A coastal visit and some other things

A visit home.

We went to visit my parent's over a few days in late September, which was great as we got to do some fun stuff in nice weather (for a change!) and of course it was lovely to see them. On the way over we stopped off in Norwich to have a mooch about the city centre and find some quirky shops. We also had lunch in the castle grounds (which is on top of the Castle Mall shopping centre.) Carla wanted to visit the Norwich Buddhist Centre, where she bought a mala (a string of beads for meditation) and find some other 'new age' shops. We found one of the shops, but the other had closed. We then went around some old charity/second hand/oddments shops and she found a box with the symbol for 'Om' on it (you will have gathered that my wife is into Buddhist things now.) We then caught the train to Yarmouth to stay with mum and dad.

The next day we had a few hours in Lowestoft, which as geography fans will know is Britain's most easterly town. We had a fun few hours walking from the extreme south the sea front parade, back along the (European award winning blue flag certified!) beach, past the pier area and across the harbour bridge, and all the way up through the town centre and into the older High Street area, and lastly had lunch in the memorial park. The area around the bridge and harbour is pretty grim, and there seems a sense of faded glory to the place (like so many coastal towns) but the rest of the town centre and sea front was fun to see. Carla was happy to see brightly decorated beach huts! Later that evening we had a nice little walk around Gorleston-On-Sea High Street and then the sea front. Not many people about, and the weather was still and clear. A fun three days!

Techno techno techno…..and meerkats!

I got Carla a little Sony MP3 player so she can use it for her Buddhist meditations. She is now constructing play lists via internet downloads from various Buddhist websites and CDs. The software that comes with it, Sonic Stage, takes a bit of getting used to, but everything seems to be working ok so far.

Our Philips widescreen TV died the other weekend. We came back from a short shopping trip in town and when I turned it on, the picture was a light blue with white lines across it! I guess the writing had been on the wall as its been displaying these odd lines across the screen for a while now. There was this distinct smell of 'burnt electrics' around the house that afternoon! Oh well, it lasted 7 years or so no matter. We got our spare tv from the bedroom and moved it into the living room, and we'll make do with that until it blows. Then it’s a new plasma or LCD!

Also, those pesky (but mostly cute) meerkats have come back for a third series of "Meerkat Manor", which recently ran on the Animal Planet channel and is still narrated by the wonderful Bill Nigh. I love this show: the best soap opera on tv! It was quite sad when Flower the dominant female of the Whiskers group died. Rocket Dog, her daughter, has taken over. Gripping stuff I tell ya!! Can't wait for series 4.

Julie's Wedding and Comic Con

Some updates for late August and early September. Finally got around to do some typing!

Julie and Patrick's Wedding and a weekend in London.

Carla and I went down to London on Friday August 17th for three days. We managed to get some fun things done that day, the first being a trip up to 'Yoga Matters' near Turnpike Lane in North London. This shop specialises in all things yoga, Buddhist and 'eastern'. Best find for me was the "Yoga for Chickens" book! Carla got two more Kundalini yoga dvds. We then headed off back into central London to meet up with our pal Bill and have a walk around Kensington. Lovely evening that was! The guidebook we had takes you off the beaten track a bit and gives factoids about the buildings and places. Apparently we walked right past Michael "calm down dear" Winner's house! Also, the Kensington roof gardens were gorgeous. To finish the day we went for a (disappointing) meal in a Japanese restaurant in Soho.

The next morning we had a look around Oxford Street so I could buy a new suit and Carla could get a new bag, which we did after a bit of faffing about. Good old British Home stores! Then we popped over to the Knight's Templar pub near Chancery Lane to attend the wedding. Patrick was already there welcoming guests, and Julie arrived shortly before the ceremony dressed in a traditional sari (she has a love of all things eastern, and changed into other saris later). Mike and Tracie and her family were with her. The wedding went fine. The simple civil service was held in the balcony which overlooks the main pub area. I did my bit as nominated "giver away" which was dead easy! Carla and I stayed for a little while afterwards, and then headed off to get a meal at a vegetarian restaurant called 'Mildred's' in Soho. We also wanted to have a look around central London and found a fab shop called 'Coffee Cake and Kink'! I love glamour stuff so this is right up my street! Ahem, anyway, we came back later to have a drink with the crowd that was left at the wedding. Julie was still dancing! We wish the happy couple all the best. Check out some photos here.

On the Sunday we met up with Mike and most of the Star Wars fan "groovy gang" to have a look at the 'Star Wars exhibit' at County Hall on the South Bank. This was ok, but I had reservations of what was shown and how it was displayed. It was good to see some of the props and artwork, for instance I loved the early design of Watto, and the model of the Star Destroyer turret, but to me the rooms seemed a little dark and there wasn't enough information displayed about the individual props. I guess I had to buy a guide book! At the end of the exhibit I saw an odd thing. You could by official merchandise from a van out on the street. Yes. A van! I wonder if they sold Bantha-burgers as well!? Haha!

We also got chance to show Mike the famous Covent Garden market, and a football shop where he picked up some Arsenal merchandise for Brian.

The London Film and Comic Con (Sunday, September 2nd)

I went down to London's Earl's Court to have a few hours at the 'London Film and Comic Con', which is now in its third year. The day started off well: I got to the railway station in time for the first train to London, and it was early in, and not that busy so I got a seat. Nice sunny day as well. Then of course, it all went down hill. An announcement told us that we would be delayed because of a de-railment of some Railtrack maintenance equipment near Rugby! After an hour, we finally got under way. Then nearer Northampton a strange thing happened. The train was held up by sheep on the line! Idiot stupid farmer who can't repair fences! He should be fined. Anyway, in some ways this was funny as it turned out the train driver and the conductor had to moonlight as sheep herders!! They spent a good 30 odd minutes deciding what to do, then the next 30 running around the track and embankments trying to get the sheep back into the field!! Finally got into London an hour late, but never mind. Off to Earl's Court I rushed. Thankfully, no hold ups on the tube.

The fair there was the usual "collectors show": lots of stalls selling film and TV merchandise, various actors and actresses selling autographs. There was even an area for talks. When I investigated that part of the hall there was a "Star Wars" talk going on with Gary Kurtz (the producer) and actors answering questions posed by fans.

I got to see my friends Sarah, Paul, and Jamie there. Being able to see pals from far away is always the highlight of these events. Part of the hall was in chaos. This was because some of the cast of Heroes were there signing autographs, including the lovely Hayden Panettiere. The queues went on for hours. I suppose that confirms the show is a mega hit! Sarah managed to queue a long time for Patrick Stewart's autograph, who is apparently much shorter in real life. That's what camera angles do! In her words:

"Sunday 2nd Sept at LFCC. Experienced quite an odd day at my first convention, as I spent most of the time wandering about the dingy bowels of Earls Court 1, surrounded by fanatical people in strange costumes, in order to get my 10 seconds with Patrick Stewart. Like most people off the telly, in the flesh he was actually rather tiny, but a very polite man all the same. Somehow though, I don't think I'll be doing LFCC again..."

For me, the main problem with the event was the venue. Earls Court is sooooooo dark and gloomy! The place really is showing its age. I do hope Jason moves the show back to Earls Court 2 next year, which is a far more pleasant experience as its newer, the lighting is better and design of the hall is less oppressive. Organisers take note!

I got back ok.....no sheep on the line!