Friends who Ground You

Some friends aren’t willing to share your experiences. This makes it difficult to do what you want. Sometimes you’ve just got to do it alone. You might be glad that you’ve left them behind. But at other times they might be doing it to protect you without you even realising. They might distract you, but they might also help you to find a solution that’s more sensible. It’s a matter of opinion, but if you ignore it, they may be reluctant to give you an opinion when you need it. And they might also help you to focus on what you need to achieve by giving you the space to do it, or by giving you a break by helping you with something that you enjoy. Just make sure that you don’t overdo it, and that you’re able to be on form when you need to. If you need to break away, they’d appreciate your honesty so that you don’t alienate them.

A Swing and a... #habberleytrail 12

I think she’s enjoying it. There’s a look of true exhilaration without any fear or being forced to pose. She’s not coming off there in a hurry. Look close and you can see a grin of rebellion and mischief. The ground looks quite rough and red. I hope she’s preparing for a soft landing somewhere so that there’s no worries if she does fall off. Hopefully it’s not the blood of those who have ridden before. A premature fall could end up with very muddy clothes. And the equipment does look a bit ancient with a bit of rust at the end of it, though the angle could be due to the hill it’s mounted on. But at least we’re in the remote countryside in a family environment surrounded by similar people so there’s no fear of the fun being halted by others who want to disrupt everyone’s fun. Wheee!

Backyard Byron

I was a bit nervous setting out to a campsite that I’d found on the web. I could have been fooled with some photographs and a postcode that could take me to some locked gates. I certainly wasn’t prepared to set off without a phone number. But whatever happened, I still had a tent and sleeping bag with me, so it wasn’t as if I would be homeless. I just might be after a bathroom and trespassing. On approach, it looks like it’s a well-maintained and thought-out area. Even though it’s a single-track road, there’s a verge to allow other vehicles to pass, with a wall with a footpath on the other side. Everything was professionally laid out, and the check-in was simple. All I had to do was report to the farmer’s cottage, and there was ample parking. The campsite was busy with activity as people were claiming their sites, but it wasn’t disruptive.

Hold on Tight #habberleytrail 11

You never know which way the ride is going to tilt. Will you be able to keep up with the pace? You’ve got to keep your wits about you in a new environment. You never know when one of those in the horses in the distance might get a little curious and come over to say hello. But once you get into the rhythm and work out what’s going on, you can relax, let your guard down and enjoy the experience for a bit, hopefully without worrying that hands might reach out of the ground and drag you into it.  I wonder if you can engineer it to go backwards. If a storm approaches, let’s hope that those slabs do the job and help keep the ride from tilting over. I’m not convinced by the amount of grass that’s allowed to get in between the cracks. Focusing on the waving branches may be more relaxing.

Chasing Royalty #dreamdiary 195

We’re out on holiday. It’s the last day of the trip. Usually, we’d take our time checking out and stop off at some interesting places on the way back home. But the royals are doing a tour. They’re visiting a town and taking a drive into the country afterwards in a green customised Land Rover to visit a specific tree in a national park. And we’ve figured out which one it is. We wonder how close we can get without security or road closures hindering us. We make a picnic and spend the day camping out at the spot for a while before boredom sets in. We tune in to local news channels to listen to the hysteria to try and figure out when they’re leaving without any luck. We give up and decide to head for home. We pass a café where Prince William is sitting outside with his family accompanied by his mother’s handbag. He draws out two ping pong balls that were once kept in his mother’s cleavage.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

I wasn’t sure if the first film was worthy of a sequel but someone somewhere made a decision. As it’s based on the internet, I wonder if that was where it was released. For a kid’s film, it was quite long but there’s lots of characters from other films that I recognised so I suppose that’s what kept them on their toes. It was great to see the Disney princesses in a modern casual slumber party setting; mocking their past values and embracing the future. Even Shank demonstrated the same values; though its GTA/Carmageddon setting could have included some more child-friendly content for the target audience. I couldn’t see Ralph in a Dad or caring role because of his intelligence which doesn’t leave him open to another film unless there’s a new character to follow. Perhaps it’s safe to assume that he’s going to retire from his arcade days and only feature as a pop-up culture reference character.

The World keeps Turning #habberleytrail 10

People don’t always realise what effects their actions have on the environment and on others. Even if the ride stops and there’s no-one on it, the world keeps on turning. Perhaps there’s other rides in other countries to help keep this thing going. Children everywhere are encouraging the earth to keep spinning by taking a spin themselves, while those who don’t spin just stay stationary. They’re amazed that they turn while the rest of the world stays put. Perhaps they see the trees rising and falling as they spin around, not realising the altitude that they’re at. Perhaps they’re planning their landing spot in case it keeps on spinning and they have to jump off. After all, it’s the first time that they’ve rode this thing. It’s the dizziness afterwards that puts people off as they try to adjust to their former habitat. Will they want to ride it again?

Rogue zebra pulls a hit-and-run after being involved in a traffic accident

The question that we’ve got to ask is why did the zebra cross the road in the first place? How did we know it was rogue? Had it escaped from somewhere? Surely there’s a joke in this somewhere. Perhaps it was trying to blend in by lying in the road thinking that the driver would stop for it then it could trot across the road safely. And of course, there’s the aftereffects. We don’t know what damage was caused to the vehicle, whether the driver was emotionally traumatised or whether anyone need medical or veterinary assistance. We mustn’t assume that the zebra wasn’t driving either. In rural areas it might be quite common with animals loose over the road so why not with zebras in other countries? Or a crossing could have  become animate and ran off the road when something was on top of it. Let’s hope that it wasn’t read all over.

Balancing Act #habberleytrail 9

The next obstacle wasn’t far. It was up a small hill behind a set of trees with a clearing over a valley. It was probably where a hole or a tee used to be. Four self-propelled rides stood here alongside a few benches which were mostly occupied by parents. The harder you pull, the higher your rider goes. You also propel around in a circle backwards as well, though most people would have preferred to go forwards. I wonder how it does this. One of the other rides involved a roped-off area where you took a leap of faith off the mound and swung around in a circle. The little niece required a bit of help getting onto the seat, but she wanted the biggest push and she looked so brave, small and cute dangling in the air. Getting down isa bit difficult if you don’t complete the full circle.

Moonpigging

The size system took some figuring out. It turns out that the small size is slightly smaller than a regular card, and the large card was bigger than A5 but still smaller than A4. It’s a bit difficult to find out the actual dimensions once you select a template. It’s one way that they get you. You’ve also got to get your money’s worth by taking advantage of the blank spaces to fill them with photographs and stickers. Don’t be fooled by the text either, if you like a card but it’s got the wrong occasion, in most cases you can change the text completely unless the number of characters is significant. We did save a bit finding a promotional code through google, but the only way to make a great saving is to plan all of your occasions and put them into one basket. That takes a lot of sitting down, which is something that’s hard to find time to do.

The Invisible Horse #habberleytrail 8

And she’s off! She’s managed to mount the thing all on her own. She’s crawled over the first barrel, and there’s now a bit of hesitation as she approaches the rotating one. She’s opted to spread her legs either side to keep her balance. A cautious, slow and careful approach to ensure that she doesn’t end up on the floor. Can she complete the crossing? The independent adjudicator is on hand to make sure that she does it all on her own. Will she crawl or will she take a leap? She won’t be a winner until she descends the steps on the other side. But it’s a nice, peaceful backdrop and there’s no pressure to be rushed. There’s no strangers in the audience and everyone’s on hand to help her up again should she fail. But the important thing is that she’s giving it a go and she’s not giving up.

Newcastle United end 70-year wait for omestic trophy after beating Liverpool in Carabo Cup final

They’ve been waiting a long time. So long that everyone’s forgotten the tournament that the headline’s referring to. What was a Carabo? Was it a car made in the north? Perhaps it’s been renamed since then. The sponsor is a Thai energy drink. I doubt that people have been waiting seventy years for one of those, though if you look at the madness when Prime became an energy drink as well as a TV and delivery service, you can kind of see their logic. It sounds like one of those invented flavours that you’d hear about on a sitcom. We’ve certainly sold out. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get hold of an English sponsor. Perhaps there’s an ownership issue that makes sense to a billionaire somewhere or a foreigner that wants to be a part of our great pastime. But it’s good to see traditional football returning without all these foreign teams that no-one’s entirely sure where they’re from.

The Monkey Roll #habberleytrail 7

Onto the next challenge: crossing the barrels. They’re a mixture of foam and plastic but the plastic ones rotate. You’ve got the option to crawl across the top of the pipe, or stand up and walk or run along if you’re feeling brave enough. Although the barrels aren’t high up, the landscape that they’re placed on is a ridge of the former golf course which creates a bit of height. There’s a school gym-style crash mat placed below to help cushion the blow of any accidents. I was also worried that the youngest niece was too small to do some of these activities but she gave it a good go. The oldest one was just tall enough to land a foot on the floor to prevent herself from toppling over. There’s also an impressive view. Look south on the right day and you just might see a steam railway in the distance.

 

Picking a Priest #empress 23

The monks started to increase their chanting. Faster and faster they chanted, while standing and kneeling repeatedly with their hands reaching from the air into the ground. The empress watched in fascination until the repetitiveness of it started to give her a headache.

‘All right, that’s enough of that’ she said. With a pinch of two fingers, she lifted one of them up into the air. The chanting ceased instantly. ‘Ah, that’s got your attention. Oh, you poor gentlemen. You’ve probably spent your entire lives dedicated to this temple. It’s a shame that you haven’t been able to do anything useful with your lives. Here, let me show you a real woman'.

With that, she placed the priest directly into her cleavage. Each one of her oversized breasts was plumper than the temple at this point. It was amazing how she could anything of that size around. You had to admire the royal seamstress’s work.

Roll Over #habberleytrail 6

It’s amazing how many people cheer you on to complete a task. It’s mostly for their own reasons so that you can stop being a barrier to their progression. It usually means that they can have a go or that they don’t have to be polite and listen to you anymore. They don’t like to be kept waiting, especially if they’re waiting for someone to go and fetch more drinks. But they do like to be entertained. If you can keep a crowd, they’ll be happy to listen to anything you say. It’s easier for them to just watch you. They might even do your bidding as well They’ll certainly think and discuss it. The sky will turn blue and everything will seem more attractive as you process this new wisdom. Or you could just be appreciating the world and the fact that you don’t have to listen to that voice anymore.

Why do British Pubs have such perculiar names? Is there a rule to naming them?

There’s no rule to naming them, though profanity must be avoided so as not to remain controversial. People generally like to refer to them as something of the history of the area. The pub itself is a landmark and helps as a reference for locals describing their area to others. Even the most modern ones like to refer to what was in the area originally. The most traditional names like to declare their alliance to the throne. I doubt that a lot of towns had red lions roaming around. A lot of other animal names are used. Occasionally, a name will be changed simply because the people who ran it previously gave it a bad reputation, or the new owners want a fresh start. Each pub may also have something characteristic inside to set itself from others like a well. Otherwise it would just be known as the pub. If I were to name a pub, I’d call it The Naughty Vicar.

Take a bow #habberleytrail 5

You’ve worked very hard to entertain all these children. No doubt a few grown-ups decided to have a go when no-one thought they were watching as well. I love your moustache. It just gives you so much attitude. You’ve had to submit many a time for a pose when all you really want to do is vault everyone over and gallop off into the distance. You could float away if you weren’t tied down. You’d probably knock over little ones and send pushchairs wheeling off down the hill in the process. You could even have someone’s eye out with your horns. Oh, the chaos. I wonder how detachable you are from your mount? At least if you charge towards any buildings, you’re not going to do any damage because you’re too big to fit through the door. But if you were to hit any power lines, that could make things very interesting.

Bad Teacher

Where you when I needed you? Why weren’t you doing your job? Every time you were absent, I was getting upset and humiliated. I needed help and I couldn’t cope by myself. There was no-one there to help me. I even went looking for you. No-one tells me to conform or do what everyone else does. I just want the same respect and opportunities as everyone else. For some reason, everyone wants me to be different and unique. But I don’t expect special treatment. I wonder if everyone gets jealous of this. It’s a shame that I have to fight for my rights otherwise I’m going to get trodden on. I find it hard to seek out someone who will trust me and help me. When I am being given advice, I’m trying to decide whether I’m being told off and I should ignore what’s being put in front of me.

Cowgirls #habberleytrail 4

The bull has been tamed. We didn’t need to grab it by the horns. It just stayed where it was supposed to. Getting the girls to stay on the buffalo and look at the camera at the same time was a completely different story. They were too focused on holding on or falling off. I couldn’t stop laughing as every time we placed them on one side, they slid off the other. This was still at the tee-off stage of the trail, and we had a long of exploring still to do. I wonder how long the lad on the left had been waiting and whether he had anyone else with him to pull the rope for him. He probably feels as deflated as the bull in the evenings. Sorry fella, I’ve got my hands full. I can’t have a pop at you, but someone who turns up in high heels probably would.

Credit Catastrophe #dreamdiary 194

I’ve just processed a credit application at work. It’s all gone a bit wrong. I’ve put the sale through without taking any of the customer’s details and I haven’t printed off any of the paperwork either. I’ve just cashed the sale out and the customer has just walked away. They are now expecting the goods to be delivered and they haven’t made any arrangements to pay for them. My boss is expecting the store to be one step closer to completing our weekly target and will be looking for the paperwork for it at the end of the week. And I’m wondering if the customer was a test and that I haven’t answered the questions correctly for an audit. I can reverse the sale and tell my boss that it was a home delivery rather than an application. But I’m still left with a feeling of dread that these questions will come back to haunt me.

Do you like my Christmas Tree?

I wonder if this is going to be a similar response as the ‘Christmas Jumper’ question. Should I get ready for an onslaught of insults? Or will it do the opposite and recognise my hard work of untangling strings of lights and knot-tying skills? The first response sounds as if I’ve only put it together and haven’t added anything to it at all. Maybe you can never have a tree that’s too decorated. I’ve got to add some more tinsel. I wonder how many of these phrases does she have before it get repetitive? They are a bit boring though, and it does feel strange asking this in March when there’s no tree to be seen. And I could be referring to something completely different as well. It’s enough to turn you on. The response is different every time. She tries to please but she’s never satisfied herself. I wonder what I’m being compared to?

Rodeo Time #habberley 3

This was great to fun to play with the girls once they were on. A bit of lifting and placing was required after some very determined bouncing and jumping. Rather than have a complete stranger operate a joystick, family members can take the reins and pull the buffalo as little or as hard as they like to either give the rider a pleasant journey or a buckaroo! Little ones can also return the favour once they’ve been shaken off. You could really do with somewhere to take your shoes off that doesn’t leave your feet wet and won’t get in the way of other people’s bouncing. It could also be very slippery when wet, or even sweaty if it’s not wet. I suppose to just have to grab it by the horn and take your chances. Hopefully no one’s going to get injured, though I think there’s a disclaimer on admission.

“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it - then I can achieve it.”

It’s a good motto to live by. If you can think of an idea or action that you want to do, then you should go ahead and seek out a way to achieve it. Think, believe, do. It’s so simple. It might not be a path of righteousness, but at least you’ll achieve what you desire, even though others might want to stop you if they think that your actions are unjust. Hopefully you can conceive them stopping you and still find a way to reach your goal. Unfortunately, your heart is a physical animated object. It has no mind of its own, so getting it to believe in something is going to be difficult. You’ve got to learn and love the process of getting what you want and put the effort in to do it. You’ve got to make sure that no one is going to throw hurdles to stop you.

Basketball Bounce #habberley 2

This top section which hosts the café is also where the power is, but there’s so much to play with that’s electric-free! As we’d booked a slot before the busy rush, we were able to get on the fun things quite quickly before queues started to form. The first thing that we climbed onto was a giant netted trampoline. After pressing a button, balls shot out in all directions and we had to throw them back into a net at the centre. The balls rolled into a tube underneath the trampoline ready to be fired out again. The engineering of it was simple yet majestic as it worked. We had a good minute on this, then there was a debate as to whether to have another go or let the next group take part. As it wasn’t marshalled, I wonder if complaints ever broke out? I don’t think we were spotted.

Dial a Bus

Who ya gonna call? Well, when you’re a bit confused about the timetables or you think your bus is cancelled then you can ring these guys for help, especially if you can’t get online. But if you can get online, then they’ll probably tell you the same thing that you can read off the screen. You might think that they’ll be able to give you some extra information like the bus has broken down, or you’ll have to wait for the next one while they replace the driver. But you’ll be lucky if you can get through someone who can pronounce the town’s name correctly. And if you ring at night, you may as well ask them for a taxi firm number. It might not be the result that you want, and you might not even get through to anyone, but you still have to pay them for using the line.

On the Trail #habberley 1

My boss recommended that we take the girls here on the basis that she hears loads of kids running about having fun from her house, and it didn’t disappoint. It used to be a golf course, and you can tell by the landscape which still has the occasional flat area where the holes used to be. Now it’s an activity trail for families to explore, with games and obstacles scattered around the course. On arrival, you park on a steep hill then climb the top to the gate where your entrance ticket is scanned. You’re then in the park with just you and your party and whoever’s out there. In this first activity, we have to use the two rails to get the ball into the cup by controlling the distance between them. We can control both the horizontal and vertical axis. It’s a balancing act that requires patience and concentration.