Monday 31 January 2011

Not a dickey-bird

After last week's trip to Norfolk and what became The Scarlet otter-spotter-hell Mrs B was inspired to assist our little feathered friends (I think she secretly harbors a hope that an owl might accidently pop in...).  So I did my bit and purchased the whole kit - stand, bath, feeders and even food.  Put it altogether.....

So with the feeders up we are waiting for our first visitors……………….


Still waiting……………………



Still waiting…………………….



And…………..nothing….


I told Mrs B we should have put out some flyers…..

Still waiting….


Bl**dy feathered B*st*rds…

I even put out fresh water after the bath froze –
I had secretly hoped that one of them might land in there and get its little feet stuck allowing Mrs B a glimpse but the dirty little sods were not just avoiding our expensive food offerings they weren’t even dropping in for a courtesy wash…


It is a pitiful sight watching Mrs B gazing forlornly out of the kitchen window….


The most spectacular no show in history since the organisers failed to post the invites for the time travellers convention until a week after the event…..

Unsuitable Jobs
With Mrs B's staggering inability to see owls (which after some intensive training now seems to be stretching to all birds) I started thinking about unsuitable jobs for people  :-

Mrs B the owl spotter
Me a writer
An electrophobic(1) electrician
An emetophobic(2) bulimic
An eremophobic(3) hermit
A geliophobic(4) comedian
A satanophobi (5) or even  Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobic(6)- Devil worshiper
A hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobic (7)-librarian
A hobophobic (8)- Homeless shelter manager
A hydrophobic (9)- Lifeguard
A necrophobic (10)-Undertaker
A nudophobic(11)- Porn star.
An odontophobic(12)- Dentist.
A zoophobic(13)- Vet.

Feel free to let me know of any other unsuitable jobs that you can think of....

In case you needed some help with some of the phobias:-

(1)  Electrophobia – Fear of electricity
(2)  Emetophobia – Fear of being sick
(3)  Eremophobia – Fear of being alone
(4)  Geliophobia – Fear of laughter
(5) Satanophobia - Fear of Satan
(6) Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia - Fear of the number 666
(7) Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia - Fear of long words.
(8) Hobophobia - Fear of bums or beggars
(9) Hydrophobia - Fear of water  
(10) Necrophobia - Fear of dead things.
(11) Nudophobia - Fear of nudity.
(12) Odontophobia - Fear of teeth.
(13) Zoophobia - Fear of animals.

Film night
At least we managed to fill the sofa for the first film night of the year. It turned into a good evening, managing to squeeze two films in: “Sherlock Holmes” and, as a bonus, the “Red Baron”. Mrs B did well, managing to stay awake for the entire first film but slipped away shortly after the Red Baron took flight…..

Everyone survived the Chilli Con Carne I put down in front of them (surprisingly they rather bravely even ate it) ….Mrs B having had to bail and spend most of the day in work…. I would give you the recipe but I’m not sure you would have all the junk that was in the cupboard. It is amazing how many of the chilli and herb jars that I saw in the cupboard, before I went to the shops, turned out to be empty when I went to use them. I would like to blame Mrs B for this but since I have previous* …..Still bucket loads of vintage mature Worcestershire sauce and loads of garlic covers a multitude of sins….

* Before sentencing and in the spirit of full disclosure I would like the following felonies taken into account
  • Not putting the toilet seat down**
  • Leaving used towels everywhere but the bathroom radiator
  • Leaving toenail polish marks on the….. no wait that was Mrs B
** I think this is unfair, how come it is ok for the ladies to leave the toilet lid up but it is a repugnant crime for a man to leave the seat up....

We weren’t so lucky with the chocolates I got out. I had been given them for Christmas (I shall withhold names to protect the guilty, but guys - who gives someone who does not drink, chocolate liqueurs?) We found that our friends Mark and Lisa were willing to help out and tucked in with gusto…..only they didn’t finish the first one let alone the box. The liqueurs had dried out and when we checked the sell by date it was early last year….

Sniff

Sniff

Hmmm, is that the wiff of a previous year’s Christmas present being recycled.......

 I have a feeling even the most ardent alcoholic would finish off their stocks of meths and furniture polish before reluctantly turning to these chocolate disasters….If you want to test my theory, next time you are out and happen to have a box of Chocolate liqueurs and a can of furniture polish on you and you come across a Wino offer him the choice…..All I’m saying is don’t be surprised if the Wino has no need to shine his turds for the next week or so.....
Energy watch
Monitoring our way to a fortune (or not) with our Solar Panels

KW Produced so far - 150

This has earned us approximately – £63.93 so far

7KW generated in the week

Record of the week

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) by the Beatles - Well not so much flown as never arrived....

Birds by Aztec Camera - As a reminder of what we were hoping to see....

And Your Bird Can Sing by The Beatles - Now this bit is cruel – while we are not getting to see any birds we are certainly hearing them – Carl informed me they are likely to be Robins (Batmen obviously being busy)

Photo finish
With no local photos this week I've dug out some from the Norfolk weekend

Looks like this poor Blue Tit is about to get mugged....

Our bird feeder is very similar -
You just have to imagine it without the birds...

Gold Finch - I suspect male, as it has nuts.....

Geese in formation

Is that an Owl on Mrs B's head?

I bet this Redshank is regretting not
wearing its waders today....

"Who needs a snorkel?"

Sylvia - "Are you OK darling?"
 Cedric - "Not really, I think I might need a dentist....."
Sylvia - "It's probably just a spot of Bull flu dear...."

Should have gone to Spec Savers....

"No I don't need glasses, I've only just woken up...."

Tuesday 25 January 2011

The Scarlet otter-spotter-hell

The Scarlet otter-spotter-hell
They seek him here, they seek him there
Those wildlife photographers seek him everywhere
Leaving us under the red rage spell
that is Scarlet Otter-spotter-hell

He seems to have meddled with the Barn Owl evolution
Spoiling poor Mrs B’s weekend, with no solution
Having taught them all to hide and seek
not one Barn Owl did she manage to peek

They seek him here, they seek him there
Those wildlife photographers seek him everywhere
If you should see him, please do give a yell!
Otherwise we are left in the red rage that is Scarlet Otter-spotter-hell
With apologies to Scarlet Pimpernel
creator Baroness Emma Orczy

Last weekend it was off to Norfolk with our friends Craig and Mala and our wildlife guide Carl from Wildlife tours and education I can’t praise Carl highly enough for his attention to detail and his efforts to keep his guests satisfied.

His only fault (although that is definitely not the correct word) is his passion for birds. I’m more into mammals myself, although I am rather partial to birds of prey (not that I approve of their life style – based as it is on ripping to shreds anything that gets in their way). They are just so sleek and elegant (certainly more like Mrs B than myself).

Don’t talk to me about owls though.  Not a issue for me but yet another weekend without a sighting for Mrs B. I think Carl's enthusiasm took a bit of a dent with even his wildlife spotting talents failing to produce a specimen for Mrs B. He did mention that once Mrs B was out of sight the missing owls miraculously appeared danced along the skyline like extras pooring across the stage of Gandhi the musical.

I’m sorry to say that the otters, my main hope for viewing at the weekend, went the same way as Mrs B’s owls. Carl mentioned, as soon as we arrived for the tour, that the rise in temperature was not a good thing (Mala would definitely disagree on this, being rather partial to a spot of heat*) as it meant that the thawing of the lakes and rivers would make it harder to spot otters**.

* Seven layered Mala Cake
Ingredients:
Take one Mala on a Norfolk Safari
Take a moderately mild weekend
Keep adding layers until (the record so far is 7)
Mala has at least doubled in circumference
Leave outside for a few minutes at a moderate temperature
Stuff full of snacks
Squeeze back into a pre-heated motor vehicle
Serve more food immediately
Repeat until sun goes down

** I’m no wild life expert*** so I’m guessing that the otters would not be out ice-skating but rather congregating around any open water source, allowing us to target them bathing. Perhaps we could have lured them in by leaving out some soap on a rope, those little posh shampoos from expensive hotels and a rubber ducky…..   

***The hunting of the  Sealuck
While the otters were playing hide and more hide with us, we did manage to see plenty of other animals and birds. Including a Sealuck, which is a very rare animal indeed and which was spotted twice in the same day – being as my sighting was the first ever and it turns out it will also be the last (do the maths….) This semi-mythical character is made up of a seal disguised as the hind part of a duck.

OK, through my disapointment at the lack of otter action I might have got a bit over excited and  thought I had seen our first seal of the weekend. It turned out to be a duck's posterior sticking out of the water........in my defence it was quite a distance away and the visibility was not great.  My delightful companions then spent the next two days making comments like:

“Is that a seal in that tree over there?”

“Gosh is that a low flying seal?”

"Why is that seal quacking?"

Hmm........that will teach me to get over-enthusiastic about wild life…
I had hoped that Carl might have stuck a couple of prize specimens in his freezer overnight, like he did with the moths on our last tour. But apparently otters don’t react very well to being frozen, unlike moths who go into a state of suspended animation and gradually come back to life as they thaw out. Otters have a tendency go into a possum-like state but never come out of it.  Very useful if you want something to wrap around you to keep you warm (Mala step away from the otter, you have more than enough layers on) but not if you want a chance to see them frolicking around the country. Not having seen an otter in the wild, however,  I can only assume they frolick……

The Birds
Inspired by our adventures and Carl, our guide's, enthusiasm for our feathered friends,  Mrs B has purchased a cat feeding station  - sorry I mean bird feeding station (Freudian slip) for the back garden.  I never realised just how expensive a hobby it is to entice birds into your garden……. to feed the cats (don’t worry - our two could not catch a cold).  It also creates a whole industry geared around serving the birds.  Have we learned nothing from Alfred Hitchcock ? (This is some of the worst acting and effects I have ever seen.)

Energy watch
Monitoring our way to a fortune (or not) with our Solar Panels

KW Produced so far - 143
( 9KW for the week)

This has earned us approximately – £60.95 so far

21KW  generated in the week

A record of the week

“You won't see me”  by The Beatles – Covering both the missing otters and Mrs B’s no show owls

"Wings of a Dove" by madness – Ok so we didn’t see any doves but they do have feathers,….doves that is, not Madness

“And Your Bird Can Sing” by the Beatles -  Tell me about it, the robins on our roof at night certainly give it a good go  -"Shut up won’t you we are trying to sleep"   and just think Mrs B is trying to encourage more of the noisy sods around.....

“Crazy” by Seal - Just be thankful I could not find anything by the Otters

Photo finish
This week a complete smorgasbord of wildlife - For the record The Beast, with his new 300mm 2.8F lens (Plus 2x converter making it a 600mm 5.6F lens) and monopod, took more luggage than Mrs B, certainly in terms of weight.   

Black-headed Gull on the wing.

Meditteranean Gull - From Carl's level of excitement
I think it is fairly rare sight in the UK.

Unfortunately  Carl's normally extensive trip notes
let me down as he did not mention what this bird
was, So while I can assure you that it is not an owl
(I know this because Mrs B was in the car)
all I am left with is :-

It has feathers  (tick)
Wings 2 (tick)
Legs 2 (tick)

I know it as a ‘Long Billed White Thing that is not an owl'

Turnstones - making laps around us. It was like being
at a race track.....

This swan looks like a bit of a drip....

This male Fallow Deer looked magnificent sitting
down, face on to us. It was only when he stood up
we realised how small he was. I'm sure he will grow
into a magnificent specimen.


For some reason while Mala is petrified
of small cats and dogs, she has no problem
with Deer. Something to do with her
maiden name....Just as well her family name
was not Shark or Mad-Hamster

"Hare today, gone tomorrow...."

Not exactly wild life but a  good example of what
The Beast can do with a 600mm F5.6 lens ....

Mrs B "What no owls?"

Mala, looking for that elusive eighth layer....
  
Carl holding court

This would have been so much better if there was a
great big fat otter in the middle staring back at us...

Don't know why but I still like it, it must be the shapes.

Bewick swans
It looks like they are on a field trip.....

I think we have this young Grey Seal's attention....

"Oooh, That tickles"

"Across a bit,
down a bit
Aaaaggghhhh
That's the spot"
  
The determined commuter

This little Sanderling reminds me of a determined commuter,
hands in pockets as he fights against  the traffic…

Craig looking a bit like an eco warrier

Daphne and Gerald sunning themselves on the beach

This is either a very persistent second hand
car salesman or a rather randy Pheasant on the pull....

“But madam you can get it in matching drab brown….”

Yes ladies and gentlemen it's that time of year...
Like something out of a Benny Hill sketch
and proof that sex sells.... 

I think I did capture one otter

but he looks board.....

I don't think Mrs B is going to like my
suggestion that we get up even earlier
next time to go otter spotting....

Next week
Mrs B's cat feeding bird feeding station has yet to produce its first victim customer, so I'm not sure if I will be able to bring any pictures of anything but uneaten (but I can assure very expensive) bird food for next week.

Sunday 16 January 2011

From Russia without love......

In preparation for this years New Year ski trip to Merible my declaration that I could get 4 of us (Mrs B, my sister, our 13 year old nephew Alex and myself), along with associated luggage to Gatwick airport, was met with cynical mumbles and groans about how it could never happen. As it happens I managed to cram all 4 of us, two sets of skis, The Beast, his own luggage*,2 boot bags, 4 large bags, 3 pieces of hand luggage plus some Christmas detritus** into our trusty old VW Golf…..I must admit that there was hardly a nook or cranny left to squeeze in even a wafer-thin mint and if we had tried it, we probably would have done a credible job of re-enacting the Mr Creosote scene from Monty Python's ‘The Meaning of Life’.

* Just one bag currently but The Beast is actively campaigning to bring more luggage on future trips-

Over my dead body says Mrs B, who is claiming that a number of The Beast's additional items somehow managed to make it into her hand luggage – I can only hope she answered honestly the questions at he airport :-

"Did you pack your own bag?"

and

“Could anyone have interfered with your luggage?”

** Including an air bed***, Christmas presents and the parcel shelf – which would have stayed at home but since the car was being left in the Gatwick short stay car park for a week**** I thought it best to hide the Christmas detritus away from view. The parcel shelf meant that Alex was hidden from view but I figured it was a bit of an adventure for a 13 year old…..besides it goes with my "children" theory that they should not be obscene as well as absurd…..

*** The geography and logistics of Christmas make for some interesting packing requirements

**** “Are you mad?” I hear you say, “A week in short stay will cost you an arm and a leg….” Well yes, ordinarily it would but the airport was doing a "pre-booked" offer, which meant that for £95 (same price as Valet parking and only £10 more than offsite parking, with its delights of taking hours to get back to your car) you get to park right next to the terminal.  On the whole it worked well, if you discount the exit machine demanding a further £230 to let us out. A trip to the office to say "W.T.F?" and shaking our parking paid confirmation indignantly at them and we were on our way, with only a short lecture on how to use the system properly next time.... 

Accommodation
The chalet we stayed in took 14 guests, plus two live-in chalet staff and, although comfortable enough, it was badly designed. Set out over 5 floors, the kitchen was so small that you would struggle to swing a really small flea let alone a full-sized cat. Our two chalet hosts Ryan and Buster did an incredible job preparing and plating the food in such a small space. Although there was enough room around the table for eating, the rest of the main living space only had seating for about 8 people…..At least 4 rooms were not being used and the top floor, I guess the overflow for the main living space was so isolated that it was never used….I won’t even mention the half height area that was suitable for a family of dwarves but little else. It did come equipped with half size table and chairs so I guess when the dwarves aren’t using it and Snow White is out you could stuff small children in there (word of caution, as there was no door, let alone locks, any pesky kids you did stick in there would find it easier to escape from than Ford Open prison)

The main problem with the accommodation was its position. In the brochure, 300 metres from a chair lift does not sound unreasonable. It’s only on the first morning that you discover that the first 100 metres is up an extremely steep and icy road that would have had Haile GebreSelassie wheezing like McG***** after a 2 metre hike…..Coming back was not much better until we discovered, on the second to last day, an off-piste option that took us to within 10 metres of the front door.

***** Our aging but lovable cat, who counts chewing as a major exercise and has dedicated every waking moment of his life in pursuit of perfecting his chosen sport. If the ‘100 metre chew’ or the ‘Triple supper’ had been Olympic sports, McG would have been a gold medallist.

One thing that was noticeable was that they closed the run down to the chair when the chair closed for the evening, which meant a whole heap of trouble if you were coming back late and were not prepared to skip under the security rope. Being adults Mrs B and I happily went under the rope but poor Alex, being only 13 and coming back from a ski lesson on his own ended up being funnelled off in the wrong direction. He compounded his error by getting on the wrong bus and headed down the valley towards a different resort. Fortunately, for once not being hidden under a parcel shelf, he was able to notice the alarming loss of altitude on the journey.  He managed to persuade the bus driver to deviate from his course and drop him off at a place he could get a bus back. I can only assume that the bus was crowded and the driver considered it worth it to inconvenience all the other passengers on board, in order to provide himself with plenty of opportunity to practice the Gallic shrug  and watch with amusement as his passengers erupted into open rioting. I’m not saying this actually happened but knowing the French it is probably a 95% certainty……

Chalet rep
Steve, a really friendly guy from Newcastle but way too laid back for a ski rep. He organised ski days, where he takes customers around the resort only he never gave us the correct name of the chair lift to meet him at and kept changing the time without letting anyone know. Mrs B and I pinned him down for one day and were the only ones that turned up. I guess everyone else was trying to meet him at a different point and a different time. Still we had a great day skiing with him but felt we somewhat tired him out – not only did he not speak any French but he had not skied before this season – the two main requirements for a Ski rep in a French resort. He did a fantastic job for someone who had only been on skis for six weeks but this probably explains his three falls. My favourite one being:

Steve – “Are you two alright skiing on black runs?”

Us – “Yeah not a problem”

Steve – swoosh, swoosh, “Aaaarrrgggghhh”

Noticeably he didn’t go on anymore black slopes after this….

Fellow guests
The first people we met was a family of 4 Russians - To be honest I have not experienced many Russians in my life but those I have met have not left a great impression so far and these were no exception.

  • The grandfather, who actually turned out to be the father (on his fourth wife). His huge size (certainly around his middle) can be put down to the extra meals. I’m not sure if it is a Russian tradition but shortly after finishing their three course New Year's Eve meal in the chalet they were out the door and heading for a second dinner at a local restaurant. It’s not like we were being fed small portions in the chalet either, very strange…..
  • The mother, who had more Botox than half of Hollywood.  It didn't make any difference though, since the woman had clearly never cracked a smile in her life....
  • The two boys who were personable enough if you like your conversations dull and lifeless without the faintest whiff of humour. For my sanity's sake and international relations I took the wise precaution of always being at the opposite end of the table during peace talks   at meal times….
They were not alone. Courcheval, in the next valley along from Meribel is rife with Russians.  In fact it is almost impossible to ski more than about 10 feet without falling over one of them…..What the Russians have brought to skiing (an already horrendously expensive sport) is vast sums of money, a lot of bad taste****** and excessive amounts of misery.

****** Brown, even when covered in diamonds, even if they are real diamonds, has no place on the ski slopes. I speak from experience as I spent a couple of years wearing a drab brown and beige jacket and, as regular readers will already know, I am to fashion what Gordon Brown is (or was) to the UK economy i.e a complete disaster ……. How can you trust an entire country that seems to have based their ski fashion policy on a bad choice even by my low standards?

The remaining 6 guests were a family group from the midlands comprising of Tam who is the sister of Taz, who is the husband of Nicky who is the Aunt of Imogen who is the step sister of Holly who is the daughter of Phil who is Tam's husband. Did you get that? I hope you did as you will be  quizzed later…. Unlike our Russian friends, they had a great sense of humour and fun. They split into three distinct ski groups

Tam, Taz and Phil were the ‘A team’ – dedicated to skiing hard and fast for as long as possible

Nicky – was the founding member and main stay of ‘Team Fabulous’ – Main aim: eating, drinking and looking good, while spending as little time skiing as possible. I believe Nicky only goes skiing after Taz signs an agreement to carry her skis and allows her to research and book all the restaurants (expensive ones*******) in advance.

While Holly and Imogen were floaters - Who tried hard to stay in Team Fabulous but were often forced to join in with the A team by Tam and Phil

Mrs B, Alex (when not in ski school) and I,  happily fitted in with the A Team. While my sister, also a Nikki, was simply made for Team Fabulous.  Although she would probably like a little more wine, a lot more sunshine and all mention of skiing eradicated from the Team Fabulous charter.

******* Salads – I have never paid over £30 for a salad before……I expected a lot more than just a plate of leaves, a couple of bread crumbs and a tasteless dressing. No, I don’t mean it was wearing brown and talking Russian but on that subject I do hold them responsible for the ridiculous price. Team Fabulous, who had selected the restaurant, lost some brownie points for this.  Even they realised that the quality of the food and the price being asked was way out of kilter.

My highlights of the Holiday

Love brings out the animal in all of us
Holly being forced to admit, in front of the entire chalet, that the sounds she was making in the bathroom was her on the phone to her boyfriend, who she calls Wolfie. While Wolfie pretends to eat the phone and makes barking noises, Holly makes cat noises…..each to their own.

Some things probably should not be shared even amongst the family
Imogen To her uncle Taz – "Can I have your wee when you have finished with it….?"
Taz – Looking blank and a little worried
Me – “What, in a jar?”
Imogen – “No moron, his Nintendo Wii”

Wipe out
I had been standing stationary for about five minutes, waiting for everyone to catch up, when my legs were scythed from under me
Me – “What the F…….”
Mrs B - (a crumpled mess next to me) “You moved”
Me “Yeah, last year…..”

Quiz
I did warn you

1). On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being very) Just how miserable were the Russians?

2).  What type of dog biscuits does Wolfie favour?

3). How embarrassed should the designer of the Chalet be?

Answers on a snow flake

Energy watch
Monitoring our way to a fortune (or not) with our Solar Panels

KW Produced so far - 122
( 9KW for the week)

This has earned us approximately – £52.00 so far

Most of the 9KW were generated on the only sunny day we have had. The general grey skies and BBC weather forecasting is hampering our road to riches…

A record of the week
  • Queen of the New Year by Deacon Blue – As an ode to Team Fabulous and a reminder that this was a New Year trip but it has taken me a while to get it to the BlackLOG
  • STING - RUSSIANS (Live) – Well, there were rather a lot of them
  • The Beatles – MiserySeems to sum up a nation
  • Culture Club - I'll Tumble 4 YaThanks Mrs B, I owe you one…..
Photo finish

£30 for a salad, ridiculous 
£9 for this.....Hmmmm OK sounds like a bargain

Mrs B and Big Sis, who is
looking a little like that bug
from last week....

Like an episode of a soap, Tam is married to Phil whose
daughter Holly is step-sister of Imogen whose Aunt
Nicky (no, not my sister Nikki) is married to Taz, 
whose sister Tam is ......sorry where were we again???   

Holly - skiing like she was being chased by a Wolf.....

The Alps in all their glory....

Sat Tam - whose every moment not skiing is spent nose
deep in a piste map....Mrs B and I just follow blindly.
Whenever we look at a piste map we have forgotten
where we were going before it has even been folded back
up and zipped in our pocket.

She did very well, apart from the incident on the bubble
lift, where Sat Tam made us all get out at the 1st stage
and then pile back in again, much to the amusement of
a French ski instructor. I have sneaking suspicion she
made us get out so that she could avoid sitting next to
said ski instructor..... 

Tam leading the way....

Alex taking the more conventional route down the
mountain rather than the bus to the next village.

At 13 and with only a couple of weeks experience of 
skiing under his belt, I'm already having
to push myself to stay ahead of him......

Mrs B looking a bit like Penelope Pitstop

Big Sis and nephew Alex....

Phil looking like he is getting a bit out of
his comfort zone.....

"He-y-alp!, He-y-alp!"
The perils of Penelope Pitstop

Team Fabulous looking for the next restaurant....

Uncle Taz "No Imogen, you can't have my wee"

A sunset inversion in Merible.

Shoot out at 1400 feet.

Almost everytime we got off a chair lift we would be
pestered by French men wanting to take our pictures.

When Tam's  claims that she had her own official 
photographer fell on deaf ears, I whipped out
The Beast. This man knew when he had been beaten....  

Holly letting her cat instincts come out at meal time....

It was not too bad until the Furball incident......

Martin the Marmot (The official chalet mascot)
and Taz in a head to head....

I have a feelng they are more
closely related than they were letting on....

Sis, in one of her audition pictures for "Team Fabulous"

Ryan - busy preparing dinner at Warp speed

Buster - we feared for his safety as
Nicky (captain of Team Fabulous)
took a keen  maternal interest in him.

Leading to her being called either

Evil Heidi

or

A blonde version of the Child Catcher
from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

As it happens it was fortunate that the dwarf 
room didn't have a lockable door otherwise
we might never have seen Buster again....

Nicky "Please don't make me go back on the slopes....."

Members of the A team - including me... If you look
carefully I'm reflected in the sunglasses.....

This weekend we have been on a wild life tour of Norfolk with Craig, Mala and our fantastic guide Carl. 
Find out what we saw in next week's BlackLOG.....It will also be exclusively revealed who took the most luggage, Mrs B or The Beast.....????