Hebburn starring Me! :)

Me as an extra in Hebburn BBC2 10pm 22/11/12

Mr Plough star of the silver screen :)

My lovely fiance appearing as an extra on Andrew Marrs History of the World, BBC1, 4/11/12

Sponsor Me Please!

Hello Dear Reader,

I'm taking part in the Marie Curie - Walk Ten 2012 Gibside on 01/09/2012 to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and I'd really appreciate your support.

It's easy to donate online with a credit or debit card - just go to my JustGiving page:
http://www.justgiving.com/Ange-Graham

JustGiving sends your donation straight to Marie Curie Cancer Care and automatically reclaims Gift Aid if you're a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more. I hope you'll join me in supporting Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Thank you so much!

Love from Ange :)

 http://www.justgiving.com/Ange-Graham




Alford Windmill

 

Lincolnshire -Not just winding roads & windmills 

 

Alford Windmill

Lincolnshire is a very flat county. I come from rural County Durham. Its all green hills & valleys & livestock here so the contrast was instantly noticeable to me. What Lincolnshire lacks in hills it makes up for in bends! Why are the roads so winding?!!  It seems so unnecessary! However the more time we spent on the road the more I came to enjoy the scenery & the quirky dykes. I adored the unique signposts a lot of the villages had, I've seen similar in Norfolk (we don't have them at home) and I kept stopping the car & leaping out to take photos of them. And how many windmills!!! How fantastic! It was lovely to see all the mill conversions but I was really excited to climb to the top of a proper working windmill.
Alford Windmill was built in 1837. It's over 30metres tall, has 5 sails, 6 floors and is a fully functioning flour mill ( I bought a bag to bake some special cupcakes! ).
We climbed up wooden 'ladders' right to the top of the windmill, each room smaller than the last, so it may not be suitable for the feint of heart! On your visit do have a delicious cake from the tearoom and on a sunny day its nice to sit out in the garden & enjoy your coffee while the windmill creaks & turns in front of you...aaahhh lovely! Its an absolutely beautiful windmill and I'd like to thank the man who let us go into the mill on a day I've since discovered it wasn't suppose to be open to the public. Thank you kind sir, very much appreciated!

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Hazwell Plough, star.... :)

My gorgeous boyfriend did some TV work for the BBC earlier this week...
I've always thought he has filmstar looks!
Today 'Posh passenger 5' tomorrow Hollywood :)

Robin Hoods Bay

**Robin Hoods Bay**


Once upon a time this gorgeous little village, built on a steep hill with its quirky narrow lanes & quaint little cottages was reputedly a favourite with smugglers. Infact there is a tunnel, which is still visible today, which leads straight from the beach and under the village. Allegedly some of the houses have trap doors where contraband goods were smuggled straight from ships moored in the bay. I adore Robin Hoods Bay & I come here ridiculously often, infact there is a gate just at the top of the hill...we call this 'Anges Gate'! The beach is quite muddy but great for finding fossils, there's fantastic rock pooling to be done here too so be sure to bring your fishing net. When you are on the rocks please be aware of the tide coming in as it sweeps round behind you and you can easily end up stranded, I speak from experience here, I've had wet feet & a panic on several occasions! I've also seen people have to be physically rescued from the rocks so do keep glancing behind you as you're busy collecting crabs & fishies!
There's a cute little museum housed in the old Coroners Room with displays all about Robin Hoods Bay & Fylingdales. Its free entry & run entirely by volunteers so if you enjoy your visit as much as I did, be so kind as to give a small donation & help keep history alive.
There’s also the Old Coastguard Station visitor centre with hands on displays showing how the natural landscape was formed, an aquarium tank with local marine life on display and a National Trust shop.
There's also a fantastic fish'n'chip shop here, I recommend anything from the menu, sit on the seats overlooking the beach & enjoy! After which you might like to try a nice walk along the Cleveland Way to Boggle Hole.

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KONY 2012

KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.
Watch it - share it. #KONY2012

Stop The Badger Cull

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/stop-the-badger-cull/

The Secretary of State Caroline Spelmen has announced a badger cull in Autumn 2012 as a way of tackling the spread of bovine Tuberculosis.

A 10 year badger culling study showed that culling can have 'NO MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION' to reducing the incidence of bTB in cattle. Overall, the incidence of bTB decreased by only 12-16% - THIS LEAVES 85% OF THE PROBLEM STILL THERE! Infact, during the trial, the incidence of bTB actually INCREASED due to badger culling!!! Does this sound like an appropriate control method to you?

Caroline Spelmen is going to allow farmers and landowners to shoot free running badgers (as appose to cage trapping and shooting). This is purely to cut down on costs and effort! This shooting has to take place at night as badgers are noctural and therefore the accuracy is going to be poor! This means that the badgers WILL NOT HAVE A HUMANE DEATH. Instead, they will be severly wounded and suffer a cruel, brutal and inhumane death.

WE MUST STOP THIS BEFORE IT STARTS!

Remember, it is called 'bovine' tuberculosis for a reason - cattle gave it to the badgers, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

****SIGN THE PETITION HERE****

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/stop-the-badger-cull/

York

A family friendly full fun packed day out is to be had at York for relatively little expense.
York is a truly beautiful & historic city with lots to see and do. The NRM (or the train museum
to me&you!) is probably a full afternoons visit on its own depending on the age range of your 'travel group'.
The museum is enormous and split into two parts stuffed full of trains & rail memorabilia.
I always enjoy a sit in the Japanese Bullet Train & there's a free short train ride to be had outside in the yard. There is also a massive gift shop that stocks all manner of train themed merchandise (great for Thomas the Tank-engine products) & I always buy a metal sign for my garden on my visits. The museum entrance is free, unless theres a specified chargable event taking place (check website before visiting). Children will love it, big kids will too!
There's the National Trust owned 'Treasurer's House' to be explored. It has a quirky clock has is so long it stretches between 2 floors, a room that is 'outside inside' and the 'haunted cellar' reputedly haunted by a Roman Legion, although it's never seemed to be open on any of my visits! Treasurer's House can be found just behind the Minster & is free admission to National Trust members.
Speaking of the 'Minster'; I've not been inside since a school trip in the 1980 as I refuse to pay the colossal entrance fee. (Durham Cathedral is free, ergo all places of worship should be in my eyes) However its a very pretty building and its fun to spot the gargoyles!
At the end of October the minster is usually used as a projection backdrop for the 'Illuminating York' event which is definately worth seeing.
The 'Shambles', a little further along from the Minster, are rows of quirky medieval buildings where the top parts are so close you can allegedly shake hands with people on the opposite side of the street (although why you'd want to I don't know!) The buildings are mainly shops now but its nice to amble along there although it does get very busy and crowded.
The Castle Museum is also another full afternoons entertainment. It has a
reconstructed street & other museumy type things! The bonus being the entrance ticket is
valid for a whole year so great for repeat visits to York.
Speaking of castles, the English Heritage owned 'Cliffords Tower' is a great place to view the city. Climb right to the top of the 'keep' and enjoy the panoramic views of the city below. There isn't really a great lot to see inside the castle as its totally hollow inside but its still an interesting place to visit.
If you need to rest your legs theres a lovely park nearby that houses the ruins of St Marys Abbey, York Observatory & The Hospitium, its great for a picnic or to feed the squirrels.
No trip to York is complete without a walk along part of the historic city wall. There are several gateways (known locally as Bars) to admire along the way or enjoy a little stroll by the riverside. Speaking of bars, I can recomend 'The Maltings' as a place to enjoy a pint of locally brewed real ale, or enjoy a nice glass of fruit wine.
There are literally hundreds of things you can see&do in York city & its a brilliant place to visit.
You could spend a fortune or take some of my tips & spend a little but have an equally fun day out!
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Historic Hull

We've visited Hull quite a few times since The Evil Genius announced the city as her university of choice. I find Hull to be a friendly and vibrant city with great shopping, plenty of eating & drinking places and even
a 'Real Ale Trail'. Hull is steeped in history with lots of beautiful old buildings & statues.
The Deep is one of the city's main attractions. It is apparently the worlds only 'submarium', it is in fact the largest aquarium I've been to and it has the biggest sharks I've ever seen in my life! There's some fascinating sea creatures inside, the Sawfish being one of my favourites. There's lots of interesting & plenty of hands on displays too. There's also a bubble lift which takes you up through the big tank and gives you a great view of the sharks.
Admission isn't cheap although it is cheaper than 'other' aquariums we've visited and they now do a special offer where your ticket is valid for a whole year (excluding bank holidays) which is good value.
The city also boast many museums with free entry making Hull an ideal venue for a budget day out.
The Streetlife Museum is far & away my favourite of Hulls attractions.
Its a large museum spread over two floors. It has several reconstructed street scenes and houses an example of every conceivable mode of transport (well anything I could think of!) from horse& carriages and bicycles to trams and even an aeroplane! Theres a very amusing 'carriage ride' to take too...I though it was hilarious, you should try it!
We also visited Wilberforce House. Birthplace of William Wilberforce who was a famous 19th century campaigner against the slave trade. Housing very poignant & thought provoking displays its an insight into a different era of oppression and eventual freedom.
There's also the Spurn Lightship harboured in the marina, but that always seems to be closed when I visit the city!
I love both lighthouses and ships so its a place I am eager to explore.
With the Maritime Museum, Arctic Corsairand Ferens Art Gallery still yet to explore Hull has plenty to offer the visitor on a budget.

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Moan - Behind the times....

Just a small moan but something thats bothering me.
I find it hard to believe, but its true, that there are still people in the world who think shop workers get 'double time' for working on a Sunday or Bank Holiday.
I would like to point out to the 'behind the times' people that this is 2012 & as such we now have 24 hour, 7 days a week trading in most stores across the UK and as such Sunday is just another working day for which shop workers only get paid single, normal hourly rate. No perks. No bonus. No day off in leiu. Nada. Just normal rate.
As a shop worker there isnt really such a thing as a 'holiday' on a bank holiday with employers using black mail & scare tacits to pressurize you into working. However if you're lucky there maybe 'time & a half' pay involved. Whoopy-do!
That's todays moan from Moo.