March 2008

All but this weekend of March I have managed to fill with travel and catching up with people. I thought I'd stay in and clean the oven today, change the sheets and write a novel.

On the work front, Syft has extended its reach into Canada with the first install of several machines there. I have been involved in remote support to a degree. Here in the UK we received a new “Voice200” instrument for demonstration and trials. There are several different organizations lined up to come and see it, so I will be busy. Next week I will be in Belgium installing an instrument at a contract laboratory, and training the users and our distributors over there in its use.

Now for the weekends:

1-2 March, Cornwall

Back at the start of the month I flew down to Newquay on the North coast of Cornwall to catch up with Zita and see the area. I met Zita briefly on my travels through Canada 3 years ago, and since then have kept in touch.
Zita introduced me to her pride and joy – an old blue MG BGT that she bought recently, though her Mum Pat had owned the car several years and owners earlier. We began a tour of the countryside with a picnic lunch overlooking the harbour. It was windy and cold, but still very nice. We visited several small bays and fishing towns, including St. Mawes, and the gun emplacements protecting Falmouth Harbour. Near Zita’s childhood town of Ponsanooth is a forested valley containing old mining relics. The river in the valley is dammed several times along a short stretch, each with a water race feeding one or two water wheels. There were 5 or 6 wheelhouses but no wheels, the timber and steel components having rotted away, leaving the water to fall through the channels. We took the ferry at King Harry and finished at Pat’s place in Falmouth. We had a very nice home cooked dinner and relaxed for the evening.
Next day I was to experience Pilot Gig rowing first hand. These are long clinker-built dinghys used to row Ship pilots to their vessels in old times. The teams of 6 rowers became competitive as they were not paid if their pilot arrived at the ship second. Now days this is an international sport, but still containing 95% Cornish participants. Zita’s Mum Pat lives it. Pilot gigs are on the coffee mugs, tea towels and in most of the pictures on the wall. This day I was planted in the bow of one such Gig and given a gentle ride out to the harbour head. It was then my turn to row back. Thankfully I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself having rowed similar dinghys with the scouts back home. Shortly after we jumped into the MG and headed to Lizard point for a pasty. No ordinary pasty, but the best I think I’ll ever have. You’ll need to go to the most southern tip of the UK for it, but there you go. Not far from Lizard is the Predannack airfield where Zita spent many years of her youth flying with the Air Cadets and now trains new cadets in glider flight. The air speed was “out of limits” on this day, so there were no gliders in the air but I did enjoy having a close look at the gliders. We also explored the old hulks of aircraft in the “fire dump” area, including Harrier jets, an air ambulance and several helicopters.
Final day we explored the north coast, traveling toward Redruth. The Carn Brea restaurant sits precariously on an outcrop of rocks overlooking Redruth, an unusually isolated place for a restaurant. We moved onto the coast and had lunch on the beach. Here the coast road runs along the edge of rugged cliffs. At one point there is a good view over the edge, known for suicides unfortunately. Didn’t have too much time before I had to catch my flight back so we scampered back up the coast to Newquay.
Thanks Zita for an amazing weekend!

See photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103251&l=5a2e1&id=882525575


8-9 March, Kate’s Birthday, Shrewsbury

I have spent several weekends of late in Hadnall and Shrewsbury with family. I have come to know the family well, enjoying Farmer Phil’s Festival, a wedding, birthday occasions and random nights out. The previous visit was for cousin Linda’s birthday. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the local Crazy Horse restaurant, and I left the next day with a ’74 Honda CB125 in a bucket… This time was for Kate’s birthday, which began with several wines round at friend Claire’s house. We had dressed in a “school” theme (who would have guessed, being a teacher?) and proceeded to visit our favourite Shrewsbury spots, The Hole in the wall, Liquid and Diva. Kate is not talking to me now, after I posted a picture of her in an inebriated state at the end of the night.
Next Day we all visited WJ Furber’s recovery yard. Think vehicles and motorcycles of every age and type, in various states of insurance write-off from minor scrapes to full endos. I’m told that every vehicle in the Blackhurst/Harding family for the last decade has come from this place. There is an old military vehicle there with grass growing in it that Vin is still trying to bargain out. This place opened my eyes and fed my twitch for mechanical projects. I might go there tomorrow. No, must not. No. Yes.

See photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98081&l=639ce&id=882525575


15,16 March, Bonsall and Belper

I had promised my cousin Judy (in Bonsall) a visit after my 2 months away in New Zealand. Literally down the road in, my old mate Marianna lives with boyfriend Chris in Belper. The trip across the Peak District via the Cat and Lion was beautiful and twisty. It makes me wish I was on a motorcycle as there are usually several blasting past the cars, only to be re-passed at the Cat and Lion pub.
England has had a typical winter of rain, wind and moaning poms. The former has made the countryside quite green - a nice sight through the prominence of skeletal trees and hedges only now showing remote signs of bud.
Judy had arranged one of her famous English meals with dessert accompaniment from Phil, Sue and Caroline. Phyllis also made it out, making it a nice family get-together. Next morning Judy and I had breakfast at the Queens head near the Bonsall Cross, then I made my way south to Belper. I stopped briefly at Matlock Bath to see the motorcycles but with the weather still being wintry cold there were only a handful.

I pulled up to Chris’s parents place in Belper where Marianna, Chris and family welcomed me. Marianna had our day all planned out, so first we were off to her and Chris’s flat in Holloway - She calls it the Granny. We walked from the Granny to her work in Lea – a huge outdoor education facility for school groups.
Later we met Chris and his brother for a meal in Belper. The rain was coming down, and to our surprise we came across several sections of road that were littered with toads. Some dead, but mostly live at the time, padding their way across the roads looking for a mate. Anyone who knows Marianna will imagine the loud reaction to every toad.. “Watch out it’s a live one!”
We enjoyed our dinner together and followed it with a Guinness at the local. On the verge of St. Partick’s day this was the right choice. On our way home, to our sadness we came across scores of dead toads. As we neared the Granny on a less traveled road, there were still a few making their way or mounted in the puddles. In a gesture of life preservation, Marianna and Chris jogged ahead in the car headlights scooping them up, lobbing them into the safety of the bushes.
Sunday morning we visited Masson Mills in Matlock Bath. This is one of Sir Richard Arkwright’s signature mills, used for the manufacture of textiles. There is an amazing range of old machinery inside, all preserved and used right up till about 10 years ago. The levels are used for a shopping centre now, which was Marianna’s reason for going. I was delighted to find out why Arkwright is the “Father of the Factory System”.
Thanks Judy and Marianna for a delightful and interesting weekend.

See photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103263&l=a948b&id=882525575


21-24 March, Scotland

This trip was a bit of a last minute decision for an Easter filler, but I am so glad I went. I traveled as far north as Inverness, well and truly getting my fix of mountains, snow and culture.
Having never been into Scotland I was very pleased that friend Margaret (Mags) and her boyfriend put me up for Friday night in her house in Glasgow. Last time I saw Mags was on a four-wheel-drive trip into the Clarence Reserve in New Zealand about a year and a half ago. It was good chance for a catch up and wander through the city. Mags lives fairly central, close the Squinty bridge and Armadillo structures. We walked past several historical sites, through the museum and Strathclyde, Glasgow Universities. That night we enjoyed a few pints in town with a few of her mates.
Saturday I began my mission up the west side of Scotland, past Loch Lomond and through the beautiful Grampian Mountains. The roads and scenery reminded me very much of New Zealand: The roads were wide enough to see around corners, there were very few stone walls obstructing the view to the countryside, and the countryside was well worth looking at. In the ranges is a particular tourist spot where the wildlife comes right up to tourists – some a little too close! A great view spot, complete with Scottish piper. I headed inland at Glencoe for a look at Kinlochleven. This is a classic old town at the head of Lock Leven. I went for a walk up the valley following the six hydro penstocks up toward Blackwater Reservoir.
Back on the road I passed by the majestic Ben Nevis and set compass for the North-East. The “Great Glen” as many know virtually cuts the country in two, and contains a series of lakes including the famous Loch Ness. On this leg I stopped at several monuments – The Commandos, Well of Seven Heads at Lock Oich, Fort Augustus and Urqhuart Castle beside Lock Ness. At the end of a long day I found a place to camp on a farm in Drumnadrochit, on the verges of Loch Ness.
It had snowed through the night and was sleeting in the morning so I packed up pretty quick and continued on to Inverness. I found lunch in town then headed south to Edinburgh. There was a lot of snow crossing the Grampian Mountains once more. At 405m it was snowing heavily at the Slochd summit, but not enough to settle on the salt-saturated road surfaces.
Edinburgh has rightly earned the title of “Best place to live in the UK” as far as I’m concerned. It has the right balance of town life and culture with outdoor spaces, ocean and activities. I found a central backpackers for the night, and mixed in with the locals – mainly Kiwis and Aussies, for the evening. Next day I spent the morning walking about town, and climbed the townside peak of Holyrood Park for a view of the city.
I had intended to visit the Falkirk wheel (google it, engineers) but with a long trip back to Warrington in the afternoon I decided to leave it for next time.
What a fantastic place, and thanks again Mags.

See photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103268&l=2474b&id=882525575