Seamer Road Mere to be ruined

Those who have read my blog from the beginning may remember this post about a pleasant Sunday afternoon walk to Seamer Road Mere in Scarborough.

I have a big soft spot for the Mere, its wildlife is better than Peasholm Park, its waters are cleaner than the dank pools at Peasholm and it is not infested with feral pigeons and grey squirrels, unlike Peasholm.

Now, Scarborough Borough Council have announced plans to "regenerate" the area, so you can guarantee it will no longer be a peaceful haven for wildlife!

The plans include a surf or ski dome or a water park, a hotel, a visitor centre, "eco huts" and provision for cyclists.

Now, as everyone who is familiar with the idiots who ride cycles round Scarborough will know, they regard the pavements as their own personal racing tracks, so this arrogant, smug attitude will soon be apparent at our beloved Mere. On a brighter note, they could always position the cycle tracks across the local quick sands!

Read about this potential environmental desecration here.

Reading

Over the past few weeks I have been reading some of the books written by Joyce Stranger, who wrote some brilliant animal stories.

The first Joyce Stranger book I read was "Kym" about a Siamese cat, and after reading that I would buy any Joyce Stranger book I saw in the shops, so I had quite a good selection. One of my favourites is "Casey" about a farm kitten which makes friends with a bull.



However, the books I have read recently have all centred around the Lakes. The first one, about a sheepdog which is born wild and then becomes tame and devoted to a small boy was called "Rex".



The last one I read was "The Running Foxes" which is set in the same Lakes village as "Rex" and features some of the same characters.



Tonight I will be starting "Lakeland Vet" which, again, is set in the Lakes village. This will be the book I take on holiday with me when we go to Belgium for Christmas.

Long tailed tits

For the past couple of weeks, the tree outside our flat window has been a feeding ground for a flock of long tailed tits.

We have had the pleasure of seeing these acrobatic little birds flying from branch to branch in search of insects, and the fact that they keep returning means that there must be plenty of insect life in that tree!

That is one advantage of watching birds in winter - it is easier to see them when the leaves have gone from the trees. They seem to come most in the early morning and towards dusk, around 3:30 pm.

We also get other types of tit on the trees, and sometimes goldfinches. We will be putting some food out to try and ensure that none of our smaller feathered friends starve this winter.

More on the long tailed tit here.

Unemployment - they should ask those who know

Yet another bright spark has produced a load of rubbish on how the unemployment issue should be dealt with. Yet again, it is obviously someone who has no idea about unemployment or what it actually entails. The latest gem says that the unemployed should do a 9-5 day of job searching. A previous "expert" said that people were unemployed because they lacked basic skills such as numeracy and literacy! Having seen the examples of literacy among those in work, it is not the unemployed who are illiterate!

As someone who is long term unemployed, I will offer my own slant on this.

I have been on many training schemes and very rarely have I come across people with numeracy or literacy problems. I have a science degree, does that smack of being illiterate and innumerate?

The best way to help the long term unemployed is to provide work-based placements, which allows a person to gain some valuable experience, and also an up to date work reference. Without experience and references, no employer will look at you twice, no matter how many hours you spend a day searching and applying for jobs!

Also, there should be an end to the ageist bias in training. Once you are past the age of 25, there is no proper help available, whereas the under 25s have the Modern Apprenticeship and the New Deal. Any work placements which do come up and have a good chance of leading to a job are only offered to the under 25s.

The New Deal for the over 25s is only available after you have been unemployed for 18 months (as opposed to six months for those under 25). On this scheme you will spend all day looking for jobs, without a hope in hell of getting one when you don't have the proper experience! Without getting a work placement, this scheme is next to useless, and certainly of no benefit to anyone.

The government should ask those of us who are unemployed what would help us the most rather than relying on the "expertise" of someone who has never been in that situation themselves.

Virtualbox and live disks - never again!

Tux the Linux mascot

I have been considering trying out Linux for a while now, having read that it was a stable, secure, reliable operating system. Last week I bought a magazine devoted to starting up with Linux, which contained a "live CD" containing the Ubuntu 8.10 system.

The magazine contained instructions on using Linux but still keeping Windows XP - you could set up a dual boot system which would mean having both the Linux and Windows on the same computer and choosing which to run on boot up or you could install a virtual machine which would run the Linux as a "guest" system within the Windows "host".

I chose to use the virtual machine, and, having specifications which were OK, I installed "Virtualbox".

And then the nightmare began!

The Ubuntu disk started up in Virtualbox, and I thought things were going OK, until the right CTRL key stopped working, which meant that the "guest" system had "captured" my computer keyboard! Then I got a message saying that Virtualbox had encountered an error and needed to close down. Then the fun started. The DVD drive on my computer jammed with the damned live disk still inside! Pushing the emergency eject button made no difference and I could not eject the disk via the link in My Computer.

I tried System Restore, but, predictably, instead of booting into Windows when it started up, the damned Linux screen appeared! After several seconds of frantically pushing the eject button on the DVD drive, the disk tray finally opened and the disk was taken out, never to be tried out again!

I have never been so happy to see the Windows XP screen appear on boot up! Needless to say, Virtualbox has been removed from my PC and to be honest if I never see that software again it will be too soon!

As for running an OS from a disk, that is something I will never do again in a hurry!

The victims of factory farming

Some of the videos in this post may (or should) upset you. For that I do not apologise, as it is time that people woke up to the suffering of farm animals. By "farm animals" I do not mean the cute and cuddly veal calves that everyone chelps on about, I mean the less visually appealing ones (therefore the ones that many people believe do not matter).

Foie gras is a French "delicacy" which is produced by force feeding ducks and geese until their livers swell to bursting point (and their stomachs often rupture). Stores which refuse to sell crate reared veal on the grounds that it is "cruel" will not remove foie gras from their shelves. If you replace a duck or a goose with a calf, and force feed that until its liver swells, there would be an international outcry and the practice would be banned.



Here are some videos taken undercover by Hillside Animal Sanctuary on an RSPCA "monitored" "Freedom" Foods farm. It shows the disgusting conditions poultry are kept in.



Here is an Animal Aid one:


And here is one about veal. Watch the others first and then this, and ask yourself if it's still OK to ill treat something with feathers and wrong to ill treat something with fur!



After watching that I can say that the calves are in better (and more roomy) conditions than those endured by battery hens. Yet all those who moan on about veal will happily go out and buy battery eggs and intensively reared chicken and then have the nerve to say "I like animals, I will never eat veal because it's cruel but I like eating chickens because chickens are nothing, it doesn't matter about them!"

The anti-veal, and the anti-live exports brigade and moaners, are the biggest hypocrites alive.

Gouldian Finch

My male red headed gouldian behind the white zebra finch

Today I lost my male red headed gouldian finch. I had had him for more than four years, so I have no idea how old he was.

He had been getting weak, and very recently had been bullied, so I made the decision to take him to the vet to be put to sleep.

The vet was very good, and the procedure was over quickly. I signed a consent form and then the bird was injected (a very narrow syringe making it look like hell of alot of drug). It took a couple of minutes but he went very peacefully and relaxed.

I have not seen a bird put to sleep since helping at the vets when I was at school. It is also sixteen years to the day that my old Dalmatian was put to sleep, he died at home.

Terrorist scum to be shot

The Bali terrorists, who blew up a nightclub in 2002, have lost their appeal against being shot. There were 202 innocent people killed in the attack.

The terrorists claimed that being shot would constitute torture and could cause a painful death, and instead wished to be beheaded or killed by lethal injection.

Who cares that the scum might suffer a painful death? The scum did not think about the suffering of the victims so why all the uproar about whether or not they will suffer?

My personal opinion is that they should die by the most painful and prolonged method possible, after all, mass murdering scum like them deserve nothing less.

More on the story here.

More on Pebbles

The other day the local rag carried this update on Pebbles the Sainsbury's cat, who committed the heinous crime of scratching or biting a brat who could not leave her alone.

We would like to see Pebbles back too.

Young carers

I know how they feel! Helping those kids who have to look after a sick or disabled relative is a very worthwhile cause.

I remember being in that situation when I was 14 and having to take time off school - it was like going to school and then coming home and going straight up to the hospital, or having to get stuff from the chemists and do the shopping and other housework.

I remember having no one I could talk to about it, losing friends because no one wanted to hang around with someone who had to stop in to look after a sick grandparent and feeling very lonely.

Alot of the kids who are carers have alot more stressful time than I had, and providing activities and holidays for them is something very worthy. Please visit this site to find out more.

Spam e-mail!

Spam mail leaves people choking - Scarborough Evening News

According to the local rag - Scarborough Evening News - local businesses are "choking" under the weight of spam e-mails because they receive on average, almost 10 per day!

They should thank their lucky stars they don't have my e-mail inbox, most morning I have at least 20 junk e-mails, ansd this morning I have had 30 so far!

Those with only 10 don't know they're born!

Where is Pebbles?

Pebbles is the black and white cat that, for years, has lived around the Sainsbury's store in Scarborough. Now read the report in the link below:

Family's call after 'store cat' bites boy- COMMENT ON THIS STORY - Scarborough Evening News

Pebbles seems to have vanished into oblivion now, just because parents don't bother to teach their kids to respect animals and never to approach an animal and just start mauling it! Now, when the cat acts entirely naturally, it is blamed and classed as "dangerous"!

As an animal owner, I find kids a damned menace and parents of these kids often ignorant and stupid. I once owned a Dalmatian, and thanks to that damned Disney film, walking him could be a nightmare because stupid parents would let their brats come up and grab him (they never bother to ask whether or not the dog would like to be mauled by their brats, they just stand and let it happen and then blame the owner of the dog if there's a problem). The vast majority of animal attacks on kids would not happen if parents taught their little darlings never to approach and touch a strange dog (or cat). Instead of the owners ending up in court because of stupid parents, let the parents be fined because, at the end of the day, they are responsible for the actions of their kids, or at least they should be.

How many more animals must die needlessly just because of stupid brats and their (even more stupid) parents?

Holiday flights part two - BRU-EMA

Our return flight home was on 11th September. The weather had started to improve a bit just as the holiday came to an end which was annoying - we had a drenching in Zeebrugge on the previous Friday and one in Oostende as we left Delhaize on the previous Tuesday. 

We caught the train from Oostende via Brussels Zuid to the airport and went to Brussels Cafe for dinner - I had the very pleasant ricotta tortellini and Hoegaarden to drink - normally the only place in Belgium where I drink Hoegaarden is "T'awd Stee-amer", my favourite Zeebrugge pub.

Our flight was BD236, scheduled departure time of 17:05. We checked in with plenty of time to spare, and were given seats 14D and 14F, at least we wouldn't be on the back row again. We bought a bottle of jenever each and then went though security (where I always end up being searched!)

Once in the departure area, it was time for some spotting. For me it was a very good haul, as I am not lucky enough to be a regular spotter, I bagged many firsts on photo and video.

A couple of general views of the line up in BRU.

A new one for me - I had not bagged this Transavia livery before.

Two different Freebirds equals two more newbies!

BMI's flight to Heathrow gets push back.

I had never seen Helvetic before but one was parked very close to where we were sitting:

Pinkie gets push back, no idea where Pinkie was going.

Two other delights, which were more distant so I could only capture with the more powerful zoom of my video, were my first-ever Vueling and the Lufthansa CRJ "Little Europe". So all in all, it was a very pleasing afternoon for me.

Our flight was to depart from gate B09, and I was quite pleased to see that I would be going in my first-ever logojet - a "Star Alliance"-painted ERJ145 G-RJXI.

G-RJXI at gate B09.

At 16:51 we were called to board.

Boarding the flight. It was a full flight, unlike the mostly-empty one of the previous week.

We were greeted by the steward Gareth and another cabin attendant called Elizabeth was also on board.

We had a wing view, and another interesting bagging:

This unusually-coloured aircraft  was operating the flight to Leeds Bradford.

The Captain welcomed passengers aboard. She was called Hazel and the other pilot was called James. I thought it was great - a woman flying the plane while a man served the food and drinks! She said that we would be flying at 27,000 feet and the flight would last about fifty minutes.

We pushed back at 17:09 and taxied to runway 25R (?). We took off and 17:18, and below there is a video of the take off.

The aircraft climbed smoothly at first.

View just after take off. There was not too much cloud at this point.

As we climbed higher we hit some turbulence, and flew into clouds.

Going into the cloud.

As we flew through the cloud, we had quite a bit of turbulence. However, soon we were above the clouds.

Above the clouds.

The crew started serving the inflight snack. Normally I would avoid BMI sandwiches like the plague, but we didn't know what time we would eat again so I attempted a beef and salad sandwich.

The beef and salad sandwich.

The sandwich was soggy and doughy lumps stuck to my fingers. I ate half of it and by then I had had enough!

There was a choice of the beef, cheese (avoid at all cost on BMI), ham or egg.

Soon after the meal we started our descent into East Midlands.

Views as we came towards East Midlands.

It was quite clear on approach, and certainly calmer than the ferocious crosswinds we had last year.

Videos of the approach. Sorry that it is in four parts, I was having problems with the camera battery.

We touched down at 17:12 and taxied to the terminal, where a bus was waiting to take us to the arrivals area. We were through passport control very quick and our luggage was waiting for us when we reached the baggage reclaim area.

We caught the bus into Derby and then the train to Leeds, another horrible East Midlands Trains experience - paying for first class and enduring a carriage with messy tables, drinks in cardboard cups with wooden stirrers - an absolutely crap train company if ever there was one!

The flight was great, and so was the holiday, but in December we are sailing to Belgium and I don't know when my next flights will be.

Zeebrugge

Zeebrugge is one of my favourite places in Belgium. Going there in September you feel you have the place to yourself, and in the week the beach has been quiet. A trip to Zeebrugge (especially if you go on the train) involves a bit of walking. If you go on Monday to Friday you arrive in Dorp station, and then if you want to head to the beach area you walk all along Kustlaan past cranes and with trams and big trucks passing you at regular intervals. I find it quite an amazing place. 

We first went to Zeebrugge in September 2006, on a very hot afternoon. It was so nice to get into a bar - Old Steamer - and have a big glass of ice cold Hoegaarden beer. Now every time we go to Zeebrugge we have Hoegaarden in Old Steamer (Rederskaai). They used to have a fish tank in there but not any more.

For meals we discovered Old Barrel (Zeedijk). We have had mostly pork here - chops or ribs - but last time we had a beautiful steak as it poured with rain outside! The photos in the report were taken on our latest visit, which was ruined by rain.

Cat on Markt Plein. I think it's a British Shorthair.

A fishing boat returns to port.

I think the white boat is the one used for sightseeing trips on the harbour.

A cat outside Suffolk Ferry pub near Dorp station.

A containership below the cranes.

Zeebrugge marina. The low building behind the white van is our beloved Old Steamer bar.

Stalls on Markt Plein.

Markt Plein.

Near Seafront Maritime Theme Park.

Seafront flags.

I have many photos of Zeebrugge, taken near the beach, near the container area, along the marina, along Kustlaan and from the boat. I have too many to post in one go here, but more will follow.

I have not finished visiting Zeebrugge yet!

The Orchestra

Last night we went to see The Orchestra at Scarborough Futurist. The Orchestra is made up of members of ELO and ELO Part 2.

There was a big crowd, and we had to queue to get inside, the queue stretched quite a way along the street.

We listen to ELO CDs alot, mostly when we are relaxing with a beer on a Saturday night, and so the songs are ones I am used to listening to as I enjoy a good beer. I have also used several on my holiday videos. The first song of the night - "Twilight" - was one I used on a section featuring a boat ride in Zeebrugge and the ride back from Zeebrugge Strand station! 

There was a good mix of ages there, proof that the music appeals to kids as well as those in their thirties and forties.

All my favourites were sung - "Telephone Line", "Sweet Talking Woman", "Don't Bring Me Down" etc. It was the first proper concert I'd been to, apart from going to see an ELO Tribute band at The Spa back in July.

To find out more about The Orchestra visit their website here.

To visit the site of the ELO Tribute band we went to see, click here. 

Before the concert we stopped off at our favourite pub and had a De Koninck beer.

Poperinge

Poperinge was an important place in WWI. From here, British troops travelled to the front lines, and it was here that they also found the opportunity to relax in the preserved Talbot House (or "Toc H"). 

Poperinge was also known as a place where "deserters" were executed.

We visited Poeringe on a hot, sunny day and enjoyed a very good steak at Cafe de la Paix on the Grote Markt.

The cell where "deserters" spent their last night before being shot at dawn.

Poperinge church.

Poperinge church in sepia.

Poperinge is an important hop growing area. This is the National Hop Museum.

Hops at the museum.

Views of the market square.

The shooting post.

Poperinge Stadhuis.

Talbot House "Toc H".

Poperinge is often overlooked by British visitors to Belgium in favour of Ieper, but I found Poperinge to be just as thought-provoking as its better-known neighbour.