After a relaxing breakfast with Scott and Jon we set off to visit various family members. It was great to catch up with my sister Glenys, my niece Jo and her son Daniel and then onto see my Dad and his partner Pam before heading home.

11.11.07

We went to Wales today and caught up on some shopping in what's left of the city centre, as it is being redeveloped and seems vastly different every time we visit. We met up with my mate Mark for a coffee before going to stay with our friends Scott and Jon.
We always have a brilliant time when we visit them and this time was no different. Jon cooked once of his legendary curries which helped absorb some of the alcohol! A great night!

10.11.07

Gareth and I went to our friends Rob & Andy for dinner tonight, though we almost didn't make it! Gareth had train issues which resulted in over a two hour journey home so it was a quick change and back in the car. A big thanks to Rob and Andy for a great evening, short though it was!

09.11.07

London yet again but this time to meet up my good friend Mark and our first ever visit to the Roundhouse in Camden to see 'The Verve'. Both venue and band were amazing. A Grade II listed building that was originally built as a railway engine shed has been beautifully converted into a unique venue.



Finally getting to see 'The Verve' play live was brilliant, especially hearing "Bittersweet Symphony", "Sonnet", "Lucky Man", "The Drugs Don't Work" and "History".

08.11.07

Back up to London again! This time Gareth and I drove up to see a special one-off performance by the "Fast Show" cast to promote the release of all their TV performances on DVD.
A special night was made even better by guest appearances from David Tennant (Doctor Who), Richard E Grant, Paul Weller and Roger Taylor from Queen.

04.11.07

My niece Jo came to visit today!
We travelled up to London to see the final 'Carter USM' gig ever. It was at the Brixton Academy



so I knew my way! The band were brilliant and the crowd were amazing, loving every second their heroes played. And they did "The Only Living Boy In New Cross" so I was happy!

02.11.07

My first trip of the evening was to take Gareth to see a physiotherapist as he has injured his back and needs treatment. I'm glad I went as I would never would have believed what the physiotherapist did if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes! He laid Gareth on a special table and then gripped him under his chin and pulled him a few inches along the table to stretch his back. Now Gareth aint a petite kinda guy so the sight of him being pulled by his own head was something I'll never forget!

Once I'd got Gareth safely home I set off again, but this time to see 'Mark Ronson' play in Portsmouth where for a few songs he was joined on stage by Sean Lennon. The highlight however was getting to see Daniel Merriweather, partly for his amazing vocal talent and partly because he is very pleasing on the eye!!

29.10.07

We met up with my friends Janet and Andy who have also travelled to the island for the party tonight. We did a brief tour of the south coastline which looked somewhat windswept today



before we had lunch at the New Inn at Shalfleet (yes again! it's that good!)
We all met up again in the evening to go to the party to celebrate the wedding of our friends Amanda and Paul.



A great time was had by all!!

27.10.07

Gareth and I travelled to Isle Of Wight today in preparation for my friend Amanda's wedding party tomorrow . Firstly we did our now traditional visit to the New Inn at Shalfleet where they do the most amazing food.
In the evening we went to the cinema to see "Black Sheep"



It's a New Zealand film about sheep that turn bad, and it's really funny, particularly as it's full of sheep jokes that appeal to my Welshness!

26.10.07

This morning I set off on the short journey to Bonn so I could go exploring. Although it was cold the sky was blue which made it look even more beautiful.



I visited the birthplace of Ludwig Van Beethoven



and it was amazing to see instruments that he actually played! They even had his ear trumpets that he used as his hearing started to fail. In this day and age of instant celebrity it's incredible to think that Beethoven and his music is known around the world, more now than when he was alive.
In the afternoon I travelled back to Köln and despite learning my lesson about heights yesterday I decided to take a ride on the cable car that goes over the Rhein. To say I was scared would be an understatement, particularly as I seemed to have the whole ride to myself.



But the views made it worthwhile!





The ride ends in the beautiful Rheinpark where the autumnal colours were breathtaking



and as the park runs alongside the river it gave me more opportunity to take pictures of the Cathedral.



Next stop was the 103m top of the KölnTriangle Tower



which has a roof area surrounded by huge sheets of glass,



 giving amazing views across the city



but making the taking of pictures a bit difficult due to the reflection! Then it was a walk back to the Cathedral before getting the train to the airport. The evening sky was beautiful as the plane took off, as as we flew higher there was a stunning view of the dusk.


 

23.10.07

An early start today. Just! My alarm clock didn't go off so luckily Gareth had the foresight to set his for around the same time, getting me up in time to get to the airport for my early flight to Köln to see 'Hard-Fi'.
Flying so early meant I got to see some nice sights from the air



as the early morning mist caught the sunlight.
I was soon on the train from the airport to the centre of Köln and just outside the station is the most beautiful of sights.



Köln Cathedral.
Even though I'd been travelling for about 6 hours I couldn't check into my hotel for a further 3 so I decided that I'd climb to the top of the Cathedral to enjoy the view. I bought a ticket and started the 509 step climb! The majority of the steps are in an enclosed stone spiral staircase, which is the only route up and down, so it got a little cramped at times! However, the last part of the climb is quite different. In the centre of the tower is a metal staircase, that although enclosed with bars, has steps you can look down through, and as the tower has open masonry, the wind is blowing through as you climb.



This picture doesn't really give the full horror of those steps



though at the bottom of this picture you can see the silhouette of the steps at the base of the centre of the tower. Trust me, I can't remember the last time I was that frightened, and about halfway up I seriously considered turning back. Some people were taking their time and I found myself repeating under my breath "please don't stop" over and over! Eventually walking onto the outer stone walkway of the tower was almost a relief and the views across the city and the Rhein were breathtaking.



Once I got back to ground level I walked around the Cathedral itself and saw how the light through some of the stained glass windows reflected on the stonework



before walking back outside to take in the magnificence of the building.



Next it was check in at the hotel and then after a quick change I was off to gig!



The first thing that's noticeable at the venue is that smoking is still allowed and I think I was the only person who wasn't indulging in a cigarette! The band were on great form and I got down the front for a good singalong!



It was definitely worth travelling all that way to see them! Superb gig!

It was still fairly early when I got back to the hotel so I decided to go back out and take some pictures of the Cathedral



and the Hohenzollernbrücke at night.



 

22.10.07

Some of you may have noticed some recent updates to the 'Gareth' section of this website. I've added some great pictures of him when he was younger. Well the one person who didn't notice was Gareth himself. Until today..
Let's just say I was relieved that I was 60 miles away when he realised!

19.10.07

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARETH!
Sadly it was eventful for the wrong reasons! Gareth has been on a two day work related course in Bristol, but has also been suffering from neck pain. It got so bad today he was having trouble walking, so he ended up in the casualty department of the local hospital. He was discharged with potions and pills but was still in enough pain that he couldn't risk trying to carry his bags and take a long train journey, so I left work early and drove to pick him up.
I'd originally hoped to get the house ready for his return but my detour scuppered those plans, so when we got home I ran him a bath and used the time he was in it to blow up some 'Happy Birthday' balloons and get his cards and present ready, before cooking one of his favourite meals.
He felt that unwell he didn't even want some of the birthday cake I got for him... yes he was that poorly!

18.10.07

We went to see Adrian and Chris on their boat today to pick up Bonnie after she spent some time with them.



 She was looking particularly cute when she came to sit with me so I quickly took her picture.

07.10.07

We went to see the film "The Heartbreak Kid" tonight.



After seeing the trailer I thought it wasn't going to be a film I'd enjoy, but it wasn't quite as bad as I expected.

06.10.07

As it was another beautiful morning I took Bonnie to Stokes Bay



where we saw clear views across to the Isle Of Wight



and after we'd walked for a few hours Bonnie felt the need to lie down in a muddy puddle to cool down



so the walk got extended even longer so she could dry off before being allowed into my car!


 

05.10.07

As it was such a beautiful morning I got up early and got the ferry over to Portsmouth



where I did a bit of shopping (again!) and then went to the Spinnaker Tower. I'd been there before when my sister Julie was last here (see Blog entry 17.03.07) but on that occasion it was a spur of the moment thing and I didn't have my camera, so this time I was more prepared!



The views were amazing on such a sunny day and as I got there early there were times where I had each of the three levels to myself to enjoy them in peace.









including a view through the glass floor!



A little more shopping was followed by a walk around the old town of Portsmouth.







I drove back up to Basingstoke tonight to meet up with Gareth to see the film "Stardust".



A really great film with brilliant special effects and a performance from Robert De Niro that you really wont expect! Highly recommended!
 

04.10.07

Today we drove to West Wittering near Chichester for a walk along the beautiful beach.








To the Western end of the beach is East Head, a sand and single spit owned by the National Trust. It is approximately 1000 metres long and 400 metres wide at its widest point.



 A salt marsh has been formed between the spit and the mainland



and many birds enjoy the habitat this brings including this diver,



 who on noticing I was taking its picture promptly dived under the water and emerged at a much safer distance away!



A really relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

I spent the evening at an 'Editors' gig at the Portsmouth Guildhall



which bizarrely was one of the hottest gigs I have ever been to. I spent the whole of the main set at the front but had to retreat to the back near the exit doors towards the end as it was just too hot. The band were on top form despite saying "good evening Norwich"!

02.10.07