30 11 2010

We are about to enter the final 31 days of the 365 day blogathon as we do so I would like to congratulate all of my fellow bloggers for sticking with the discipline through all that the year has thrown at us. I reckon we are due a huge virtual celebration at the end of 2010.

My blog post today shows the ER at my local hospital which has unfortunately become a little too familiar over recent weeks. It would appear that we are nearing a conclusion to the result of my hockey fall. The Kristin scan that I had last week has at last shown a break in one of the carpal bones and a tear in the ligament at my wrist....I knew that there was a reason for the pain!

The doctor I saw this morning suggested a plaster cast immediately,  I refused as I am due to fly out from Cardiff to The Nederlands for my flat hunting visit tomorrow. .....I will be back in ER next Monday morning possibly for a cast!!!

Location : Maes Y Gwartha Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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29 11 2010

Ice station Cardiff at lunchtime today.....the temperature -3c!

Location : Maes Y Gwartha Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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28 11 2010

The reason for our cold snap is the change in the position of the jet steam, which is currently dipping down to the west of the UK dragging Arctic air down across the country..... a temperature of -18C was recorded about 50 mioes away from us last night and we are promised at least 7 more days of cold weather and snow.... brrrr!

Both of today's images are borrowed from the BBC News website.

27 11 2010

An interesting fuZion of Shiraz and Malbec ideal for a Saturday evening tipple, just the one glass of course!

Location : Maes Y Gwartha Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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26 11 2010

Wow! Winter seems to have arrived as the snow swept in to Cardiff this afternoon. This image was taken at 3.15pm.

Location : Maes Y Gwartha Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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25 11 2010

Age and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle seems to have finally caught up with me as my recent attempts to reduce my bad cholesterol have largely failed. My doctor has prescribed Simvastatin which must be taken nightly in order to control the nasty cholesterol.

I am aware of the side effects of these statins which does make me somewhat reticent to take the medication!!

Location : Church Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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24 11 2010

I have had to borrow the images for today's blog post as I was unable to take an picture of myself undergoing an MRI scan on my right wrist this evening. My hand was clamped into a device very similar to the one below

I also had to take up a very similar Usain Bolt like stance while flat on my face for the 15 uncomfortable minutes that the scan took. Unfortunately a nurse similar to the one below was not in attendance!!!

I look forward to viewing the results next week as the doctor's suspect a tear in the ligament on my right wrist which is causing my continued discomfort...... no hockey for the duration either which is harder to bear!

23 11 2010

The return home has been somewhat tempered by a return to my GP this morning for a second opinion on my injured wrist..... this lead to a return trip to Accident and Emergency at the local hospital for a repeat x-ray and doctor's opinion. The decision is to have an MRI scan on my wrist tomorrow at 7pm in order to check for soft tissue injury. More news to follow in coming days.

22 11 2010

We got home and opened our cases to unpack only to find that we both had this form inside our checked baggage from the TSA.....

Our bags had both been opened and inspected...... I guess all of the security does make one feel safer when travelling, at least it was done away from the public view.... neither case had its lock broken as they were both TSA approved.
We landed at Heathrow slightly ahead of schedule at 9.15 am ................. brrr! It's cold.

21 11 2010

Las Vegas must be one of the few places in the world where the gambling and gaming follows you even to your aeroplane gate!!! The mellifluous tones of the slot machines fill the air as you depart....... leaving 'The Strip' behind....

 as Vegas heads for the Holiday Season with Thanksgiving on Thursday.

20 11 2010

Another day another dollar as they would say in Vegas! We headed towards The Stratosphere at the northern fringe of the strip, you certainly can't miss it!

The panoramic view from the viewing platforms is also stunning.....

For some the views alone are not enough, there are three rides up there including the shoot up the topmost mast, and for those brave enough you can take the jump (part freefall ) from the viewing gallery..... not for us!!

Other sites of the day was the 50's diner at The Stratosphere, where we had lunch,

To the amazing Venetian and Caesar's Palace Hotels

 Which both can only be described as grand...

...... and finally you can't come to Las Vegas without having a flutter... being from a long line of miserly welsh people I placed a $5 bet which I retrieved and cashed in even with the house, this was followed by two $1 bets the result of which you can see in my souvenir cashout vouchers... the house takes 15 cents ( plus the rest as I am keeping the vouchers!)

Tomorrow is our return day and as a result it is unlikely that there will be a post until Monday evening at the earliest when we will be back in cold wintery Wales!

19 11 2010

Hoover Dam and beyond! The one thing that is hard to comprehend for those of us from the UK is the miles and miles and...... miles of straight roads, on our trip from Kingman to the Hoover Dam at least 50 of the 80 miles were dead straight across a vast landscape.
Then as if by magic the landscape gradually becomes higher and mountainous as you approach the dam itself.

Although small in scale to all around it the Dam itself is quite a site.

From here we set off on the 20 mile journey down to Las Vegas ....... quite a contrast to the natural world around you.

It is a sight which has to be seen emerging from the desert which surrounds it...... we have one more day in Vegas prior to flying back to the UK on Sunday........ quite an Amrican adventure.

18 11 2010

We had been advised not to miss Sedona while in Arizona, and from this image taken on the way down to the town it is easy to see why. At the visitor centre we spoke to a local who said that God designed the Grand Canyon but he lives in Sedona! you can certainly see the truth in these words.
At the Canyon you look down at the amazing rock strata whilst in Sedona you drop the 3000ft to actually be in amongst them.

Even the most casual image of the main street in Uptown Sedona is breathtaking as is the panoramic view from the municipal airport which is not to be missed.

This is all topped off by the unmissable Chapel of the Holy Cross which emerges majestically from the rocks that surround it.

Visitors simply must not miss this architectural masterpiece

As if this day were not enough we head to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam tomorrow

17 11 2010

Dylan prepares to enter The Park ($25 for a weekly pass).... he was very excited about his adventure and with very good reason as we finally get to the south rim of the Canyon!

It's is truly one of those WOW moments!!!! It is hard to believe that it is real or to get a handle on scale. When you hear that the average distance between north and south rim is 10 miles and that the Colorado river is a mile below your feet!!!

We also stayed around until 5.15 pm when the sun went down over the Canyon rim.......

in the west.

This was a very special day for us all :-)

16 11 2010

On Monday evening we had a reception dinner which was titles 'jerseys and jeans' where most of those present wore their 'football' or 'hockey team' while Debbie proudly wore her Welsh rugby shirt - Da iawn Debbie :-)
We left Phoenix in our Hertz hire car with of course Dylan :-) for our American roadtrip north to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon and west to Las Vegas!!!!!

** Additional quite accidentally in the dark I appear to have already driven route 66 into Flagstaff.... darn it.

15 11 2010

Having finally arrived in Phoenix yesterday, I spent the next one and a half days in a conference centre..... our presentation to around 25 participants went very well, including a Skyped in colleague ( quite like 'the old days')
Debbie had managed to escape this tedium and was out and about in down-town Peoria.

14 11 2010

Following our 5 hour delay we missed our connecting flight and had to have a hotel stopover at The Hilton Hotel at Philadelphia Airport..... arriving at around 11.30 am and having to leave for a 6.55am flight in the morning, my thoughts on Philli........?  It's kinda dark there!

Apologies for the camera shake we were both very, very tired.

13 11 2010

 Tweet from Paul Harrington (pj23harry) five hours at Heathrow as flight to Philadelphia is delayed. News above on the release of Moodle2 soon.

Location : Heads of the Valleys Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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12 11 2010

Dylan the dragon plans his holiday!

Location : Heads of the Valleys Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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11 11 2010

Today was Armistice Day, I wore my poppy and managed to observe a silence at around. 11am.

Today the image is of Dylan the dragon as he prepares for his journey this weekend. He is looking forward to his photo opportunities while in the USA.



Location : Maes Y Gwartha Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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10 11 2010

A chilly evening in Cardiff as the temperature dipped towards freezing the moon put in an appearance in the clear sky......
Once home the preparations for next week's trip- see below:

View Larger Map
The plan is to head from Phoenix to Flagstaff, we follow this by heading north towards Grand Canyon Village and a look around the east and south rim. We should then head west taking in some driving on Route 66 to Kingman.Following a night in Kingman we will set off north west towards our end goal of Las Vegas taking in The Hoover Dam.


Route 66 by Nat King Cole

09 11 2010

I spotted this multicoloured patch of leaves as the weather forecast was suggesting snow flurries on high ground.

We have certainly had the full seasonal range in the UK this year with nothing too excessive at either end of the scale.

We are looking forward to a little late autumn warmth next week as head over to Phoenix AZ. .... mmm 75 degrees! !

I spent this evening finally planning our route once we leave the Conference next Tuesday and I plan to share it with you tomorrow.

Night y'all!

Location : Maes Y Gwartha Rd, Llanelly, Monmouthshire NP7 0,
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08 11 2010

Today the picture is of your's truly taken by Jaycob with Laura's new camera..... great shot Jaycob ( not bad for 3 years old ).

My wrist injury caused a work from home day today, this will recur tomorrow with a trip to the Fracture Clinic at the local hospital on Wednesday........ no plaster please ahead of the flight to Phoenix on Saturday!

07 11 2010

Sport is good for you? Discuss. I will know once I have visited the fracture clinic next week following my bad landing at the end of our match against Bridgend yesterday. My hope is that there will be no need for a plaster cast ahead of my trip to the US next week!!

Location : Abergavenny, Gwent NP7 0ES,
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06 11 2010

Happa Birthday Laura :-)

Oh for a Y!!!!!

05 11 2010

November 5th Gunpowder Plot and as a result for the 405 years since Bonfire Night in the UK. These great images are from Laura's new camera, Laura is back to celebrate her Birthday on Monday.

Below are a series of photographs caught with the firework setting on the camera which gives some great effects.

Thanks Laura!