Homeward Bound

Sadly our trip has come to an end, home is calling









I wonder if the captain would let me have a go at flying this (A380) ?










The ground is a LONG way down there!


It has been fun travelling around the UK, and seeing so many interesting things. Hopefully I will get to travel again soon....

Farewell for now.....

Wombats in the West End

Red Dwarf was finished, and we had a few hours to wander around birmingham before catching our train back to London....










We saw this sign, but there were no Humped Pelicans on the road that day, otherwise we would have provided a photo!













We arrived back in London later and got read for a night out in the West End. Now what show to see ??? Lion King ? or Grease or Pricilla











or Maybe Mamma Mia ?

No, none of these also-rans for us..... we wanted the cream of the crop, the best show in the West End...









Ross Noble , at the Apollo Theatre, very funny man.

Time to go home......

The Red Dwarf Continuum Continuums

Saturday Night ..... and the Red Dwarf fancy dress competition, I came as a wombat but was dismayed to learn that a wombat had never been in Red Dwarf! Polymorphs, Despair Squids, Gelfs, Cats and Dogs etc etc etc but no Wombats..... however after talking to the special effects crew, a suggestion was made for the next series to include a wombat..... WHAT WAS THAT ?????

A NEW SERIES OF RED DWARF YOU SAID ???? IN 2010 ???? YES.... Really!
Announced on Saturday, a new series has been commissioned for next year.

AWOOGA !














Sunday morning and Danny John-Jules (CAT) arrived to entertain us.... great fun and enjoyed by the enthusiatic crowd.













Then a complete surprise Chloe Annett (Kochanski) arrived and took questions from the audience.













As well as hugs from Craig Charles (LISTER) who seemed to really enjoy working the crowd.























The end of the day saw the highlight of the visiting casts day as they met me. Here Hattie Hayridge (HOLLY) was delighted to meet me, I thought she was really nice too.










Craig looked a little nervous, wondering perhaps if I was some deadly space creature... but I am harmless really :)


RED DWARF was fun, and the cast were really genuine, nice people who enjoyed meeting the fans and the occasional wombat. A very enjoyable three days, and well done to the Official Red Dwarf Fan Club for organizing the convention.

Fun Fun Fun
in the Sun Sun Sun......

Off to London Tomorrow.....

More Soon......

SMEG! Its Red Dwarf !

Wombats are of course familiar with Red Dwarf, the ever so popular UK Sci-Fi comedy, so we were excited to be going to the Red Dwarf Convention in Birmingham. A quick read of Robert Llewellyn's book made sure our Red Dwarf knowledge was tickety-boo before enjoying the convention atmosphere










Over 350 attendees packed into the convention hall to see their Red Dwarf stars on stage. First was Hattie Hayridge (HOLLY).












Who entertained the crowd with the Question and Answer section.













Then Robert Llewellyn took to the stage and later Chris Barrie.













Mr Chris Barrie (RIMMER) looks as excited to be holding a wombat!












And Robert Llewellyn (KRYTEN) was clearly overwhelmed by meeting such a famous marsupial.













And Danny John-Jules (CAT) was delighted to have me perch on his shoulder, but seemed worried that I may be a Polymorph (I am not of course).

Tomorrow I hope to meet Craig Charles (LISTER) and Hattie so that they too can enjoy the company of the travelling wombat.

Smoke me a Kipper, I'll be back for breakfast...... !

Circle Work

Long before utes were invented, ancient peoples wishing to do some circle work had to put in the hard yards. Professor Emeritus Wombat of the Marsupial University of Archeology explains:

This is the circle Castlerigg, over 3000 years old. A stone circle with a "sanctuary" seen in the middle of the picture. No one knows exactly what they were used for but Religious Rites, Sun based calendar systems, and alien UFO bases are three plausible explanations..... (well maybe not aliens)






















By Contrast this is is LONG MEG and her Daughters. A stone circle near Penrith. The tall stone (MEG) has carvings on it.





















The sun was going down as we left making a very peaceful and shaded spot.









In trees nearby were personal items offered to the "power" of the circle.


More soon......

The day we went to Blackpool

Off toBlackpool, a seaside resort, which was like going back in time. Our hotel had some swans guarding the bed, and they didn't seem to like wombats!











So I ventured outside to watch the sunset over the beach which a local assured us was just like Surfers Paradise










Of course one must go up the Blackpool tower, The tower was built many years ago and is constructed of timber and rust. We were re-assured that should it ever fall, it will fall into the ocean. This made us feel much better when standing at the top!












Here it is again from a more distant viewpoint.










The illuminations are a feature of Blackpool, miles of tableaus and lights which can be viewed from special tours.









Or on foot.....

Off to the lakes district tomorrow...

More soon

Nearby Sights

It was a quiet day, we travelled to Glasgow to have a look around, on the way we saw this --- a dry ski slope. The slope is covered in plastic and you can ski on it. Hmmm, not my idea of real skiing










Here I am on a bridge in Glasgow. It was cold here










In the afternoon, We returned to Ediburgh and climbed Arthurs Seat. Arthur must have been fit! It is a long climb.









Here are some of the views.

More soon....

Lochs Monsters and Spooks!

Time to see a loch, Lochs are large bodies of water trapped in sometimes very deep valleys. One of the most famous is of course Loch Ness. This is Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness. It is in ruins but a great place to view the Loch









While we were there, one of the tourists claimed to have photographed the legendary Loch Ness monster..... the photo is reproduced above..... Make up your own mind!









The loch is a magnificent sight, even without the aforementioned monster.










We reached Edinburgh again at dusk and passed over the bridge across the Firth of Forth



















Finally one of us (not me - Wombats do not prefer graveyards at night) ventured into the well known Greyfriars Kirkyard to do a Ghost Tour. It was spooky and revealing as the history of the Kirkyard was told...

More soon....

Edinburgh - Capital of Scotland

Our first day in Scotland, Time to see some of Edinburgh.









Saw this on the way to the castle..... I belive this is what you see if you drink too much whiskey.









This is (apparently) the most photographed statue in Edinburgh. This is Greyfriars Bobby. A faithfull dog who followed his deceased masters funeral procession to Greyfriars Kirkyard (kirk=church) and lay on his grave for FOURTEEN years until he passed away himself. A great story.










Edinburgh Castle, high on a hill at the end of the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile has the highest concentration of "factory direct" cashmere and tartan shops in the entire cosmos, but before it became that it was the location along which Royal Personages would process to the castle.

























The castle is very large and filled with history. Some of which is rendered in stained glass.

It is also the location of the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny. No photos allowed of these











The castle keep is surrounded by a cannon battery manned by brave wombats, one of which can be seen here at his action station.

More soon.....

Off to Scotland (Och Aye!)

Time to leave England and travel to Scotland. On the way we passed this on the highway. It is the "Angel of the North".










And we could not miss seeing this. Hadrians Wall... Built by a Roman Emperor to keep the rabbits out ..... or was that a different wall? Anyway, its long and wall like, and has forts every so often where the Roman Guards would gather to freeze in the chilly winters. It was blowing a gale the day we visted.


















If you look carefully above you can see Vombatus Maximus, surveying the ruins











Finally we came up over the hill crossed the border, and with Brave Hearts (sorry!) travelled into Scotland.