Punk and Social Gatherings
My love for my home town of Blackpool get stronger by the day,there is so much to see and do and this weekend is no exception! The Punk Rockers are in town est numbers around 400o and they have a yearly gathering at the famous Winter Gardens.Punk Bands play constantly over the 4 day event and there are lots of different bands playing.I was almost tempted to pay to get in but balked at the £60 daily entry fee !! Age is certainly no barrier I saw seniors in their late 70s displaying all that is Punk,even balding men style whats left of their hair and the colours are even better.I got friendly with a group and hung around with them for about 30 minutes and to see young “normal” people asking how they coloured their hair and how they made it so stiff ! I couldn,t resist and told them to watch a movie called “Something about Mary” for those that know the film you will understand. Blackpool was busy so I ventured out early with my camera and managed a couple of good people shots.Buskers were around and some were really good.One bloke even did a handstand with his head in a bucket? With bus fares being free I am able to scoot around town and over the next few weeks I will be out and about. Saturday night about a dozen of us got together and had the usuak laff a minute night.I am trying to organize a trip to a new pub that opens next weekend and is at the end of my street.Its sister pub in the town centre attracts people from all over and entertainment i provided from noon till early next day hours and is popular with stag parties etc.If in Blackpool do pay a visit to Ma Kelly,s you will not regret it ( assuming you dont get into a fight!)
Trivia,Football and Pommie Politicians
Thursday night is popular in my local pub with Quiz night followed by Bingo (British traditional addictive game that fortunately I dont play) Quiz was a toughie tonight involving British Politics I have NO chance ! and Anagrams (oh dear) and picture of a Football manager (should have put me headphones on and listened to music) Our team didn,t do very well tonight and the Quiz was the toughest yet . Bingo was won by people in our group and as usual the whole evening was a big laugh! Bar staff is reduced to one on this busy night and she deserves a round of applause in the way she managed to keep the customers happy ( with just a few kicking off in the “vaults” who were all handled brilliantly.During the day a “wake” was held for a past regular and we were invited to join in with the excellent food that was provided.Some of our gang are heading off to Benidorm in a few weeks,this is a regular away cheap holiday held twice a year.Coming up this weekend is the famous Punk Rock Gathering here in Blackpool and I might take my trusty camera downtown
IMAX & Trafford Centre Manchester
If in the Manchester area a visit to the Trafford Sopping Centre is a must see,its not the cheapest place around but it is a magnificent building to explore.Ew did a round trip of approx 100 miles from Blackpool to Manchester simply to visit the IMAX Cinema based in the heart of the Trafford Centre (there are 20 yes TWENTY Cinema,s in this massive complex.The Centre is well maintained and the decor throughout is splendid.Food Hall based within this mammoth multi floored is brilliant altho a little on the expensive side,I had a simp;e hamburger and we get to choose the toppings and the Hamburger alone cost £7 but was sufficient to fulfill my refueling needs ! and drinks purchased at these food outlets were OK to take into the Cinema.Showing to a very busy audience was DUNKIRK and altho “supposed” to be based on fact in m humble opinion it did not come up to my expectations! IMAX boasts a whopping 26.3 x 18.8m giving a total screen size of 495m2!! and I have heard other screens in the UK make this one small? Picture clarity was fantastic and the sound SO awesome it felt as if I was in the middle of the actual Battlefield and I was so glad I didn’t have my hearing aids in ! Next up in the near future we will return to this very Cinema to view Valerian in 3D,the only problem visiting the IMAX is the £16 entry fee ! (and that was pensioners rates) Great day out,made better still by the very quiet roads into and out of Manchester
Good Luck Signs and Stuff from Oz and Elephant Sized Gulls
Looked out my window and bugga me ! someone,s thrown white paint over my car.Took a bucket of hot soapy water down and started the clean up,surprisingly it came off very quickly and I noticed the car next to me had slight splashes on it too (not touching it tho) and I,m cursing the person who did it thinking how I could get my justifiable revenge ! I informed the lady in the next flat to keep a vigilant look out for perpetrators and then the bombshell,it was a Seagull !! (isn,t that supposed to good luck sign?) I swear some of those birds are bigger than Elephants !! so much Poo ! I know that it was not human vandals causing problems but a great whacking Seagull.NO more chips from me to birds anymore! During the day I was duly informed my Australian stuff would arrive 8.50 am next day..yeah right..BUT they turned up spot on time.Normally thy only deliver to an outside door but by bribing the lovely driver he helped get all stuff up to my second floor flat.Happy Daze to see my stuff again especially my beloved Didgeridoo,s !! Young 4 yr old lad helped me unpack and I didn’t realize how many T Shirts I own ( most probably chuck lots away now I’ve increased my bulk !! )My Huge telly is great didn’t recognize the area at first but after a bit of tweaking and putting in New Zealand as the area it now works perfectly.As for my desktop Computer its nice to have a big screen in front of me.All the unpacking and washing is very tiring, so early night for me,and wouldn’t you know it I’ve got a bloody cold The day ended on a bright note as I now have Police clearance for my potential Hospital Volunteer Work ( very slow process tho)
Removalists,Boredom and Solitude
Got a welcoming message from my Australian Removalist informing me they would be here in the morning and they were bang on time ,however,they came to access the site for delivery suitability and if a clear run was in order ! He drove from Manchester to do this and said it was suitable and the Office would be in touch for actual delivery ! Monday seems like a plan, I must admit tho the office staff ( whom I shall call Chris coz thats his name!) was a delight to chat with and he lives on a street in Oldham my Sister in Law did ( Copster Hill Road) Talking of coincidences my taxi driver lives on Belmont Ave 3 houses from where I lived ( Blackpool Pop around 150,000 ) This move is a massive change of life for me and whereas boredom,solitude was setting in Hervey Bay the change around has been brilliant,I am meeting people old and new,virtually got the freedom of Lancashire and Cumbria by virtue of my FREE bus Pass,altho my flat is 2nd floor it is comfortable and have 2 neighbours directly below me (lovely Ladies) I have a good pub life (Thurs/Fri/Sat and sometimes Sunday) with great friends who go to Benidorm twice yearly ( I wont make this years trips due to me being in Perth WA) Cost of the 10 day trip to Benidorm in March is around £200 and that includes meals !! Still on the look out for a car and came very close to buying one BUT at the last minute people advising me to lease one on account of regular reliability (apparently the way to go for people my age!) In conclusion altho I have loved Hervey Bay there is nothing there for me now and my Australian home will be in Perth as for my Blackpool move? I should have done it when I got the warning signs and NO I dont miss the Sun but I do love the lovely wet,windy,stormy days that are part of my home towns make up…Happy Daze
STOP PRESS ! apparently the Bus Pass can be used throughout the UK with local Bus Companies …Its getting better daily..
VAPING the NEW Smoking Habit
Since being back in my hometown Blackpool I have noticed VAPING shops that seem to be everywhere in shopping centres. I got interested in their concept by observing people with what seemed loke huge clouds of smoke ( vapor?) coming out of their mouths and noses.Apparently it is the “new” healthy way of of smoking! There are around 2.6 million smokers in Australia and up to two-thirds of them will die as a result of smoking. In some States e cigs (electronic cigarettes) are banned and yet some consider them to be the “healthy” way of smoking.The pub I go in (UK) allows customers to use these machines but it is not the norm,most pubs now have outside smoking areas ( I am an ex smoker and my olfactory senses are fairly good and sadly I can smell a smoker easily quote …Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the water vapor produced by an electric device called vaporizer (or E-Cigarette). The new way of smoking was invented ( for use of a better word) by Chinese man Hon Lik,who devised this new addiction in memory of his Father who died of a smoking related cancer disease. I plageurized this paragraph from a Give Up Smoking page and after reading I have to wonder why people still smoke?
A vape or vaporizer consists of a mouthpiece, battery, cartridge, atomizer or cartomizer, and circuitry with a sensor. A cartomizer is a modern replacement for atomizer that combines an atomizer and the cartridge into one unit. The cartridge contains the e-liquid or e-juice, while atomizer has a heating element, usually a thin metallic coil that is heated by the power generated by the battery. When a user takes a drag on the mouthpiece, the battery heats up the coil, a cotton wick absorbs e-liquid from the cartridge and when it gets in contact with the coil, which is hotter than the boiling point of the e-liquid, it naturally turns into vapor. This vapor is then inhaled by the user that reaches his lungs and is then exhaled. The e-liquid usually consists of PG/VG blend, nicotine, and flavoring.
The cost is around A$800 a year with machine starting at around $40….. and finally
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“Vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking.”Public Health England”
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Vaporizers are many times less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes, and vaping can even help smokers quit.American Heart Assoc outweigh its “potential” harms. Vaporizers are the first genuinely new way of helping people quit smoking that we have seen in many years. Royal Coolege of Surgeons
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Exhaled vapor has lesser volatile organic compounds than the normal exhaled breath, let alone exhaled smoke.Spanish research
Queenstown,Dogs and Pubs
Pub life is alive and going well and I,m getting to know more and more people.Our “corner” is very popular and we have a core group of around a dozen (more added every week) Molly the dog has been crook ( sick ) but has come good and the eve of her owners returning from Turkey.I have added a picture that was a couple of streets away from where I was brought up and the area was known as Queenstown and reputed to be a tough area,I am friendly with a ex resident ( Queenstown was demolished a LOT of years ago ) I tease him on how he used to beat me up as a nipper when we cut through the area to use the playing fields (he didn’t really) On the bottom left is the post office I used to go for my mothers family allowance and food coupons ! Top area (tip of the triangular building) was a shop selling all kinds of Curtains,sewing instruments etc and is well known even today after all those past years Georgie Blackburns.Since they were demolished in the 60’s High rise flats were built and they have also been demolised and anew housing estate is currently under way.Picture provided is from Terry Diveney also known as ‘Nipper’ The group I sit with are mostly Blackpool lads and out discussions on the past are very interesting (should write abook maybe)
Pommie Weather and Loving Families not Forgetting Molly
I am still on dog watch with Kirstie and poor old Molly is missing mam n dad.Yesterday was nice and warm and alcohol free !1 Went into Victoria Hospital due my pending work as a DJ to sort Police clearance out.Staff are very helpful and assured me that is the LAST of the necessary paperwork !! Today I had Ebat gadgets delivered and went for a cup of tea with Molly and she is very pleased with my company!! Made an appointment with the lovely Marie (mother of my grandchildren) and her man Nigel.Parked up at the local Pub and the heavens opened up !! Not wishing to miss our meet up in the local chippy I got saturated on the short walk,the very friendly lady staff offered to wring my shorts out (nahhh)We got down to business and Marie & Nigel witnessed my signature on my newly drawn up ( but legal) Will.Life is moving so fast I felt a need to do one.Encouraged by the Wiil I am now doing my own Eulogy ( morbid yes BUT absolutely necessary,who knows what tomorrow brings) Nigel has kindly offered for me to go next Cricket match at Trafford Park and YES I will go.Back home I bought some heat pads to place on my tortured legs to alleviate the pain ( I think its deep heat infused to large pads) No effect yet so methinks I might have a wine to help things along ! Oh alright then maybe a bit of cheese on Ryvita with a coupke of midget onions thrown in. Short messages from my second son went down well followed by a lengthy Skype chat with my eldest daughter who is still very excited with her pending Christmas visit.Next few days I might get stuck into some photgraphy weather permitting and of course put on this very Blog.Coronation St about to start so this Blog ends NOW
Just another Blackpool Day
Had some banking to do so I meandered through town and wouldnt you know it? forgot me camera again ! Sun is shining and the only clouds in view are the man made ones (jet streams) Using yet again my free bus pass I went into barclays Bank and tried my ING account withdrawal,ALL numbers were correct BUT somehow my card has been swallowed !!! Not in danger tho and not scammed as it was inside Barclays Bank,fortunately I am not dependant on that particular card thankfully. Guitarist Busker with his support dog ( busker is genuinely blind) was in full stride and a great guitarist,I will buy one of his CDs next time in Town. Down the road a bit is an Athlete who has won medals for Britain in 100yds hurdles,his “busking” trick was to run at 20 mile per hour and leap thru a designed square of sharpened spikes onto another hurdle that was in flames,the trick lasted seconds and that was it ! Next I had some loose 2p change and lost it the Coin Tipping Machines !I spent last night at mt brothers house my niece and myself are taking it in turns to feed and exercise the dog (who has only one eyeand ageing) the poor old thing spends most of its life sleeping but still loves a bit of attention.Wore me new Doc Martins into town and me feet are killing me !!
Birthdays ,Anniversaries and the Good Life
This weekend has been full on hectic! My younger brother celebrated his 70 th Birthday and the party was a real old fashioned good fun night.Young ones mingled with we oldies and told great stories,I met people from my past and we just sat drinking,eating and reminiscing on the good ole days.Nephew Brian who is a qualifed chef made the superb food that everyone enjoyed BUT the Lancashire hotpot (with red cabbage & beetroot on the side) was to die for,he is so skilled.We oldies got together discusing how our lives had worked out,the number of tablets we each take daily,how our bodies ached in places we used to play,all in all a lovely evening.Bros was due to fly out next dayto Turkey so I got a lift from my lifelong pal Pat and finished the night off in the Pub !! At around 2 am I finally managed to get to bed..I,m living like I was a 20 yr old..Such Fun…The Flat I am in is lovely,sadly it is on the 2nd floor,therefore after Christmas I shall be looking for ground floor premises.
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 