Day out at Beachenhurst in the Forest of Dean

Was a lovely sunny day last Sunday so went to Beachenhurst Lodge up in the Forest of Dean for a picnic and walk on the famous Sculpture Trail.

The facilities at Beachenhurst Lodge are good for kids and families with picnic tables and it is all clean and safe. Good playground as well. "Formerly the site of Speech House colliery, Beechenhurst is now the ideal base for a family day out with walking trails, cafe facilities and a play area".

Beechenhurst is the starting point for the famous Sculpture Trail, the walk features pieces by famous artists set in beautiful woodland surroundings

See Forest of Dean for background on the area. Loads of things to do and you can hire bikes nearby as well

The Wonders of Bristol Museum

Did a visit to Bristol Museum with my boys. The dinosaurs are good, as are all the exhibits. The South West of England is rich in archeology and history and the museum is well worth a visit. Theres always something new or on display. Good play area as well!

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Photography Exhibition was super as well even if you wonder how many of the animals pictured will still be on the planet in the wild in 20 or 30 years.

Eclipse by DJ Pod - Ripsnorter UK - Psychedelic Tech-Funk

Some good dance music here. Lots of fun like Ripsnorter nights in Bristol! Its a 188Mb MP3 Free download.

" Text by DJ Pod: Eclipse by DJ Pod. Psychedelic Tech-Funk.
Ripsnorter UK Ripsnorter UK Start following Bristol's Underground Party Crew. 'Avinit since 1997

Tags: psychedelic tech-funk tech-trance psybreaks dubstep electro-house breaks hard-dance progressive


A genre-bustin' mix of psychedelia, funk & meaty beats...This was gonna be my 'Spring 2011 Mix' or something - I set out to do something quite light and bouncy...but it soon took a turn to the darkside! Hence the title.


I'd like to state this was a one-take-mix using my usual DJ set up. But it wasnt. It was painstakingly put together in Ableton Live over several days using my own edits & remixes & some wicked brand new tracks.
Anyway trainspotters, here’s the tracklisting:


1. Soul Taker – Jason Sparks


2. Thequenique – Riskotheque


3. Universal Language – Nick Sentience


4. Fille De La Soie – The Riddler


5. Zooloo – Pleasurekraft Remix


6. Ask The Right Questions – Neelix


7. Galaxy Traveller – Felguk (Neelix Remix)


8. Snakecharmer – Neurodriver (LuQas Remix)


9. Explorer – Triple Agent


10. In The Burgh – Subliminal System (Monkeylogic Remix)


11. Spaced – Orzel’s Machine


12. The System – Pyramid vs Far Too Loud


13. Damnation – Unconscious Mind(s)


14. Shock Treatment – Far Too Loud


15. L.S.Dance – Psysex vs Activator


16. A Beach In Japan – CPU


17. All Get Down – Nick Sentience (Mik Cree Re-rub)


18. Crossfire – Type 1


19. Nocturnal Heist – Nick Sentience vs DJ Pod


20. Reon – Nick Sentience


21. Heaven Hell – Sinister Silence (Audiomatic Vaishiyas Remix)


22. KPH – Orzel’s Machine ".

Tweetdeck - An App worth Using?

Anyone got a view on whether TweetDeck is worth using?

Negative experiences can stop painkillers working

Interesting programme on Radio 4 last night on this subject. Helps explain placebos and homeopathy perhaps!

"A patient's belief that a drug will not work can become a self fulfilling prophecy, according to researchers. They showed the benefits of painkillers could be boosted or completely wiped out by manipulating expectations. Professor Anthony Jones, Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Work from our own lab and those of others indicates that expectations are a key driver to pain perception and to placebo analgesic effects. So this provides further confirmation of that idea in relation to drug effects. "

The Wonder of Ordinary Places - a blog by Julian Hoffman

Just came across this writers lovely blog about where he lives in Northern Greece. Its delightful. It has soul. Beautiful landscape photographs.

"Julian Hoffman is a writer living beside the Prespa Lakes in northern Greece. Notes from Near and Far is his blog on the nature of place".

Wyndcliffe to Tintern on the Wye Valley Walk

Having today done the section of the Wye Valley path from Chepstow to Wyndcliffe by lunchtime we then climbed up the "365 Steps" path up the cliff past Wyndcliffe itself (quarried limestone cliffs) to get to the top of the ridge.

On the top we then walked the Wye Valley Walk path to Tintern Abbey stopping for a picnic on route in a field with good views to Penterry radio masts and hill fort.

Wyndcliffe has a lot of rock climbing routes. See the link below if interested. Having climbed most of the  routes to E3 I would happily recommend Wyndcliffe main crag for traditional climbing, with the lower quarry providing good bolted sports climbs. See: http://www.climbers-club.co.uk/downloads/lwv_wyndcliff.pdf

Chepstow to Wyndcliffe on the Wye Valley Path

We did a nice walk this afternoon from Chepstow to Tintern via the Wye Valley Walk with a picnic on route then got the bus back home from Tintern which all worked out well. This is the first section from Chepstow to the Wyndcliffe car park. The whole walk takes a couple of hours elapsed time.