The weather forecasts are buzzing with news this week of another record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures set to reach a whopping 32 degrees celcius in London and the South East on Wednesday or Thursday. I’m so glad I no longer live in London – the humidity and closeness in the big smoke during hot summers like these make it a pretty unbearable place to live!

With all this lovely hot weather it seems even less appealing to me to spend my hard earned dubloons on a holiday abroad. There are so many beautiful places in England, Scotland and Wales you can drive to and have a wonderful week off, escape from the pressures of work just as you would on the beach in the Costa Del Sol, but without the hole in your bank balance at the end of it. Personally I’m gonna take the Mrs off to a holiday cottage somewhere in Cornwall next month – if the weather remains like this it will be absolute paradise.

But a word of warning if you’re considering a staycation in a holiday home – the last time I stayed at a cottage up in the Lake District a few years back the owners tried to swindle me by blaming me for some quite serious damage to the property which was like that when we got there. I fought my corner of course and didn’t accept any responsibility, but apparently their holiday home insurance policy didn’t cover unnocupied property, and the damage was apparently done while the cottage was left empty for three months previously.   So my advice would be, when you first arrive at a rental cottage, make sure the owner is with you and do a little inventory of the place first, a bit like you would in a new house.  It may seem paranoid, but you never know when someone is trying to pull a holiday cottage insurance swindle on you!  Happy Staycationing!

[Is that even possible?]

You may have heard about the debate to ‘make Wrexham more Welsh’.

But did you hear the one about complaints that a Welsh choir’s concert had too much Welsh?!

Meanwhile, there’s a ‘meeting to hear Polish concerns’ in Corwen tonight – not that police are aware of any problems but they want the Polish community to know there is support if they feel they need it.

This all serves to prove the expression you can’t please everyone…

Read the original post:
Now for complaints about being too Welsh!

2009-06-25 12:32:29

Wrexham band Heal the Last Stand are gigging at Glastonbury.

They got the gigs after turning up at Glastonbury last year to enjoy the festival – and offering their services. It seems they went down well because this year they were invited back.

And this time they’ve got backstage passes so brothers and sister Laura, Joey and Stan Dickenson along with fourth band member Thom Bithell might get to rub shoulders with the likes of headline acts Blur, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young.

But Heal the Last Stand can’t let Glastonbury go to their heads because they’ve also got gigs lined up at Wrexham’s Belle Vue Park – part of the town park’s summer-time open air gig series – as well as the Stiwt, Rhos.

Anyone else at Glastonbury? You can keep us posted via Twitter.

Original post:
Next stop Glasto for Wrexham band

2009-06-24 16:01:46

Local photographer ‘Werdna1730′ has taken a collection of photos showing the family of peregrine falcons nesting on the roof of Wrexham Police Station.

Click the photo and you’ll be able to view them all but please note that some shots aren’t for the faint hearted as they highlight an amazing wildlife story of life – and death – in urban Wrexham.

I mean, have you heard the peregrines’ calls to eachother high above as you walk over to Waterworld car park? Eerie!

Although Werdna1730 has probably taken his pictures with a telephoto lense, you can clearly see the birds with the naked eye too – but not nearly in as much detail. Although these birds have been in Wrexham since 2002, they’re still as captivating as ever – or is that just me?

Read the original here:
Natural selection on the roof of Wrexham police station

2009-06-24 09:11:19

Local photographer ‘Werdna1730′ has taken a collection of photos showing the family of peregrine falcons nesting on the roof of Wrexham Police Station.

Click the photo and you’ll be able to view them all but please note that some shots aren’t for the faint hearted as they highlight an amazing wildlife story of life – and death – in urban Wrexham.

I mean, have you heard the peregrines’ calls to eachother high above as you walk over to Waterworld car park? Eerie!

Although Werdna1730 has probably taken his pictures with a telephoto lense, you can clearly see the birds with the naked eye too – but not nearly in as much detail. Although these birds have been in Wrexham since 2002, they’re still as captivating as ever – or is that just me?

View original here:
Natural selection on the roof of Wrexham police station

2009-06-24 09:11:19

Today we’re launching the new-look site.

For regular site users and contributors it means we can make better use of things like your excellent photos for use in our galleries.

And, using feeds, you can now be notified when we’ve uploaded new things right across our site.

Just click the orange RSS icon at the top [right] of our pages for the homepage, Things to do, People & Places, Nature & Outdoors, History, Religion & Ethics, Arts & Culture, Music, and TV & Radio.

If you click the RSS icon it will look like this. Then, you paste that url into your feedreader [we use Google Reader] and every time the website is updated you will automatically be notified. Easy!

For us – the BBC Local team – the changes behind the scenes mean we’re now integrated with BBC News online. That allows us to utilise tools and components of the BBC’s news content production system we weren’t previously able to use so we can do things like edit photos on the fly, upload audio and video in seconds and get them on the web much, much quicker.

Basically, less production time for us means more time to spend creating the stories you want to read.

So, hopefully, you’ll like what you see and understand the reasons behind the changes.

For info, we are aware of a couple of bugs with the new site but feel free to let us know if you spot anything.

Also, please note that this isn’t the end of the updates being made to the site – so we’re calling it a soft launch.

Therefore, you will be seeing more improvements soon so, as ever, we’ll keep you posted.

More here:
Softly does it – new-look site launched

2009-06-23 12:34:42

If you are hoping for a relaxing place to pass your holiday, Majorca all inclusive holidays can deliver.  Majorca Island offers a richness of entertaining sights and activities. The Spanish coastal community is full of possibilities, ranging from beaches to nature trails to shopping and night clubs.  The area is a renowned haven for those who enjoy nature’s beauty.  The beaches are lovely places to unwind with a book, while more sporting tourists can tour some of the region’s many caves. Another must is a drive along the coast, which will take you along a stunningly beautiful, if somewhat alarming, roadway.  The small fishing villages along way are great places to spend an afternoon engrossed in the local culture.  Marjorc Island’s landscape is uniquely diverse and engaging, and its hills are full of paths for hiking and riding on horse or mule.

Marjorca all inclusive holidays are also a great opportunity to shop and indulge your taste buds. Majorca has been renowned as a hub for artists and musicians for centuries.  It offers a wide variety of urban activities both relaxing and exciting. Majorca is a hot destination for students and during the summer months it is a boisterous, youthful place.  But Majorca Island also has a languid side. The town of Palma offers a depth of culture with an art gallery, specialty shops, and eateries.  See its ancient church or see the winery for a few samples.  For a memorable dinner, treat yourself to a meal at one of the islands fashionable restaurants.  The town of Palma, the coastal villages, and the surrounding scenery provide lots of ways to relax and enjoy your holiday. 

Majorca all inclusive holidays can both refresh and revive you.  Whether you would rather spend your holiday hiking one of the many trails, lazing about on the beach, or enjoying the creature comforts of a luxurious hotel, Majorca Island will fulfill your needs and send you home planning your next trip.

Budget traveling requires planning, preparation, and less of an expense than grandiose vacations. Depending on what you wish to see and how much you plan on spending, you can have an awesome time. Taking a vaction within the US does not have to be expensive, you simply need to do a little planning. There are a variety of options for vacations in which you have fun but save money at the same time. Your budget vacation can be one to remember or one to forget, it just depends on how much planning and effort you put into it.

We are lucky within the United States to live in a coutnry with such a wide range of stunning landscapes and scenery. These national parks afford families the opportunity to witness some of the earth’s most spectacular scenery. Typically there is a nominal entry fee per vehicle. Most national parks offer camping facilities at a low nightly cost which afford guests with the basic necessities, such as pay showers (around $2 for an 8 minute shower), coin laundry, clean restrooms, and supply stores nearby. One great way to see the land for cheap is to bring self-contained accommodation, such as tents, RVs, and campers. RV facilities are available at most national parks for a bit higher of a fee; these sites afford the basic hook-ups for travel trailers and motor homes.

Camping also helps save in other ways; instead of paying to eat at the hotel restaurant, you can have cook-outs every night. Cook your meals using facilities provided, in your RV or over a camp fire; having a camp fire is a big part of the fun and cooking your own food will save you compared to eating out. Holiday accommodation, including hotel rooms, camp sites and more can be found year round in many national parks.

America’s national parks such as Yosemite, the Rocky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Zion or Yellowstone offer natures best scenery at almost no cost. Once you pay to enter the Grand Canyon, you can see the views, hike into the canyon, and see the various features and animals for free. The only costs involved are extra activities, camping, food, and gas. Extra activities include things like boating, renting canoes, fishing, renting ATVs, and horseback riding. Those things, for the most part, come at little cost; the only expensive things on the list are ATVs and renting boats. You and your entire family will amazed by the picturesque, rustic settings and the adventure of seeing some of nature’s finest.  A camping trip to a national park is one budget vacation that will be remembered forever!

Vacationing is never that inexpensive, however, there are things that can be done to keep costs down. Camping and motor homes are two ways in which travelers save on accommodations. Barbecues and sandwich/ drink coolers are two ideas to save money on food costs while traveling. Keep the activities simple by doing things like fishing, hiking, canoeing, and sight-seeing, which will keep costs down.

Richard Greenwood heads up accommodation rental website MakeMyStay.com.au which features quality holiday homes and apartments including Sydney serviced apartments and Sunshine Coast accommodation.

Australia is one of the most wonderful countries having vast natural beauty all across with a friendly lifestyle. Today, the country is amongst the most highly vacationed places in the world by the incalculable travelers. In Australia, all the cities have their own appeals and sphere which make them all extremely interesting for the tourists.

Sydney amongst all the cities in Australia is perhaps the most vacationed city of all. It is the center for assorted activities such as the business seminars, cultural trials, sports event and the memorably amazing nightlife. Sydney is the basic center for diverse such dealings which thus attracts assorted people from across the world for some or the other proceedings. However, most of the people visit the city mainly for its temptations and the nightlife. Hence numerous tourist lodging facilities like the budget hotels along with the luxurious hotels are also created near the numerous tourist charm locations to cater the tourist with all the preeminent amenities. These stunning budget hotels are reasonable and perfect for people who wish to take pleasure in the city charms rather than the rooms of the hotels.

These cheap hotels in Sydney, though being cheap offer the visitors with the best facilities that one can think of to make their stay relaxing and relaxing. These cheap hotels in Sydney offer all the basic facilities that one would want to make their vacation relaxing. They offer good and comfy bedding services along with the other amenities which include of an air conditioner, properly equipped bath room, television, hair dryers, etc. However, the most significant part about these budget hotels is that they are situated in the center of the city and are just a few minutes away from the major temptations of the city. Thus, they are within reach from the major parts of the city and extremely easy to reach. This is the main reason as to why most people prefer selecting the budget hotels in comparison to the huge lavish hotels of the city. Moreover, for those who have a fixed finances for their trip, these budget hotels are top for a restful and also cheap stay in the city. The budget hotels help in making your stay and vacation extremely pleasurable.

So, if you have planned your visit to Sydney and have a decided budget, then the budget hotels such as the Pensione hotel are just perfect.

When vintage rocker Alice Cooper arrived at Heathrow on Tuesday the 9th of June he was looking forward to viewing some of his collection of 300 obscure horror movie DVDs while on tour. Unfortunately his big bag of horror had been lost in transit.

He was so desperate to get his collection back that he offered a reward of two tickets and backstage passes for his ‘Theatre of Death’ tour. A spokesman for BA has now reported that his bag of irreplaceable movies has been safely returned. It wasn’t disclosed where the bag had been lost or if the reward had been provided.

Mr Cooper’s experience highlights the need for insurance when travelling with valuables. It’s always best to keep precious items with you in your hand baggage if that is possible.

BTW – There are currently some great Heathrow airport hotel deals that include airport parking in with the cost of the room. Worth booking in advance if you are travelling from Heathrow.