Categories
Business travel

Why do we bother using the Post Office?

Not very Special Delivery

Last Thursday I posted my passport at the Post Office in Peel, IoM where I am on holiday. I wanted it to get to Richard Irving safely so I paid for it to go Special Delivery, guaranteed to get there before 1pm, the next day ie Friday. Richard is taking it to the Chinese Embassy to sort out visas.

When I spoke to Rich yesterday it hadn’t arrived. It did arrive later that day. I wasn’t impressed so I went back to the Post Office to get my money back. To do this I now need to fill in a form and hand it in with my receipt. I have filled in said form. It’s a lot of hassle for £6.45 but I’m doing it as a point of principle.

Now whenever I want to send something special delivery or signed for I always think of the Post Office first. They have the product and the brand.

Next point. I ordered a printer cartridge from HP some time ago. Turns out they were out of stock so unimpressively gave me a delivery date some time in the future. That some time happened to be yesterday and I received a sms letting me know it was out for delivery.

As you now know I am in the Isle of Man and unable to be there to accept the parcel. I forgot to reschedule it yesterday and received another text saying they, DPD were trying again today. This time I clicked on the link to rearrange delivery for when I am there. The link didn’t work (note HP/DPD) but I lifted the tracking number and went in via the DPD website. I have now arranged to pick the parcel up from a local depot. Job done.

I am generally pretty impressed with DPD. I don’t think my experience with the Post Office matches this. It would have helped had I been able to make the claim online but no, I have to fill out paperwork and send it off.

We need more high street options for Special Delivery services. I will investigate next time I want to send something.

Yours,

Irritated of Tonbridge Wells

Categories
charitable Coast to Coast travel Weekend

Coast to coast walk weather forecast

Coast to coast weather forecast ain’t particularly good

The coast to coast weather is always pretty hit and miss. This is the UK after all and we are talking about the Lake District as a starting point. The average number of days with rain in the Lake District in May is 16. The rest of the walk isn’t much better. It’s 14 days in both the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorks Moors.

Now that we are within two weeks of the off it isn’t unreasonable to start looking at the Coast to Coast weather and the Met Office is the obvious place to go:

UK Outlook for Friday 22 Apr 2016 to Sunday 1 May 2016:

Friday sees rain in the south pushing north for a time, maybe reaching central parts before slowly clearing, though temperatures should be around normal. Further north a cold airflow is expected to become established, bringing showers or longer spells of rain, with snow over higher ground. Wintriness is also possible down to low levels in the far north, along with some gales. The cold conditions are expected to spread to all areas through next weekend and into the start of the following week, bringing periods of sunshine, showers and longer spells of rain, these turning wintry at times. The cold, unsettled conditions are then expected to persist through to the start of May, with rain or showers turning wintry over most parts and widespread overnight frosts.

I can attest to the snow over high ground as it very definitely snowed on me whilst camping in Derbyshire over the weekend. We were lucky with the daytime weather whist walking and had all the right kit anyway.

The next period is the important one:

UK Outlook for Monday 2 May 2016 to Monday 16 May 2016:

May is expected to start cold, with a northerly flow bringing sunshine and showers, with some of these turning occasionally wintry, especially in the north, along with widespread overnight frosts. As we move into the second week of the month, there is a slight signal for more settled conditions, with temperatures possibly moving towards average for the time of year.

Updated at: 1139 on Sun 17 Apr 2016

The first point is that it that our walk is indeed up north – so the “especially in the north” bit for wintry showers is relevant. There is a reason for mild optimism as we enter the second week of our walk with the “slight signal for more settled conditions” as long as it doesn’t mean snow is going to settle on the ground.

The old adage says there is no such thing as bad  weather, just bad preparation. This is only true up to a point. Even if you have all the right gear, walking into driving rain isn’t pleasant and is very definitely going to slow you down.

Now I’m not whinging here. OK if there is bad weather yes it might take us a little longer to do the day’s walk but the main issue will be whether we have to make diversions. Walking in the mountains when it is stormy is to be avoided.

Wainwright himself recommends lower alternative routes in such circumstances which would really just mean not getting to see some of the views. Might also mean avoiding some of the climbs which nobody is going to complain about.

This might be a problem on some of the days. For example the Rosthwaite to Patterdale leg is a killer involving 17.5 miles and two big climbs. People often break this into two days walk stopping overnight at Grasmere. This was not Wainwright’s choice but there again as a hardened walker he could probably easily cope!

The problem is that there isn’t a quick way round by road to avoid the mountain weather. Grasmere to Patterdale is 40 minutes in a car.

We will just have to play it by ear.

The only saving grace is that the British weather is notoriously changeable and who knows what it is really going to be like:)

Don’t forget I’m raising cash for Cancer Research UK whilst on this Coast to Coast walk. The JustGiving page is here. The start date of the walk coincides with the anniversary of my mother’s death on May 1st last year. Mam was Chairman of the Marown & District branch of the IoM Anti Cancer Association.

Categories
charitable Coast to Coast travel

Coast to coast tracking and other Galaxy S7 Edge stuff

Coast to Coast tech update

This coast to coast tech update involves my new phone. Am liking the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge more and more especially as I discover more features.

The double click on the home button when the screen is locked brings up the camera v quickly. This is very useful. The only issue I will have on the coast to coast, where i will probably want to take lots of photos and videos, will be that ideally these photos will be embedded in the Runkeeper route map and will therefore need to be taken from inside the app. I may be able to programme the phone to bring up runkeeper quickly – will investigate.

The one thing that will be tested today is the battery life. Out and about in London I am certain to use the phone more. Even if it is just more photos and videos (of me:)). At 9.56 I am down to 85% having been fully charged before I left home.

One of the features that compares very well with the Oneplus 2 is the sharing to Google Drive. I photograph all my receipts as I get them and upload to specific folders on Google Drive. On the Oneplus2 I had to specifically delete the photo name and replace it with something more useful (eg taxi£5). On the Edge the old text is already selected and all I have to do is type in the new name. These are small things but greatly enhance usability. I imagine this is down to the specific instance of Android being used but it might be Samsung related.

Certainly the Edge doesn’t feel as if it has so much bloatware as earlier Samsung Galaxy devices I have used. This was one of my main complaints about Samsung. Having said that I don’t really use Samsung’s own apps.

With regard to tech for the Coast to Coast walk I think I’ve decided to use Runkeeper for the tracking with embedded photos but with Fitbit and the OS Maps app as alternatives. I’ve tested the Fitbit a fair bit and the battery life seems to be roughly 8 hours in GPS mode so it might be ok. The OS app will give me far better on the ground resolution but they don’t yet have the real time online sharing feature. Runkeeper will allow me to share my data with the world so I will be providing a link each day to the online route tracker so that you can see where I am. They also have APIs into Facebook and Twitter for sharing the data.

It means I will have to become a premium member of both the Ordnance Survey and Runkeeper but I think it will be worth it.

We have to remember that one of the reasons for this walk is to raise cash for Cancer Research UK so if anyone has any thoughts about how to increase the publicity surrounding the event please feel free to share. We are talking about extended publicity over a 2 week period starting on Sunday May 1st. More coast to coast stuff here. Donate at our JustGiving Page

ITSPA council meeting this afternoon. Ciao bebes.

Stay tuned for another coast to coast tech update when I have it 🙂

Categories
travel Weekend

VW campervan hire lincoln

Anne’s Vans VW campervan hire lincoln

Anne’s vans is our new VW campervan hire Lincoln business. If you are thinking of heading off for a UK based holiday you could do worse than a VW campervan hire from Anne’s Vans in Lincoln.

The idea came about when last summer we tried to hire a vintage VW campervan but couldn’t find one for love nor money. Every one was rented out for the season. This gave us the idea of buying our own van and hiring it out when we aren’t using it, which is most of the time.

The van is looked after by our friend Dave Cooper from DC Automotive and is kept in dry storage in his garage in Lincoln. It gives us peace of mind knowing that the van is well maintained and in top notch condition for both our own use and that of customers.

Our first van is called Betty. She is the first of perhaps a stable of vans that will grow as the business expands. Betty has been completely restored over a period of 3 years. She was stripped to bare metal and rebuilt from there up. Her colour scheme is the original paint job used when she left the factory.

Whilst the base vehicle has been kept to its original spec no expense has been spared on the interior which reflects the height of VW campervan luxury. There is even a porta potty that can be a life saver when caught short in a campsite the middle of the night. Everyone will understand the after effects of drinking lots of wine and beer whilst gazing at the sunset over a beach.

Knowing that readers of this blog like their tech stuff I can say that campervan Betty has been fitted with a high end stereo with DAB and Bluetooth and a handsfree phone kit. Seems a bit out of place in a 19712 campervan but the previously installed radio had a cassette deck in it and wasn’t going to cut it. So now people the van can get to the campsite using the sat nav on their phone whist listening to Spotify and taking calls legally.

Check out the Anne’s Vans website for more info and to keep up to date with the VW campervan news.

Btw we did think of calling the website something else. I have the domain name vwcampervan.hire but whilst this might be good for SEO purposes actually the business is my lovely wife Anne’s and the name Anne’s Vans is far more personable. Also check out the Anne’s Vans Facebook page. If you are searching for “VW campervan hire Lincoln” then look no further.

All the best.

tref

Ps – bit of unashamed advertising I know but hey…

Categories
charitable Coast to Coast End User travel Weekend

Wainwright 190 mile Coast to Coast sponsored walk in aid of Cancer Research UK

Coast to coast sponsored walk

On May 1st 2016 my son Tom and I will be setting off from St Bees in Cumbria on the West Coast of England to walk to Robin Hood’s Bay on the East Coast. This is a 190 mile coast to coast sponsored walk.

coast to coast sponsored walk cancer research logoWe are doing it to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. There are two main reasons why this is important to us.

  1. May 1st is the first anniversary of the death of my mother, Eileen. Mam did not die of cancer but she had been Chairman of the Marown and District branch of the Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association (where I grew up). Raising funds to help beat cancer was important to Mam. She was a nurse and had spent years helping and comforting patients at the end of their lives.
  2. My wife Anne’s father Keith died of Cancer two years ago.

 

So this walk is in memory of these two important people. I am expecting some side benefits. Walking for 190 miles across the lake district, Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorks Moors is going to be somewhat of a challenge for someone who has spent the last thirty years with his feet propped up on a desk. I have had to get into training just to be able to even get to the start. I’m hoping there will be less of me at the end than there was at the beginning of the odyssey.

The other benefit will be spending two weeks in the company of my first born effectively away from electronic screens. At this point I hear some of you fall off your chairs in disbelief. How can this be so? 🙂

Well the trip is not going to be entirely offline, other than the fact that there will be little or no mobile reception along much of the route. I am expecting to post updates from our B&B(/pub) every night and will be publishing a live tracker of our progress en route. Expect vids and pics.

Tom and I would also like to think that the walk will raise some serious cash for the cause. Most people have been touched by cancer in one way or another. In 2016 we are seeing signs that there is light at the end of the tunnel but we aren’t there yet.

If you would like to help please consider making a donation, no matter how small, to our JustGiving Page. Our chosen charity is Cancer Research UK.

Also if you want to come along on all or part of this walk then you are very welcome to do so and should get in touch.  Our friend Mark Agius and his son Luke are coming the whole way. We set off at 9am on Sunday 1st May and arrive at our destination at tea time on Thursday 12th.

Stay tuned to this blog for more info as it happens and in particular the coast to coast sponsored walk event page.

Featured image courtesy of Contours Walking Holidays.

Categories
Engineer internet travel

RIPE71 – end to end reportingish

A RIPE71 story begins. The live blogging feature doesn’t seem to want to show embedded videos so these are pasted into the body of the blog

Categories
End User travel

Hurricane Nora strikes

I mean storm Abigail

I should say mildly agitated bit of wind Abigail.  I wouldn’t promote her to storm, at least not in Lincoln. Course things may be different in other parts of the country. In the West. Where they get all the weather.

Here in Lincoln it has got colder and I’ve stuck the central heating on. Yesterday I noticed people (ok girls) walking around Lincoln in strapless tops! It was that warm. Not today. Today it’s warm vest and scarf weather.

This afternoon I’ve been packing to go off to RIPE 71 in Bucharest. One assumes that a vest is going to be necessary in Roumania. I have visions of the snow drifting up against the castle wall, burying the cottages of the villagers down in the valley. You can just about see the tops of the roofs and the chimneys are emanating woodsmoke. Hope they have enough supplies in. It’s going to be a hard winter ahead.

Not for those of us attending the RIPE conference. That’s in a warm and comfortable hotel with a pool – gotta keep fit and healthy innit. Offset the effects of “conference life”.

I’m back in town next Thursday for the trefor.net Exec Dinner with Danny Prieskel. We currently have 18 execs signed and room for just 2 more if you want to come, Tix here. Then it’s off to the Isle of Man to see me dear old Dad. Expect photos.

So you may hear from me over the next couple of weeks or you may not. In the meantime I am looking for some guest contributors interested in discussing telecom fraud issues. If you have something to say re fraud by all means drop me a line – or leave a comment here.

In the meantime have a great weekend. Catch you on Facebook sometime…

PS you may be wondering about the featured image in this post. It’s a bit of a tree blown down, presumably, by storm Abigail!

Categories
Business peering travel

First train to London – just leaving town

Stardate 4th November Editor’s vlog early morning report

Catching the 19.06 back from King’s Cross if anyone else is around at that time. FIrst train to London – just leaving town – I’m not sure i like the term vlog but this is the beginning of me doing more of this kind of stuff. It’s quicker and easier than writing it:)

PS new pic of me – good quality capture though not sure it captures the essence – needs the right combination of niceness and rebelliousness.

Categories
Engineer peering travel

Lovely to have you with us

Return from Euro-IX Berlin

I don’t know whether it’s just hotel living or the exposure to different cultures but it’s always nice to come home after a trip overseas. For the first part of this week I was at Euro-IX Berlin. It was the usual useful meeting of Internet Exchange Point operators from mostly Europe but also around the world and I always get a lot out of it.

Our hotel in Berlin put on a fabulous spread for breakfast every day and indeed I took along a bottle of HP Sauce knowing that outside the UK you rarely find such condiments at the table. I knew however in my heart of hearts that the bacon and sausage on offer that would go with the HP were not going to meet spec. They didn’t. After the first day I stuck with croissants and fruit. Very sensible really.

I also find myself making up sandwiches for lunch. These conference hotels always put on a substantial buffet but just think about it. How many of us have a large lunch at work every day (ok outside of France, Spain, Italy etc 🙂 ). We usually have a sandwich or similarly light nosh. So in Berlin I took some bread and whatever meat was on offer and just made a butty.

Dinners I am ok with. Usually international fare served up in every country and accompanied by moderate amounts of beer and wine in keeping with being compos-mentis for the next day of conferencing (bed by 11pm etc :)). However how many of you go out for dinner or to the pub on several consecutive nights when you are at home? Right.

So whilst we all enjoy a bit of travel we all like to get home to our own comfort zone. In very recent memory I recall coming back from consecutive trips to Bucharest and Toledo. After having had a week of rich living I was beginning to suffer (I’ll leave it to your imaginations to decide how). My first action back in the UK was upon leaving Luton Airport to stop at the services on the M1 and purchase a cheese sandwich and a pint of milk. After consuming said items my constitution returned to normal. Hey presto. Amazing really the effect of a cheese sandwich and a pint of milk.

On the trip to Berlin the recuperation began the moment I entered the BA lounge at Telgel Airport. Then when on board the captain welcomed us over the tannoy saying it was “lovely to have us aboard” my shoulders began to relax.

I’m not really a big fan of British culture especially when abroad but there was something very comforting in that use of language. You aren’t going to get it anywhere else. It was as if Sgt Wilson from Dad’s Army was at the controls. Lovely.

The trip home was greatly assisted by technology – Uber. It’s got to a point when travelling that its a real disappointment to arrive somewhere that doesn’t have an Uber service. The rest of the day was beans on toast, hot bath and early to bed to avoid the Apprentice on TV (which really annoys me).

ThatsiffornowfolkscatchyalaterofftoDurhamtoseethekidsthisweekendandthenYorkforaPylonsgig.

PS check out my talk at Euro-IX Berlin about getting stuck in a lift.

PPS the featured image is of some grappa being poured for me at the Aigner restaurant on Tuesday night

Categories
End User travel

Sony Centre Berlin

Sony Centre Berlin – part of a E4Bn investment built on wasteland in the last 20 years

The building in the featured image is next door to the Sony Centre and is the only pre ww2 building in the area to have survived the bombing.

Image below is of some sections of the Berlin wall now on display. I was quite surprised that the wall wasn’t any higher – maybe only 10 or 12 feet. However you have to remember that there were two walls with a minefield and barbed wire in between.

By the time the wall came down there were only 16 million people left in the GDR, 1 million of whom were security guards!!!

Berlin wall

And finally a very artistic shot of me in the Sony Centre

sony centre berlin

Categories
End User travel

Euref gas holder Berlin

The tour continues – euref gas holder Berlin

Euref gas holder Berlin. Berlin is a wonderfully atmospheric place. As someone who grew up during the Cold War it really does represent a rich seam of somewhat sombre material for the bloggers imagination. Especially on a grey October day.

Our tour took us to the Euref Centre for Alternative Energy and a sight of a gas holder built in 2013. Not much left around here from that era.

Categories
End User travel

Thoughts from a cocoon

Flight BA 462 to Madrid

I’m buried in music on a flight to Madrid. My own earphones insulate me from the tinny emissions of a cheap set of earphones across the aisle. The dress code is high summer. Whilst Autumn in the UK has screeched around the corner and slid to a halt in front of me kicking up the detritus of the season of light it is still hotter in Madrid than the highest temperatures we see back home.

I’ve read some of the paper (FT) and had a brief snooze which was only interrupted by the food trolley. Fair play the iced bun was quite tasty. It was slightly annoying having seen copies of the Financial TImes available free of charge as I got on the plane. I had just forked out £3.50 barely 30 minutes earlier.

At least I was in the privileged position of priority boarding on account of my BA frequent flyer status (bronze – 🙂 It’s a pleasant enough flight. Seat 16F has an empty seat beside it so room to spread out the FT and another tray on which to put my cup of tea. Yes folks, a cup of tea. The 3 days in Sheffield talking about the internet last week were quite boozy and I’d rather arrive at the hotel tonight reasonably fresh. A beer on the terrace, assuming there is such a facility, will then be most refreshing.

Yesterday I bought a campervan. It’s an early VW T2 bay – 1971. No road tax as it’s considered to be a vintage car. We havent decided what to call it yet. The previous owners called it Kay, presumably due to it’s K reg number plate. That’s a bit wishy washy for me. Ideally I wanted a Dave. We will have to give the name some thought. I’m not even sure if it’s a boy or a girl.

When I get back to the UK I need to book tickets to Latitude. If you have a campervan you need to go to festivals. MIght even do it from Madrid. I believe the internet arrived there some time ago. It’s a nice hotel where I’m staying. NH Collection Eurobuilding. I’m there for the European Peering Forum – EPF as those who know call it.

It’s just going to be an extension of Sheffield – long days talking to people and long nights eating and drinking. I might just have a quiet night in at the hotel tonight. Bit of a swim followed by a healthy meal and some refreshing mineral water. Yea. Honest! 😉

The hotel has a very nice looking spa with a load of treatments on offer. I never bother with the treatments. For one my back is too ticklish. A massage has me writhing in ticklish agony. Usually I end up just wallowing in a hot tub for a while. This time I have brought my swimming goggles – I’m gonna try and get some exercise.

10 minutes to landing. That’s all you’re getting. Ciao amigos.

Categories
travel Weekend

Winding my way down beach street the holidays are drawing to a close

beach street – summer of excess

It’s back to school tomorrow and the walks down beach street will soon become a distant memory. The ice cream parlour on the prom effectively closes its doors to us until the next holiday.

No longer will we be woken by the cry of seagulls. No more early morning trips to the breakwater, cool breeze ruffling our hair, a gaze out to sea and back for breakfast.

The second hand bookshop on Michael Street will have time to replenish its stocks and the regulars in the snug of the Whitehouse Hotel can have their seats back.

This morning I am wearing long trousers for the first time since maybe May and the early signs of autumn have also driven me to long sleeves and a light coat for my trip to London. I am easing myself back into the land of work just as nature eases us gently from Summer into Autumn.

Got some exciting projects coming up. Stay tuned.

Categories
travel Weekend

Rachel Hair Do

Rachel Hair do – you going?

Still on holiday and thought you’d like this – a poster for a gig in Peel, IoM. They don’t explicitly say it’s the Rachel Hair do but seems obvious. She’s also pretty used to the pun I’m sure 🙂

Categories
travel Weekend

Glen Maye and other holiday musings

Yesterday Dad and I picked Tom up from the airport. His flight showed up as running 5 minutes late so we took the opportunity to nip to the bottle bank before heading for the airport. Turns out the flight landed 8 minutes early so the lad was there waiting for u when we arrived at Ronaldsway.

glen maye beachOur My plans for a trip on the Manx Electric Railway and thence up the mountain were stymied by the fact that I had forgotten the roads were closed all day for the Grand Prix. Instead we went for a walk down Gen Maye. Some of us. It’s a beautiful glen with a pebble beach at the end of the walk. Lovely walk.

boats at night at peel breakwaterBack to the house in Peel to catch the Ireland v Wales rugby. There are some things that always take priority over holiday activities. We won. Later out to dinner at the Harbour Lights Cafe on the promenade (@harbour_lights). great food. The place was packed. You bring your own wine and there is no corkage. Prior to the meal we had a beer at the Marine, just over the road then afterwards Hannah and I walked around the breakwater before heading back up the hill.

fenella beach at nightToday it’s the annual Viking Longboat Races. First time we have been here whilst they are on. Exciting. Pics to follow hopefully. Then we have friends Elaine and Peter coming round to dinner. Roast beef with all the trimmings. Not often Dad gets to do a joint as he is on his own.

After today we have one more full day left in the Isle of Man. Back home Thursday evening. It’s been a good couple of weeks. It’ll take me a while to recover I’m sure. I’m in London on Thursday for a lunch and then a LONAP meeeting. Not too onerous a start back to work.

Catch ya later…

Categories
travel Weekend

Walking around Peel Shoprite

Walking around Peel Shoprite

Walking around Peel Shoprite whilst the others bought some salady bits for dinner last night. Had just returned from Tynwald Mills where we happened across a shoe sale. We bought 5 pairs of shoes for £50 including a pair of Barkers leather shoes reduced from £170 to £10. Steal.

May stick up some photos in due course – fwiw.

Categories
travel Weekend

Peel Saturday 29th August and yes Tref is still on holiday

Peel Saturday 29th August

Just been out for my favourite early morning spin to Fenella beach. I do the same route every time. Down past Moore’s Kipper factory and along the far side of the quay to Fenella car park.

Unfortunately at this time of year there are always a few campervans taking up the far end of the car park. The really scenic end. I don’t blame them. I’d do the same myself. A fantastic place to spend the night. However I like to get there early and have the place to myself. Not happening on a bank holiday weekend.

After gazing at the sea and castle for a few minutes I then move round to the breakwater. This morning I parked up and climbed the stairs. A bit of breeze but a perfectly calm sea. Absolutely no boats in sight and indeed to begin with the only other people in sight were a couple of fishermen at the far end of the breakwater. It’s low tide. Don’t know if it is a good time to fish.

Out to sea there was no sign of a basking shark. There never is. I did see one once. Once in about ten or fifteen years of looking. This coming Monday we are going on a 2 hour boat ride to the south of the island. The Sound. If we are ever going to see basking sharks that will be the time.

Turning my attention to the inner breakwater a few fishing boats are tied up. I don’t know how they decide which days to go out. Today is a Saturday so maybe not. They are bottom dredgers, after queenies. Crabs are also landed at Peel but not much else these days I think, at least not on an industrial scale. I might be wrong but haven’t seen any.

Back in the car I drive back around the marina and along the prom. This morning a flock of geese had decided to take a stroll so I pulled up for a short while and watched. They showed no sign of going anywhere in a hurry. Tourists at large. Eventually I squeezed the car past the outermost goose and made my way left past the Heritage Museum and the Creek pub, along the harbour and down to the end of the prom. Someone was already ensconced in one of the shelters. Probably be there all day now. An old man with a pony tail.

I point the car back up the hill and head for home.

Categories
travel Weekend

Fenella Beach Peel – on holiday

Fenella Beach Peel

Fenella Beach Peel – far away in time

Fenella Beach Peel – far away in time

Fenella Beach Peel – far away in time

Fenella Beach Peel – far away in time

Categories
travel Weekend

Peel breakwater first light

Peel breakwater first light

Peel breakwater at first light on Thursday morning. Had just returned from Douglas after dropping Joe off at the ferry. He had to go home early from the holiday as the Pylons had been invited to play at the Jamie Oliver Feastival in the Cotswolds.

Categories
travel Weekend

The boating lake – Onchan Park (yup, still on holiday)

The boating lake – Onchan Park

The boating lake – Onchan Park – luxury travel from a bygone era

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travel Weekend

Peel dawn – tref is still on holiday

Peel dawn – tref is still on holiday

Was up yesterday whilst still dark to take Joe to the Sea Terminus to catch the boat. He is playing Jamie Oliver’s Feastival with The Pylons today.

On the way home I dropped by the harbour as the dawn was arriving.

Categories
travel Weekend

word of god – tref is on holiday # 13

word of god – tref is on holiday # 13

Not expecting this one to rank on SEO btw 🙂

Categories
travel Weekend

No Smoking – tref is on holiday # 12

No Smoking – tref is on holiday

No Smoking – sign on motor boat on boating lake in Onchan Park

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travel Weekend

Boat repairs in Peel – tref is on holiday # 11

Boat repairs in Peel

tref is on holiday # 11

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travel Weekend

Rowing boat with outboard – tref is on holiday #10

Rowing boat next to Peel breakwater. Nice I thought.

Categories
fun stuff travel Weekend

Beach clean – Tref is on Holiday #9

Rhossili beach clean

Keep that beach clean – this is a pic from last week’s campervan surfin’ holiday in the Gower. Absolutely no mobile connectivity so a bit of a delay in posting.

Gonna buy a T2 bay btw – just need to find one.

Categories
travel Weekend

Tref is on holiday #8

Pirate camp

Avast there me hearties

Categories
travel Weekend

Tref is on holiday #7

Last known use of the Gelert Zenith 6 – view is of interior atrium where cats could be swung.

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travel Weekend

Pile of clothes on Rhossili beach

Clothes on rhossili beach

Reminiscent of Reggie Perrin but more likely left by a family who had walked the very long walk to the edge of the water on Rhossili beach

Categories
travel Weekend

Tref is on holiday #6

Hammock innit!