May 2002

Grendon Underwood Beating the Bounds Posted Wednesday, 29 May, 2002
The pictures of this event have been posted today. There are quite a lot of pictures, and a forward & lists of attendees supplied by Chris Giblin.

Go to http://www.blasdale.com/pictures/2002/BeatingTheBounds/index.shtml

Preparation for Golden Jubilee Posted Sunday, 26 May, 2002
Went for a walk around the village looking for clues for the Treasure hunt/quizz which is to run as part of the Golden Jubilee festivities. Of course it rained as we walked around.

The Ozzfest 2002 Donington Park Posted Saturday, 25 May, 2002
Today I went to the Ozzfest at Donington Park. The drive up there was very easy and I parked just outside gate 12. Met up with Selina in the queue for the beer tent. Met some of her mates from the Liverpool University Rock Society. They had all come on a coach which had just arrived minutes before I arrived.

There were two stages, the main stage outside, and the Kerrang stage inside. I did not visit the Kerrang stage. The list of bands that played on the main stage were:

Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society I have never heard of them, I was quite impressed and will look out for their music.

Drowning Pool

Mad Capsule Markets Japanese band. Just my type of music

lostprophets Umm

Millencolin Umm

Slayer OK

Cradle of Filth Selina has some CD by them. I did enjoy the show. I really liked the tee shirt they had on sale, wish I had taken some extra cash. Not sure when I could have worn it though.

System of a Down Selina has a CD by them, I was not very impressed.

Tool Another band I really enjoyed. On my buy list now.

Ozzy Osbourne I am afraid I did not stay long watching Ozzy. I have seen him before, I was cold and wet and wanted to miss the queues going home. I do though sometimes feel he has some good songs from the early 70’s, but he is getting a bit past his well by date.

The weather was a bit of a let down, one time it really pelted down, with rain and hail. I was stuck at the front and was unable to find room in the crush to put on my waterproof. Took quite a while to dry out. Other times I was a little more successful. I also did not like the way a whole area was cordoned of at the front of the stage allowing a few thousand access to the front, while the rest of us plebes were kept a long way back. I did feel this destroyed the atmosphere, as there was not a really good mosh pit.
Why do the young kids pick on me to give them a leg up so they can crowd surf?

Clay shooting Posted Wednesday, 22 May, 2002
A quick 45 minutes clay shoot at Pete Sherriff's mini sporting layout. What an absolute diasater, I kept missing or my shells were leadless. At least the rain held off.

Bit worried about Saturday when I go to Donnington Park for the Ozzfest. Why was the MTV series, the Osbournes delayed by one week last Sunday, I was looking forward to watching it.

I have started doing the web site for the beating the boundaries, should have it loaded on the web sometime next week.

Le Weekend Posted Monday, 20 May, 2002
This weekend started with rain on Saturday, and sunshine on Sunday. The wind was too strong for paragliding, so we stayed home.

On the Saturday we went out in the evening with the neighbours to the Seven Stars pub for an evening meal. Good pub grub.

On Sunday I worked in the garden, cut the grass, staked the trees and generally did a tidy up.

The Cambridge Society, Berkshire Branch weekend visit to Chepstow Posted Friday, 10 May, 2002
We went with the Berkshire branch of the Cambridge Society to Chepstow. Arrived there on Friday evening for a pretty good meal in the hotel.

In the morning we walked from Chepstow to Tintan abbey where we had a pub lunch and a guided tour of the abbey by a bloke dressed as a monk.

Coach back to Chepstow and a tour of the castle just before it closed evening meal and then a concert with harp, vocals and pipes.

Sunday morning we took the coach to Caerleon, a very important Roman fort on the borders of Wales. Again had a guided tour of the site, amphitheatre, barracks and Roman baths. Sunday lunch at the Priory hotel.

Next into Cardiff, missing the Norwich/Birmingham football match traffic, to see the renovated docks and the barrage, with views of Penarth in the background.

Back home. Visit this site in a few weeks for a full write up and pictures

Beating the bounds of Grendon Underwood village Posted Wednesday, 8 May, 2002
Today both Rosemary and I took the day off to Beat the Bounds. We met up with fellow beaters at Gallows hill at 9.00 am. There were 63 of us, and all 63 completed the 15-mile walk.

We followed the boundary fairly accurately, resulting in us climbing over many fences and going through peoples gardens where their property was on the parish border. There was one farm where only 6 people followed the actual boundary, this was the result of a confrontation with the farmer seven years before, where he appeared with a shot gun.

On the way round we re-vitalised the cross marks on various trees with an axe. We beat with a spade various people in the group, and various school children from the local school (who naturally insisted their headmaster got beaten, which was done).

It was a magnificent walk, the sun shone, the company was good. I saw places in and around Grendon Underwood I have never seen before. Magnificent bluebell woods, oak trees and views of the Vale. On the way around we saw MonkJack, Foxes, and a Badger Set.

There will be pictures of the walk posted here within a month.

Website update Posted Monday, 6 May, 2002
Added two sections to year 2002: Pictures of our share in Cressex Katie, and pictures of the wood near us.

Added a section to year 1999: Some low quality pictures of Cardiff castle.

Welsh match Posted Sunday, 5 May, 2002
Up and out early to catch the coach to Wales for the clay match against Saint Bride's Major. We arrived and had a 75 target shoot in the quarry. I was quite pleased with my 40. It was better than most of the true Kingswood club members.

Unfortunately the Welsh beat us. Their high gun, shot 59, seemingly getting all the difficult shots but dropping some easier shots.

They had their usual pair of birds across the top of the quarry. Most of us have real difficulty with this stand. It makes for an interesting shoot being very different to our own shoots.

Back to the pub at 2.30 for beer and roast beef lunch. And what a surprise, I have never heard some many positive comments about the price of the beer, £1.50 for a pint (20 fluid ounce, a little over 500 ml) .

Paragliding at Combe Hill Posted Saturday, 4 May, 2002
Today I went Paragliding at Combe Hill near to Newbury. The wind was not ideal because it was a North East wind. This site should easily take a North East wind, but for some reason it can be quite rough when blowing from that direction.

There were very few people there, probably because of the wind, the football and the competition in Wales. I had three flights, two short flights when the wind was light resulting in me doing a couple of side landings.

The final flight was 20 minutes, when there was plenty of lift. It was quite rough and I did not enjoy parts of the flight. The wing had a couple of small asymmetric tucks while I was flying. I bottom landed in the end to get out of the rough air.

I did not fly again, because the wind was stronger and everyone who flew after did not enjoy their flights much.

Clay shooting Posted Wednesday, 1 May, 2002
Pete Sherrif has started his Wednesday evening compact clay shoot. Went over and had a couple of rounds in preperation for our match against the Welsh at the weekend. Despite the sun, it was was very much brass monkey weather.