Blogs from Blackpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Still not feeling physically great, all this travelling is doubtless taking its toll. But the main aim for my day at Rebellion Festival was to see favourites The Outfit. Anything else would be a bonus. Woke up pretty early as usual and took it easy in the morning until it was time for breakfast. Found a Vegas-themed restaurant on the promenade and ordered their avocado on sourdough. The avocado was rock-hard so I sent it back. No point paying for something you can't even cut into. And it turned out they did have soft avocado in the kitchen, which makes me wonder why they thought they could fob me off with a hard one like that. Not good, but the banana smoothie was some compensation. Shame because it's a nice-looking American-style diner. I then got in ... read more

Manchester airport security sucks❗️✈️✈️✈️? Ok. Got that out of my system We spent the last three days in blackpool England visiting family. I used to visit here every 4-5 years but this is the first time back since Geneva was a baby. So Blackpool..... how does one succinctly capture the oddity that is Blackpool? It's a resort town and destination for "holiday makers", but mostly it attracts stag and hen parties, rowdy bar crowds or really old people wanting to visit the Blackpool Tower or walk along the famous promenade. We reckon it was a terribly exciting place to visit in the 1950s or so. Just about every attraction it has is dated and surpassed by more contemporary attractions in other places. It is chock-a-block with arcades, gambling machines, discount retailers, fish/chips and ice cream stores, ... read more

Our two days with Carolyn and Trevor have gone in a flash and today we are off to Blackpool after a little more digging around the Angus area on ancestral matters. And not a bad day again has dawned which will give us dry weather for the reasonably long drive we face once we get onto the motorway and head southwest. First through Carolyn has got a special breakfast lined up for us of smoked salmon and scrambled egg, very tasty and something the BBA V3 hasn’t quite stretched too yet. Time for some photos in the garden to update those we already have from 2009 and then we are on our way after a memorable couple of days in Arncroach. We retraced our drive across the Tay Bridge to Dundee and headed first for Broughty ... read more

Hola! As you can tell from Jo's current location, I havent yet set left to meet Saul down under but I wanted to set this up a week before I left! So its officially a week until I get on the flight and meet Saul in Oz!! I have been getting very excited, nervous and scared these last few weeks. A lot of changes have occured for me. I have moved out of my house in Didsbury, sold mine and Saul's baby!! :) (our car), quit my job at the nursey and moved back into my mum's house in Blackpool! Wow this better be worth it! :) As most of you know, Saul has very kindly set up a Fruit picking job for 3 months for us starting the 8th February 2012. After doing my Belly ... read more

For more of my photos, or to buy my book, please visit www.nickkembel.com My name is Nick. I have been a member of the punk rock movement since Rancid released ‘And Out Come the Wolves’ 15 years ago, though I refuse to adopt the label of punk rocker because I have the soul of a hippy and the lifestyle of a spiritual nomad. I have spent the better part of the last 10 years wandering through some of the most feared and misunderstood corners of the earth, to seek beauty and to experience first-hand the equality, solidarity and unity of all people. For a few years now I have been living in Taiwan, one of the most homogeneous and conformist cultures on earth. I have my reasons and I love my life here, but an ... read more