Driver 308’s Commonwealth Games Adventure-Day 4

Dear reader, Driver 308’s story continues as below, happy reading.

Day 4 July 7^th  2022

Alison and I had to be ready to leave Guildford Holiday Inn at 07:30 with the convoy. Consequently Trevor and I had to get up at 05:30 in order to get to Guildford in time to have breakfast before the convoy left for Tonbridge.

We were the allocated pickup shuttle in Tonbridge and simply followed the convoy, which had a police motor cycle escort . Driving with a blur light police escort means obeying ALL instructions from the police officers and may mean ignoring red traffic lights, going the wrong way down streets or round roundabouts, driving on the wrong side of the road. The police bikers are amazing, as a driver one has to be on the look out for them whenever they are behind, because they can and do come psat on either side through gaps which simply don’t exist, weaving through traffic.

After Tonbridge we left the convoy to make our way to Canterbury.  A couple of photos near the Guildhall in Canterbury, where we stopped for our lunch.

We were to be drop-off shuttle traveling through the pedestrianised shopping centre, with a police escort in front of the Pilot vehicle.

After completing our drop off we were finished for the day and made our way to the Holiday Inn Maidstone, although I was in the overspill hotel at Chatham. Although it involved a 15 minute journey each way the benefit was having one’s own room.

Trip to Bletchley Park

What is Bletchley Park and why is it so important?

Bletchley Park, British government cryptological establishment in operation during World War II. Bletchley Park was where Alan Turing and other agents of the Ultra intelligence project decoded the enemy's secret messages, most notably those that had been encrypted with the German Enigma and Tunny cipher machines.

https://bletchleypark.org.uk/

Alex Fox

Day out whith Thomas

They're 2, they're 4, they're 6,they're 8, eight residents had a day out hauling freight, Anthony, me, Callum and Joe, Leigh, Alan, Thomas and Clare too.

All with different roles to play, round our garden sheds or Pennyland. Down the cafe and round the houses, Thomas and his friends.

https://www.dayoutwiththomas.co.uk/

https://www.bucksrailcentre.org/

Alex Fox

Driver 308’s Commonwealth Games Adventure-Day 3

Day 3 July 6^th  2022 

Today I was with Alison as the shuttle host. Although we had been teamed up together during the training, due our R&R days this was the first day we actually worked together. On R&R days there are relief drivers and shuttle hosts to cover our duties. We were scheduled to be in Portsmouth at the D Day museum at 16:00. We decided to arrive early and have time to look round the museum and Southsea Castle. We found the D Day museum easily and then went to find our IP (Insertion Point) . This is the place where our first BB will be dropped to start their segment and where we wait for the Pilot vehicle to find us and lead us to all the locations, indicated with a pink circular sticker, to drop off our BBs. It was a good thing we went to look for the postcode was not very accurate. We soon found the location, which was the Charles Dickens house museum.

The team manager had set us a challenge today which was to find the most unusual hat. As we had some spare time we went to B&Q to get a coir hanging basket liner to make a hat, which was decorated with a windmill and lighthouse purchased at Southsea Castle.  

Here is the hat and it was the winner!

We didn’t finish dropping off our BBs until 19:45 and it was nearly 22:00 when we arrived at the hotel in Guildford for the night, I though was in a different hotel to Alison. Trevor, my roommate, and I had to drive to the Holiday Inn in Woking where we found that the room only had one bed, they had to get another bed – it was 00:30 before we were able to go to bed. I knew Trevor from 2014 when both of us did the Baton Relay around Scotland.

<End of Day 3, Day 4 to follow shortly>

Hawaiian Disco

Hawaii  is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state geographically located within the tropics.

A disco is a place or event at which people dance to pop music. Fridays and Saturdays are regular disco nights.

Alex Fox

16th Death Anniversary of Rev Gyosei Handa's passing

This year marks the 16th anniversary of Rev Gyosei Handa's passing (02.12.1956 - 21.08.2007).

During his lifetime Rev Handa worked tirelessly for the creation of peace through his practice and work at the temple and the wider world, when we look around us his presence and influence continue to guide and inspire us.

His practice was very much an example to all especially the paying of respect to the Buddha Nature with in all people and like the Bodhisattva Never Despise from the Lotus Sutra he practiced this towards all and never wavered in this. This practice is the very foundation to building a more peaceful and harmonius world and in this Rev Handa remains a true example of a warrior of peace to guide and inspire us all.

NA MU MYO HO REN GE KYO

NA MU MYO HO REN GE KYO

NA MU MYO HO REN GE KYO

https://www.facebook.com/groups/46222062759

Alex Fox

Trip to Stratford-upon-Avon

These are photographs of residents of Camphill Milton Keynes visiting Stratford-upon-Avon, where William Shakespeare was born and raised.

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".

Stratford-upon-Avon, commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region  of England. It is situated on the River Avon, 91 miles (146 km) north-west of London, 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Warwick. The town is the southernmost point of the Arden area on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Alex Fox