Madam Tussard part 2

Dave's day with the stars

I thought Madam Tussard photos warranted it's own blog as we had such a good time and took loads of photos.

Blackpool

We visited Blackpool which I must say is looking a bit worse for wear as the promenade is currently having new tram tracks laid which is taking months to complete due to the snow etc at Christmas. It still gets lots of visitors but there are lots of stag and hen parties who roam the streets in all sorts of costumes, come in all shapes and sizes and drink to excess. The streets are littered with rubbish and look appalling. The golden mile still has lots of shops selling souvenirs, fish and chips, ice cream, rock and candyfloss. We had a walk on Central Pier and up to the Pleasure Beach but they now charge to go into the Pleasure Beach and it was late afternoon when we got there so decided it wasn't worth us going in. We had a great time in Madam Tussuad's which has just been done up and well worth the 14 pounds each entrance fee. We also saw the donkeys on the beach giving rides which really took me back to my childhood. The boarding houses and hotels even look shabby but I did take a photo of one which looked very pretty and the staff were washing the outdoor furniture so I was impressed. Blackpool tower is also being refurbished and had scaffold around it but oh I did think it terrible that it has been left to run down so badly.

United Kingdom 2011

We left Australia on the 1st April for our trip to England, our kind friends are looking after the caravan and car and took us to the airport, thank you Bill and Terri. The object of coming to England is to catch up with family and friends and to see something of the British Isles. Although we are originally from the UK we have not seen to much of it so we are looking forward to some trips around the UK. We have caught up with some family members and some friends since arriving, had a good look around Fleetwood where we once lived and tasted some of the food we use to reminisce about. The weather has been changeable with some lovely sunny days, some lovely sunny days with a cold wind and no sun with just a cold wind. The clothes layer suggestion has turned out to be the best advice. We have had some skypes with the family but as always miss them. I had the best day ever watching the Royal wedding all day with my sister Margaret, her daughter Fiona and my Aunt Myra. We drank champagne and had a constant flow of food served on my sister Janet's Royal Albert tea set, Janet missed out as she had gone on a cruise. The photos show a family christening, a surprise birthday for one of my friends, the Royal wedding day and Dave stood outside the home he was brought up in.

A touch of colour in the bleak Torndirrup National Park

The Gap and Natural Bridge in Albany

Albany

We arrived in Albany to the expectation we would encounter the cyclone so we took all the correct precautions. We were parked next to the river, in isolation to the other caravans and under a tree, not sure what the SES would make of that. We did batten down though as we were told a bad storm had hit Narrogen etc and was heading this way. We got heavy rain and thunderstorms but no high winds. The next morning the cyclone was cancelled and all was well so got the awning, chairs, table and barbecue out, was quite relieved that we were not going to be blown away. We have had a mixture of weather since being in Albany but have really enjoyed having a look around. There are some fabulous walks and we have climbed and wondered through the Torndirrup National Park even though it was wet, cold and windy. Without a doubt the best place we have visited was the The Gap and Natural Bridge it was a fascinating place with the most amazing views and the photos don't do it justice. You look down onto the sea which roars through the gap and although it was not as windy as it could have been still gave us a spectacular show. It was very eerie to be on those rocks which were once the edge of Antarctica. Apparently the continents of Australia and Antarctica were bound together along this rugged coastline for more than 1 billion years forming part of the super-continent Gondwana. The pressure and friction at the base of the two fused continents caused rock to melt and slowly rise up but Australia and Antarctica separated about 45 million years ago when the last sections of the super-continent broke apart, so that was what we were stood on. Even today the rocks on this Southern coastline can be matched to identical rocks on the Northern coast of Antarctica near Windmill Islands. Australia is still drifting to the North and is 5 cms further from Antarctica than a year ago. I will put the photos on the next post as they are magnificent all together. We also walked the track from Middleton Beach to town right next to the sea, we saw a bandicoot, skink lizards and all sorts of birds which we really enjoyed. Another place we went to was in the national park where an observation tower use to be which warned of any attacks in the war. It was so cold up there but we saw so many wildflowers which had a few blossoms and thought it would be a wonderful place to visit in the wildflower season when they were all in bloom. We had a lovely lunch at the Bay Merchants, I had a pear, fetta and cheritzo salad and Dave a German hot dog with all sorts of dressings and looked delicious. The cakes were stunning and although very tempting we did not have one. All in all we have enjoyed Albany immensely and I'm sure another visit would uncover a lot more sights to see. i must make mention of the kangaroo, kookaburras and the most beautiful coloured ducks that are here in the caravan park, there is always something to see or listen to.