15 Minutes...

Hi folks... I've been away over the past few days, so a couple of blog entries about my adventures are imminet, but something very exciting cropped this afternoon...

Me and Kees have bagged ourselves a part in a music video!
We've got to be in central London for 10am tomorrow.

Watch this space...

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Having a multiple forget-to-do-stuff day. Grrr nuff said.
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 2/10

Today's Top Tip: Buy a television set exactly like your neighbours. Then annoy them by standing outside their window and changing their channel using your identical remote control.

Another Day, Another Mountain...

... Or two or three!

A few weeks ago, a friend and I went to north Wales to walk and over these 3 mountain peaks that overlook the Snowdonia national park...

The main track leading to the ascent paths

Along this path is an old dam that broke in 1925. The dam controversial at the time and built on the cheap, to help power at metal processing plant in the valley below, so this was a terrible disaster killing 16 people in Dolgarrog; a small village downstream...

The force of the water was so great, when the dam broke, it carved out this gully!

I found a website that contains three short silent movies filmed at the time of the disaster.
I was amazed to see how good the films are, given the period, and that filming was so readily available back then... Watch the films of the Cwm Eigiau Dam disaster HERE.

A view looking back down the valley to where the dam holds no water back at all. A small shallow lake is all that is left...

I found this furry little fella on the way up...

Near reaching the top, it suddenly got dark and I turned round to see a real* cloud heading straight for us, much to my surprise...

Dogga, sweating his ****s off in the cloud.
I suggested stopping for lunch, to which my friend replied, "OK, that's sounds like a plan, but lets just pop over this next bit."
The "next bit" was another mountain peak that took over 30 minutes of hard slogging to get up and over!!! He's a walking monster he is...

Before starting the walk, my mate advises me not to buy any crisps, as he has a large bag of slightly out of date Walkers we can share.
A generous offer I must say, but he failed to tell me that "slightly out of date" was actually nearly a YEAR out of date!!!
(There were actually very nice and perfectly OK though)

On the descent, I spotted these wild horses and loved the black and white contrast of these two...

The next day was glorious, so we walked up the side of Snowdon and followed the Watkin path up and crossed the Watkin waterfalls at this charming little bridge...

On the ascent, I thought this green tree line against the blue sky looked fab...

There are many mines around north Wales and we found this opening to one. Eeewww, they make me shudder for some reason and it's hard to believe this was the entrance to work for many men not too long ago!

It's great to see the moon out in the sky on a clear day and though it looked rather good against the branch of this fir tree.

I may have mentioned this before, but Betws-y-Coed is probably my fave place in north Wales and it has two great eateries, one of which is this bistro.
Vegetarians look away now... I ate pigeon and rabbit for the first time and enjoyed both; highly recommended... You can look again now.

[*Not a pretend one]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Suddenly loosing my internet connection this morning, so I unplugged my router and went in directly in to my pooter, rebooted my pooter, repaired the pooters LAN connection, swore at the pooter, got annoyed and then it suddenly came back... It was my ISP not me! Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

Today's Top-top: Don't spend money on expensive personalised car number plates; simply change your name to match your existing plate - Mr or Mrs. JVL 741Y! [Not my number plate :-]

McCompensation...

Well, much to my surprise, I actually got a response back from my rant on the McDonalds website, regardless of it being bruttaly honest and I didn't even proof read it, so I really didn't expect a reply, but check this out:

Woot, two free meals at the "The Golden M" ... Greeeeaaaaattttt :{} Anyone want them?

In response to my distress of being invited to a fancy dress party themed 'Festive Fairies', my friend and colleague, Big Rich, leaves this on my desk for me...
A complete female devil outfit, minus the leotard luckily; I could see my meat and two veg making unwanted appearances in that little number! :0)
So, it would be rude not too... an 'Evil Festive Fairy' it is, I just need a red fairy dress off the intermaweb to squeeze in to and I'm done... Sorted :]

Being Picked On:

Two things have happened to me in the past couple days that I would say constitute being picked on:

1. At work, I pop into The Silver Fox's office to say hi, and he offers me a white chocolate chip cookie, to which I politely decline, but he decides to try and force feed me the biscuit regardless. Firstly he pushes the biscuit against my hands covering my mouth; failing on that he tickles me, causing me to drop my guard and laugh, upon where he takes the opportunity to stuff the whole biscuit into my mouth! Grrr, it was nice though... The cookie that is, not the torture.

2. I pop to my big sis's house, and unknowingly to me, she acts out a predetermined sketch where my she takes an egg out of the fridge and gives it my bro in law, saying it's out of date and to put it in the bin.
My bro in law then smashes it over my head, much to my surprise!
I duck and cringe, waiting for the run of yolk and albumen, but it doesn't happen!
It turns out they had made two small holes in the egg and blown the centre out the night before, so it was just an empty shell! Grrr... far too convincing and it's the second time they have got me with that old trick.

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Going to the dentist for a check up and hygienist appointment, but they told me they had messed up and I wasn't booked in to see the dentist at all! Grrr, I had booked three months ago too! :[
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 2/10

Today's Top Tip: Cheer loudly at 8.00pm next Saturday to fool the neighbours into thinking you have won the Lottery!

A McRant With Fries...

I can procrastinate no more - RANT MODE= ON!

Normally I refuse to dine at McDonalds, on the principle of it being crap, but on Sunday I lapsed, however my principle was reinforced.

On the weekend, I popped into town and when driving home, hunger struck. I wanted something quick and easy, but didn't want a cold sarnie from a garage or fish and chips etc, so I thought I would give McDonalds the benefit of the doubt, as one of them* caught my eye.

So, I popped into the drive-thru, pulled up at window #1 and ordered a chicken sandwich meal, paid and then drove to window #2, where they handed me the correct food accompanied by the correct drink too. Wow, I thought, the idiots have got it right for once AND it's hot; all is forgiven!

Whoa there Dogga, easy now... Once back home, I tucked into the fries and upon polishing them off, I opened the McChicken sandwich box to find it's there OK, but it has no salad or mayonnaise or ANYTHING on it, just a dry bun and a bit of chicken!
OMG, how on earth can they get a simple sandwich wrong? FFS, they must make hundreds of them a day and it's hardly a large, diverse and complex menu now is it? ...TOSSERS!


McDonald's Restaurant Toilet Etiquette:
If you ever go to a McDonald's restaurant solely to use the toilet, this is know as a 'McShit' or 'McPiss'. If, however, a generic spotty teenage employee questions you, you must justify yourself to them by saying you're just nipping to the loo and will be purchasing food afterwards, regardless of having no such intentions. This is known as a 'McShit with Lies'!

[* Yes, we have more than one McDonalds in Kidderminster! Like we actually need two!]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Being invited to two parties, YAY, but both are fancy dress! Grrr, I hate fancy dress, especially when the theme of one of them is 'Festive Fairies'... I kid you not! Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 2/10

Today's Top Tip: Invited by vegetarians for dinner? Point out that since you'd no doubt be made aware of their special dietary requirements, tell them about yours and ask for a nice steak! :0)

Theatregoing...

I love the theatre and if you've never been to see a play before, then go do it luvvies!

You can't beat actually being there with the actors and actresses - It's a completely different experience to seeing a movie and so much more personal and enthralling, especially at a smaller venue where you're right up close to the stage.

This Friday night I went to see a play at my local theatre called 'Snake in the Grass', which was basically a murder mystery, but with an eerie twist!
I haven't been to my home town's theatre for a while now and was pleasantly surprised to see such an entertaining play performed by amateurs on a small static stage with very few props, costume changes or effects.
The whole play was performed by three women, pictured in the link, and it just goes to show, you don't need big expensive special effects or big name actors etc to be very entertained for an hour and a half.

A few weeks ago, I went to see 'Teatro Delusio', which is a play done in a very different style to anything I've seen before, mainly because it had NO dialogue in it at all!!!

I was rather amazed to see how the actors conveyed a whole range of emotions, purely with body language, as they never spoke a word and they all wore masks, which were set in a fixed way - They acted so well, it was like the latex masks actually moved to show the emotion, but it was just an optical illusion.

A real eye-opener and not something I would normally go and see, but I'm so glad I did on hindsight.

So, when was the last time you visited the theatre and what did you see folks?

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Having a weak bladder day. Normally I have 'bladder of a horse', but today, I've been up and down my stairs countless numbers of times! Grrr
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 1/10

Today's Top Tip: Girls - Next time you feel like throwing a ball over-arm, don't, because you can't and it just looks silly. Just throw it under-arm style, and no one will laugh at you or get hurt! :0) *Dogga cowers and prepares for outraged female onslaught*

What The Doctor Prescribed...

Over the last two months, I've been suffering from tension headaches EVERYDAY, so yesterday I went to see my doctor.
I'm not normally one for going to the doctors, as I prefer to look after myself, but after consuming many packets of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen, I decided to go see the quack...

After she gave me the once over (...and no, not like that, but I do have a thing for my doctor ;-) she informed me that it wasn't a brain tuba [parp], but she then spent the next five minutes telling me how I should consider getting a girlfriend and start to think about having children, now I'm nearly thirty, and that would stop the tension headaches, as I'd be far too distracted and busy to worry about headaches. LOL
I informed her that it may induce more headaches, so she prescribed me some tricyclic tablets instead and instructed me to come back and see her in a few weeks.

What a diagnosis eh? Or was she maybe asking? ...Scary

With this in mind, check out this picture taken last week!
Somehow I can't see this curing my headaches, especailly when it cries...

DoGGa with his friend's four-week-old son 'Archie'... His wife handed me their offspring while she popped to the loo, but I soon passed him off onto his dad after this photo was taken, as he burped and it sounded like he was going to chunder over my new shirt.

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Deciding to go and buy the cool winter coat I spotted in Stourport's Factory Shop, but them no longer having my size in... Grrr, it was a bargain £30 too!
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 2/10

Today's Top Tip: Don't waste money on expensive iPods. Simply think of your favourite tune and hum it. If you want to 'switch tracks', simply think of another song you like and hum that instead!

Transformation...

This weekend I've dedicated to working in the garden...
Late this afternoon I finished laying the wooden decking, I bought ages ago, and cunningly hid a manhole cover.YAY!!!

So I eventually, 4 years later, 7 builders size skips filled with soil later, plus lots of blood, sweat and tears* and much help from Andy and Big Rich, turned THIS:

Into THIS:

Guess where the manhole cover was that I discovered buried beneath that lawn?

I got rid of the lawn for easy maintenance *ahem*, because I couldn't be arsed to keep mowing it, and love the look of decking and blue-grey slate, so a Zen garden it was.
I know it's a touch bland at the moment, but I'm yet to add foliage, furniture and ornaments etc, but in its basic completion stage, I'm well chuffed with myself!

After completing the garden, I popped out the front to clean my car before I lost all light.
I witnessed this fantastic Sunday evening sunset, but it's a shame I wasn't somewhere more picturesque than outside my house.

[* Well, no real tears were actually 'shed' (get it?) but I did put my back out, good and proper, when digging out that raised garden]

Today, I'm Most Angry About: November the 5th = Fireworks! Now I LOVE fireworks, but only when I'm in the company of people letting them off, otherwise they keep making me jump, hour after hour; BANG, BANG, BANG... Grrr! It's like someone doing the vacuuming in the same room as you - really loud and annoying, but if you're doing it yourself, it seems acceptable! :[]
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

Today's Top Tip: Motorists - Avoid getting prosecuted for using your phone whilse driving. Simply pop your mobile inside a large sea shell and the police will think your are listening to the sea.

Pun...

I think I may be coming down with a cold, as yesterday I felt a little hoarse!

I found this little fella walking around, un-tethered, on a lunchtime walk into town. He was in a field with two other tethered horses, but for some reason, this friendly little equine was roaming free, so I couldn't resist a fussing session and picture with that pun in mind.

Today, I'm Most Angry About: Dry lips - I always get dry lips this time of year when it goes cold. Grrr... Blistex on stanby!
Grrr-O-Meter Rating: 3/10

Today's Top Tip: Avoid parking tickets by leaving your windscreen wipers turned to 'fast wipe' whenever you leave your car parked illegally.