye Fisherman
The Lost Sock Diner - this is attached to a laundrette!

...and probably my favourite so far...

Doggie Style - a Dog Grooming Parlour

Vandals go on Princes Street Gardens rampage

VANDALS have broken into Princes Street Gardens and left memorial benches smashed amid a trail of destruction. Litter bins were set alight and piles of rubbish strewn across the park alongside a series of upturned and broken benches.

Amongst the damaged property were benches dedicated to loved ones by grieving families.

The damage shocked tourists and city centre workers, and has led to calls for CCTV to be installed in the Gardens, which are locked up at night, to protect them from vandals.

more...

I think this is appalling.

Curly Wurlys

When was the last time you had one of these? I had one for lunch today [as pudding I hasten to add, not the whole meal!], surprisingly filling and satisfying for 20p I must say.

The House that Alice lives in

The brief: Re-paint the spare bedroom and tidy the garden at Alice's (Warren's sister).
The set-up: Great house, but dreadful decorating taste of previous owners. She [previous owner] has a thing for wood effect things. This is fine and I love wood, but it becomes a little ridiculous when you undertake to do wood effect paint finishes on wood! Door frames and skirting boards to be precise. This theme even continued to the venetian blinds which were wood effect on metal strips. To be honest the wallpaper was just as bad. She obviously couldn't choose between two wallpapers - stripes and spots to be precise so she chose both and put each on two opposite walls. They contained pistachio green, mid purple, mid blue, silver and oatmeal so there wasn't even a consistent colour AND she had put in a picture rail which had the inevitable effect of lowering the perceived ceiling height. Oh well, on with the overalls...

We painted all day on Saturday and by the time Alice returned from work we had banished all horrors and had a lovely cream room with white ceiling for her.

[Just to note that that is not all the horrible decor in the house, but that is for another post when we tackle more bits!]

Sunday was dedicated to giving the hedge a trim. Acutally a complete re-syle would be more accurate. I don't think it had been touched in about two years and, as privet has a habit of doing, has grown hugely with all the lovely rain and sun it has had recently. Anyway armed with our trusty £20 hedge trimmer from B&Q we set to work. We managed to trim all that surrounding the front garden and that lining the path to the back of the house. We filled 10 black bin liners with clippings and gave up at about 7pm.

Back to the Convnet for quick and easy stirfry and Ghostbusters - great evening. Can't remember the last time I watched that movie - so many laughs and good moments.

Apologies

Firstly apologies for not blogging over the weekend or yesterday - things have been busier than expected as you will see from today's posts.

Thurst into the limelight...

Well the moment of truth dawns. I have publisied this blog's existence! A little scary it has to be said.

Sadly not a lot to blog about so far today, just desperatly trying to do all those little things that sit on one's 'to do' list and somehow don't get actioned...

Probably more later this evening, but definitley more over the weekend. I am going to W's tonight and we are helping paint Alice's (his sister) house which should be a laugh. We are also going to see Shrek 2, again. ALice has not been yet and both Wa & I are soooooooooo keen to go again as it really is one of the funniest films I have seen in ages. The dinner table scene with Fiona's parents is so close to the bone as to be painfully funny.

Rory at Edinburgh Book Festival 28.08.04

A shamless plug for my good friend Rory Stewart. Whilst on his walk Rory sent us e-mails whenever he hit enough of western culture to find an internet cafe. They are among the funniest things I have ever read and now he has written a book all about his epic walk. If you haven't already please book tickets to come and see him at the Edinburgh Book Festival 8:30pm on Saturday 28 August 2004.

See you there!

Edinburgh International Book Festival What's On

Three Wise Monkeys

One a recent trip we hit upon a wooden mushroom that just cried out for a photo op...


See no evil 


Hear no evil 


Speak no evil 

...and that is definitely enough pictures for one evening!

Our first joint purchase of 'art'!

As I said a few days ago, W & I bought a piece of art from my friend Steve. I can now proudly show the World what it looks like. Sadly the picture is not the best and to be honest you need to see it in real life to appreciate its depth, texture and life. However, a beautiful painting. All we need now is a house to put it in!


Reflections - Steve Sutterby 

My lovely Warren 

So what does yours come out as?

husband generator

Apparently...

Kitty is married to Paul Costanzo, who she met in a bridal shop, with whom she has 4 kids, they live in a tent in Portugal and are known for their giant shopping sprees.

Teresa on the other hand is married to Billy Boyd, who she met in the park, with whom she has 8 kids, they live in a stable in Belgium and are known for throwing away all their cash.

Now it gets interesting:

T is also married to Paul Costanzo, who she met at a party, with whom she has 9 children, they live in an expensive studio flat, in the USA are they are known for their giant spending sprees.

So the moral of the story? Paul is a bigamist. Apparently all women are expected to have LOADS of kids and T/Teresa/Kitty is way too complex a girl to be tied down in a meme!

AbsoluteArt

We bought a piece of art!!

Friday night saw W & I at the opening of my friend's art exhibition at Ocean Terminal. Steve is a great artist and has gathered a load of his artist friends and started up a virtual art gallery on which to sell their art. AbsoluteART We went along, had wine and nibbles and wandered around pretending to make insighful and clever comments on each piece of art in the exhibition...

on our second tour, having said hi to Steve, we came across a picture we had not really studied the first time around: "Reflections". We looked, we stared, we stopped making 'insightful' comments, in fact we stopped making comments at all.

"I really like that."
"Umm, me too."
"Enough to live with it for the rest of our lives?"
"Yeah."

...so we bought a piece of art. When I have figured out how to do it, I will post a picture of our picture!

We followed this with dinner at Zizzi's which has the most beautiful panoramic view out across the Firth to Fife - just breath-taking with the long late evenings we get up here.