Blogs from Bournemouth, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Durdle door and Bournemouth in winter -Piprey on wheels The English Dorset coast is cold all the year around. English beaches are charming in summers. My cousin was leaving UK. We made a day trip to see Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove and Bournemouth beach. It was a different beauty in winter. It was 26th March, the last Sunday of March. The clocks were changing by one hour. I hardly caught a wink and was up in the dark at 4 am. The local bus seems to be running in a dark tunnel of rain. Indeed, when I waited at the bus stop, a red, double decker bus splashed water and my sneakers were all wet. The water was cold. At Southall, there were 3 Asian holiday makers waiting at the bus stop. The Star tours coach ... read more

Bournemouth Blues -Piprey on wheels Heatwave in England has become an annual event and the ideal time to hit the beaches. I booked advance tickets (Price 50 GBP for a return via Reading while in 2005 it was 18 GBP via London). At Hayes and Harlington station, I carried the cycle over all the stairs when an old English woman remarked that she hoped to see the lift in next 10 years. I had a laugh and nodded with hope :) Arriving at interchange, Reading, I boarded the train. In the cycle compartment, I lifted the front wheel into the hook up in the air and kept it suspended. Next year, I shall definitely qualify for Olympic weight lifting championship. The cross country train travelled via Southampton to Bournemouth. It was old train compared to Great ... read more

Had a great day today walking along the beach at Bournmouth and the Airshow. The British Navy and Airforce put on a great show complete with a B17 Flying Fortress, Helicopters, Two by planes with Wingwalkers, Parachutes - aerobatics, Spitfire and a Typhoon but the best part of the show were the Red Arrows, absolutely fantastic formation and aerobatics from these guys. One pilot was even a Kiwi. Very fortunate it was on this weekend. Lots of beach huts, even "terraced" ones too. A breezy day but very nice. Ice creams were good, I think the whole of the south turned out for the show. Great place to have an Airshow. Ambulance on push bikes...... Interesting.... read more

Geo: 50.7178, -1.87943Cornflakes with mandarins and a cup of tea was on the agenda for todays breakfast. Afterwards, Owen was kind enough to drop Grandad, Natalie and I into Bournemouth. We arrived in the city centre, by the gardens at around about 10am. We strolled through the lush green gardens, by a hot air balloon towards the shore. It was a picturesque beachfront, soft sand, an aquarium, shops and arcade. The key feature was the pier. The 60p entry fee was worth it for a stroll, sunbake in recliners, and views of the coast.From here we spent some time in the arcade. Nat braved a game of violent airhockey and won some candy, and Grandad persisted with a confusing slot machine game.We strolled back through the gardens via a small aviary. Lunch was Mcdonalds, and rest ... read more

Well hello!!! i thought i would make a quick entry before we leave, just in case anyone i have been beating this blog website about the head with felt like taking a look, and then saw that it was simply an empty page!!! Trust me, it will grow and start to look a lot better as we move about - well here's hoping anyway! i hope to make my first proper entry in just over a week's time, when we've been in Kampala (Uganda) for a day or two. But for now - here i am - in a scarf, gloves, earmuffs and socks tucked into my sweats - sat in my empty flat whilst maff is getting a mop cut. its bloody freezing in here cos we are reluctant to put too much money on ... read more