Oh, my Lord. Another fantastic array of bimbos, himbos, nerds, geeks and freaks have “gone in” for the summer.
Here’s the rundown: Dennis
Big Brother 9 – The Circus Has Come To Town!
Goldfinch Chicks!!! ***Cuteness Alert***
OMG!
As I type I can see two goldfinch chicks outside my lounge room window. About an hour ago mum and dad arrived to feed from the nyger seed feeders (goldfinches are constant, daily visitors to our garden), shortly followed by one baby. A young baby, newly fledged, still fluttering his wings, begging his mum to feed him. He sat there on the bird bath next to the feeder, flapping furiously, pleading, BEGGING his mum to feed him. In the meantime brother/sister showed up and copied what mum and dad were doing and got on the feeder next door and started to feed him/herself. All this time, baby number one was STILL begging to mum. He begged for MINUTES, then, finally, she relented and fed him! He settled after that, and gingerly got himself onto the feeder mum and dad were on. He fluttered his wings some more, but mum was taking no notice, so he settled and finally started to feed himself. IT WAS JUST TOO CUTE!! After about 10 minutes, they all flew off. Then, about 15 minutes ago, they returned. Mum, dad and the two babies. Baby number one fluttered his wings for a few seconds, then remembered about feeding himself, got onto the feeder and chomped away. Baby number two was on the other feeder looking after himself. Then after a few minutes, mum and dad flew off and the babies stayed behind. They were out there until just after I started typing this out. They looked a bit lost at times, but kept feeding themselves. Oh, they are just too adorable. We’ve also seen baby blue tits today as well. I even saw a chaffinch as well! When we first moved to where we live now in 2003, we had a regular visiting pair of chaffinches. But, after a year or two, they stopped coming. So to see a chaffinch visiting again is brilliant. The visits have been fleeting so far, but I’m hoping they’ll become more frequent as the summer goes on.
And just to keep you informed, no hedgehog in the box for the last few weeks. We keep on putting food out which gets eaten, but the hog isn’t staying in the box. As for the bats…no sightings since that first night however long ago it was now…4-5 weeks ago?? But I keep a look out every night at dusk. The weather hasn’t been the best though lately, so I’m hoping the bat scene will improve from tomorrow onwards (when finer weather is due).
Photo supplied by: foxypar4 under Creative Commons license.
My Favourite TV Advert Of The Moment.
This tickles my funny bone.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/wP0mXUCqOCc]
Thunderstorm!
After diligently doing some video archiving until about 2am this morning (to see the video, check out http://www.dailymotion.com/larelleread – the name of the sight cracks me up, it sounds more like a forum for people wanting to talk about bowel movements! Em uses a third-party Twitter client called Spaz! Where DO they get the names of these sites/apps from?!)
Anyway, I digress. We’d been in bed about an hour (even though it was 2am when we went to bed, I still played with my Nintendo DS for a while) and I saw this flash of light come through the windows. I thought to myself “Gee, that was a strong set of headlights!”, then seconds later there was a rumble which made me think “That plane was a bit noisy.” It’s not unheard of for us to get planes taking off and landing at the airport on the wee hours, actually it’s quite regular. Then a few minutes later there was another flash and I finally realised…that’s no car headlights! YIKES! It’s a thunderstorm, followed quickly by conformation in the form of a particularly loud rumbling clap of thunder!
[dailymotion id=x5m9nz]
It’s hardly been “tropical” in the UK over the last few days, particularly in the south of England where we have been lumped with the worse weather over the bank holiday weekend. So to have a thunderstorm in such banal conditions felt REALLY odd. It hasn’t even been warm!! It was just freaky!
Can you be British AND Happy?
There was an article on the Daily Express web site yesterday about 40 reasons to be British and happy which tickled me. Some of the suggestions of WHY would should be happy seemed either lame or outlandish – most didn’t even pertain to anything quintessentially British. The forty reasons fall under ridiculous categories as well, which you will see in a moment.
Here’s a run down:
(My replies to the ridiculous ideas are in blue.)
SUMMER FUN
1 Sweaty Betty is offering free running and yoga clubs. All you have to do is check times on its website and turn up!
Wow! Exercising is NOT my idea of fun, and definitely NOT a reason to be British and happy?!
2 England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 has guaranteed a whole summer free of tabloid hysteria and WAGs’ antics.
That’s a load of hogwash. Did they forget that it’s Wayne Rooney’s and Coleen McLoughlin’s wedding in June? WAG’s a plenty I reckon!
3 The opera season at Glyndebourne begins this Sunday with the inaugural performance of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea.
The venue nestles in a fold in the South Downs and an evening spent at this eccentric private opera house is one of the highlights of the social season.
Enjoy a picnic on the lawn in evening dress before you disappear back into the modernist interior for a perfect second half.
Please, give me a break! And what has “enjoying the opera” got to do with being British anyway? Man, these reasons are sssooo lame!
4 It’s less than six weeks to Wimbledon. If you want to go, you’ll have to enter a public ballot, but you can queue up for one of 6,000 daily ground tickets from £5 a person.
Well, I suppose if you love tennis, it could be construed as ONE valid reason, but you don’t necessarily have to be British to be happy about it. Who came up with this lame list? Oh, Helen Dowd and Jane Warren – neither of which I can find any real info about on the Internet, so why are their opinions so highly rated?
5 Tickets for Royal Ascot – June 17-21 – are on sale and it’s possible to experience all the tradition, pageantry, fashion and style from just £15 per person. Call 0870 727 1234
WTF?
TRAVEL
6 It’s the perfect time to plan a camping holiday or car-free trip the weather can’t spoil at Center Parcs. Race bikes through hundreds of acres of woodland, splosh in the pools and try everything from abseiling to zip wires. Harassed mothers can relax in the Aqua Sana spa. Book one of the chic woodland lodges.
Oh hell, camping holidays! Since when have they been quintessentially British? I suppose if you count “Carry On” films as a true reflection of Britishness, that might be construed. But Center Parcs? The spelling of “center” alone sounds American. Perhaps if it were to a REAL British holiday (concentration) camp like Pontin’s or Butlin’s, then it may just be more British, but it certainly WOULDN’T make you happy. Staying in a complex with loads of families, screaming kids, dirty pools, canteens that serve breakfast between 8am and 8.10am all served up in bomb-shelter areas of the British “countryside” – does THAT sound like fun to you?
7 Visit the world’s best urban beach on Paris’s River Seine: three nights from £188.
Excuse me, wasn’t this meant to be reasons to be British and happy? Since when did it change to being French and happy?
8 The pound is still very strong compared to the dollar, so there’s still time to fly out to the United States for that shopping trip of a lifetime. This summer, British Airways is offering return flights to the Big Apple from £318.
Have you guys not seen the state of the economy? There’s a little thing going on in the world called “The Credit Crunch”. Who can afford a ” shopping trip of a lifetime” trip to NY? Maybe they should have changed the title of this piece to be “Reason’s to be posh, British and happy”?
FASHION AND BEAUTY
FASHION AND BEAUTY
9 It’s the bathing suit over which every woman will be breathing a sigh of relief as she heads for the beach. The Miraclesuit, £135, has hidden underwire, detachable straps and the Miratex fabric will pull in the wobbliest of tummies.
I’m sorry, but spending £135 on a bathing suit would NOT make me happy. Not unless it could actually make 135 pounds off my body disappear! Geesh!
10 Actress Gwyneth Paltrow might have hailed a revival for vertiginous heels but flats and Grecian sandals are just as trendy for summer. Slip into something much more comfortable from £120.
Again, why would spending £120 on a pair of sandals (when I could get a pair for £6 at Priceless Shoes). That wouldn’t make me happy either!
11 Here’s one fashion relaunch the gents will love as much as the ladies. Wonderbra is releasing a new summer version of its iconic plunging bra, £26.
Why on Earth would that make me happy? And what’s flippin British about it? Most women have such plastic friggin boobies these days they’d probably A) not be able to fit into a Wonderbra, or B) probably ACTUALLY not need a Wonderbra. And I’m sure that at £26, you’d find them cheaper elsewhere, say like on that “shopping trip of a lifetime” in NY perhaps?
12 There is nothing better than a handbag to make you happy. Primark has brought out a sunshine bright evening bag that not only looks like Chanel but also costs just £6.
Wow! A true bargain, but you are actually promoting counterfeit goods here. Is that right? Maybe it’s quite Brit to wear Von Ditch (I know it’s Von Dutch, but I like the idea that the knock offs would be called Von Ditch) and Blueberry knock-offs? I thought it was Chav, not Brit, maybe Chav and Bit are one and the same these days.
13 For men, keeping cool in hot weather will be easier with a pair of Coolers’ pants, designed to keep body temperature down. Canterbury Coolers Boxers, £12.99.
Erm, I’m sure if there are any men left reading this article by this point, they have fallen off their computer chairs with ecstasy with the idea of buying a pair of “cool” boxer shorts. I’m sure they have been totally inspired by the article writers’ imagination!
14 Smother yourself in happiness with miracle cream from Guerlain. The Happylogy UltraPenetrating Skin Essence, £51.50 stimulates the release of anti-ageing hormones in skin to plump and smooth your complexion. Details: 01932 233887.
Oh, you seriously ARE taking the biscuit now! You guys obviously didn’t see the Dispatches programme the other night highlighting the total waste of finances that “beauty” creams are? I might as well light a £50 note and watch it burn, it would be more fun!
15 For beauty lovers who want to bag a bargain, Balaton’s face mask comes with a freebie – buy a 100ml pot and get a free Balaton spa travel bag with six travel products worth £24.99.
Oh, Hallelujah! Watch me spin myself round til I’m dizzy with this fantastic piece of information. Again, I hate to state the obvious, but what does this have to do with being either A) British, or B) happy?
Btw, at this point, is it just me, or is there a STRONG marketing thread to this piece? Surely this has now become an advertising editorial, no?
ASTROLOGY
ASTROLOGY
16 In astrological terms, an auspicious August beckons. “The next new moon eclipse on August 1 in Leo should be really fun,” says Deike Begg from the Association of Professional Astrologers International.
“Leo is the sign of fun, it will make everyone happier and herald the start of a new adventure. Futhermore, between August 13 and 14, Jupiter – the planet of good fortune – and Venus – the party planet – are forming a 120 degree angle which will be very good fun, and especially so for Capricorns and Virgos.”
This is followed on August 16 by a full moon eclipse. “A great day for celebrations, such as weddings and christenings,” she adds.
OK, I’ll wait and see what happens in August. Maybe we WILL have a reason to be British and happy, but I dare guess by the predictions only if you ARE a Leo, Capricorn or Virgo. I’m a Scorp, go figure!
17 Cardiff University researcher Cliff Arnall reckons June 24 is the happiest day of the year because of the likelihood of good weather coupled with the prospect of some time off.
Hhmm, I think I might just let you have that one. It took until number 17 to get what could actually be a valid reason to be British and happy. Will there be any more?
FOOD AND DRINK
18 What would summer be without strawberries? Get some expert guidance on growing your own. For new and interesting recipes, visit www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes.
It’s pretty shit if you hate strawberries or are allergic to them. Ian Hislop hates them (and he’s pretty damn British and smug (IE: most likely happy too). My niece is allergic to strawberries (not that she’s British, but she’s happy).
19 For veg lovers, British asparagus is in season. The British Asparagus Association is holding a festival to celebrate on May 25-26.
Well, again, like the strawberries. But it’s almost good for me, as I do like asparagus, I just can’t afford to buy them :-(
20 It’s picnic time once again and Tio Pepe is offering the adventurous an opportunity to ditch the dull cucumber sandwich. Chef Mark Hix has created the Gourmet Grazing Box with a delicious combination of chorizo, wild boar prosciutto, olives and manchego cheese.
Sounds nice, but how much is it?
21 Who can resist a cool glass of Pimm’s? The classic summer drink has had a revamp with a host of new recipes on the Pimm’s web wite.
Who can resist a glass of Pimm’s? Me! That’s who.
22 The National Taste Festivals kick off on May 29 in Edinburgh and continue through June and July. Gary Rhodes, Antony Worrall Thompson and Tom Aikens are among chefs appearing.
Well, another thing that sounds alright, especially if it’s free (that I highly doubt). Ok, you’ve got two now (possibly three)…not 22!
BEST BUYS
BEST BUYS
23 Curry’s sale is on with HD ready digital LCD TVs reduced by up to £200 and free delivery on orders over £150 – all ready for a sporting summer.
WTF? What has this got to do with anything. Oh, yes, of course. I keep forgetting this is an advertising editorial.
24 Superdrug has cheap suncream on sale at £6.99, with a buy-one-get-one-free offer.
£6.99 is NOT cheap suncream. ASDA have a 200ml 15+ SPF sun lotion for £1.11, now THAT’S cheap. Shit, I keep forgetting it’s an advertising editorial. I wonder how much Superdrug paid for their mention here…?
SCIENCE
25 Happy people are healthier than pessimists, says a study of 3,000 adults by University College, London. Upbeat folk have lower levels of cortisol, a “stress” hormone that can contribute to higher blood pressure, obesity and lowered immune function.
A useful piece of information. Can’t you be happy AND a pessimist though? Being pessimistic doesn’t necessarily mean you are stressed.
Anyway, I like to consider myself an optimistic realist. Perhaps you can have 4, but maybe not if you are truly ill, you can’t just “snap out of it” as the suggestion implies here. It’s like they are saying, “just be happy for f*ck sake!”
26 A daily dose of chocolate is good for your heart. British scientists have developed a bar that can lower cholesterol. A team at the University of East Anglia has created a sweet treat that retains higher levels of antioxidants, called flavonoids, which are healthy.
Now you are actually beginning to talk my language. But why I need to be British for this baffles me. I know it’s not what the article says but it’s what it implies. Why not just have called it “40 reasons to be happy, or British or happy”? I don’t know, I just don’t get the whole Brit side of it so far.
27 Ninety will soon be the new 60 thanks to medical advances that will transform the diseases of old age. Alzheimer’s may soon be curable and most cancers are likely to be treatable.
Pardon? We’re going to live longer. We should be happy about that? I’m really not getting this list sometimes. If they’d found the secret to the fountain of youth, I could understand. My mum has been in pain for years, people have health problems at 60. If that means it stretches out for another 30 years, why on Earth should that make people happy? I don’t get it! And as for medical advances, if we still can’t cure the cold…
28 It will soon be possible to replace old, worn out organs with custom-grown ones. “Within a few decades, we are likely to be able to slow ageing itself, which could even lead to life beyond 120,” says futurist Peter Schwartz.
That sounds like my absolute idea of hell. Who’s going to look after all these “old fogey’s”? Certainly not the youth of today.
CHILDREN
29 It’s the time to plant sunflower seeds and see who can nurture the tallest.
Oh, FFS!!!
This has got to be the lamest one so far. Especially for kids. They don’t want to be planting sunflowers. They want to be playing GTA4 for 28 hours of the day.
30 London’s West End theatres are opening their doors to children aged five to 16 for free shows, activities and workshops. The Kids Week event in August will encourage youngsters to get involved.
God, that’s almost a good one. Try dragging your kids along to one though…
31 The Playhouse Disney Live! tour kicks off in London on May 29 at the Hammersmith Apollo. Mickey, Goofy and their friends will be travelling the country until late June.
Yawn…and what, prey tell, does this have to do with Britishness again?
OUTDOORS
32 It’s the village fete season. Drinks company Innocent is holding one in Regent’s Park in London on August 2-3 and has compiled a list of others going on around the country.
Lord help me. Again, it costs money. When has it ever cost money to go to a fete? And the word fete? Not British, but French. So fete’s, as a rule, are not uniquely British…
33 Britain’s beaches are the cheapest places to hire a sunlounger in Europe, costing an average of £2.50 a day compared to £10 in French hotspots, according to The Expedia Deck-Chair Index.
And why would you need a sunlounge? And why not just take your own? And, have you thought they are cheaper to hire here, ‘cos no-one wants to go to “our” beaches?! A nice little advert for Expedia though…”Let yourself go!” – sang in a Felix the Cat meets Ethel Merman style (a bit of an in-joke for me and Em).
34 Late spring transforms hedgerows, meadows and woods. Foxgloves are about to appear, caterpillars are emerging and will soon turn into butterflies, and swallows and woodpeckers can be seen.
Friggin hell! Amazing! I think this might actual be number 4 or 5 on the TRUE reasons to be British and happy list! I can’t fault this one…
35 The National Gardens Scheme is encouraging us to get out into the garden this Spring bank holiday. More than 200 gardens across the country will be throwing open their gates to the public from May 24-26.
Again, one I actually cannot fault. Number 5-6 on the true list.
36 The days will keep getting longer until June 21, the summer solstice, when summer begins.
Another true reason to be thankful.
CULTURE
37 The Royal Shakespeare Company’s summer season includes performances of The Taming Of The Shrew, The Merchant Of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Stratford-upon-Avon, with Romeo And Juliet being toured throughout the country.
Woah! They’re on a role here. Not my cup of tea (something not mentioned but wonderfully British), but Will’s IS as Brit as they come and Shakespeare in the park in summer is an overtly British thing to do, and probably something to be happy about.
38 May is Museums And Galleries Month in Wales and there are events happening across the country to celebrate it. Many are letting visitors in for free.
Why is this restricted to Wales? Good though…
39 Liverpool’s annual Summer Pops, running from June 28-July 31, will be the biggest yet this year. Artists such as Blondie, Duran Duran and the Sugababes will be performing as part of the city’s European Capital of Culture celebrations.
If it’s free, it’s good.
40 Tickets are now on sale for the Hampton Court Palace Festival from June 3-21, set in the magnificent surroundings of the palace. Forget muddy music festivals, at Hampton Court there will be picnics and classical music performances. Call 0844 412 2954.
Hhhmm, sounds OK. I think I’ve tallied up less than 10 actual true, valid, good reasons to be British and happy there. The rest is an old load of codswallop!!!
There Is Hog In The Box!
It seems too early, but already we have a hedgehog in our makeshift box by our front door. It’s not the biggest hog, nor is it a baby. Em wants to get some food for it, but we have more cats in our patch of wood that you can shake a stick at. But we have a set-up that hopefully means the food will only go to the little hoggy.
Sadly Em did find a dead baby hog nearly 2 weeks ago now, on the lawn. Not sure what happened to it, whether it was an over curious cat, or perhaps even a kill by a bird of prey that was dropped in our garden (we do have birds of prey fly around our neck of the woods ‘cos we border the countryside), who knows? It’s was only the littlest baby. I hope it wasn’t the baby of the one in the box 🙁
Stay tuned on hog developments.
When ARE we going to get our spring weather?
After the snow over Easter, we literally had one day’s respite before getting loads of rainy weather. We’ve got rainy conditions until Sunday and possibly beyond. I’d planned to go to the laundrette this week. I’ve got towels, underwear and bed linen to wash. I really DO hate British weather sometimes. One upside. . .at least it’ll be warmer. Ciao
The Anniversary Easter.
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| From Antipodean – The Right Side Up |
We’ve had a busy week leading up to Easter. Em had an appointment for a check-up at the hospital in Leicester on Wednesday (19th), and as you’ll know from previous posts, we decided to go away for a few days. It was our anniversary (the big 10th anniversary) on Good Friday, so instead of going away right over Easter, we decided to do it just before.
I think we had very good timing because this is what it looked like this Easter Sunday morning.
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| From Antipodean – The Right Side Up |
Happy Easter, welcome to spring!!
Anyway, to the adventures of the break. We headed off late Monday morning. We shelved going to the wildlife park at Shepreth for going somewhere else closer to Leicester. We just made our way up to Stamford, stopped there at the local Morrison’s supermarket, then made our way to the Travelodge. We were both pretty tired from having a late night and early morning, so that’s basically what we did for Monday.
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| From Antipodean – The Right Side Up |
Tuesday we headed over to Leicester and we went to Tropical Birdland, which is in this little village outside Leicester. We were following the signpostings for the place. I swear we went around the whole village before we got to the place! It was a freezing cold morning, around 6-8 degrees, with a slight fog hanging in the air.
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| From Antipodean – The Right Side Up |
The signs for the place were NOT good. We went in. No one was manning the pay window. I wish we’d sneaked into the place because it was TWELVE POUNDS (for both of us – IE: not each) to get in. There were emus and and owls at the front entrance, here are some pics.
We were only there an hour. We saw everything we could see by that time. I’m sure the place would be nicer in warmer weather and more of a crowd there. There were loads of macaws flying free. Apart from the emus, there were different types of cockatoos as well as a red-cheeked bulbul and a lovely kookaburra. It was SSSOOO cold though. I could see some of the birds shivering! The poor things. Not exactly the kind of weather conditions for these birds. They were lovely birds though. They had a few different types of toucans there with different coloured beaks.
Time passed quickly though and so we left tropical birdland and took the park and ride into Leicester. We went into Primark and had a look around. Cheap jeans man!! Jeans for £6 and £8. Em bought a pair of jeans and a cardigan from there. Then we went across the mall to New Look and got some bargain tops as well. We killed a few hours there. Had a big costa coffee. Em had her decaf cappuccino and I had a huge decaf mocha. Em’s cup was so huge it had handles on the side like a toddlers sipping cup!
We left Leicester and stocked up on supplies at a Morrison’s nearby. Then we ended up on our first traffic jam, going to Morrison’s! We ate there and then had another early night. We had to be at the hospital early the next day and negate the ring road around Leicester.
Next day, we did start to get lost around the ring road. We took a wrong turn and went off track for a bit, but recovered, so we still got to the hospital on time. All was wrapped up by midday.
Then it was off to Birmingham to watch U2:3D. We thought we’d overspent the day before so we didn’t have 2 brass razoos to rub together. I thought I had £10 left though, so I knew we had enough left to have something to eat at a motorway services. We stopped at a services on the M6. I got myself a KFC twister meal, got the money out to pay and then realised my £10 was only £5!!! Em had yet to buy anything!! So we bought some milk so she could eat bran flakes that we bought from home!!! Poor love, I felt so guilty!
We got to Birmingham HOURS early. We tried to negate the city centre (frig me, Birmingham is the world’s scariest city! – to navigate around that is) and stop at The Bull Ring shopping mall, but every time we went by, we’d miss the car parks, so we gave up in the end. We went and parked near the Thinktank place that has the Imax cinema. We had to kill around 2 hours, cos we only had enough money to park in the Thinktank car park for an hour, so we decided to wait until 5.30pm when parking would be £1. The movie started at 6pm, so we had time to get in and park and get into the cinema. It was cold in the car, but the sun was out, so it kept us warm for an hour or so, until the sun started to go down.
The movie was really good. Some really good 3D effects and the sound quality was fab!! It wasn’t like being at a concert as such, and in a lot of respects it was better than a concert experience. I enjoyed it. A good playlist of songs and really well edited together. It was good.
Then afterwards as we exited the cinema, we had to go down 4 flights of escalators! They were SSSOOO fast, I missed my footing and ended up on my bum. I hate escalators. And if they are high and exposed (IE: I can see down either side of the escalator), it’s 10 times worse. These particular escalators ticked all the boxes. And they were fast speed. I didn’t want to get on it when I approached it, but couldn’t see any lift available, so I had no choice. The steps were going around so bloody quickly. I kept trying to step on, but it just was going around so bloody fast. Anyway, I went and still didn’t hit the step right, tried to recover, but just kept losing my footing, then ended up on my bum. Thank God that’s what happened and I didn’t end up falling!! I screamed out to Em, who was already half-way down. Like she could do anything. I felt so embarrassed and upset. I was shaking! I SSSOOO didn’t want to get on the next one. But I had no choice. I was shaking like a leaf. Anyway, I somehow managed to get down the rest of them without any further mishap.
We got to the car and were leaving Birmingham, going round a roundabout. Em almost clipped the side of the car to the left of us, wanting to get in the left lane. My leg started to sting. I’d grazed my leg on the escalator edge! We left Birmingham. Em was tired as hell, so we stopped at a services for a rest. Then later stopped again. She was almost falling asleep behind the wheel! She had a sleep at the next services. We finally got home around 10.45pm. Freezing cold and extremely tired!!
For Easter I had my treat of a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Caramel Chew Chew ice cream (which was divine!) with 3 creme eggs, which I dropped into the ice cream every now and then. It was GORGEOUS!!! Our anniversary was quiet, but lovely.
All that scrimping on the last day and we’d been paid early because of Easter and were totally fine!! Damn it.
We’re on day 2 of the trip away and already…
we’ve changed our plans.
We didn’t go to Shepreth yesterday, we just went straight to Stamford. We had an early night which meant I was out of sleep by 4.20am. Today we’re going to Tropical Birdworld. I hope it’s going to be good. I’ll let you know the verdict later. Ciao
The plan of events when we go away
We’re off to a wildlife park the 1st afternoon away. Then a day in Stamford, Oakham and/or Rutland Water. The next day, hospital check-up, then to B’ham to watch U2:3D on Imax. I hope we have a great time. Ciao.