4th Oct 2011 – Allen Carr: Spexy Beast 2011

Allen Carr live tour at Nottingham Capital fm Arena 

Seat location: Section BL 5, row G, seats 7-6

After the show we waiting at the back of the arena for Allen to sign our programme, only about 15 of us were waited so we all got to chat with Allen and he signed all the programmes. He was exactly as on TV, a very nice guy.

 

30th Sep 2011- London trip

A: Imperial War Museum

The Imperial War Museum was founded during the First Wold War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire. Today the museum gives its mission as "to enable people to have an informed understanding of modern war and its impact on individuals and society".

Originally housed in the crystal Palace, the museum opened to the public in 1920. In 1924 the museum moved to space in the Imperial Institute in South Kensington, and finally in 1936 the museum acquired a permanent home which was previously the Benthlem Royal Hospital in Southwark. The outbreak of the Second World War saw the museum expand both its collections and its terms of reference, but the post-war period saw the museum enter a period of decline. The 1960s saw the museum redevelop its Southwark building, now referred to as Imperial War Museum London, and which serves as the organisation's corporate headquarters.

Stunning September weather along the Thames

B: London Aquarium

The Sea Life London Aquarium is located on the ground floor of Country Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames, near the London Eye. It first opened in March 1997 as the London Aquarium and remains the capital's largest collection of aquatic species and hosts about one million visitors each year.

Octopus hiding in the dark – 

Shark babies waiting to hatch 

Manner rays sitting on the bottom of the tank 

The shark tank with walk through tunnel 

Shark waiting for the food 

Seahorse hanging on for a sleep 

Giant crab 

The Jumping Penguin

C: Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the London home and primary residence of the British Monarch. Located in the City Of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently acquired by George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and known as "The Queen's House". During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September, as part of the Palace's Summer Opening.

D: Premiere of Johnny English 2

We happened to be in Leicester square at lunch time and got fenced in with the crowds and film crew while the stars of the film arrived; including Rowan Atkinson and Gillian Anderson

17th Sep 2011: Christening of Lula

11th Sep 2011 – Day trip to Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the UK. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly of Wales. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked 6th in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.

Photo in the city centre:

Photo of Cardiff Castle: 

Millennium stadium: 

Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955. Since the 1990s Cardiff has seen significant development with a new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay which contains the Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex. Current developments include the continuation of the redevelopment of the Cardiff Bay and city centre areas with projects such as the International Sports Village, a BBC drama village and a new business district in the city centre. Cardiff is the largest media centre in the U.K. outside of London.

Cardiff bay: 

21st Sep 2011 – Trip to Cheddar George

Cheddar Gorge is a limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, near the village of Cheddar in Somerset, England. The gorge is the site of the Cheddar show caves, where Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, estimated to be 9,000 years old, was found in 1903.

Cheddar Gorge, including the caves and other attractions, has become a tourist destination. In a 2005 Cheddar Gorge was named as the second greatest natural wonder in Britain, surpassed only by Dan yr Ogof caves. The gorge attracts about 500,000 visitors per year.

One of the wild Goats

The maximum depth of the gorge is 137 m (449 ft), with a near-vertical cliff-face to the south, and steep grassy slopes to the north. The B3135 road runs along the bottom of the gorge.

Two main caves are open to the public – the extensive Gough’s Cave and the smaller Cox’s Cave, named after their respective discoverers. Both were produced by the activity of an underground river, contain stalactites and stalagmites. .

Both are known for their geology, and it has been suggested that the caves were the site of prehistoric cheese-making. Gough's cave, which was discovered in 1903, leads around 400 m (437 yd) into the rock-face, and contains a variety of large rock chambers and formations.

Cox's Cave, discovered in 1837, is smaller but contains many intricate formations. A further cave houses a children's entertainment walk known as the "Crystal Quest".