Top firework companies from around the globe will be invited to stage pyrotechnical displays, bringing an International flavour to Central Promenade during the opening weeks of Blackpool’s World Famous Illuminations season.

One display will be presented per evening on Sunday 2nd and Fridays 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th September 2007.

2nd September Portugal
7th September Canada
14th September UK
21st September Austria
28th September Winner Announcement and Celebratory Display

To out-shine their opponents, entrants must demonstrate cutting edge pyro-musical design with a display that represents the style or traditions of their country. Each competing company will launch fireworks particular to their homeland and showcase their own pyrotechnical expertise, to win the public vote.

Build up will commence around 7.30pm Fireworks from approximately 8.30pm

 It started a bit late, and I recommend that if you decide to go along that you wrap up warm!

Now with 4 kids and Arthritis I find it’s even more important to keep active and living by the sea gives me a great excuse. 

We all have bikes of course but we also really enjoy getting around on scooters and here is a picture of us taking a brief pit stop in the centre of town before we head home along the promenade.

I suppose I am a bit obsessive about it because I really do need to get quite a bit of exercise every day to avoid seizing up from the Arthritis.

They continue to enjoy each others company, share toys, friends and show considerable empathy for each other even though they are not identical.

For the first couple of years though they looked so alike that we had to dress them in different coloured clothes so we could tell them apart and they still have their names on their school jumpers to help their teachers call them by name.  In fact for the first year or so the only way to distinguish them was by a small birth mark that one of them has on her back.

In this picture the twins are just setting off to explore some of the smallest of the dunes.

In fact although I have lived in many places I have rarely been more than 5 minutes away from salt water.  I feel instantly at home as soon as I can see the water reaching to the horizon.

I’m delighted that the kids have inherited my love for the sea side life.  In this picture we have just finished breakfast and walked out of the cafe door which faces the beach,  which is probably why the kids are all so happy,  they are well fed! 

Tessa is still sporting a sling which is cradling her broken arm caused by a fall from a climbing frame.

Which means that our garden often looks like this from Spring through to Autumn. 

They don’t just chill out all of the time though because we discovered just how much fun trampolines can be and now they spend a lot of time bouncing!  I must admit that I love the trampoline as well, and when I last went round to my brothers I was amused to see him bouncing around on his as we pulled into the drive!

My Wife – Debbie – has always loved craft activities, so four kids is a dream come true from that perspective.  In fact she loves planning and helping with this sort of activity that she runs a kids club every Thursday night at the local church and also runs a week long event during the summer holidays. 

Debbie lays out a huge plastic table cloth and the kids just get stuck in!  Craft stuff doesn’t come as naturally to me, although for Christmas this year I asked the kids to get me a craft box and all the pens, glue, card, glitter etc that they could find. They did a wonderful job as well and I have already used it a couple of times this year,  which is more than the previous ten years put together so thats progress.