This morning I came across Kevin Branchett’s stunning photo taken on Llangollen Canal and I just had to share it with you.

PS. Make sure you’ve got your brolly for later as the forecasters predict a downpour.

See the original post here:
Photo: A misty start

2009-08-25 09:47:20

That’s what Wrexham FC supporters are calling a minority of fans creating some bad feeling on the terraces during match day – and they’re asking people to report them.

The debate has been started on the Wrexham FC fans’ forum, part of the BBC 606 messageboard – and fans want a clampdown.

“It doesn’t do much for the image of the club,” says Mikeywale, while Wrexjen adds: “I sit in the Paddock and there are a group of muppets in there who bring shame on decent Wxm fans.”

Wxmwxm says: “…hurling abuse at our players is NEVER gonna get them to play better! I felt embarrassed to be a Wrexham fan yesterday.”

The comments were made after Saturday’s Wrexham-Kettering home game.

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Wrexham’s muppets!

2009-08-24 09:36:04

Two separate projects in Denbighshire are asking for home movie footage: Denbigh Film Club are holding the town’s first ever film festival and want residents to share footage of the town for an archive session. Meanwhile Rhyl author Ambrose Conway is working with young people in the town to make a film and wants images of Rhyl in the sixties and seventies which people captured on home movie camera to intercut with contemporary footage. If you can help, get in touch!

Read the original here:
Your old films wanted

2009-08-18 14:57:39

The August bank holiday is looming around the corner once again. If you are anything like me, then you will be burying your head in the sand to avoid having to think about what to do, and where to go over that weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I love to get active with the family – I am just not particularly good at planning. But if I do manage to get it together, I will almost certainly head for the island the Romans called Vectis – the Isle of Wight.

There are many excellent reasons to catch a ferry to Isle of Wight. I for one, enjoy a day’s fly fishing at Black water mill which is a short drive from the bustle of Newport. Not quite the family pursuit, but if you have kids over the age of eight it would provide a memorable and exciting day.

You may prefer to head for the beach, and choose from the myriad of possibilities that are on offer. The best places to head for are on the south coast, and include Sandown, Shanklin and Bembridge. You could stay in an hotel or a guesthouse – the island boast some fine old Victorian and Edwardian properties. Alternatively, there are some amazing farmhouses and family homes that offer you bed and breakfast in their own properties.

The Isle of Wight Zoo is a great place to visit, and boasts a fine collection of Bengal, Siberian and Chinese-blooded tigers. The one to look out for is the rare white tigress called Zena, and a ginger male called Diamond. Certainly not your ordinary ginger tom! The zoo staff are extremely well trained, and know how to coax out the different personalities of these awesome creatures. There are other big cats on view, including lions and jaguars.

The Wightlink IOW ferry company are offering some brilliant family deals between Saturday 29th and Monday 31st August that would be a challenge to ignore. Visitors are encouraged to visit www.southeastoffers.com to download as many vouchers as they like. This will allow free ferry travel for kids under the age of 15. This also applies to two full fare paying adult foot passengers who wish to take up to five children with them at no extra cost. It is advisable to book in advance, where you can also discover more of the Islands many attractions and obtain tickets at discount prices.

The well known and very humble Welsh holiday cottage is about to get and upgrade. On the horizon is a new breed of hungry five star self-catering properties. These ‘super-cottages’ are aiming to compete with the five star hotels, by installing luxury items such as spas. They also aim to reduce the minimum stay to one night.

From the beginning of the month, it will be possible to book into Admiral’s mews and Celtic Haven, two prestigious holiday cottages in Wales. What is truly revolutionary in this idea, is that you can book these delights for as little as one night. Previously you would have had to commit to at least a week. The owner is claiming that these are the first such properties in the UK offering such flexible short lets.

To further mirror what a guest would expect from a high class hotel, these cottages also offer Jacuzzis, chauffeurs and sports facilities. The Celtic Haven, has recently added a golf course, swimming pool and a cinema.

It is clearly a different concept from the old days of self-catering in Welsh cottages, when you were likely to be told: “Be there by three, the key will be under the mat”.

The whole mentality behind these ‘super cottages’ is different. They are clearly being run on the same model as the French gîte or villas in Barbados. Customers appear to want more freedom and privacy, but at the same time a high quality of service and entertainment. It is possible for staff to arrange activities for the customer, or even an in-house chef. The principle aim of these places is to target a special customer looking for short breaks in Wales.

This trend is not just limited to holidays in Wales, but has begun to spread to other areas of the UK. Patricia Yates, head of publicity for Visit Britain said, “We have seen a growth in self-catering upgrading to attract the short-breaks market”.

Have you ever arrived at an airport only to find that there are no hire cars left? This was an experience I recently had when I flew to Florida. There had been a sudden surge in demand and all that was left for me to hire was an old Dodge pickup with no air conditioning.

What I wish I’d done was reserved the car I wanted in advance before even leaving the UK. These days there are some excellent online comparison facilities that make it easy to select the car that you want, compare the car hire prices from various suppliers and then book online in advance for a great deal.

I shall never be leaving the UK again without reserving my hire car before I leave.