Jan. 2nd, 2007
"Is Wales closed during the winter?"
Jan. 2nd, 2007 12:17 pmHee. I like it. I totally think we should be! I could completely go for closing the entire country for the winter...
Report from Yahoo News:
Staff at the national tourism agency VisitBritain have been left scratching their heads at some of the questions posed to them this year.
These include such clangers as: "Are there any lakes in the Lake District?" And: "Is Wales closed during the winter?"
Half a million holidaymakers every year drop by the information office of national tourism agency VisitBritain seeking advice on how best to use their time in the UK.
At the Britain & London Visitor Centre on Regent Street in London's West End one visitor wanted to know: "What is the entry fee for Brighton?"
Another asked: "Do you have any information on (former Page 3 girl) Samantha Fox?"
Unimpressed by the planning behind royal homes, one tourist wanted to know: "Why on earth did they build Windsor Castle on the flight path of Heathrow?"
And taking the name of London Underground stations perhaps too literally, another person asked: "Can you tell me who performs at the circus in Piccadilly?"
Other geographically-challenged queries included: "What Tube line runs to Edinburgh?"
Encounters could be just as strange north of the border at the help centres of VisitScotland, where questions from tourists included: "What time does the midnight train leave?", "Which bus do I get from the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands?", and "Is Edinburgh in Glasgow?"
Some of the other daft questions posed to VisitScotland staff included: "Can you tell me where the mountain is in Scotland?", "Are there any curves in the roads here, or are they all straight?", and "Are there any Sheena Easton museums in Glasgow?".
Another tourist wanted to know: "What time of night does the Loch Ness monster surface and who feeds it?"
Mwah.
Report from Yahoo News:
Staff at the national tourism agency VisitBritain have been left scratching their heads at some of the questions posed to them this year.
These include such clangers as: "Are there any lakes in the Lake District?" And: "Is Wales closed during the winter?"
Half a million holidaymakers every year drop by the information office of national tourism agency VisitBritain seeking advice on how best to use their time in the UK.
At the Britain & London Visitor Centre on Regent Street in London's West End one visitor wanted to know: "What is the entry fee for Brighton?"
Another asked: "Do you have any information on (former Page 3 girl) Samantha Fox?"
Unimpressed by the planning behind royal homes, one tourist wanted to know: "Why on earth did they build Windsor Castle on the flight path of Heathrow?"
And taking the name of London Underground stations perhaps too literally, another person asked: "Can you tell me who performs at the circus in Piccadilly?"
Other geographically-challenged queries included: "What Tube line runs to Edinburgh?"
Encounters could be just as strange north of the border at the help centres of VisitScotland, where questions from tourists included: "What time does the midnight train leave?", "Which bus do I get from the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands?", and "Is Edinburgh in Glasgow?"
Some of the other daft questions posed to VisitScotland staff included: "Can you tell me where the mountain is in Scotland?", "Are there any curves in the roads here, or are they all straight?", and "Are there any Sheena Easton museums in Glasgow?".
Another tourist wanted to know: "What time of night does the Loch Ness monster surface and who feeds it?"
Mwah.
"Is Wales closed during the winter?"
Jan. 2nd, 2007 12:17 pmHee. I like it. I totally think we should be! I could completely go for closing the entire country for the winter...
Report from Yahoo News:
Staff at the national tourism agency VisitBritain have been left scratching their heads at some of the questions posed to them this year.
These include such clangers as: "Are there any lakes in the Lake District?" And: "Is Wales closed during the winter?"
Half a million holidaymakers every year drop by the information office of national tourism agency VisitBritain seeking advice on how best to use their time in the UK.
At the Britain & London Visitor Centre on Regent Street in London's West End one visitor wanted to know: "What is the entry fee for Brighton?"
Another asked: "Do you have any information on (former Page 3 girl) Samantha Fox?"
Unimpressed by the planning behind royal homes, one tourist wanted to know: "Why on earth did they build Windsor Castle on the flight path of Heathrow?"
And taking the name of London Underground stations perhaps too literally, another person asked: "Can you tell me who performs at the circus in Piccadilly?"
Other geographically-challenged queries included: "What Tube line runs to Edinburgh?"
Encounters could be just as strange north of the border at the help centres of VisitScotland, where questions from tourists included: "What time does the midnight train leave?", "Which bus do I get from the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands?", and "Is Edinburgh in Glasgow?"
Some of the other daft questions posed to VisitScotland staff included: "Can you tell me where the mountain is in Scotland?", "Are there any curves in the roads here, or are they all straight?", and "Are there any Sheena Easton museums in Glasgow?".
Another tourist wanted to know: "What time of night does the Loch Ness monster surface and who feeds it?"
Mwah.
Report from Yahoo News:
Staff at the national tourism agency VisitBritain have been left scratching their heads at some of the questions posed to them this year.
These include such clangers as: "Are there any lakes in the Lake District?" And: "Is Wales closed during the winter?"
Half a million holidaymakers every year drop by the information office of national tourism agency VisitBritain seeking advice on how best to use their time in the UK.
At the Britain & London Visitor Centre on Regent Street in London's West End one visitor wanted to know: "What is the entry fee for Brighton?"
Another asked: "Do you have any information on (former Page 3 girl) Samantha Fox?"
Unimpressed by the planning behind royal homes, one tourist wanted to know: "Why on earth did they build Windsor Castle on the flight path of Heathrow?"
And taking the name of London Underground stations perhaps too literally, another person asked: "Can you tell me who performs at the circus in Piccadilly?"
Other geographically-challenged queries included: "What Tube line runs to Edinburgh?"
Encounters could be just as strange north of the border at the help centres of VisitScotland, where questions from tourists included: "What time does the midnight train leave?", "Which bus do I get from the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands?", and "Is Edinburgh in Glasgow?"
Some of the other daft questions posed to VisitScotland staff included: "Can you tell me where the mountain is in Scotland?", "Are there any curves in the roads here, or are they all straight?", and "Are there any Sheena Easton museums in Glasgow?".
Another tourist wanted to know: "What time of night does the Loch Ness monster surface and who feeds it?"
Mwah.
(no subject)
Jan. 2nd, 2007 04:25 pmI'm so glad I took extra days off after the new year holiday - not going back till Thursday. Excellent. And, just to clarify on this point, I did arrange this with my Boss. We had a conversation about it. I distinctly remember that - she asked me when I was returning to work after the holiday, I said the Thursday following New Year, and she said okay. I remember specifically because I thought it was ludicrous that she was asking me, rather than me going to her to have my leave signed off.
This morning she phoned to see if anything was wrong because I wasn't in work and hadn't left a message. I reminded her of our conversation, but could tell she had absolutely no memory of it.
I was highly amused at the concept of her being in the office wondering where I was for a change!
Met Mum and Small in town this afternoon for a spot of shopping, which mostly involved investing Small's pocket money (and a tidy amount by me!) in clothes for her new bear, Joshua. We also stopped for a cup of tea, and Small had a chocolate eclair - managing to get her hair full of cream in the process.
"It's not cream," she rather loftily told me. "It's grey hair. I'm getting old, you know. I'm a mature woman."
She's ten. Honestly.
This morning she phoned to see if anything was wrong because I wasn't in work and hadn't left a message. I reminded her of our conversation, but could tell she had absolutely no memory of it.
I was highly amused at the concept of her being in the office wondering where I was for a change!
Met Mum and Small in town this afternoon for a spot of shopping, which mostly involved investing Small's pocket money (and a tidy amount by me!) in clothes for her new bear, Joshua. We also stopped for a cup of tea, and Small had a chocolate eclair - managing to get her hair full of cream in the process.
"It's not cream," she rather loftily told me. "It's grey hair. I'm getting old, you know. I'm a mature woman."
She's ten. Honestly.
(no subject)
Jan. 2nd, 2007 04:25 pmI'm so glad I took extra days off after the new year holiday - not going back till Thursday. Excellent. And, just to clarify on this point, I did arrange this with my Boss. We had a conversation about it. I distinctly remember that - she asked me when I was returning to work after the holiday, I said the Thursday following New Year, and she said okay. I remember specifically because I thought it was ludicrous that she was asking me, rather than me going to her to have my leave signed off.
This morning she phoned to see if anything was wrong because I wasn't in work and hadn't left a message. I reminded her of our conversation, but could tell she had absolutely no memory of it.
I was highly amused at the concept of her being in the office wondering where I was for a change!
Met Mum and Small in town this afternoon for a spot of shopping, which mostly involved investing Small's pocket money (and a tidy amount by me!) in clothes for her new bear, Joshua. We also stopped for a cup of tea, and Small had a chocolate eclair - managing to get her hair full of cream in the process.
"It's not cream," she rather loftily told me. "It's grey hair. I'm getting old, you know. I'm a mature woman."
She's ten. Honestly.
This morning she phoned to see if anything was wrong because I wasn't in work and hadn't left a message. I reminded her of our conversation, but could tell she had absolutely no memory of it.
I was highly amused at the concept of her being in the office wondering where I was for a change!
Met Mum and Small in town this afternoon for a spot of shopping, which mostly involved investing Small's pocket money (and a tidy amount by me!) in clothes for her new bear, Joshua. We also stopped for a cup of tea, and Small had a chocolate eclair - managing to get her hair full of cream in the process.
"It's not cream," she rather loftily told me. "It's grey hair. I'm getting old, you know. I'm a mature woman."
She's ten. Honestly.
representative sample?
Jan. 2nd, 2007 09:08 pmWales top of Britain's sicklist
Hmm. When I saw the headline I immediately - and accurately - predicted which bits of Wales, specifically, it was that made this headline. Merthyr Tydfil comes out top, as it always does. The top ten most unhealthy areas in Britain, apparently, are as follows:
1. Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
2. Easington, Co Durham
3. Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
4. Neath Port Talbot, Wales
5. Blaenau Gwent, Wales
6. Caerphilly, Wales
7. Bolsover, Derbyshire
8. Torfaen, Wales
9. Bridgend, Wales
10. Carmarthenshire, Wales
Source: HealthAcorn report by CACI and TNS
The only one that surprises me is Carmarthenshire, and possibly Torfaen. The others, no surprise - they are all concentrated in the former industrial heartland of South Wales and are also, not coincidentally, among the most economically deprived areas in Britain. Now that the heavy industry has gone there's just nothing left - unemployment in those areas is crippling. The organisation I work for has funding to work in almost all those areas, specifically targeted for funding because of that social deprivation.
But what annoys me about this list is that the eight Welsh locations named are all counties - entire local authority areas - whereas the English locations given are towns within county boroughs. How is that equal representation? The judgement should either be made on a town-by-town basis across the whole of Britain, or on a county-by-county basis across the whole of Britain, otherwise it is unrepresentative. If entire counties within Wales are being judged against single towns in England there is never going to be an equable comparison, surely.
Bah.
Hmm. When I saw the headline I immediately - and accurately - predicted which bits of Wales, specifically, it was that made this headline. Merthyr Tydfil comes out top, as it always does. The top ten most unhealthy areas in Britain, apparently, are as follows:
1. Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
2. Easington, Co Durham
3. Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
4. Neath Port Talbot, Wales
5. Blaenau Gwent, Wales
6. Caerphilly, Wales
7. Bolsover, Derbyshire
8. Torfaen, Wales
9. Bridgend, Wales
10. Carmarthenshire, Wales
Source: HealthAcorn report by CACI and TNS
The only one that surprises me is Carmarthenshire, and possibly Torfaen. The others, no surprise - they are all concentrated in the former industrial heartland of South Wales and are also, not coincidentally, among the most economically deprived areas in Britain. Now that the heavy industry has gone there's just nothing left - unemployment in those areas is crippling. The organisation I work for has funding to work in almost all those areas, specifically targeted for funding because of that social deprivation.
But what annoys me about this list is that the eight Welsh locations named are all counties - entire local authority areas - whereas the English locations given are towns within county boroughs. How is that equal representation? The judgement should either be made on a town-by-town basis across the whole of Britain, or on a county-by-county basis across the whole of Britain, otherwise it is unrepresentative. If entire counties within Wales are being judged against single towns in England there is never going to be an equable comparison, surely.
Bah.
representative sample?
Jan. 2nd, 2007 09:08 pmWales top of Britain's sicklist
Hmm. When I saw the headline I immediately - and accurately - predicted which bits of Wales, specifically, it was that made this headline. Merthyr Tydfil comes out top, as it always does. The top ten most unhealthy areas in Britain, apparently, are as follows:
1. Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
2. Easington, Co Durham
3. Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
4. Neath Port Talbot, Wales
5. Blaenau Gwent, Wales
6. Caerphilly, Wales
7. Bolsover, Derbyshire
8. Torfaen, Wales
9. Bridgend, Wales
10. Carmarthenshire, Wales
Source: HealthAcorn report by CACI and TNS
The only one that surprises me is Carmarthenshire, and possibly Torfaen. The others, no surprise - they are all concentrated in the former industrial heartland of South Wales and are also, not coincidentally, among the most economically deprived areas in Britain. Now that the heavy industry has gone there's just nothing left - unemployment in those areas is crippling. The organisation I work for has funding to work in almost all those areas, specifically targeted for funding because of that social deprivation.
But what annoys me about this list is that the eight Welsh locations named are all counties - entire local authority areas - whereas the English locations given are towns within county boroughs. How is that equal representation? The judgement should either be made on a town-by-town basis across the whole of Britain, or on a county-by-county basis across the whole of Britain, otherwise it is unrepresentative. If entire counties within Wales are being judged against single towns in England there is never going to be an equable comparison, surely.
Bah.
Hmm. When I saw the headline I immediately - and accurately - predicted which bits of Wales, specifically, it was that made this headline. Merthyr Tydfil comes out top, as it always does. The top ten most unhealthy areas in Britain, apparently, are as follows:
1. Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
2. Easington, Co Durham
3. Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
4. Neath Port Talbot, Wales
5. Blaenau Gwent, Wales
6. Caerphilly, Wales
7. Bolsover, Derbyshire
8. Torfaen, Wales
9. Bridgend, Wales
10. Carmarthenshire, Wales
Source: HealthAcorn report by CACI and TNS
The only one that surprises me is Carmarthenshire, and possibly Torfaen. The others, no surprise - they are all concentrated in the former industrial heartland of South Wales and are also, not coincidentally, among the most economically deprived areas in Britain. Now that the heavy industry has gone there's just nothing left - unemployment in those areas is crippling. The organisation I work for has funding to work in almost all those areas, specifically targeted for funding because of that social deprivation.
But what annoys me about this list is that the eight Welsh locations named are all counties - entire local authority areas - whereas the English locations given are towns within county boroughs. How is that equal representation? The judgement should either be made on a town-by-town basis across the whole of Britain, or on a county-by-county basis across the whole of Britain, otherwise it is unrepresentative. If entire counties within Wales are being judged against single towns in England there is never going to be an equable comparison, surely.
Bah.