Me and my shipmate voyaged to Fircroft College which be in Selly Oak, Birmingham. It was a fine sunny day and G was a talkin to various folk about something called MoLeNet, I thought he was talkin about them burrowin beast but no it was more of using this ere information learnin technology. Sometimes I get a right old pain in the head with all this stuff and not even had a good session of hard drinkin to remember!

Last Wednesday I a voyaged with G to the fair city of Oxford. He was there for some a kind of Web two point zero thingy. As for I, well I wouldn't have minded a drop of ale in that pub by the river!

Went to Pontlands Hotel with old matey G -he was a thar a workin' (or so he said!)

Avast thar! This ere totem arrived at me berth a few days ago. Here he be in his role of guardian of where I dwell!

At the quay side in Ouistreham, where we embarked on our return from France!


She looked like a fine vessel to carry us safely across the English Channel


Roughly mid way between Ouistreham and Portsmouth me hearteys!

Well we came back from "La Belle France" as old G kept on a callin' it! He and T had a fine old time explorin Paris -they voyaged down the Seine on somethin a called a 'Batobus' must a been some type of river craft I suppose -give me briny waters anyday! They saw all manner of wonders from Modern Art to strange tribal masks brought back from the likes of Tonga and Easter Island (ahr I remember them lands all too well -you may recall how part of my ear went a missin' out there).

They brought back some wines and brandy but sadly no grog for a poor old sea bear!

Believe it or not -this be the first roundybouty thingy in Britain

There be a wooden sign thar a sayin so!

Ye might want to get close up ta read it!
Watch out for all a them motor cars though!

Went to Letchworth again with me sea mate G. We stopped to have a peek at this here roundybouty thingy --a course at sea such things are not required -mind you the English Channel can get a bit busy!

Happy Birthday B !

He's a Joker alright!

Saturday - 9th June we went to Cambridge to celebrate B's Birthday -ha haar! He be a fine lad so he be.
We dined at Kami's Ristorante which served a range of dishes such as Greek & Italian. The food was very nice and we all sang Happy Birthday while B blew out the candles on a tiramisu!

Here I be at Somerset House

Wonder what that was for?

Down by old father Thames!

Tuesday 4th June a went down to London with G. We had time to pause by the river and look at them thar little river craft. We then went up the hill to Somerset House. It was once the site of the Admiraltry which would explain the Seaman's Hall and so on.

In Colchester!

T's local town -Ampthill

Good old T !

Week end of 2nd June -a bit a voyagin. Saturday we went to Colchester and then on the Sunday went over to Ampthill.

According to Wikipedia -The first settlement was called 'Aemethyll', which literally means either 'ant-heap' or 'ant infested hill'. Well I'll be blowed!

Sunday -bright and sunny -went up to Chalkney woods with G & A
If anyone says anythin' about teddy bears picnics they will feel my belayin' pin.

We wondered what may lay beneath these still murky waters!

Came across this den!

Here I be at 'The Highwayman'

A fine hostelry it were!

Believe it or not this be a portrait of Mary Frith!
She was a cutpurse amongst various other nefarious dealings!
A land pirate says I !

A view from above -them thar cheeseplant leaves a remind me of the tropics!

G was a travelin up to near Norwich and he and some of his merry crew stopped for a spot of lunch at the pub. He enjoyed a dish originating from the Ukraine called 'holubsti'. (Cabbage rolls (holubtsi)—cabbage (or vine) leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice or millet (pshono), or buckwheat-stuffed beet leaves.) Here be a link to recipe

That be the wine tower behind me mateys! Any grog?

It were a beautiful sunny day

I recommend this hostelry!

We been doin a bit a voyagin -so my here log entry is for last Thursday 8th March when G & I travelled to a place near an airport where them thar flyin' machines travel to and from.

G was there for another meetin. The blue lit tower thingy behind me contains bottles of wine! The waitresses fly up on harnesses (could be handy helpin me with me rigging!) collect the bottle and gracefully fly down again. They be called 'Wine Angels' for bloomin obvious reasons!

Went a visitin a fine lady -Sylvia.
G and A took across somethin a called a microwave cooker
Never encountered such in thing in any galley I have been in!

Here I be outside

I met this cheery matelot -he offered me some of his baccy -but I had left me pipe on me bunk!

A fine collection of nautical bits and pieces

Well time to be off back to me berth!

This be a cleat hitch

How to tie knots? Well all us sailors know how to tie all manner of knots.
To help any landlubbers out there -here be one of them web site thingies called:

'Animated Knots by Grog'

So get ye some stout rope and get a learnin!

ere I be outside the Clophill Parish -Lock-Up and Pound!

What it says here it sounds like some form of brig! Clap em in irons that's what I say mateys!

So this would be the pound eh? That's why you get the likes of street names like Pound Lane and so on.

A little bit on Clophill from our Wikipedia friends says:

Clophill, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Clopelle; meaning tree-stump Hill in old English, is a small village located in the Flit river valley, Bedfordshire, England. The village has a reputation for the supernatural, and its Flying Horse pub (that be where young 'B' works on a Sundays!) forms part of the legend of Dick Turpin; who reputedly stopped there on en route to York. Of course that there Dick Turpin was a form of pirate -in other words a scurvey dog!

Ipswich today mateys! Here I be outside a little boat yard!

Although I prefer a nice schooner or a decent merchantman, all water craft are fine with me.


G was a goin into the buildin' ye can see a behind me to have a chat with somedody in the El S C or whatever he was a goin' on about. The buildins are converted maltings -that's right where they used to make malt for a brewin fine beers and such like ah haar!

Ipswich has a port but we did not have time to stop to have a peek at the larger vessels.

Belfast was our destination on Thursday 1st February and return on the second. We went by aeroplane which did not take very long at all. Of course I would have preferred to a gone by sea, but 'G' said that would take too long.

Here be where we stayed - a place called Stranmillis College


It was founded in 1922 to provide state-funded teacher education in the northern portion of the recently partitioned Ireland.

With its very attractive and historic campus of 18 hectares only three kilometres from the centre of Belfast. "The College's track record in teacher education since 1922 has been second to none".

I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Belfast, for various reasons including that it was once a great shipbuilding city and where they built the Titanic a shame about her maiden voyage mateys.

Here I be in the fair town of Welwyn Garden City. It be a strange old name I tell 'ee as it is indeed a town not a city!


We came here today at Oaklands College, because old 'G' was meeting with some folks to see if it would be a good place for this 'ere e-fair that they do every year. I went to the last one and very entertainin it was to me!

What be beyond that door Mateys?

I could say that this is all Greek to me -but then maybe not!

Beautiful grounds!

A view of the cloister

Just returned from Jesus College -Cambridge. Old 'G' a took me up there yesterday and overnight for a meeting with ACL advisers and other good jolly folk.

The College was founded in 1496, and it originally consisted of buildings taken over from the nunnery of St Mary and St Radegund: namely the chapel, and the cloister attached to it; the nuns' refectory, which became the college hall; and the former lodging of the prioress, which became the Master's Lodge. All around there are sculptures and other arty thingies.

We dined in the evening on:

Mushroom & Goats Cheese Tart with Creme Fraiche
Supreme of Corn-Fed Chicken with Tomato Pommes Anna
Finished off with-
Fallen Chocolate Souffle with Armagnac Prunes & Creme Fraiche Sauce

All washed down with a fine red wine -ha haar mateys!