Another trip to Wales.

And a lovely one it was too.
At the weekend it was time to head up to Wales and tend to the family grave, its been a while since my last trip, February was the last time if I recall correctly.
The trip was made better by having great company the whole time, so thanks to Ann for that, really made the day worth while. And certainly enjoyed the opportunity to visit some of my favourite places.

Time to hit the road.

A silly early start to the day, leaving home around 4am. Planning to head through town to the start of the M1, I soon forgot that, and headed around the M25 on auto pilot. No harm done, less traffic lights and stops, so all was well. A nice smooth journey up, stopping off at Watford Gap for a spot of breakfast, and a call of nature, we were back under way, arriving in Llandudno in what seemed like no time at all.
I must say though, by this point, a good few hours sitting was starting to take its toll on my knee.

First port of call, ASDA, cheap as it sounds, but they are excellent for fresh flowers. Tending the grave was the first thing on the list of things to do. Getting a nice selection, including a nice bunch of "Tickled Pink" flowers which is ASDA's range supporting breast cancer charities (including Breast Cancer Now). SO very fitting for the occasion. Thanks to Ann for spotting them, after I had gathered white lilies and red roses, they fitted perfectly in the middle of the colours.

Off to Colwyn Bay crem for a clean up and flower arrangement, and for once a beautiful day for it. I am used to being caught in rain when I visit, just bad luck I guess, but the gods were on my side that day. A good polish of the headstone, and weeding of the surrounding plot, and it was time to get my inner flower arranger on.

 With a great selection to work with, the transformation took no time at all. See how it was transformed.

After a moment to reflect, and take in the peace and quiet of the location, it was time to move on and relax a bit more. While at the Llandudno end of the A55, I decided it was a good time to head towards Snowdonia and Llanberis.
On arrival at Llanberis, I parked in the lake front village car park. A few more cars than usual but it is summer holidays after all. So it was expected. Paying for parking for an hour, allowing time to take wonder, and sit around soaking up the atmosphere, I was not expecting to be there all that time, but sure enough, with good company and conversation, the hour flew by, and many sights were seen.

Gorgeous day for some landscape photos.

Blue and green were the key colours of the area.

Nice to see a little wildlife reserve area

A shot which caught my eye and just needed capturing.

Llanberis lake railway.

End of the line.

The car park and seating area of the Snowdon Railway was possibly the busiest I have ever seen it. Kind of spoils the feel of the area, but glad I didn't bother pre booking tickets for it. I know I would not have enjoyed being park of a large group going up to the summit.

From Llanberis we took a quick drive up to the bottom of the Pyg Pass, but it was crazy busy up there, no parking anywhere in sight, so after gazing longfully at the hills for a few mins, down we went again. I have to give kudos to all the cyclists going up and down the road. It still remains a goal of mine, but seeing them doing it brought it home that it is no mean feat!
next up, Caernarfon, and the castle. Another place I love dearly. Especially at full tide, to see the boats bobbing around in the harbour.
Great memories of being in Caernarfon with my mum and aunts, and even a photo of them standing by the harbour wall, which I shall see if I can find.
I was also excited to see the swing bridge open for the first time I can recall, much to the amusement of Ann, pfft lol.

After a quick trip to the gift shop, we were on our way again, thundering down the A55 in the Smart Car. Destination, Colwyn Bay promenade.

Before reaching the prom, I took a detour off into the shopping centre to grab some lunch to eat on the seafront. Sandwiches, drinks and dessert purchased, off we went to do battle with the gulls, to see how much food we could eat, vs how much they would steal. Surprisingly, even though there was a whole flock of them sitting in the sea just behind us, we ate uninterrupted.
Whilst sitting there, we partook in a little people watching and mockery. my my Charlie's parents need to learn the art of a good slap across the back of the legs.

Food digested, sights taken in, next stop, Welsh Mountain Zoo.
Up the windy roads we drove, reaching the strange entrance to the zoo, which feels just like a side road with a ticket booth on it. Tickets bought, it was time for a little adventure. As luck would have it we arrived just in time for the Bird of Prey show, the Penguins walkabout, and the Sealion display/ feeding/ talk.
As we waited for the shows to begin, one sealion (the male) was adamant that he would be heard, as you can see on this short Instagram video I shot. https://www.instagram.com/p/BIxPN6XDZIO
Very entertaining indeed.

After he had had his say for about 15 mins, the shows started. I have posted a few pics of what was seen, rather than bleating on about it,

Once the excitement was over, and with my knee really starting to give me some grief, not to mention Ann getting rather tired by now, we took a slow wander around the rest of the zoo. I have been going to this zoo for about 30+ years now, and have seen many changes. I have to say though, it is probably in its best format that I can recall right now. A lovely family zoo, set into the hill tops of the North Wales coast, epic views, a lovely collection, and a fabulous layout.

Red Pandas

Squeaky little otters

Cya later (Alligator)

Proud meerkat displaying his manliness

Meerkat on guard duty

A single pink lily, the same as the one mum grew, and I have tattooed as a tribute. Very fitting for the day.

After the zoo, time was getting on a bit, and a long journey lay ahead of us. Off to pay a visit to a few old family haunts, including the poor house left by my late aunt and her husband. Empty since 2010, and tied up in a probate argument ever since, it is tragic to see a lovely little place with such a beautiful view wasting away, year after year, and with all their possessions still left inside (other than valuables). Truly tragic that some people can be so bitter and greedy, to let someones legacy waste away to nothing, because they want it ALL !!

Time to hit the road back to London, and would need fuel on the way. Had I known how disgustingly over priced motorway petrol had become I would have got some in town. But willing to pay the usual 10p a litre over the odds for the sake of a straight journey, I left.
Having filled up at ASDA on my arrival in Wales, at 105.4 per litre, I was dumbstruck when I stopped in services and saw this!!

25.5p per litre more!! Seriously. Why in gods name is this allowed to happen. I wonder how many breakdowns are caused by people refusing to fill up on the motorway because of this robbery? And of course, thats not even mentioning the prices of eating and drinking in the services too. And we wonder why people don't stop, and drive past being tired.

Anyway, financial robbery later, and a couple of hours later, home was in sight. 666 miles covered, £60 of petrol, and a great day done. Time for bed!

Even the best things don't work.

So I thought coming to Wales,  my place of sanctity,  my true love,  would really do me some good. Knowing how many happy memories I have here,  it was a sure thing that I would feel relief and some relaxation.

But no! Not the case. Arriving here was fine,  but no drive to go to my favourite places,  just headed for the cemetery to pay my respects and lay flowers.

Then off to see Chris and Dyfrig,  the friendly old couple who have given me so much comfort over the years. Plan just to drop a card in,  say hi,  and go. Obviously I had to exchange a few words,  but a minute in and I was shaking,  breathing hard and wanted out. Thankfully I had managed to say I wasn't staying by that time. Dyfrig saw I wasn't comfortable and helped me with my exit.

Wow that felt crappy,  but I promised to return as soon as my head is better.

Now that was a real anticlimax.

Another day, another blog.

After another rather stressy day yesterday I turned in early for the night. Not that I got to sleep straight away, and neither did I sleep very well. It would seem the initial improvement is now a thing of the past. Relaxing thoughts, and well rehearsed techniques to get to sleep no longer work, and the spiral of association has come back. Taking a simple innocent thought, within a minute it spirals into something I dread or a subject that winds me up. Change the thought, and the process starts again. Thinking of a video game for example, within three twists of association, can become a past memory of something I have done, which in turn makes me sad or anxious. It's incredible, as my concious mind could never make those twisted associations. It is almost like my brain WANTS me to think about these other things, and manages to contort the subject accordingly.

Right now though I have no rational way of addressing the matters, and no means of outlet to vent them to, so they will just have to wait for now.

Speaking of waiting, that is the theme of today, waiting for a contractor (who has now arrived), and waiting for a call from the GP. Thankfully, one thing I am not waiting for any longer is the report from my company doctor. After seeing him last week all seemed to go well, but you know how it is. Like job interviews, it went well but the letter isn't what you expected. However on this occasion I am happy to say that the report is favourable, and supportive, which is a great relief to me for sure. Painting a similar picture to that which my GP has already done, recommending the increase in medication as per the consultation, and outlining a realistic timescale for improvement and return to work.
Now I just need to speak to the GP when she calls, to discuss the report and see if she goes with the increase in meds dose.

Also having now received the next appointment with the therapy people from the NHS, I can now add that to her information, so she can make decisions accordingly. With the first face to face appointment with the therapy people not being til January, and only being an assessment once again, treatment itself is yet to get a confirmed start date. That obviously puts the brakes on things a little bit, but the company GP has allowed for this in his recommendations.

So there are lots of positives there for sure.
In other parts of life there is little improvement in my day to day goings on. Still borderline hurting myself to try and stay clear headed and sane, and of course to end the day exhausted enough to sleep. Which doesn't seem to be working very well anymore, but the getting out alone is helping keep my head clear.
Support from friends, and company being offered is a great relief, now all I need to do is make some of that actually happen.

On Xmas day I will be making my usual trip to Wales to have a clean up of the family grave, lay some flowers, and have some down time breathing fresh coastal air. Come rain or shine, I look forwards to returning to a place which holds only the most innocent of memories for me, and offers no complications, painful reminders, or associations for my mind to play with. Memories of youth are the clearest and purest I have. So I think it is that which keeps me going back again and again. As well of course as wishing to maintain the headstone, and pay my respects.
Fingers crossed I can have a wide awake day, and stay focused enough to do the round trip in the day. I am sure I can, but as ever it is a solo trip, so keeping my mind distracted might be a bit of a test for me.

So that is my download for the morning. Here's to a positive outcome to the call from the GP, and a chance to get outside and recharge my solar batteries in my head.

Thanks for reading.

Dear Enterprise Rent a Car....

I have just received a letter from your Traffic Violations Department regarding a traffic violation during my last rental with yourselves.
So before I get started, let me post a couple of pictures and see if someone other than the idiot that compiled the letter can work out what is wrong. I would not usually call someone an idiot for a 'simple' error, but as you will see, it has a far deeper impact than that.

So here goes.... I will go a bit easier on you in following blogs if you can spot it in under 30 seconds.

Got it.
If not, please join the issuer of the letter in the corner, and take it in turns to share the hat.
If so, then lets proceed.

Now, there are a couple of ways this could work, so lets explore.
Essex might have the date of the offence on their letter wrong (along with the automated reference number which also contains the date) If so, and the offence did indeed take place on 22nd Feb 2014 as your letter to me suggests, then I would have indeed have been in possession of the car at that time. Darn it!
Oh hold on.... May I bring your attention to this..
https://twitter.com/MichaelSnasdell/status/437175757023215616
Now while I know its not actual proof, for me to have been in Snowdonia at 10.43, sending the series of tweets that I did, and then be on Thremhall Ave in Essex 30 mins later, I must have done a bit more than 69 in a 50 I tell you.
Allow me to dumb is down a bit.. I was 277 miles away !
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Llanberis&daddr=Thremhall+Ave,+Essex,+UK&hl=en&sll=51.875855,0.229855&sspn=0.053519,0.123425&geocode=FVGEKgMdwwTB_ymdAfncOghlSDF5DRqn3E0dZg%3BFXqGFwMd3IEDACkp6DArsY_YRzH4fwtNJUkOwg&oq=llanbe&mra=ls&t=m&z=7

Now, just for a little bit of fun on the day, ironic or what, but I decided to take a selfie of THE car, in the mountains of Essex, oh errm I mean Wales of course (must keep my story straight if I'm to be believed eh)

Awww look, you can even see the registration. And I'm sure if you check the image data.... Sorry there I go over complicating things again.

So, lets move on shall we, and pretend, just for the sake of sarcasm, that I have my days wrong, and I was indeed in possession of the car in January instead.
On January 21st, my dog went in to have surgery on his face, and I took a week off work to take care of him during his recovery. On Jan 22nd he was still very sleepy and poorly from the procedure, so as much as I would have liked to have been out driving along the A120 in Essex, I was very much at home, tweeting, and facebooking images of him.
Anyway I won't spend any more time on the sarcasm, I will get down to business.

First up... The letter.
I received an read the letter stating that I, Michael Snasdell, named on contact 479918 had been involved and reported for a traffic violation, and that further more there would be a £35 admin fee to yourselves, which you will take automatically as per my signed and dated rental contract.

Right, so lets break this down.
If you have not already worked it out, the offence ref 1120/14/0002 Dated 22/01/2014, timed 11.25 is NOT the same as the date you state on your letter which is referred to as 'Citation Issue Time/Date 22/02/2014 @11:25. Do you see the problem now?  ITS THE WRONG MONTH !!!

Now the usual reaction to receiving such a notice is a sinking feeling, and that oh damnit feeling, before doing what is required, sending off your licence and payment, and taking the 3 points on the chin.
But this is different, VERY different. You see I need my licence, for my future, for my career, and for my livelihood. SO the reaction for me was something very deep, dark and upsetting. I will go so far as to say distressing.
Of course the disbelief leads to checking (something that should have been done before the letter was generated) and then there is the feeling of relief, along with the self forgiveness for even thinking for one moment that you might have actually committed the offence. So for me, this goes a bit further than a small admin error. Yes s*** happens, but sometimes when it does, things need to happen to make it right again.

THEN.... we have the next part which states that £35 is due to yourselves for having to go through the arduous task of getting this so badly wrong, then causing me so much upset and I should add anger (does it show?). Yes I did indeed sign as part of my contract with you IN FEBRUARY that you could charge my card with any fines relating to my rental period... IN FEBRUARY ! Not however any prior fines that previous renters had incurred, just loaded up on me. So should you decide to exercise your right to make that charge to my credit card, please be aware that I will report this immediately as an unauthorised transaction, and exercise my right to be a PITA to the furthest extent possible.

Now if you read up from this point, you will see that a lot of time and effort has gone into compiling this reply to your letter, including tracking back through Twitter, Facebook and other social media sources, as well as through my phone to retrieve relevant information and pictures. Easily 10 times the amount of effort that went into the poor effort of a letter to me with so many errors.
So, here's the deal... IF you charge the £35 to my credit card following receipt of my actual email that I will be sending, politely pointing out the issues, I will in turn seek £350 in admin charges, damages, incorrectly informing Essex Police that I was the driver, and other costs for this blog entry.... Fair ?

I would also like to point out a few more things very briefly.
Your phone number for Traffic Violations is broken, so I could not call to tell you about this.
I believe from your letter that you have already informed Essex Police that I was indeed the driver. So would request that you formally write to them again, and tell them you are idiots, and that in fact I was NOT driving the car. I would like to be CC'ed on this letter (i'm serious, maybe not about the calling yourselves idiots, but the rest)
And finally, that this whole matter has been rather stressful for me. While I have seen the funny side now, I am 100% serious that it caused genuine upset at the time of opening the letter.

Anyway, I look forward to my next rental from Enterprise Rent a Car, because all the above put to one side, you do great cars at great prices.

Quick trip to Wales.

‎Well I say a quick trip, certainly wasn't on the way up here, that's for sure!

The weekend started on Friday for me with a trip to Gatwick Enterprise to pick up my 'small premium' car. After much guessing what it would be, having only stipulated auto, I was surprised to be given a VW Passat CC (Bluemotion) MANUAL. In fairness I was asked if I was that bothered but I said no. Big mistake in some respects.

A few months ago I was actually looking at this exact car, but in auto and GT guise. But having driven a manual‎ Bluemotion, I have to say I would take one of these now. Lovely spec inside, ridiculous motorway MPG, smooth, lovely on twisty roads. So that's a plus for sure.

The trip here took some 7 hours due to stupid traffic conditions, and looking at the weather forecast, and what I'm sitting in now, the trip home isn't gonna be much easier.

Arriving at the Travelodge I was dreading first morning back ache from their ridiculous beds, but to my surprise they have teamed up with Sleepeze and replaced all their beds, and I must say, very nice indeed! Might even buy one. There is a little brochure by the bed telling you how to buy one if you enjoyed your sleep. Imagine that, try before you buy, first on the car and now the bed too. Good trip.

The reason for the trip, simple. One year ago today my aunt passed away, ironically some might say, on her sister (my mums) birthday. Mum left us in 2011. So this year on their anniversaries I made some changes to the family plot to make sure they are remembered, and there is somewhere to come to to pay respects to the whole family.

Two little engraved granite cubes with their details on. Small but effective :)

So they are in place now.

I have also travelled about to my favourite locations this weekend with my camera, to do some experimenting with it, and am quite happy with the results.

While talking to Chris, Joan's ex carer, she asked me for some information about tablets (electronic not medical), and showed interest in buying one. I have for a while now been looking for some way of saying thank you to Chris for all she did, so I popped out last night and bought her the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, which was on her shortlist. She was a little shocked when I dropped it off in a flying visit last night. But no doubt my afternoon will be spent setting it up for her now lol. 

So, I'm sitting on the prom between Rhos and Colwyn Bay now, in heavy rain, strong winds, and hazy skies. Waiting for it to be late enough to pick Chris up to visit the family plot to lay flowers. Thankfully the tide is out, or I would have been washed away by now.

So I better get on, then wrap the day up with what will hopefully be a speedy and trouble free trip back to London.

Will the car have made the whole weekend on a single tank.... time will tell.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

A new week, a new start..

But lets take a look back at last week shall we, highlights and outcomes.

First up, the most popular topic searched on my blog last week was..... The great RIM outage of 2011. Affecting millions, infuriating most of them, and getting LOTS of media publicity over the course of the 3 day outage, and a hell of a lot of bad press. It sure was a testing time, and showed a lot of users how dependent they are on their Blackberry devices. With the loss of BBM some felt like a limb had been removed, others felt relieved and thankful for the peace and quiet. I was somewhere in the middle there I think. I wont deny im glad to have it back, but I was shocked at how annoying the notifications of BBM, email, Facebook etc can get when you are doing something else. In reply to the outrage of the outage, RIM have today announced a $100 gift to each subscriber to purchase apps from Blackberry App World, including a lot of their premium apps. Not only this, they are including apps that are for the Blackberry Playbook too, which means my games collection is about to increase somewhat.
So at the end of the day, thank you RIM, thats good compensation, and great customer relations.

Then of course we cant forget the launch of the iPhone 4S. Not the long awaited iPhone 5, but a step towards it. Following the passing of Steve Jobs recently, I think there were great expectations on the company, but most were unlikely to admit disappointment, but rather keep their opinions guarded out of respect. iOS5 was also launched at almost the same time, and that too had its fair share of disappointments. Firstly with users struggling to get it to download, due to the huge demand on the servers, followed by a few having issues with the install itself. Either failing or losing their data during the restore process. Everything is bound to have a glitch along the line, and like Blackberry their time was now. So a bad week for technology no doubt.

At the tail end of the week some of the major cities saw mass protests, like the one I blogged on Sunday, with Occupy London taking over the steps of St Pauls Cathederal, quite clearly inplicated in the financial crisis of course!? From being there it was interesting to monitor Twitter at the same time, and observe the number of bullshit posts from the unwashed claiming they were being kettled, crushed, denied access to food and water or toilet facilities. All of which was un-true. Certainly for the 5 hours I observed it for. Always nice to see both sides of the fence. From my perspective the police were very tolorant of the protesters, treated them fairly and spoke to them with respect. Any advances into the containment were clearly communicated, and done fairly... But then you are never going to get the truth from the 'victims' now are you! it was a great photographic opportunity though.

So what else was there.....

Oh, the F1. Seeing Lewis Hamilton finally coming back to form after so much time below par during the past few races. Coming good during quali, and snatching pole position from the Redbulls sure put a smile on peoples faces. The race... well it didnt go as well as it could have I guess, but second is still respectable against the destructive force that has dominated F1 this season. Meanwhile Lewis remains on an all time low, not being able to put his finger on the cause. All we can do is wish him well, and hope that he returns to form for 2012. Wishing you all the best Lewis. And not forgetting of course the surprising Jenson Button. Underdog for so long, but springing to his full potential with Brawn, Jenson continues to go from strength to strength. With a win last race, and some consistancy, he is also going to be exciting to watch in the McLaren in 2012.

Speaking of motor racing, last night saw a horrific crash at the Indycar in Vegas, with a 15 car collision, resulting in the death of Dan Wheldon, a well respected racer from the lower series in here in the UK, and very popular Indycar racer. Winning the Indy500 twice, he was by all accounts a stunning driver. Leaving behind and wife and children, and a lot of fan. Like the death of others, this was televised life, so a nation watched on as the events unfolded until it was determined he was deceased. Having done this when Senna died, I can say its a gutwrenching experience to know you have just watched a fatal accident.
That said, the the amount of flames and smashed cars, and the speeds of the collisions, it is amazing that so few were injured. The safety standards of Indy are nothing compared to F1, with concrete and mesh as guard rails, and different construction in the cars, the scope for serious injury is high. R.I.P Dan Wheldon

Oh, I guess I had better put something about me here as well, its meant to be about me isnt it!
So last week and this week. Well money matters are pissing me off a little, I really need to get on top of things before they spiral out of control again. Due to coming off benefits, all the 'you owe us' letters are arriving thick and fast now, so they need addressing. Then I also need to ensure I am on top of the other bills hitting the mat. on the other hand my 'mental state' seems pretty stable, and the reduction in Citlopram is working nicely, down from 40mg to 20mg and all is well. Cant wait for the next drop then the ending of the meds.
On the other side of things, I had my ultrasound today, finally after a month of waiting. It was quite a long winded process, far more in depth than I thought it would be. Nothing was said, but lots of screen captures were made and prepared to be sent to my GP, so I await hearing from him to see what the outcome is. I am still getting stabbing and cramping pains there after all this time, but not during yawning now, so I dont know what to think.

I have managed to get myself a cold too this weekend, so an coughing and spluttering everywhere at the moment, trying to focus on my work, and taking all the medication I can to try and keep it from going to my chest. If it gets there then I am pooped for the next month as it lingers for so long if it does. I just need a nice sunny holiday right now I think, that would hit the spot. However if any holiday is on the horizon it is a snow holiday. Speaking of snow I am buying winter clothes and jackets like their is no tomorrow. Maybe my spidey senses can feel an arctic winter coming!
Whilst on the subject of cold weather.... Wales. I am off there at the weekend hopefully to introduce my neice and nephew to my Aunty Joan. Its been way too long since I was last up there, and Joan has never really met either of them, not at speaking age anyway. I just think it is important for them to meet eachother. So there is some knowledge there. Joan can be proud of then next generation of her family, and the kids will get to meet their nanny's sister, and learn more about her up bringing. I want to spend at least a whole day up there so I can show them around a bit, and share some of my favourite places around the area, as well as showing them where mum grew up. At the same time I have borrowed a DSLR from Noel, so I can help Katie explore her interest in photography, and see if she is really interested in following up with it.

Personally I love photography, and it feels great to have a DSLR back in my hands, so its exciting on two levels for me. So we shall see if Katie can be bothered with the set up and experimentation of a DSLR, or prefers the ease of a point and shoot. It should be an exciting weekend for all, I hope at least. Chances are I will stop off in Derby on the way home, saving money on a hotel, seeing Cadell and Archie, and then possibly bringing them to London the next day. We shall see how it turns out. I have to speak to my Aunt's carer to see if Joan will be up for the visit, and everyone will actually be there. At this late stage I hope this is the case.

Right thats enough now I think, I will do another entry when the rest of the things come back to me. Thanks for reading, and feel free to follow me on Twitter @michaelsnasdell