Bimingham

At the start of July Chris and I were invited to a lunch in Birmingham in recognition of our Diabetes UK South East Inspire Award for Fundraising. It was a short visit.....arrive, sleep, awards lunch, sleep, return to Bexhill.
So I have no great sightseeing tales or photographs to share. This is just a quick resume of our trip.
The journey from Bexhill to Birmingham by train is not straightforward. You have to transfer from St Pancras to Euston, either by the underground or a walk through the grounds of the British Library. We chose the latter, but only after one train from Ashford was cancelled and we were dumped at Stratford for half an hour. As a result we missed our connection. At least we had the foresight to take a phone pic of our tickets for our online 'delay repay' application.
We arrived in Birmingham, eventually.

Birmingham New Street Grand Central Station is indeed Grand.

I would like to have spent more time exploring the massive shopping centre which was an integral part of the station complex. In the interests of our budget, it is probably just as well that we arrived late. There are many exits from the station. This is my excuse for getting lost en route to the hotel. It was good exercise.

We had chosen to stay at an Ibis Hotel in China Town, within 5 minutes walk of the station if you didn't get lost. 

Ibis is a budget chain of hotels, so, as expected, our room was small, but well appointed with free wifi. Its ground floor decor was slightly bizarre.

It took some time to find the lifts.

We were tired after our eventful journey, but we found a pleasant Greek restaurant very close to the hotel.

And yet again we visited a Wetherspoons the following morning for breakfast, named  The Dragon Inn after its Chinatown location.

     

A very kind member of staff then took our photograph in the hotel lobby before we headed towards the Banqueting Suite at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

The suite itself was spacious and beautifully laid out with a large balcony overlooking the cricket ground.

Although Diabetes UK supports people with both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, a lot of their supporters have Type 1. I don't think I've ever seen so many insulin pumps and pens in one room.
It was a fabulous occasion, and we were pleased that we decided to go, despite the travelling.

So our planned travels are over for a few more restful weeks, though I might write a short 'book' blog in August. But the cases are still out, waiting to be filled......not long now until we head to New York!!!

Visit To Arcadia

This is me, Claire Baldry. 

I'm supposed to be retired, but just lately my 'writing' hobby has rather taken over. I write and perform comic poetry and autobiographical stuff, I blog about anything that interests me, and have recently completed my first full-length novel, which will be published in October. The blogs I write are just for fun. They are free to read and do not make money.

This is my husband, Chris. Chris has had Type 1 Diabetes for most of his adult life. He doesn't get warnings of low blood sugars (hypos) so can drop out of consciousness without notice. It happens less now the NHS have finally paid for a sensor pump, which alarms before his blood sugar drops too low.

We cruise a lot. We love waking up in different ports, sitting on our balcony watching the sea, or relaxing in a seaview bar admiring the sunset. The 24 hour food on offer with lots of healthy options suits Chris's particular disability. Cruising sets us free.
Two years ago I wrote a set of poems about life on cruise ships and needed some photographs to accompany my writing. I invited my photographer friend, Sharon Webster, to join me on a cruise ship tour in Southampton. The ship just happened to be P&O's Arcadia. We will be sailing on her to New York and Canada in the Autumn.  She's one of my favourite ships, medium size, adult only, with lots of traditional features. So, with Sharon's permission I will take you on a photographic tour of the ship.
The weather on the day of our tour was misty and damp, so let's start with just a few outdoor photos.

One of the outdoor pools

The open deck

One of the open bars

Time to go inside and take a look at some of the cabins.

A suite for those who can afford it.

Deluxe Balcony

Inside cabin

Bathroom

Balcony

There are plenty of lifts, including external glass ones which give travellers an outside view of the ocean.

  I love the way the coloured glass patterns light up the roof of the atrium.

There is a traditional pub, a library, a cinema,  and a variety of entertainment spaces including the impressive 'palladium' theatre.

  The central swimming pool area houses several bars and is protected by a retractable glass roof.

The spa area and gym are very well appointed.

  

I love the way that the windows in the Crows Nest span the front of the ship.

We had lunch on board, and the restaurant was spacious and inviting.

So that's all for now.....just a taster from a three hour ship's visit. Some things will, no doubt, have changed since 2015. I can't wait to explore Arcadia again and find out.

With grateful thanks to Sharon Webster for allowing me to use the photographs.

If anyone wants to know more about how Chris and I met, I have written the story as a 99p Amazon ebook, called 'South Something'. This is the link . All profits are donated to Diabetes UK.

Leicester Part Two, A King and A Car Park

On 4th February 2013 it was officially announced that the remains of King Richard III had been discovered under a Social Services Car Park in Leicester. He had rested in his anonymous grave for 527 years until the passion of the archaeological team pursued the project and uncovered his body. DNA evidence and the marked curvature of the skeleton's spine proved his identity beyond doubt.

So Chris and I allowed ourselves an extra day in Leicester to visit the new Richard III Centre. During the walk there we discovered Leicester Old Town, largely pedestrianised and worthy of several days' more investigation.

We viewed the cathedral, now Richard's final resting place.

But the highlight of our day was undoubtedly the centre itself.    

At £8 per head for seniors, and not much more for younger people, it was incredibly good value for money. I learned a lot about British history, and was stunned by the way history, theatre and and art appear to have misrepresented the former King. It seems likely that he wasn't such a bad chap after all. Maybe we should send some of our less scrupulous journalists on an outing to Leicester. What they do now is apparently not original. Misrepresenting the truth, it would appear, is 'old hat'.

The centre itself is designed to be visually captivating. Every exhibit is enhanced with screens, and films and interactive displays.

The grave itself is covered by a glass walkway with an intermittent hologram of King Richard's remains. Many of the passionate volunteer guides were involved in the dig and happy to share their first hand experiences. We were captivated.

No wonder Leicester was the chosen home of Thomas Cook. It is indeed a place worthy of travel.