3 Months in.

So, we're 3 months in to 2012. We've had a bit of a shaky start to be honest but I think eveything's actually OK now.

By tomorrow we'll be 1 quarter in, and I will have walked 782,563 steps, which is about 391 miles. If I can keep up that rate for the rest of the year I'll hit 1,565 miles which is pretty much exactly on target.

My weight is also pretty good - I'm just around the 13 stone mark, but sadly I suspect I'm just about to get my appetite back. If I can keep the food healthy and the steps up I hope to hit 12 stone by the end of the year.

Southwark and the Tower Bridge Experience.

Yes, I know, It's taken me too long to get aroud to posting this - but it's here now, and I'm pretty sure Tower Bridge isn't going anywhere. On 7th January we had our first proper trip out of the year, Suzi and I grabbed the train to London Bridge and had a walk around Southward and then had the Tower Bridge Experience.

We started at Cross Bones Graveyard. I've heard about it a few times and didn't really know what to expect. I can recommend going, if you haven't been, it's rather moving, and so you do know what to expect, I'll tell you that there is no public access other than to the gates where the memorials are tied.





Two minutes further down the road is Borough High Street, just off which you'll find the George Inn which is London's last remaining galleried Inn.





We then walked along the South Bank from London Bridge. This view shows Wren's St Magnus the Martyr and bearing in mind the the Tower of the church has an arch through which was the pedestrian access to London Bridge, this also shows how far from the old Londo Bridge the new one is.


I know this looks like a not particularly good stock photo of HMS Belfast - but its at least slightly interesting for one reason - the gantry that leads from the embankment to the ship suddely collapsed one day and hadn't yet been replaced when we walked past.



The scale of Tower Bridge from below is very impressive.
Make sure you present your train tickets at the entrance assuming you travelled there by train - you can get 2 for 1 entrance.



You get some interesting and unusual views from inside the bridge.



And speaking of inside - you really get to see the steel structure.



The pedestrian walkways are now enclosed and contain interesting exhibitions.




We walked a little futher along the south bank and had an All Bar One lunch - which was very good as usual.

That was 2011

Welcome to 2012. There will be no resolutions as such this year, just more of the same, as last year actually worked out reasonably well depite the fact that nothing went quite to plan.

My walking target (well technically Walking, Running, Cycling and Swimming target) of 2,011 miles in 2011 was a bit of a disaster. I did beat my 2010 figures though, so that's good. I think I hit somewhere a little over the 1,500 miles target - I'll let you know when I've added everything up. So what's the target for 2012? 2,012 of course! Although I'll be happy with beating my 2011 figure. I think the key to doing better will be to get some decent cycle rides included.

I accepted my BA Open in 2009 and had hoped to do another OU course to convert it to a full BA Hons Literature, but that didn't happen. I did manage to get myself on a ITIL Foundation course which I passed, so I now actually have a professional qualification. Oh, and I joined the IOD, which is nice.

2011 was also the year that I wrote my first novel. I've tried before as you'll know if you know me, and I've still got the first third of my first attempt kicking around, but this year, for NaNoWriMo I wrote the complete first draft of something new. As targets for 2012 I aim to complete the type-up, re-write and editing of that one and also to complete the first draft of the original one. Oh, and a screen-play.

We've made some really good progress around the house in the last few months, sorting out the library and hobby room. For 2012 we're ripping out the kitchen and remodeling the ground floor a bit.

The new car arrived in March last year, and is perfect in every possible way.

So, thank you 2011, more of the same please 2012.

Writing instead of walking

I've spent the month of November carrying this notebook and pen pretty much everywhere with me. I've been taking part in NaNoWriMo - the National Novel Writing Month - the point of which is to write a complete new novel of at least 50,000 words during the month. Obviously that means a first draft, not something of publishable quality.

It's been interesting. Some days it was really easy to hit the average 1,667 words needed, on others I tried, but missed that target, on still more I didn't even try because something more interesting had been happeneing.

What I can say now is that I have written a novel?

This is something that I have tried to do before. I have the first third, or maybe half of a novel that I tried to write after my creative writing course in 2009. It stalled on a difficult scene and stayed stalled because I had no real incentive to go on. I also have the opening of two or three other things that I've wanted to do none of which have made past the first few pages, or have expanded beyong the initial short story. Why? No real incentive to go on.

So, when I saw this challenge to write a novel in a month, a whopping 50,000 words, I went for it.
And it worked. The novel is finished. I expect it will get much bigger in the second draft and then smaller again as I tidy it up - I'll be aiming for something around the 80,000 word mark, the traditional 300 page target - I really don't agree with the whole 700 page novel nonsense - a book should be 300 pages, a song 3 minutes, a movie 90 minutes.

There can be exceptions to this rule of course - but I'm not exceptional. My book will be 300 pages, like the songs I used to write were 3 minutes and if I ever make a movies it will be 90 minutes.

Oh - and did I actually make the 50,000?

A Visit to Brownsea Island

Visiting Brownsea island in Poole Harbour for my birthday is becoming something of a tradition. despite my birthday being in the middle of October, I usually get good weather and this year was certainly no exception.

The drive to Poole is always a bit of a chore - the distance makes it right of the edge of what we can do for a single day trip.

We arrived in time for the noon ferry crossing from Poole Quay, and had a bit of lunch in the excellent cafe before we set off around the island. Initially, family groups with small children making loads of noise kept the squirrel sightings quite fleeting.



We walked up to the south side of the island first, passed the church where a Pea Hen was fussing over a couple of chicks...



Then up to the cliff overlooking the Sandbanks ferry.



My first shot of a Red Squirrel for the day - he was really moving fast across a path.



Then he stopped a couple of feet up a tree.



Futher along the south shore we came across a young Sika Deer, who seemed completely oblivious to the cameras. I'm sure loads of people will have taken excellent photos.

 



Later in the afternoon the light changed and the paths got a little quieter, and that's when the squirrels really came out.







We managed to get on a ferry before the last one for a change, so got a tour of Poole harbour on the way back to the quay.



Happy birthday to me!

Heritage Motor Centre

Dad was 76 on the 28th September, and as he's almost impossible to buy presents for, I decided to take him on a trip to the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire. Neither of us had been before and at 90 miles it would also give Dad a good idea of what the Silver Scirocco is like. The trip reminded me a lot of when Dad used to take me to the Motor show at the NEC all those years ago. I took Tuesday off work, rather than go at a busy weekend, and fought off a developing cold to get up and over to Mum and Dad's place. It took around an hour and a half to get up to the Museum.

The Museum complex looks fairly new and is very clean and well kept; there are nice access roads and large car parks. The resturant is modern with an art deco theme, and we had sandwiches and an excellent coffee from a machine, none of which was overly expensive.
 


A proportion of the exhibits came from the old British Leyland collection, so there is a definite bias towards Rover, Wolsey, Morris, MG et al, rather than Fords and Vauxhalls. There is a Model T on display, and lots of more modern cars - including some movies cars.

This is a collection of MG record breakers, designed for salt flat racing.



A More modern racer - an Aston Martin DBR9, and a TVR Tuscan racer behind in black and yellow.



This is an experimental Rover gas turbine car, based on a P5. The unusual treatment around the nose made it look like a sports car.



Dad. We found a car you can sit in.



Two halves of an MG.



Lara Croft's Luggage.



Lara Croft's Land Rover. Behind to the left is a Land Rover made up as a Mega City Cab from the Stallone film Judge Dredd.



This might be the only MG SV I've ever seen. These were based on a De Thomaso concept and were quite fierce - with a Mustang V8 they had the power to match the looks, but it all happened at a bad time for MG Rover.



Dad inspecting an Aston Martin DB2.



Morgan have just started making new 3 wheelers - but this is one of the originals.



The Triumph TR6. Always one of my favorites, and this one is about the same age as me.



Lotus 6.



Lotus 7. Much later than the six above, and almost identical in looks to the current Caterham 7 models that are based on it.




View from the Mezzanine across the main floor of the museum.
 

The Red car here was a proposal for a new MG, based on a TVR. The Green Car is a Triumph Lynx, which has the front half of a Triumph TR7, but a pair of small rear seats and a coupe back.


This display has three Minis - all Monte Carlo winners, from 1964 1965 and 1967.



All in all an excellent day out for Dad and me.

Walking in the Lakes (Part 2)

For the Weekend, Anthony, Eddie, Justin and I returned to the Langdale Valley to have another go at getting to the top of Harrison Stickle.

Eddie drove in his (surprisingly excellent) bus, and we stayed in an identical caravan as last time.


Us.


Weather conditions were pretty much perfect for walking up.


The Tarn, about half way up was calm and beautiful.


Justin.


Eddie, Ant.


And Me. Good god, do I really look like that?


View from the top with Lake Windermere in the distance.


Bacon Sandwiches at the top!


Fabulous views on the way down.


And we finished where we always finish... Kingfield v Westfield.