Beamish - Pit Head Machinery

Beamish is a great place for a day trip - it's a working museum and concentrates on social history - working and housing conditions of not too long ago - near to Durham in the North of England.

Here is the actual pit head machinery that once was used in a coal mine - a fascinating place to wonder around.

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Dog's Life !

We dogs have to wait around for ages every day while our owners yap , hurray up I've a big bone waiting !!!

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Inflation ...

A few months ago I said that if the pound was weaker then imports will cost more and the rate of inflation will rise..

I'm not an expert - just GCE Economics and I have read Teach Yourself Economics ... to me this seems a rather reasonable prognosis.

Apparently the " experts " did not think this would happen.

Today it is announced that the increased cost of imported fruit and vegetables has caused the Consumer Price Index annual rate to increase to 3.2% in February from a rate of 3% a month earlier.

The " experts "  are very surprised ..

Is it me ? Do I expect too much from our politicians and experts ?

Who are these " experts " anyway ?

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Allotment 2

Well it's day 1 of working in our new allotment - and as you can see lots of rubbish to clear.

All this land needs digging over - hopefully we'll be able to get some crops in within a couple of months.

Lots of glass, bricks, wood, old bottles and plastic sheeting to remove.

The tools of the trade - we've already started to turn the soil and in this part of the allotment it is quite soft and pliable. 

Here's to what we hope will be a fruitful hobby.

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ClustrMaps

Well I am most disappointed - received message today that my ClustrMap is due the annual automatic " archive " and all the red dots will disappear.

I suppose this has to be done but I do not have that many !!!

Well never mind - keep on Blogging.

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Monochrome Monday - 23rd March

This is the Quoits team down in Suffolk 1933 - pictured here is the grandfather of my wife -Herbert Taylor.

The photo is scanned from an old newspaper cutting by the look of it.

They looked pretty pleased - I assume they have won the league or a competition.

Quoits is a game in which rings are thrown at a peg. I have not heard of it being played in the area in which I live - I do not know if it is popular in other parts of the country.

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Allotment 1

Well today we did it ...

Arranged to rent an allotment from Manchester Council - £32 per year for a half plot of 150 sq. metres

For those that do not know what an allotment is  - it is a tract of ground on which you plant vegetables and fruit - normally you rent these from your local council.

This plot is not too bad but it does need a lot of work- digging and removal of some small amounts of rubbish and the building of a decent pathway.

I hope to have some photographs and progress reports in due time.

Here's to an abundance of fresh food !!!!

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UEFA Cup - Manchester City F.C.

Well Manchester City F.C. has progressed to the quarter final of the UEFA Cup where they will play Hamburg.

Nothing is easy for City - they had an easy win over Aarlborg 2-0 in the UK but on their return game in Denmark Aarlborg managed to score 2 goals in the last 5 minutes of the game leaving a score line of 2-2.

Extra time saw no goals so it was left to a penalty shootout which saw City win 4-3.

Lucky lucky city ......

They play in Germany 9th April with the UK game scheduled for 16th April - a very tough match !!

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Changeling

Wednesday and another morning at the Senior Screen at the local Odeon cinema.

The Changeling directed by Clint Eastwood

Angelina Jolie playing a distraught mother. Her son disappears only to be returned home by the LAPD BUT it doesn't take long for her to suspect that the boy is not hers.

A really good film which I enjoyed very much.

I would recommend a visit to the cinema to see this without doubt.

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Monochrome Monday - 16th March

For Monochrome Monday yet another relative of my mother - Bert Brundritt.

Again not sure who he was ...

He looks very serious - sitting for a photograph was it seems a very serious affair.

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ABC Wednesday - H for Helicopter

ABC Wednesday is H for helicopter...

Not the most comfortable mode of transport.

If you keep your eyes open then this is what you see when flying over Niagara Falls in Canada.

Monochrome Monday - 9th March

School Play - around 1963 

I have no intention in revealing which one is me other than to say I'm somewhat fatter and greyer now ...

This was a  boys only school - hence some strange looking " girls "

The plays were a great success and well attended by family and friends.

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Oxford

A quiet corner of this old English university town.

Lots and lots of tourists here.

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Gdansk

A scenic part of the Polish city of Gdansk.

Old buildings and statutes for all to see.

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