Journal Entries
28.8.2012 - CBeebies in Scarborough
Posted Aug 28, 2012
Today my son and I met up with The Fish and his family in Scarborough, a town famous for being in the CBeebies Summer song. We had a great time on the North Bay Miniature Railway, the water chute boat and paddle boats, as well as on the beach, all of which appear on the CBeebies song.
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Latest reply: Aug 28, 2012
16.7.2012 - All the Galaxy's a stage, and all the Hitchhikers merely players
Posted Jul 16, 2012
Yesterday I saw 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Live Radio Show' at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre, starring the radio series' original cast, with Hugh Dennis replacing Peter Jones as the Book. I haven't laughed so hard at jokes I know for a very, very long time.
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Latest reply: Jul 16, 2012
30.6.2012 - Award Winning Cyclist*
Posted Jul 2, 2012
On Saturday 30th June I cycled over 66 miles, travelled on 6 ferries on three wheels to complete the Solent Coast Cycle Challenge - a sponsored bike round around the Isle of Wight and Hampshire.
I arrived at Southampton's Town Quay ferry terminal for the ferry over Southampton Water to Hythe at 7am, crossing over to Hythe and arriving at 8am. From there I cycled across the New Forest National Park to the port of Lymington (this was interesting when, cycling in a convoy of half a dozen cyclists, we swerved in and out through a herd of cattle and a dozen New Forest ponies along a narrow country lane).
Ferry 2 was the 9:30am boat from Lymington over to the Island, and as it was the day of the Round the Island Yacht Race, the voyage was surrounded by over 1,800 yachts covering the sea as far as the eye could see. Arriving in Yarmouth it was a case of up and down very steep hills across the spine of the Island to Newport, and then taking the blissful National Cycle Route 23 (former Newport-Cowes railway) to Cowes and then the floating bridge to East Cowes - ferry number 3. From East Cowes the route went uphill, passing Osborne House, through Whippingham and down to Wootton and Fishbourne, for the fourth ferry over to Portsmouth, followed quickly the the fifth ferry to Gosport.
Outside Gosport I had a worrying moment when, between Gosport and Lee-on-Solent next to the Browndown Danger Area, disaster struck - my back wheel's axle snapped. I was devastated - surely this meant that my bike ride was over and that I was stranded miles from home somewhere I didn't know, and I didn't even know whether there was a station nearby to help me get home. Fortunately a couple of other cyclists stopped and informed me that a bike shop was located a couple of miles ahead. I managed to push my bike there, and fortunately they were able to repair my bike and replace my back wheel in half an hour - while I waited, I took advantage of the next-door icecream parlour.
After that I was back on the road, making up for my hour's lost time, although there was a large diversion near Titchfield when the road we were due to go down was closed due to pylon repair work. After winding around the diversion I made it to the Warsash-Hamble microscopic pink boat, which barely looked capable of floating, yet alone carrying bicycles. After being carried over on the sixth and final boat of the day I sped along, making it to the Royal Victoria Country Park, but an hour later than I'd hoped (my initial plan had been to arrive before 4pm so I could have a ride on the miniature railway, but it was just before 5pm, after the last train had gone). Sadly in the wood of the Royal Victoria Country Park I took a wrong turn and left the park somewhere random, but managed to make my way to the Itchen Bridge and back on track. From the bridge it was a short journey down to Hythe Ferry where I collected my medal for completing the challenge - and from there went back to Southampton Central station, arriving just in time to see a steam train (70013 Oliver Cromwell) rush through the station.
And then I went home.
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*They gave me a medal, therefore I'm award-winning 
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Latest reply: Jul 2, 2012
10.6.2012 - Red cable or blue cable?
Posted Jun 10, 2012
At work they are upgrading the floor below ours to a Media Hub, which means hiring workmen to bash down all the straight walls and replace them with curved ones and add bean bags and scatter cushions. Two weeks ago the workmen decided to cut off the building's water supply by making a big hole in the mains water pipe. On Friday they cut right through the main power line to the top three floors and then, five minutes later, spotted the network cable and decided to cut through that.
So no computers working at work (only at a time when students will want to know their results...) and worst of all, almost no h2g2 access!
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Latest reply: Jun 10, 2012
9.5.2012 - These Boots were made for Walking
Posted May 9, 2012
I have a pair of hiking boots I am very fond of.
They have trod the soils of three continents.
They have walked inside Pyramids, temples, cathedrals, forts, farms and zoos.
They have walked the battlements of castles and the walls of mediæval towns.
They have walked Britain from East to West shore.
They have followed Hadrian's Wall, walking in the footsteps of history.
They have circumnavigated the Isle of Wight.
They have traced the whole border of an entire country in a day.
They have been transported by steam train, areoplane and by car near and far.
They now have a hole in them.
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Latest reply: May 9, 2012
Bluebottle
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