Fail

Am all fed up and frustrated. Up (relatively) early to start the movie of the LEGO campervan being made. Cannot get the crappy camera to work. It's just whiting out the whole desk. Adjusting the exposure achieves nothing. Just wasting time. Like all week. Was hoping to go away for New Years but no invites forthcoming. Getting P ed off here now.

Am being used as a chaffuer as Ma can't drive. Poor Bumble had to go to Anglia Square!! Added to the frustration and fed up ness.

Still did get to go see Timmykins and meet his two lovely boys. I'd only seen Jacob when he was first born. He's four now! and Daniel is about 3 months older than Jay Jay. I reckon Jacob looks like Tim and Ma says Daniel is like Ingrid. Had fun playing in Jacob's den and washing Dan's surfer dude hair.

Saturday - 31st December

A lot more successful on the campervan front. Got the built in i-sight camera working with iStop Motion. Felt better for achieving something.

Depressed again when I had to take Ma to Dunhelm Mill though. And really depressed that my New Year's celebrations was playing cribbage with Nan. Maybe I should be more pushy with friends and invite/inflict myself. I guess the root of the problem though is just being such a failure at life. I really don't know what I did wrong. My life has just fallen apart, and I feel like I'm a complete for trusting God or believing that things will ever get better and He has a plan for me. Maybe my NY resolution should be to stop giving a damn about anything and to stop trying.

On the ball city!

Claire had to work, so kindly gave me her season ticket, so I got to test my new coat and flask at the Norwich match. Was a great game, Norwich were fighting for it the whole time but in the end we lost 2-0 to spurs. We were somewhat outclassed and outpaced by Gareth Bale. Wes Hoolihan and Adam Drury were fab. Couldn't believe how tiny Wes is, especially compared to the Spurs players.. Adebayor is made entirely of legs!!

Thurs 29th Dec

Went to the city with Chalkie and Ma. Got some bargains. Was extremely restrained in the Animal store and Fat Face (left with only some Animal socks). Yummy hot chocolate in Cayleys.

Jon's in the evening (sans an ill Pops). Jay Jay was lovely. Loved playing with him then giving him his bath. He is a chip off the old block though...

Gutted.

Tues. Bank Holiday. Ping pong in the morning when my opponent finally got up. Fancied chips for dinner so went to Hemsby. It was shut. No Bingo, No Chips. Gutted. Did have a good play with the football on the beach and a very quick paddle. 

Now writing this on 1st Jan, so can't remember what we did in the evenings, but we have watched 2 of the 3 Great Expectations and the first HP (on OYN) and played crib, logo, scene it and Uno a lot.

Christmas.

Drove home on Christmas Eve. Nice drive back belting out Dean Martin and cheesy crimbo tunes. Had time to put the remaining pressies under the tree. My turn to drive this year so Bumble took us round to Sam's. Then back home for the MacBook. Then back round Sam's! Poor lady must have looked at a million photos of Jay Jay. Home to sort out my duffle coat and mittens then off to the city for the midnight mass service at St Peter Mancroft. Laughed at the same things I have for the last two or three years... the carol with the asses in and the memory of the old vicar lady tipping communion wine down some poor bloke's shirt. Also laughed on the way out when a different vicar shook my hand, so I asked her if she wanted to shake my mitten too!

No visit from Santa. Must be on the naughty list. No idea why though. Up early but still a last minute rush to get to chapel on time. I obviously haven't changed. Found it really hard though because everyone else has. All grown up with kids. I'm really crap at dealing with situations that scream at me "you're a failure, you have nothing"

Dinner was fairly calm. Just Nan and Chalkie round. Then cleared up just in time for Jay Jay's arrival. Was hilarious.. stomping around in his new boots and thinking his Thomas paddling pool was a changing mat and wearing my bee hat and eating my ice scraper and loving his Up book and doing the maddest/cutest laugh only in the corner by the door when on his dad's or my back. Shame I'm such an idiot and I messed up the video.

 Boxing day. Watched Peppa Pig with Jay, beat Jon at table tennis, after dinner they left and we watched Wizard of Oz while playing UNO.

Will try kicking him next

Still won't start. Tried re-earthing it, charging from leisure battery, charging from the mains, jumping from Paul's Astra. All failed. Now going out in the rain and dark to disconnect the neg terminal and will hope that the solar charger and another go from the mains tomorrow will work.

Getting fed up now. Still... TGF the trusty steed!

Naughty Bumble

Won't start again. Second recent Sunday I have gone to him and the battery is totally flat. Surely you can not drive a van for a week but still expect it to start? I miss Moby's ever trustworthy reliability. Going to recharge the battery tomorrow and then put this solar trickle charger on and see if that works. I'm going to need him to be reliable for work if the weather continues to get colder and horribler.

BANG!!

Took Ma and Pa and Matty and his niece Farah to Alton Towers yesterday. We got on loads of rides thanks to Ma's foot op putting her in a wheelchair hehe. Oblivion in particular was way better than I remembered!


The fireworks were, of course, amazing. I loved the angled ones, and the crackly ones. We got really close to the lake to watch them. My group photo attempt was a bit of a fail.

The fireworks were set to some very loud pop music, a Queen medley, Bjork's Oh So Quiet (which was fab, with the well timed angled fireworks) and the old skipping favourite hooked on classics.

Should have guessed that the finale would be to Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King.

Norwich Weekend

Thurs city new coat too late for strangers hall breakfast at tiffanys
fri jay jay wensum park diggers in garden tension
sat bikes tinklers MT03 660cc, CJ Ball Honda hornet, Suzuki Gladius
Mousehold Heath walk
CIty bridge geocache on quayside triv and tt
sun marco windsurf

At last

After four and half years of riding around on my 'trusty steed' (my little blue Yamaha YBR125) I finally passed all three part of the bike test, and am now allowed to ditch the L plates! (and get a bigger bike hehe) Was supposed to do the Module 2 test last Monday, but it was rescheduled so another night of no sleep, and lots more practice in Burton over the weekend, and.. it all paid off.

Lots and lots of prayer, from me and mates at Beacon (the ones I dared to tell) and the vicar of Burton Baptist (long story).. they were all answered. Stayed calm, did a nice route, knew where to go, and there was no way I was messing up the awkward roundabout again after the trainer swore at me on it last week. Almost enjoyed the ride, and it seemed so short. Have got to know Burton so well that I nearly laughed when he said 'follow the signs to A38 Litchfield', and thought nah, we can't be done already when we headed back to the test centre after what seemed like only 5 minutes.

So, after work I burned the L plates hehe

And tomorrow I'm off to Arnolds. Though sadly can probably only afford a keyring. 

Proud owner of a 1962 T1 Splittie

Just ordered my Christmas pressie from Uncle Chalkie... I'll never have the money for a real one so I guess I'll just have to settle for a LEGO Splittie hehe

Numb Bum

After 4 hours solid on the bike last night practicing around Burton with Gary ready for the rescheduled test on Monday. Have spent a lot of time on the bike recently. Hope it pays off. I guess I have to trust that the prayers will be answered.. that God will be on the back of the bike telling me where to go.

No co-incidence that on Monday Gary pulled into the car park of the Methodist church in Burton just after he had sworn at me for making a mistake on a roundabout. They went to the cafe next door for tea. I went in the church and three lovely ladies prayed for me!

More practice later today. For now I need to order my Christmas present from Chalkie, and try to make some headway into the disorganised state of the flat and the aim of a car boot sale next weekend.

I can do all things..

.. Through Him who gives me strength.
Passed my Module 1 test today. Chuffed feeling short-lived as rapidly replaced by stress about Mod 2!

Naughty Bumble

Really didn't deserve to have his polishing finished after three hours stuck in Shelly cause he wouldn't start. Pops and the breakdown man think it may be wiring to or a relay or solenoid to do with the fuel injection.

Not happy that he made me miss playing kinect with Josh, but TGF having Biccies and a book in the van (and a mat and pillow for a small nap hehe)

Live the dream part 2

Matlock. Chips. Wander. Ice cream. VW mag.

Sent from my iPhone

Bradgate

An absolutely lovely day so finished school then collected bike from Twiggers. Not sure how changing the oil and adjusting the brakes is worth a hundred quid. I fear I will be attempting to do it myself in future. Anyway. Went for a ride in search of an ice cream. Found one at Bradgate Park. Was amazing. The deer had infiltrated the human side of the park. One crossed the river 2m from me while I was sat scoffing my 99 flake!

This one badgered this poor lady for her duck bread. Amazed they are that brave, almost stole in from her hand.

God did a really brilliant job with creation didn't he. Especially how beautiful evening sunlight makes things.

Long time coming

Twenty years after first being in Matlock Bath, buying a Harley t-shirt and dreaming of the day I would ride there.. I did it. Although it was only on a pokey 125 and only because the CBT Plus instructor made me go there. So really it's not quite the dream, but I'm much closer now.

Also finished the Bible in One Year today.. Yay!! Or more accurately Bible in a year and two weeks. Can't face starting over, so I'll study Mark for a bit.

Not far but still away

Done my chores. Was fed up. Am knackered and foot hurts from this morning's long run. Well technically from walking from bed to the loo before the run but...
So, drove to Outwoods. Am sat in the van finishing to kill a mockingbird. Would be drinking hot chocolate but my flask has gone AWOL. Never mind. I'm out. Ish.

...Hmmmm. Just got hailed on. 

Yes Josh, it's a land made of Lego

It was a good half hour before he believed me! The journey was not what I'm used to. I like singing loud to Radio 2. Josh likes talking and messing up my stereo by playing with the buttons. Things got better when he followed my suggestion to use my fleece like a tent so he could see the screen on his game. I'm glad I had done my 2 hour tour of miniland taking photos a few weeks ago, as Josh wasn't interested at all. However, this time I was allowed on all the rides!!! The tower you pull yourself up was cool.. shame I didn't think to take the camera on it. We spent ages making towers with Duplo that could withstand an earthquake, and fighting other children for the limited supply of wheels in order to drag race vehicles of variable design and speed or lack thereof. I may have to copy their idea for coat pegs...

 We also did the Fire Engine thing (v tiring if you have to do all the pumping on your own). Negotiated lunch then Josh was too honest to go the Driving School so went on the Hill Train down to Atlantis. Scary sharks!!!

 Josh's face at the end of the Dragon ride in Knight's Kingdom was a picture!! Mixture of scared and again! Then we had a moment on the Rat run.. I got stuck in a tunnel by my rucksack.

I thought I was champion nibbler, but Josh managed to make his tub of candy floss last all afternoon..

Avoided the only rain of the day while in the Big Shop. Had to explain to Josh that when you are a grown up you have to go to work, and then you can buy your own Lego, and are allowed more than one small thing (hehe). Had to run over to the arena for the Monster Truck show.. they were very noisy. The coolest bit was the Tug of War.. where they ripped an old Renault in half haha.

 Plan to tire out Josh completely failed. It was only me that was in any danger of falling asleep on the way home. Hopefully has now learned from experience that sometimes grown ups give good advice. He DID lose bits of his Lego Harry Potter set because he opened it in the van. He told me tonight (Tues, babysitting) that a bit really did go up his bottom, but he must have poo-ed it out as he does big poos. Nice.

Cosy

Great night's sleep. En suite facilities working well. Can I be bothered to go cache hunting in the rain? Hmm. Prob not

Sent from my iPhone

I'm home!

Three hours of traffic, a torrential downpour and three million m and ms and I have made it to Legoland. Am still at van pondering the plans of the weather!

En suite

Just been to Go Outdoors yet again. Intention was to buy a mini khazee. However they didn't have those and I refused to pay twenty quid for a bucket with an ill fitting lid. Will get a large Tupperware instead. At least it's sealable.

Accidentally bought trainers. They had the half price £110 salomons in my size. No more wet feet. Can't bring myself to throw out the knackered old ones tho.

Why the heck not?

Smelled someone's barbie on the way home from work. Thought that smells good. Remembered bangers in freezer. Thought why the heck not. Excuse to light a fire hehe

Hopefully will take my mind off the wasp sting from 3 hours ago that still kills.

Packing for legoland. Easier when the stuff never made it back to the loft from the last trip.

Reflections

Surveys. Rubbish run. More surveys. In and Out. More surveys.

International Geocaching day.

arm not long enough, paper chain, reflection

Zzz

I think I should sleep in the van every night. I had a week of sleeping really well. As soon as I'm back in my own bed I'm awake half the night.

Oh well. Best get started on these darn surveys. And the wet kit mountain. :-(

Home

Sadly. But am looking forward to having dry feet tomorrow. Van smells of wet. No doubt my spare room will also smell of wet by the time I get round to sorting out kit tomorrow (not been lazy tonight, went to soup kitchen). Only took 5-6 hours to drive back. No jams. Did 30 surveys before the laptop battery ran out. Surfboard upstairs easy. Wetsuits now drowning in the bath. Sky box didn't record episode 5 of Torchwood so going to watch that in bed now. TGF BBC iPlayer!

Flat

Wed Daphne portreath flat Daphne late food profiteroles
Thurs pack up
Sent from my iPhone

It's fab. Still have today and wednesday here. Am getting very good at wipe outs. Pops did the best one though. He nose dived the board and somersaulted off the front. I laughed. A lot. Currently doing surveys sat in the van while folks faff and decide where to go
Sent from my iPhone

As I was going to St Ives

Up late. Slept very very well! Decided to go surfing at Porthmeor. Getting there a tad stressful. St Ives is very hilly and twisty when you're in a big van with no idea where you're going. Eventually found the car park and queued for a space. Bumble was a real Surf Van. Parked up overlooking the beach, got into my soggy wetsuit inside. Very glad to have the new one. Getting into the winter one when wet is even more impossible than when dry. Installed Ma on the beach with a book. And a windbreak. And blankets. And coats. And a tarpaulin. Pops had a moment of bravery and decided to 'suit up'. Had great fun surfing and trying without a great deal of success to teach Pops to surf. Pops gave up and went to go get warm. I stuck at it for ages until I couldn't stand my ice block feet anymore (mistake to not bother with the boots). When I went back up the beach I couldn't find Ma, only a small grey rock where I had left her. The rock then moved and revealed a head. The rock then produced a mars bar and went back to its book. Revived I went out for another go and despite the much smaller waves still got plenty of pop up practice before the car park time ran out.

Moved to another car park then had a wander round St Ives, most of which doesn't seem to have a closing time, fortunately for us. Fortunately for my bank account there were no Animal bargains. Found another nice pub. Had Pie! Back to the tent for UNO and hot chocolate before bed.

Boardmasters 2011

Spent Saturday faffing about looking for the correct connector for the gas bottle. Amazed to find it in a Yeomans shop in St Austell. Pretty amazed we found the shop even. Also stumbled upon a rather excellent shopping place nearby the campsite. Massive Nevisport store inside, with a sale on. Several items of Animal clothing later... After St Austell we aimed for the coast, and ended up in Charlestown. Which was a lucky find. And lucky timing. We arrived in the middle of a rowing competition...

Close finish... the home team just won it..

Trivial Pursuit that evening. And Pops showing me how stupid I looked with my hood up for warmth, but ears out so I could hear.

Sunday: "Yaaaay!!! Just surfed at Fistral bay.. Didn't quite drown. Came close!"

Fantastic day down at Newquay. Was intrigued by the road signs we had seen, so looked up Boardmasters on the mighty iPhone. Had missed all the bands at Watergate unfortunately (bet Fat Boy Slim was good) and only heard the fireworks. However, the surf finals were on Sunday, and the rest of the stuff at Fistral was still on. Was grinning all the way to Newquay driving Bumble, waving at other Dubs. Getting on the car park was tricky, but was all excited getting the board out. Had a wimp out attack when we got to the beach, so I wandered off to see what the festival was about. Found a BMX ramp first...

Quite how you can ride a bike with your trousers that far down your arse I do not know!

Cocoa Cola were there with an Olympics thing..

Got tempted to move to Cornwall by the lady at the Cambourne College who said they were hiring lecturers in Sports Science. Stopped by the skate ramp to see the 'Groms'.

Left the Animal shop unscathed, and Ann's Cottage had rows and rows of men's wetsuits, and 5 for women. Noticed that the surfing finals had started so went to get a few tips before hitting the waves myself.

Reassuring that these guys wipe out too... albeit a tad more spectacularly..

Got a bit nippy standing in the shallows, so walked back up to where the folks were camped. Collected Pops for a wander round. Back to watch more of the surfing comp. Do you reckon I could pass these off as me surfing? Looks a bit similar but my pop up is more of a scramble briefly to feet before falling in again.

Managed to put off getting wet some more by taking Pops round the stands (obligatory event t shirt purchase) and went into the new quiksilver shop intending to just cut through. Ended up looking at the wetsuits and complaining that in here too there was a whole room full of men's wetsuits and about 5 for women. A friendly assistant came over. His response to a request for a suit for a long legged stick was from the teenage boys range. Despite not intending to buy, I went to the changing rooms. Changed intentions immediately when it was easy to get on by myself and fitted perfectly (tight all over, but can actually move). Pops did his annoying trick at the till and won the credit card race/fight. So thanks Pops.


No more excuses. So got the board out of the bag. Realised what a newbie wally I must look with the bubble wrap still on it!

Further schoolboy errors trying to get the fins on..

Wax on, wax off..

How very pleased with myself...

Going for cool surfer dude.. actually looking like nervous geek (and yeah, I did remember to take my glasses off before going in)

Does my bum look big in this?

Not sure which is worse... Dad's photography or my surfing technique.. anyway, I was chuffed that I managed to stand up at the very first attempt!

Look...look I really can do this...

Hmmm, they all look a bit similar. Better work on my moves! My first proper attempt at a turn...

 Does of course go slightly less well on the odd occasion..

So, there you go. My very first surfboard, christened at Fistral. Pretty cool IMHO. Still buzzing when we left the kit with Bumble and ventured off into Newquay in search of food. Got lucky down at the harbour with a nice pub. Pops most amused when he sent me off to get drinks and the lady behind the bar said "Can I ask how old you are?" Er... 34. Obviously looked younger than I felt after hours of getting thrown about by waves and gravity.

Slept well!