Dr Who Comes to Lancashire

On Saturday I went to the University of Central Lancashire's Doctor Who festival.

The festival was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. I attended lectures about the science of Doctor Who; is Doctor Who a modern doctor?; a Q&A session with Stephen Gallagher; and the psychology of Doctor Who.

I met a few monsters and aliens from Doctor Who and took a trip in the Tardis.

Davros told my dad that they shared the same hairstyle (which is true i might add)!

I had a great day and I can't wait to see the 50th anniversary show on TV.

Hack Green Nuclear Bunker

Last week I went to Hack Green Nuclear Bunker near Nantwich in Cheshire. 

 There were many interesting things there including: mock ups of cold war rooms; a decommissioned nuclear warhead; decommissioned nuclear bombs; radio equipment; uniform displays and lots more.

In 1941 during World War 2 the site was chosen to become RAF Hack Green. Hack Green was one of 21 fixed radar stations. Following World War 2 the bunker was fitted with new long range radar as part of our defence against nuclear attack.
I enjoyed my visit and found it very informative. Hack Green's website is here: http://www.hackgreen.co.uk/index.htm

My Pets - Ducks

I'd like to introduce you to my pet duck Daffy.

He's one of four ducks we own. They are mallard ducks, we hatched the other three - one boy, two girls - but Daffy was found in a sorry state.

We were going for a walk with the dogs, when my dad decided to investigate a random microwave box  (he's peculiar in that way... my dad is). When he went to look at the box, he found inside what looked like a small animal enclosure. He then heard a splash in the fishing pond which was near the box. When he looked for the source of the splash he found a duck which couldn't have been older than eight weeks. He was absolutely soaked to the skin. He wouldn't have survived the night if we didn't help him. So we took him back do the house, dried him, put him in an old dog cage and called him Daffy.

His habits include: ducking his head down and squeaking; nibbling my feet and fingers if he can get at them and pestering for worms when my mum is gardening.  The photos above are Daffy right now and the one below was from earlier this year and shows Daffy's colourful plumage.

Carlisle Castle

On Monday I went to Carlisle Castle. There was quite a lot of things to see at the castle including: some medieval carvings, a military museum, a historical exhibition, dungeons and a rooftop walk.

The castle is built on the site of a roman fort. It has been occupied continuously since it was founded in 1092. During its history it has been the most besieged place in England.
In May 1567 Mary Queen of Scots fled to England and she was brought to Carlisle Castle where she stayed for some weeks.
It is now an English Heritage site and the website link is here:http://www.english-heritage.org.uk

My Pets - Blue

This is Blue, she is a blue merle border collie. She is 10 years old and she is my favourite pet. Although it's not clear on this photo, part of her right eye is blue and that is how she got her name.

We bought her from a farm when she was 8 weeks old. Her 10th birthday was in August this year.

I take her for a walk everyday and I love to play with her.

She has loads of funny habits. If I blow bubbles for her she will chase them and pop them. If I'm playing a board game she watches intently for ages and sneaks up slowly to the game. If she gets a chance she will snatch the dice or a game piece.

Sometimes she pulls this face where she scrunches her eyes up and puts her ears back. Sometimes she does this and smiles as well, but I haven't got a picture of her doing that.

She used to play all the time but now she is getting older she is getting a bit stiff in her joints and she sleeps a lot more.

She does have a very long tongue, as can be seen below, and she quite often sticks it out.

Manchester Museum and the Moving Statues

Yesterday I visited the Manchester Museum. I've been looking forward to seeing the Egyptian statue ever since I saw it on the news. The famous statue is the one on the left in the picture below.

It had been moving slowly round, doing 360 degree turns. The museum had filmed this on camera and it made big news all over the world.

Pads have now been placed under its base to stop it moving, so it doesn't get damaged.

 However the small statue on the left in front of the boat has now started to move!!

The member of staff I spoke to about it believes it is caused by vibrations from people walking past or the traffic outside.

This is Stan, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. He is made from a liquid plastic that was poured into a silicone mould made from his skeleton. The original Stan is 65 million years old and was discovered in 1987 near Buffalo in South Dakota.

Manchester Museum is well worth a visit. It is free entry and there is loads to look at. its website is here: www.manchester.ac.uk/museum