Becky Falls Again!

When one of my Met Office chums asked if anyone wanted to go to the largest water park in the UK, there was only one possible response: YES!

Reasoning that we were going to be wet anyway, we didn't let the overcast sky and drizzle deter us; it did appear to have put off a lot of other people though, so our hardiness was rewarded by having the park pretty much to ourselves for the first couple of hours!

There were several different styles of slides: some where you sit on a mat, some in rubber rings and some just free-styled. There was one very long steep slide which I thought was pretty scary and nearly bottled out of, until a knee-high child launched himself down it, and I felt the need to restore my dignity. Evidence above left.

We had a mid-session break for hot chocolate and freshly cooked doughnuts in the drizzle, after which the sun came out and we spent another few hours sliding, splashing and screaming (okay, that was just me).

Then we had chips on the beach.

Beach huts at Torbay

Becky Falls

That's going to hurt...

Part 2 of the Belated Birthday Weekend involved a trip to Becky Falls on Dartmoor. Despite the endless rain this summer, the falls were only falling in the loosest possible sense of the word. I may have been spoilt by all the fantastic (and freely accessible) waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales though. It was also jolly expensive, although Daddy was able to use it OAP status for the first time to get a discount, which caused much amusement (to me, anyway). They wouldn't give a discount for visitors named Becky, which was very disappointing.

All-in-all, I'm glad I've ticked it off my list of places to visit, and it was fun to take the obligatory comedy photos, but unless your name is Becky and you're prone to falling over, it is probably worth giving it a miss!

Becky falls @ Becky Falls

My 31.59th Birthday!

Being a Winter baby (and very close to Christmas/NYE) has always made decent birthday parties somewhat of a challenge. I was determined to do something fun for my 30th, but life was hectic so I thought I'd do something in the summer. Which was also hectic, and the hecticness hasn't really let up since, so as my time in is Devon drawing to a close I decided that I really need to do something to celebrate being 30, albeit a good 18 months late. 

Daddy with his 'I'm not terrified, honest' look.

It was this belated burst of enthusiasm which led to Daddy and I driving down to Cornwall this morning to try out 'Blokarting'.

I had seen the guys from Speedsail UK blokarting on the beach at Gwithian nearly 3 years ago, just before I went to Antarctica, and have had their leaflet pinned to my notice-board ever since!

We all met at Perranporth Airfield and after a quick 'dry' session learning the basics and a demonstration that capsizing wasn't something to fear (can't you tell from the look on Daddy's face?!), we jumped aboard and started sailing along the runway.

Daddy sailing close to the wind around the 'buoy'

I'm not really sure how to describe it, but it was a bit like wind-powered go-karting. We had markers to go around, but of course an element of competitiveness crept in and we started to race each other. The blokarts were surprisingly easy to control and despite running each other down at the edge of the runway and around the markers I don't think we had any collisions.

The instructors were very friendly and helpful and the gear was well-maintained - I'd definitely recommend them if you're in Cornwall and want to try something a little different.

I can honestly say it was one of the most fun things I have ever done and I can't wait to have another go!  Shame I'm moving up north in a couple of weeks' time..!

Liz, Rob and Daddy racing down the runway at Perranporth Airfield

A plan 15 years in the making

A farewell  dinner...

A loaded car (although only half-full - I'm getting better at packing!)...

Can anyone guess what happens next?

The start of a whole new adventure!

First day at the Met Office!

I'll be spending the next few months at the UK Met Office in Exeter, Devon, training to become a weather forecaster!

Aims for 2012

Personal goals for 2012:

DO NOT BUY MORE YARN.
Knit my current stash down so that it fits into the box it is supposed to.
Learn more about quilting and complete another small quilt.
Get a new job (this is a current WIP, but no details until the paperwork is signed).
Finish and pass my Open University physics course.
Visit Oceania/Australasia (my only unvisited continent).