Watching the clouds

Driving back from Essex today, I found myself getting lost in the clouds.. does anyone else do that? :)

The clouds today were those lovely fluffy ones, that look so 3-dimensional and solid. They were set against a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky, and yet some were dark storm clouds. In fact, some were partly grey, and partly white, and where the sun was catching the white, it was a fascinating contrast of colours.

To finish off the picture, to one side the sun was shining through the clouds, so that you could actually see 'rays' reaching down to the earth.

Sometimes I get caught up in the wonderful nature we have all around us, and I could have watched those clouds for ages.

Surely I'm not the only one....!? :)

Memories of Dreamland

During my younger years, many of our summer holidays on the coast included a trip to Dreamland in Margate, and as a child, it was a very exciting event. I recall being excited the moment I saw the Big Wheel from the car-park (even though I never went on it), and later looking up in awe at the Scenic Railway, Looping Star and Big Dipper.

I remember going on the Big Dipper (very tall water chute) with my mum, going in the 'Tubs' with my grandad, and deciding against the Scenic Railway because it looked just a little too scary!

Other than that, specific memories are hazy. I just recall a large amusement park with was great fun for us all, and a trip to eagerly await!

A few years ago, I returned with my own child, and was in shock at what I saw. Of course, in our childhood memories, everything looks bigger, but the park I was faced with was nothing like my memories. It was actually a really sad experience.

Coming home, I chatted to my mum, and discovered a site about saving the park. It explains that it had in fact dwindled to almost nothing, was in a bad state, and was faced with closure. The park attracts attention, however, because it houses the Grade II listed Scenic Railway roller coaster, the oldest operating roller coaster in the country and Britain's first listed amusement park ride.

I know that this park is now eclipsed by many theme parks in the UK, and will never compete. But I strongly feel it has a future, and I wish the campaign much success. Many families still visit the Kent coast, for holidays or day trips, and with the great sandy beaches on offer, a nice family amusement park would be a great attraction.

How about you, do you have any childhood memories that have been a wildly different experience as an adult?

Hhmm...

Is my life so uneventful at the moment that I have nothing to blog about?! lol

They think it's all over... and it is now....

They haven't played their best, but somehow England managed to make it to the Quarter Finals.. and what a match!

First we lose Beckham to an injury (although to be honest, he hadn't been performing well), then Rooney gets a red card! Why oh why do football players let themselves get frustrated and angry, when there's a man with a red card watching their every mood?!!

Despite being a man down, the rest of team played really hard.. perhaps not attacking the goal as often as we'd like, but they did a damn good job of denying Portugal their goal too!

So there we were, once again facing penalties.. and once again we lost them! :(

Never mind.. qualifying for Euro 2008 starts in September!