Simple Kid

Wow.... I have a Simple Kid video on my blog.
We saw him at The Green Man Festival and he was brilliant.
Nice harmonica towards the end.

Simple Kid - The Average Man

Swoon.

Swoon.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

The Outsiders.

ITV are currently teasing us with clips from their Autumn line up....and somewhere amongst them is lovely Nigel Harman...soon to be back on our screens in The Outsiders. I cant wait...there has been a definite lack of Nigel Harman on our screens this year.

Happy Birthday Ros.

You are the best.x

Somerset.

Ros and Roy have been in Somerset for a week...staying with Roger in his families holiday chalet near Minehead. We drove down to see them on Sat morning...taking our tent with us, in the hope that it would fit into the garden of the chalet....and we would be able to stay the night.
We all did a walk up to Bat Hill in the afternoon...with lovely views over the coast. In the evening we went to a restaurant in Dunster...and then retired to the tent. A very noisy owl kept us awake most of the night....we have realised that camping is quite good fun...but its very hard to get any sleep!!!!!
The next morning.....Roy woke us up with bacon butties (yummy)...and then we headed out for a long walk along the coast to Minehead. We caught the steam train back to Blue Anchor beach and walked it back to the chalet.
We had a really lovely time ...the weather was good and it was lovely to see Ros, Roy and Roger enjoying their holiday. This will be their last visit to the chalet...as it is being sold soon. I know they will all miss going to stay there.

Roger.

Roger.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

White wine.

White wine.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Bottom row....2nd from right. Nice friendly beard.

Bottom row....2nd from right. Nice friendly beard.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Beards.

One thing that I did like about The Green Man Festival, was the high "men with beards" count. They were everywhere.....young men and old men...long beards and shorter beards...it really was a joy to see. Apparently it is very "folky" to have a beard.....there is even a magazine called Beard....dedicated to music, arts and facial hair. Now thats cool.
Terence fitted in really well...with his lovely beard and his long hair. He looked the part.

Old friends

Old friends
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Seeing Declan again...has prompted me to dig out some old photos.
I think this was taken around 1992 in Lancaster....on one of our days out. We went to so many places together.....wandering around, taking photographs.
From left to right ....me, Tel, Declan, Rachel, and Robin.
Rachel is still in Wigan with her young family and Robin lives in Yorkshire with his wife and 2 children. We now know that Declan is married and still in London.
Our year at Wigan Tech...meant a lot to all of us. It would be lovely to meet up again....friends reunited.

Declan.

Declan.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

The Green Man Festival 2006.

As we got ready to leave for The Green Man on Friday morning...the weather took a stormy turn and the idea of setting up our tents for 2 nights in a field wasn't too enticing. We set off in the rain (stopping off to buy some wellies)...arrived at the festival and found a space big enough for 2 tents. To celebrate a break in the clouds we cracked open the cider...and sat back to admire our groovy tents.
The setting for The Green Man was Glanusk Park, nr Crickhowell....a beautiful spot, surrounded by hills with Sugar Loaf in the distance. Due to the rain...it was very misty.
The food stalls were really good....Pieminister were doing a roaring trade. There were waffles and crepes. Spicy Thali snack boxes and sausages with potatoes.
The toilets/portaloos were pretty grim at times. The men had their own "Wee Wagon" .... a mobile urinal. We didnt attempt to use the shower facilities ... wet wipes did the job.
I found the whole "festival thing" hard going at times. One minute I thought it was great fun...and the next it felt like a complete nightmare. I think lots of alcohol would have helped...but thats not my thing really, so there were definitely ups and downs. I bought Anna a Chai tea at the end of the first night...after a few ciders and some wine, this innocent tea sent her doo lally...and she disappeared into the crowd waving her hands into the air.

Of course the music was the reason we were there....and my favourite performances were ....
Simple Kid at midnight in the Folkey Dokey tent. (www.simplekid.com)
James Yorkston in the Folkey Dokey tent.
Cerys Matthews on the Main Stage.

Now a strange thing happened at The Green Man.......a real highlight.
I spotted our friend Declan in the crowd.
We hadnt seen him since our wedding day 7 years ago....and there he was with his wife and friends.
It was a great moment. We could so easily have walked past him and never have known he was there.
I ll never forget his face when he saw us....he was a bit drunk and thought he was dreaming.
Thanks to The Green Man we are back in touch with our long lost friend Declan.x

The main stage.

The main stage.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Beards and headscarves.

Beards and headscarves.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Tents

Tents
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

115 boats.

115 boats.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Family.

I drove up to Wigan on Friday, to meet little James for the first time. He will only be 2 weeks old tomorrow...but already he has his own little personality.....and taking after Mike...a big appetite! It was great to see everyone....how amazing to have a baby in the house....a new little Welsby.
We settled down to watch Leeds v Wigan on Sky Sports in the evening. Ros couldn't bear to watch...so she took James into the other room. It turned out to be a famous victory for Wigan....a gritty performance in front of thousands of cheering, travelling supporters. Wigan only have 4 or 5 games left in which to save themselves from relegation. If they can hold on to their Super League place...then next season looks promising.
James already has a season ticket, his own seat at the JJB and a mini replica strip.

Auntie Jill.

Auntie Jill.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Young James.

Young James.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Peace and quiet at The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Peace and quiet at The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

Holiday.

I spent a lot of time on my own in Looe...while Tel was on the water. To keep myself busy, I took on the role of Official Photographer for Penarth Sailing Club.....and took lots of SLR shots. Fingers crossed that they come out well. One day I visited The Monkey Sanctuary just outside Looe.....and I also called into Polperro.
Looe was very busy. Its only a small place really....with lots of narrow streets...and cornish pasty shops (AND ONLY ONE CHARITY SHOP!) There were lots of stressed out families shouting at each other......and lots of VERY noisy seagulls.
We have decided that our next British holiday will be out of season....best to avoid the crowds?
One good thing about Looe....I found a shop selling licorice flavoured ice cream. Oh yes.

Welcome to the world.

While we were away.... Mike and Catherine had a baby boy....James Stephen...weighing 9lbs 3oz. They are all doing well. Going up to meet him on friday x x

Busy on the beach.

Busy on the beach.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

World ranked 100.

At the end of a long week of sailing and socializing..... Terence and Peter and boat number 22489 finished 100th out of 115 enterprises from all around the world. They survived strong winds, lumpy seas, a collision which left a big hole in the side of the boat, sharks and many other stresses, to complete 9 races over 6 days.

Day 1. The trusty Citroen came into her own, as she towed the boat down to Cornwall.
Day 2. A practice race. Then Race 1. Terence was sick 5 times during this race.... too much alcohol the night before!!!!
Day 3. Race 2 and Race 3.
Day 4. Race 4. Very strong winds caused havoc. The boat capsized 5 times. Then hit another boat...creating a big hole in the side....water came in and they had to be towed back to shore.
Day 5. Race 5 and Race 6. The boat was patched up and got round.
Day 6. Race 7. Peter arranged another crew....and we escaped to The Lost Gardens of Heligan for the day.
Day 7. Race 8 and Race 9.
Day 8. Weary sailors (and very weary families) hooked up their boats and left Looe.

The final evening saw the presentations, in front of The Mayor of Looe. Jeff and Simon, who sail with Tel in Penarth, came 5th overall in their boat Oggy Oggy Oggy. A great achievement.
Next year the Championships are in Abersoch.

Leaving the beach.

Leaving the beach.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.

The Enterprise World Championships 2006. Looe. Cornwall.

The Enterprise World Championships 2006. Looe. Cornwall.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon.