Coast trip..(day one)...

As you probably know, the summer has been a complete washout. So, when I saw this sunny patch of weather, I knew it was time to escape to my favourite UK island...Anglesey.

The route follows the old stage coaching road which cuts through the Welsh mountains, across the Menai Straits and up to Holyhead where the boats leave to go to Ireland.

The straight fast road soon begins to narrow and deviate as you approach the Welsh foothills. The twists and turns made all the more challenging by having 40 odd kilos of kayaks strapped high up on the roof. There were several tyre squealing moments and I had to crane my neck to look up and check if they were still there!

Beyond the picturesque village of Betsy-coed is the 'stop off point'. This is where we meet up if we are travelling in convoy and have become separated. It's also a good place to allow some blood back into your white knuckles after gripping the wheel so tightly around those perilous zig zags.

We climbed a short way up the mountain to have a bite to eat. I love it here, it's peaceful and the road invites you further.

As the miles rolled on, we decided to stop for....well, we needed to stop.

Beyond a dry stone wall was this little chap.

He was running free out on the hills but was quite tame. It turned out he had a penchant for sandwiches, which was why he was staking out this layby popular with picnickers.

We said 'auf wiedersen' to the mountains as we headed down to the coast.

All the signs direct you to the new modern Britannia road bridge, but I always go out of my way and struggle through Bangor to get to the original bridge. The Menai Suspension bridge was built in 1826 by Thomas Telford and used to be the only dry route across the Straits to the island of Anglesey. It's really narrow and the waters below gush quickly when the tides are high. The Strait is dotted with lots of little islands, some with houses. The closer being connected to the land with their own personal bridges.

On the 12th November 1918 Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst flew an airship (SSZ73) under the bridge to celebrate the armistice at the end of World War One!

I was glad to arrive at the campsite, I've been here many times before. It's a bit cheap and cheerful, but that's how I like it. Most people stay at the top end of the site near the facilities, but down the quiet bottom end you are next to the cliffs. The slope is steep and sometimes, especially when it's wet it can be difficult to get enough traction to get a fully loaded car back up...fun, fun, fun!

The sun was setting as the camp was completed, just enough time to scramble down the rocks behind the hedge to the sea below.

With darkness enveloping the camp all that was left was to cook some food and lay and watch the shooting stars by the gently shushing petrol lamp....

ATTENTION, Human Scum!....

Some of you may have noticed that previous posts have included footage of UFOs. This has all been a ploy to gauge your reaction to alien entities! Those of you that have been observant would have noticed something not quite 'right'.
Yes, I am an alien....Sent to infiltrate the blogging world!

At first I struggled to take on a suitable form. You humans are so fickle as to what you persieve as acceptable. Early attempts as the female of the species failed...the beard and stockings sidelining me to the 'dark' side of blogging.

Several attempts as the male species also failed....the stockings turned out to be a result of 'misinformation' from a rogue planet in my home solar system.

Slowly I honed my human form. Convincing my host family I was truly one of them.

My host brother couldn't believe his eyes when I revealed my true form.

He was understandably horrified. It all made sense....the meteor shower...little bruv being born 8 months premature...the sudden growth spurts coinciding with the pets going missing....the stockings!

Big bruv has come to accept the situation and is sympathetic to his alien brothers need to exist in his true form.

So now my friends, as I have come to regard you. After gaining your trust, it is time to remove this rubbery mask.....

Please accept me for what I am, and don't judge me on looks alone. In return, your measly planet is spared human scum...Sorry, old habits die hard!

The 'Spaceworm' video....

Well, at last Blogger has now included video. Yonks ago you may remember a post I did about an object I'd filmed. At the time all I was able to do was post a few snapshots, now here is a couple of moving clips. I know it's a bit wibbly wobbly, but you try holding a camera steady at 35x zoom. Yes, it does look like a modelling balloon, but this was really big (the length of a passenger jet). This object has been nicknamed "The Spaceworm" by my friends, who have been very good about the matter and haven't as yet openly accused me of being a nutcase.




























For more information you can either go to the original post (WHAT THE HE*!!?! IS THAT???!.... 2/06/07) or below is a copy of the text of the same.

























I was out in the back garden lying out on the grass, when I spotted Venus. It was daytime but it still showed up as a tiny pin prick of light.











I tried to photograph it, but even at 35x it doesn't look much.










I had a go at taking some pics of a jet up at cruising height, where the sky begins to turn that darker blue.
I lay back and considered my next target, when I noticed a little black line in the sky. It was slightly curved and at first I thought it was a buzzard up high. The line shrank to a dot, and then stretched out to a line once more. It was something long, tumbling and rotating, giving the illusion of changing shape. Desperately I tried in vain to train the camera at it, but there was nothing to reference the position to. Eventually I decided to put the zoom at full optical (35x), point roughly in the right direction and perform a crude 'raster scan' of whole area. Bingo! There it was!....









To all the world it looked like a modelling balloon...








...but this was big! When I first spotted it, it had passed above the con trail of the passenger jet that I photoed at the same magnification. Logic dictates that this was as long or longer than the jet plane!







I've seen planets, meteors, glints from satellites and often seen weather balloons, but nothing like this. If it was some sort of huge wacky weather balloon where was all the equipment that normally hangs down below? The way it was tumbling wouldn't have allowed anything like that without getting tangled. It was a real struggle keeping the thing in frame at that zoom, my arms were starting to ache.





Any movement would cause the object to skip about, so I held the shutter button firmly down with the camera clacking away taking five pictures a second!




With the SD card rapidly filling up, I switched to video downloading to the hard drive. With all the messing about with buttons, the object fell out of frame. Damn..... Oh, there it was, got it back again...relief!



Now on movie I attempted to zoom in further, 50x, 80x, 100x, 150x...No it was all too much, I just couldn't hold it steady enough.


The last three pictures were lifted from video. I was a little disappointed that the higher magnification pics didn't come out very clear, this was because I didn't have time to bump up the shutter speed to max. So these were the best that I could get.
I have absolutely no idea what this thing was. All I can say was that it did exist (I saw it with the naked eye as well as the camera), it was grey black, shiny (the sun glinted off it, but didn't shine through it), it wasn't powered (it tumbled in the direction of the prevailing wind, but slower), it had no markings and had nothing attached to it. If you know what it is then let me know, cos I'm stumped.

Drive you to drink....

It wasn't a bad day weather wise, but it wasn't good either. I felt that I should do something slightly energetic in order to burn off some of yesterdays BBQ at Russells. No, I was feeling lazy, a bit of a razz in the car instead.... Heading North, the A515 lured me further on with it's luscious zig zags. After clearing the county of Staffordshire, the roads became more narrow as the hills of Derbyshire loomed ahead. Stone walls lulled you into a false sense of security, obscuring the precipice to your side as you skim the edge of the slope, encouraging you ever faster.

As you climb ever higher the lanes snake through little V shape valleys.

There's always another bend, revealing another valley, with another hill challenging you in the distance...

As I got ever higher, I noticed the sheep dotting the hillsides didn't look quite the same....

Hang on, those are Llamas (or are they Alpacas? Is there a difference?) You know you're getting high up when there's Llamas! This one had recently been shaun, someone, somewhere had got a lovely soft new jumper.

This baby Llama looked impossibly cute. I'm sure the farmer goes round putting mascara on those lashes, no way are they natural.

Llama wool is renowned for being warm and soft, if it's so good why does this chap find it so itchy?

Finally the top of the world (well of this bit anyway) was in view. This isn't a place you want to be caught out in during winter. It was flippin cold in August. There is nothing for miles around. Should you be foolish enough to wander off the road you stumble through peat bogs, dissected by deep ditches which far from helping to drain the land, just give you something to fall into and drown! The tarmac route picked its way through the difficult terrain. This is the only way across the hills, the twists and turns attract suicidal bikers and car fanatics alike. Signs warn of "Traffic Law Enforcement by Police Aircraft". Motorcyclists fit upward facing mirrors to their fuel tanks in order to spot whether they are being 'monitored' by Police helicopter!

This is the 'Cat and Fiddle', the highest public house in England, although there is some rivalry for the title with the 'Tan Inn', either way it's a long way to go for a drink!

The AA (Automobile Association not Alcoholic Anonymous) survey 2003 listed this as the most dangerous stretch of road in the UK. On the homeward trip I bear ed this in mind and drove as quickly as I could in order to get off it as soon as possible!

Down in the tree clothed valleys after passing through the village of 'Winkle Bottom' several times I decided that I was lost. It was time for a coffee and to get my old faithful GPS out. This E-Trex GPS is getting on a bit now, it's been through the wars and is reinforced with tape. It's over 7 years old now, back from when I would have to explain to people what GPS was. After telling one client what it was for and how great it was to have a device that could tell you exactly where you were in the world tucked in your pocket, he replied "But if you've got it in your pocket, you know where it is"! This is the same client that years later after buying a car with a GPS enthused"My new GPS tells me where to go..", I was tempted to do the same...

E-Trex got me home as per usual, a 160 mile round trip, not bad for an afternoons drive.

My 7 'P's....

I've been tagged, this time by Lesley (http://thedebrisfield.blogspot.com/). I'm not sure of the rules for this one, just 7 'P's.... PADDLING... Kayaks of course. I'm never happier and more relaxed as when I'm out on the water.

PETER PRINCIPLE... "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." This is why I'm self employed, there is no hierarchy, so I'm free to be incompetent at all times!

PHONETIC... Why is it spelt this way?

PETROL... Why in the UK do we have to pay 80% tax on petrol?! As I fill up I count in my head how much is going to the government and how much is in the tank. Also, while we're on the subject, why when we had the opportunity to protest and make our views known during a rush hour 1 min demo was it just me and one van driver.....where were you all? Premium petrol costs £1.10 a litre (£4.16 a gallon), how much does it have to cost before we demand a tax reduction?

PHOTOGRAPHS... Since my hit and run accident my memory has been patchy at best, if it wasn't for all the photos I'm sure I would have 'lost' big chunks of my life. Now I photo and video everything just in case.

PUBLIC... I'm so glad I'm not a 'member of the public'. They aren't allowed to do anything. You always see signs saying 'No Entry to Members of the Public' or 'Members of the Public are not allowed to.....'. Of course, by not being a member of the public none of these signs apply to me, it makes life so much simpler!

PIPISTRELLE... I was once bitten by a Pipstrelle bat. 'Boris' the bat was found in a gutter by my brother, we tried to nurse it back to health. It was while trying to coax it to eat a yummy moth that I was bitten. Unfortunately Boris didn't make it. I'm still awaiting my special super bat powers to develop, nothing yet, but I do sometimes wake up with the pillows at the wrong end of the bed.

Now I have to pick five victims...I mean people, to tag. As per normal it isn't a chain letter so don't feel obliged...

DIANDRA - (http://diandrasdesires.blogspot.com/)

SECRET AGENT - (http://www.somethingsecretive.blogspot.com/)

ELISA - (http://crazyproctors.blogspot.com/)

LYNN - (http://ukdailyphoto.blogspot.com/)

SHARON - (http://mookyshood.blogspot.com/)

All the Queens soldiers....

Sunshine and showers this week, "nice weather for ducks" apparently. So, I thought I'd go and feed them.... I love feeding the ducks. I've never seen an animal so chuffed with a bit of bread. Waddling around, smily beaked contented muffled quacks.

Busy Sparrows collecting all the bits others have forgotten about.

The Mallards try and be camouflaged, but have one showy bit just so they can feel 'special' too.

I gave this chap loads of bread because he'd got a poorly wing. He ate tons, he won't be hungry tonight.

You little ba#&$*d!!! Poorly wing! He'd took me for a chump. I'll remember you...cos you look like all the other hundreds of Canada geese. Damn, he'd got away with it.

The Swans were slow to arrive, and after admiring themselves in the wibbly wobbly reflection of the car spot lamps, came over for a snack. They played nicely and took the bread gently. Just as well for such a big bird. All was fine until the bread ran out.....

"WHERE'S MY BREAD?" Legs were pecked, pockets examined, cameras lunged at, and finally....

SWAN ATTACK!! Oww! I left him to it hoping he'd realise his mistake, but no, he was going to chew on this arm until he could pull a chunk off. There was nothing I could do. All the Swans in the UK (if unmarked and on open water) are owned by the Queen. A law dating back to the 12th century meant I would be in big trouble for harming a Swan, you could get 7 years transportation! Hang on, a free 7 year holiday to the Australias, didn't seem so bad....but on the other hand, my arm was beginning to hurt. Ooh! Blood! Well, a tiny bit.

"Yeah, yeah, you wouldn't have got away with it if you didn't know the Queen. "......."Yes, alright I'm going!"

It was probably bedtime anyway.....

Catnip capers.....

The cats are fond of playing 'hide and seek'. I'm not sure if I taught them or they're teaching me. If you would like to play too, here is the recipe for success..... First you need the right apparel. Humans are big compared to cats, so you are at a distinct disadvantage. Camouflage evens up the odds!

Next you need a big bag of drugs. Catnip is the favourite , give it a good rub to make it extra potent. It's a shame this doesn't work on humans, but it leaves cats quite discombobulated.

Finally, you will need a large basket of cats. Any sort will do, and as many as you can find.

Sprinkle liberally with catnip, and stir gently until you hear a loud purr.

Quickly tip your cats out. You may find that some stick to the sides, but these can be coaxed out with further catnip. Allow to settle until the initial frenzy has subsided giving way to a druggie playfulness.

Lucy was intent on bending the rules even though there weren't any, and it was decided that the garage roof was deemed out of bounds.

Max hadn't quite got a handle on the matter of scale and seemed pretty sure that I was hiding in the old chimney pot.

Lenny was ingenious when it came to hiding places but just hadn't got the patience to stay hidden and couldn't resist another peek. He was quickly caught.

After an hour of intense game play, Lucy eventually fell victim to too much catnip and fell asleep in the compost heap.

With Baggy hiding so well nobody ever found her and Lenny being called in for tea, Max was declared the winner by default.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of a small black fluffy kitten with a white nose flash answering to the name of 'Baggy', 'come here', 'dindins' or pretty much anything as long as it's in a friendly voice then please get in touch......