English Hairy Beasts

This blogging thing is catching on. A friend has been sufficiently inspired to start his own. Laugh at the photo and the french girls comments on http://jonlawn.blogspot.com

Jon Lawn is another character from Colchester Essex, where the wife-to-be lives (until july 29th!!!!) , and has the unfortunate experiences of being a good friend to Jon for a good many years.

This here is Jon in a more typical pose:

I think you can all understand why he is dubbed a hairy beast......

Not quite London

Another day at the driving school! We drove up, via several B and A roads, to a village called Wells-by-the-Sea, in Norfolk. The instructor, who's been doing this a few years, happened to know a remarkably good fish and chip shop there...

The photo is of our current car, with Joe the other student sat in the driving seat (thats on the right hand side, for the benefit of those in strange lands). Myles the instructor is hidden on the passenger side. There should be 3 students in the car, but we lost our other guy on the assessment (as in he failed) so we're down to 2 students in our car.

Norfolk constabularly were a bit bemused by 7 met coppers all turning up at once. A Thames Valley police training car also turned up so there were 11 coppers making sure the harbour front at Wells was very safe today. Myles broke up a fight between a seagull and a duck so we were put to use.

Things are progessing nicely on the course. We are currently doing lead-follow exercises with our 'sister' car to start getting us in the frame of mind for pursuit training next week. Had one entertaining moment where I made sure the ABS worked correctly on the car in the morning but no harm was done, and nobody was alarmed (well, not much) or put in any danger.

Other things. Hairy bearded gorilla type JimBob the original native Alaskan has also started his own blog. He calls himself Custarditus Villainous or something and I've put the link in to his page on the right. Log in and poke fun.

I know I know.....

I know I haven't updated in a little while.... just a short note to say driving course is still going good. Had a mid-course assessment today to make sure we are competent enough to do the final 2 weeks of pursuit training. Passed it, which is all jolly good. Unfortunately one of the other students in the car failed so there are only 2 of us left now.

Shall update with something suitably rude to say about Americans in due course.......

How rude

A birthday card from a certain set of relations................! A prize of one birthday card envelope to whomsoever guesses which set of relatives sent it.....

cheese

Bec really doesn't like the first photo of us two... so here's a different one!

Day 2

Actually saw the inside of the car today! Am driving a 2.8 litre V6 Skoda Superb. The first half of the day was on closed roads, batting up and down, checking our gear changes, steering and braking. Second half of the day we went out and about roads north of london, were we drove round, partly to get a feel of how the car works and responds. The main idea was to give the instructor an idea of what our strengths and weaknesses are, and where he needs to focus his attention. I need to improve on my overall smoothness (a smooth drive means a more stable car, which is safer)- gear changes were on occasion a little jerky. I also need to improve my mirror work: we need to (and will be failed if we consistently don't) check mirrors every time we slow down, speed up, change direction, or see or anticipate a hazard. This works out as every 4 seconds or so!
There was probably a whole lot more that needed to be improved, but the instructor probably doesn't want to knacker our confidence too much yet!

Driving school: Day 1

A very boring day. Admin, checking paperwork, classroom stuff. Actually out in the cars as of tomorrow

Spooky

I don't know what happened here. This was another photo, taken on my phone as per all the posts below. Except something seems to have got stuck in the lens or something. But the end result is a bit weird. I was just taking a photo of Bec's mum and dad walking on ahead of us at the end of the walk. End result is this below. It looks like there is shaft of light coming from this black spot up in the tree.

In case anyone is concerned, nobody was kidnapped by aliens, no human research was carried out, no time travel occurred, and we all got home safely.............

Another sunday afternoon romp

Romp as in the kind of walk, for any of those with a more dubious sense of humour. Haden.

Anyway, was over at Bec's parents for the weekend, having picked her up from uni on friday. Had a most rubbish journey back, with main roads being shut and a three hour journey taking 4 and a half hours!

Had pre-booked tickets for ice age 2, and we got to the cinema with exactly one and a half minutes to spare.
I can't resist adding the picture of the scrat. This thing is just brilliant and is by far the best bit of the film.


Anyhooooooooooooo after church and sunday roast exercise was required. We hopped in the car and went along to a place called Hillhouse wood. Now while nothing of any great excitement happened I took along the camera phone and happily annoyed Bec by constantly dawdling by taking photos of things that might be of interest to people 6000 miles away.

First thing of interest stumbled across was this ruined farmhouse. I have no idea what the history of this place is, but there is graffiti across one of the boards that said "evicted by the rich" (I think). Curious

Are there stiles in America? I don't think there is as..... or if there was they'd either be electrically assisted to ensure you could get over without effort. Or more likely someone'd drive a truck straight over it heheheheheh

Hillhouse wood itself.... the place was carpeted with bluebells which unfortunately weren't out yet. Persons with a knowledge of old English woodcraft will spot the coppiced trees

This is Bec giving me the "what are we waiting for now?????" look.......

History Ancient: We eventually traipsed to West Bergholt church. This was interesting.... a church of varying size and description has been stood on this site since before 1066. West Bergholt gets mentioned in the Domesday Book too. The church itself has not been used since 1948 but remains preserved and open to the public

History modern: all round Essex are these pill boxes. In the second world war, whilst little Blighty was waiting for the Germans to invade, hundreds of these pill boxes sprung up all over the east coast, as that is where it is thought any invasion would take place: Essex and Norfolk being very flat and easily accessible to London. Being made of solid reinforced concrete they don't fade away very easily and every so often in odd places they pop up, sometimes covered in moss and ivy as above. Go to Norfolk, where the cliffs are eroding at a frightening rate, you'll see one emerge out of the water at low tide, 100 metres from the cliff base. In 1940 it would have been on the cliff top.

vroooooooooom

Oh! I forgot to add something. As of next monday, I'm doing an advanced driving course with the Met. Assuming I manage to not to crash or do something daft in the 4 weeks of it, I'll be trained as a pursuit driver and get to drive the big cars, 3 litre BMWs and the like. I shall do my best to stick an update on here most days to show how I've scared myself silly that day.

It is actually a tough course: I've been told the failure rate is near 60%. Am reasonably confident that I do have the base skill to be able to do it, I am more concerned that I will succumb to driving test syndrome on the assessment days: i.e. nerves go bananas and I fall to pieces and don't drive like I can do. I failed the standard course for that reason. Having said that, did the bike course last year and passed that no problem.

Watch this space!

cake issues!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inside the boxes above is the wedding cake! All 3 sections of it. My nan has made them, and I picked them up yesterday to take to Colchester to be decorated. This will be a potent cake: I ought to put a warning sign on the boxes of no naked flames or something. My nan informs me that they have been regularly fed with brandy over the last few weeks. Maybe I ought to put a drink drive warning on it too....

wheels of steel

Ha! Spring is finally here, also evidenced by the fact that its actually worth polishing the bike, as normally in winter its a total waste of time. As soon as you ride off on minging English winter roads it gets covered with filth in 30 seconds flat, so only ever bother rinsing it off.

Bec actually has been out on the back, although not for a while! If she's ever going to come out for anything other than a short ride, will have to get her proper kit, rather than one of my spare leather jackets.

Heh although thinking about it I'm not sure if she will come out on it now we're getting married! She might not feel the need to show she doesn't mind me having a bike. I might find come August or thereabouts the keys have been accidentally "lost"!

Daffy's

Well spring is finally in the air! Every other day so it is almost warm. The daffodils are most thoroughly out. I'm now back at work on a shift basis, on response teams. The work is more interesting but days I'm at work, I'm at work and thats pretty much it! The joys of 12hr shifts. Have spoken to Bec for all of 5 minutes since Friday. I was supposed to talk to her yesterday but then I didn't finish work till 2am!

Not much time today, as I'm off to work again. Night shifts! Haven't done one since October, so I'll be an interesting picture in the morning.....