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Every1 else is doin' it!
Monday, August 30, 2004
Everyone else seems to be doing this test, so I thought I'd have a go! Here are my results:
eXpressive: 7/10 Practical: 6/10 Physical: 3/10 Giver: 8/10
You are a XPIG--Expressive Practical Intellectual Giver. This makes you a Catch.
You are a magazine-cover, matinee idol dreamboat. Parents love you and want to set you up with their kids. However, first dates are tough because it takes time for your qualities to come out.
You are generous and kind. You think first and act later. You are cool in a conflict, but your practical side means if your partner throws out emotional appeals ("why can't we do what I want for a change?") they will grate on your nerves, even when the conflict is resolved.
You're a romantic. You enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and you don't just fall into bed with anyone. You pay close attention to your significant other's needs, and this makes you an excellent lover and partner. The problem is that your friends and lovers may find it so easy to express things to *you* that they lose sight of whether you feel as comfortable with *them*! This doesn't necessarily make you feel under-appreciated -- you're too well-adjusted and self-aware for that -- but you may feel restless. Thus you seek adventure in your life outside the relationship to prove and actualize yourself.
Of all the types, you would make the best parent.
You are coiffed.
Didja see "Big Fish"? 'Cause you're like Ewan MacGregor in "Big Fish."
Of the 26842 people who have taken this quiz, 8 % are this type.
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Snubbed out
Well that's it! After all the hype, the build up, the tears, the joy and the heartache, the Athens 2004 Olympics are over!
I do think this has been one of the better games and possibly one of the most exciting.
There seems to have been quite a good focus on the sport and the actual events, rather than the media circus and drug taking.
I did start to watch the closing ceremony last night as I enjoyed the opening ceremony. Sadly I could not drum up the same level of enthusiasm and switched off after only 30 minutes. Greece should be proud of their games, they did a very good job.
I have mixed views about the games being hosted in Beijing, but I guess only time will tell.
Congratulations have to go to Team Great Britain who finished ninth in the medal table - one place (and one medal), higher than the Sydney games.
Do we care who comes top of the medal table? Not really. Why? Well, when certain countries end up with far more competitors than anyone else can manage, is it really fair? I think the complete team should be limited to a set number, or average. This would give the smaller countries a decent chance..
Now, in the UK, is the time to concentrate on the London 2012 bid and wait (and hope) that the games head this way after Beijing.
It's nice to have a public holiday, even nicer to have a couple days extra. I think we made the most of this holiday as we got out and about before the weekend crush. It really does feel like we have had a mini break.
Today is our day to chilland what better way to do this then to listen to the fabulous new Jill Scott album "Beautifully Human". And when we're all soul/jazzed out we'll make headway for Frank Sinatra's "Platinum Collection" ;) And relax...
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Imagery is not permitted!
Saturday, August 28, 2004
We had been planning this day out for months and were both quite excited to finally get it under way. For ages Richard and I have both made comments about visiting Windsor Castle. It's a place we have both often wanted to go to but have never arranged. Anyway after a conversation and a quick look online we had tickets.
We arrived early (10), to make the most of our day and are glad we did as it was busy from the off.
We spent the day exploring the grounds, wandering around the exhibits and visiting the State Rooms. Now we have visited Windsor I can fully understand why the Royal Family were so devastated from the consequences of the fire in 1992.
So much of the castle was lost and yet the craftsmanship and work that has go into it's resurrection has been amazing.
As we emerged from our browse around the chapel we happened to notice it was time for the changing of the guard. I have witnessed this at Buckingham Palace several years ago but was interested to see the same procedure here. We were not disappointed, in fact I think the "change" was more intimate at Windsor as you were allowed a much closer to the action.
It also helped when trying to spot cute marines!
We spent all of the morning within the castle boundaries headed into Windsor for lunch.
After lunch we made our way to Frogmore.
Frogmore House is where Queen Victoria was raised and you can understand how isolated she must have been from the court as Windsor Castle is barely visible from the grounds of Frogmore.
Another rare treat was the ability to have a look inside the Mausoleum that Queen Victoria built to honour her Prince Consort; Albert. This really was worth the journey this weekend (it's only open to the public four days of the year), as the contents of the tomb were amazing. Queen Victoria had Alberts' tomb created with her cast next to him, this was so that they would lay together at the point of Albert's passing. The only visible sign that the tomb was opened years later (when Victoria died), is from a crack in the side of the where the seal had to be broken.
This really was a lovely day out which we both thoroughly enjoyed. We did find five minutes to play tourist too (well there were enough Chinese, Germans' and Americans' there so why couldn't we?)
As you can see we couldn't resist the temptation of the guard box!
P.S. I finally managed to give my statement to the police last night!
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Long Bank Holiday
Friday, August 27, 2004
The last couple of days have been quite nice. Richard and I had the foresight to take a couple days off to further extended the bank holiday weekend.
After the episode of a couple days ago, I really felt like I needed a break.
Unfortunately the police are still yet to visit to take a statement from me - it' no wonder the crime figures in the UK are on the decline... Seems like you have to wait days before you actually get to record anything. Bloody government and it's useless reports.
It also seems that the government is lead by the Transport and General Workers Union as the motorways were clogged solid. Not with cars as we are forced to believe but by freight - lorries as far as the eye can see. Why on earth is freight not ion the rail network?
We went into Knightsbridge yesterday to get some retail therapy. Several hours were spent wandering along the Kings Road, Harvey Nichols, and Park Lane.
I am not entirely sure what we bought but I know we were laden down with bags!
Actually to be honest I think the majority of our shopping was of the easily consumed variety! After dinner last night we supped some fab coffee and indulged in some rather decadent Harvey Nichols Chocolate Tarts - yumm!
Today was spent in Surrey as we visited Ickworth House. Quite an odd looking building which features a huge rotunda as it's focal point. Quite an elaborate feature for a house dating from 1795.
We had a pleasant day meandering through the gardens, browsing through the house and sampling the home cooked food in the restaurant.
I just hope the rest of the bank holiday is as good ;)
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Bloggar vs Blogger
Thursday, August 26, 2004
 Thanks to the nice people at Tribe I have found this new resource for uploading new entries into my blog.
I have had no end of problems with the posting method lately and this has proved very beneficial and time efficient.
I hope to keep you aberst of my current playlist too thanks to the neat little app that comes with Bloggar - as you will note I am currently in a Janet Jackson type of mood!
[iTunes: "And on and On" : Janet Jackson]
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Hunky Olympic update
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Following on from my entry regarding the Hunky Olympians, I have created an Olympic Hunk gallery.
Enjoy
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Possibly the worst day ever?
Well today started off really badly.
I left for the office around my normal time, drove around the block and waited for some cars to pass through this awkward junction. I then tried to proceed but had to pull back to let someone else through.
All pretty normal, yes? No!
When the other person came through the gap I was hurdled a torrent of abuse. I mentioned I simply needed to pass but this did not sedate the other person. What I was not prepared for was this person getting out of their vehicle, walking over to my car and clouting me in the face!
I did nothing to provoke this and as far as my understanding of the law goes, I was in the right.
Now I have to await the arrival of an officer from my local constabulary so that I can give a statement. Thankfully I had enough sense to remember to take the license number...
So what am I now? Victim? Crime statistic? Person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or someone who has further realised what an awful society we really live in?
Probably all of the above :(
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Fancy a drag?
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
I have just finished watching the first series of The Smoking Room on BBC Three and am rather sad to see it finish.
I know there are bound to be loads of comparisons with "The Office" but this is far closer to the truth. The remarks, the observations and the wit is spot on.
Scary thing is I thin I can relate every character to someone in my office. Even scarier is the prospect that a couple years ago I think I may have been Robin!
I loved the end of the series - Robin looked so happy ;)
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Obscure pathways and ramblings of a mentalist
Isn't it odd how you can become engrossed into something you find online? Someone has an idea, no matter how obscure and you cannot help but be fascinated by it. Typically the simple ideas are the best - and probably the ones that mock the afflicted are the funniest!
It's also amazing how people circulate such sites, I wonder what makes us so interested in certain sites? Why do we follow some links and not others?
It seems at present a laugh out loud site definitely has to contain George Bush- I guess it's far too easy to laugh at him but George Says makes it even easier. It's obscure that the man that makes the most grammatical and conversational errors ends up being parodied by a web site that literally feeds words into his mouth!
Still it's good fun.
A friend of mine told me about the Infinite Cat Project... Being a cat lover I had to check this out. Basically some guy took a photo of his cat and placed it online. Someone then took a photo of his cat looking at the first cat and sent it to him. Now there are hundreds of photo's of cats looking at cats. If you start at image one and progress through the site photo by photo you end up winding your way down some spooky cat tunnel. I guess I need to record Brandy or Jerry on here for prosperity. Then again, do they need any more fame?
Before they get themselves on screen they need to trim up (especially Brandy), I suppose a spot of Cat Yoga wouldn't go a miss!
Now what work was I supposed to be doing..?
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Chartwell and the pains of using Blogger!
Monday, August 23, 2004
I wrote this HUGE entry into my blog on Sunday telling you all about my weekend, with lots of links and heaps of photo's and what happens? Bloggers' servers crash and the lot disappears - am I angry yes! Do I want to type it all out again - NO!
But I guess I will as it'd be a shame to miss it out!
Anyway...
On Saturday Richard and I spent the day out with our friend Ben and met his friend Andy in Surrey.
We had planned to visit a number of National Trust Properties in Surrey but thanks to our inabilities to read a guide book, we all failed to notice that two of three properties were closed on Saturdays! This is after we had visited Polesden Lacey and were already at the second property!
Thankfully we stopped in a lovely little village, had a nice pub lunch and reassessed our plans.
Richard purchased a Sat Nav system for our car a couple days ago so we put it to the ultimate test. Find a new National Trust property in the vicinity and get us there!
There said we didn't make it to the property we had planned as we spotted a sign for Chartwell (former home of Sir Winston Churchill). This meant a trip into deepest Kent but it didn't matter as Richard and I have been wanting to visit it for ages. I can see why Churchill had such a love of the house as it had some stunning views of the English countryside.
It really was a lovely day full of adventure and high spirits. We got to places we hadn't planned to and met new people along the way. Ben's friend Andy was a really nice guy and we all got along famously.
Yes this is the edited version but I may decide to elaborate further when I have more time...
Anyway there are a number of photo's for you to check out, if you so desire:
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Found out!
Friday, August 20, 2004
Do you use file sharing programs?
Do you like to leave folders open to enable people to look at holiday snaps etc?
Maybe you need to think again: Found Photo's
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Stumbled
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Ok I literally did stumble across Stumble Upon, this is a rather wacky but clever search engine which suggests web sites for you to browse and is very intuitive.
I have found a number of new and interesting sites and thought it'd be fun to list a few:
- Industrious Clock is an interesting take on the old format of a computer driven clock
- Yugop is the natural link from the above and is a great example of what can be achieved with Flash and some forethought (try out the web cam video logic feedback utility)
- DHTML Lemmings - just as it says, who can resist!
- Garden Designer - a great resource to help all you budding Charlies, Alan's and Tommys'!
- Construct Escher's "Waterfall" in Lego- yes honest!
- Toaster Greeting Card - yes it is now possible by the magic of modern science!
- Web Archive - This has to be the oddest and yet most fascinating site I have seen in ages! Put in a web address (say trunkguy.com!) and find out how it used to look!
- NaDa - How did you ever live without it? What a fabulous utlity!
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My iPod Blog
Now why hadn't I thought of this? (Mind you I hope I am not that obsessed with my iPod!
Anyway; My iPod Blog is a fun resource.
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iWant!
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
I have to have an iKub- honest I do!
Oh and an iBoom too - that'd be cool!
I wonder what other iCool iGadgets iCan iFind iFor My iPod!!!
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Deep Sleep
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
I received a letter from the BBC today, thanking me for taking part in their future "Sleep" program.
According to the letter, the program will be aired on BBC One in November.
You can read more about this interesting day spent by the Thames.
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Hot Olympics and Olympians'
Feel you have no interest in the Olympics?
Want to watch but just to check out the talent?
Haven't got the time to wade through all the sport just to check some guys packet?
Then why not visit Hot Olympians'? - What a cool idea ;)
Original Olympics also has some fabulous photographs'
Whilst on this ever topical subject of the Olympics I would like to bring your attention to Gamesbids.com.
This is a site devoted to all the bids for future Olympic events. Most importantly the 2012 Olympics.
Regardless of the media coverage in this country I think the Olympics coming to London would be a great event. London has so much history and an enthused nation, I am sure London is the perfect choice for 2012.
Another cool (and somewhat sweet and sexy) Olympic image is of Greece's Nikolaos Siranidis (L) and Thomas Bimis as they await the results of the men's synchronised 3 metre springboard final.
They enabled Greece to win their first gold of the games.
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More Olympics!
Just found the official Team GB web site.
This includes all the bio's and participant information for the British Team in the Athens 2004 games.
Not sure I approve of the team mug shots but hey, you get an idea of who is representing your country.
Of course other countries are represented online too! Check out the USA, the New Zealanders and the Greeks.
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Day One and a British Medal
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Congratulations to Peter Waterfield and Leon Taylor on their Olympic success.
Day one of Athens 2004 and Peter and Leon are recipients of a well deserved silver medal for the 10 m Synchronised Diving.
So nice to see Team GB off to a good start - let's hope they can keep it up.
Well done lads!
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28th Olympiad
Well it's finally with us, after all the hype, the trauma and the speculation the Athens Olympics have started.
I am not a huge sport fan but I do like to follow the Olympics and especially the athletics.
It means so much to cheer on your country or your favourite athlete and I feel the Olympics really does bring the human spirit together. No other event in the world can convey the mantle of a peaceful and fun games.
You won't find any football yobs at the Olympics and for a brief period; race, cultural differences, religion and politics are set aside. It's just a shame we cannot do this every day!
We watched the opening ceremony last night and were very impressed by the spectacle. It's a shame the athletes parade took so long though as I did forget about the entertainment that came before.
It was nice to hear that it was a British production company who managed the event and I am guessing it must have been a queen who had creative input - why else would Maria Callas feature so heavily!
I guess the next two weeks will be spent watching events such as swimming, diving, gymnastics', athletics and rowing. Of course purely from a sporting angle. The fact that the male participants are incredibly fit has nothing to do with it - honest!
If I am not able to watch the games on the television I will be using the excellent interactive coverage provided by the BBC or visiting the official Athens 2004 web site for updates.
Here's wishing all the participants a most successful games.
I have decided to remove most of the Guyz galleries from the site. I have grown bored and tired of them. All that remains now is Celeb's (which has been revamped), Spanish Hunks and Real Men. I have added a new gallery simply called U Sexy Thing... ;)
The problem is that I want to replace them with something else but am not sure what!
If you have any ideas for a new gallery or section, please leave a comment below or email me.
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i, Trunkguy
Friday, August 13, 2004
We went to the cinema last night to see "i, Robot" which is based on the Isaac Asimov novel. Although I am not a huge fan of Will Smith, I did enjoy this film.
It's another attempt at the whole "robot's try to eradicate man kind" story but it is done with some conviction. The plot was a bit weak in places and some of the animation was a little ropey but it's not a bad film.
I have the felling it could have been much more sinister, but I guess they wanted a low rating (12A), to get more bums on seats!
It's worth checking out.
I think the next big futuristic film I see will be Hell Boy.
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O No!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Well it's taken them three weeks and a bit of back chat but at least I have got my Z600 back. Hopefully it'll work properly now.
After the service I got from the store in St Albans, I don't think I will be using either this store or 02 again when my contract is due.
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The walls have it...
Monday, August 09, 2004
Had a look around for some funky desktop's for my PC (get bored easily you see) and wasn't having much success.
Thanks to Willo I have been steered in the right direction.
Are you a bit of a designer? Do you have a cool photo or collage you'd like to share? Why not drop me a line and I will think about adding my favourites to Trunk Guy
If you are bored with your desktop wallpaper then you could do no worse then look here:
- Veer
- Pixel Girl Presents...
- Kaliber 1000
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Scorcher!
Sunday, August 08, 2004
How typically English, I am going to start but writing about the weather! Mind you I think I have every cause too as it really has been gorgeous this weekend. So nice to get out in the garden, to potter and to lounge around in some shorts and sandals. Just hope it'll last...
I think it may be a bit too hot for Brandy and Jerry though.
It's only after a weekend away or a spell of bad weather that you realise how the garden grows so quickly. First job this weekend was hacking back all the grass and dead heading the blooms. Still the hard work is worth it as the garden looks lovely again (if I do say so myself!).
Been into the East End today to have breakfast with a friend of ours. We had a very pleasant morning.
Had a bit of an 80's moment (well it seems longer than a moment!)... Anyway found myself at the World of Grace Jones. As a gay man I should have known about this years ago but confess to having just discovered the site. Why not pull up a chair and take a look.
Something else receiving quite a bit of play time in iTunes is Max Melvin "Seaside". Not sure I like the whole album but if you are searching for a nice relaxing chill out CD, then take a listen. The track "Seaside" is worth the 79p charge from iTunes as it's a stunningly beautiful song, with a great laid back vibe and smooth rhythm.
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Quote of the day
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Gun's don't kill people,
Bad fashion kills people!
(Queer Eye For The Straight Guy)
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On The Way Down
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Thanks to iTunes I have found another great new talent (well new to me).
Ryan Cabrera has a fab voice and is a great pop act in the making. Take a look at his site to listen to his first single "On The Way Down" or visit iTunes to purchase the track.
It also helps that he's quite cute!
No doubt he'll be easily marketed to the girlie/gay market place.
On another musical note I must confess I do know about the world of Boots and the wealth of stuff around...
As a Prince fan it's almost inherent (who doesn't own a "proper copy" of the Black Album?)
Anyway I never thought to look online for stuff until my mate J. made me aware of a URL or two. I swear if you listen once and remove, it's worth it (although, please note I am not encouraging anyone to visit these sites - you do that at your own free will).
MashMix has some pretty eclectic stuff as does Go Home Productions. Why not treat your ears!
One of the best tracks has to be The Hives vs Madonna - "I Hate Music" - classic!
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Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Today was spent in the studio's of the BBC. Whilst attending French and Saunders recently I filled in a questionnaire about my sleep habits and was asked to attend recording of a special BBC program called "Sleep".
This program is to be aired in the Autumn (probably around October) and will focus on the nation's sleep habits and what we can do to improve them.
The filming took place at The Crossness Engines which is an old Victorian pumping station on the bank of the Thames.
When I got there I was informed that I was to take part in a "special segment" which would see me placed in a "Sleep Pod" where they would play some white noise and gradually change the colours to induce me into sleep. All of this would be filmed for the show using a camera inside the pod. Sadly it was simply too hot and they decided to abandon this for my health and safety.
The rest of the day was spent with my group partaking in a number of tests that measured my verbal fluency, temporal memory, recall memory, reaction time, IQ, tracking, sorting and quality of life.
Other tests included "shopping" for items I would eat on a typical day. This information was analysed to illustrate how my diet affects my sleep. Apparently the effects of caffeine are lost after an hour but traces remain in the body for 4 - 18 hours. If I were to stop drinking my average recorded intake of caffeine today, it would not totally leave my blood stream until the 20th August!
Thankfully my final results were good and my overall score was 66% which signifies my body is receiving the sleep it needs. I was also happy to find that my IQ is 107 (above average) ;)
Other parts of the day I was asked to appear on screen as "background" and to be filmed undergoing some tests, and listening to advice. I am not sure if any of these segments will make it to air but it'll be fun trying to find myself on the television.
I met some really interesting people today and am quite surprised how many people have sleep problems. One guy, Dave, actually had problems staying awake - judging by his diet test results he doesn't have enough stimulants in his diet. Something I hadn't considered.
The BBC were very good to us, friendly, they generously fed us, kept us entertained and informed throughout the day. I especially like my "goodie bag" and will put my lavender pillow and bath bomb to good use later ;)
Ironically it was so hot on the train home I fell asleep!
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Thunder all through the night
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Well we have been hoping and praying for some thunder for weeks to clear the air and boy have our prayers been answered!
When I left the office today it started to rain, by the time I got home a full blown storm had broken out, thunder, lightning and torrential rain aplenty! Two hours later and it still rages on. The lightning arched so close to the house earlier, it made me jump from my seat.
It's nice to think that (hopefully) tomorrow the air will be clearer and cooler but sadly there has been some problems.
- Personally I am still awaiting Richards arrival from work as his train network is out of action due to lightning hitting the power lines.
- Nationally people have been without power and one poor young boy lost his life.
I have been checking my links etc, and wondered what motivates people to respond to forums and message boards? I am a frequent visitor of iPodLounge and it amazes me how some things motivate conversation more than others.
Stupid comments, jokes and anger really seem to motivate people yet other things, things that take effort seem slow to progress.
One such thread is one where I have asked members to share the music they created on their computer for other people to listen to on their iPod.
As there is a wealth of music production software out there I thought this would prove a popular thread. Sadly once I uploaded my track; "Inteference", it all went very quiet!
Oh well I live in hope!
I have heard a number of people mention Charlotte Hatherley so decided to check out her single "Kim Wilde". Although I don't feel the track is one of the best things ever written, it ain't half bad! Thanks to the generosity of the web site I have been able to download the MP3 and stick it on my iPod - Charlotte is now part of my "Surf Rock" playlist.
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Isle la Blair???
Monday, August 02, 2004
Does anyone remember her? (Generation Game, late 70's!)
Anyway, we just (literally) returned from a fun weekend on the Isle of Wight. Richards sister and family (plus friends and mountains of Children) invited us to join them in the middle of their holiday.
We had a wonderful time and picked the best of the weather. We got to see quite a bit of the Island, have the odd swim in the pool and the sea, lazed around the camp and filled our faces with barbecue meats and beer when the kids went to bed.
I think we both needed to take a break from our jobs and we had a really nice time.
I did seem to be reminiscing whilst there as I used to visit the Isle of Wight with my parents when I was much younger, and to be honest I don't think it's changed at all!
Don't worry though, we did manage to cram in some culture as we visited Osborne House, former residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
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