The Big Day Arrives…and Goes !

A bit of a lie in today, after a late night at the Pantomime,

and finding the nearest Church, St Augustine's http://st-augustines-church.org.uk/ for 11 o’clock mass. A nice church, full to capacity, with seemingly every nation on the Earth represented !

Then back to Kate’s for a leisurely breakfast, and reading the papers before going out for an early evening meal before the big show – to watch ‘The Iron Lady’, which I had been in as an extra last year in Manchester http://www.theironladymovie.co.uk/blog/ 

But, firstly the ‘pre show dinner’ at Wagamama in the town centre   http://www.wagamama.com/locations/showlocation/581   for a great noodle and spicy food meal, washed down with a lemon and ginger drink – great, and good value

Then off to the Cinema complex across the road, and as my niece Rebecca had appeared with the Muppets the day before in London http://blog.gosh.org/our-hospital/the-muppets-visit-great-ormond-street-hospital/ I couldn’t resist the opportunity to appear with them also !

After filling up with my pick and mix, and ice cream, in we went to try and spot me in the film…oh, what a disappointment ! – I couldn’t be seen anywhere, I knew where I’d been, but I must have ended up on the ‘cutting room floor’, although I think I saw my feet and back !

Ah well, it was a great film, and I could still say I’d been in a Hollywood Oscar nominated film !!- could even be a winner !

A Star on the Stage !

After a lazy day of reading the papers, watching Manchester United giving away an easy game to rivals Liverpool in the F.A. Cup – still, you’ve got to look after the scousers haven’t you ?, we set off for Shrivenham , to watch my eldest Grandson Ethan perform in a Pantomime..

We all had dinner at Gerard’s house, before strolling across to the Defence Academy Complex, very impressive it is !

To the Charles Grace Theatre, for ‘The Wizard of OZ ‘, a performance being put on by the ‘Academy Players’.

The theatre holding about 300 people was filled to capacity, as the lights went down, the stage lit up and the performance started..I waited, enjoying the performance, but really, waiting for the first appearance of Ethan, and he soon arrived ..his first role being the white coated ‘Doctor’ to examine the witch who was under the house ! Proudly proclaiming that she was the victim of a ‘Homeicide’ !! – jokes like that could have been written by me !- then they all had a sing and dance (as they do !) and off he went, to perform several other roles.

Ethan the brilliant Doctor appeared later as a citizen of the Emerald City, shortly after the arrival of ‘Elvis’ –yes, in the Wizard of Oz !, a winged monkey, with all his quick changes being done well.

The show was a great success , very enjoyable, and topped by watching Ethan enjoying himself so much on the stage, and giving a performance that brought tears to my eyes – Well Done Ethan, a star of the future , take another bow !

Returning the Car….

I had had use of Kate’s car during the Christmas , and what I thought may be a bad weather period, although it had only rained or been windy during this part of the Winter.

Now, Kate and Wayne had moved to their new abode in High Wycombe.

Wayne to his new station at RAF Benson http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbenson/

Kate, now ‘demobbed’ from the RAF, happily pregnant and blooming… wanted her car back !

So I had a pleasant drive down to High Wycombe from Derbyshire in sunshine, leaving behind a ‘snowstorm’ that hit the High Peak  just as I was leaving the village.. that was close !

It was a bit different than driving up to Elgin at the top of Scotland, although on my last visit there ( December 2011)to collect the car, I had been rewarded for my efforts by a ‘concert’ that they took me to, to see the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (not Peppers !) http://www.redhotchillipipers.co.uk/ –look and see what they put me through – followed by a horrendous journey home in a blizzard !

Well, I was welcomed this time by a curry ,chat and easy night !

You’ve Brought them Back with You !

 

Having gone all the way to Finland and back to see the Northern Lights, I thought I would be able to settle down and rest – No chance !

Everyone I met told me about the great displays of the ‘Northern 'lights’ being seen across the North of England and Scotland – I could have been there – well, I was ,only above them !

and

finally the last straw when I saw this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16681732 so decided to go up to my favourite , well nearest, dark sky location Mam Tor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mam_Tor – to see if I could see them over Derbyshire !

I got up there shortly after 10 p.m., on a fairly cool and breezy evening, not nearly as cold as Finland, but windier !

I was soon rewarded with several sightings of the unusual sky formations that I had seen in Finland and Sweden, I wouldn’t have realised had I not seen them the week before ! The ‘remnants’ of the Northern Lights were above Derbyshire, and I could work my camera better, so managed to get some pictures, although still not brilliant

still I have to keep trying, don’t I ?

 

 

and, eventually around 1 .a.m. the clouds rolled in and over..and Jotown was able to return to a comfy bed..

Surprising Sunday of Stupendous Sights !

I was up, packed and out of the Room for 9 a.m. for a day that was to reveal all… firstly Breakfast, return my Thermal suit and Boots, then hanging around before the coach came to return everyone to the airport. As I wandered around the complex in late morning I finally noticed a big ‘Red thing’ in the sky…the Sun ,finally! It popped up behind a hill, hung in the sky for a short time, soon disappearing behind the hills again, leaving mystery in it’s wake

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch was soon over, the coaches arrived and off I went across Finland, immediately into Sweden, passing through a frozen wasteland, in a snowstorm, as the coach hurtled along…with little other traffic on the road, and soon at Kiruna Airport, which almost looked closed..we seemed to be the only flight being dealt with..

Shortly after 5 o’clock the Jet2.com aeroplane swooped out of the sky, onto the snow covered runway, quickly disgorging it’s passengers, replacing them with us, and by just after 6p.m. it was ready to take off… de-icing of the plane, and runway, engines at full revs at the end of the runway, whilst it was tested for cohesion…and.. everything stopped ! The runway was too slippy, so would have to be cleared of the heavy snow building up all the time… again the plane was de-iced and we were at the end of the runway powering up, as again we were not allowed to take off, and had to go back to the Apron, then a passenger decided she was too frightened, and demanded to be ‘let off’ ! So the plane was returned to the terminal, as she was taken off the aircraft along with her husband and bags ! And again we all waited, watching the snow build up on the aeroplane and runway, wondering whether we would be able to take off !

Eventually just after 9 p.m. we were again de-iced and at the end of the runway, with the engine’s at full blast, and suddenly, the brakes were off and we shot along the runway, up into the snowstorm as all the passengers cheered glad to be on our way…the best was yet to come !

Shortly after taking off, and going through the cloud layer, the Captain announced ‘Those on the right hand side (me!) of the plane should be able to see the Northern Lights, followed a couple of minutes later by…those on the left side etc.. As I looked out the windows I could see the Lights in all their magnificence dancing and prancing in the sky..above,below and around the aeroplane – this is what I had come to see…brilliant As you can guess I wasn’t able to take these pictures, but it gives you an idea of what it was like !http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093199/Aurora-borealis-A-glittering-gallery-northern-lights-past-seven-days-thanks-biggest-solar-storms-years.html A large solar storm had caused the lights to ‘dance’ in all their glory…and they were following us back to Britain, as the article shows !

We had over an hour watching the lights appear,dance,disappear all round, with the cabin lights of the aircraft off.. what can I say, a great end to the journey, and the rest of the journey home..…is a blur !

A happy Jotown returns home, to plan his next adventure……. wherever !

Last Gasps for the Lights !

It was surprising how quickly the week had gone, I was in to my last day, having seen bits of the Northern Lights, but not really the type of show I had expected, with cloud cover virtually all the time.

Not wanting to waste the day, I had an early lunch and set off with my trusty sledge – by now having worked out that the Red ones were the ‘fastest’ ! – up the hill again, for a final afternoon of sledging…. ready for anything, and shooting down the hill again and again, until finally nearing exhaustion, I sledged all the way down the hill, along the road, through the Hotel complex, and on the mini ‘mogul run’ created at the side of the Hotel, eventually being thrown up in the air by a combination of my speed and the big ‘bumps’..so crashing over and out…

At dinner that night everyone was wondering whether the ‘lights’ would put on a final show, so with great excitement I went out up to the top of the hill, to find that once again it was snowing,overcast,misty…and no real prospects of a ‘show’,so, that was it… I gave up and went to bed for an early night !

Winter Wonderland Wedding..

Another later start to the day almost missing the sun having almost come out during the late morning…a lunchtime breakfast after my late night night again, and after lunch…a walk into the nearby village of Karesuando, where a young couple from the Lodge were to get married ! I thought there had unusually been a large group of people, who seemed to always be separate , now, the explanation ! They had all come together, around 20 of them for the Nuptials in Sweden, and Reception in Finland, for a British couple – a truly International celebration – apparently the groom had proposed on a trip here last year,under the Northern Lights,as the Japanese would say, a truly auspicious occasion.

Most of the people from the Davvi Lodge seemed to be milling about near to the Church, in it’s serene beauty, with candles flaming along the drive to the front door, ready to see the Groom and best man arriving by Snowmobile

…. followed not long afterwards by the Bride and her Mother in a sleigh pulled by a Reindeer..all say Aaah !

I was then ready for a cup of hot chocolate and cakes in the Cafe at the Tourist Office..before working my way back to the Davvi lodge for dinner, looking forward to my nightime adventures..the lodge had been done up, again with candles on the drive to the Lodge, no doubt celebrating the wedding..pretty..or ..?After a warming dinner, I rested again, before donning my gear for another trip up the hill, going once without success, returning for a ‘warm’ and back again for a further couple of hours, eventually giving up around 2 a.m., although I did seem to be getting used to the cold, only –15C !