Highland Adventures

We had a long day of sightseeing from the car yesterday. We left our motel in the pouring rain; though from the inside it looked like a nice day. We found food after making a major wrong turn and ended up outside BBC Scotland; then after a quick photo stop of the Rangers Ibrox stadium; we made our way through Grennock and over to Weymss Bay for the ferry crossing to Bute. Although there was a strong wind; it was still a dry day and we didn't have to wait long to board the ferry. It was a shame that we couldn't explore the whole ship as it was being painted; but we did see some oil rigs; castles; a lighthouse and plenty of windmills. On arrival in Rotherary; we soon found ourselves in front of its castle; which was used as a base fortress for the island while the battle wore on between the Scots and the Vikings for its control. Legend has it that Ulak the Viking scaled the wall with his two axes. We then pressed on to a quick lunch spot over a view of the Isle of Arran before visiting the church and secluded Abbey of St. Blane. A quick drive to the north side of the island saw us board the ferry back to the mainland; then we pushed on for a scenic drive through the Argyll Forest; reaching Carrick Castle just as a rainbow shone over the Glen and into the lock. Some windy roads caused us to rest and be thankful; then after a group meet-up in Inveraray, we arrived at Ardbrecknish House.

My cup of tea's behind door number two

I’m staying in a Travelodge! This morning we were up early and ready for tea but we had ran out of complimentary milk. Our monkey butler volunteered to scuffle over to reception to get some; and took the key card with him. Later we heard clicking at the door and I started to count how many times it took him to take him to open the door with the keycard. But after just one try the noise rattled away; though we did hear a faint knocking nearby. A short time later; there was a knocking on the door. It turned out that monkey butler actually tried the door of three other rooms before knocking on each of the doors; forcing one occupant to lock their door and another to open it while looking confused! Eventually he headed back to reception to ask what room number he was in! This was a man who clearly needed his morning cup of tea.

Bridget Jones' Diary

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fielding’s take on the diarist results in a lovable, true blonde struggling to keep her wits about her as she attempts to balance her career with the peer pressures of being single. Bridget chronicles everything from her weight loss and gain to her alcohol intake and goals in her effort to find Mr. Right whilst retaining her feminist principles; whether it’s flirting with her boss following advice from her caring friends or attempting to master the latest technology. She offers so many insights on the theories of modern single life that just makes you want to go ‘aw!’ Her dysfunctional mother only creates sympathy for her in her own effort to battle her growing personal crisis with hilarious results; however determined Bridget is to resolve them; and she does not give up easily; however much is put in front of her. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and Bridget’s calm yet

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CAMRA in Parliament

Over the course of this year’s General Election, there were over 1,100 candidates nationally who supported CAMRA’s beer and pub pledges. On the back of this cross-party support; CAMRA has helped to draft an Early Day Motion to encourage MPs to show just how popular our British pubs can be; and to implement more support to protect and preserve community pubs and the British brewing industry.

In our Summer edition we reported that the EU demanded that the UK government remove the tax exemption in place for small cider makers; making production uneconomical for many producers and force them into closure. CAMRA began a campaign to support small cider makers; and a petition quickly grew in size to over 26,000 signatures which was presented to Downing Street in June. During the July budget announcements; Chancellor George Osborne pledged to keep the tax exemption in place, thereby protecting the British tradition of cider making.   

Things Fall Apart

This was a strange book with a disappointing ending. It tells the story of the yearly customs of an African tribe and how their society is broken down by the arrival of the Christian missionaries. The day to day actions of the tribe are way too detailed and mundane; it’s as if the author is actually writing recipes for yams as a subtext in order to fill pages. I also find that having characters whose names are spelt similarly loses the focus of the novel as the reader struggles to remember which character does what; leaving the whole narrative in a blur. The suicidal  ending leaves the tribe particularly lost as if their traditions really are falling apart and their moral is broken. I'm also baffled as to why the reader is left with the formation of the District Commissioner’s dictionary. I wonder if Achebe was a racist who experienced these issues within his Nigerian village?

The Deeger

As I was driving to work in that lovely early hour when the sun was still rising; a strange creature caught my eye. I often spot rabbits, birds, deer, foxes and dead badgers and cats, but I just couldn't work out what this was. What I saw by the side of the road was a deer’s head and neck attached to the body and legs of a brown badger. The creature was trying to cross the road but headed back into the bushes when it saw the car coming. But just what did I see? Some rare glimpse of a new species? A deformed cross-breed escaped from a scientific laboratory out for its first taste of freedom? Or maybe I imagined it in my dozy state. Of course it might be perfectly possible for the badger to be standing in front of of the deer; hiding its face in the grass. What was even odder was that the sun was never seen for the rest of the day and it was completely overcast with drizzle. 

Big Issues on the Radio

It’s the big issues that are being discussed on the radio this morning. As soon as I tuned into BBC Radio Coventry, the importance of prime numbers were being discussed. Meanwhile, over on Radio One, the debate continued as to whether you should put your cutlery face up or face down in the dishwasher. It's fascinating stuff. It seems that these presenters have no interest in the world around them and have inadequate brainpower to form an opinion of current events. Why must we listen to these self absorbed people? Radio used to be entertaining and informative; these latter discussions do little other than to pass the time while the DJ sits in his box and sorts through the next record. It would be great to have a show where people could phone in and have a more meaningful discussion. But all these are hidden underneath the commercial music that drowns out any hope of finding other radio stations.