Strike A Pose

Utoxeter has some new statues, on two of the three main entries into town. They are both by the same sculptor, and quite impressive.

The bull is representative of Uttoxeter's past as a cattle market, but as for the Centaur, I have no idea. Perhaps it is meant to represent Uttoxeter's Racecourse and/or Uttoxnian's affinity to horses!

Nice though - I like them (although I think the bull's legs are a little too tall!)

Geocaching - UK Style

1. Having introduced Dad to geocaching, he took me to the point of his first find - well, to the gateway anyway. He parked up, and left me to find the cache myself, as he sat in the car and watched. I looked around one gatepost, and then the other. Nothing too obvious. Then a saw a snail, which looked out of place (in as much as a snail can look out of place!). I tentatively picked it up, and, sure enough, it was a snail shell, with a tiny sealed capsule inside, with the log rolled up inside it. Very clever.

2. The next time I went out, was with the two Tims. For the first one, only (son) Tim was able to go, and we strolled past the Racecourse towards gz (ground zero). Hmm. Problem. It was race day, and the whole area was full of people. This made it rather difficult for us to find the public footpath, as we had to walk around the field that everyone parks in first, to find the right track! Finally (after asking someone) we found the footpath, so off we went. A quick diversion off the path, and Tim was soon rummaging inside a hollow tree "found it".

We were then joined by (son-in-law) Tim, so off we went looking for more. We had trouble finding the tiny caches, and were even joined by their friend Liam, so the next stop was actually near Alton Towers. We walked down to the Chained Oak (of spooky tale fame) and I quickly found the cache near there. In convoy, we set off to Croxden, and Liam found that one (after a nasty lady told us where NOT to park!). A diversion through a ford, and Tim (S) found that one. Perfect - one find for each of us. Brilliant day.

3. Jess wanted to go with me too, so, on the Sunday, we went out again. This time, we had a geocoin with us, which had originated in Alaska. The owner was born in the UK, to an American forces father, and had never been able to return. In his place, he had sent the coin, to travel England for him, asking people to take pictures wherever his coin went. How clever. We left it in the cache we found at Stafford Castle, before Jess and I went on to find some more at Doveridge and Uttoxeter. She was very good, and even found a small one, shaped like a small stone, next to a fence post.

The Three Stooges

Tim said I looked like a lumberjack in this shirt. I wasn't very happy, as I liked it a lot. Now I will think I look silly each time I put it on. Thanks Tim.

Three Three Degrees

As it was Mothering Sunday while I was in the UK, I wanted a photo of the 3 women together, to celebrate. We had lots of laughs taking the photo's but of all of them, these two were the best one's I got.

Dad took some too, but I haven't seen them yet. Maybe they are even better.

Jess's new toy

As the saying goes: the older the boys, the more expensive the toys. Jess had bought herself a new car, which I had seen in phot but she was able to pick me up from the airport in it.

Initially, it was hidden behind a large 4x4, but I was thrilled for her, when I saw it. A lovely (girlie) red soft-top. I simply burst out laughing, when she pressed the button, and remotely unlocked the car, then put down the roof. Wonderful. (Not jealous at all - honestly :-s)

Thankfully, my 2 cases fitted in the boot, so off we went, sunglasses on, roof down, cruising through the Staffordshire and Derbyshire countryside. Great fun. I bet all of the other drivers wondered what the old biddy was doing in the passenger seat!

Baa Baa Black Sheep

For once, I timed my visit to the UK perfectly, for the spring lambs.

In the fields all around, there were lots of new-born lambs. Dad, on his daily walk, even saw one that was just born, the mother nudging it, before it went for it's first suckle. It was lovely to see them, especially when they jumped - which I saw twice.

Pub Quiz

I love pub quizes. I may not be the brightest spark, but I have a good general knowledge, and I love the banter, both within and between teams. Sadly, there are no pub quizes here, but on landing at EMA last week, Jessica announced that I would be attending their local pub quiz that night. Yippee.

That evening found me sat at a long table, surrounded by 20-somethings all ready for the quiz. There were 6 in our team, the next oldest being 26 - about half my age! One chap was on his own, but other teams varied at around 4-5 people.

First, we had a picture round. I recognised Micky Mouse, and Museli, as well as a Mustang, but after that I was lost! Next, a pop round. I've heard of Justin Bieber, but if I fell over him, I wouldn't have known who he was, so I wasn't much good there either. However, I did know a few answers, (who was the Man Who Fell To Earth, with Lulu?)so not totally useless. Next, a round about the Wild West. Thank You Eddie. Ed loves westerns, and watches them most weeks, so, somehow, I knew most of these answers (although not all of them)!

A few more rounds, and the quizmaster said we would have a break. Havoc. Everyone started complaining that other teams would cheat, using their mobile phones (internet) to find the answers. The poor girl did her best to pacify everyone, but it got very unfriendly. The man on his own complained loudest, with us not very far behind... "look, he's using his phone..." About 10 minutes later, we completed the final round, (Which policeman did Jack Turner play in 400 episodes?) and it was time to correct the sheets.

We swapped with other teams, and all marked each others. The usual groans and moans when the answers came out... "I told you..." or "Oh, I knew that". Laughter everywhere. The girl went around afterwards, asking who had scored what. We had 32 out of 50. Not very good, but evidently not the worst. Jessica asked a friend how he/they had done. Well, he replied, we got 6 in the first round, which was 1/2 of our total. Oh dear.

Then, the girl announced that we were the winners! What? The nearest to us was 26, so we won by a lot. (And after all that complaining about the other teams too.) We won a free meal for 2, which was a great treat. The others allowed Jess and I to go, being the honorary visitor (and the one who knew the Wild West answers). Thanks all. Great fun. I'll go again next time I'm over.