Farne Islands Take 2...

 Following our failed attempt back in June when a good part of North-East England ended up under water just 24 hours before we were due to travel up, mid July saw us heading up the A1 in far better weather. We got as far as Washington, Tyne & Wear in record time on the Friday night, leaving just an hour of driving still to do to Seahouses on Saturday morning. The weather forecast had been checked the day before and all looked good, so just imagine our disappointment when we arrived at the harbour to be told that the wind had turned to the west in the night and landing on Staple Island would not be possible!  Full Marks to Billy Shiel Boats though - they hastily arranged with the NT wardens on Inner Farne that we could land there earlier than planned, and assured us that a longer than usual time on there would also be arranged. The trip was also done for half the usual price which was excellent of them - for anyone else wanting to arrange a trip to the Farnes we really could not recommend this company highly enough.

Finding ourselves with a bit of time to spare it was off to find a cafe for a cup of tea - very welcome after our early start from the hotel - before taking the opportunity to head off and find our planned campsite for the night - another recommendation, the lovely Budle Bay campsite. They were hit terribly by the flooding back in June, having to evacuate the site at 3am as a result, and got such glowing reviews from those affected that we felt it was well worth a visit. Very impressed, lovely warm welcome from Jane & Alan, we were pitched in no time and heading back to Seahouses.

Once on the boat all disappointment from the curtailed trip was speedily forgotten - a truly glorious day to be out on the water and just the slightest of swells to remind us that was indeed where we were! Before long we were at the Seal colony - where the residents seems very interested to see us!

 Lovely, aren't they?! It wasn't just seals as we cruised around the Islands either - look at these chaps arrayed on top of the cliff in the sun....

 ...there were also Kittiwakes, Shags, Gannets, and Terns flying about us - a fantastic array of wildlife. And more seals of course...

Every now and again a head popped up alongside the boat to investigate what we were up to..

Once everyone had their fill of shots of seals the skipper turned towards Inner Farne for our landing there - we were delighted when on arrival he told us he would come back for us at 4pm - nearly four hours there! Far longer than we would have had on the standard trip - but nobody was complaining!

More on Inner Farne in another post...

Robyn

London - you're Amazing!

 As a Londoner born & bred, I was incredibly proud when we won the Olympic bid 7 years ago. In the light of the tragic events of the following day, it turned into a vital beacon for the Capital to cling to, its timing could in many ways not have been more perfect. Like most, I have to confess to some caution over the last few years in relation to the cost, and the potential for disruption, but in spite of working just a couple of miles from the Olympic Park so far it's caused far fewer problems than were perhaps anticipated. In the light of this we decided to travel into the city yesterday for the day, to soak up some of the atmosphere and generally see what was going on.  

Anyone arriving in London having spent the last few years living in a cave would have caught on quite fast....both Underground.... 

And Overground.....

Olympic references, advertising, and banners absolutely everywhere. There was a sort of a buzz about the place as well, far more smiling faces than you would usually see - even on the tube!  One of the very few events which offered spectator opportunity without a bought ticket was happening - the Mens Cycling Road race - so having checked the route in advance, we headed for Putney Bridge in the hope of seeing some action, arriving there about an hour before the bikes were expected, there were already good crowds lining the route with more pouring in from all directions...

 We found a spot with a handy wall which I was able to stand on for a good view over the crowds in front, and were quickly joined by others who had also seen the beauty of this particular vantage point. Even the over-zealous stewards appearing every five minutes or so to tell us to sit down couldn't dampen our spirits - we sat down alright, then stood up again just as soon as their backs were turned! Eventually the cavalcade of attendant vehicles started appearing - motorcycle Police grinning broadly and waving to the crowds - who were quite happy to cheer and wave their flags in return! Police cars, Event cars, ambulance crews all poured through before - finally! - the first of the Competitors...

... quickly they were flooding through - as each wave of bikes approached the roars and cheers of the crowd formed a wall of sound approaching - an incredible noise. Spotting individual riders was close to impossible as they passed at such a pace - to give you a clue, I had the camera set with a shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second, and was shooting at a rate of 6.5 frames per second in burst mode, and STILL I was missing riders passing. These guys are seriously, seriously quick. Only when evaluating the shots afterwards was I able to see that I had indeed caught one of the Team GB chaps in the main group....

No idea who that was I'm afraid - not into my cycling enough to recognise them individually. Below, however, is Chris Froome - identifiable from his race-number of 12. He had sadly ended up right at the back - in fact the few that finished after these two were to be declared as not finishing.

Once the final Police Car bearing the "End of Race" sign had passed, we made our way to a favourite pub for a couple of drinks - again the atmosphere was amazing - the sun was shining, the drinks were flowing, and people were just enjoying London's moment of triumph.

Refreshed, we went for a wander through Hyde Park (lots of people on "Boris Bikes" laughing uproariously as they attempted to recreate the earlier race on their less than ideal contraptions!) before heading for Tower Bridge - bearing its Olympic Rings with pride!

Lovely Ben had been gallantly carrying my tripod around all day so we could return there as darkness fell for some shots of the Bridge illuminated...we and others were a bit disappointed that the rings were folded up however - lots of speculation that they folded them up overnight perhaps, before a passing Policeman was asked and to my delight we found out that after a bit of a wait there would be a light show.....

...incredible to see this icon of London lit up in all these different colours - cycling through lighting up different parts of the bridge, and making it look more like a fairytale castle than ever! Finally the lighting was returned to something more normal and the rings returned to position...

...Now what better symbol of LONDON 2012 could there be? Proud to be a Londoner? You bet I am!

Robyn.

Frugal Friday...

...is cancelled for today. Can't drag my eyes off the London 2012 Opening Ceremony! Sorry - have a topical photo anyway.





Robyn


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It's nearly here....

The office I work in some of the time is just about 2 miles from the Olympic Park, which means we get to do battle with the Olympic-Lane-Induced Traffic Chaos, and temporary parking restrictions which are increasing my exercise level on a several-times-a-week basis at the moment (not in itself a bad thing, unless it's raining), Oh, and some banners which make the High Road look ever so slightly like an elongated supermarket car park. (This effect is being increased by the amount of cars apparently parked on it as a result of the congestions caused by item one above). However, it also means we get some of the fun stuff - actually seeing visible evidence of the Games being here, in my original home town, for example. Seeing everywhere all spruced up, freshly painted, and decked out in its finery...

...this morning the entertainment stepped up a notch. Today was the day that the Olympic Traffic lanes have come into play, and as a result the area around the office was pretty much gridlocked. Pretty sure it's likely to even itself out in due course, but this morning chaos reigned. Colleague C turned up in a state of some excitement - "You're not going to believe this, but half the Greek Cycling team are out on the pavement up the road there!" As he and Female Partner R are Greek Cypriot this caused a ripple of excitement, and she and I shot off up the road, me with camera in hand, to see what was occurring.

As we trotted up the road, we were passed by this chap...

 ...So not just the Greek team doing battle with the traffic then! Further on, at the front of the line of Official Olympic Cars parked at the roadside were several members of Team Korea too! R's target was the Greek team though, and pretty soon we found them preparing to get on their way...

They were in no rush though, and extremely friendly, happy to pause for photographs to be taken, and to have a chat with a passing local cyclist who looked extremely surprised to see a load of international cyclists standing at the side of the High Road!

 Entente Cordiale reigned, and clearly any Inter-National rivalry hasn't kicked in yet as all the countries gathered together and eventually rode off on their way, sticking neatly to the cycle lane but perhaps moving ever so slightly faster than the residents of Leytonstone may be accustomed to. Whether they were doing some kind of training circuit, or indeed heading by a slightly roundabout route for the Olympic Park, we don't know, it certainly made a cheery start to the morning though!

I wonder what other excitements the games hold for us?!

Robyn

Farne Islands Take 2...

Sneak preview.....

There were Puffins...

....And Seals...

...And shags.

And lots of other things, you'll have to be patient for a few days while I process through the 400+ photos I took yesterday!

Robyn

Frugal Friday...

Playing them at their own game!

We've talked about shopping before, haven't we. Lists, planning, meal plans etc. How about actually saving money on what you buy though - I mean, obviously there are special offers, BOGOFs, 2 for £5 type of deals, but what about actually saving cold, hard cash (or better still, cool-ish papery cash, which I feel is the better type)? I reckon I can safely say we'd all go for that idea, yes?

I believe I may have mentioned a few weeks ago that a certain large supermarket beginning with the letter which falls before U in the alphabet had kindly sent me some money off vouchers. A couple of "double points" ones, and some of those product ones which are designed to make you buy stuff you wouldn't have bothered with without having been given 25p off it. Kind of them, but not something to make me change my shopping habits. Since then however, they seem to have developed a bit of a crush, as several more blue envelopes have dropped onto the doormat.... the first was interesting in a sort of  "well I might use one or two" kind of way - a booklet featuring 6 or 8 "£4 off when you spend £40" vouchers. These are only of limited use to me as my usual weekly shop falls a long way below this level. We shop carefully, but certainly don't eat rubbish just because it's cheap - I cringe looking at the crap a lot of folk shovel in purely because it saves them a few pennies.....

Anyway, the next missive from my new penpal, the large supermarket beginning with the letter just after S in the alphabet, was of far more interest. They have been "refurbishing" the bigger of our local stores, and as a result this has apparently caused some inconvenience. It might well have done, I wouldn't have noticed as while it was all going on I was shopping in Sainsburys to use the voucher that they had given me.....anyhow, to apologise for the inconvenience caused by them slapping a new "hello" sign up outside and jiggling things around inside so it's impossible to find anything, they sent me 4 vouchers, each of which gives me £6 off when I spend £30 - that's far more like it!  I wouldn't usually spend that amount either, but can do for a short period of time if it allows me to a) save money down the line and b) Play the supermarkets at their own game, and c) combine helpfully with the other voucher they have sent me to gain £40 of shopping for £30!

This morning I went shopping, as is my usual Friday morning habit. I had my list, and had done my homework regarding special offers etc. I had two "product specific" coupons to use - one for 50p off the salad leaves I would have bought anyway, and another for 40p off the store's own brand mayonnaise...which I buy anyway, and can happily stash in the store cupboard.  The trick when you have several vouchers to use at once is to work out exactly how they need to be used.....so in this case - the £4 off £40 comes first....leaving £36 to pay. Then £6 off £30.....reducing the spend to £30, and finally the product specific ones. Doing it any other way can leave you without the qualifying spend for one or more (In this case the specific ones would have "lost" me the £4 one) of the vouchers. It's worth standing off to one side before heading to the checkout to "stack" your coupons ready - and beware of handing them all to the checkout operator at once too as some will deliberately put them through in the wrong order!

Finally, check your receipt carefully and be prepared to stand your ground if things are wrong. This morning I was overcharged on the tomatoes I bought, as a direct result of the Shelf-filler having put the wrong product on the shelf! The store's take on this was that it was my fault for not knowing, I stood my ground, and asked to have the matter escalated to a Manager, and on his say-so a refund was soon arranged. (Probably once the manager had told them to stop being so silly, I should think!) Remember also that with this particular store (my new best friend judging by the amount of post they send!) if they make an error in charging you for something, they have to refund you DOUBLE the amount of the overcharge.

Next week should be even better. The store have a promotion going at present where, if you spend £40 or more, the till spits you out a slip entitling you to £5 off another £40 shop NEXT week.....Hmmmm.....this is going to take some planning!

Robyn

You can make it stop now!

It's been a bit wet. No, hang about, that's wrong, it's been VERY wet. It seemed over here in East Anglia that no sooner was a hosepipe ban announced earlier in the year, it rained without stopping for several months. Gloomy stuff, with only small consolation to be gained from splashing in puddles and that lovely fresh scent in the air immediately after a heavy downpour. All sorts of events have been affected - from local fetes, to large music festivals, and equestrian events (Several major three-day-events have been affected, and even more worryingly the Theydon Bois Donkey Derby has had to be postponed until September!). Few sports can have been affected more than speedway though - with the exception of televised meetings, which usually go ahead almost regardless of track conditions and rider safety, too much rain falling almost always means meetings getting abandoned, or postponed, and this year has been exceptional in this respect, with over 100 meetings having now been affected in this way so far this season in the UK. Ipswich alone have suffered  9 meetings being off this year - including a trip down to Plymouth when the entire team got all the way there before the decision to call off had to be made. Other sides have had even more, and it's already being discussed that there is likely to be a serious fixture backlog to deal with from now until the end of the season in October. By the way, for those who don't know, Speedway is not like football - if our boys don't ride, they don't get paid, so this is starting to cause some of them serious problems.

Meanwhile, up in the Hebrides, things are rather different - they are now suffering the effects of a drought, with the shock move being made to turn off the Ferry Terminal Water fountain! Unprecedented stuff indeed! Down here though, we've had enough now. Please make it stop!

Robyn