British powerboat grandprix

Its been a great weekend here in plymouth...the temperature has been right up there and it feels atleast as warm as one would feel in India....and i constantly get asked the question if i`m reminded of home.
Whats made this weekend more interesting is that Plymouth is playing host to the Honda sponsored Bristish powerboat grand prix. An amazing event of boat racing where awesome million pound boats race it out at upto 160 miles per hour during an 18 lap course.

As usual the venue once again is the plymouth Hoe and i set out to find out what the buzz was all about. As i set out from my room i could already hear the roar of the engines as they begun the qualification laps and i was yet a mile away.
I was intrigued to find out what the response of the public would be, because although everyone seemed to be aware on this annual event, there seemed to be no hype about it.
my first view of the boats was as i came over a hillock and caught an overview of the boats whizzing past and away from sight to disappear as specks into the horizon. i wondered if such spectacles could keep the british public occupied throughout the weekend.
It was only when i got there and spent a few hours observing things that i realised that the thrill was not in the event itself.... For Honda it was a great opportunity to display their wares and test their latest powerboat technology and even clich a few sales, but for the people the race seemed to be only of secondary significance.
I began to understand that most of them were only using the event as an excuse, to congregate, to laze around, to lie in the sun and feel good...with such amazing weather, that was always going to be the case....the spirit of a british weekender....make hay while sunshines.

Although the boats with their awesome power did put on some great displays i soon lost interest in them and the crowd continued with entertaining themslves while occasionally diverting their attention to the event at hand.

There were side displays and events too, not the least of which was a band of boys and girls who had created musical instruments from junk like barrels, and metal pipes. they clearly stole the show and had the crowds cheering.( for those with an interest in vintage cars , do check out the photoalbums by clicking the link on the right column)
After a while of my own sunbathing and lazing around and when i had my fill of the noisy boats i headed back to my room, a little bit wiser on the attitudes of the general British public.( dont ask me who one the race..i dont care and i dont think half the crowd do anyway!)

Car boot sale

Hi Everybody,
Apologies for staying out of touch for so long..the rythm of life has been such that nothing worth mentioning has been happening and what has been happening is better not mentioned. This update come to you mainly in view of the London blasts. While expressing condolences to those lifes lost and injured,i am relieved to assure you all that neither myself nor anybody known to me has been affected by the same.
I have been quite surprised to note that despite the media attention the incident has not had much of an impact on the spirits of the people here. Life has gone on pretty normally. A great many exciting events have been occurring over the past few weeks including Wimbledon, the Live8 concert, G8 summit, Eng-Aus cricket matches and more and yet more is coming up . It is that time of the year when the sun is brightest and weekends are spent lazing around and sunbasking.
This weekend has been predicted to experience a heat wave and the people are out in numbers enjoying the sunshine. The plymouth Hoe is naturally the centre of attention with plenty of lawns to lie around and enough pools for all age groups.
However what i wanted to share with you today is about something called a Car boot sale. When i first heard the term i was not sure if they sold cars or boots..but as i understood later it was both...and everything in between.
so what is a car boot sale? It is simply a sale in which people(sellers) sell their unwanted items from the boot (trunk) of their car.


It is amazing what you can buy at a car boot sale. everything from teacups, to golf balls to electronic items to books clothes and computers....and of course boots and even the odd car.The prices are incredibly cheap and its mostly a place where sellers are hoping to sell away their items rather than look for a profit. These sales are a treasure trove for collectors and hobbyists and are frequented by antique hunters looking around for the unsuspecting housewife who maybe seeling of an unknown treasure for a pittance!
The thrill of a carboot sale is in finding an item you so desire at a fabulous price...and the golden rule ofcourse is if u like it buy it...if u wait the extra minute it may be gone.

Mayday in Cornwall !!

cornwall,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

Ive just seen off a long week end here in U.K. I was invited to Cornwall where my friend Karen and her family lives...just thought i`d fill you in on how mayday was celebrated in Cornwall.
Cornwall is a county which is relatively obscure and less mentioned. The river Tamar separates it from Plymouth and the rest of England and like its detached location, the life here is fairly isolated too. It has not attracted much attention over the ages from early invaders nor modern developers and farming is a major occupation among people here. Thus Cornwall , today remains beautifully natural with its own Cornish traditions. The Cornish people have their own language and i am told there are people who would prefer an Independent Cornish state!!!

smuggler,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

To add a little spice, Cornwall is filled with legends and tales and is reputed to be the most haunted place in the British Isles and is renowned for its smuggling communities and smugglers in the 18th and 19th centuries ..and if you ve been following the news...Prince Charles and Camilla are the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.

procession,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

We all know that mayday is celebrated as international Labour Day, but it has another significance here...infact mayday existed far before it was declared as international Labour Day...it is a day signifying the transition of seasons from the winter into the summer..and it was traditionally considered as a festival of fertility.
I was told by karen that there would be a sort of a procession in the village to mark the day, but it was only as the day unfolded that i came to realise the significance and tradition of the spectacle. What i initially thought to be a haphazard procession was much more than that

morris dancer,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

Mayday here in cornwall is celebrated by a traditional dance called as the Morris dance. Morris dancing is a tradition of dance and music which was part of a ritual designed to shake off the dark and gloom of winter and celebrate the coming of spring. It is a dance done to live music by teams of six who are all dressed in brightly colored kit. The dancers wear dozens of bells on each leg, wield sticks and/or handkerchiefs, and dance to lively folk tunes.

town crier,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

We witnessed a procession that was composed of three or four groups of morris dancers from different parts of cornwall and another group of apprentices which was made up of local school children...the procession was started off by the "Town Crier"..who is something like a master of ceremonies dressed up grandly in traditional attire. ..this is a post which dates back centuries and every town has one..

black prince,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

A significant item in the procession is a model of a ship named the "black prince", bourne by sailormen and carried along.....the procession would carry the model all the way to the coast and send the ship floating into the sea...i asked many people what the significance of the "black prince" was..but nobody seemed to know the answer , other than that it signified gloom....i think i found the answer after a little research....the black prince was the name of a ship commanded by a horribly cruel smuggler became infamous for his cruelty ....perhaps the despatch of the model signifies bidding farewell to the cruel winter times in times past.

music,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

The procession moved along from village to village..or more accurately from pub to pub..where the troupes of Morrismen would take turn turns in dancing to music performed by accordions, flutes, recorders, guitars trumpets and drums... although the rains did play spoilsport, it did nothing to damage the spirit as the merry making continued...eventually the sun came out to present the best sunshine i have seen in a while.

ng,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

The spirit of the morrissmen was unflailing and i am told that the dancing is actually quite tiring in itself. Doing it under (a relatively) hot sunshine must have been really tiring as they were at it the whole day.....but this is what english spirit is all about...making hay while the sun shines.....of course the beer helps a lot too.

Img2005-05-03 005602,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

Finally after an stopping at numerous pubs around the villages we arrived at Cawsand where there was an extended dancing session...the procession then made itself to the beach..and all attention turned towards the sailormen carrying the "black prince"...all around although a little too softly people began to sing a song..
Now gather all the good people to launch the Cocka Dyka
Summer`s come today, and winters gone away.
Now gather all the good people to launch the Cocka Dyka
Summer`s come today, and winters gone away.....

Bear the black prince shoulder high,
Decked with flow`rs in bright aray,
As we gladly make our way
To the beach at Cawsan`....

bp,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

The blackprince was then placed upon the ground and slowly tugged away to the sea by a coast guard boat.....
The people were singing
...Good-bye winter!
Sail far away!
Welcome summer!
Come again today!

Img2005-05-03 005755,
originally uploaded by tomstory.

As we watched the boat drift slowly out of sight , the sun magically disappeared beneath the clouds....as if to say...tommorrow begins a better day!

PS

To view a hundred more photos of my cornish experience click this


Or to watch a few small video clips click thesevideo1