Roal Welsh Show 2010

 This is what you need for bashing bracken - the roller bruises the stems - more effective than cutting as the plant "bleeds" to death

 Serious needlepoint!

My dad used to judge wine at the Royal Welsh!

A badger faced sheep - new one on me

???best in Show???

Unlimited Supply?

The fashion this year was wellies and the SHORTEST possible shorts.  The young farmers disco was very popular - heaving bodies and heaving hormones - farming offspring making the most of limited mate selection opportunities

 Blonde Cows that is 

 Sit!

Ok - I have "sat" - where is my reward?

Ahh - thank you!

Cefnllys - busy in the 13th Centuary - nothing much since

I can't remember why I took this road - I think because it looked nice and squiggly and avoided the A roads back to Birmingham.  Now there is just a small chapel but in the various wars-of-the-marches it was very busy indeed - http://www.castlewales.com/cefnllys.html.  I learned as well that there was at least one  "Brian Brampton of Brampton Bryan" - who came to the defense of the castle when it was attacked by Llywelyn.  I know Brampton Bryan very well from Orienteering.

I went for a short run - but this seemed to disturb the resident cattle - so I settled for a quick blast around in Black SAABath

A little walk in Shropshire

This years "Welsh Walk" was a first - because it was not in Wales - but you could see Wales from the top of the Long Mynd

The day started off cold and with rain - but much nicer in the afternoon

The Jaipur - one of (apparently)  two curry houses in Church Stretton - not bad for "the marches" but would need to up its offer to survive in Birmingham

And so to town in search of movies (and steps)

Being at home is not helping my steps (www.gettheworldmoving.com) so I ran a delayed June Jaunter this morning (6 seconds slower than last year) and walked into town and back..

Is this really Birmingham?

(it is only 55 minutes to the Mailbox) with the object of spending the remaining part of my 25 year gift from Uncle Cadbury before the card expiry date...

armed with several "100 best movies" lists I hit HMV and came away with a big stack of DVDs - sales guy remarked with approval on my Coen Brothers selection plus Dark Knight, Taxi Driver, LA Confidential, Godfather (1,2 but not 3) and Citizen Kane but I sort of ruined it with the last disc in the stack...

Is a good thing I already have a copy of "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle ("Theese eees hostel yah?!!)" safely at home.  Note also the difference in PRICE - it is astounding however to be able to wander into a shop at random and pick up, on demand, with no warning, a copy of  the best movie ever made.  I will let you decide which one is which.

FAB

All little boys love...

THUNDERBIRD TWO

...see it, pick it up, don't ever put it down until it is time to go and Papa pries it from your little fingers...

We also made cakes, played Pacman, picked cherries and generally mucked about all afternoon

Canal Diversion...

Whilst walking to the physio came across evidence that the Bournbrook by-pass is finally nearing completion - there is a new chicane in the Worcester and Birmingham Canal - not aimed thwarting weekend-bargee-speed-freaks but so that the permanent bridge can be constructed.  The canal has been temporarily moved 30 metres to the North-West.

Otterjacht 4 juli 2010

It is ARDF but not as we know it...

Simultaneous 2m and 80m "Fox-Oring" in the morning followed by ARDF in the afternoon - sadly I had to make a dash for DUS

NK 2010 - Sahara

Dutch ARDF Championships 2010

Two races, morning and afternoon
=
140 minutes running in 35 degree heat and factor 30 sunshine

All tense at the Pre-Start

 The start - SI unit radio linked to registration computer

The terrain

A very green map - and no running off the paths

I think it was the red wood ants as I saw several "taped off" colonies

Finish Point

And in second place is...

A trofee

(yes really that is how they spell trophy in Dutch)

and a certificate

NK2010 - Wildhout Hotel, Ommen

This is the Wildhout Hotel near Ommen

The van belongs to a "CIP - Clean In Place" company - what I just spent 12 days in Poland commissioning...

nice pudding - Crème brûlée, Strawberries on a sort of creamy/cake-y thing and an alcoholic fruit sorbet - YUM!

I was in room VIJF