Firetop

On bank holiday Monday we took the new ‘family size’ Peugeot 307sw for it’s first long drive down to Bexhill-on-Sea, picking up some family members along the way. My grandparents (Jack and Vera… yes they were a real life couple!) lived in Bexhill for most of my childhood and, with the eight year anniversary of my Grandfather’s passing coming up, we visited his grave which was surrounded by bright blooming flowers. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t too good down in East Sussex, a strong wind meant I had to hold on tight to my Gran to stop her blowing over, she managed her usual ‘you’ll be burying me here soon’ joke none-the-less though, before we all piled back into the car and grabbed some lunch. (more…)

On Friday Suzie_Q and I travelled back from our short overnight stay at Lulworth Cove in Dorset, but not before popping into world reknowned Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre in Wareham. Jim Cronin - the founder of Monkey World, sadly passed away in March this year (Liver Cancer) after creating Dorset’s refuge for monkeys rescued from the illegal pet trade, laboratories and other cruel circumstances. Hopefully Jim’s demise won’t see the closure of this wonderful centre though - it’s one of the only ‘zoos’ I can think of where the inhabitants are given lots of space and as close to natural habitat as possible following their previously traumatic lives. (more…)

On Thursday it was my wife’s birthday so I arranged a night’s stay at The Beach Hotel in Lulworth Cove, Dorset. We travelled down on Thursday morning via the New Forest, arriving in Lulworth at around 3:30pm in search of our hotel’s location. Previous visitors to Lulworth Cove will know that accommodation is provided by a few hotels and guest houses which line the small road down to the shore of the cove. The Beach Hotel is one of the few buildings situated in the pedestrian area in front of the beach - so cars are technically not allowed. However, Suzie_Q being seven months pregnant, I dropped her and our travel case at the door of the hotel and the helpful receptionist provided a parking permit for the main car park. (more…)

I should have remembered how disappointing I found Internet World to be last year at Earls Court, but with free mini seminars on offer covering SEM, PPC and Web 2.0 it again seemed to be worth a visit. Unfortunately within minutes of arriving I was reminded of why the free seminars are NOT a good reason to attend the Internet World show; over subscribed presentations causing a massive shortage of seats and some very basic topics being presented. Quite why a packed crowd was sitting listening to one guy go over slides on SEO which I could well have written seven years ago I don’t know. (more…)