Ginger DJ Rob

World's End Trailer - Simon Pegg back on the booze for summer 2013

2013-05-08T09:47:00.002+01:00

Been waiting for this for awhile. The World's End film trailer won't be uploaded onto YouTube for awhile and those MSN hosted adverts do my head in. So here's Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz trio Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright reunited for their final installment in their 'Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy.

Look carefully and you'll see some very familiar faces from British comedy. Was that Dave Gorman perhaps sipping a pint? Film is released in the UK on 19th July 2013
Video: Exclusive The World’s End Trailer

Beardyman One Album Per Hour 4th May 2013

2013-05-05T12:52:00.000+01:00

The beatboxing, multi-instrument playing music supremo was on top form. Loved his intro as he surprised the up-for-it crowd walking down past the audience and inviting interaction with the mic.

He was joined with 3 guys doing visuals who mixed up searched for Google Images which worked well. I had expected to hear him mimic well-known dance tracks in his own beatbox style. Instead the show encouraged the crowd to shout out ideas of made-up song titles and musical styles to make up songs.

This worked well up to a point but I sensed either the crowd were more used to his past shows of get-up-and-dance or were getting too drunk and leery with predictable suggestions. Don't get me wrong, his performance was excellent. I felt the show's format needed some variation and perhaps a standing room-only venue so people could dance. It might have been the wookie reggae song that was my favourite.

Venture Bros Season 5 preview

2013-03-12T16:21:00.001Z

This YouTube video of Season 5 of Venture Bros looks amazing. Its described as a sneak peek but offers more than just a quick clip show that makes you consider taking a long holiday to the USA just to see it. I bet the 19th May 2013 can't come quick enough for our cousins over the pond - lucky gits.

Here's the slideshow of images from the Venture Bros blog.

Amon Tobin ISAM 2.0 at the De La Warr, Bexhill

2013-03-07T14:00:00.003Z

Thanks to friend Sukey for nagging us to buy tickets and go to this audio\visual splendor. Turned up way too early though and could have avoided bunking off work an hour early. The support DJ Ital Tek played a sort of drum and bass set which didn't really interest the crowd.

Although I was aware of Tobin's performances I'd never actually listened to his music so did some YouTube listening. Good to see some video game soundtrack on his CV via Splinter Cell but it was certainly music that you would listen to rather than dance to.

His set started with a massive black curtain unveiling his white cubic set with projected visuals. I was reminded of Etienne De Crecy's cube visuals we'd seen years ago but Amon Tobin had taken it to the next level. His first half was the money-shot with a spaceship theme and cinematic electronic music. Tobin could be seen in the centre of the cubed wall with a clever switchable see-through screen whenever he wanted to show himself off. He completed the visuals with a spaceman suit. One highlight was the real-time projected light effect based on his piano hands movement. You could see him play an air-piano in front of a camera or something in his booth and the cubed-stage would mimic his hand movements. Very clever!

After Amon Tobin came out of his space pod to get a cheer from the crowd he went back to do a more dance-driven set that made some of the crowd goes nuts with his angular drum and bass sounds. His final encore started off very noodle-y and twinkly then built into a moody slow tempo but effective soundscape. With only a couple of minutes to go there was some random bloke who managed to invade the stage and walk up to Amon Tobin's booth cube to peer in. Eventually some stage technician grabbed the guy and handed him over to security who marched him out.

Norway bound (Sunday 10th February)

2013-02-10T23:00:00.000Z

Narvik was our destination today, a road trip of 200km into another country, Norway. Last night we researched what Narvik offered and there seemed to be some impressive views, a couple of museums, in case we didn't find the views plus a couple of random sights to see in case all of the above failed.

There were hardly any cars on the road, those that were driving were towing snowmobiles for off-road adventures. We'd already experienced the E10 road going to Abisko and Narvik was twice the distance. As we got nearer to the border the landscape changed from the flat, frozen lakes with the temperature dropping to minus 30 degrees C to more twisty roads passing entrances to ski resorts. For a mile we had to slow down as the signs instructed to prevent road/wheel noise that couldn't set off an avalanche. The 4wd of the Skoda Yeti also felt the ice of the road below so made the progress slow. To the side of the roads were frozen waterfalls with even one of them being climbed at the time.

The Norway/Sweden border was at the very top of ski fields where the snow just seemed to be even deeper and whiter. We had brought our passports with us but they weren't needed as the checkpoint was only for lorries with something to declare. We simply drove past a queue of trucks and a completely frozen official's building.

Eventually the roads started to go down hill and the apprehension disappeared when we saw the fjord landscape. The temperature outside the car was even warmer rising up to a balmy minus 5 degrees C. After being awestruck by the scenery I spotted a massive bridge ahead to cross the fjord. I realised that we didn't have any Norwegian currency so hoped there wouldn't be a toll. Luckily there wasn't and within a few more kilometres we had reached Narvik.

After stopping at the town's tourist information centre and finding it closed we parked up in the centre (so we assumed) for free and pretty well realised that Sunday wasn't the best day to visit. No museums, no shops, no bars or cafes were open. Only a Spar shop was open where Kerry bought some tobacco (later we discovered that it cost twice the UK price). We could actually see the surrounding mountains that people were skiing hence the lack of people in town. All we could do was walk around and see the limited open air sights and public art like the big sign for where you could be instead.

So after less than an hour we drove back to Kiruna whilst there was daylight (sun setting about 3:00pm) and enjoyed the pink and purple lighting effects on the mountain landscape. We stopped for a hot chocolate at the Swedish ski resort of Bjorkliden and took in the views of the frozen lake below. After another few more kilometres we swapped seats for driving which was Kerry's first time on frozen roads and a left-hand drive car. Quite scary for her especially after 10 minutes a herd of reindeer barged onto the road just metres in front. With the reindeer remaining in the road and ignoring the car's horn it took another car behind us to drive at them and scare them back into the field.

Back in Kiruna and we wanted a decent meal. However, being a Sunday, hardly anywhere was open so we were limited for choice. The Scandic hotel near the tourist centre offered two in-house restaurants but when we got there only one was open and the other 'Mommas Pub' had a limited menu. So, that really only left going back to our own hotel, the Bishops Inn / Arms for prospect of another burger. The menu was still limited being a Sunday (and is still reduced Mondays too) but we ordered entrecote steak and I had the pasta which came with the odd side of pork leg and bratwurst sausage (each main course was about £29 each). Both didn't disappoint coupled with more Belgian beer. We even shared a dessert and blew the budget which was also delicious.

Transport Doggy-style (Saturday 9 February)

2013-02-09T23:00:00.000Z

Up early for both trying to sort out a hire car and for our dog sledding experience. Slightly stressful sorting out the car. Went to the tourist centre and saw/heard a couple already on the Europcar free phone to say that they were busy at the time and would have to call back. The tourist desk recommended I call Hertz from the Scandic hotel. They were fully booked. Took a third phone number for a hire car company and they were fully booked. It took another call to Europcar to get a double the price 4WD Skoda Yeti.

With the car booked we headed over to the Kiruna Guide Tor office. Again they seemed a little disorganised as they were expecting another couple but eventually left without them. We'd been warned that the temperature where the dog sledding was taking place was a very chilly minus 30. It was this point when I discovered that the locals drop the 'minus' when stating the temperature as it seldom gets over freezing.

Met another English couple called Biggles and Ros who were staying in a local lodge. After getting dressed in the extra warm overalls and boots etc we met our dog sled driver, Luc who was French. In fact he drives up to Kiruna every year with his own pack of dogs from Lyon. There were about 11 dogs pulling us along the way with the dogs taking directional orders in French. We'd been warned that they poop and pee along the way so there was always a bit of smell. One or two of the dogs wiped their arses whilst running causing the sled to stop or falter and sometimes Luc, the driver would smack them for obedience. It wasn't cruel or hard but they had to know who was in charge. Otherwise the dogs would eat from the snow banks along the way to cool down and get hydrated. Strangely when we did stop for our lunch break some of the dogs would eat another's poo!

Whilst Luc prepared our mushroom soup in the teepee we got to pet the dogs and take some photos as well as to properly introduce ourselves and warm up next to the fire. It was a crystal clear day but so cold that any exposed skin chilled you to the bone.

I tried to explain that the Brighton connection to Stockholm airport which had Abba memorabilia to Luc but he didn't understand my pronunciation of my A's. I tried to sing Waterloo and then he said he doesn't watch TV. He then said that if I had sang Super Trooper he would've understood me. Awkward!

I asked whether the formation of the dogs were led by the alpha male but Luc explained that it was more about where the dogs themselves would prefer to be after so many runs. The leader was one that took the directions better (even though a couple of times it would get it wrong, have Luc shout at it or get reprimanded).

On the way back I either had to tuck my fingers into my arm pits or cover my face to shelter from the cold air so couldn't really enjoy the beautiful landscape and really regretted not wearing a balaclava.
I would have enjoyed it a lot more but the frost-biting temperatures just made me want it to be over quicker.

Back at the hotel Europcar said they would pick us up to collect the hire car which saved us a taxi fee to the airport. With the early sunset we headed out to Abisko hoping to get a chance to go up their ski lift to view the Aurora on the mountain lodge. The website said they were fully booked but it was worth a chance to drive the 60km plus maybe get dinner at their hotel lodge. The roads were icy but as long as you drove sensibly without any sudden braking or sharp wheel turns it was no problem. We overestimated the it would take getting there an hour early to find the hotel bar and restaurant closed. With the prospect of waiting an hour or even two to see if there would be any availability we headed back but kept looking to the sky. After a couple of stops in parking areas we eventually saw another Aurora, slightly less impressive than the previous night but eerily green with a striking clear starry night sky. With it being so cold I gave up going out of the car and somehow kept the camera still balanced on the dash and steering wheel.

Next blog entry - Day 4: Norway bound (Sunday 10th February)

Ice hotel, snowmobiling and Northern Lights (Friday 8 February)

2013-02-08T23:00:00.000Z

Hotel room was like an oven when we woke up. Breakfast was a buffet laid out on the pub's bar. Quite a good choice but like most hotels, the coffee was rubbish. Whilst getting ready I flicked through the 10 TV channels. Most of them were Swedish with one Finnish, one Norwegian and one Russian. It was a mix of politics, skiing, US imports, fashion and women's chat programmes at that time of the morning.

Since our first booked tour was at 5:45pm we had quite a bit time on our hands and Kiruna town centre had very little to offer. After a good coffee in Cafe Safari we headed to the tourist office and found out the bus timetable which had a coach going to the Ice Hotel. For about £7 each for a return we caught the bus taking us direct to the Ice Hotel within 30 minutes. The bus even took credit cards so no need for cash. There were quite a few stops picking up school children (before the early sunset I guess).

Nowhere on the website did it say about an entry price to enter the Ice Hotel but it was a staggering £35 each. We knew we had about 2 hours to view the hotel and we'd hoped to dine in the restaurant. The hotel part and ice sculptures were amazing with each room designed by a different artist. Also inside the Ice Hotel was the vodka bar but we didn't stay for a drink. Since it was so cold there the ice was sturdy enough to drill and screw in sliding doors. After seeing the amazing luxury suites, the church building was slightly disappointing in comparison and the building with images of how they built it all was slightly pointless.

With the free map given we tried to find the restaurant but had no luck so went to the bar near the entrance. Although there was free wifi the bar food was a little disappointing with cold ciabattas and smoked reindeer. Kerry's cocktail of hot apple juice with pear cognac and cinnamon stick was apparently delicious so I'm told (repeatedly). By the time we'd finished it was time to catch the bus back to Kiruna.

Kiruna Guidetur, the company we'd booked our first tour was located just metres away from the hotel. Checking in and getting kitted out for our snowmobile adventure was slightly shambolic. Our personal guide quickly introduced himself then we were sort of left alone wondering if we should just help ourselves to the clothes. There were no thick snowboots left in our sizes (common sizes UK 8 and 9) due to a previous party who had the same sized feet. It seemed to take ages waiting and wondering where the guide had gone. It was frustrating that he never really told us what we needed either but after half an hour we were in the minibus to the starting point of the snowmobiling. The guide explained that there were two other guides waiting for us but it seemed that a couple of snowmobiles needed fueling and one was missing. Again, no real communication or explanation of what was going on. However, once we all got sorted with a 2 minute training session we were off in a convoy and any grievances soon forgotten with the fun I was having.

The snowmobiles had heated handlebars and an unusual accelerator lever that you pressed with the base of your hand instead of the twist handle I was expecting. When you did accelerate it was incredibly quick so you needed plenty of room in front to stop crashes. There was a very defined route already and plenty of bumps along the way. At some points there were some icy tracks and unfortunately Kerry driving in front suddenly spilled into the metre deep snow. Slight panic set in as the group ahead had were far in front and didn't realise us stopping plus the snowmobile was well and truly stuck in the snow. Luckily Kerry was totally unhurt as the snow was so deep but slightly tricky to get her out. The snowmobile itself had tipped over at an angle. We took ages digging it out but it was so heavy there was no way to budge it. We weren't told how to reverse the engine either so had to just wait until the tour guide realised we were missing! It took three of us to un-wedge it then shift it over then the guide actually driving it out.

Back on track and another rider ahead did the same spill but recovered quickly. There was a long section across the frozen lake where we were allowed to go whatever speed we were daring to do. I think I managed over 70kph but it got a bit hairy so couldn't maintain it. Eventually we got to a teepee-like cabin for our evening meal where the tour guides had built a fire inside and cooked more reindeer meat (in a stew) with hot lingonberry juice. Later there was a dessert of sponge with cloudberry jam which was very tasty.

The journey back was perhaps the best bit. The Northern Lights finally made an appearance twice. It was an eerie green ribbon of light above but not quite what I'd expected. Very faint and didn't really last long but still enough time to take two or three long exposures on the camera. Apparently there was a low KP forecast hence the low intensity of the Aurora but at least we'd seen it. After a second time we headed back to the minibus and got back to the hotel around 11pm. A long day with an early start the next for our dog sledding experience.

Next blog entry - Day 3: Transport Doggy-style (Saturday 9 February)

Journey to Kiruna, Sweden (Thursday 7 February)

2013-02-07T22:30:00.000Z

A full day of travel to get to the icy North of Sweden. Free wifi on the Norwegian Air plane which was unexpected. The inflight magazine revealed that the town of Kiruna, our destination was investing to relocate 3kms south due to the mine's expansion. Also read about a Norwegian explorer legend that had been featured in a movie called Kon Tiki. The story goes that a guy wanted to prove Pacific migration so built a raft and brought a crew along to sail across the ocean catching live shark along the way.

Stockholm airport was ok. It amused me that the staff used adult sized scooters ferrying around stock to shops. Nice Brighton connection with a number of Abba memorabilia displayed including their Eurovision outfits, winner's medals and Brighton Dome admission tickets. Otherwise it was a case of eating at the New Orleans restaurant drinking Brooklyn Beer on tap and laughing at the Swedish choclate brands like Mums Mums, Kexx and Plopp

Met a Norwegian guy (from Narvik) on the plane to Kiruna who was so friendly he offered to share us a taxi then gave us a lift to the hotel. The snow had been piled up high everywhere making roads like snowboarding halfpipes plus the roofs had at least a metre of snow on top.

Our hotel was the Hotel Bishops Inn and had a great English themed-bar offering a great selection of beers including a Belgian raspberry flavour beer. It was a bit weird having to check in at the bar but the room was ok and you couldn't hear the bar below.

I guess with the Kiruna town light pollution there was no way to see any Northern Light action. :-(

Next blog entry - Day 2: Ice hotel, snowmobiling and Northern Lights (Friday 8 February)

Sainsburys van vs cyclist - cyclist ran over

2013-01-24T17:00:00.000Z

Wednesday night was one to remember. After leaving work on my bike I avoided the normal route home because of the recent snow and ice and kept to the main roads. Cycling up the final street I stopped at the crossroad junction with my house almost in sight ahead to wait for a Sainsbury's home delivery van to turn right (approaching from the left) onto the road I came from. I was always taught to stay in the middle of the junction to go straight but can now realize how pointless that is.

I waited for the delivery van to cross over only to realize that the driver hadn't seen me at all and cut the corner to driving straight for me. There was no time to react apart from shouting ('hey!' and then 'help' I think though this sounds quite pathetic) then banging on the van's screen. Time slowed down weirdly and I remember seeing my foot go under the front wheel and my leg bending backwards. My bike at the time had disappeared under the van. I also remembered two ladies to my left having just finished a conversation reacting to the accident then later came to my rescue. I think I pulled my leg from under the van and someone wheeling the bike away to a nearby wall.

Whilst being guided away from the van by one of the ladies I suddenly noticed (by complete luck) a Police Community Support Officer next to us then the driver instantly apologizing. All I could say was 'Why didn't you see me??!' then almost ignoring his excuses. The pain in my leg made me think I had broken something though I had no prior experience. After I sat down I was either answering questions from the officer or being asked to wiggle toes etc. to check for breakages. The officer asked if I needed an ambulance which I almost couldn't think because of the shock.

Next I rang my wife Kerry who I knew was on her way back home from work with the reaction of complete panic. Whilst the woman who was looking after me used snow to fend off the leg swelling I remember thinking how dare she ask if the driver if he was ok. The driver had his own forms that needed to be filled but were only designed for cars.

The ambulance turned up in what felt like seconds with more injury questions and joint checking. Had the offer to go to the hospital for x-rays but I think we all concluded there were no breakages. The picture shows how swollen my leg got plus the rash where the wheel ran over. What it doesn't show is the other side of my knee where the ligaments were damaged. A few more official questions and form filling when both Kerry (in tears) and a proper police officer turned up.

Kerry had heard one of the ladies say the bike was a right-off so I was expecting either the front wheel to be bent, maybe the forks and handle bar and possibly even the frame. Kerry pushed it back home (who later mentioned the strained noise) whilst I finished up in the ambulance.

3am roadworks?!
With the shock subsided and the extra pillow added to protect my leg, I still couldn't sleep properly that night. The main reason was for the mystery noise outside from the street that sounded like someone hammering out an engine from a car or concrete steps being cleared of snow and ice. We woke to find the whole pavement outside our house dug up caused by a gas leak.

Nectar points?
With a day off at home to recover I wanted to check that the whole incident had been reported to Sainsbury's so I rang their call centre. Unbelievably their first question asked was to find out my Nectar card number. Still, it was all official and the they said someone would come back between 5 to 7 days.

Otherwise I've been resting the leg up, putting on the ice, taking the ibuprofen and pain-killers and feeling slightly sorry for myself. I miss my bike, I can't go out and I feel like I'm getting fat!

I also started thinking what should I be entitled to? Some medical expenses, taxi fares, repair to my bike? What's the going rate for pain, unable to walk properly and some depression?

This Citizens Advice Bureau web page talks about personal injury and what you can claim for.

Will let you how it progresses.

Two Stupid Dogs

2012-08-20T09:23:00.001+01:00

Does anyone remember the Cartoon Network animation 'Two Stupid Dogs'? Last week I was reminded of them from the almost just as stupid act of mislaying my phone. Presenting 'Where's the bone?' and another episode from 2 Stupid Dogs, 'Sheep Dogs'. Love the part where one of the dogs gets quite frustrated with a sheep whilst teaching it to bark.

Two Stupid Dogs - Where's the bone?

Two Stupid Dogs - Sheep Dogs

London Olympics 2012 Closing Ceremony

2012-08-17T14:46:00.001+01:00

Sunday was a packed day of London sightseeing with almost a minute by minute travel schedule. Rolled up to Holborn at around 12pm to see the Mr Brainwash exhibition expecting the door to open at 11am only to find a sign saying opening at 1pm. Bah! Instead I had a back-up plan to watch the Men's Marathon down on bankside.

With it being such a nice warm day, Londoners were packing in to see the long-distance runners. Managed to see the race just opposite the drinks pick up point. Funny to see all the pro-photographers in the lorry in front.

Menier Chocolate Factory Restaurant
Next on the list was lunch at the Menier Chocolate Factory Restaurant for 1:30pm. It was almost deserted when we got there but this soon filled up to capacity. Next to us was an US actor who kept us trying to guess which film or TV show we'd seen him before. Starters was the sharing platter but for two people it was a little greedy. The ham hock with chutney was a highlight. My main was the paccheri pasta which was amazing and the combination of textures and tastes made an excellent choice. Kerry went for the barbecued chop and between mouthfuls would only sing its praises. Dessert: went for the raspberry and elderflower jelly with vanilla custard & pistachio shortbread. Another winning taste and texture combination and almost tempted at a second serving.

Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern
Just 5 minutes walk back upto the South Bank for the Tate Modern and our ticketed slot for the Damien Hirst exhibition. No giant jeweled skull on display, we'd missed that. The exhibition started on Hirst's earliest art and was the least inspiring/interesting. The painted dots were just dull in comparison. I appreciated the pharmacy rooms but again not that inspiring. The flies and dead cow's head had the most impact in terms of lasting memory. The dead fly wall piece was pretty disgusting, the cigarette ends on a shelf left a small chuckle at how ridiculous modern art was but at least the diamonds and pills on shelves could be taken a little more serious. The gift shop prices were just stupid but overall could only respect Mr Hirst's business sense rather than his artist talents.

The free exhibitions in the Tate Tanks are worth a quick look. Loved the projected cine-camera which me and Kerry had a play with.

London Olympics Closing Ceremony
Our tickets only allowed us into the Olympic Park at 5:30pm so took the tube to West Ham and walked along the Green Way. We didn't notice the 25 minute walk due to the excitement of approaching the site of Olympics and the friendliness of the volunteers. It was so well organised too as the security searches took just a few minutes.

Everywhere was packed with people but still enough room to wander about. The main stadium still had the sounds of rehearsal and so nobody was allowed in until about 6pm. When we did enter and walk up the many stairs the size of it just took my breath away. A reported 80,000 people would be attending the ceremony and to see so many seats and the main stage was a real honour. The rehearsals were still going on as we saw Russell Brand on top of a bus plus some of the centre piece London landscape constructions were being placed. Also, we could a Take That tune being played so that was the secret guest given away.

Olympic dinner
The food kiosks outside were very busy being teatime and queued for ages for a pizza plus slightly seething at an Israeli guy cutting in front of me. Still managed to get my pizza before him after asking nicely. Ha! Drinks were a little restrictive in terms of choice. They were all the worst of Coca-Cola had to offer in product range.

Showtime was 9pm but before a comedian warmed us up with some prep work such as how the audience needed to participate such as singing, dancing, waving our hands and counting down. The Big Ben countdown was quite embarrassing to be honest as everyone got the timing wrong. Some big band doing cover versions kept the audience spirits high.

A right royal rave-up
The actual ceremony varied in energy and pace. The music selection was excellent with a few exceptions but only now considering myself to have mature tastes (i.e. One Direction ruined Pet Shop Boys for me). Stomp did Brighton proud and the traffic created a chaotic scene with so many things to see. From our position we had a great view from behind the band stage but the main stage view was obscured by the London landscape and was mainly for the benefit of the Royal box. My Nikon 70-300 lens came into its own capturing the details going on and have had a great response from those who were actually in the show via Flickr.

There were some set pieces that didn't work for a big live audience and must have been done only for the TV audiences. The Delboy and Rodney 'Batman and Robin' was a great start especially with the Michael Caine 'Italian Job' countdown. Surprisingly, the Spice Girls was one of the best highlights with their LED taxis. Loved the inflatable octopus and magic bus too. The Kate Bush 'Running up that hill' and the John Lennon 'Imagine' dance acts didn't quite fit though especially after the energy from the music section. The 'fashion' part too was just a little out of place but appreciated seeing some live super-models. Had to laugh when they mentioned a long list of established British designers with Victoria Beckham's name included (see/listen to the video below).

The Rio 2016 handover was better than the London at Beijing ceremony. Loved the carnival atmosphere and the road-sweeper introduction.

The Greek national anthem must have been a mandatory aspect to the ceremony but felt quite out of place in the whole thing. The extinguishing of Olympic flame drew a pantomine-like 'ahhh?!' as if the whole audience didn't want it to happen (the TV didn't pick that up). Loved the ballet and rising phoenix part too. The final speeches were very moving especially from Lord Coe. Don't think I've ever felt so patriotic especially when cheering the mention of volunteers.

Getting home
The prospect of exiting the Olympic Park and getting on the tube filled me with dread. I was expecting an 80,000 bun-fight to get on the train. It was a slightly tense quick walk back to Stratford but as we approached the station and the platform we were able to find a seat and go within a minute with spare seats going! We got straight onto the Brighton train with minutes to spare and even got a seat squeezed between others returning from the Blur concert.

Fatboy Slim and his giant octopus

'Fashion' Supermodels at the Closing Ceremony

Last tune of the night - The Who

Blogger down

2012-07-26T09:58:00.001+01:00

Blogger at work is not working

British Grand Prix: Formula 1 - Rain and Mud 2

2012-07-12T12:49:00.000+01:00

So after months of planning and waiting after my 40th birthday, the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone finally arrived. With June being one of wettest in history I tried not to get dismayed by the forecast and paranoia generated by the Facebook fan page of Silverstone's Woodland campsite after they announced the Red status i.e. full-on mud, reduced parking and potentially having to be towed.

We ignored those panicking online who arrived on the campsite at stupid o'clock early Wednesday morning and left Brighton on Thursday morning. We arrived around 1:30pm (after some confusing road signs to the track) to join a queue of motorised campers. 20 minutes later we join another queue for 10 minutes for wristbands then another very slow queue for about an hour to our final position. No choice on lively or quiet camping due to the sudden, muddy fields and pitched up behind the main entertainment tent and almost next door to the toilet block.

Borrowed a gazebo for some extra cover but discovered the roof didn't fit and somehow tore a couple of holes. Luckily Kerry persuaded me to bring the tarp and boy, did we need it later. Within the main hub of the campsite was the toilet and shower block as well as the 'Petrol Head' pub, a pop-up steakhouse restaurant, a pizza stall and a few retail places. Quite amused by the motor racing memorabilia shop offering past driver overalls which looked like child sizes and amazed at the prices for parts fallen off old cars like a nose section for £2500!

Friday Practice
Friday was officially Practice Day and our first experience of the Silverstone track. Only got to see a handful of brave F1 cars doing quick laps then ducking into the pits as the light rain was constant. It still brought a smile to my face hearing them with the Caterham's being the loudest. From the first gate near Stowe we walked anti-clockwise through the increasingly muddy conditions to try and find the hospitality area Kerry had booked. Silverstone Six was situated between Maggots and Becketts on the inside of the track and would be our base for Saturday and Sunday. Instead we continued to walk around the circuit picking the Woodcote grandstand to watch the other types of cars (GP2, GP3, Porsche cars and Heritage F1s) as well as the afternoon's F1 practice. The wind and rain had picked up and it took almost an hour for any F1 drivers to be bothered to come out. Those that did slipped around with Senna crashing out causing the session to be red flagged. It was also this point where the cold wind really had some bite making us both shiver and later caused Kerry's chest infection.

Lunch was a very expensive hot dog whilst watching the on-site big screen TV which tried to entertain the waiting crowds but after the F1's practice we went to find some better shelter. As I bought a McLaren Mercedes umbrella it then then typically the stopped raining. The dry spell didn't last long as we reached the entertainment sector gaining some warmth from the LG stand and testing out their 3D TVs.

Back at the campsite we tried the local steakhouse. Bit of a wait but generally good food at a reasonable cost. Shared our table with a father and son from Somerset who were a great laugh. The father had bought tickets off ebay for the grandstand on the International Pit Straight and therefore getting views of the pits and and trophy handouts.

Before going to bed, we agreed we should make the breakfast at the Silverstone Six hospitality from 8:30am which meant us getting up about 6am to get ready and walk the 45 minutes through the mud to the centre of the track. When we got back to our campervan the entertainment big top was in full swing with bands and DJs. Even my earplugs couldn't do anything to block out the booming sounds. This, the noisy passing crowds to the toilets and poor Kerry coughing through the night equaled about one hour's sleep.

Saturday Qualifying
So Saturday started as if I was brain-dead and in no decent mood until coffee and food came to the rescue. As soon as we got to the hospitality Kerry requested a medic so she could get some antibiotics leaving me to mingle. At first it felt like a posh wedding with some awkward conversations and table introductions. Then I realised my umbrella had gone missing. Our table was right next to the reception and front door so can only assume some cheeky git had 'borrowed' my umbrella. I told the doorman and he had other staff look for it. I even approached two other guests who had the very same brolly but they had properly bought them. The rest of the morning my mood matched the weather.

Kerry returned from the medical centre with a prescription and we able to get to know our hospitality neighbours. The Halifax couple we met were staying on track in the Snooze Box, the new shipping container-made hotel. For £200 a night and the nightmare of the campsite, its a must for next year I'd say. Keith ran a hire business for cabins and told us loads of stories including his friend who ran a stainless steel factory and used the off-cuts to make butt-plugs.

The F1 qualifying was a bit of a non-event as the rain forced a lot of drivers to stay in their garage. What we did see from the hospitality was unobstructed views of the cars so getting decent photos was so easy. Whilst we were in the Brabham restaurant of the Silverstone Six complex, next door was Jenson Button's charity suite of which the very man appeared with Jake Humphries to speak to his patrons.The weather changed just as it did Friday so we ducked in for some free booze. With our table right by the door everytime anyone wanted a smoke or went out caused the biggest draft. Not great for Kerry's condition but she managed to get it changed for Sunday. By the end of the day it seemed that one particular table were only interested in the free bar causing some scenes.

At the end of Saturday's track entertainment when almost everyone had gone we went to the top of the grandstand to watch and listen to the HFO cars with the eerie sunshine and stormy cloud background.

Tried to have a kip at the campervan but only managed 15 minutes before the big top music got switched on so had some supper, took down and packed the gazebo and went back to bed with the intention to leave after the main race without hassle. We also agreed to get up at the more reasonable 8am the next day.

Sunday Race
A better night's sleep and some decent cooked breakfast set up a good day with promise of sunshine. With the Formula 1 race being the last on the bill we ducked in and out of hospitality to watch the GP2s and Porsches. Quite amused to see one of the cars sponsored by 'Visit Kurdistan'.

The F1 drivers parade was quite brief thanks to the speed of the truck but also with all the drivers facing the other way so managed to capture some very detailed backs of heads. The Red Arrows made up for this with some impressive near-misses and coloured smoke.

Red Arrows blue meets red (Photo credit: Ginger DJ)

The race itself was an odd experience as it went by so quickly and although we could see the big TV screen you couldn't really get a sense of the race unless you remembered every car's position for each lap. Our front row grandstand seats allowed us to see about 5 corners for Becketts, Chapel and the Arena complex. Towards the end of the race it was all about Webber catching Alonso so it was quite exciting to see the final conclusion live.

After seeing the victory lap Kerry found out we were able access the track and walk around to the start/finish line. Said our goodbyes to everyone and walked onto the track near Copse reaching Chapel until the officials told us to get off. Not to be outdone by this we walked further in-track to find another way onto the track being told different directions or decisions. Somehow got to view the Paddock at close range but were still unable to get on track even though we could see people walking around. Finally found another gate open even though some officials refused entry and walked towards the International Pit Straight whilst it pelted down with heavy rain. By this point I was getting pretty fed up with the rain, walking and marshal blocking with no way to see the pits close up.

Leaving Silverstone Woodlands campsite at about 4:30pm was quite quick but the rest of the journey home was a crawl to the M40. The rain lashed down almost all the way home too. Finally got back at around 8:45pm.

Overall, it was a great experience let down by incredibly bad weather. Silverstone has a lot to learn from Glastonbury in terms of wet weather organization.

Second set from Sonic Sushi at the Globe, Brighton

2012-04-19T20:25:00.001+01:00

Sonic Sushi 2: Second to none by Gingerdj on Mixcloud

Sonic Sushi at the Globe 14 April 2012

2012-04-18T21:31:00.001+01:00

Sonic Sushi 2: First Cut by Gingerdj on Mixcloud

The Table at Brighton Pavilion - Puppetmaster class

2012-03-16T10:11:00.001Z

Last night I saw possibly one of the most imaginitive and original puppetry in ages. No wonder their Edinburgh show sold out. Titled 'The Table', it was described as:
"Moses the puppet invites you to his home, the Table, where he experiences real and surreal visions in Blind Summit Theatre's imaginative show combining puppetry and dark humour."

The first act involved their main character animated by three puppeteers who bascially introduced himself, his imaginery landscape on the table and his failing persistance to reinact Moses' last 12 hours according to the Bible. The humour was subtle but mature and dark in places but at times had everyone in stitches especially as it seemed there was an improvisation moment when the puppets hand fell off.

Here's a YouTube clip showing the Moses puppet:

The second act was a clever use of a wall with portrait frames which the puppeteers animated with masks. Again, a very clever scene and changed the mood for more of a dance/expression scene to music.

The third was possibly the most original. I'm not going to give it all away at what happened but it involved drawings on paper and a love story. It was such a simple idea but one of the most original.

Japanese inspiration?
The style of puppetry reminded me of the Japanese kuroko where stage hands would dress in all black to blend in with the background. The funniest example I've seen was before our trip to Japan when we came across Japanese TV's Kasou Taishou and the Matrix style ping-pong sketch (quality isn't great due to it being uploaded in 2006 - in internet years that's ancient!).

Where to see The Table next
The group are touring across the South East and will be back in Brighton at The Old Market Theatre as part of the Brighton Festival Fringe on the 7th or 8th May. Tickets cost £12.00 via the Fringe website.

Aus Day 9 - Sydney Bridge Climb

2012-02-11T14:04:00.000Z

Walked up George Street (think of it as Sydney's version of London's Oxford Street) past the shops and office blocks. As we approached The Rocks, I spotted a side street with an art installation of bird cages hanging from wires above. On closer inspection there were also well-hidden speakers broadcasting bird songs of those specicies no longer in the Sydeny area (either migrated away or extinct).

Found David Jones department store for Kerry amongst the Westfield shopping complex (is it Australian or a UK company?). Sadly for Kerry they didn't yet stock the Dita Von Tease clothing in store. Within the same block is the Sydney Tower which we booked the 360 restaurant for next Sunday.

Walked further towards The Rocks then sat down to check our bearings when a tramp approached us asking for spare change. She had a 100 yard stare. We said sorry, no, She asked for a cigarette. We said sorry again as Kerry had barely enough for herself at which point she had a go at us for saying sorry.
By now hunger was building so ignoring a number of different cafes we found a great cafe with a backyard. We had a fatboy breakfast and an omlette to sink a ship.
Sydney Bridge Climb
The weather turned from a fine sunny day into full-on rain as we went in to prepare for the Bridge walk. It was very, very, very well organised. Every stage of the experience was well thought out, every little detail thought through, practiced and delivered without a hitch. for example, the overalls we had to wear attached everything you needed for the walk. You weren't allowed your own cameras with the risk of dropping anything onto the road below. By the time we went through the long preparation process wearing waterproof over-trousers the rain had actually stopped and the sun was beating down again. Shame Kerry had to go a different route after the first bad instance of fear.
Later, Kerry was led out to a different route then taken up a lift for a second attempt but stopped again due to feeling sick and hot. They had to actually cut her away from the safety line this time. According to the safety crew, the freak rain storm caused an emergency evacuation then the temperature went from 17C up to 25C in the space of 30 minutes. Apparently Kerry wasn't on her own for feeling sick as another two people had suffered in that period.
The climb and views were possibly the best of Sydney you could get. It was a leisurely pace enough to see an incoming tanker ship guided by 4 tug boats. The guide said the tanker owners would have to pay $5000 for each tug. The whole experience took about 2.5 hours and I'd say well worth the money.

Darling Harbour delights
We'd finished with the Bridge Climb around about 5:30pm and had arranged to meet up with Neil and Nikki in Darling Harbour. We were really impressed by the size of the place and the range of restaurants, bars and clubs. We picked the Italian restaurant, Baia which had to be the best of the holiday so far. The other highlight was the unexcpected fireworks display as we were eating dessert just within the neighbouring marina.

Aus Day 8 - Hello Sydney Oxford Street

2012-02-10T12:59:00.000Z

We checked out the Desert Gardens hotel at 10am ready for the 10:30am transfer to the airport. Had time to quickly check the internet at $2 for 5 minutes but it was painfully slow (using satelitte connection I guess). the local newspaper made me smile at the type of hearsay it has to rely on for headline news.
We arrived at the airport to find both our Virgin and Quantas flights delayed due to the heavy rains in Sydney. We also found out that the same two English guys I had a go at yesterday were waiting for perhaps the same flight...D'oh!
Not much at Ayres Rock airport to be honest and the extra 30 minutes delay was hard work especially as the air-conditioning wasn't working particularrly well. As we boarded we notcied the same two English guys in the same queue then as our luck goes we were sat on the same row separated by the isle!
I must've been dehydrated as my headache didn't really go away and with a combination of this, a slightly bumpy ride and not in the window seat I had a very sickly flight towards the end. It took a few minutes after landing to fully recover.
Airport transfer was very simple at $15.90 for a single rail ticket to Central Station. Then a 5 to 10 minute walk to our apartment on Campbell Street. We'd hoped to see our friends Candide and gavin in the evening but they were staying with friends near Bondai beach. Internet access at the apartment was $5 an hour via wifi.
Somehow I picked a good choice of restaurant. The Pink Peppercorn was a Laos Burmese cuisine place situated 10 minutes walk from the apartment on Oxford Street, Sydney's gay district. Plenty of bars, kinky shops and the odd club as well as one or two good restaurants. The food at Pink Peppercorn was amazing - the lamb was possibily the best I've ever had.
After our meal we walked further up Oxford Street to a bar simply named '?' though it might have been previously called 'He Made She Made'. The DJ was playing quite cool disco-like house though the bar customer were quite random with types of people but mainly people getting trashed and girls (and sometimes boys) dancing around handbags. It was a funny people-watching type of experience. The cocktails weren't up to the same standard we'd hoped for but the bar's interior made up for it (fake grass on the walls and goth or kitsch like furniture and fittings).

Aus Day 7 - Uluru sunrise

2012-02-09T20:26:00.000Z

Very, very, very tired after perhaps sleep calculated in minutes. Breakfast was excellent with more choice than expected. Some awkwardness and lack of eye contact with our Japanese neighbours but at least everyone was ready to go at 5:20am for the Uluru sunrise. Again it was no secret to every tourist who all got up even earlier than us to get their viewing place. Coaches and their guides had already set up breakfast tables for their passengers. The raised viewing platform was already humming with people so we found a quiet spot further in front of everyone.
Although it had a more vegetation (trees and shrubbery) but only one couple was there enjoying the silence. We kept quiet ourselves looking for the same chilled vibe but then a German couple and teenage son arrived chatting away. Worse though were the pair of British gap year guys who just talked and talked ignoring the sunset and the majesty of the scenery. It got to the moment of them talking about X Factor that something had to be said. I think my 'verbal diarrhea' comment may have been a step too far but they certainly kept their tongue after my outburst. The actual scenery was indeed stunning (though a little bit tainted by the new British atmosphere) with the moon still hanging around, the golden colours changing the rock and the neighbouring Kata Tjuta still in sight.
Back on the bus for a long walk around one side of Uluru with a pre-amble by the guide explaining some of the notable sights. Many of them were interesting corroded holes or cracks which the local aboriginal tribe, the Anangu hold sacred or used for teaching their children of their law and history. As we walked around the guide was keen to point out that certain areas or directions of the rock could not be photographed due to their sacredness. A $7000 fine and your camera confiscated was the charge if caught by a park ranger.

Some interesting facts came up when talking about the Aboriginals. Scientists sat they now think their ancestry goes back 20000 years. There are (or were at last count) 300 'countries' that make up Aboriginal Australia each with their own dialect. The story of Uluru could only be told in Uluru. If you traveled to the next country you might hear the next part.
Since the park became national and protected, the management and preservation is made up of 8 Anangu and 4 white Australians. Its hard for Aboriginals to adapt to modern life as they haven't learned to read or write, know maths (true fact: their numbering is simply 1, 2, 3 or many) or have any concept about using a PC.
We were all given the 3 options for the next activity: either walk one side of Uluru, walk all 10kms around or climb it. The third option wasn't really an option as the Anangu said it was sacred. The guide said many Japanese would still do the climb as they either couldn't understand the concept or it was part of their culture: to respect a mountain you have to climb it. All but one hardcore German went for the half distance (he did the whole circuit). We spread ourselves from the group to enjoy our own company. Lots of small birds buzzed around in flocks and squeaked like Sweep from the Sooty Show. There were also some falcons hovering around too. Went into the rock's watering hole where the rain would pool in a sheltered cove.
Last stop before lunch was the cultural centre, a museum dedicated to the Anangu. No photos were allowed at this simple building with displays of tools, art and supporting information. The highlight was listening to a local elder who with an Australian translator re-told the same story our guide told us but with more detail plus some personal boyhood memories. He must've been about 70 or 80 wearing surfer's sunglasses and the centre's uniform.
Back at the campsite after dropping off Team Japan, camel burgers were our last meal with the group. Slightly awkward moment with a German couple. I was trying to describe Kerry's brother-in-law's house in Australia, where we'd been staying, as just like what you'd see on Neighbours or Home and Away. The German lady totally got the wrong idea and talked about her own neighbour. I then said it was a soap opera(s) we get in the UK. Some translated conversation with her husband, more than expected. I tried a different tact: had they heard of Kylie Minogue? No but 'we are aware of her music' was the response though had no idea she was an actress. I gave up and went to hide from the embarrassment on the bus to go back to the hotel.

Pool side for an hour or two dodging massive bees or wasp-like flies who insisted on trying to drown. Then the retired German guests descended into the pool and congregated in the middle just to chat to each other blocking any route to properly swim.
Making a few trips to the supermarket was the only other excitement and started to regret booking the hotel (Desert Gardens) at all with the restaurant meals costing around $56 a head - way more than our budget. Instead we bought rolls for our evening meal and cereal for our breakfast.
I must've been exhausted from the lack of sleep so took in an hour's kip. After our ham rolls with crisps for tea (classy I know) we left our room, passed the rabbits munching on the outside lawn's grass and headed out to view the clear night sky. No shooting stars or satellites tonight but at least you could see a definition of the Milky Way.

Aus Day 6 - Uluru

2012-02-08T21:18:00.000Z

Such an early start with an 5am alarm but my paranoid mind woke me 2 hours earlier. We managed to leave just after 5:30am whilst it was still dark. The satnav predicted an arrival time just short of 9am. At the start of the journey there were a few cars and UTEs on the road and as we approached Newcastle many construction and mining workers were arriving to start their day.
After Newcastle we joined the motorway and if it wasn't for the different place names you couldn't help feeling we were driving in the UK. Getting out of Sydney was slow when we first arrived but returning back was horrendously slow building up our stress levels. Through hideous traffic that never seemed to let up. The rush hour and traffic lights added more and more pressure, and the satnav recalculated a later arrival time as we crawled along. By the last 5kms we were truly panicking especially as the baggage deadline was about to come up (30 minutes before the flight). Through a tunnel we lost the satnav transmission and thought we'd missed the exit which almost reached our boiling point. A desperate phonecall to Virgin was abandoned after touch-tone menu hell. We'd even talked about leaving our main baggage with Nikki and having to run to the gate. When we pulled up to the terminal building we legged it over to the check-in desk only to be met by a couple of chilled out Virgin staff who casually said we had plenty of time. We'd made it with time for a fag, toilet and something to eat.

Travel Tip
1. Get online as soon as early to check-in and chose better seats.
2. Don't chose seats that back onto the Exit row as the chair won't lean back i.e. it'll be fixed.
3. Leave another 30 minutes earlier when calculating travel time to the airport

After all the stress, our flight to Yulara, the airport closest to Uluru (Ayres Rock) took off 20 minutes late. From the airplane window I could see the land change from the lush green to desert red with straight line roads and territory divisions that went on for miles into the horizon.
Before we landed we changed our watches to the new timezone - not just an hour but 90 minutes behind Sydney time so we'd almost time-traveled. As we approached the airport I spotted both iconic rocks of Uluru and Kata Tjutu (the Olgas), not hard to miss with the flat landscape.
The landing itself was the worst I've ever experienced with the bumpy ride from what I'm guessing the hot air thermals. Airport was really basic with just a shop and four car rental desks which all advertised as full booked. We walked straight up to the free connection coach located at the airport entrance to all the resorts. About 10 minutes later we arrived at our hotel, the Desert Gardens which we were to stay Thursday night. Checked our big bags into storage (no charge) then went in search of lunch. The resort had a deli, cafe, a supermarket and a noodle bar named Ayres Wok. It was baking hot with clear blue skies, perfect for our planned sunset viewing.

Overnight Uluru Safari by Adventure Tours
Karla ('no worries'), our guide picked us up as well as 3 Japanese girls and about 6 tourists from Germany and Denmark. We drove past the campsite which didn't look the romantic, sleep under the stars place but a cluster of large tents with an undercover canteen and a huge shower and toilet block in the centre.
After we fueled up the 4x4 bus we headed for the first viewing point for Kata Tjuta (silent 't') or the old name, The Olgas. Its not as famous as its neighbour but the rock formations were just as impressive. A few miles later we come across two of the 1.5 million in Australia (a handful imported years ago) the stop at 'Valley of the Winds' for a walk to Karingana Lookout. The flies were getting annoying and drinking water was becoming essential. Slightly under-prepared in terms of footwear as hiking trainers would have been the safer option. The end point was a shared by the huge rocks and deserved the 2 to 3 minute silence we gave to enjoy the surroundings. The walk back proved to be challenging in respect of putting up with the persistent flies and having to drink warm water.

Sunset on Uluru
Climbed back into the air-conditioned (but barely working) bus for our final day's activity of the Uluru sunset. The roads were quiet and are simply dedicated for servicing tourist related vehicles including the odd campervan. The car park for the sunset was already full of coaches and other smaller vans. We avoided the masses assisting the guide with an eski of drinks, biscuits (crackers to us Brits) and dips. Kerry had somehow got chatting to an Australian couple who weren't on our tour but were enjoying a few beers and part of a similar tour. The sunset itself was very special with a full moon rising immediately after. The colours of Uluru subtly interesting but maybe I was expecting a deeper purple.

Our drive back to basecamp, Karla played some classic Oz rock music plus some comedy songs about the safeness of the country. The BBQ food for the evening's meal was a selection camel meat sausages, kangaroo steaks and beef burgers. Loved the camel (hope it wasn't toe) plus the fruit crumble dessert was really tasty and a lot better than expected.
Despite the campsite not being as we'd expected it was nice to see a full sky of stars without the light pollution of the UK. At the dinner table we get chatting to the Japanese girls who'd stayed in the UK and spoke some English.
The tents were more like bedrooms under canvas with proper single beds, a light, two chairs, a table and a fan. With the 4:20am alarm we needed an early night. The shower facility was surprising good too with warm water to wash away the desert dusting.
I was pretty knackered and almost asleep except that our Japanese female neighbours continued to chat well beyond 11pm oblivious of the lack of sound-proofing. I had to rephrase my request three times until they understood to shut up. After that the wind picked up then the tent started to creak and rattle every minute or two resulting in just a few hazy minutes instead the planned hours of sleep.

Aus Day 5 - Murray's Brewery

2012-02-07T20:57:00.000Z

Original plan was to have breakfast down at the beach but the grey weather must have put off the cafe owners who didn't bother opening up. Instead we went back to Nelson Bay marina where I spotted a modern day Long John Silver with a proper wooden leg. Normally the dolphins would hang around the edge of the marina but we had to make do with some window shopping of boats for Neil. We must have been getting too acclimatised as with the 21C we felt we needed long-sleeved tops.
Went back to visit a few more beaches further down the coast but the damp air and greyness didn't look that inviting to stay. Only a few hardcore (and jobless) surfers stuck around. Near one of the beaches was a known area for koalas where eucalyptus trees for common. It took awhile but Kerry spotted one sleeping but it was so high up and had its back turned to us so couldn't really see its face.

Lunch was at Murrays Brewery which offered a taster 'wheel' of their six beers. Unlike the Blue Tongue version there were more varied in flavour choice. The Grand Cru was just like its Belgian white beer equivalent whilst others were a lot more citrus in flavour. We'd just caught the end of a serving to two coach-loads of Koreans. Hotwings for me and a cheese board for Kerry and Neil.
The weather was teasing us with some rays of sunshine but as we headed towards the quad-bike place it chucked it down to spoil the plan. For dinner we headed back to the local marina where I had a battered barramundi fish, a bit like cod. Didn't hang around for another drink as we had an early start for our flight to Uluru. Poor Nikki, who was to drive us the 200km to the airport, hadn't even arrived back from her work when we went to bed. Alarm set for 5am!

Aus Day 4 - Newcastle

2012-02-06T09:38:00.000Z

A fractured night's sleep meant my mental capacity unable to cope with anything less than one word responses. We'd got up a little earlier to climb a local hill of Tomaree Head to enjoy the vista of Nelson Bay and its many coastlines. It took about 30 minutes to walk up whilst freaking ourselves out at the massive spiders and their webs along the way. The Scalp Spiders weren't poisonous but just looked nasty like something from the dungeons of a Zelda game. Past the spiders and we spotted our first kookaburra just perched on a branch above our heads just ignoring us. At the top of the hill was indeed the impressive views of Zenith, Wreck, Box and yesterday's beach, Fingal.

A quick shower back at home then back out to Newcastle. The weather had clouded over as we approached the coal and mining town. We drove past massive piles of coal being moved by huge scooping machinery either onto the already long row of train trucks or for the container ships we would see later.

Newcastle reminded me of Southampton and Bristol in terms of the old and new style ports. For lunch we headed to the port-side restaurants and bars ordering two starter meals to save money (at $18 each). After lunch we walked along the port side towards Nobby's Head where tug ships were guiding out a tanker of coal then came across two groups of surfers on either side of the walkway. The waves were really crashing on both sides but the port side getting better results though in dirtier and more congested water.

Drove back to Corlette stopping off at Woolworths (Australia's equivalent of Tesco') for some evening BBQ supplies. The Wagyu burgers were delicious!
Local radio news report: "Some thieves had broken in to a 'bottle shop' (off-license)and had only stolen some 'smokies' (cigarettes). Weather for this 'arfo' (afternoon) will be cloudy with potential showers."

Aus Day 3 - Hunter Valley, beer and beachlife

2012-02-05T22:00:00.000Z

Escaped the golf village and headed out for breakfast at a place called Oscars near the Hunter Valley gardens. Ordered a proper fatboy meal of French Toast which the bread was the size of my head, had about 4 strawberries, covered in maple syrup and bizarrely (though very Australian) came with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious and it worked. The shopping centre was a typical outlet tourist fare and very over-priced.
Next stop was the Blue Tongue Brewery to sample some beer instead of wine. We bought a paddle of 6 for $15 which allowed us to choose a complimentary midi sized beer of your favourite. The ginger beer had a weak flavour but strong with alcohol content whereas the other 5 beers ranged from light, crisp tasting lagers to a red coloured ale. It was a tough task in the heat of 30C!
The rest of the afternoon was traveling back to Corlette via Petersons Champagne place for some present buying and helicopter spotting.
A quick freshen up after returning from Hunter Valley, we took advantage of the hot early evening and headed to the local beach. Loved the way we could go barefoot from the car park to Fingal beach. Even though it was late in the afternoon there were plenty of families, fisherman and joggers enjoying the beach. Stunning views and a decent surf. We walked for about 15 minutes until the spit where the beach had tow tide directions crashing into each other. The water temperature for dipping was perfectly warm. As we walked back to the car Neil told me about the recent sale of a house opposite the beach. Looking more like run-down bungalow, the property was bought by a Hunter Valley farmer for over $1 million. For quite a sleepy but beautiful part of the country there's plenty of money around with the local mining industry.

For the evening's meal, Neil treated us to an Australian institution, dinner at the 'Bowlo' (translated: Bowls Club). It was good, honest pub-like food within the sights of the green but within a huge social club. For such a family-friendly place I wasn't allowed to wear my hat yet shorts and sandals were ok. I had the 'schnitty' (translated: chicken schnitzel) which was very tasty though we were becoming more aware of how expensive food was due to the exchange rate. After the meal, we gambled a few dollars on the chocolate sweeping machine. Bit senseless really as the vending machine next to it offered Cadbury's bars for $2.50 (that's about £1.75).
Back home, Neil entertained us with his telescope since there was very little light pollution. Otherwise, we enjoyed a new bird call (or it might have been a frog) which sounded like a squeaky dog toy. Nowhere on the internet could we find out what it was though.

Aus Day 2 - Hunter Valley

2012-02-04T22:26:00.000Z

Managed to have an undisturbed night of sleep until dawn broke and the local bird life waking up. Quite nice to hear the kookaburras and parakeets instead of the normal Brighton seagulls. Stuck in the earplugs and dozed until 8:45am though Kerry couldn't resist the pool for a morning dip. The weather had improved slightly but it was still cloudy.
Today's plan was to drive down to Hunter Valley for some wine exploration which was on the way back to Sydney through some quite ordinary towns filled with popular fast food chains though in Australia, Burger King is called Hungry Jacks. Good to see some traditional 'hotels' or what we'd define as pubs. Passed some roadkill of a wallaby which smelled so bad we had to wind up our car windows.
First stop in Hunter Valley was the champagne place called Petersons to have lunch. The day had started quite overcast and fresh at 21C but by the time we finished our meal, it was a scorching 27C. Restaurant was a stylish place and everyone's food turned out to be excellent.
Second booze station was one of the larger sites called Tempest 2 for some proper wine tasting and was busy with a few hen and stag parties. Whilst Kerry and her brother did the wine, me and Nikki enjoyed a few exotic flavours of ice cream including Turkish Delight and Kinder (egg). The third place was the Little Wine Company, a smaller establishment but still good for tasting according to the bro-in-law.
We headed over to our serviced apartment arranged by Neil. It was part of a huge golf course estate with a number of remote housing estates which some houses had their own golf buggies. For non-golfers there were the sights of more wild kangaroos to make up for it and the apartment itself was very modern with a balcony at both ends. For the evening dinner we went to a recommended Italian restaurant but the jetlag stopped me short of eating half of it.

Aus Day 1 - Corlette

2012-02-03T21:30:00.000Z

Arrived at Sydney (woke up at 4am local time and landed at 7:30am). Nice to skip the long queues of the normal passport control but we had to hang around to get customs to check Kerry's medication. Bro-in-law, Neil wasn't at the gate but had waited at a different. Still he had driven 200kms to pick us up and was probably been up the same time as us.
Weather was wet with light rain but we appreciated the fresh air. The weather didn't change much in the 2 and half hour drive north. Getting out of Sydney was very slow with traffic and single lane roads. At least we drove over Sydney Harbour Bridge with a view to the Opera House. Still, it looked really different in the grey, dull light of the overcast sky.
Stopped for a coffee at a McCafe (crap coffee) then drove past Newcastle, very industrial with the coal business but surrounded with loads of fields where every house owned at least two horses. Saw our first wild kangaroos before reaching Neil's home in Corlette, a coastal town part of Nelson Bay.
The weather was still pants so couldn't enjoy his outdoor swimming pool so tried to keep the tiredness at bay with some more coffee and banana cake which kept us just short of feeling 'sketchy'. However, the jetlag did overcome us and had to have a couple of power-naps before the evening's BBQ. Neil was very insistent on plying me with beer and had bought too many crates for the stay. There was no way I could appreciate the Japanese beer in my state.
Couldn't do the BBQ food justice either as I guess our stomachs thought it was breakfast time. As we ate next to the lit up swimming pool we heard some strange rustling in the hedge. Neil expected to find a blue tongue lizard but it turned out to be a tree frog which posed perfectly for my first great photo. After some more chat we only lasted until about 10pm before giving into sleep.

Ginger DJ Rob

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Aus Day 5 - Murray's Brewery

Aus Day 4 - Newcastle

Aus Day 3 - Hunter Valley, beer and beachlife

Aus Day 2 - Hunter Valley

Aus Day 1 - Corlette