30 September, 2007

Off to Corfu!

Setting off tomorrow at 6am, weather over there is excellent! Woo Hoo!

Brighton Breeze 2007

A few scenes from yesterday, an overcast, but still fairly muggy day spent whizzing down (part of the way) from London to Brighton with the VW crowd -
Brighton Breeze #1
- I think we passed two other campers on the way (but we did set off super early, *and* Colin the Camper can break the speed limit if he needs to, although on this occasion we sat just on it all the way down) getting to Brighton in record time -
Brighton Breeze #2
- to find a nice spot (without paying the £32 to park right on the very front) just behind the drive (up a load of stairs, but it's good for your health!) -
Brighton Breeze #5
- the strip was pretty empty at this stage -
Brighton Breeze #6
- but most of the stalls were getting set up, so a bit of shopping (got a new RF aerial, some clothes and a little "paint it yourself" beetle money box -
Brighton Breeze #11
Brighton Breeze #24
Brighton Breeze #25
- then just walked the front, admiring all the wonderful bugs and buses -
Brighton Breeze #15
Brighton Breeze #14
Brighton Breeze #18
Brighton Breeze #30
Brighton Breeze #26
Brighton Breeze #38
- including some insanely original work -
Brighton Breeze #36
Brighton Breeze #37
Brighton Breeze #54
- some beautifully original work -
Brighton Breeze #68
Brighton Breeze #66
- and some just rather, well, interesting(!) work ;) -
Brighton Breeze #52
Brighton Breeze #51
Brighton Breeze #55
Brighton Breeze #57
- and some (more) that just made me laugh out loud -
Brighton Breeze #69
Brighton Breeze #70
- then we took a little walk along the pier (rude not to) -
Brighton Breeze #74
Brighton Breeze #76
- and shared a portion of chips sat on the beach -
Brighton Breeze #79
- what a lovely day... ;) Oh, the strip at the end of the day (packed!) we literally filled the drive from the pier all the way to the marina end of the (appropriately named) Volks railway - looking first to the right-
Brighton Breeze #71
- and then to the left -
Brighton Breeze #72
- amazing!

29 September, 2007

Views of Kings Cross...

...just a few more shots of the area (as I found it at the end of last week), won't be much chance to explore from now on! ;)
Kings Cross #2
Kings Cross #4
Kings Cross #7
Kings Cross #10
Kings Cross #19
Kings Cross #16
Kings Cross #15
Kings Cross #26
Kings Cross #29
Kings Cross #31
Kings Cross #37
Kings Cross #35

28 September, 2007

Just discovered...

...that today Uncle Al completes twenty six years service at his job...that's got to be some sort of record! ;0

Do you get a gold gazebo as a reward? ;)

25 September, 2007

A very quick note...

...I know I have been a little quiet of late, however, it's high time for a little announcement - I can now formally say that I have a *new job* working (you would never guess where!) a quite considerable distance up number One Canada Square (the big building at Canary Wharf, the one that is visible from almost everywhere in London!)...it's an incredible place, I was just blown completely away, really feels like being in (a slightly more civilised) New York...pictures and stories will follow to be sure but just so you know, I'm going to be working for a major player (the biggest, I think) in the British National Press (so lots and lots of fun to come and plenty of chances to really work with some of the biggest names in my field)!

Awesome!

Now - Story one (I suppose) would have to come from just before my second interview (which was actually quite a while ago now), I got there about half an hour early and decided I really needed a cup of tea (just to steady my nerves) and you know what? The only place I could find above-ground (anyway) on the path from the tube wasn't a Starbucks or a Costa, or even a McDonalds...it was a bespoke place run by Antonio Carluccio...Haha... ;)

This is just a completely different world...sorry Kings Cross, I'll remember you fondly, but things are definitely on the way up (metaphorically and physically - never worked that high up in the air before nor had tea from such a culinary parapet)...! ;)

Much, much more to come...! :) :)

23 September, 2007

Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle Show 2007

...and so, to just a few of the sights and sounds of the Kingsfold show which took place over the weekend, we went along yesterday...
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #1
...oh and no, I don't think this was one of the exhibits (or if it was, it's needing a little in the way of restoration ;)
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #9
As a show, from what I read, it's only just celebrating it's 9th year in existence, so you can't hope to expect the same scale as Laughton or Ardingly, but it's still fairly well populated (even if not in huge numbers) by a group of displays of collections (mostly the usual suspects) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #10
- a superb collection of extremely unusual motorbikes/trikes -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #35
- including one (that certainly appears to have been) made from an old VW Beetle chassis (*sharp intake of breath*) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #42
- a group who celebrate the past and present of banger racing -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #39
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #38
- not that I suppose there is ever much left over of previously used vehicles (in that particular trade) to bring along to the shows... ;)
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #37
...lots of classics cars, in various states of restoration -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #36
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #34
- or occupation -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #33
- the big boys with their toys (Hello Al!) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #25
- a handful of stalls and rides (very little autojumble, mostly commercial or charity ) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #32
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #15
- but a bit in the way of home-made or local food (not the burger vans!) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #51
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #46
- a few bits of steam (both big, and small) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #16
- (if slightly disproportionately endowed in the chimney department in some cases, well, you know what they say about owning a flashy vehicle ;) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #14
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #31
- probably one of the biggest collections of static engines you can hope to find (although there is always a very good showing at most of the summer events from these guys) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #8
- loads of tractors (despite the fact there aren't any fields to plough at this show) and then some downright "interesting" other things too -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #22
- late year sheep shearing (although they only managed one of them as the rest ran off) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #11
- the Sussex VW club managed to sneak in to camp (along with a few Land Rover owners, a fire engine and a handful of military vehicles) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #45
- a "del boy" van conversion into a single berth camper complete with bed, stove and cupboards(!) -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #44
- and a very interesting tractor-trike...oh, and lots and lots of this kind of thing -
Kingsfold Vintage Vehicle show 2007 #48
- but more on that later perhaps... :)