A sunny February in Burley

The third of my New Forest Photo Experience Days in Burley, and it was third time lucky for the weather.  Just a week after beating a hasty retreat from the cold, wind & rain we were treated to a glorious day of winter sunshine.

With a full house of 11 attendees meeting over tea & coffee at the lovely Burley Manor Hotel, we headed on out into the hotel grounds.  Thank you to the Burley Manor Riding Stables for putting up with us for a few minutes as we invaded their stables.

After walking up through the village and into the New Forest proper we ended up at the Moorhill House Hotel for lunch.  The afternoon we walked slowly back across to the cricket ground & church, before confusing the poor waitresses at the The Old Farmhouse Tearooms where we stopped for afternoon tea. 

The weather was beyond perfect for a February, sunny the whole day, barely a cloud in the sky, and so warm we could sit outside in the tearooms garden while we stuffed our faces with scones, jam & cream! 

Add in the fact that I was reunited with a long lost friend who attended and the day really could not have been better!

It must be spring...

The daffodils are out so it must be spring?  It certainly felt like it on my Photo Experience Day in Lyndhurst today.  With the weather forecast in the morning reporting a day of grey, grey followed by a bit more grey I didn't think we'd see any blue sky.

I take the weather forecast with a pinch of salt as its normally at least partly correct.  Today it couldn't have been more wrong, as we were treated to a day of glorious sunshine...  very nearly t-shirt weather warmth.

For February you couldn't really ask for better weather.

Thank you to the Lyndhurst Park Hotel for looking after us at lunch, and also to Meridien Modena Lyndhurst the fancy Ferrari / Maserati dealer in Lyndhurst who let us take pictures of their lovely cars again.

It was a good day indeed.  Big thanks to everyone who attended.

Laughing at people in Basingstoke

I hate Basingstoke with a passion that I normally reserve for people who talk at the cinema, but on one Thursday evening a month there is a very good reason to go there.  Surely there can't be a reason in the world strong enough to go to Basingrade you say?  Well yep, there is, and I urge you to go one month to Jan Jack's Laughter House at the Red Lion Hotel.


The line up were 3 comedians I'd never heard of, Windsor, Chris Norton Walker, (who whispered in my ear "do you know any good jokes" seconds before going on stage!) with the headline act Dave Fulton.  Dave was in the headlines himself after saying the word "wanker" on BBC Breakfast the day before while sitting on the sofa with uptight hosts Bill Turnbull & Sian Williams.  I've seen the clip on Youtube and all I can say is "urgh really?"  Tis but a very sad world we live in if we find a simple little word like that so mortally offensive.  Add in a little bit of Jan Jack, and a compere, Phil Dinsdale, who I remember taking the piss out of me and my beard as part of his act at a previous Laughter House and we had our evenings entertainment...  the git!


Oh, and yes before anyone asks, I did get lost trying to find my way out of Boringstoke.

Anyway, my favourite photo of each of the acts...