My first holiday this year is to be in Blackpool, YIPPEEE!!Lets go!

It's Wednesday 12th having crawled out of bed this morning at 7 am and working to get my program sorted for Sunday, it is now 2:50 in the afternoon. The Thermos is filled and packed and Marmite sandwiches in hand the hood down on my little convertible (four seater of course!in case we meet anyone nice on the way.) So we're off up the road to the M60 motorway, foot down to the coast. As you know were going to join the M6 in a minute, to all the locals known as the West coast Highway a bit of excitement for this little car next to all these huge trucks blasting onwards. Okay we have been going for nearly half an hour so have to have a wee stop in fact I think that is a wee wee stop! One of the worst nightmares in the whole world is passing a service station then realising you needed to go to the loo, the second worst thing is realising the next service station is 27 miles away and it's no fun holding your breathe and trying to drive with your knees together, clenching your buttocks. Luckily this time we have done a safe landing at our chosen service station, which is Charnock Richard, and here we are in the car park cheating a little drinking my coffee and saving about £5 and eating my Marmite sandwiches, and not only that. my travelling companion CA, is playing mother. So I don't even have to pure it! OK now you won't believe this next bit, I went into the loos and I asked a man who worked there, "Where the horse had gone, had it escaped?" he looked at me like I was mad and said,"What do you mean?" I said "have you never been in the gents toilets?" it stinks like a stable that has never been cleaned out it has the acrid smell of nasal horror! Worse than acid and vinegar. He was a bit distressed and said he hadn't noticed, whereby I advised him to ring his local hospital for a nose test, worst toilets I've ever been in. As Nadia who is typing this says "The boys toilets always smell bad!" I told her to stop going past boys toilets.
So, onwards to the motorway to Preston excited to see the tower on the way, we have seen five towers so far, false alarms,all pylons in the distance! It's a brilliant drive to Blackpool with the Moo cows in the field and great big circular hay bales wrapped up in black polythene bin bags so it looks like a field full of liquorice all sorts!I must buy some when I get into Blackpool, not had any for ages. I like it when you arrive at that roundabout with the three big silver metal clowns/harlequins on the centre. As I scooted past quite fast I'm not really sure what they are! But they look very nice, I love them. And now it's up to the OPPPS I forgot to say as we came up the motorway under the bridge just on the right We saw the tower, I was 2nd to see it.TUT! TUT! Ok, then we were down onto the shore line to the beach and right at the place the glass upside disco ball that spins round opposite the Energy centre and two windmills. YIPPPEEE were in Blackpool.And I have just realised it's Blackpool lights on tonight, well actually they have been on for ages I have only just remembered not over smart me! Ok! more coffee from the flask another fiver saved, we have saved £10 on coffees so far. And not only that it's not half as nice when you buy it, when you made it it's your coffee, your milk, and made just how you like it!Right or wrong?!Right so the plan is to park here opposite the silver ball, so if we have a drink will know where the car is. Not that we will have a drink cos were driving and we won't get squiffy on coffee! Ok lock the car up and put all valuables in the boot and the coffee for later.It's a lovely sunny day it's absolutely gorgeous.
The plan is to walk down to the tower, which we can see is about two miles away, along the way we will mooch through the Amusement park and see all the new rides and first of all buy some candy floss in a bag, and walk right down the front looking at the sea, sights, people and seagulls. Last time I came to Blackpool a man was selling seagulls on the front, for a pound each, real live ones. So I gave him a pound and said, "I'll have a seagull please, which one is mine?" He pointed to the sky and said, " That one!"
Now the most important thing you should do, no matter who you are in Blackpool, walk down the front is have fish, chips and peas and a cup of Blackpool tea, watching all the people as they walk up the front, that is Blackpool!So I managed to talk myself out of going on the Big One again, luckily and the big circular thing mushroom thing that you sit round and flys you up into the air with a big WHOOSH then drops you down again. I ducked out on that one as well. We walked along enjoying the ambiance until we got to Central pier, with the beautiful big wheel on it and those scary elastic band things, that flirt you up into the sky. I was stunned to notice that it was only £20 to stay for bed and breakfast on the front in those lovely hotels or £72 for 5 nights and kids go half price!Fantastic deal that is. So on with the next plan, MUST buy the bargain sticks of rock to bring back for the friends and the bargain wooden roses which are beautiful. And I also wanted a new leather man bag, I got so many keys, bits of paper, pens, credit cards and money, Oh and my chewy and mints, two Mobile phones, cheque book and all the other nonsense which I never used to carry. Now I need a bigger bag, my other bag has gotten to small.So we went into one of the underground shopping areas and I brought a fantastic Spanish leather one from a lovely lady who said shewas 200 years old, who also supplied me with a beautiful leather credit card holder, so that means I'm going to have to apply for another ten cards with free interest, and loads of cheap money to borrow (I think not! Thank you very much!)
Then we walked along to the tower which now dares you to go the very top and stand on the glass plate and look down to scare yourself to death looking at the pavement about 50 miles below. Take my advice save the £12.50 and go to Manchester to the new Hilton Hotel and go up to the Sky bar, get yourself a drink and go and stand on their scary glass oblong floor plate and look down below, its just as scary and it's free! Which as you know is a great reason.
So we got Fish and chips, found a bench over looking the sea and ate them on the front making sure that that I didn't get mugged by the seagulls, big as Eagles they are and very cheeky, it was a a casual walk back to the car along the breezy front wondering at all the beautiful lights.
Once in the car we drove along the front south shore to North shore and back again taking pics of the illuminations. Blackpool be proud you did a great job again.
I got to bed eventually at 10 am Thursday Morning, Tiered boy but well contented. That was my ten hour summer holiday for this year. Life is good and I am really excited to be on air on Sunday at 2 pm and the show is ready to go. Great. Ug

The People of Stoke on Trent are amazing it must be the air PHEW!

I started my day at 6 am Tuesday Morning and It is now 10 past Midnight Wednesday Morning, woweeee I have just arrive to drop into my cushioned pit to dreamsville. I can hardly keep my eyes open so let me say sorry cos I am going to sleep and this will be just a few tiddley words. We Went to Stoke on Trent to day to the council offices I was fantastic the people that run it are so special kind and helpful, they all smile and help well beyond their call of duty. Thank you all.
Outside in the blazing sun later t'was like being on holiday. Then to Hanley to BJb to pick up some keys, all hi, hello, welcome and smiles like old friends, Amazing. Then on to Cobridge to a fantastic Community Center where we just kept laughing and talking with the reception lady Jane and Carol the cleaner, more fun than a day at the seaside, they have Rock n roll dances, long leg fancy dancing nights and wild 60s party nights!! unbelievable and we got a guided tour we got and laughs and smiles and help and directions, God Bless Stoke on Trent and your lovely 5 towns people I can't fault you, I come home this eve tired and happy. My driver Andy Mcdoo the Scots Juggler was so impressed he never stopped talking about the hospitality all the way home. I say "forget the coast" every day is a holiday in Stoke. Love ya and I will see you again soon Ugli

Thinking and working out my first show for next Sunday

It is six thirty in the mist of this Tuesday morning Sept 11 2007, I am over looking the city from my office, I am thinking over my programme for broadcasting on the brand new World Wide Internet radio station from Manchester http://www.manchesterradioonline.com/ for this next Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm, I have asked every Radio Station that has approached me over the last ten years and not one would let me do a single show for 2 hours at the weekend, they all insisted on 3 hours a day for 6 days a week and that would to me be a JOB, my reply was always the same, Thanks but No thanks. Now these two upfront thinking people Dave and Paul and their team who have put this radio station together have welcomed me on board with open arms. Now it is also quite wonderful that I actually do not need be concerned, I have discovered over the years that the more I empty my mind the more the universe fills all of the blanks. Already with 4 days to go I have 90% of the music and all of the content, I just love the pleasures of broadcasting. Many years ago I found the secret of life, which is "Never Run when you can walk, Never walk when you can stand, Never stand when you can sit, Never sit when you can lie down" and when you lie down, affirm and be grateful to the universe for what you have, ask for the answers to all on going questions and tasks to be shown to you and then finally lie perfectly still, breath deeply and steadily and still you mind to quieten that persistent voice that talks in your head. Once that is done at each opportunity then the world will give you every thing that you need. One other thing I can recommend is write down everything that you think of that you plan to do and everything that you wish to remember, cut out things from newspapers and magazines that turn you on and excite you, interest you or that just grab your attention and you will have a great life. Pay attention to the things in your life and thoughts that feel not right to you and work towards amending those items, self repair is more important than anything, for you are the master of your future and you need to be in top form. Remind yourself what is good and what is bad and pick the correct path, for sure only you truly know that answer. Be aware The conscious mind thinks it knows, however your intuition absolutely knows. Love yourself before all others then you can be a love spreader and not a muck spreader. Ugli 07.02 The beautiful pale orange sun is battling over the horizon through the eastern edge of the receding mist into my window Wow. I am just thinking of my friends Iain and his wife Dewi. I said to them once that real life has no better feeling than breakfast every morning on your own south facing patio. They left the UK this year and found a little island off the coast of Indonesia and have built a house on the beach. They text to me this week and said my room is ready and every morning breakfast is in the sun on the patio, how can I not go. Ugli 7,07am

Ugli Ray the DJs Life Travelling with UGGI.