CollectorMania Milton Keynes, Bletchley Park and Oxford

Last year, when going to CollectorMania Milton Keynes, Undead Medic and Banshee spotted it is very near Bletchley Park. You know, that oh-so-secret place where the codebreakers worked during what humans call "World War II". So, this year they decided to stay a bit longer and go for a visit.

Rhys, Tosh and I were left guarding Teddyprise, but from the little bit we saw and what I'm told, it is a very interesting place. They have a rebuilt Bombe (the machines they used to figure out the daily setting of the Enigma machines) and a rebuilt Colossus (the first programmable computer). I think Banshee got a bit emotional at the thought that, if it weren't for Colossus, her job wouldn't exist today. It is a good thing that tickets allow you to go back as often as you want for a year... I suspect we'll be going back quite a lot this year!

There was also an almost last minute plan of visiting Oxford. I wanted to go to the Bodleian library, to visit a dragon I used to know who worked there. Apparently he was fired on account of that breaking the "no flames in the library" rule... Undead Medic and Banshee were allowed in, and took a lot of lovely photos. I still think it is a bit dragonist not to allow dragons in...

There were also lots of colleges, churches, the Ashmolean museum, little alleys, a lovely Spanish tapas restaurant, a castle and a lot of walking.

Now we're back home, and Undead Medic and Banshee are already thinking of going back to Bletchley Park if they don't go to LFCC next month...

I can't believe this...

It's been over a year since anybody updated this blog. I can't believe this! I keep making all these notes and giving them to Undead Medic and Banshee to type up and post, and nobody has bothered to put them all up.

*sigh*

So, here I am, jumping up and down on this "keyboard" thing, doing my own updates.

Where have we been over the last year, after we went to Kernow?

We went to Milton Keynes for this Collectormania event on the last weekend of May. Undead Medic and Banshee often take the train to go to these things, but in this case they took the car (sorry, "Teddyprise", he gets offended if people don't use his name, apparently) and drove all the way over. We met lots of lovely people, including Anthony Head and Alex Kingston and lots of people from the "Star Trek" days.

We also met another lovely dragon, Tosh the Purple Dragon. She's not Welsh herself, but she has Welsh ancestry, so she was more than happy to join our dragon family. She's still a young dragon, but she's very wise for her age. No, I'm not just saying that because she'll have my fur if I don't, she really is clever!

We also went back to London for "London Film and Comic Con" in July. It was quite hot, but nothing as bad as it was in October when we went back for "Entertainment Media Show". And none of these hotels have showers for dragons!

There were also trips to Cardiff to see this "Blue Gillespie" band, but we didn't go to all of them.

And there was also a trip to London in December, to a Dickensian Christmas with James Marsters that saw Banshee wearing her Victorian best, form petticoats and long skirts to corset and long gloves. She did remind me of times gone by, when that was everyday garb!

This year we haven't been to many places yet. We went to London for a few days, but it was very, very cold (even with my fur). We did manage to see the Tower (which has changed since I last was there), and walked along the high walkways of Tower Bridge. It was a great visit, despite the snow!

We went to Wales a couple of times. The first one was to  Caerphilly Castle, which brings back a lot of memories. I used to know a dragon that lived there, and I used to visit quite regularly. It was Tosh's first time in Wales, and she enjoyed it, despite Rhys the Dragon dragging us all to meet his grandma...

 The second time we went to a Blue Gillespie gig on May 4th, and we finally got to go to the gig! I have to say, I love the album artworks and matching tshirt, I think I recognise the hydra that posed for it! We also popped to Penarth (Banshee had been wanting to go there for a long time, to see one of the Torchwood locations), but it was very cold, and we ended up coming back home quite quickly.

We also went to Peterborough, once again in Teddyprise, to The Greatest Show In The Galaxy, where we met all the Torchwood cast and a lot of other famous people. Naoko Mori looked very touched when she met Tosh the Dragon and found out about her name!

And yesterday we went to Slimbridge, where there were a lot of lovely birds, and swans, and geese. I might have had a swanBQ, but it was not and endangered species, so I hope nobody minds!

Now we're gettting ready to go to Collectormania again, and apparently we'll be stopping a few days at Oxford. I haven't been there for a long time, it'll be good to see how it has changed!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have words with Undead Medic and Banshee about keeping this blog up to date.

Kernow!

It's been a while since I updated the blog, mostly because both UndeadMedic and Banshee have been "too busy to help with the typing", and, as you might imagine, typing with dragon paws on a keyboard designed for humans is... complicated.

After a lot of talk about going to Kernow (Cornwall, for those of you who don't remember the ancient languages), everything was finally arranged to take a trip there during this wonderful holiday-week. We set down on Monday morning, very very early, in our new carriage, the car known as Teddyprise (the name is supposed to be a reference to that sci-fi show that some of you might have heard of, "Star Trek"). It was the first long trip for Teddyprise so it was a bit new and exciting for everybody. Although I still don't understand why there are no seat belts for dragons in the back seat - one or two times on the M5 Rhys and I almost landed on the floor. Banshee got a bit annoyed at some of the other drivers, for not using their indicators. I have to say, this wouldn't happen if we used some more appropriate and dragon-like methods of transport, but, unfortunately, all my big cousins capable of carrying two humans, two dragons of Rhys's and my stature, and all the bags and hats and coats that humans need for four days away were too busy to take us...

We drove through five counties: Bristol, South Gloucester, Somerset, beautiful Devon and then finally Kernow! I haven't been there for a long time (last time I was there, the steam trains hadn't arrived yet, and there were a lot less bridges and a lot less big roads), and it was good to be in such a dragon-y territory. Lots of famous dragons come from Cornwall, and a lot of them still live there! Although most of them seemed to be away when I popped in for a visit.

We spent Monday afternoon driving around, and parked for a little picnic in Mevagissey, a little harbour town with lots of character and very hard to drive around, so Teddyprise had to wait in the car park. Unfortunately, due no doubt to a misunderstanding, Rhys and I were also left in the car, and therefore missed most of the visit, and the ice cream and cream tea, which were apparently very good.

Then we headed to the hotel, checked in and sorted everything in the room. Rhys and I decided to stay in the room and make sure everything was in order, and also spent some time checking out the local produce (I found a lovely lamb called "Dinner", but for some reason it refused to come over when I called after it...). UndeadMedic and Banshee went out again and I've been told there was a lot more driving around, sitting on beaches enjoying the sun and the chilli wind and generally relaxing around. Banshee mentioned everybody should get the chance to get to the seaside every so often, to relax and contemplate and enjoy the sounds of the waves and realise that, after all, we are small tenants of the planet and should keep that in mind.

Tuesday started at Tintagel, which used to be the home of one of my friends a few thousand years ago - the castle was build shortly after he moved out. It has some impressive views over the sea, some really steep steps. UndeadMedic took some really good photos of the castle, the sea, and Banshee in some of her knitted shawls. At least she had the good sense to wear sensible footwear and clothing in the climb up to the castle, and change into a long dress and corset at the top... I had visions of Rhys and myself having to fly down to rescue her if she tried to climb those steps in that dress...

Banshee spotted a large collection of satellite dishes from Tintagel Castle, which turns out to be GCHQ Bude. Quite an incongruous sight from such an ancient place.

After some pasties in Tintagel, we set off to Bude, sat on the beach and enjoyed the weather. It was apparently quite chilli for humans as the sun started to set. I keep telling them they need to get a decent fur rather than have such problem with clothing, but nobody seems to listen to me...

UndeadMedic and Banshee had fish and chips for dinner in a posh fish and chips place in Padstow. It was, apparently, what fish and chips should be, but nothing exceptional. Rhys and I went out for some lovely Cornish lamb.

Wednesday started with a looooooong drive to Land's End. I never understood why they call it Land's End, dragons have always known there was more land on the other end of the water! Still, it is an impressive sight, all sea and rough cliffs and wind. It brings back memories from my younger years, when Land's End was a common place for young dragons to get together and have some dragon ale...

After a lot of walking, some knitting of the "Socks at the end of the world", as Banshee now calls them, and a lot of wind, we headed off for Minack theatre. If you haven't seen it, seriously, you should organise a visit as soon as possible. It has some gorgeous views of the sea below, and the beach in Porthcurno looks sandy and caribbean, even though we didn't get to go there, or to the Telegraph museum in the village. It's hard to believe such a tiny Cornish village was a hub of communications when telegraph was the quickest means of communication.

Then we sent out to St Michael's Mount. It looks a lot like Mont Saint-Michel in France, and that is because they are sister cities, and the one in Cornwall was founded by the abbot of the one in France. We managed to cross to the island when it was still an island, and had a quick look over the castle and church before they closed. From there, we went to Penzance, which was, being Cornwall, shut (it was after 17.00, of course). So in the end we went to Falmouth, to the other posh fish and chips place, which is, apparently, much better than the one in Padstow.

Driving back to the hotel was interesting. Apparently, according to Banshee, the concept of an "A road" is very variable, particularly in Cornwall, and driving along winding roads with no lights is... well, complicated.

Thursday was a bit of sad day, nobody wanted to leave Cornwall... We tried to get a glimpse of the domes of Eden Project (Banshee likes that sort of thing), but there was no easy place to see them from. In the end, we stopped in Boscastle for a quick photoshoot and some fudge, before driving up the coast of Devon. We also stopped in Clovely, and both UndeadMedic and Banshee managed to go all the way down and climb all the way up without even a misstep!

Now we are back home, have unpacked all my stuff, and I'm just waiting for UndeadMedic to post his pictures, so I can see how good I look in them...

Caerdydd, The Return!

You'll have to forgive me, I'm still a little excited. You see I am going back to my native Cardiff! Banshee and Undead Medic are attending the annual "Torchwood Forum Meet-up" we are going to see some wonderful Welsh sights. :-)

I have checked my bag thirty-four times already, I don't want to leave anything behind.

Anyway I better try and sleep now.

We are leaving on the train for Cardiff with our friend Selana from Dortmund in Germany, this morning, yawn. I'm still a little asleep. Will have some lovely coffee, Mmmmm!

These train things are quite perplexing for Dragons, ordinarily I would just fly to Cardiff, but I didn't want to appear antisocial. The first thing I noticed was the lack of a pricing structure for Dragons, we go for free it seems. Oh well.

We pulled into Cardiff Central and I was already feeling at home, a strange feeling of warmth was descending upon me, I like Cardiff, Cardiff is good.

After dropping the luggage in the hotel we had some time to kill before check-in so we headed to Nandos for a Chicken-B-Cue... Yummy! and a walk round the docks.

After check-in we headed off back into the centre for a look around. Banshee saw a cute little Adipose in the window of Forbidden Planet and resisted the temptation to buy it, saying that she would see how the budget was doing by the end of the weekend.

So we crossed the road to have a look in the Castle shop (A proper castle, not like Blaise!) as Selana wanted to find a gift for her son. We hadn't been in there long when we made a friend, His name is Rhys the Green Dragon, and Banshee has decided that he is coming home with us! He was all alone in the shop and seemed quite friendly.

Rhys The Dragon

We left the castle with Rhys and went for a walk around the centre, with Banshee pointing out some of the Torchwood locations as we went. We had decided to go for something called "Tapas" for dinner (Sounded like a pick & mix sheep pig and fish-B Cue to me)

Rhys and Myself

Dinner was great, and Rhys and I shared a something called "Churros" with Banshee & Undead Medic, it was great after all of the fishy meaty delights we'd had before. We had Chorizo (Which I was introduced to by a Spanish lady Dragon I met many years ago), Calamares (What Meep calls "Rubber bands") Costillas, (Pork Ribs) Croquettas De Pollo, (Chicken Croquettes), Patatas Bravas (Potatoes in a spicy tomato saucy thing) Pan De Barra Catalan (Bready Dippy Thingie), Aceitunas Mixtas (Olives),Melón Galia Y Jamón Serrano (Melon with Serrano Ham) and Selana had the Crema Catalana (Custardy brulée thingie) before we all had liqueurs. Crema Catalana Liqueur & Cuarenta Y Tres, save it to say that Banshee and Undead Medic's diets were on hold!

Hmmm, Chocolate Soup!

I was left feeling a little bloated by dinner, but it was lovely. I was quite relieved when we headed back through the building Friday night chaos to the hotel and my *ahem* big comfy bed (seen below) up early tomorrow for more 'Woody shenanigans!

Blaise *ahem* Castle

Where to start? Well for one when i found out I was to be taken to a place called "Blaise Castle" I imagined something a little more grandiose than the turretlet I was presented with. I've seen a few castles in my time and this was somewhat diminutive in its stature.

I was accompanied once again by Banshee and Undead Medic as they like to be called here. We arrived at a car-park adjacent to a play area that was teeming with potential Teddy-abusers, A.K.A Kids. Luckily I was spared the indignation of torn seams and leaky stuffing by the fact that we headed straight for the nearby hill, atop which, I was duly informed stood the "Castle" itself.

What a long hike for a picnic! Banshee almost got us lost but we soon found our way thanks to my Dragon-like skills of navigation.

By the time we sat down the sky was looking distinctly grey, we waited for Our fellow diners to join us we had just about enough time once they arrived to have our lunch before it beagan to rain.

We repaired to the shelter of the now open turretlet. and were informed of its previous lavish interior which was singed (By one of my relatives no doubt) sometime in the last century.
The view from the top must have been pretty good in the days before the trees grew up around the tower, I could see my native Wales, *sniff* and both Severn Bridges.

We took in the view for a while before beginning the walk back down to the car-park and our awaiting charriot.

I must say that with all this rain malarkey it is good that I haven't yet got my suits, as they would need a good Dry-Cleaning by now.

Place With The Stones (v.2.0)

Did I say that it was hot last time? Well this time it must have been hot 2.0. A major new release of the sunshine product had been rolled out. I felt like my fur was turning into red goo and dripping off me. Not a nice thought when one is cursed with the encumbrance of not being able to shower.

Avebury, not far from the other place with the stones, is often thought of as being less impressive than its more famous cousin, when in actual fact the site is many times bigger than Stonehenge and just as fascinating.

We arrived whilst it was still morning and were gladdened to hear that our prudence in joining English Heritage had paid off; we would not have to pay the £5 parking fee levied to tourists upon their arrival. Bonus; say I.

The sun was beating down and all of the cars in the car park were slowly turning into the ovens they were soon to become as we headed along the footpath into Avebury village proper. We passed by a rather amusing sign by a cricket pitch which read “Beware of the Ball” rather than the more usual “Beware of the Bull” I saw more than one double-take at this subtle humour.

Upon arriving in the village we were presented with more thatched Tudor properties than any self-respecting dragon could have resisted torching back in the “Dark” times, when we dragons were feared and misunderstood by humans everywhere. I found them pretty myself, and didn’t have the slightest urge to see them razed to the ground.

It was still a little before lunchtime so we decided to go for a stroll around the stone circle which encompasses much of the ancient village of Avebury. And thus we negotiated the “Junction of Doom” and headed into the field which contains the famous “Devil’s Chair” or “Silla del Diablo” as Banshee taught us.

The construction of the stone circle was just as mind-boggling as that of Stonehenge. Considering when it was built, c.5000 years ago mankind were still torturing Dragons for fun, it is a miracle that they ever managed to erect anything so gargantuan. Add to this that they were working with little more in the way of tools than old animal bones, and more than a few Dragon brows would have been raised at the time.

We walked roundabout ¾ of the circumference of the outer circle and were quite in awe at the ditches and mounds that had been created so many millennia before. Again Undead Medic took a bunch of photos along the way and we saw many cute Dogs, and some sheep *licks lips*

We stopped for lunch, (No Sheep-B-Cue I was disappointed to find) and to gather our thoughts before heading into Avebury Manor, the shop and the two museums, prior to completing our circuit of the stones.

Avebury Manor was a strange house, in that it had obviously been recently inhabited and the modern kitchen appliances seemed strangely at odds with the opulent gardens and magisterial panelled rooms within. Couple that with a strange lack of furnishings and we were left with the feeling that we were being conducted around the most expensive prospective property acquisition on the market. We felt more like prospective buyers than paying visitors, weird.

Again I remember coming here in my youth, with some other Dragons of my acquaintance, but the old memory is dulled by Dragon-Wine and too many of those funny herbs that were going around *ahem* and I was glad of the chance to see the place again.

Avebury left me with a feeling that unlike Stonehenge the march of tourism that has crept up on the place has still left the site with a little dignity and the overall impression was one of a place that despite the commercial touches, hadn’t changed that much in centuries.

Banshee summed it up: the place still felt “Right.”

The Place With the stones (Stonehenge I think you young ones call it)

Well here I am, finally on my peregrinations. I took my time to get out in the world but it was worth it.

We arrived at a very unassuming car-park in the middle of Wiltshire on a very hot day. (No-one can fully understand what it is like to be covered from head to toe in red fur until they have experienced it first hand) Whereupon we disembarked. We were greeted almost immediately by a worldly mixture of licence plates and languages ranging from Japanese to Midwestern American English, We are truly a global village. We got out of the car and proceeded to the visitor centre, where I watched with fascination as the transaction for admittance to the place with the stones was carried out.

Now, I am a Dragon, and will probably never understand the human need for these little metal discs and scraps of paper, In Dragon culture you prove your standing by how many of your foes you turn into crispy frazzles. So I watched as Banshee and Undead Medic paid for our admittance, noting not without some ire that the subject of "Dragon Rates" wasn't even raised. But hey-ho, at least I got in for free. I had honestly had visions of having to fly across the road and meet the pair of them on the other side.

Now I remember having Dragon raves in this place back in the middle ages, when you were free to approach the stones and touch them to your heart's content. I may be sounding like an old buffer here, but I am 3000 odd years old and I'm allowed. Don't let my diminutive stature fool you! As Yoda said "Judge me by my size do you? And well you should not..." What I am trying to say is that it seems a shame that something as old and revered as Stonehenge has become yet another tourist "Cash-cow" when it is only within Undead Medic's lifetime that the place has been free to enter and relatively unspoiled by overt money making propoganda.

My penny pinching miserliness aside we proceeded along a tunnel under the road and onto the site. I could almost smell Dragon Queen Wilhelmina's breath from long ago, almost feel it singeing your fur. The stones themselves haven't changed that much, they are a little more weathered maybe, but that is all. It was nice to see that that Doctor Who mob hadn't trampled them or anything.

We had a wonderful day of it, Undead Medic took loads of photos of moi *blushes* and the stones themselves, and then we had a picnic at the back of the site, hoping that no-one from English Heritage would object to us not availing ourselves of the cholesterol filled niceties in their café.

Upon finishing our picnic we resumed our tour of the site, taking in the history as we went, with the audio guide wittering in our ears. We were intrigued to see a one man film crew somewhere near the heel-stone, recording video onto a huge MacBook Pro, and couldn't help but wonder if we might be making our TV débuts.

My thoughts on the day turned to my friends the Druids and what they must make of what has become of one of the most sacred sites in rural England.