Blackpool

For SJ's parents 50th wedding anniversary, we treated them to a weekend in Blackpool. This was where they met and has a special meaning for them. It's been years since I went to Blackpool and its changed almost beyond recognition. The seafront especially has seen some major renovation, however there are still plenty of places where it has clearly lost its way. We stayed in an amazing bed and breakfast...really top notch, I think it was called the Redland...

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The long walk...take 2

I've been wanting to do something for a cause that really means something to me for a while. Feet First are a charity that treat Talipes and Clubfoot worldwide. I was born with Talipes and have had several operations over the years to correct my feet. If you're born in pretty much anywhere in the western world, it's simple, easy and pretty painless to treat Talipes nowadays, however in much of the developing world, Talipes can be a debilitating deformity that cripples its victims and causes extreme pain, an inability to work and ultimately social exclusion and death.

SJ and I signed up for a 26.2 mile marathon walk around the London Olympic venues. We had to do an awful lot of training, walking around 30-40 miles per week but in the end it was well worth it. On Sept 1st, we completed our walk, taking around 8 hours and leaving some very tired legs...

We raised just over £2000 for Feet First. If anyone wants to contribute further, the you can do so here: www.justgiving.com/philipnunn

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Olympics

What a summer...fantastic season of sport...all our athletes did amazingly well, and we did manage to get to some of the events despite the ticketing nightmare.

It has left a somewhat empty feeling now though, knowing we only have dark nights and cold weather to look forward to now. Still we did get some good shots of the action.

The Cycling road race:

The Cycling time trial

Chris Froome...

Wiggo!

The Basketball (Women's)

The Men's Marathon

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Cars in the Park

Second visit to see Cars in the Park in Harpenden. They really get a good turnout here and there seem to be more every year...

 

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Go Ape

Went to Go Ape for my birthday. We'd not been before but there is one on the Chase to which we had been meaning to get to for some time. It was excellent, but surprisingly high...to be fair it's pretty safe, you're clipped on double if not treble times. The zip wires were the most exciting though...very long and very fast...great fun....



 

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Everyman...

We enjoy going to the cinema but don't like it when there is a whole bunch of kids in it...so we've been looking for an adult cinema that isn't a true "adult" cinema if you know what I mean

Anyway, we found the Everyman chain...our nearest is Hampstead and it's fantastic...a fully licensed bar, chairs in which you can really relax, your own "suites"...it really makes going to the cinema pleasurable once again!

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A dogs life

Chief really does not realise he is a "Working Dog"...he is such a wuss it is untrue. The only thing he works is the camera...

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Jubilee celebration

The Queens Jubilee arrived and what a miserable day it was...we headed into London but to be honest it wasn't really worth it. You see, the problem with a pageant along the Thames, is that everything is lower than the embankment, meaning that unless you're in the very front row, you simply cannot see anything...of course it wasn't aided by the fact it was freezing cold and wet as hell...still it is heartening to see how many Londoners still turn out for their Queen...we wouldn't have missed it...

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Birds Nest

Having arrived back in Beijing, I was able to visit the Olympic Park and the famous Birds Nest stadium. very impressive although there is something a little sad about the fact that the whole site is rarely used nowadays...it is also interesting in that the Park is built on the North / South line that runs throughout Beijing, from the Mountains to the Forbidden Palace.

Every athletes name was engraved in the stone, both for Olympic and Paralympic.

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