General Chat Thread

[Chris D]

I've just about had my fill of hearing about the bloody jubilee! - I've decided, I'm being French for the weekend.

Still, I'll be hiking in Snowdonia tomorrow, so hopefully, no TVs.

French. What a brilliant idea. And could you think of a better way to celebrate. Get out the Guillotine............

[docbob]

I've just about had my fill of hearing about the bloody jubilee! - I've decided, I'm being French for the weekend.

Still, I'll be hiking in Snowdonia tomorrow, so hopefully, no TVs.

French. What a brilliant idea. And could you think of a better way to celebrate. Get out the Guillotine............

I'd rather take the Guido Fawkes approach to celebrations.........

[Crawsnest]

Well we're off to see Hawkwind today (sat). Should be a nice alternative to the enforced jollity surrounding some old queen.. Only problem, the gig is in edinburgh and without doubt the capital will be festooned with royalist claptrap and associated memorabilia... Strange how Scotland never had a queen elizabeth before, but we're supposed to doff our caps and tug our forelocks for someone who claims to be queen elizabeth the second???

Never mind... a little bit of 'spacerock' should see all that stuff banished from my mind...

[mwelljester]

Well we're off to see Hawkwind today (sat). Should be a nice alternative to the enforced jollity surrounding some old queen.. Only problem, the gig is in edinburgh and without doubt the capital will be festooned with royalist claptrap and associated memorabilia... Strange how Scotland never had a queen elizabeth before, but we're supposed to doff our caps and tug our forelocks for someone who claims to be queen elizabeth the second???

Never mind... a little bit of 'spacerock' should see all that stuff banished from my mind...

Have great time in edinburgh, enjoy ur hawkwind gig, go easy with the spacerock alan & liz or the MIB will get you!!!

[arcademannequin]

I've just about had my fill of hearing about the bloody jubilee! - I've decided, I'm being French for the weekend.

Still, I'll be hiking in Snowdonia tomorrow, so hopefully, no TVs.

Have a great weekend paul!

A good day! - Currently chilling in a lovely B&B overlooking Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) after a great day's hiking around the Aran and Arenig mountains. - Unfortunately lots of drizzle today, but still good walking.

Had a strange experience in a 'local pub' this evening. One of those little pubs where everyone goes quiet and turns around when 'strangers' walk through the door! - Enjoying a quiet and well-earned pint when a troupe of old blokes in weird rustic-looking costumes suddenly burst in and proceed to put on a play. I imagine they were all farmers, keeping some ancient country traditions going, but we ended up being part of the play. - Wasn't impressed when one of the old guys (the one wearing a bush!) drank my pint, to much laughter. - I must have had a look on my face like you wouldn't believe! - He bought me one back later, though a cheaper and weaker beer!

Another day tomorrow. Don't know where we'll end up, though I'll be keeping away from old farmers.

[Teddynonose]

TNN and Zaz are back in blighty...unfortunately !
After 8 days of sunshine in the south of France and Corsica we arrived back at a cold, wet, windy and very depressing Luton airport midnight on Thursday. Just 10 hours earlier we had been on the beach in Juan les Pins sunbathing after a brilliant hour spent standup paddle boarding on the Med.
Corsica was absolutely stunning. Mountains coming down to beautiful beaches and a clear azure blue sea.

This morning I had my first ever trip in a glider.
I have lived very close to Dunstable Downs gliding club for my whole life and always watched gliders circling over my head.
Zaz gave me the flight for my birthday which was booked for 9:30 this morning.
I woke up to a sunny morning with a few clouds in an otherwise blue sky. A perfect day for gliding.
From take off to landing the experience was awesome. Only when I was allowed to take control did i get a little bit worried as the lightest of touches on the control stick can send the glider plummeting down or lurching to one side ! It was brilliant flying over my house and surrounding countryside that I have known all my life.
I would love to do it again.

Yesterday the new Rush album arrived complete in its beautiful hard back book and with a fantastic 132 page magazine with loads of information and interviews all about Rush. Even a couple of posters and one with the names of everyone who preordered the album. Well worth £15.
These Classic Rock fan Packs are really beautifully done especially this latest Rush album. Its even better than the days when we looked forward to the latest gatefold albums from the likes of Marillion, Floyd, Genesis, Rush etc....

After a week of great food and wine I thought I better do some exercise this evening so I had a mountain bike ride on a few bridleways around my home.

Oh well that was a great 12 days away from the office. Unfortunately I need to be up at 5:30 AM and back to work tomorrow.
A shame because it would be great to watch England v France with Zaz tomorrow. She is supporting Germany and France !!!!

[arcademannequin]

......Welcome back you two! - Good to hear you both had a great time. - Sounds beautiful.

[docbob]

Had a cracking weekend... Into Mordor on saturday morning.. Booked luch on a riverboat on the Thames and tuns out we had it to ourselves. most excellents service, delicious food, and a free bottle of champagne.... Then onto the Novello theatre.. We saw Noises Off a few years back and cried our eyes ot with laughter back then. This time round, I nearley pee'd myself with laughter at this interpretation of he comedy/ farce/play within a play. i am still grinning from ear to ear.

Then a spot of shopping, train home and a relatively early night..

Similarily to TNN, I was up at he crack of dawn this mornin, first of all cutting grass, then off from Duxford on a jolly in a friend's vintage Piper L4

Jeanne helps organize a lot of the Duxford Flying Legends Weekends and fortunately for me, lives in our village. Through years of friendship this has given me a wee part time job at Duxford when time allows, photographing plane parts, as they are disassembled, to aid the restoration and preservation process. Occassionally it leads to some freebies.
O

Today was a lucky... A 90 minute flight out over the fens , and flatlands of East Angular, and some time at the wheel... First time in a long time, resulting in a resolve, that If my current one year contract goes permanent, i'll aim to regain my lapsed pilots licence inthe next year or so, if finances and life insurance allows.

Meantime I await a return to Duxie for a flight in a Tiger Moth, similarly bought for me for Christmas. i don't usually favour these kinds of presents as time, diaries and the weather often gets in the way of actually taking them. Even trying to book this "experience" has meant both of us taking a day off work, in the hope British weather allows, and probably between now and July, when I am due to do my "flight", i'll probably be up a few more times from Fowlmere to do some aerial photography of home owners down here... But not in a Tiggy M....

I can imagine TNN's extreme joy at gliding for the first time. My first glider flight was in a Sedburgh T2 glider, on a cool summers morning, in july 1980, at RAF Kinloss on ATC camp.. I was later, lucky as a cadet, to get selected for a gliding course, and gained my wings at 16' and my powered wings at 18. But i will never forget the exhiliration of being ground winch towed,in an open "ancient" glider back then , into the air..Helmet and parachuteless...

And it was bloody cold..

But you didn't feel it back then. And a 2 or 3 minute flight seemed like a life time.

Not like these modern Grob gliders that space cadets fly in these days, with easy chairs, air conditioning and cd players....

Ah those were the days.... But for sure, i prefer the reassurance of an engine up front in my old age...

[docbob]

Good job you went yesterday Andy. British summertime is back today.

[zazabi]

Yesterday the new Rush album arrived complete in its beautiful hard back book and with a fantastic 132 page magazine with loads of information and interviews all about Rush. Even a couple of posters and one with the names of everyone who preordered the album.

And a key ring

It would be great to watch England v France with Zaz tomorrow.

You bet!