Channel Islands: Guernsey

Gemma and I decided to make the most of the Easter break by taking a few days off after Easter, thus turning a five day break into a 10 day holiday. We used this massive time away to the utmost by visiting some of the Channel Islands - a bunch of islands in he English channel between UK and France. Now event though these islands have a different currency, don't pay British tax (or something like that), and are much closer to France then England, they are still part of the UK and a very popular tourist destination.

Some countries scare off toursits with complex visa applications, the Channel islands use the less conventional , yet just as effective, method of pill boxes. You can just see Baiky keeping an eye out for intruders.

Their popularity stems from two main reasons - they are waaaay down south, and so have the best weather of any UK territory and they are the only English territories (I think territory is the wrong word here) to be occupied by the Nazis (at least I am unaware of any others; feel free to educate me in the comments section and I will dutifully ignore said comment).

 We found this sign on one of our walks; about 60 years to late I reckon.

 We started off by spending a couple of days in Guernsey. We were greeted by a lazy rain. I call it lazy because it could not be bothered to go around us, and instead soaked us right through to our bones.

 Best. Weather. Ever. Also, funny story, it turns out the Gemma's jacket is NOT waterproof. Ahahahahahaha. I think I found that tidbit of information funnier than she did.

This was an issue because we arrived at 6am (via ferry, AND we bought Gemma's car!!!) and we did not have access to our hotel room for about 4 hours. So after going for a walk and visiting the lighthouse at St Martin's Point and Petit Bot Bay we were thoroughly drenched.

St Martin's Point.

Luckily the weather in our trip only improved from there, enabling us to visit all the sites Guernsey had to offer intrepid adventurers with only a couple of days to spare. We wandered around the tiniest church imaginable. 

Don't be fooled by this picture, I am showing you the angle that makes it look big (and, yes you can go inside)!

This, not surprisingly given my description, did not really take all that long.

This angle makes it look slimmer (I promised the church wouldn't show the 'fat' photo)

We visited the German Occupation Museum, which detailed the occupation by the Germans. Most interesting here (besides the tanks of course) was the tale of the poor administrator in charge at the time, whose name escapes me and google failed me. He had to represent the citizens of Guernsey while still maintaining the outrageous German rules imposed on his citizens.

Gemma and I also met up with Gemma's friend Paul, a local denizen. He showed us the trick of getting across to Lihou Island.

Here I am trying to get to Lihou island.

It turns out the the tides in Guernsey (and the rest of the channel islands) display one of the largest tidal ranges in the world, allowing the brave to safely wander across to the nearby island if you time it right. Just, you know, make sure you get back again in time too.

Paul parts the waters for us!

 More importantly, past or the cars lined up for an annual drag race. I have never seen so many elite cars at one time. 

This was followed up a few days later by a 'Hill Climb'. Pictured here are some F3s, but there were also a whole bunch of sports cars worth more than I'll ever see in a lifetime.

Fortunately, we also found time to take a leisurely drive around the coast of the island, stop off at Castle Cornet (for some history) and I even managed to sneak in a little run. I also probably could not finish this post without describing the difficulty in finding a beer on Good Friday before 7pm (and the strange looks we got when we asked for one).

Found one!

Operation Snooker Awesome

Here it finally is! The post you've all been waiting for (or is it being? this is harder to figure out than 'then' or 'than'). I am you all remember the allusion I made renovating my snooker table at Christmas.

The table I bought for about £100 is a slate bed, 7 foot snooker table. The problem was the rubbers were old, the pockets were cut poorly, the cloth was old, and the woodwork looked a little tatty. So Gemma and I rolled up our sleeves and got dirty.

My table before I inexplicably decided to take it apart.

First we painted the entire thing white. It took a few coats but we got there in the end. At first, to protect the cloth (I wasn't sure if I was going to change the cloth at this time) we covered the cloth on the rails with blue tape. 

Christmas time!

It looked so good we decided the blue stripe was a keeper!

Gemma paints a Teal stripe on my rail. Note the big-arse, oak snooker legs on the left of the photo. They came from a full-size table and will make more sense later...

Next we had to fix the rails. I took one apart and Gemma and I spent a few hours debating if we should remake these ourselves. With the correct tools it wouldn't have been too hard, but unfortunately we lacked a band saw and without a mould the shape the rubbers I decided it would be better just to get these done by professionals.

 

Prepping the slate for the cloth.

Following this we stripped back the cloth, wiped down the slate, and recovered with tournament grade cloth in a lovely deep purple. I have never recovered a table before, but  had seen it done a couple of times. It wasn't too difficult, but would have been easier with a better staple gun. 

Cutting the cloth to size (for the table and for the rails).

While I understand nap, at first I wasn't aware that the cloth can be put on upside down as well as back-to-front and nearly put it on wrong. Luckily I figured that out before it was too late, I also think I could have stretched the cloth a bit tighter as it seems slower than I would like it was tough to pull it neatly over the final side pocket.

 
Stapling the cloth to the table.

After that we had to cover the rubbers. This was the most fun. Luckily the store that redid my rails numbered each one and provided arrows to ensure I put the cloth on the right way, and then I spent ages watching a youtube video by billiards.com.au to learn how it was done (repeat x6).

 Banging in the retaining slips on the cushions.

The final touches were drawing on the table markings and leveling the table. More time spent on the net learning the ratios of table length to dots, lines, and Ds followed by using coasters and a spirit level to set the table.

I used the string to make sure my line markings were perfectly centered. Gemma judged me. She judged me poorly.

I couldn't get it quite as level as I would have liked, it seemed to be bowing in the middle. So I jumped on Gumtree and found a bloke selling snooker table legs for 10 quid a pop and viola, my new and improved table!

Aaaaaaaaand done!

Cambridge University Footy Presentation Dinner

In the middle of April Gemma and I headed back to Cambridge for the Cambridge University Aussie Rules Presentation Dinner. It was a black tie affair, which I was woefully under prepared for. I did my best to obtain the correct attire for the evening, but alas came up wanting. So I wore a ...black tie.

This is a good photo of Gemma and I. The photos taken later on progressively show my inability to stand with her support.

The dinner was held at Downing College with a champagne reception, free flowing wine, and an awesome two course meal. Not surprisingly a large part of the night was presentations. Speeches were made, medals were presented, and the msot skilled and best-looking of the players won individual prizes. 

The dinner

Now, I am not going to lie, I was a little tipsy by the time the presentation part of the evening rolled around so I am a bit unsure of all the individual winners. Sandy won the MVP, Phil (the other Phil) won something, and I got the Golden Trowel!

Using the Golden Trowel to eat dessert.

There was a whole big story to the Golden Trowel. It was used to dig the holes in the footy ground to put up the goal posts and they stumbled across a skeleton (or something like that). The trowel is now given out to best newcomer each season. Donal proudly told Gemma and I that he had won it the previous year, snatched the trowel to show us where his name was engraved, and then sheepishly remembered he had gotten outrageously drunk at the presentation dinner and lost the original Golden Trowel. Mine was the replacement.

The team.

Finally, after copious amounts of wine and a plethora of team photos we hit the town. I don't remember much from this except been a demon on the dance floor. Most importantly the Golden Trowel survived the trip to the club.

 Donal, Aoife, Phil (the other Phil), and me. Proud to say I am yet to lose the Trowel.

Malta: The Return of the Gatt

It was only a matter of time before I returned to Malta to do all the things I had missed previously. 

Advertising in Malta: Hilarious.

Part of my plan was to visit friends made from EF, but unfortunately many were either not there (Damn you Matt, Australia, really?!?) or busy studying for the uni exams. Not to be deterred I set out to see the rest of the greatest littlest island.

A deserted beach near Mehiella Bay.

There were some sites I specifically wanted to see. The Rotunda of Mosta was one such site. A magnificent church in Mosta. One of its claim to fame is that it boasts the third largest unsupported dome in the world, however, that is nothing compared to the miracle of WWII. 

The Mosta Dome, a small aberration can still be seen in the ceiling where the bomb crashed through (look straight up from the 'l' in ceiling and count about 6 diamonds up).

On April 9, 1942 over 300 locals were gathering for mass when a 500kg bomb crashed through the dome, bouncing amongst a congregation. Not only did the bomb not explode, but it did not injure a single person in the church.

A replica of the bomb.

I also found my way to some ancient sites including the places of worship Ħagar Qim and the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni and the prehistoric cave of Għar Dalam; all stuff I wanted to do the previous time I was in Malta. Ħagar Qim is a temple complex built in 3600-3200 BC, one of the oldest in the world. Like many ancient temples it has doors and markings that line up with heavenly movements and solstices and was built of massively heavy stones (like 20 tonnes heavy). 

A 20 tonne rock.

The Hypogeum is the only prehistoric temple in world and it is estimated to have been dug between 3300-3000 BC. In Għar Dalam the bones of many pygmy prehistoric animals were found, such as mini elephants, rhinos, dear and bear. Yup, Malta had elephants and they were bonsai!

The entrance to Ħagar Qim.

I went on a couple of runs around Malta. One on the southwest coast from Dingli cliffs to Wied iz-Zurrieq. 

The cliffs at Dingli, and, in the distance, the radar.

This took in the cliffs, a radar station, the church of St Mary Magdalene, bronze-age village sites, 19th century aqueducts, and the beach at Wied iz-Zurrieq.

Me with a Peregrine Falcon (cross) at Wied iz-Zurrieq.

I followed another one on the north east coast from St Paul's Bay to St Agatha's Tower. Here I went past Selmun Palace, 18th century farming houses, Mehiella Bay WWII pillboxes, and St Agatha's Tower.

St Agatha's Fort.

I also happened across some places awesome I had never really expected to go. One of which was the Chapel of St Paul the Hermit hidden in the valley of  Wied Il-Ghasel. This was particular hard to find and get to. I had to enter and leave the valley by sneaking past a military munitions depot. I tried to leave a different way to where I entered by scrambling up the sides of the valley but the paths I followed led nowhere, and I managed to drop a massive rock on my shin (scarred to this day).

The hidden Chapel of St Paul the Hermit.

Another was Fort Rinella at Kalkarra, I would have to say one the best tourist destinations I have ever been to. Not only was there a 100 ton gun, but they held awesome demonstrations on WWII fighting techniques such as bayonet drills. 

Small Nation with a massive gun!

The BEST part was their armoury. Not only did you get to look at a variety armour, swords, crossbows, and guns but you could pick them up and wear them. To top it off, the employee I spoke to had a in depth knowledge of swords technology and development. 

Sign me up for the tourism industry!

I asked a simple question about the broad sword I was holding and BAM! I learnt about the reasons behind the many different sword types on display. It was awesome. 

Gladiator Gatt

If only I hadn't left Baiky at home. He does love cannons...

Home Decorating

My apartment is all a dreary white and was in dire need of spicing up. There are few ways to decorate a rented apartment, especially when I make a habit of owning as little as possible. Pretty much all I owned were a few certificates, a map of Malta I picked up on my most recent visit, and a snooker table (see Its Christmas Time for the commencement of Operation Snooker Awesome). So Gemma and I got planning (author's note: I feel really sorry for anyone looking for real decorating tips, you ain't gonna find them here).

Step one was turning a snooker table into a table tennis table so that we could use it as a crafting table.

I decided bright colours were the way to go, so with a purple snooker table already on the mind Gemma and I picked up some frames and coloured cards and got stuck into our crafting.

 

I'm smiling because I failed Kindergarten, where one usually learns skills like colouring in and cutting in a straight line.

Essentially all we did was stick the maps and certificates on coloured backing before putting them in the frames. The hardest part was getting everything centred. First in the frame itself...

My map of Malta and Doctorate. I feel like a blowhard putting my degrees up but its all I had.

 ...and then on the walls.

Surprisingly difficult. We had to keep the gap between each frame and the distance to the window alcoves constant. Once again algebra has become unexpectedly useful.

In the end though we managed to get it all done.

Now, where does one find a dartboard???

Of course, the was completing the snooker table, but that is another, and much more involved, story.

Nearly 10 years later the Urn returns

On March 7 2015 I go to line up with the Cambridge Aussie Rules Football team against Oxford, and take part in the longest running Aussie Rules fixture outside of Australia. 

Cambridge and Oxford fight for the ball

Cambridge had been nearly ten years without victory, and this sunny afternoon brought about change in emphatic style. We dealt Oxford a pummeling they won't soon forget winning 7 - 13 - 55 to 3 - 4 - 22.

 Victorious Cambridge!

I was placed on the wing and was extremely excited about my spot in the midfield, but unfortunately my contribution was next to nothing. Four or five possessions and only two disposals, of all the games I played this season this was extremely disappointing.

Working hard for no reward.

I made a few tackles, but nothing of note barring a huge bump at the start of the match, and big tackle that stopped an Oxford breakaway as I was heading to the bench. Oh, and a lot of running.

Don't worry coach, I can do this all day!

In the end though what matters is the urn, and now it has returned home wearing the Cambridge blue!

 Charles ready to escort the urn back to the clubhouse!

Not enough mountains

Well, its been over 12 months since the last re-occurrence of my back. In that time I have cycled all over Leicester, commenced regular running again, moved a pool table, and played Aussie Rules football (cricket still scares me; for those that don't know that was one of the major reasons for re-occurrence). I am feeling pretty good, and, apart from a few twinges down my right hamstring, pretty much back to normal. So I've decided to attempt a return to ultra marathon trail running.

Admittedly, its pretty hard to hurt your back warming the bench.

When I left Aus, I got rid of all my old bags except for the camelbak MULE. It while it was a superb beast that I thoroughly recommend it to anyone, after 7 years of service the chest strap recently snapped on me. Essentially, it was time to replace all the expensive stuff that comes with these events and so I went shopping. This is the result.

I first started hunting for new trail running shoes. For years a stuck by the Salomon XT wings series so I decided to look no further again. I lashed out and bought the latest - the Wings Pro. Admittedly I was trying to find some of the old XT Wings 3 but surprisingly, the price difference was not too much. Funnily I seemed to have dropped a size - I really hope I don't find these shoes are too small after smashing out Kms!

Next I searched for an 'IB' style bag - something I would happily take on an Inward Bound if I ever find myself in the vicinity of Canberra again. My main focus was a large day bag. I ended up with a Jack Wolfskin Rocksurfer 25.5. Technically its a cycling bag, so it will suit my upcoming bicycle tour to Edinburgh, as well as being a running bag for when I want to train with a bit of weight, or run to Gemma's place and take a change of clothes. The bag has lots of cool (if, strictly speaking, unnecessary) features and seems nearly over defined for usefulness...

key clip, tool organsier, elasticized helmet strap, a pocket to protect the hydration tube from mud, it has everything!

 ...except, the hip strap is waaaaay too big. I'm talking 2 inches too big. It uses a velcro connecting mechanism and this dramatically limits the 'adjustability' (I love making up words) of the hip strap. I am a pretty small guy, but so are lots of people into exercise and running and this bag will only suit a small range of waist sizes. That said, a bit of creativivity, some YouTube videos on sewing later, and viola! I found a solution.

Gattastic! It still retails most of its stretchiness although I think I'll need to elastic sheath to make sure any uncovered Velcro does not rub.

The final item on my list was a racing bag, something to replace me ol' faithful MULE. As Camelbak had treated me well in the past I returned to their range, and, in a halo of shining light, was what I believe to be one of their newest bags - the Ultra 10. Designed specifically for the types of events I like (the MULE was developed as a mountain bike bag even though it was favoured by many runners when I was racing in Aus). 10 litre bag with a 2 litre bladder included, easy access pockets for food, compass, phone, etc. and apparently, just big enough for all the extra compulsory equipment and clothing.

Doing laps of my REFURBISHED snooker table - more on that later!!!!

I do hope I get to test it out on a race this summer!