Driving on the wrong side of the road

I’ve got an opportunity to drive on the wrong side of the road.

Many years ago I did a road trip through France, Spain and Portugal with a campervan.* I loved the freedom of being able to go wherever we wanted and the ease of being able to stop and sleep whenever and wherever took our fancy. In recent years I’ve had similar experiences in the UK, first with my car and tent, and now with my van. I really want to be able to expand my trips to the continent but I have no experience of driving on ‘that’ side of the road and the thought of doing it for the first time on my own, without a second pair of eyes, is a little bit scary. I’m not so worried about going straight; it’s going round corners that’ll get me unstuck. I know from cycling experience how easy it is to nonchalantly turn a corner and automatically turn on to the British side of the road. And as for roundabouts … well, the less said about them the better. It took me long enough to learn how to do them here without having to do them back to front.

But sometimes opportunities just present themselves. I’ve said before that having a list makes ideas more concrete and although it doesn’t necessarily mean opportunities appear that wouldn’t have done without the list (that would be weird and new-agey) it does make the opportunities more noticeable and make me more likely to jump at them. Also it means other people may be aware of what I want to do and they may notice opportunities on my behalf.

Just before New Year I was contacted by a former colleague who said she needed someone with a van to drive her and a load of stuff down to her new caravan in France. At first I though ‘no’ because she was asking about the Easter holidays and I already have plans. But the idea had been planted and my mind kept involuntarily mulling it over. Although it didn’t seem too feasible I decided it would be worth looking into to see if I could fit a road trip to the South of France into my plans for my annual visit to Germany.

Too late. She’d already found someone else with a trailer to do the job for her. But she did mention the February half term and would I fancy a trip then? She would be driving herself and so I could tag along, have a few days there and then fly home whilst she remains there a bit longer. This would mean she’d have company for the journey down and the first part of her stay there. I told her I was interested and she’s just got back to me with flight prices (very reasonable) and asked if I’d mind sharing the driving. So if I go I’ll get to have my first driving experiences on the wrong side of the road! (Does she really know what she’s letting herself in for???)

This is much better than Easter too, as I’d been looking for something to do at half term and so far none of the ideas I’d had were working out. So if things go according to plan, it looks like I’ll soon be getting another challenge ticked off my list.

*I couldn’t drive when I did my campervan trip, so that time I was just the passenger.

Ice Station

Thrills and spills galore in this page-turner set in Antarctica.

By Matthew Reilly

I picked this up in a charity shop just before Christmas. I hadn’t heard of Matthew Reilly before but it sounded like a good fast-paced thriller – the sort of story I could easily lose myself in when I needed a bit of respite from all the chaos around me during my house renovations. The fact that it is set in Antarctica also had something to do with its attraction.

Within a couple of pages I was hooked and managed to read all 704 pages in the space of a few days. The story starts when a remote (even for Antarctica) research station puts out a distress call – the residents think they have found an alien spacecraft buried in the ice sheet and the group of scientists they sent into a cavern to investigate failed to return.

A group of American marines are sent to investigate but find the threat of death by alien to be the least of their worries. They come under attack by commandos from other countries eager to claim the extra-terrestrial prize for themselves, by killer whales, nuclear enhanced seals, and rogue elements from their own side. The action is a non-stop roller-coaster of thrills and spills and as long as you suspend any sense of incredulity it’s a great ride.

This book is just begging to be turned into an extreme Hollywood action thriller and was actually optioned by Paramount. The screenplay was written but then they let the option expire; maybe because they realised the difficulty and cost it would entail to do the story justice? The special effects and stunts required would make the Die Hard and James Bond films seem sedate by comparison. I really hope someone takes the plunge though as this would be a film I’d really like to see.

This book is by no means high literature but as far as easy, captivating reads go, it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

 

Flight Simulation

Half an hour in a flight simulator has given me a real taste for flying.

One of the presents I got my brother for Christmas was an ‘experience’ in a fighter plane simulator. I liked the sound of it so I booked myself a go too. The day after Boxing Day we drove to an industrial estate in Stalybridge where the Top Gun Flight Simulator is situated. In the small office and reception space on the first floor of an scruffy looking warehouse we were sat down and shown our flight route on a map. The instructor also explained what can be seen on each of the three computer screens that are set up in the reception area. One is basically the radar, another one shows the terrain the plane is flying over as seen from various watch towers. As the plane flies into the distance it becomes a dot on the screen, when it flies closer it can be seen filling the screen. The third screen is the view of what the pilot can see through the windscreen. 

After a briefing on where we would be flying, it was time to get changed into RAF flying suits. John decided to fly first and I sat with a coffee and watched him on the screens. The instructor’s wife explained what was going on and told me a bit about their business. Ian, the instructor, had previously flown Cessnas but hadn’t done any flying for a while when someone bought him the Microsoft flight simulator. Pretty soon he became bored of just flying with a keyboard and wanted more of the real thing. That led to him buying a 1970’s Czech fighter plane and setting up a flight simulation business. They’ve been going for less than 2 years and so far it’s been successful. They’ve recently moved into their new premises from their original location in Ashton.

After half an hour John’s flight was over and I went down to the simulator on the ground floor to take photos of him in the cockpit all kitted out in the helmet and oxygen mask.

Then it was my turn. I squoze into the front seat and put the helmet and mask on. It felt quite heavy and made it difficult to turn my head. Once I was strapped into the seat I could barely move my body – I had just about enough arm movement to work the levers at the side of me and the controls in front of me. My legs only just stretched to the peddles.

Ian sat behind and gave me instructions over the intercom built into the helmet. Although it all seemed very complicated and a lot to remember, I don’t think it’s any more difficult than in a car. I remember when I was learning to drive, it seemed like I’d never remember to watch the speedometer and roadsigns, and turn the steering wheel, change gears, use the brakes and clutch appropriately and NOT run anyone over or crash, but with time it became second nature and now I don’t even have to think about it. What did seem much more difficult however, was keeping the damn thing straight! I’m sure it was never this difficult in a car. The slightest movement sent me veering on to the grass verge at the side of the runway, or when I was in the air, would tilt the plane alarmingly on to its side.

Upside down flying

For my flight we took off from a base near Prince William’s gaff in Anglesey, flew across the Menai Strait towards Snowdonia, followed a few gorges and then the river to Conwy. Out at sea I flew along the coast learning to do rolls and loops before heading back along the Menai Strait and flying under the bridge. I did a flyby past the tower, a few more rolls and loops and then came into land and got parked up.

It took a lot of concentration and was really difficult – I could feel the instructor over-riding me with his dual controls a lot of the time. I’m actually more apprehensive now about the real flying lesson I have booked, but at the same I enjoyed the simulator and so I’m sure I’ll enjoy the real thing too.

Would I recommend this or do it again? Yes and no. Yes, I’d recommend it as a fun way of spending an hour or so and it’s a good first introduction to flying, but no I probably wouldn’t do it again as it is one of those things to really be tried once. If I want to make a hobby out of flying then it’s better to save my money and do the real thing as the simulator would probably get monotonous after a while.

It’s been a while …

Moving on to the next phase of my life.

Ok, so I’ve been neglecting my blog. I got so busy in my real life over the last couple of months that I’ve not really had time for my cyber life. I’ve been working on my house trying to get it finished and the way that I want it so my head is clear to concentrate on other things. My house has been a ten year project. When I bought it a decade ago it was a wreck, but I saw the potential and fell in love with it straight away. It’s not ideal – it’s small and not in a lovely country village or in the centre of a big bustling city, but it’s what I could afford at the time and has suited my purposes well, and hopefully will continue to do so. I’ve enjoyed putting my own stamp on it, but it has been hard work and has taken a lot of my time, energy and money. But now it’s done and I feel like I can fully concentrate on other things.

As well as my house finally being finished, several other things have conveniently fallen into place and I’m starting the year feeling really ready to move on with the next phase of my life. Sounds dramatic doesn’t it? I don’t mean it to be. When I look back on my life everything seems to happen in decade long phases for me (give or take a few years). I had a gap decade when I did lots of travelling, then a decade in which I seemed to spend most of my time studying. Now I’ve had a decade (a real one this time) in which I’ve created my home and developed my teaching career.

My next phase is to work on my own business. I’ve been thinking about this for years and so it’s always been part of my long-term plans and many of the other things I’ve done have been building towards this. This is the year in which I’m finally going to take the plunge and really do something about those plans. It’s a bit scary, but exciting as well.

As for my blog – well, I should be able to keep more up-to-date with it now and I have a backlog of posts to get typed up and online, so that’ll keep me busy for a while.

The Black House

A murder mystery from which I learnt about some Hebridean traditions.

By Peter May

This is the first in a trilogy of murder mysteries set on Lewis, the largest and most northerly island in the Outer Hebrides. Black houses were the stone dwellings lived in by people across the islands until relatively recent times. They were known as ‘black’ houses because the fire in the middle of the main room and lack of ventilation led to them being constantly filled with smoke. The white houses that came along later were basically modern houses, with a hearth and chimney to allow the smoke to escape.

Edinburgh detective Fin Macleod is sent to investigate a brutal murder in the north of the island. He is chosen firstly because he is investigating a similar murder in Edinburgh and it’s possible it’s the same killer, and secondly because he is originally from the village in which the killing has taken place and speaks Gaelic.

Through a series of flashblacks told in the first person we learn about Fin’s early life on the island. These are intertwined with the present day investigation which is told in the third person. As secrets from the past are revealed Fin is dragged personally into the case.

The local men are about to leave on their traditional annual guga hunt. Guga are young gannets and as seabirds are protected under British law. However, an exception is made allowing the men of Ness to carry out their hunt once a year as it is seen as an important local tradition originating in times when the guga would have provided essential food throughout the winter when the weather was too bad for fishing.

The men are going to Sula Sgeir, a desolate rock out in the Atlantic. Once there they will be cut off from the mainland for 14 days until the fishing boat that delivered them, returns to collect them. The time on the weather beaten rock consists of long days of hard work and primitive living conditions. Fin took part in the guga hunt the summer before he left for university and knows full well what it entails. In the story his old schoolfriend’s son is about to make his first trip.

The book provides quite an accurate description of the tradition with just a few details changed – the number of men who take part is increased from ten to twelve in the novel, and the rock is never actually referred to as Sula Sgeir. Wanting to know more about the tradition I googled it and came up with this BBC web page  based on a documentary made a couple of years ago by Mike Day. The page includes a series of short videos which were quite interesting and helped me to see how close the book was to the reality.

Did I like this book? Yes, for the knowledge of the guga hunt I gained and yes it was an entertaining story. I didn’t like the switching from first to third person, though I could see the reason for this (kind of). I also wouldn’t class it as one of the best books I’ve read in this genre, but it’s certainly not the worst and so I probably will read the rest of the trilogy.

October 2012 Twelve Review

The tenth review of my 2012 Twelve challenges.

Some of my 2012 Twelve challenges seem to be morphing into different tasks. I’m not too bothered about this as at least I feel like I’m achieving something. However, there are still far too many challenges that I’ve really not made any headway with at all and I’m fast running out of year. This bothers me a bit more.

  1. Floating in a floatation tank (I’m hoping to do this in London during the February half term)
  2. Reading at least 10 books from the BBC Big Read list (if I read 10 a year, I’ll have the whole 200 knocked off in the next 12-13 years!) – Swallows and Amazons read; nine more to go for this year.
  3. Taking at least one photo every day of the year (this will improve my photography skills, be a photo-diary of ‘year in my life’, and help me to learn to use my new camera) – very few taken. 
  4. Coming up with a fitness plan and sticking to it (the start of my training for Kilimanjaro, though I may not actually climb it for several years yet) – keep making plans to go to the gym and then something comes up and I don’t get there.
  5. Leading at least 4 of my own walks (good practice for my walking group leader’s qualification) – not done any walking, let alone leading walks.
  6. Buying another house (need to get my finances in order first) – this seems to have morphed into a ‘starting my own business’ task instead.
  7. Learning to use at least 3 new pieces of technology or computer programmes (not counting my new camera) – had a quick course on using a special interactive whiteboard package. Seems really good, now I just need to use it a few times to get the hang of it.
  8. Doing a writing course (depends on the length of the course whether I’d complete it in the year or not) – as with going to the gym, I keep making plans to knuckle down and do this, and this something gets in the way. 
  9. Getting at least one piece of writing published (paid or unpaid, as long as someone else makes the decision to publish it and it’s not self-published)
  10. Making a start on sorting out my photos (putting the prints that are currently still stuffed in packets into albums and getting all my photos scanned into the computer – no way will this be completed in a year, but I’ll feel good even if I get started on it) – I’ve now decided to concentrate on my book database instead for this year.
  11. Buying a car/van that I can sleep in (and doing any necessary conversions/adaptations) – van conversions are on hold whilst I do work on my house, but I’m still hoping to have at least made a start by Christmas.
  12. Getting into cycling (even if it’s just short cycle rides along decent paths) – I’ve been reading blogs about cycling trips to motivate myself. I know this isn’t the same as getting out cycling myself, but at least it keeps it at the forefront of my mind.

Mystery Walker

I’ve volunteered as a ‘mystery walker’ for The Ramblers.

A few weeks ago The Ramblers were asking for ‘mystery walkers’ to undertake a 2 mile walk in an allocated area close to where they live in order to help them build a countrywide picture of the state of the nation’s footpaths. I put my name down and have just received an email giving me a grid square and a list of questions to be answered. I don’t tend to walk in my own area, as I usually head out to the Peak District, so it will be quite interesting to discover some of the footpaths that I live beside. I need to plan my own route within the grid square and so I’ll have to dig out the relevant map first. I don’t know when I’ll get time to actually do the walk, especially as the nights are drawing in now and so I won’t be able to do it after work. But hopefully within a month I’ll have it done and dusted.

September 2012 Twelve Review

The ninth review of my 2012 Twelve challenges.

Only three months of the year to go and I’m nowhere near finishing my list. I’m not going to stress too much over it as I’m happy with what I have achieved. I’ll still keep trying though.

  1. Floating in a floatation tank (I’m hoping to do this in London during the February half term)
  2. Reading at least 10 books from the BBC Big Read list (if I read 10 a year, I’ll have the whole 200 knocked off in the next 12-13 years!) – started reading Swallows and Amazons.
  3. Taking at least one photo every day of the year (this will improve my photography skills, be a photo-diary of ‘year in my life’, and help me to learn to use my new camera) – Never think about it unless I’m out and about somewhere and have a reason to take photos.
  4. Coming up with a fitness plan and sticking to it (the start of my training for Kilimanjaro, though I may not actually climb it for several years yet) – One walk and that’s been it.
  5. Leading at least 4 of my own walks (good practice for my walking group leader’s qualification) – One walk walked, none led.
  6. Buying another house (need to get my finances in order first) – started planning a business instead.  
  7. Learning to use at least 3 new pieces of technology or computer programmes (not counting my new camera) – I’ve been using my tablet and Kindle a lot and I’m really starting to get the hang of them now and I’m discovering what they can do.
  8. Doing a writing course (depends on the length of the course whether I’d complete it in the year or not) – No more achieved on this.
  9. Getting at least one piece of writing published (paid or unpaid, as long as someone else makes the decision to publish it and it’s not self-published)
  10. Making a start on sorting out my photos (putting the prints that are currently still stuffed in packets into albums and getting all my photos scanned into the computer – no way will this be completed in a year, but I’ll feel good even if I get started on it) – I seem to have replaced this with my book database.
  11. Buying a car/van that I can sleep in (and doing any necessary conversions/adaptations) – On hold whilst I sort out a woodburner for my living room.
  12. Getting into cycling (even if it’s just short cycle rides along decent paths) – Nothing done on this one.

Swallows and Amazons

This is book #57 on the BBC Big Read list.

by Arthur Ransome

This book is number 57 on the BBC’s Big Read list and is a children’s book.

The Swallows are four children, John, Susan, Titty and Roger, who are spending the summer in the Lake District with their mother, baby sister and baby sister’s nurse. Their father is away at sea but has given permission by telegram for them to take a boat and a couple of home-made tents and sail off to an island in the lake to camp by themselves.

The children spend most of their time in a make-believe world where the lake is a sea with the North Pole at one end and the Antarctic at the other. They have renamed all the places around the lake and so the river leading into it has become the Amazon, the village has become Rio and a pool part way along the river has become the Octopus Lagoon. They use sailor/pirate/explorer words for everyday things and people. The local people are referred to as natives and the charcoal burners as savages; a snake is a serpent; lemonade is grog; they don’t go fishing, instead they go whaling.

The children quickly settle into a peaceful routine on the island, but then find themselves under attack by a couple of Amazon pirates. The arrow-firing Amazons are two sisters, Nancy and Peggy Blackett, who are also staying by the lake with their mother. The Amazons have their own boat and had previously claimed the island as their own. They do not take kindly to the intruding Swallows and the two sides declare war. However, they are soon united in battle against the mean Captain Flint (aka the Amazons’ Uncle Jim) who lives on a nearby houseboat.

Adventures follow and the Swallows and Amazons find ‘treasure’ which had been stolen from Captain Flint. This endears him to the children and he gives them his parrot and agrees to lead them on a bigger adventure the following summer.

The book was first published in 1930 and the story is set in the 1920s. It always shocks me a bit when I’m reminded of how big the gap between the classes was in those days and how the working classes would be treated as so inferior. This is the case with this book. The children, with their naval father and baby sister’s nurse, are obviously middle-class. The local farmers and villagers refer to them as Master Roger, Miss Susan and so on. When a policeman comes to the island to follow up a complaint from Captain Flint the Amazon sisters, who know him, are downright rude to him and talk down to him as though he is a naughty boy – ‘as long as you’re good we won’t tell your mother’. The policeman is frightened and chastised and hastily leaves.

All in all, I enjoyed the book though I’m glad I don’t have to teach the children – I think they’d be damned annoying and precocious in real life and I doubt I’d last a day with them before I’d be sacked for insubordination!

Goose Fair

A pub crawl round pubs with caves, a fairground and mushy peas followed by a cock on a stick.

For the past 16 years, ever since my friends moved to Nottingham, I’ve been saying I must go to Goose Fair. Last weekend I finally got round to going.

Goose Fair is thought to have started in the 1200s and was originally a fair for traders, particularly those trading geese – thousands would be walked to Nottingham from Lincolnshire to be sold. These days it’s just a funfair with rides and food but because of its origins and because it is reputed to be the biggest fair in Europe it is both well-known and well-attended. Truancy rates in the local schools always soared on the Friday of the fair and so now the day is set aside as an inset day.

I went to the fair on Saturday evening after spending the afternoon sitting inside and outside various old Nottingham pubs. With the sun shining it was so nice to be able to sit outside and relax enjoying a good beer, a nice lunch and good conversation.

Outside Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem
Inside Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem

We started with lunch at a bar opposite the castle and then wandered down to ‘Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem‘ for 3 beers. Well, why have one when you can have three? The pub sells real ales and offers a ‘pick and mix’ of them – three half pints of beers of your choice served on a wooden platter. Of course it had to be done. The pub itself is interesting as it’s built into the caves. Nottingham is riddled with sandstone caves that until relatively recently people still lived and worked in. It’s possible to do a tour of the pub’s cellars but these have been withdrawn at the moment. I would be interested in going along on one when they start them up again as caves always interest me and caves that are utilised as modern day buildings interest me even more.

Next we went along to ‘The Royal Children’ which apparently got its name when the children of King James II’s daughter, Princess Anne, were entertained there back in the 1600s. Inside is a whalebone which used to hang above the door and was painted with the name of the pub. This dates to the time when whale oil became popular in oil lamps and the whale oil companies would use the bones as a means of advertising.

Finally we stopped off at ‘The Salutation’, another old and well-known pub. This seemed to be a bikers’ pub and had loud music and lots of men with leather and tattoos. It also sold real ale and I got quite a nice beer. It’s built over caves which are open to the public, though we didn’t go down them. (Got to leave myself a reason to go back!)

After this we made our way to Goose Fair and spent a few hours wandering around, trying out rides and food. I went on the big wheel to get a good view of the whole fair and was able to appreciate the size of it. I had hoped to see more of Nottingham but it was too dark by this time and the bright lights of the fair blotted out of the rest of the view.

I ate mushy peas with mint sauce and bought cocks on sticks as presents. Mushy peas are something I usually eat with chips, but here they were sold as a snack in their own right and the stalls had large bowls of mint sauce on their counters for customers to add and stir into their tubs of mushy peas.

The cocks on sticks are a tradition and have been made out of sweet rock for over 100 years by the same family. It took a while to find the stall as it’s only small but eventually we did. Originally they were sold as geese on sticks but at some point the name was changed to the snigger-inducing cocks on sticks by the classy ladies of Nottingham.

Finally we headed home. Goose Fair done, old pubs done, caves under pubs still to do.