Pasty Muncher

Great Britain Visit England

Source: Kim Mutton
Thursday 12th August 2010, 2:12pm

Calling all travellers from around the world - visit some of England's finest towns.

Top UK Destinations

Visit Britain - thats the message being spread around the world by airlines keen to boost the passenger numbers on their UK flights

Milton Keynes (Middle of Nowhere)

I saw Milton Keynes — local nickname “City of Dreams” — by bicycle. While people poke fun at the New Town’s endless roundabouts and grid-road system, I found it to be one of the greenest and most pleasant of all the places in Unsung Britain. The top attraction is Bletchley Park, the base of Britain’s Second World War code-breakers. I also tried my hand at indoor skydiving at thecentre:mk. This mall has tenpin bowling, a ski slope, endless shops and the famous concrete cows. There were buzzing restaurants and bars, and the trendy Milton Keynes Gallery.

Croydon (London)

I was, I think, the only tourist in Croydon — perhaps the least likely place for “holidaymaking” out of all my trips. A tourist official even admitted: “One of the most difficult questions I get is, ‘I’ve got three hours to kill in Croydon, what can I do here?’ ” I ended up having an interesting couple of days, going to the Croydon Airport Visitor Centre (to learn about the heyday of Croydon airport, when it was the main airport for flights into London, with Charlie Chaplin passing by), Addington Palace (a former summer house of the archbishops of Canterbury), and a nightclub with an anti-stabbing strategy that involves taking your fingerprints before entry. A strange weekend.

Salford (Manchester)

With its International Airport bringing in many UK visitors via direct flights to Manchester this Northern city seems to get all the attention, but Salfordians think that’s unfair. They’re right. The Lowry Centre on Salford Quays contains a splendid gallery of L. S. Lowry’s works. There’s also the Working Class Movement Library, with artefacts from the days of industrialisation. This is just down the street from the Crescent pub, where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are said to have met regularly. Round the corner there is Salford Lads Club, a hotspot for fans of the Smiths because it is on the sleeve of their 1986 album, The Queen is Dead.

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Waiting for Change

Source: Kim Mutton
Wednesday 4th August 2010, 5:26pm

The hours men spend waiting outside women's changing rooms.

This isn’t going to be one of those general rants about women and shopping, about how you have to traipse behind them, shop after shop, only to return, inevitably, to the first shop and the first pair of shoes. This is much more specific — it’s about changing rooms and the time lost in them. My heart sinks the second I realise that the first item she has picked up isn’t going back on the rails any time soon. Any hope of this being a swift visit is lost when a second item enters the equation, meaning endless changes between the two. A third item follows, then a fourth, by which point she has ceased to ask my opinion, the “maximum 3 items” sign may as well be written in Swahili, and my afternoon is ruined.

I know what’s in a men’s changing room — a mirror, a coat hook and, if you’re lucky, a stool for a little sit-down. Given the time my wife spends trying on clothes, hers must contain a fleet of stylists, on hand to give 20-minute tutorials on, maybe, how to buckle a belt.

Meanwhile, I stand outside with the other hapless menfolk, sweating in overheated shops, like sherpas, weighed down by their shopping, trying not to look uncomfortable while forced to linger in the M&S women's underwear and lingerie section (why must it always be next to the changing rooms?).

I recently clocked up 34 minutes outside a changing room — 34 minutes spent assessing five items that had an approximate value of 1/2,000 of the flat we recently purchased which we spent a grand total of 20 minutes viewing. If the amount of time spent surveying the flat had been proportionate to the time spent trying on new dresses and clothes, we would have moved in with the vendors for a cosy month before making an offer. “But you don’t have to wait there,” she cries. “Stand outside, get some air.” But I do have to wait there. At any time I may get called upon in that shouted whisper when she pokes her head around the curtain, underwear clad from the waist up or down, waving some garment at me: “Pasty, Pasty, see if they have this in a 12. It’s the last one I’m trying on, then we’ll get lunch, I promise.” Which is a whole other minefield of indecision.

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Golf for Swingers

Source: Kim Mutton
Thursday 8th July 2010, 10:22am

We have a fair way to go..

Golf Courses to become female freindly?

Like Tiger, most guys are just looking to sink their putters into as many holes as possible. Enjoy the ride... that's what golf is really all about anyway - well that and clean restrooms and flower arrangements apparently.

And if golf is not your thing, you can always play tennis and smack those balls about the court - all for love and match.My only question is about the assertion that we'd gladly pay 8-15% more to play at woman-friendly courses.

We can already do this: most resort courses (at least, the ones I've played) already meet that criteria -- from thoughtful placement of forward tees to nice restrooms. It's those "sleep, tradition-bound" courses we play every week that tend to treat us like afterthoughts -- and I'm not exactly eager to see my greens fees at those courses go up, thanks!

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Charity Awareness

Source: Kim Mutton
Wednesday 16th June 2010, 12:05pm

Half marathons, fun runs and other charity events.

One of the delightful things about Spring and early summer is the many opportunities to support charity by taking part in the vaarious fundraising events.

In April of course we have the hugely popular London marathon - how wonderful to learn that this year Oxfam are the official charity of the London Marathon - helping raise both awareness of the causes that the organisation are working to help as well as funds to support this important work.

Ever popular in the South West is the Ten Tors - a demanding fundraising event in which youngsters re let loose on Dartmoor to conquor ten hilltops over a few days. Some years this evetn has had to be cancelled due to the inclement weather - great to hear though that any sponsorship that has been committed is honoured and the charities that the event supports aren't left high and dry.

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Going To Miami

Source: Kim Mutton
Tuesday 25th May 2010, 12:31pm

Meow

Looking for the eighties dream of Miami

Miami

Miami is one of Florida’s most popular tourist destinations. Situated on the south-eastern coast of the Sunshine State, it’s a vast city, with many different areas to explore.

Get Around - Car Hire Florida

One of the best known areas is South Beach, where you can swim, sunbathe and see the famous Art Deco architecture. In Downtown Miami, you’ll find restaurants, shopping malls, theatres, and museums and galleries, such as the Miami Children’s Museums and the Miami Art Museum. The picturesque Coconut Grove area of the city is home to attractions such as The Barnacle State Historic Park and the Kampong (a tropical garden), whilst the Wynwood Art District contains more than 70 galleries.

Miami is also a hub for travellers – the Port of Miami is often referred to as the “Cruise Capital of the World” and many people use Miami as a stopover before driving to the Florida Keys.

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