Ivy house

This is the most extreme case of ivy growing on a house that I've seen! The odd look of the house is emphasised by the fact that the house next door looks to have neatly trimmed hedges.

Dream job...

When I was at school I wanted nothing more than to be a vet, I was totally committed to the idea, spending time helping at a vets and then going and studying the correct A levels to try and get into vet school. It was hugely disappointing not to make it.

Today I read a superb article about the equine hospital at Newmarket. That is the kind of place I would have loved to work in!

Trip to York

We had a trip to York yesterday, after cancelling an earlier trip there because of bad weather. It was a nice, sunny day, perfect for visiting Clifford's Tower and getting photos and video of the view from the top (a panoramic view of York, with nice views of the Minster). Clifford's Tower is all that remains of York Castle and is now part of English Heritage.

Clifford's Tower

York is one of my favourite cities in England, as well as being one of the most historic, with Roman (Eboracum) and Viking (Jorvik) history, there is the old area round The Shambles. There are also some excellent museums - York Castle Museum, Jorvik, National Railway Museum are some of the best known ones.

We had an excellent meal in 31 Castlegate. We both had rump steak with hand cut chips and mushrooms, the price was good, the service very efficient, pleasant and professional and the food superb. When in York give this place a try!

An old favourite

When I was a kid I always enjoyed watching "Flambards" on TV. It was the story of orphan Christina, who is a heiress sent to live with her crippled Uncle and two cousins on a country estate in Essex (although filmed in Yorkshire). Elder cousin Mark was mad on hunting and didn't want things to move on, and younger cousin William was keen on the new flying machines (the story is set at the turn of the 20th century). Christina was destined to marry Mark so her money could be used to save and restore the crumbling Flambards house and estate. However, Christina had other ideas and runs away to London with Will, eventually marries him, is widowed a short time after and then returns to Flambards. I won't recite the whole story here, suffice to say that the series was based on the "Flambards Trilogy" by K.M. Peyton and never featured the fourth book, written sometime later, called "Flambards Divided".

As a kid mad on the story, I had all the books (I have read them lots of times over the years!) and went to the Flambards Village in Cornwall while on holiday there. The only thing I never wanted was the soundtrack album, as the only thing I disliked about the series was the awful, irritating music it featured. Mark was my favourite character, both in the books and the TV series.

After buying the complete series on VHS years ago, it was nice to get the complete series on DVD last week and it is good to wallow in nostalgia again and remember one of my favourite ever stories in its TV adaptation.

For those who want a shot of nostalgia, here is a clip from episode 2 of the TV series.

Too good to be true?

On a recent visit to Cornwall, a tourist took a photo of the rocks on Western Beach, Newquay, and when the picture was studied closely, an "apparition" resembling the Virgin Mary could be seen. Looking at the photo, the apparition shows clearly, maybe a little too clearly?

I am someone who loves a good ghost story, and always has (every holiday when I was a kid I would get an "Armada Ghost Book" to read while I was away) I was interested to read this story, but think it just might not be what it seems!

At last - a positive story about Rottweilers

The Rottweiler must be one of Britain's most maligned dogs. All too often we hear people calling for them to be banned on account of them being vicious, large, black and tan and other such pathetic reasons.

How nice, therefore, to read about Dave from Blackpool, whose owner runs a pet shop. Dave has "adopted" many different animals, ranging from kittens to rabbits and even birds. Dave is proof that, if treated and trained well, the Rottie can be a superb dog and a good family pet.

Any breed of dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and if incorrectly approached or handled (some adults should be ashamed for letting their children run up and grab strange dogs for example!)

Read Dave's story here.

Visit the Rottweiler Welfare Association here.