Four Things

Ordovicius tagged me with this meme, so here goes...

Four jobs I've had

1. Amending publications
2. Working in the personnel department
3. Procurement
4. Trade union official

Four films I can watch over and over

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Moulin Rouge
3. Star Wars Trilogy (the ones with Harrion Ford ;-) )
4. Shrek

Four places I've lived

1. Three bedroom house
2. Two bedroom house
3. One bedroom flat
4. In my current secret location!

Four TV shows I love

1 -4. I haven't watched TV for years...

Four places Ive been on holiday

1. France
2. Cyprus
3. Italy
4. The former Yugoslavia

Four of my favourite meals

1. Roast Chicken/Turkey Dinner
2. Bacon and eggs.
3. Brisket as cooked by my Mum ;-)
4. Coffee and Walnut Cake (I have it for lunch every now and then ;-) )

Four websites I visit daily

1. Bloghounds plus the members.
2. Statcounter (to see who has been visiting)....
3. PCS
4. Shropshire Star

Four places I'd like to be right now

1. Back in Lille...
2. Bruges
3. Prague
4. Quiet solitude on my own.

Four bloggers I tag

Sally

Liz

JMB

Pupazz

Dona Nobis Pacem

BlogBlast for Peace - November 6th 2008.

Gare de Lille Flanders

Apart from the photo I showed you yesterday these are the only other pictures I managed to get of Lille. They were taken after a lovely evening meal, duck breast slow cooked in wine with herbs, it was delicious.

From Wiki:

Lille-Flandres is the main station of the city of Lille, France. It is a terminus for SNCF Intercity and regional trains and was named Flandres in 1993 when Lille-Europe station opened.

The station was built by Léonce Reynaud and Sydney Dunnett for the CF du Nord. Construction begun in 1869 and ended in 1892. The station front is the old front from Paris' Gare du Nord and was dismantled then reassembled in Lille at the end of the XIX^th century, and extra storey as well as a large clock were added to the original design. Dunnett added the Hotêl des Voyageurs in 1887, and the rooftop in 1892.

More tomorrow on some of the other places I visited over the weekend...

P is for Powis

I have previously posted about Powis Castle with a brief history, but today I am going to focus on the gardens of which I gave you a taster of a few days ago. It is one of my favourite places to visit.

For more ABC pictures check out Mr Linky.

Fun & Charity

Every year I get the chance to go on a coach trip and have a fun weekend whilst raising money for the charity 'Hope & Homes for Children'. This year the destination was Lille which is a beautiful town and we all had a great time. Unfortunately I haven't got many photos of Lille itself because it rained when we did the walking tour. I managed to keep dry but I didn't think I could manage juggling a camera and umbrella at the same time and keep me and the camera safely dry. It just gives me an excuse to go back again soon ;-)

It was All Saints Day when we did the walking tour and the Cathedrale Notre Dame de la Treille was holding a ceremony to celebrate the Saints. Building of the Cathedral was begun in 1854 and finally declared complete in 1999. The initial building work was gothic in style, but the later work was designed by local architect Pierre-Louis Carlier in collaboration with Peter Rice, who engineered the Sydney Opera House. As you can see, it is quite modern in appearance and the rain doesn't do much for it's looks.

More on Lille tomorrow...

What Makes a Good Friend?

I haven't done one for a while so I think it is time for a fun Meme. Entirely appropriate for a Sunday I think :-)

The line you really can't be friends with is really quite true ;-)

You Are a Good Friend Because You're Supportive

You are almost like a life coach for your best friends. You give them help when they need it... but you also know when to give them a push. People tend to rely on you for moral support and advice. You've probably always been mature for your age, so this is a role that's you're comfortable with. A friend like you is one of the rarest kinds. You are both a good mentor and companion. Your friends need you most when: They are confused or worried You really can't be friends with: Someone who only wants to complain Your friendship quote: "The only way to have a friend is to be one."

What Makes You a Good Friend?

PhotoHunt - Blue

It is getting towards that time of year again. I took this photo of the memorial at the top of La Grande Mine when I visited last year. A bit tenuous but it is a beautiful blue sky.

Lochnagar is now privately owned and you can visit this enormous crater quite easily from the village of La Boisselle. Simply follow the signs for: La Grande Mine.

It was created by the largest charge of explosives along the front that morning: 60 000 lbs (27 000 kilos) of ammonal explosive. This is the largest mine crater ever made by man against an enemy.

The crater should not be entered as the sides are quite dangerous. There are a number of small memorials around the edge of the crater and the large cross at its entrance is made from church timber that originated on the Tyne.

When it exploded the mine created a hole almost 30 metres deep and a 100 metres across with debris being thrown a kilometre into the sky.

Each year at 07:30 hours the Friends of Lochnagar hold a short service of remembrance up at the cross. The service is informal and probably the better for it, but arrive early for there are a goodly number who arrive each year.

For more PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.