Have a go at this....

90% of native English speakers can not pronounce this poem properly.
YOU TRY > Click along this line.

Weekly Waffle Time

Hey absolutely wonderful seeing, up close and personal as it were, MSC Magnifica making her Liverpool debut on Sunday for a number of reasons!! 

Most importantly to me just how photogenic she is! I would agree that she hasn’t the lines of the older more traditional cruise liners and is a little more than a large misshapen box/hotel that floats but in her own way she presents herself splendidly.

Secondly less than two years ago MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company were quoted as saying that “We do not see any cruising in the Irish Sea in the future for this company.” The fact that one of their ships was in Liverpool at all is a measure of Liverpool’s growth as both a destination in its own right and a credible cruise destination, but it also shows that MSC are adaptable and are prepared to admit their mistakes. Politicians, take note!!

The hugeness of the ship herself is well documented and to be honest to most of us, myself included, facts like 93,000 gross tons and 13 passenger decks, crew of 1,027 all go over heads very easily. All I can possibly add to that is that MSC Magnifica was magnificent and really too big in Liverpool right alongside her!! From the Wirral later and watching her leave, did do her far more justice, made her more credible, or should I say incredible!!

(MSCMagnifica Wiki)

From my chosen spot close to Seacombe Ferry you could see that she was twice as long as Liverpool’s tallest building is tall!! True story!! (West Tower 459’ tall/MSC Magnifica 964’ long) You might well say, “WOW!”

With a bit of luck, not to mention good management by clicking somewhere round >>here<< there should be a mini album of a maxi size ship!!   

What do the following all have in common : The Amazing Race, America’s Next Top model, Masterchef and Ice Road Truckers?

There’s no reason at all to know that all these competitive TV shows all ended within the last week, but for me a fan of them all they leave a big void. 

I have spoken before of my weekly struggles of getting The Amazing Race each week but that doesn’t mean I am not sorry that its over. Dave and Connor received their $1,000,000 in Las Vegas after probably one of the best series ever. First father and son team and Dave the oldest person at 58 ever to win. 22 cities, 9 countries and over 23,000 miles, that’s probably why they call it The “AMAZING” Race!!

Masterchef’s finale was brilliant and Ping, lovely little Malaysian girl was a worthy winner. Single guy on my own watching it with almost bare cupboards though is not ideal…… Simon is preparing rare baked twice beans on still smouldering debris of toast, followed by special yellow stickered rhubarb yoghurt!!!

Ice Road Truckers is so underated but hey when it returns, give it a watch! But beware it is addictive!!

America’s next top model is so cheesy as to be watchable! The judges are all so high in their field that I have never heard of them but the contestants are so unbelievably bitchy that any red blooded male could not fail to be just a tad interested!!

That’s a lot of TV space to fill!! Oh what to do?!!  

The Facebook Skit - Penn Masala

A Birthday, of sorts!!

Eight years ago today, May 16^th 2006, I started blogging!!

It was the launch of Wilko News and I have been blogging regularly ever since. Blogs have come and gone and at one time I had four blogs and, would you believe, a secret one all at the same time.

Here is my very first post

                     >>> Click Here <<<

Feel free to browse around it, but please note that some pictures are no longer available because I no longer use Photobucket.

As I’m sure you know I now have three different blogs. Obviously this one and the other two are both photoblogs. Should you wish to look at any of them you can click the links page at the top of this page.

HAPPY BLOGGY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Weekly Waffle!

I don’t do lists – well I do really but they are just for me abbreviated beyond oblivion. Today’s would have looked pretty strange if I had done one. 

01 x22 spirit locol cen per bag gel ut 4 mohi rahrere bh spirit 472 aldi.

At least no one else can understand it – trouble is neither can I!!

I’m sure it’s no accident that my coffee machine takes the same length of time to brew the perfect brew as my lap top takes to load up. All of a sudden that doesn’t seem right at all!!

My new battery for my camera wasn’t totally needed but it does at least expand the time I can be out taking pictures! I can hear staff members’ saying OMG in unison!! Oh yes and fully charged maybe it is more obvious that I needed it, loads more minutes!! There is however a problem. My old ones used to run down in almost real time so it was always quite easy to see how long left you had. The new one goes for ages without counting down at all and then goes in huge chunks so you have no idea when to be ready to change! I’ve added to that problem by still using the old ones alongside the new one!! Oh of course – you’re there already aren’t you? 

I have no idea which ones are which once they are in – so is it the one that runs down in huge chunks or the one in real time? I am clueless!!

Memo to self – Obviously it is best not to forget your second SD card for your camera but if you are going to forget it make sure it’s the 2GB card because that means the 4GB is in the camera!! Found that out the hard way the other day!!

As it seems that this week’s waffle has been brought to you by the letter ‘C’ I leave you with a quote, “A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” I rest my case!

Amazing Race (what again?) in the UK >>>CLICK<<<

Be aware - be tolerant!

Yesterday was (click>>>>> Fibromyalgia <) Awareness Day and I was too tied up in my own life to remember, I posted last year and I knew about the day - but I forgot. I forgot because unlike other illnesses the brave sufferers of this horrible horrible ailment suffer all the time, yes all the time without protest. All I want my friends to do today both here and on Facebook is to just check that they know what this is all about...... that's it! 

The Amazing Race Season 24 Episode 11 "Hei Ho Heidi Ho"

Watch this quick before CBS remove it - no seriously!! 
This is the penultimate leg of Season 24 of The Amazing Race, which some of you may know I am a huge fan of.
US friends this was last nights episode (11th May) 
Four teams left starting out from Seville in Spain - destination LIVERPOOL!! By train, plane and car!!
Just give it a watch - it's brilliant!! If you are not from North America don't get addicted, it will seriously drive you bonkers trying to get it on you tube! You may only have a couple of days before this version is removed from you tube. 
You don't need to know about it being for a $1 million or anything about the teams - just enjoy!!

May 11 - Mom's Day as opposed to Mum's Day!!

>>>>CLICK<<<<

Wilko’s Weekly Waffle on this Wonderful World Wide Webby thing!

So the staff members that do the music as a duo are now in Croatia and whether I get to see them when they are there or not is really beside the point, I have already done all the planning that is required! 

Google maps and Google Earth is a start, that makes me feel close – so when I speak to them I can say, for example, “Is that a huge football pitch next to the hotel?” Oh it is by the way but not as big as it looks on Google Maps apparently. 

That just proves of course that I am not the only Wilko News staff member that does his research!! 

As they work for Thomson then the next part includes the hard copy brochure for the hotel they are working at and at other hotels used by them in the area, in that and online. 

A good accommodation site follows, prices for rooms and hotels in the surrounding area, transfers etc. Trip Advisor is good at this point so that I can get a feel for the profile of tourists in the area and finally flights and alternative travel options. 

Ferry from Venice – looks good – really!! 

Establish communication, Facebook chat to begin with, phone calls, all takes a good deal of time to sort out. The fact that due to Croatian red tape (and possibly mis-management?) they haven’t sung or played a musical note in anger yet and so they are technically on holiday and not working at all, shouldn’t enter in to it at this stage.

Oh yes my point… all that takes time as I said, what only takes a few seconds is every other ‘news’ feed on the side bar of my Google Mail, every pop up, every header on almost every web site to mention the words Pula, Croatia, Thomson and not forgetting….. Book Book Book!!! Oh I so love tracking cookies……NOT!!

No seriously the internet is wonderful isn’t it? 

How easy it is to get to rely upon every last ‘W’ of Wilko’s Weekly Waffle on this Wonderful World Wide Webby thing!

I mean where else would you get to know that of the 12 dogs on board the Titanic only 3 survived!

Finally in television news…. Jack is Back or rather 24 starts its new series, or Jack Bauer ‘Live(s) Another Day’. If this is series 8, I need that confirming, but, if it is then he is starting the week again. Tell I’m not a huge fan can’t you?

And apart from the first 3 letters, unusual in itself, do you know the connection between Holby City and Hollyoaks? I feel like Six Degrees of Seperation or Kevin Bacon in that EE commercial. Elliot Hope is the connection, the name of a character in Holby City and the name of one the writers for Hollyoaks!

Who knew?!! Well you do now and me!!

MyPicture of the Week on Pixel Rainbow can be found by clicking anywhere on thisparagraph.

It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is from the top.

Arnold Bennett

Wilko's Weekly Waffle .................

Well that’s a third of the year gone! But gone where? Is it just me or did the last four months really go wherever at the same rate as previous third of years? Definitely only seems like weeks ago we were seeing in the new year.

Certain Wilko News staff members are back, fleetingly, in the UK as they brush off the Madeiran sand and prepare excitedly for the Croatian coast. Obviously good luck to them in the next chapter of their 'rock n roll' adventures. 

There may be a few of you, newer readers that are just a little confused right now! 

Wilko News started as a hard copy monthly ‘family’ newsletter. A somewhat old fashioned way of keeping family members in touch with what was going on with each other!! With the growth of the internet and other forms of communication, the hard copy disappeared and Wilko News was born on Blogger. The style of reporting has always been ‘somewhat secretive’ never referring directly to people with their names, so I was always Wilkoman and became EBEZP on Wilko News. Family were always referred to by nicknames and as ‘staff members’.

Other blogs developed and some disappeared until now we are left with this, that started in 2011 -  Wilko News Two. Now the Weekly Waffle is fairly close to the old format of the original so I still refer to family as staff members!

So don’t forget you can always have a little explore round this blog by the side bar. Over >>>>>> there somewhere or at the bottom of this page by clicking ‘Home’ or ‘Older Posts’ you can go back…… way back!! Also on the side bar you can get to my two photo blogs or even back to Facebook! 

   

So the website that gets some mileage from me this week – there is a pun hidden in there too – is this one, travelmath.com, just click through and you can have fun too!! 

Like for example how many miles is it from ? to ? and how long would it take to fly and why is the mileage different if you go by train….. trust me it is good fun!!

The other one that also had some mileage put on it this week is the ever popular Flight Radar 24 and if you’ve never been on that, click and be amazed. 

Every yellow ‘plane’ you see on a global scale represents an aircraft that is flying! In real time! Stand by to be astounded at how many there are! Choose somewhere near one of the world’s largest airports and see how many you can count!! Yes there are thousands aren’t there?!! Oh and plus there’s the facility to go ‘up with the pilot’, no really!! So next time anyone you know is flying , almost anywhere in the world, this is definitely the site for you.

You may already know I am a huge fan of a programme called ‘The Amazing Race’ but over the last two episodes it has become a real pain in the neck!! Let me explain…. CBS go to great lengths to ensure that people outside of the North American continent can not see it. I won’t bore you with the lengths that people go to so they can get to see it, nor with the detail of how people from the far flung corners of the world upload it to you tube. I know that for the moment I am incredibly grateful to a Russian person, gender unknown, who is now the only one remaining in this series to upload it and not to be forced to change their user name and all the other things to avoid the so called copywrite infringements imposed by CBS. However two weeks now #8 and 9 have been uploaded on to youtube, sideways on! Now this may be fine with certain tablets and the like but on an old lap top with the power cable in almost permanently and nearly always at least one hard drive connected at the side this just leads to getting a pain in the neck!! It’s not that I’m not appreciative or anything though!! 

Hopefully this isn't sideways but it is my Picture of the week on my Pixel Rainbow blog!