Purton Green cont.

After a 4 hour plus drive we found ourselves driving down the small lane, crossing the ford and finally parking up. It was a hot evening and we can only hope this weather will continue for the rest of the week. The two wheelbarrows are waiting at the entrance to the path but from here there is no sign at all of the Hall, just fields of crops and areas of woodland. The wheelbarrows are loaded (clanging with rather a lot of wine) and with Minky perched in his cage on top we must look like the most eccentric of travellers. The instructions say to simply follow the path keeping the hedge to the right for about 400yards and that you will not see Purton Green until you are almost upon it as its surrounded by woodland. Its a hot sticky walk with Minky singing away in tune with the squeaky wheelbarrow I seem to have. Eventually we turn a final corner and there is our home for the rest of the week, nestling in the shadow of a walnut tree.

Once installed we explore every inch. The Great Hall is lovely and cool whilst the rest of the building is cosy and more traditional. Wine is quickly opened, the deck chairs placed under the walnut tree and all our cares quickly evaporate. That evening we cook fantastic fillet steaks and eat at the long table in the Great Hall watching the sun go down beyond the large oak door and listening to Porcupine tree on the small hi fi we brought along (Music being the one thing we could not go without for the week)

Click on pictures for the full size versions.

Purton Green

Just back from a wonderful break at Purton Green, an isolated Landmark Trust property in the heart of the Suffolk countryside. One or two pictures for now but lots more details to come soon about the trip and the property itself. Just a few details here from the Landmark Trust's own description:

Purton Green is one of the many lost villages of Suffolk, where generations spent their lives, but which are now just patches of lime and fragments in the plough. It lies on an old road running south from Bury St Edmunds, today hardly a path. All that remains is this house. Inside its late medieval walls survives a hall of 1250 – a great rarity.



Aisled on both sides, with scissor-braced trusses and a highly ornamental arcade at the low end, it must once have been an important place.When we bought it in 1969 it was little more than a ruin. As with almost all medieval houses, a floor and central chimney stack had later been inserted, but these additions were so derelict that we felt justified in removing them, to return the hall to its original open state. Part of the house – the high end – was rebuilt in about 1600 and this part we have turned into living quarters. These can only be reached through the hall, which you must cross and recross if you stay here, as your predecessors have done for 700 years.



The house now stands surrounded by fields, with unchanging Suffolk countryside in all directions. After crossing a ford, you leave your car 400 yards from the house; but we provide a wheelbarrow for the rest of the journey. Purton Green Continued.

Ightenhill to the "Bay Horse Inn" Fence

Looking from our garden towards Pendle

Whilst the weather still attempts to hold onto Spring and remains dry we decided it was time to pull out the Ordnance Survey Explorer Map for our area, see if we could walk across the footpath that cuts across the back field and find our way successfully across country to the "Bay Horse Inn" Fence. We set off mid afternoon and stepped into the field immediately sinking up to our ankles in a bog. Not a great start but we headed on, crossing to the footbridge across the Calder and up a shingle lane that passes by Pendle Hall farmhouse.

Looking back at our route from Pendle Hall after crossing the River Calder

From here we had to locate a path heading east and finding this we headed off in the direction of a copse of woodland sticking out of a valley which was clearly marked on the map. Apart from a few cows who moved rather reluctantly out of our way as they had done the sensible thing and lay down against the gale force winds that have struck up this weekend not a single person was seen all day.

The hidden valley at Moor Isles Clough

Arriving at a stile above this valley or mini gorge and checking the map that we were still on the right path we discovered the place is called Moor Isles Clough. The path leads down into a lovely leafy steeply sided gorge with a small brook gurgling through at the bottom. A fantastic location right on our doorstep that we did not even know existed. Absolutely full of the sounds of birds and wildlife and with wild garlic growing profusely on the banks of the stream.

Wild Garlic in Moor Isles Clough

Crossing the stream by the footbridge ad climbing to the other side we continued towards the village of Fence. Soon the white building of the Bay Horse could be seen and we arrived slightly muddy but rather hungry. This used to be a favourite restaurant of ours when the previous owners Carl and Marie ran the place. Food especially the fish was always excellent even if the service was best described as erratic. Carl and Marie have finally moved on and the new owners have elected to run the place with an almost identical menu. As Carl himself did much of the cooking we found it odd on our first visit after the change of hands to find the menu unchanged. I would have liked the new owners to try to introduce something fresh and new to make their own stamp on the restaurant, so we left disappointed last time. Perhaps it was all the fresh air from the walk and the great wine but this time everything was rather good.

Dinner at the Bay Horse Fence

Deck Summer Visitor

Wow could this be an indication that we are going to get a summer at long last. I think I'll wait and see but the swallows are in the back field and the frogs have returned to the pond. Thinking back to last year I'm sure we got a few days sun like this and then that was it for the year.
To celebrate this change in the weather I dusted off the MTB from the garage which has been in winter hibernation and took it on a 15 mile round trip on the canal, not a great idea as this morning I can hardly walk let alone sit down. Still my fitness regime has started, this time next year you wont recognise me :)

Bride Stones Walk

Finally a little sun and dry weather has arrived, so on a lovely evening and taking directions from "The Walking Englishman" website we set out to the edge of town where Lancashire becomes Yorkshire and the Landscape becomes moors and craggs.

I have never seen these stones before or heard of them and our route to them follows the old pack horse roads and bridleways that criss cross this area.

They overlook the Calder Valley and stare down at Todmorden from high up on the Bride Stones Moor. The Bride Stones are a super example of Yorkshire bouldering crags formed when glaciated within the last 15000 years. These edge tors are periglacial in origin and probably the result of freeze thaw and sand blasting. They post-date the end of the Devensian Ice age and they are spread all over the hillside. Many of the interesting ones are individually named. They include the Indian's Head, the Villain, the Cheeseblock and the Bride Stone itself which is a large rounded rock in the shape of an egg perched on a slender pillar. It is an amazing sight as it stands precariously on its small base. Myth has it that the stone is a rich source of fertility for newly married couples.

I have included a link below which will take you to an album showing the bridal paths, old abandoned dwellings that are scattered around the moor and some of the local population of spring lambs that live up here. Also if you click on the title of this post it should take you to the Walking English man's site for full maps and other walks in the area.

Click for more Pics

Guernsey - 11th April

The gods finally shone on us for a change and our flights left on time for the first time in a few years. A 50mins flight with Flybe on a turboprop soon had us landing at the airport in the middle of this channel island. The weather check this morning had promised little, the BBCs web site intent on showing a solid rain symbol sat over the island for the whole weekend, however as we descended the co pilot announced the weather had cleared and it was clear. Getting our first view of the island as you fly around it to approach the runway we were both surprised to see how populated it is, for some reason I expected the town and then a lot of green, but the whole island does see quite covered in houses. Perhaps its the scale that gives this illusion or maybe I was confusing it with Jersey and watching episodes of Bergerac as a child.

A taxi is waiting for us at the terminal and we are soon checking into La Fregate hotel in St Peters Port. The room is a beautiful suite with a stunning panoramic view of the town and port with Castle Cornet sitting prominently in the distance; as promised the weather has indeed cleared.

After unpacking quickly we head straight out for a walk around the town and out towards the Castle. The Castle is like an illusion, it doesn't look that far from the room but it never seems to get any nearer as we walk towards it. Eventually we arrive at its walls and check the opening times for tomorrow, there are guided tours at 10.30am so we decide we will spend the morning doing that if the weather holds out. The town itself is lovely and clean and you could spend a good week here and never run short of somewhere good to eat and I mean somewhere really good and not the usual touristy rubbish or pub reheat pet food that seems to swamping the nation at the moment.


(to be cont)



La Fregate

Malham

With Easter arriving ridiculously early this year we decided to head out down the road and visit Malham. Its only 40minutes away yet for some reason we have both never returned there since the obligatory school trips. We decided to take a good lunch first in the Buck Inn which consisted of Cod, Chips and Peas for Jackie and the house special of Homemade Malham and Masham Pie - (Chunks of beef cooked to perfection with our Old Peculiar Ale accompanied with baby onions, mushrooms and topped with Short Crust Pastry). The fish and its beer batter was excellent and despite the fact you could probably use the Pastry as extra armour plating on a Tank the pie was very tasty and tender as well; all this was washed down with a nice bottle of Shiraz in front of a roaring fire.

to be cont.


We walk out from the restaurant down the valley,aling the stream and watch the rock climbers attempting to climb the cove.
Standing some 80 metres high and 300 metres wide and north of the mid craven fault, Malham Cove is a curved crag of carboniferous limestone formed after the last ice age. Meltwater, particularly from Malham Tarn, cut back the cove as it fell over the edge as a waterfall. This erosion took place more actively at the lip of the fall rather than at the sides, hence the curved shape.




We then take the stone stairs to the left of the cove and climb to the top to the limestone pavement.
The magnificent limestone pavement on the surface of the Cove is deeply fissured and fretted by a pattern of channels. Chemical weathering due to the slightly acidic rain dissolves and widens the many joints of the limestone , carving the patterns that can be seen today. The resulting limestone pavement is known as 'clints' or 'grykes', where the naked limestone lumps are the clints and the fissures in between are the grykes. The grykes are home to many rare (shade-loving) plants - harts-tongue fern, wood-sorrel, wood-garlic, geranium, anemone, rue, and enchanter's nightshade.


From here we walk on to Gordale Scar where the weather decides to play strange tricks, giving us a 2minute blizzard as we sit at the base of the waterfall.
The sides of this gorge overhang to a considerable extent, suggesting that there was once a great cavern, the roof of which has subsequently collapsed.

On close observation remnants of this roof can been found to the right above the first waterfall. The left side of the cavern is noticable for its close and intimate vertical jointing dividing the limestone into thin plates sometimes less than an inch in thickness.

Disneyland Paris 26th Dec Day 3

A quick update for the blog itself. I have managed from this entry forward to fix the picture links so they will now expand properly on clicking. And so on with Day 3...

I think we deserve a gentle and relaxing lie in. Don't let those words cross my lips again. Even at the late hour of 8.30am the restaurant for le petit déjeuner has either been stormed by a division of the riot police or its full of children; looking at the carnage around its hard to decide which but there are a lot of small princesses running around. Wow! Belle really should have tried wearing salopettes under her dress before she set off looking for the old guy. We eat quickly and beat a retreat leaving the destruction behind. A bus arrives promptly and we head off into the fog.

Heading straight for the transformed Studios, which have opened a little earlier than the gate time, we are quickly through Studio 1 and make a right turn towards Crush. It's already beginning to generate a queue despite the fact it has not yet opened and this tends to be the story all day. It's not what you would call the highest capacity ride in the world, nor the fastest loader which makes Fast Pass a bit of a non starter for it, so arrive early and don't leave the queue no matter what story the CM comes up with to try to move you to another attraction. Once inside and at the front of the boarding area the house lights come on and the attraction is declared to be broken down. I eventually start to develop a theory about this; once a queue reaches back to the park entrance, pretend Crush has broken down for 5mins and disperse the queue. Finally we ride again and once again it's as crazy as ever and we still don't know which way is up. We love it.

After riding and re riding ToT on a FP we grabbed earlier and then taking the customary cup of hot water and a tea bag in the studio 1 cafe its time to head back over to the MK. The parks seem busier today than the previous days but all the gates are open and I have yet to see any major queues at the entrance barriers; apart from the central gates which people seem to flock to like sheep, ignoring the fact those on the left and right are often empty. We have a lunch booking today at the newly re opened Agrabah restaurant. We are about to take the customary short cut through the enclosed arcades at the back of Main street when a small parade takes place however so we stop to watch watch as the character express glides past.

Lunch in the Agrabah after another ride on BTM and POC is a nice enough affair, a few teething problems seem to be affecting the efficiency of its operation but its a hidden delight and the theming is exquisite, the food is fine as well and I'll cover the restaurant in more detail soon. After lunch we decide to wander over to the far reaches of Frontierland passing the Cowboy Cookout Barbecue, a building I have somehow missed previously. In fact this whole area is one I'm not over familiar with. It seems quite an empty area, indeed the area is earmarked for a future as yet undisclosed attraction. The biggest name on everyones' lips is Splash Mountain which would fit in thematically. Personally if that rumour is true it will have to be "You are guaranteed to keep dry" water ride to have any hope of attracting guests in the freezing winter months. Hopefully the park will get something totally new along the lines of the new developments currently earmarked for CA and WDW.

As it is this area is rather open and in some ways quite attractive, the Frontierland Depot Station looks very effective in its detached lonesome position, especially surrounded by the bleak yet bright colours of the fallen leaves. There's also a small western themed corral which has currently been turned into Sherrif Woody's round up Village and a place for Father Christmas to meet and greet. Just hidden down a small path as you approach this area of the park, and I note unmentioned on the guide map, is a small landing stage where the Keel boats dock. Even today at a relatively busy time there is hardly a queue at all. So we board for a sedate trip around the lake weaving around the Mark Twain and Big Thunder Mountain Island. The Keel boats only run on days when CMs with boat piloting licences are working so its hard to guarantee when they are operating; if they are though take a trip if only for a short break from the crowds.

Whilst in this area on arrival back from our sojourn around the lake its good timing to take in the show that Frontierland has to offer. Yes it's "Mickey's Winter Wonderland" in The Chaparral Theater, described in the guide as "A musical comedy full of wit and magic". I'm already beginning to question the sanity of the Imagineer who thought it would be a good idea to have a ice skating show set in the icy wonderland actually in an outdoor theatre in the icy french winter; but its all good fun even if we appear to have frozen to the bench by the end of the show and can no longer feel our toes. We head across to the Cookout Barn for hot drinks to warm up, actually this looks like quite a nice cheap and cheerful place to eat serving rather good looking (and smelling) ribs rather than the obligatory burgers most of these self service places seem to specialize in and its quite well themed inside as well as out.

After riding more of our favourites on the Fast Passes we had collected earlier and a little more shopping to pass the time we take in the parade and have a dinner appointment at one of our old favourites upstairs on Main Street "Walts". It's the final sitting and we have the place almost to ourselves and once again enjoy a long slow dinner looking down from the window onto the crowds on Main Street getting snowed on at regular intervals. Then its time to head back and set the alarm clock a little earlier to avoid the scrum tomorrow morning and hit the early entry for the MK as well.

Disneyland Paris 25th December Day 2

We certainly get a full nights deep sleep in our room, free from any corridor or adjoining room noise which is a plus. What I am not so keen on is the sparsity of this room which is large but very empty, there is very little decoration or furnishing. The laundry is thin and rather limited, no face flannels are provided at all. There is a safe which is great but the lack of basics such as a kettle or any tea and coffee making facilities does make you wonder why on earth this is regarded on some web sites as a higher starred facility than some of its competitors. To be honest it was not be our first choice and the initial plan this year had been to return to WDW Florida for Christmas, however with news of ToT opening early we just could not resist and had to take what was available in the resort. Breakfast is basic and rather unappealing though the restaurant staff are extremely friendly and courteous it must be said. We take the hotel bus after a small breakfast across to the MK and enter the bag check. Masses of people are congregating around this area in some confusion as they are turned away for not having the correct Annual Pass or Disney Hotel ID to gain Early Admission. Once inside the park we head under the railway station and walk slowly up Main Street in the cool morning air. As we approach the castle the early morning orange sunlight is darting in and out of the clouds creating fantastic strokes of light and shadow on the buildings, a most magical effect that's difficult to capture on camera but highlights beautifully the new gold detail which has been added for the 15th anniversary.

Then we pass under the Parisian MK Castle, always special and unique with its dungeons (and the guest that lurks within) and galleries for guests to explore. The first ride we walk on to with no queue whatsoever is Snow White's house of horrors as I fondly call it. We love this ride for rather odd reasons, I think there's something fantastic in the storytelling of the Imagineers design that take you from the sublime fairytale opening to the dark horrors to come. The forest scene is a classic vintage dark ride experience. We share the car with a Mother and her young daughter who leaves the ride rather unsuitably traumatised for her first morning in Fantasyland, oh dear, hope she recovers quickly. Next its time for Peter Pan: another walk on and another classic ride first developed by Walt for Anaheim in 1955. It has changed a lot since then (most noticeably the fact that Peter Pan now appears in some form in the ride) and a lot of touches now differentiate each version in each park. Amazingly despite its age and roots this ride is proof positive that a classic will endure; just check out the queue times later in the day.

Next its time for (hold your breath) a spin on the carousel, in all the years of visiting Disneylands and Worlds this is actually the first time we have actually been on this old piece of nostalgia, but once again its another Christmas Day morning walk on as are the tea cups. After a quick ride on Pinocchio (no queue again) I then force Jackie to go and climb up inside the balcony of the castle and appear outside to wave for a picture before we head back to the hub and across to Videopolis in search of a warm drink. Unfortunately everything is still shut so we head back to the hub just in time for the rope drop, the trouble is we're on the wrong side of the rope drop. Feeling like Moses trying to part the red sea we head towards Frontierland, two lonesome figures heading west against a sea of charging Discoveryland fans.

We cross sides, passing the Indian village before entering Frontierland, there's no sign of Pocahontas in the camp this morning, hardly surprising though, I estimate the temperature to be just above zero. The lake itself is actually frozen, the Mark Twain paddle cruiser appears crunching its way forward as it cuts a path through the water like some Ice breaking vessel negotiating the Northwest Passage. The Keel boats are also out which we have never seen before; these boats were retired sometime ago as a cost cutting exercise so its great to see them back. Also waiting at the other side of the lake is the Molly Brown, the second paddle steamer, however she uses a central driving paddle instead of the more traditional rear system of the Mark Twain. On reaching BTM we grab a fastpass to return in an hour or so and set off across to POC.

One of our favourite POC rides it has the length and structure of Anaheim, all be it in a slightly different order, yet lacking the utter ludicrous "half the rides missing" experience that Florida "treats" you with. In fact it certainly has a much better themed queueing area than both those parks. However Anaheim still wins by having the proper space and scale in the out at sea section, in Paris, as in Florida, this set seems just slightly too small and cramped. Then its time to pick up our slot for BTM. I think its pretty universally accepted already even by the imagineers themselves that this is a special version of BTM, sitting on an island in the middle of the lake yet boarded as usual on the mainland, the trains first rush off through pitch black tunnels under the lake before emerging onto the island itself. The only thing that is missing is the theming of the ghost town which exists in Anaheim in the final braking section though this is recreated in Paris and given a total twist in Phantom Manor when you descend into the catacombs. And its to Phantom Manor we head too next, first picking up another FP for BTM which should just fit in nicely before lunch. despite a visible queue its pretty much straight onto this efficient loader.

Before taking our second BTM ride we refresh and reheat a little with a cup of tea from the Fuente del Oro Restaurante. I do wish the Americans and the French will join the civilised world one day and realise that tea is not a cup of hot water with a tea bag on the side, and what gives with the hot milk :) Refreshed and warmed it's soon time though to take that next BTM ride, we should just fit it in before lunch at the Blue Lagoon. One thing I wish they would sort out here is the roof of the BTM building that is below the queue area of the fastpass line. Its always constantly littered every time we visit, surely it could be added to a night time cleaning schedule. BTM ridden again, and my hands blue from waving them in the air but forgetting to wear gloves (DOH) we head back over to Adventureland passing La Cabane des Robinson and Adventure Isle on the way.

The entrance to the Blue Lagoon is tucked away in the corner of the fort that creates the facade of the entrance to the POC. The theming and landscaping in this area is superb, for instance we can hear as we walked to this location the roar of the ride from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, but the lush landscaping keeps it out of sight and you realise there's still a whole area of the park yet to be explored. Like in Anaheim the restaurant itself is actually inside part of the ride, and is highly themed and extremely atmospheric. A major plus here though is the food is superb as is the wine. Its tropically warm as well which is nice and glorious amounts of shellfish, seafood and fine wines are consumed over a long relaxing lunch. The afternoon is then spent watching the shows starting with a rather surreal multi language experience involving a rather bemused looking Pooh and Friends at the Fantasy Festival Stage. Then its straight to the Videopolis theatre for the superb production Of Lion King, which I'm startled to find was choreographed by Strictlys very own darling, Craig Revel Horwood. A more straight theatre adaptation than the Florida and HK versions, this has masses of quality oozing from it. The production values are superb with better lighting and effects than even the West End version had. What is not up to scratch though is the sound which is unfortunately muffled and out of phase at times.

Its impossible to resist but with a parade time approaching we once again just have to take advantage and head over to the Studios, first refreshing in the Studio1 with more cups of hot water and tea bags. ToT has litttle queue again though crush is out of the question with times approaching 120mins. We ride the ToT repeatedly before making our way around to the Aerosmith RnR Coaster. The contrast as you enter this area of the Studios, which has not yet been touched by the new theming is quite startling; fingers crossed it changes soon. A little retail therapy then takes place, Jackie treating herself to a beautiful new watch, then its time to make our way to the Disneyland Hotel again for Christmas Dinner at the California Grill. Keep watching for the reviews.

Disneyland Paris 24th Dec Day 1

Early morning Christmas Eve and we're driving down deserted motorways towards Liverpool to catch the first flight to Paris. After parking and checking in we hardly have time for a cup of tea before we are being called (by name) to the gate. Soon we are climbing into the dawn at 32,000ft heading south for the one hour hop to Paris. I always draw breath when landing at Charles de Gaulle; does such a beautiful city deserve one of the ugliest airports on earth. Before we know it the plane is taxiing up to a monstrous concrete silo that apparently has a double life as a terminal building.

After a swift debarking into the freezing air we make our way over to the TGV terminal and buy tickets. The ticket office is housed in what looks like a concrete car park, not even a coat of emulsion to hide the depressing skeleton of the building, I really feel for the poor souls who have to work in this environment.

However the TGV whisks us in ten minutes flat to the Transport Hub of Disneyland Paris where we board a bus to our hotel. Its too early to check in and its not worth bothering to anyway as a line stretches from the Vienna Dream Castle Hotel's desk practically back to the entrance so after dropping the bags with the concierge we head back towards the park, we have a lunch appointment at Inventions.

We arrive back at the transport hub and head over to the bag search area, (Now where is the No bags entrance DLP). What a fantastic site it is to see the ToT in all its glory stretching up into the sky from the Studios as we approach the parks. Last time we were here it was an incomplete grey concrete monolith slowly reaching up in anticipation (A little like the terminal buildings at the airport only the Tower was cleaner). For us it's straight into the Disneyland Hotel for our reservation at Inventions and settle down to the once again exquisite buffet. Its so nice to sit here relaxed with fine wine watching the train pull into Main Street Station whilst enjoying everything this buffet has to offer, and lets face it there's not much it does not have to offer. Superb, and a full review will of course follow.

After lunch we head back through the lobby of the hotel and set off to get our Dream Annual Passes. Once purchased from the guest relations booth we are given a temporary access tkt and told to visit the AP center in the park before 7pm. As soon as we enter the park and hit the town square a trolley enters and Jackie takes time to make a new friend though looking at the photo again neither seems sure of the other...

The Park itself is looking in tip top condition, just as it should for a 15th anniversary with all the repaints on main street now completed; our last two trips last year involved careful camera work to miss out the false facades that had been placed over the scaffolding as the refurbishment took place. We have been lucky enough this year to visit the MKs of Florida, California and Paris and despite the chill today and the fact I only entered the gates 2 minutes ago, I remain convinced once again that this is the most beautiful of the MKs in terms of design and aesthetics.

We make our way into Discoveryland and grab a fastpass for Space Mountain which surprisingly, despite the time of day has a slot available in an hour or so. Based on last year's experience (lets just say it took a long time) this should give us time to get our AP sorted out, however we are dealt with efficiently in the AP office and are in and out quite quickly; so we have a ride on Star Tours which has a small queue before using our FP on SM.It's nice to see the steams working fully, it looks very effective especially in the cold but the piston action of the launch cannon appears to have given up. Space Mountain is , how can I put this politely: great but as rough as ever. Once will be enough this trip I think.

As darkness begins to fall upon the park and preparations begin for the parade we decide to dash over and take our first look at the new additions to the Studios. A lot has changed since our last visit and we cannot wait to see it. The first major change you encounter is the placemaking and themeing as you exit Studio 1. Previously you exited onto what looked like an average main road, a barren piece of tarmac surrounded by the attractions. In a time of tight budgets it was the best thing the imagineers came up with, the excuse given was always that this is in reality what a studio looks like, but it always felt wrong, was rather uninspiring to look at and felt totally lacking in Disney quality. Now the transformation has begun. Hollywood architectural buildings and facades have grown out of the ground in front of the new ToT along with palm trees and new lighting. To the right a new land is materialising "Toon Studio" with another major ride and a some Pixar inspired theming.

By a stroke of luck we seem to have arrived just at a perfect time. A lot of the crowds are heading back to the MK for the parade and there's only a 5min wait time for ToT. Having only just ridden the Californian version a few weeks ago there's not much to add as its the same ride here, known in certain circles as "bad tower" for its lack of the forward driving section and its odd corridor to nowhere between the lift doors. But that's being very picky. its still a fantastic E+ ticket ride the park should be proud of and my goodness, this has a view at night from the top that surpasses all the other towers without any doubt. They should also be proud of Crush, we managed by some amazing good fortune to walk up to this amazingly popular ride just as its reopening after technical difficulties and therefore avoid the usual 100min queues this ride can generate once the Studios has been open a few minutes. Its an odd ride in the trilogy of Nemo rides we have ridden this year. It has less storytelling aspects to it at the beginning, but good grief, once it hits the current section, we both found ourselves dropping and spinning with no recollection as to which way was up or down. In three words Fan tas tic. After a spin on the new Cars Race Rally which is also beautifully themed and then another drop on the ToT we head back to the hotel, pick up our bags and finally check in and get some sleep. Got to make that early entry tomorrow.

Porcupine Tree - Manchester Dec 8th

Back to the Academy Jackie and I go for our first PT gig. Been really looking forward to this one since the tickets dropped through the letterbox earlier this year and the albums are hardly off the Linn, I find the music infectious listening. We had to miss them earlier in the year when they played at Preston Guildhall as we were in Florida at the time so it was great to see that they decided to fit a winter tour in as well.

Quite a good support from Anathema (I also have an album of theirs) and then a truly dazzling show from Porcupine Tree who rip with perfection through track after track, the material from Fear of A Blind Planet sounding particularly breathtaking live. The audience is polite and mesmerized by the display of skill on show. Manage to get a few pictures though the band are back lit only with a simple but effective light and video show; think Steve Wilson must be very camera shy.

I don't have any faves tonight in the songs, its all superb. Along with Rush in Rotterdam this is a show of the year for me and I look forward to seeing them again, hopefully if I heard SW correctly, sometime next year after a well earned rest for the band.

Our music photos

Marillion - Manchester Academy 30th Nov

Time to return to the Academy (the new building this time which judging from the entrance and the porta cabin bathrooms is not quite finished) to catch Marillion for the second time this year.

“We’re not really a festive band. Most of our songs are about death and water”, joked Hogarth early in the gig. After opening the first set with a selection pulled from Brave I had to smile and agree. The band ended the first set with a sing a long favourite, Seasons End, quite apt for the Christmas show. The second set showcased the impressive back catalogue of Hogarth-era produced music. There were epics, such as Hooks In You and Genie, and then there were foot-tapping rocky numbers like Cannibal Surf Babe and Most Toys which admittedly are fun and work better live than on the album.


The band closed the second set with This Strange Engine - returning to perform a joyful cover of Let It Snow - complete with fake snow, inflatable Santa and Steve Hogarth dressed as Father Christmas.

To be honest I much preferred the focus and energy of the earlier tour when the band seemed fired up promoting the new album. I though there was to much from Brave in the first set which perhaps left me feeling a bit melancholy. Having said all that musicianship was as usual at its highest, the crowd were in top voice and H once again effortlessly held everyone in the palm of his hand with his abundance of charisma.

I'll leave you with the title track from the most recent album Somewhere Else performed live at the forum earlier this year and a link to more pictures from the gig

Our photos from the gig

Las Vegas - Day 5 Nellis AFB

F22 Raptor by Tim Beach

I must admit to being slightly concerned that in all the time we had so far been in Vegas I had not seen one advertisement or flyer for the weekend's airshow. Who knows perhaps it had been cancelled whilst we were in Los Angeles.

Because we now had no car, getting to the airshow was a challenge in its own right. We took the monorail up to the Stratosphere early on a glorious Saturday morning and then asked one of the passing buses for advice. The result was basically like a scene from Dumb and Dumber so in the end we took a cab and set off for Nellis AFB. As we approached the base it became obvious the main entrance was off limits to the general public and only for military personnel and the state governor so our taxi driver asked what on earth he should do with a couple of poor souls who were foolish enough to try to walk to an event. The solution was to drop us off in the middle of the desert at the NASCAR speedway arena where 200,000 other people had arrived by car, then get bussed back to the base. I'm already wondering how we're going to get back to the hotel but we will worry about that later.

Jackie enters a KC-10

Fantastic displays throughout the day against the backdrop of clear sparkling blue skies and terracotta mountains. Plenty of space between the ground items and numerous of aircraft open for a good nosey around inside. A reasonable selection of food was on offer as well which made a change from the usual airshow fare. It was interesting to see how the average American seemed reluctant to queue for anything other than burgers and hot dogs, the lines for these items being as long as a Disney ride in peak season whilst the delicious Indian cuisine on offer had no queue at all.

B52

The flight line was well placed and despite the vast numbers attending it was always easy to find a prime viewing spot, especially with lots of people choosing to view from under the shade of a B52s wing.

The butt ugly or beautiful A-10. The Warthog

Favourites of the day had to be the old, ugly versatile A10, an aircraft which for some reason has always had a place in my heart. The great Korean and Vietnam set pieces which as Jackie pointed out gave great instruction on how different aircraft designs were developed for specific purpose. The Canadian Hornet team must have heard I was in the crowd sporting a RUSH tour t shirt, as its display was performed to a track from Snakes and Arrows. The Thunderbirds put on a superb and lengthy display: the missing man formation was particularly poignant as it flew out from the mountain landscape opposite.

F22 Raptor by Tim Beach

The F22 Raptor stealth bomber took to the skies late afternoon, this was the first time we had seen this beast in action. An unbelievable example of man and machine performing the almost impossible. The manoeuvres were breathtaking, if a little deafening! This was the ultimate highlight for us. Raptor pictures kindly supplied by Tim Beach who we met at Maclaren Airport on our return home, instinct telling us that a man with a lens that long snapping shots must have been at the airshow.

In the evening as the light faded the question of how we were to get back to the city still remained unanswered. The mobile had no signal and being shipped back in the opposite direction out into the desert would be a mistake. I began to look for a sympathetic looking individual among all the AF personnel, call me a sucker for a lady in uniform. After overseeing the State Governor's departure, her superior officer kindly sorted us an escorted ride off the base to the town of Nellis. Our lucky streak remained and we jumped on a bus opposite heading in vaguely the right direction. Phew- Vegas bound for a reservation that evening at Rosemary's Restaurant. ( Highly recommended place off the strip). Review to follow.

Below I have included two links. The first takes you to our gallery from the airshow and the second is a link to the website of photographer Tim Beach

Our Nellis Airshow Photographs

Tim Beach Airshow Photographs