Close Encounters of the Furred Kind

Today, while visiting Paignton Zoo to collect Glynis (she's a zoo volunteer on a Friday), I went to see what animals I could photograph. This lion was quite close to the edge of the enclosure, which has a glass window as a viewing area, and I was waiting patiently for him to look at the camera, but he was more interested in the Lioness at the top of the Enclosure who was getting a fuss from the keeper.

After taking a few pictures of the lion, I turned my attention to the lioness, and was leaning on the glass window to minimise the reflections when I heard this thump and was conscious of two large paws and a big animal just the thickness of the glass away from me. I was so glad the glass is nice and thick, but after he backed off the whole area was covered in Red Mud from his enormous paws. Moral of Story, don't turn your back on a lion unless there's a barrier between you.

Rising Sea levels

I'm beginning to think that rising sea levels are a myth, it's the weight of Individual and National debts that is causing the UK to sink into the sea.

Air flights - Part 2

My daughter booked a flight to Newcastle on Tyne at about the same time we booked our two flights to Alicante, and I noted the cost of flying from Exeter to Newcastle is about the same as Exeter to Alicante. I conclude that it doesn't matter how far you fly, the cost is for getting through the airport departure lounge and onto the plane. I hope there's no shops in the departure lounge!

Air flights part 1

Why does booking an air flight remind me of the scene in Carry on Camping when Sid James and co arrive at Paradise Camp for their holiday. The conversation goes something like:

Are you members?

No

Well its £1 each to become members.

OK, heres £4, can we come in now.

No, you have to book in advance, but I may be able to let you in if you pay the booking fee.

How much?

£1 per tent. Ok heres the £2 now can we come in?

No, you have to pay rent.

How Much?

£1 per tent or per person, whichever is the greater No

Ok heres another £4, can we come in now?

Yes.

Sid then realises its not the nudist camp he was trying to find and goes for a refund.

Sorry sir no money is refundable.

Later still, after they put up a washing line between the tents.

I'm sorry sir there is a fee for putting up a washing line

How much?

£1 for 4

So thats 25p for one then?

No One is 37.5p, but you can put up four for a £1.

Booking a Flight to Alicante:

Cost of flight £30 - so two flights are £60
Will you want to come back -thats another £60

Ok so thats £120 to pay

Plus the airport taxes £71 out and £28 coming back.

So that s £219?

Are you taking bags? thats another £16 - £235 in total.

Plus the insurance of £24.

Ok heres £259 can I go now?

well theres the booking fee: £16

OK heres £275 now can I go?

Is that a credit card, only theres a credit card fee of £12, so thats £287 in total, thank you.

Oh and by the way, no money is refundable, but you can change names for £30 per passenger per flight, or you can change flights for £25 per passenger per flight.

Its just as well I have a kind sister living in Alicante to pick us up from the airport and provide accommodation for the week, thank you Sis.

Parking Charges (part 2)

The newly installed parking meters in Torbay are biased in favour of the Council in three ways.

1. One has to decide when parking if the shop will be able to serve you within 10 minutes or whether you have to buy 30 minutes, or even more, and have to err on the side of safety to avoid the danger of getting a fine.

2. If you vacate your space before the time paid for has run out, anyone taking over the space has to pay again for time you have already paid for. (This does not happen in towns where conventional parking meters are used, the space is paid for a set time, and if you leave early the next person may use the unused time) These are not really parking meters at all, they are parking ticket dispensing machines.

3. The machines do not give change, so if you don't have correct money you have to overpay.


The existing car parks in Torbay are all similarly biased; does the council think this is a fair system? Why can't we have some pay on exit car parks in the town centres, such as those used at Exeter airport, so we can shop without worrying about how long we have left on our ticket? It would make for a more relaxing shop.

And why is Torbay more expensive than South Hams or Teignbridge, it has no more to offer its visitors that those places?

Parking Charges (part 1)

Torbay Council are having financial problems due to the rising no of free bus journeys taken by pensioners with bus passes. They pay the bus company a fixed charge for every journey we take.

They don't seem to understand that putting up the cost of car parking in Torbay by introducing parking meters will only lead to more pensioners using their free bus passes. Pensioners cannot afford to pay £1 an hour every time they drive into town. Instead of the council getting £1 per hour from the parking meter they may have to pay the bus company an equivalent amount, or more, for providing the free travel, probably for two pensioners at a time in and out of town. (4 trips)

When I moved here last March, all the on street parking was free, which was one of the reasons I moved here. I accepted the high council tax in exchange for free on street parking, or so I thought.

£1 an hour is an excessive charge for a small place like Paignton anyway as most of the shops have now closed or become charity shops. Only Tesco seem to be flourishing. What a surprise that is.

The Dawlish Swans

Drawing by William Tame

The black swans have been a feature of Dawlish, South Devon, for over 100 years, but the Environment Agency has suddenly decided that they are polluting the stream that runs through the centre of Dawlish and into the sea. Unless the council can stop them doing this then the swans have to go! Bearing in mind that this stream runs down off the moors where sheep cattle and deer graze and do their business how can we be sure the swans are guilty? There are also large numbers of Ducks and Seagulls in this stream. It would be a shame if these birds, which are on all Dawlish Tourist publicity were to be removed, since this pretty stream with the birds is one of the main reasons to visit Dawlish. The council are now having to consider building them a toilet (well a septic tank actually) so the effluent doesn't flow back into the stream. I'd like to know how they propose to toilet train the Swans, Ducks and Seagulls.

Ten Pin Bowling

Tonight I will try harder.

I bowl every Monday in a Ten Pin league with my Daughter Emily. She was recruited by me for my team in Northampton when some of my other players left and she did very well, winning a few trophies.

We now bowl together in a pairs league in Torquay. It goes without saying that I think I ought to score higher that Emily as I'm her dad, I have been playing longer than she has and I have a higher average, but just lately she keeps scoring higher than me. I can never work out why my game can vary from very good to very bad without warning, I have to put it down to lack of concentration, so tonight I will try harder.


Postscript:

Well I tried harder, scored slightly more than Emily and almost reached my average in one game but one of our opponents then went on to bowl his best score ever (242) so we lost again. Still, there's always next week.

The ups and downs of the last few days.

I knew the concrete post in the front garden would damage a car one day, unfortunately it was on Thursday, when I let the car door open and it went too far and hit the edge of the concrete, I now have a dent in the car door to get fixed. I only parked there for a moment as I knew I was going out again, I normally park at the other side of the drive, well away from the post. So annoying.

The rest of the week went Ok, apart from Glynis's bad back from falling down the stairs at Karen's house. This is still giving her a lot of pain, although she denied it at the time of the incident. It didn't stop her appearing on Stage in the SADS production of Robinson Crusoe.

I had a game of snooker on Wednesday with three other retired guys in a social club I discovered in Paignton Telephone Exchange. Membership is free to ex BT personnel such as me and I did not make a complete fool of myself, I may go again next week. The sun came out yesterday and everywhere looked so much brighter.

My First Blog

I keep having random thoughts I want to share so I thought I'd give this blogging a try, all I have to do now is work out how to use it.

Of course now I'm on line my mind has gone blank just like it does when someone asks what present I would like for Christmas. What makes this worse is the follow up question of what would I like for my birthday which happens to be on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. For the next few months I see loads of things I would like, but I can't wait til Christmas so I buy them for myself. As a result, when Christmas comes around again and people ask what I want, my mind goes blank. The upside of this of course is that I get surprise presents, which are more exiting to open.