Blackpool to Perth WA
Had a great start whilst waiting for my Manchester bound train I got chatting with a same aged lady from Sweden whe was in town for a George Formby convention !! Good to see people still interested in George after being a long time dead ! Because I prebooked my train ticket it was 18 quid cheaper !! Check in was hilarious and I asked the counter man how to pronounce his name shown on his ID card and he told me That is the nam of the firm he works for !! his proper name on the reverse card and wait for it….Mohammed Ali (really) he had problems finding my British Passport ID so O produced my Australian one and problem solved !! Going thru customs and my Jacket was intervened and inspected because I had left a Ventolin inhaler in a pocket ! Still nice to know everything is being covered on inspections due to the state of the bad ole world we are in ! Flight not too bad considering it takes almost 24 hrs to reach destination !! Coming thru Perth customs was a breeze BUT I lost my custon ticket and officers were just about to open my suitcase and I fortunately found the offending ticket and I was waved thru with no further problems and it was great to see my daughter and lovely grankids there waiting to take me to their home !!All in all an eventful day and it has gone so fast !!!
Wonderful World
Strange but wonderful past few days.Plans for my Oz trip are well in hand and the old banger I bought on UK arrival for £250 has been used as a part exchange for a new motor that I will pick up on my way back from Oz.Banger is 17 yrs old and is classed as “scrappage” material and entitled me to a £2000 exchange fee !! what a winner !! Entertainment is still in full swing and the weekly firework competition is gathering momentum with the views from my flat being brilliant.Weather is exact opposite from my Australian life BUT I am still loving it. Had quick drink with my eldest son and son No 2 has promised a visit very soon ( he lives in London) Fish n Chips are still the best in the world in Blackpool and the Pork Pies are very tasty ( and yet I can,t eat Pork as a Roast) I leave these shores for a few weeks on Monday and looking forward to meeting up with my Ozzie family.My long Golden Blonde Locks (yes thats right Golden) have been shorn and I have bought some skinny jeans !! (Legs are ok but the overhang is expanding daily) I love this pensioner status cos I dont really care what people think about the way I dress ! PLUS I cant remember the last time I wore Jeans for lengthy periods.My ageing overcoats have been aired extensively although after 10/15 yrs they still look new.My new Car will open up great travelling days from next year and hopefully time in Europe will be a must (Insurance allows me 90 days per year in Europe) Warranty is for 7 (yes SEVEN) yrs with Services paid up front for the next 3 yrs As the saying goes Life is Good…roll on 2018 and now Im off to Oz…
Just felt like a Rant,coz I can !!
Been a strange past week or so,everybody reminiscing on Princess Death Anniversary to the point (my view) where it has gone ridiculous,after all these years let the girl alone.Trump seems to stir hatred up in a lot of people and yet millions voted for him? I admire his stance on that horrible person who runs North Korea otherwise me thinks he maybe rogue? Firing missiles over Japan is very scary and I believe this despot should be ovethrown.Donald Trump is not shown much respect by his people and that is a shame However I dont live in the USA and do not understand their politics .In Australia where I have lived for the past 35 yrs voting is compulsory which in a way gives everyone a right to condemn or appreciate their chosen leaders.This Country ( UK) has changed so much in past years and I fear religion is dividing this once very friendly nation ( I was lucky enough to be born mid 40s ,my schooling was thru the 50s and my teenage years thru the 60,s) Kids schools were seperated into Catholic & Church of England ,however some of my best pals were from Catholic schools ( I was C of E but now an Atheist) and NEVER did we allow religion to get in our outside school activities (this coming Monday there is a programme showing how diverse this country is by showing a young teenage Muslim meeting up with a C of E teenager,should be compulsive viewing) Notting Hill seems to have stirred people up and in recent years was a peaceful event and now? drug taking and being offensive to Police doesn,t seem to make it a safe place anymore.Brexit? what a joke !! people voted OUT so why is it taking so long? My life is in its seniors years but I am still loving life to the extreme and will do so as long as I can.Blackpool Illuminations have just been switched on (Google it) there is plenty going on next door in St Annes,lots of Shows going on at the present,life is good and I feel better for my short rant ( I love Freedom of Speech) SO upwards and Onwards (with a bit of Karaoke thrown in tonight !!) Peace to you all
Best Bike Ride in the World !
This year for the first time ever, riders will have the opportunity to detour through the Blackpool Pleasure Beach via North Gate. Riders who wish to detour into the Pleasure Beach will be greeted by a live DJ set; Nickelodeon and Blackpool Pleasure Beach characters and will be open from 7pm-10pm for cyclists only. The Pleasure Beach staff have kindly volunteered their time to give people this fantastic new experience. All shapes and sizes were riding bikes,some were decorated,children were laughing with delight ( as I was!) Strangely not everybody wore crash helmets,apparently not legally required in the UK ( as they are in Australia) Cars have been banned for the whole 5 mile ride (7pm till 10pm) the famous Blackpool Illuminations were also turned on and the whole atmosphere was electric !! It was a fantastic well organized family affair and I only wish I had a bike !! Blackpool lately has been full on this season and reminiscence of the 60,s,maybe affairs overseas are once more driving people back to this wonderful holiday town on the Irish Sea coast
Last weekend was also a Bank Holiday ( Public Holiday) and the town was buzzing,Will Smith did a promenade show to a massive crowd and the show ended with a fantastic firework display that could be seen from my flat window.Next weekend is also a “biggie” with the annual official switch on of the world famous Blackpool Illuminations with the theme involving the might Star Trek Series.I,m worn out !!!
The 3 Piers of Blackpool featuring South Pier
Once again using my much valued free Transport Card I caught the promenade Tram at Uncle Toms Cabin (now Ma Kellys) and traveled around 5 or 6 kms to the South pier,passing North Pier first then Central Pier.I will concentrate on the South Pier today and as I walked along the heavily arcaded structure it was easy to figure our why it is so popular and there are many side shows and amusement arcades for the young ones and a few scary rides for the bigger kids.South Pier is across the road from the Pleasure Beach and this particular area is where as kids we had a ball!! Unfortunately there is now a surcharge to enter this area of £5 and because I consider myself too old for the rides I didn,t go in! Next to the Pier is the very large indoor wet area consisting of swimming pools and various slides (hoping to go in at Christmas) the Wet Area is considered to be one of the biggest in the Northern Hemisphere and is built on the old Boating Pool (another area we used as kids) and the Boating Pool was famous for the Beauty Comps that were held annually .My mind is regularly flashing back to my very happy misspent youth I had in this area (we used tin rattlers to skate between the piers and loved it) The pier head theatre was demolished and replaced by a white knuckle ride in 1998. The pier now contains numerous rides including dodgems various rides consisting of a Waltzer,Laughing Donkey Family Bar, which has live entertainment,a Kiddies Ride Arena,as well as the Adrenaline Zone which houses: Skycoaster, a free falling swing at a height of 38 m (124 ft 8 in); Skyscreamer, a Reverse Bungee ride; Spider Mountain, a multi-storey climbing spiders web; and Maxibounce, an acrobatic, safety harnessed trampoline.I thought my move to Blackpool after living in Australia for nigh on 35 yrs would have been traumatic,but,I am pleased to say I am loving it and making most of my new enjoyable life
The last picture is really helping a very serious problem with culprits owners being heavily fined IF they dont clear up after K9s deposits !!
Intermission and Birds (Winged Variety)
I,m currently cleaning out my Hard Drives and came across some pics (all taken by me) of some of the amazingly coloured birds I have come across.Unfortunately I cant put names or breed to some of these and somewhere hidden deep in my drives I have other pics and will put them on in further Blogs down the track
A friend of mine breeds and sell birds and is an expert on Birds .I will tackle him down the track to put names to the above collection (knowing his sense of humour he will probable give them all girls names!). FRANK you have been named !!
Sunny Blackpool and the Red Arrows
On a Glorious Saturday Sunny afternoon I ventured to the North Pier (using my well worn by now Bus Pass) and squeezed in with thousands of other spectators waiting for the world famous Red Arrows to appear.I have never seen Blackpool Prom look so busy since the pre Benidorm etc cheap holidays were invented! The atmosphere was electric and the patriotic atmosphere that was generated when the Red Arrows finally appeared was actually an emotional moment heightened by the very enthusiastic crowd cheering and clapping ,a great pity that the pilots do not get to see or hear the adulation they so richly deserved.North Pier was full to capacity (I didn’t venture on to it) and on this day people paid £3 entry fee (the pier is feeling a lot tired these days and the money is badly needed for maintenance fees) It is still in regular use, despite having suffered damage from fires, storms and collisions with boats. Its attractions include bars, a theatre, a carousel and an arcade. Built in the 1860,s and is a Grade 2 listed Building.Trams were in full use and I am amazed no one was hurt by these electric giants.People round about were very friendly and children were extremely bored probably by having to stay in one positional area for too long! All sorts of vehicles were still using the promenade roads and I am amazed at the number of Motorhomes passing by ( of which I have some great memories) Hopefully Blackpool would have made lots of holiday makers money and the pubs were full (Blackpool has many of them) One particular lad was dressed in a gigantic Nappy an I assume it was his Stag “do” sadly too many people around for me to capture the moment on film (pity digital camera’s were not around when I was a lad,so much history missed and the memories my generation have lost) Show up to the eventual appearance was awesome even Tiger Moths with people standing on top on the wings! most pilots could be seen waving to the much adoring audience below.A Lancaster Bomber did it for me ( I have recently watched Dunkirk) The day went so quickly I decided to have an early night and went to he pub at 7 o clock instead of 8! and that in itself was entertaining ,the Air show is on again tomorrow ( Sunday) and a brilliant FREE show is guaranteed
This picture below is current and I have “borrowed” if to show the very talented people who put on a fantastic Air Show,Well done Pilots, a great day had
Sunny Days & Blackpool Fun
I decided to use my Bus/Tram pass and walked to the stop at the end of my street (Uncle Toms Cabin a regenerated pub OR The Boating Pool atop of the man mad cliffs) jumped on a very packed,friendly tram and got off at North Pier.Weather today is great nice and sunny and NOT to hot and walked between piers North & Central and beyond,tide is in and the new sea wall is a credit to the town council for such a splendid wall ( as a nipper the walls were vertical and built with cobblestones as brave young couldn’t die kids we actually jumped of these walls into the brownish Irish Sea,such fun) Vendors were out in force today selling drinks,hot dogs,ice cream,kites and much more.Tide was IN and no sandy beach to be seen on what is known as the Golden Mile ( NOT the Kalgoorlie GM I have visited a lot) Seagulls were out in force and are not afraid of humans,lots of people walking about (no where near the crowds I knew before Spain etc and cheap overseas holidays were invented) nevertheless it was comfortable moving about freely in the crowds.Next was the obligatory ice cream in a cornet and what a messy face I ended up with !! Having a small beard doesn’t help neither,but being the age I am I wasn’t bothered about making a public spectacle of myself and it was delicious! Catching the tram back I decided to check the newly refurbished Ma Kellys out (ex Uncle Toms Cabin) and the outside looks terrific (interior not open to the public until Saturday (tomorrow) and it is definitely on my Must Visit Venue.At home I switched my computer on and read the Daily Express and a story of adopted children featured (also on the TV) from over 50 yrs ago and my goosebumps went wild because I actually knew the lady (deceased) in the story ,what a memory jogger it was for me and a very happy ending for the half brothers to be reconciled.Using yet again my treasured bus pass I went to my local pub (which is starting to get busy on a Thursday Night) and came second in the quiz night.All in all a very mixed and somewhat emotional day BUT a terrific day and I haven’t got time to be bored yet..Coming up soon a new car and the Red Arrows.Life is Good
On the Promenade in front of the Tower is a huge tiled area dedicated to past Blackpool performers and includes some of the sayings/jokes etched into the tiles,this area is huge and is best observed in its full glory from the Tower Top and on the opposite prom route are the famous side shows.amusements ( Mericans call them Penny Arcades?) Rock stalls and much more inc SeaWorld and Madame Tussauds. Further p where the South pier is there are lots more attractionns and I will write about that area in upcoming Blogs…Time for a pint
Memories of the Desert and Bush
Travelling around Australia ,I came across this wonderful Aboriginal artist,we camped up,had a few beers and I bought a couple of Paintings of him.He showed me his carved Didgeridoo and said it is insured for a phenomenal $10,000 ! Mine was just a boring eaten out plain tree branch with NO painting on it.Tommy took it off me played it ( I accompanied him on his didj,yeah right) he got a great tune out of it Ididn,t BUT he disappeared in his tent and came out with my redesigned Didj and what a brilliant job he did PLUS he signed it and should increase the price if I ever ecide to sell BUT I have bequeathed it to my Grandson Will.My didj has followed me to the UK and at the annoyance of my fellow flat residents I occasionally try and play it,sadly I can’t circular breath SO I do play in segments .Hopefully the Video.s I put on will work.Thanks to Tommy Crowe ( I was in Darwin at this time)
All things Bright & Beautiful
Keep bumping into friends from my past and bumped into a lovely lady from our happy past days and reminiscing about plenty !!..I,m still struggling what car to buy..should it be Lease? Buy? or PCP ( I think) which means a monthly rental is paid and it is handed back to seller OR option to buy..Shopping is getting to be quite an adventure and getting to know more and more and people.The old banger I got is still reliable for short trips except the passenger door has now ceased and cannot be use,my nephew has redone springs and other bits enabling me to stay on the road !! Next weekend should be a hoot as I will have 4 passengers ho I will be taking to the brand new pub that is opening ( it is a refurbished pub that was named Uncle Toms Cabin) and in days gone by people used to take other peoples partners to that pub in the hope nobody would recognise them ! After all it is a wee bit of the beaten track deep in the North Shore area.Tuesday has gotten to be regular movie night and I wear my large overcoat so I can hide contraband ( toffees/lollies and drinks thus NOT paying exorbitant prices and the Cinema kiosk! I am feeling very comfortable now I have some of my gear from Australia set up and I can now actually use my digital radio I have had for years ! ( Hervey Bay not equipped for the technology yet) Although single life is agreeing with me I am starting to put weight on,even tho I climb a bloody mountain daily to get to my flat ! Perth is planned for September and hopefully closure will be empowered on my banking and other things, i need to be 20 yrs younger !! I am hoping winter will produce some snow especially around Christmas when my daughter and family arrive and the nights are drawing in (Darkness around 9 .15 pm till 4.30 am)
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 