May 26 2006
Last Sunday we went to an open day at Capernwray bible college, the older girls were really keen on going for one of the week long holidays over the summer and we wanted to check it out. We had a great time and they are really fired up about the opportunity of attending, but now that we have reviewed all the other stuff they are doing this summer it looks like it will have to be next year.
May 19 2006
About half of Blackpool’s promenade (about 2KM) has now been regenerated and although it’s dominated by concrete it still provides great views of the beach and the sea and also has a lovely smooth surface which is ideal for cycling. It also has some amazing art work all long its length. if you don’t like modern art then you might have a problem with it, but having watched all of the pieces being built and installed over the years I find that the work grows on you. We have recently had a variety of new lighting installed which really makes for a lovely summers walk and some new sound affects which can be a bit creepy on a dark night.
The first image is of a person swimming in the sea and has sound affects of kids playing on the beach. It looks really effective with the sun streaming through it. The next picture shows a rusting steel monstrosity in most peoples eyes, although when the light catches it right it casts a shadow of a broken heart. 
Finally we have this amazing – huge – glitter ball. At night 4 projects shine onto it and the resulting light show stretches for 20–30 metres on each side of the ball, walking past it you seem to be walking in a sea of swirling lights and it is a really great affect, although you feel a bit dizzy by the end of it.
If you want to find out more there is a web site with all the details here, with a bit of background from the site:
The Great Promenade Show originated from the major redevelopment undertaken by the then Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to replace and strengthen the 2km long South Promenade’s seawall flood defences. This £20 million project entailed removing the existing Victorian promenade and replacing it with a new well-designed concrete promenade on two levels. The upper level was to incorporate ’roundels’ every hundred metres, on which it was intended to site specially designed features, including wind shelters and visual displays possibly representative of the history of Blackpool.
A Millennium Lottery bid was made by the Council to this end, though a commitment to start building had to be made before the outcome of the bid was known. The bid was unsuccessful, but the sites for visual features along the new promenade remained, as did the Council’s commitment to occupying them. At this point, responsibility for managing the project shifted from the Council’s Technical Services Department to its Education, Leisure and Cultural Services Division.
May 19 2006
I live in a small town just down the road from Blackpool. When I first moved here the image of Blackpool I had assured me that I would never visit it, but over the years I have gradually mellowed and now find that like almost everywhere Blackpool has a plus side, for example:
May 14 2006
I spend a lot of my time working in Cafe’s. Once or twice a week I find myself at Boaters Landing. I tend to get to Boaters at about 9:30 and unpack my Tablet PC and work there for an hour whilst having my breakfast. I know all of the staff very well, in fact probably from the first day that they opened.
The Cafe has floor to ceiling glass windows and is perched right next to the beach with great views. It’s also nice and warm in all weathers thanks to a wind cheating design and under floor heating. They also make all of their own food.
May 14 2006
We get thousands of birds landing on the beach as they migrate and of course some gulls says all year round. The sight of hundreds of them glistening in the sunlight as they poke around in the sand just after the tide has gone out is one of my favourite sites.
The white feathers really do catch the light and make them seem to be like jewels. We also love to watch the larger flocks as they get disturbed and rise into the air, swirl around and then return to the beach in waves only to take off again in another smooth wave a few minutes later. Sometimes these flocks have tens of thousands of birds in them and it really is a breathtaking sight.
May 14 2006
The sands stretch for tens of miles along our coast, but very near our house there is a small – very sheltered – area that is perfect for chilling our with a good book, beach games and exploring. We tend to go there a couple of times a week during the spring and summer.
What makes this place so special aside from it’s convenience is the sea wall that curls around to protect you from the wind and I have sat at the base of the sea wall many times in the winter and been very comfortable.
