A few more memories...

...of Laughton as promised (Don't forget to read back over the weekend, as I have added the pictures to my previous posts!) -

- where the jeeps (and sometimes the tanks) come to play -

- a large steam engine moving ponderously around the site -

- the fairground at dusk -

- the two ducks in the foreground are actually remote controlled!

Some take their camping displays to the extreme...

Industrial timber processing of days gone by...

It obviously all got a little too much exploring the autojumble... :)

Tiny remote controlled tanks, but they pack a punch, I was told that they can easily tow a Ford Escort...!

Heh...

This was our next door neighbour... ;)

Tank Rides....

Home now...

...feels really weird to be back in such a quiet, and frankly, large stable environment...the weather really impacts on your day in a tent, sat in a house things are much simpler... ;)

I'm too tired to post any more of the (350) pictures from Laughton, not that you would be even half interested in 90% of them most likely... ;)

So perhaps I'll put some of the other interesting ones up tomorrow....I think we are rapidly approaching bath time now, wet wipes are great in a pinch, but hey.... :)

Oh and the sun came back out, drying the tent just in time, leaving me with a 100% dry tent packing record...*unfairly*, I really think I deserve to bring a wet tent home *once* considering how many camping trips I have had in the rain! Oh well...! Long may it last... :)

CLOUDBURST...!!

Two minutes ago it was bright...the sky blackened really very quickly indeed and only a mad panic dash got us back across the site quickly enough to zip up the display before the wall of water and crashing thunder started...all those poor visitors with no tent to run to must be soaked to the bone! There is no sign of it stopping anytime soon either!! Looks like we'll be packing up a soaking wet tent! :(

Update - Pic -

It absolutely...

...hammered it down last night but we braved the worst of it from the safety of the beer tent, Abba were a great singalong act to keep our minds off how wet the tents would be...a suprise guest joined me overnight in the sleeping compartment too, a biting insect...which was nice. This morning is extremely hot again, so looking forward to another corker... ;)

Update - Pic (still itching) -

Excellent...

...Roasted Hog and naff but fun Abba tribute band tonight...other events of note de jour - excellent climax to GP and ran out of cans of Bud...Doh! Anyone want to run some over? I'll buy hog in return?;)

Update - Pic -

I must...

...retract my initial statement about the event, as this morning I awoke to the call of a cuckoo... ;)

Oh NO...!

...batteries died! Cue mad panic in tent searching for torch to harvest cells...! Phew! ;)

Tiny TV...

...to the rescue...! ;)

Update - Pic -

Day three...

...can't believe we are only half way through our time here! The wind is gone and so is the fierce sun this morning, I think today could be busy...Now, all I have to keep worry about is how I am going to keep up to date with the German Grand Prix! There was some talk last night of a pub trip... ;)

Wow GPRS totally...

...eats up the NiMh cell on my phone! Might not get many more posts
out of the field and into cyberspace at this rate, but somehow it
seems proper to be cut off, in a way...right now I type, sat in the
beer tent awaiting the evenings entertainment which is apparently a
tribute band to a group called Vanity Fare. I seem to remember the
name but not the songs, so perhaps tonight will refresh some
neurons...the fun fair is absolutely alive, all the rides packed
despite the hour, and steam engine owners are puffing up to the
entertainent where they will sit, warm and lit enjoying the band from
their more elevated viewpoint...It's getting a little cold now, so
need to concentrate on weaving my beer jacket to keep me warm ...more
tomorrow if cell allows... ;)

Update - Pics -

Mmm...a much nicer...

...dinner tonight courtesy of Flyingpops mum - homemade beef stew brought from home...am feeling pleasantly full now, just sipping an ice cold Bud and selecting some warmer garments for tonights entertainment in the beer tent...the wind has calmed down as predicted, which is making me worry about tomorrows forecast which is for thundery showers in this area, we really will have seen it all if so! ;)

My folks have just left...

...Flyingpops and I joined them for my first proper look round the site. I have to say I am a little sad to discover that the cider people AND the organic burger people are nowhere to be found...Chilli Pepper Pete IS here though and I got some excellent dips and a brutal pesto made from Naga chillies, which are extremely hot, the nice lady on the stall gave me an unprocessed fresh one to try out, but warned
me to be careful with it as Pete had burnt his hands handling them without them without them even being cut! The weather has really improved but the wind is still seriously strong...here's hoping it's better for tonight!

Update - Pics (the green ones are the Naga) -

The show is now open...

...to the public, the sun came out during breakfast, which was a full
English affair cooked on our camp kitchen and a big BBQ, so it's
suncream again today...the sounds from outside the tent are a mixture
of steam whistles, fairground organ tunes, helicopter rotors, wind
battered canvas and the explosive exhaust notes of the ludicrously
powerful tractor pulling teams engines warming up...it sounds like a
drag racing pit lane...I can actually feel the earth beneath my feet
vibrating as they rev up!

Update - Pics -

What a contrast!

Last night saw us visiting the beer tent for a few pints and probably
the worst fish and chips I have ever eaten, I only selected it because
the chicken quarters looked about a quarter of the size they should
be...the beer was fine though, apart from when it ended up all over my
rucksack...the night can best be described as noisy, the wind started
picking up in the early hours, whipping tent and tarp into a frenzy
that hasn't yet ceased...the skies are black, and it's feeling really
rather cold, so-I guess the message here is-be careful what you wish
for!

Update - Pic -

Phew...It's finally...

...started to cool down now the sun is working it's way below the
treeline...activity on site is picking up...BBQs are springing up
everywhere, smells of cooking steak seem to be almost
omnipresent...my skin still feels like it's out in the midday sun
though...ouch! Tonight will probably see some well deserved
destruction of beer stocks taking place I would imagine... :* Just
hope that it is a bit cooler tomorrow!

Update - Pic -

Okay, it's too hot today...

...latest observations from the met office for this area are now 30
degrees, so it is actually getting hotter...and it's got to be six pm
by now...just had to go and visit the portaloo - stinking blast
furnace, had to hold my breath...the insect population of the field
are super active too, so sweating, slick with sun cream, blind by
blazing sun and crawling with unwelcome attention seems to be the
order of the early evening...Bah! Why do we look forward to summer
again? Just remind me... :)

Update - Pic -

The steam engines...

...have started to arrive, filling the air with the wonderful stink of burning coal...tooting thunderously as they approach the show ground, much to the relief of the inevitable queue of traffic that will have built up behind them on the tiny country lanes... ;)

Update - pic -

Test

This is a test post from my phone, not sure if it's going to work, just amazed i've even got GPRS access in the middle of nowhere!
Anyway, we are almost set up, it's 29 degrees, which is WAY too hot, and fridge space for cold drinks is perilously low, I'm covered in heat rash and have already burnt my neck while putting up the tent, so I'm sat down in the shade now...not going to risk the heat of the middle of the day! The dog agrees with me but I can't think of a way
to get a picture up to flickr from here...so you'll have to imagine...more later perhaps... ;)

Update - Picture of hot dog (am home now)-

No posts for a few days...

...as I am going to be living in a field at the Laughton Cuckoo Spring Fayre (follow the link if you want the history and the extremely implausible reason for the silly name) - photo journal of the trip when I get back (late on Monday)...

Pack and go...

Two nights of effort, and here we are..*hopefully* all ready for the weekend...! Tired now though and it's going to be a really early morning tomorrow...(all set up and in the sun by 11AM with a bit of luck!)...that means up and about at 0630hrs...bah... :(

Hello Dave... >8)

Yes - The League of Gentlemen movie! Meteor threatens Royston Vasey, inhabitants have to move to London (well, that's what Jinx told me anyway!). Now, how are they going to do that then? At the end of the last TV season they killed everyone off (if memory serves)! Looks like they will have to bring them all back to life (not that this would be a first for the series)...! Anyway, watch the first five minutes of the film here...(it won't be around forever though, so click soon and I won't spoil how they ressurect them for you, it is revealed therein)...

I swear that walking around...

...with a camera the whole time is changing the way I look at my environment. How many times, for example, have I been on Redhill station platform without noticing this secret door at the side of the advertising billboard, concealing a ladder?

The tube was closed today also (power problems by the sounds of things), meaning Kings Cross was in absolute chaos (inside and outside the stations). This makes me pleased that I am getting the Thameslink, I really don't miss all that messing around underground at all... :) It's also super hot, but thanks to a timely weather report I selected short sleeves and 3/4 length trousers instead of my normal getup when dressing...still was boiling on the train and we aren't even *close* to summer temperatures yet...dread to think what it is like for the poor sods stuck in the tube...*shudder*...there are rather a lot of empty desks in the office, so I am predicting a few red faced colleagues to burst into the office a little late today (muttering curses)...

Hurrah!

"G", from the sounds of things, has been released from bondage and is now back at home! Super sweet! This releases the evening (not that it would have ever been a big deal otherwise) to curiously watch the match between AC Milan and Liverpool FC...don't normally watch too much football, but this seems to have captured *everyones* imagination...!

Update - Looks like Liverpool sucks ass...worse luck... :(

Update Update - Looks like Liverpool doesn't suck ass! Just one more goal to go! ;)

Update Update Update - Goodness me! Three ALL! (this is actually quite exciting!!)

Update Update Update Update - crap...30 more minutes...! "Whittleman" must be going NUTS!

Final Update - against all odds, Liverpool *won* the match...I have to say, I think this was the best football match I have ever seen!

It's either *awfully* bad taste...

...or a wicked sense of humour behind this poster for our "Quiz night" (teetering as we are on the verge of a global avian flu pandemic)...

Herb Garden update!

Well, basically the vast majority of the things I have tried to grow seem to be flourishing, not bad for my first try at all this (imho)! I have a load more Basil plants and Rocket on the way too -

- the coriander is totally thriving (which is great because I love to eat it) and I've never seen a happier mint plant -

- the tomatos are suffering a bit thanks to the last few cold snaps of winter catching me unawares (so some of them are looking a bit on the yellow side, especially the far left-hand one in the picture below)...bah...and I *must* remember to get some tomato food, they should have been fed by now...*tut*
The courgette looks okay though... ;)

Seems like I only potted...

...this plant up a couple of weeks ago -

- and here it is bearing fruit already, last time I looked there was only one flower, that's quick work! The rest of the (non-ornamental) garden is growing really nicely as well, I'll post some snaps of that later on...

(super-blur Macro-vision warning for would-be clickers...)

Why couldn't they just go and...

...buy one like everyone else? (Actually, I saw a load of kids playing "lightsabres" on the common ground near Flyingpops' parents house the other day too (with huge sticks! (something I seem to remember doing myself in my tiny youthful form))...still even that was better than...) What this pair of idiots tried...

121st Post...! (I think)

...(just quickly counted)...my first post was on the 21st of March at 21:01...So (amazingly) I think I have pretty much found something to say every day for 2 months...and obviously sometimes lots more than one thing! ;)

I am enjoying being a blogger... :)

Oh and also, if you google "finkangel" I am now links 1,2 and 3...my Flickr space is the top link, followed by two of my blog postings..it's a bit easier than optimising a web page, keeping a blog! I'm pagerank 3 without even trying! Heh... ;)

"Mr S" sent me over this little...

...picture of the "bun"...I never could work these things out (I even ran it through some image enhancement filters to no real improvement) but apparently there is one in there somewhere (if you squint and turn your head round a bit there is supposed to be a nose visible)...It'll be easier to work out what it looks like once it is out and about I think... :)

The aim at the moment though, is to keep it invisible for as long as possible to help it get a bit bigger, so strike that last comment, and reverse it...

Stuck at Blackfriars the other day...

...on my way home (you'll have to zoom in) but in this photo you can clearly see that Tox is back up to his old tricks...what a lamer...I'm not the only one that thinks so either -

Had an interesting dream last night...

...all about having to prepare for a trip to antarctica, it centred (strangely) around what entertainment to take (i.e. CD/DVDs and players)...however, using my powers of analysis, this dream I put down to 3 things -

• Preparations are in full swing at home for the Laughton Fayre (camping)
  
• "G" is seriously bored stuck in hospital and everyone is struggling to think of things for her to do
• I am watching "Long way round" (with Ewan MacGregor...click the link... ;)
  

So just to cover the rest of yesterday...

...briefly, back to the same cinema! Got my hot (well, luke warm) dog this time though... ;)

It being a Saturday there were *loads* more kids present, but actually that helped with the atmosphere, costumes were in evidence -

- as well as (and this is while the end credits were still rolling) a *huge* number of light sabres, as soon as the movie finished about 8 kids all leaped out of their seats and had a massive Jedi battle right under the screen! The photo is a bit naff but you can kind of make them out -

- then back to mine for a further beer, some Domino's Pizza and Dr Who...very civilized... ;) After Dr Who we popped over to see "G" who is stationed now in a slightly different section of the professionally signposted "Rusper Ward" (and may be there for the duration now, worse luck, but I really can't help but think that she couldn't be in a better place right now ;)

Just having a cheeky...

...beer watching the qualifying for the Monaco GP (one of my faves, despite it's normal "follow the leader" processional nature), also getting ready for my 2nd viewing of Episode 3 in 2 days..(me filling poor "G"'s seat thanks to her current situation as detailed below)...too late to say more now, "S" has just walked through the door to pick me up...more later (perhaps!)...

Update - *Wicked* race! ;)

Well....*sigh*...

...lots going on at the moment, Flyingpops' nan isn't too well, my sister est dans l'hôpital (routine monitoring of tiny "bun in oven" avec some blood pressure anomolies, not that the (almost) routine nature of the visit makes things easy, *everyones* (quite natural) worries perhaps compounding matters, the whole family being involved, nurses being too cagey for "detail-hungry" patient et al and other general hospital bullshit...)

All we need now is another stupid frog ringtone to come out...DOH!!

Mixed feelings...

Well, it was definitely worth watching, lets get that out the way straight away...the venue for the screening was Crawley UGC (where Ratty and me went to see Episode 2, that visit was notable for the fact that when we sat down in the theatre we were the *only* people in there, the trailers went by and we were thinking "sweet, we're gonna have the place to ourselves!", then this tiny figure appears right down the bottom and starts wandering up the stairs, finally settling down in the seat (remember, there are literally hundreds of seats available, this is a *BIG* screen) *right* in front of me! I was just sat there, motionless with a handful of popcorn half way to my mouth...what a *wierdo*...(anyway, with much huffing and muttering we shuffled over one to get a clear view, but really, really odd behaviour!))...

- it being quite early in the day, the young serving lady had to inform me that the hot dogs, were on the cold side at the moment, so I had to go for a large salt popcorn (to share with Jinx) and a medium Nachos with cheese dip and *lots* of hot peppers...mmm....(actually, thinking about it, that was my breakfast...oops!)

- I think we all agreed that the movie was really good, but ruined some of the great moments of 4,5 and 6 for the generations of people who will innocently watch the movies in numerical order...and I think the end was a bit rushed, but not at all bad...I'm also pretty sure they deliberately started the clone troopers voices slowly changing from thick New Zealand to American throughout the movie? Hehe... ;)

Woo Hoo!

Really looking forward to this! ;)

Seeing as today is officially...

...the last day of the week (thanks to holiday tomorrow to go and see "Star Wars - Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith" with Ratty and Jinx), today saw "B", Nige, "Whittleman" and myself visit "The Driver" to see what was on the menu for lunch (in usual Friday fashion)...

A *treat* to behold, the sublime, tender pink in the right places, crispy griddled black in the right places and wonderfully moist "Driver" lamb cutlets were my selection, rested gently at a round of perfectly creamy parsley mash, topped with julienned spring onion, all drizzled lovingly with just the right amount of a fantastically aromatic rosemary jus...perfection... ;)

Great Britain is trying very hard...

...to be in the running to host the 2012 Olympics, there is an advertising campaign running all over London, trying to convince everyone that it is a good idea...just check out the Northern line at London Bridge if you don't believe me... ;)

I for one, don't think it is a good idea, because I have been on the London Underground and a number of other modes of public transport in our nations capital, and to be perfectly honest, it is already rather too crowded *without* bringing the worlds althletic sports fans and participants to join us, thank you very much. And do we really want the same kind of economic ruin that Greece suffered after the last one? I was amused, therefore, to spot the following bit of graffiti on a wall in Farringdon the other day (hehe) -

- although quite why Anarchists want to help keep public transport ticking over nicely is a bit of a mystery...*shrug*