Boxing Day - Shackell Skaters

So, today is Boxing Day. Very few people know that it actually originated in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Servants received gratuities from their masters, collected in boxes in Christmas day, sometimes in churches, and distributed the day after. Today we celebrated it with our Shackell tradition of Cold Meat and Chips. Or for the vegetarian I am (unless I'm travelling) cheese and a bread roll. After lunch the Shackell Skaters were on the ice rink at Castle Green. A stunning open air ice rink by the Castle. Hayden ran straight on the ice and found it funny to use people as a break. Dad was spinning around like Christopher Dean...Mum and I had little chance to fall becuase the side was out new best friend :)

Happy Boxing Day

Olivia's First Christmas

What does Christmas mean to you? I've been thinking about what it means to me and why we celebrate a religous festival even when we aren't religious. Today has changed my opinion when I saw my neice. Today Olivia Louise was spolit rotten at her very first Christmas. Here are some piccies from our Christmas. The day started incredibly early after getting to bed at 2am becuase I was in Cardiff last night. Livvy has more pressies than anybody could imagine and if you are wondering what the last picture is....apparently stretching your neck forward in photo's means that you loose your double chin, try it....this is the result :) Merry Christmas to all

General wonderings

In between travelling, I wonder.

This morning it snowed in Bristol, in November!!!! Just wait, soon our trains will come to a halt, schools will close for the day and people won't be able to get to work. We don't cope well with extremes in weather. Piccies to follow.

Todays wonder is whether there are lollipop people in other countries. I passed 4 lollipop people on my way to work and wonder whether they are still required to help children cross the road and whether they are a UK only phenomenon. I remember my school lollipop lady, everyone loved her. They stand on the side of the road in the luminous yellow coats and big lollipop and help children across the road. My wondering has lead me to google and here are my findings :)

• In 2004, Lollipop men and ladies are celebrating 50 years of their craft.
  
• There are now around 30,000 lollipop people across the country.
  
• The School Crossing Patrol Act was introduced in the winter of 1953,
  
• In 1953 797 children were killed on the roads and in 2002 the number was 179.
  
• In 2001 School Crossing Patrols were given the authority to help adults cross the road
  
• The UK's longest serving School Crossing Patrol has been working as an SCP for 41 years.
  

So, if anybody reads this and is based in a country other than the UK, do let me know if you have lollipop people. By the way, I think the politcally correct name for them is School Crossing Patrol people.

More More Room 101

Oh my gosh, winter started yesterday in England and its absolutely freezing so I thought I would share some piccies from the training course I went on for the past couple of days in Chew Valley. The mansion house was the venue!

However, I have more Room 101 :)

Craig David
Every song sounds exactly the same and says nothing!
Lemar
He shouldn't have won fame academy and he is in my craig david box
Loosing toe nails
I've lost my toe nail, the whole thing and am left with skin only. Photo on request :)
Gnits
Oh the memories of my nan going through my hair with the horrible smelling shampoo and gnit comb
Stubbling your toe nail
How often I do this! I know I have big feet so wonder if little feet get hit as much
Rats
No purpose in life but to scare people
Birds
All birds, hate them, have been poo-ed on twice
24 hour supermarkets that say they are always open but not
I don't understand how supermarkets claim they are open 24 hours a day but close at 4pm on Sunday's?????
Forwards
Selective forwards are good, all others are deleted
Shoe shops - don't go up to size 10
I've searched on the web to find where cross dressers buy shoes. Why do womens soes not go up to size 10?
Angels by robbies williams
Apparently, number 2 in the wedding song charts and is the worst song ever. I would choose the muppet song above this for my wedding
People moaning about me being late
When am I early???? Nicky had the right idea, her friend told her to tell me to meet at 7.30 (an hour early), to be on the safe side she told me to be ready an hour before than. So, I was ready at 6.30 when I had to be there at 8.30. Quite extreme but worked
Packing bags for holiday
A personal packer or packing machine would be worth a fortune
Pet names
Hate them like babe, doll, honey, sugar, sweetheart
Paying for a luggage ticket on a tram in eastern europe
See Poland holiday, its to catch out tourists!
Ornaments
Especially ones of fish, dogs, cats that have no purpose but to collect dust
Blowing up balloons
As a kid I made a paper mache thingand the balloon popped in my face, children laughing as I was covered in paper mache
Trends
Like wearing ur jeans half way up ur leg, a comb in your hair, trousers that are below your waist and my recent hate....wellies being fasionable!

Home bound, 2 hours plane, 4 hours car

We only had a morning in Krakow on our last day to look around so we went on a walking tour to se Wawel, Barbakan and the medieval square. As a compromise, we took a taxi to the airport and sat outside in 7 degree coldness eating our picnic. It only took 2 hours to get to London from Krakow but took 4 hours to drive from London to Bristol. Road Works!.

I really don’t know what adjective to use to describe the trip. I can’t say I enjoyed it but I’m very grateful for the experience and have learnt a great deal from it, if only we learnt from such mistakes.

Polish kebab

12 hours sleep and my legs still ached but we had breakkie without an argument! Today we got on public transport to get to our destination. However, polish people must have very very short legs because I couldn’t physically fit my legs in the seat so I had to take up all three!. Mum says I’m cheap, I call it economical J

Today’s trip was to the Wieliczka Salt mine. We were guided through the salt mines down 394 steps which ends up making you feel quite dizzy. Each of the sculptures was carved from salt by the minders. The sculptures of Princess Kinga, a Hungarian princess and the Pope are especially good.

The St Kinga chapel is a vast chamber with a chandelier of salt crystal. Opera, sports, weddings and new year parties are held in the chapels. Mum went back to the surface while I went into the museum, big mistake. We had to use the miners lift because the tourist one was being checked. We were bundled into a very small lift without doors and sent up the shaft at a very fast speed, in pitch black darkness and only seeing the occasional light pass. Mum screamed apparently.

It was a regular occurrence on the trip to sleep for a few hours before dinner and today was no different. I blame it on the fact that it gets dark at 3.30, it feels like its dark for hours.

It was mum’s choice for evening meal so she went for something very polish, a kebab :)

Auschwitz - a day that will stay with me forever

 

The day started at 7am with a continental breakfast and an argument on the smoking rules between mother and daughter. After a walk through Planty, we happened upon the train station, quite by chance. One major problem, the information desk didn't speak English. After a slight panic and 're-group' we found a taxi and 4 English people to share a mini bus with.

The first tour was to Auschwitz 1, beginning with a harrowing video showing liberation. A girl was forced to stand bare foot in the snow for a whole day, she lost her feet. People starved near to death, the remaining children holding hands, sunken eyes and a frown on every face.

We walked through the freedom gate and the first block showed us how people were transported to the camp. People travelled thousands of miles across Europe to their 'new home'. They packed belongings to start up their new home and were forced into a cattle truck with 99 other people, no sanitation or water. They even had to pay for their ticket!

The most horrific part of the tour was seeing 1 tonne of human hair, realy human hair taken off the bodies that were in the gas chamber. The gas was made into cloth. What person could wear a peice of clothing that was made by murdered people's human hair? The sight made me feel physically sick and I couldn't look at the hair. There were rooms of spectacles, showes, prosthetic limbs, toothbrushes and shaving brushed. 43,000 pairs of shoes were on display, these were just the ones for the camp. The good ones were sent to Berlin.

By this time I had permanent goosbumps and there was complete silence amongst the tour. The death wall between block 10 and 11 was also horrifying. The windows on each block were covered over apart from the bottom floor which was used by the gestapo as though they receieved pleasure from watching such atrocities.

Block 11 contained the cells. At this point I was considering leaving the corridor. It was very dark and had limited fresh air. One cell only had a few holes for ventilation, people slowly suffocated to death, there were just enough holes to prolong the death. The standing cells held 4 people and were no bigger than a telephone box, I decided to stand in it and the goosebumps became so much that I dashed out of the block before I was sick. It was at this point I had to make a decision as to whether I was strong enough to carry on. I thought I was prepared, I wasn't.

The first gas chamber wasn't like the 'shower' format. People were huddled into a room and gas was thrown through the ceiling. If you were lucky enough to be right underneath the gas, you were killed instantly. If not, it took 20 minutes for you to die. The commandants children used to play on top of the gas chamber. Next to the chamber is the personal gallows made for him.

Auschwitz 2 is a few km away from Auschwitz 1, between camps, the hard labour was done. The scale of the 2nd camp can't be explained. You have to strain you eyes to see the end of the camp. The famous railway and watchtower is the entrance to the camp. We were shown the washouse and toilets. If people weren't out in a few seconds, they were beaten. Beaten for having a stomach problem even though they were fed rotten food on a daily basis. So much we take for granted.

We walked to the end of the camp, past electric boundaries, gas chambers, a chamber that the nazi's exploded when they left and a memorial.

the day was extremely emotional. The day we visited was the All souls day when people congregate around the graves of loved ones. There were over 1000 people in procession walking around the camp. We were very lucky to see this but at the front of the procession were a group of shawled women, possibly survivors of the atrocity. A group of Jewish children walked around the camp with jewish symbols on their flags.

During the day I kept thinking that this actually happened in my grandad's lifetime and such decisions of life and death are still being made around this world. What right does one man have to murder another? How selfish this world has become.

In the evening mum and I went to a Perogi restaurant. it slightly looked like a transport cafe and we had exactly the same meal...again. Onion soup followed by meat perogi (plate of Cornish pasties).

Krakow and a plate of roast potatoes

Oh I do love the low budget airlines. This weekends trip was to Krakow, Poland.

Our day started at 3am on a cold Saturday morning. At 6am we were at Gatwick, checked in and had a 4 hour wait until out Central Wings plane left. I was horrified int he airport to find that they already had their christmas decorations up. Mum made full use of the smoking cubicle which always amazes me how the smoke doesn't escape as they are no doors.

I throughly recommend Central wings, they even give you a sweet on the landing (I'm easily swayed by food). We arrived in Krakow very weary and not knowing how to get on a bus, a simple thing in your own country but it takes ten times longer when you don't know stupid rules like having to pay for your luggage! Why! After a very worried bus journey (becuase I knew I hadn't of paid for the luggage but mum didn't) we had a long walk to the hotel where we found out that we had to be relocated to another hotel. So, we used our 5th mode of transport for the day and got in a taxi for a 5 minute walk (we weren't paying)

First impressions were that Krakow is a very rich country and has more colour that Warsaw. I was in Warsaw in 2001 and I remember greyness and being stared at beucase my friend has a rainbow coat on.

The environment is so bad in krakow that we were charged climate tax!!!!! 1zl per person, per day which meant about £2 for the whole time we were there. However, the steel companies make a fortune and the people have to pay for the privilage of being covered in acid rain?

Mum unpacked while I documented what she had brought for LM purposes. One kettle, one hair dryer, tea, coffee, milk, a bag of toiletries that was bigger than my whole clothes allowance for this trip, 2 pairs of shoes, 5 travel adapters and one phone charger. However, only 2 sets of clothes (as per my orders) :)

I must be getting old becuase I had a nap while mum unpacked and had a 'first'. I dreamt that I was sleeping. I have never done that before, bizarre when you wake up ad to what is reality.

Dinner consisted of us having the exact same meal (a trend that followed the entire trip, can you tell that we are related?) Polish cheese board, leek soup and then my mistake. I ordered potatoes with bacon and onion. Little did I know that I would be served a big dinner plate of roast potatoes and thats it!

More Room 101

Turkey ham -
Who can explain to me what turkey ham is? How can you mate a turkey and a pig (I almost said ham). What does it taste like? I'm not sure I want to know what it consists of. So into Room 101 it goes.
Warts and veruccas -
Again, they have no purpose in life but to fund the liquid nitrogen companies. They look horrid and after beinga lifeguard for years, they are my enemy.
Zebra crossings after a roundabout -
Why would you put a crossing after a roudabout? You are already dizzy and trying to run stupid drivers off of the road that hog the outside lane. Then you have a zebra!
People who go on annual holidays to the same place -
There are so many more interesting places to go to!
Benidorm -
I have never been but why don't you just spend a week at home? At both locations you can enjoy your english breakfast, english conversation and generally english people.
Dust -
Well, I need to put into Room 101 the actual dust element as well as the people who insist on writing 'clean me' on my TV.
The office, monty python -
I've grown to like Little Britain but The Office and Monty Python is just wrong. How can anybody find it amusing?
People that use mobile phones in garages -
We all know the risks
Headphones that tangle -
A recent annoyance, I spend the first few minutes of every day untangling them.
Hangers that tangle and fall in the floor -
Why do hangers tangle so well and always fall on the floor?
Breaking the spines of books -
One of my biggest hates
People that force things -
Its not meant to be that way if forced
Call centres -
Instead of 'School House' I was sent a letter to 'School Mouse'. The only thing correct was my postcode, thank goodness becuase it was the legal agreement for my car.
Speed cameras -
I got caught last week. I once loved them, now I hate them. Like -
I did that today!!!!!!
American words -
Ya'll, center, color, bum bag. I don't know if this is American but who invented the word 'Chav'?
Stickey pub surfaces -
Especially putting your arm in wet patch :(
Sitting on chewing gum -
And putting it in the freezer has always mystified me.
Tourists that take pictures of stupid things -
The number of tourists that have pictures next to statues they don't even know who they are.
Limp huggers -
I'm a big hugger and limp huggers just don't do it for me, you have to mean it.

Room 101

Well, I have spent a total of 6 hours on the train this weekend...what a nightmare. I'm all for people using public transport, its environmentally friendly but not with the state of the English railway system. It started on friday when I missed my connection in newport, a place you wouldn't want to be un-connected. I've just got back from visiting my very pregnant friends in Berriew, Mid Wales and had to stand up for an hour of my 3 hours journey back.

What a boring blog. No fear, I have a point :) To cheer this blog I will put in some autumny piccies I took today.

I was so bored on my ridiculous train journey's, so I thought that I would start a room 101 list and here it is -

• Trains - especially when you miss connections becuase they give you just 3 minutes to catch you other train
• Trains again - this time is train toilets, especially as I always go when we change tracks so its a bit like a pinball machine
• Trains again - the lying signs that tell you that you have 10 mins to wait, it gets down to 1 minute and then goes up to 10 minutes again. This happened 3 times today, its train sign teasing
• Trains again - The very expensive buffet trolleys. By the way, I was cramped into the vestibule with the buffet man for an hour. On average he takes £350 for a 3 carriage train, it costs £2.50 for a stella, 20p cheaper for a Carling, 70p for peanuts, 65p for shortbread, £1.25 for hot choc. They give you a ridiculous plastic cup and ice when you have a can of pop and I can inform you that Arriva trains stock cheese and tomato, ham and mustard, tuna and cucumber, tuna and sweetcorn, egg mayo, chicken mayo and egg and bacon sandwiches...I listened to him say this again and again and again and again while in our cramped vestibule with a family that couldn't have washed for months.
• Snogging in public. This also relates to a train journey. On the way to Shrewsbury I was unfortunate to have a view of a older couple sogging the whole way there.
• Pointless things. Ear wax, spit, dyrzzle, ironing, BO, tofu
  
• Bad tastes in fashion. Ski pants, high waisted jeans on men
  
• The smell of adolescent boys. We should have comulsory distribution of deodorant
• Acronyms. A colleague expected me to know what LBD was the other day. First thing that came to my mind was the LGB club at uni. I've later found out what LBD and it has nothing to do with LGB and I'm not saying what it is just in case there are others that don't know
• Bad Food. Muschrooms, Offal, profiteroles, eclairs, doughnuts
• Men that cross their legs. Just wrong
  
• Ridiculous junctions. Like Bedminster roundabout and the Almondsbury interchange. Completely lacks common sense.
• Car drivers. That sit in yellow boxes and overtake me, the speed limit is there for a reason
• Stupid signs. I had a bag of nuts that contained the sign may contain nuts'
• Timetables. Especially the ones at train stations. Nobody reads them and goes online or phones national rail enquiries anyway
• Pull along suitcases. I actually own two, but they are a hazard at railway stations when you are in a hurry.
• Toe nails. What purposes do they have? They are such high maintainance
• Children with snot. When children have tram tracks down their nose and the parents doesn't wipe it away
• Fireworks. For the simple reason that they scare animals.
  
• Green clothes. I don't know anybody who can wear green, it should be a banned colour in clothing
• Shoes that hurt. I'm at the age where comfy shoes are priority and shoes that hurt are something I did at uni.
• Health and Safety. Only ridiculous health and safety rules, e.g. I have to wear a hard hat when i go unde rmy desk becuase i hit my head once.
  
• Ugly babies. The fact that you have to say 'oh what a cute baby' when its obviously very ugly
• Films with zombies or spirits. Just cos they scare me
• Non conversationists. Nothing worse
• Food poisoning. Recent hatred
• Lillies. They smell horrid
• Gorse. I fell in some in the summer after Miss V and I walked through it and tore our legs to shreds.
• The eternal taste of garlic and onion. Not the things themselves, just the after effects.
• Papercuts. Hurt like hell
• Mosquito's. Every single damn one.
  

This will be continued :)

By the way, this weekend we went to Much Wenlock. A quaint little town, black and white buildings and a curious cctv system in operation in the town square which is big ennough to fit one car in. Wonder what goes on there....

Favourite Season?

So, what is your favourite season? I've been thinking long and hard about this and a friend came up with a great suggestion...the start of every season is the best. I kind of agree with this. I love the start of spring after the harshness of winter, I love the start of summer when you don't have to wear your coat outdoors, i love the autumn when the leaves are just about to change colour and you have to wear a thin jacket and I love autumn when you see your warm breath in the cold air.

I wouldn't say that I'm a lover of summer at all and have never understood why people go on holiday in the summer time. Its the one time of the year when the English weather is bearable and what do the majority of the population do...go abroad. I love to leave England on a cold morning in January or February to jet off to a warm climate.

So, the reason I'm writing is to share some pics of this wonderful autumn we are experiencing. A friend and I went on a very civilised walk to Blaise Castle in Bristol. Here are the pics, hope you like them. We had a great day.

Hindu temple, cemetery, Hungarian and Shakespeare in one day :)

I honestly don't think that Phil and I could have crammed in anything else to this weekend's trip to London...no change there then. Our hectic weekend started going to Regents Park open air theatre. Note to anybody who will be going there in the future, find out where the theatre is before you set off. After walking around the whole park Phil and I tried our usual tactic - follow other people. One snag is when our guides went across the grass, we didn't want to follow so ended up going in the oppoisite direction of the theatre and me having sore feet from the hike.

Cymbeline was fantastic, funny and highly recommended. We did have a slight escapade when getting to our seats (late of course) with Phil pulling the back of his seat off becuase he couldn't work out where the foam ended and the seat started :)

On the Saturday we ventured to Neasden (North London). I was very sceptical about this trip to a Hindu temple but Phil was on a mission. Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (http://www.mandir.org/) can be reached by walking along the North circular road with 4 lanes of taffic, through suburbia, past ikea an then out of no where comes a majestic white temple! You enter the temple through the haveli and remove your shoes, then if you are like me and phil, you follow everybody else becuase they always know where they are going :) we saw the prayer hall and went through the introduction to hinduism exhibition (highly recommended too). A gentleman stopped us half way through the exhibition and told us to go upstairs for the service is about to start. We just thought we were going to stand at the back but no. The gentleman lead phil tp the front of the congregation and directed me to sit crossed legged on the floor with the women which i did. One problem, I'm 6 ft tall, the lady next to me was barely 4 ft and when i looked around I realised I looked like gulliver. So, Phil and I were separated, didn't have a clue what was going on, in the most majestically carved marble room with the gods in front of us. However, I was quick to realise that the men were in front and women were behind a rope, therefore, the men always went first so i watched what they did and followed. A lady brought around a candle whereby the women brushed their hands over it and over their head which I intend to find out why. After the beautiful music the men were lead in front of the gods, Phil was number 4 in the queue and really looked confused but I followed the little women around me as we passed the gods, they prayed and brushed their hands at the feet of them. A truly moving experience.

Back along the north circular, past ikea, past tesco and suburbia and off to Highgate cemetary (http://highgate-cemetery.org/index.asp) , apparently one of the top things to see in London, I wasn't convinced before we went but after the mornings venture I happily went to see graves. Highgate is actually spilt into 2 parts, both kept by the 'friends of highgate' who run a tour of the famous graves. I was made to cover my shoulders in the cemetary out of repect which I have never done in an English cemetary. OUr tour showed us the egyptian style tombs in egyptian alley, the gothic style tombs, why air holes are in the doors becuase the doors would blow off when the bodies decomposed, the grave of the postage stamp designer and many many more famous people. One disappointment is that we often weren't shown the graves but were told that they were 'behind there' so I can tell you that dickins family is 'beind there' and Faraday is also 'somewhere in there'. Karl Marx is buried in the open access cematary opposite close to 'george eliot'.

In the evening we went to London's Hungarian Restaurant 'Gay Hussar', the style is 1950's soho and has the menu in hungarian and english, hungarian wine, hungarian waiting staff...quite an odd thought. After dinner we virtually ran to the Globe Theatre (http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/) to see Pericles, Prince of Tyre, an impressive play but the rope gymnastic and audience participation was outstanding. We had the cheap seats so had a weird side on view in the upper gallery but should see how it would have been when first built. The poor in the yard, mingling with the prostitues and just going to the toilet stood where they were, the middle gallery with the proper seating and the upper gallery with the benches.

It was an entirely enjoyable weekend of rushing from a to b and seeing things that aren't on the tourist route. Be warned, anybody who comes to London with me is going to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir :)

"Proud to be gay"

I know Brighton isn't strictly out of the UK but still, I think it consititutes travelling and I just need to share the day. The day started very very early with a 7am bus to London, followed by an hours train journey to Brighton. On said train i came out with the statement 'i've never seen so many gay people on one train', I spoke too soon. I did wonder what the old couple in front of us was thinking as they tucked into their foil wrapped sandwiches and tea in a flask :)

The first 'new experience' of the day was the parade - three floats playing 'its raining men'...3 with 'reach for the stars' and the last float playing 'ymca'...dancing in the street...waving flags...a random man in a very small pair of pants kissing my cheek...drag queens that towered over me...bubbles flying....the gay police association...gay fire bridage assoc....gay paramedics assoc.....gay estate agents...and my favourite...the gay camping and caravan club.

The atmosohere was amazing and my favourite was a little boy walking hand in hand with his mother, he was dressed in a wizard outfit and on his shoulder was a flag saying 'proud to be gay'.
After the parade we walked along in the parade dancing to YMCA and then off to the Royal Pavillion with rainbow flag tucked on my side :) The Royal Pavillion is a must and quite a difference from what was going on outside. Outside the Pavillion is based on Indian architecture and inside is decorted in chinese design, bizarre.

We walked along Brighton Pier with its arcade games and rides (still with flag tucked in the side of skirt:)) and then had a paddle in the freezing cold english channel and glorious pebble beach. Oh I do like to be beside the seaside :)

Preston Park was quite a sight, a very very large park and again....I had never seen so many gay people in one place. I don't know why this shocked me, we were at gay pride!!!!! :) Music...stalls...rainbows in abundance....food stands...and lots and lots of people.

All in all, I loved Brighton Pride and would recommend it to everybody. I'm going to get on my soapbox now but the little boy with the flag almost made me cry...I know the pro's and con's of children growing up in a gay relationship but this was a little boy walking hand in hand with his mum, he was obviously not forced to do so and not ashamed to carry his flag.