I have just made a discovery.
The Principle of Carshalton College is none other than Dr David Watkins
How do you do it David? You are a chef, James Bond, The Stig and a college principle. Have you been cloned? And folks, there is a photo of him on the website too!
David, is that all your talents revealed now, or are there still more?
I remain, sir, your humble servant.
Noe
Morning Carol
Can I call you Noe from here on in or is that a tad presumptious ? Anyway, have to disagee that life is complicated - you want to go to Tobago - so go ! I feel growing old disgracefully is a mantra not to be ignored, book that flight and see you there !
Sandra
Sandra,I am sure Noe wouldn't mind.The moniker came about because we had so many Carols with different spellings that Carol bcame Carolnoe,eventually shortened to Noe.
David
noe, did you notice that? no comment on his different careers... maybe he is only paying the taxes for one of them... who can tell. as for the james bond remark I must say he can spreak clearer than sean connery, but the hairstyle and color might be the same
as for the principal (did not check the picture yet), it would explain his vast knowledge about everything and anything....
as for the chef: I can second that. his tereaky duck was very tasty and you should see him operate in the kitchen (never saw him wash wares though , but must say he offered... guess knowing I would turn him down on tha offer ).
seems that you have to exchange "secret" emails with him too to find out the whole truth...
hope to see you on the island in 2010... definitely will see bill
Hi David
Thanks for your endorsement ! Love to know how Bude is doing,we always went with the Sunday School trip,year on year. Being a Devon girl "tis where you went my luvver". happily horizons have changed but still always call in when we are passing. So beautiful - you are a lucky man.
Sandra
Cheers Sandra.I do appreciate that I live in one of the most beautiful parts of UK,if not Europe,but I still love Tobago more(need a sigh Smiley!)
David
Hello Sandra,
David is being modest about how I came to be called Noe. I seem to recall that I went from being called Carol (no e) to Carolnoe, and he was the one who coined "Noe", which has stuck!
I thought I was being clever in using "Carnoe" in my e mail address, but it's been used before
On a different matter entirely, I must share this with you all; I saw a man wearing a tee shirt today with the slogan " Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints."
I love that, and understand it completely!
Noe
Hi Carol
Need permission to call you Noe, please alow. Totally undestood the restraints joke - my favourite never changes, Jesus is coming -- Look busy . Like me simple !
Sandra
Next week, all being well, if Fate is kind etc etc we should be passing through the Land of Watkins on our way to our English Paradise; the Isles of Scilly.
So, fasten your seat belts and ensure your tray is in the upright position.....
I love flying. Not getting up at four in the morning to catch an early flight, and sitting there worrying yourself silly in case the taxi is late, then having to be scanned and scrutinised from your tonsils to your toenails before having to wait around at the airport for two hours, but the actual physical act of taking off and moving through the air.
My very first flight was to Tunisia in 1981, when I was twenty-five. I was never twenty-five! I suppose I was once; still am, inside.
I was so excited I could hardly keep still, and prowled around the departure lounge like a caged lion. My Nan, who had flown before, mistook my restlessness for anxiety.
“Don’t worry Girl.” (She called everyone Girl or Boy regardless of their age) “I’ll look after you.”
“No honestly Nan I’m fine. I just can’t wait to get up in the air!”
I almost ran onto the plane (and I am fully aware that you pilot-types say “aeroplane” or “aircraft”, in the same way that seafaring types call never call a ship a boat and always say “she”.)
My favourite part has to be the take-off. The flying machine taxies forward and then gets faster and faster, you feel yourself being pushed back in your seat and suddenly the wheels are off the ground and you are up!
The tarmac disappears; the people look like ants and the buildings and vehicles like toys. The landscape shrinks and stretches out underneath you. There is a toy town, a toy train set, a toy farm with tiny toy cows and sheep. The hills are ripples in a green blanket; rivers are shiny ribbons, and then the sea, with toy ships and boats, and then, if you are crossing the English Channel, you see land again, and then possibly mountains. I love nothing more than flying over mountains. There you are, higher than an eagle, gazing down at great pleats and rifts in the land, and you realise how insignificant we all are.
Then, the wheels of the plane come down, the land rises up, everything enlarges, and bump! You have landed in a different country (unless you are travelling across somewhere huge like the USA or Australia of course, in which case you never left home, or, as we have done, a one hour flight from England to Scotland; boring!)
I have taken the usual package holiday flights of varying lengths, a short pleasure flight in a light aircraft in Wales, a flight in a helicopter in Scotland (fantastic!), regular short hops in a helicopter from Penzance to Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, and THAT flight across the Atlantic.
My ambitions are:
To go up in a hot air balloon, an airship, a glider, and a flight with the Red Arrows. I even thought about a parachute jump once, but that would be taking things too far. Oh, and a” Wing Walk”.
Of that list, I suppose the only one that is remotely achievable is the hot air balloon, and maybe the glider. I can’t see myself ever making a parachute jump or hitching a ride with the Red Arrows….
The pleasure flight in Wales took place before Himself and I were chained together, and I remember asking the young, posh, handsome pilot if I could sit in the front with him; only because I thought I’d get a better view that way. Himself sat in the back, glowering and asking if I was okay for some obscure reason.
The flight was all too brief but there was a highlight; the pilot decided to demonstrate his skills by putting his foot down (metaphorically speaking) and sending the flying machine into a steep climb.Wheeeeee! That was fun!
Afterwards I thanked him for doing it, and he preened himself and said he did not always do that as some people were frightened, but he could tell I would not be. Himself continued to glower for some time.
The next flight was when we went on honeymoon to the Scottish Highlands.
At that time there was a helicopter service between Fort William and Oban, mainly used by businessmen. As we were on honeymoon we decided to treat ourselves to a flight.
Once again I asked the pilot if I could sit at the front, and he gave me some earphones so I could listen to him explaining about the view below (helicopters being very noisy) whilst ignoring my new husband glowering in the back.
The weather was glorious; bright sun, clear blue sky. The front (should it be cockpit?) being almost all glass, I could look between my knees at the beautiful landscape below.
The flight took twenty minutes, without any aerobatics, and when we landed in a field in Oban there was a small group of people watching us, but who quickly dispersed when they saw us. I presume they were hoping to see someone famous!
I believe that service no longer operates, so that particular autograph collecting opportunity has gone.
We took the bus back; two hours…
Now for my favourite flight; the twenty minute hop from Penzance Heliport to Tresco, in the Isles of Scilly.
There is a problem with the helicopter service. The darn things cannot fly if there is fog, which occurs quite often at the British coast; you either get it at Penzance or Scilly, or both. We have had our flight cancelled twice, and delayed twice.
When the flight is cancelled you have to go on the ferry: “Scillonian lll”, which is operated by the quaintly-named Isles Of Scilly Steamship Company. Steam? I know the ferry is old, but she’s not that old!
Let us assume there is no fog, and the sky is crystal clear, as it was on our very first trip, in June 1996.
You arrive at the heliport an hour before boarding, for a very simple and stress-free check-in; the helicopter only holding twenty-six passengers, with the luggage allowance being a generous fifteen kilos per person, with no hand luggage except a small handbag or camera .It’s no problem for me; if I can lift my bag with one hand I know I’m within the limit. So far we have managed it, but there’s always a first time…It does mean that we are experts at taking only the essentials, and I have to put up with doing laundry every day.
Then you are shepherded into a small room to watch a safety video, with the flight attendant explaining those procedures that no-one ever pays any attention to, as on a plane, but on a smaller scale.
At last! You are given the signal to board and you try to maintain your dignity and not run to get the best seats. Naturally I want to be next to a window, but I have not yet had the audacity to ask to sit next to the pilot.
The safety briefing is given again, the ‘copter trundles forward and whoosh -whoosh -whoosh, you feel the power of the engine and you are up! The ‘copter turns, tilts and we’re away.
At first you see Lands End (we’ve done Lands End and John O’Groats in the same year you know, remind me to tell you about it)) and then the sea. A ship, maybe, then some rocks which gradually become larger until they are islands: The Isles of Scilly, the Last Piece of England, the Lost Land of Lyonesse; to the west, nothing but the Atlantic until You Know Where.
I’m about to start rambling about Scilly, and get all fanciful about King Arthur, who probably didn’t exist anyway, so at this juncture, I’ll bid you Good Day.
I hope you enjoyed the flight.
Noe,surely you are not going on a day trip To Tresco?It is the only Island in th UK classed as partly sub-tropical.
AND The Islands are the westernmost part of the UK or Cornwall(Kernowek) not England.Take care young lady,the border patrol will be looking for you
David
Hi Carol
You are off to the wonderful Scillies, we are off to the Isle of Wight next week. Old man arriving home on Thursday and in serious need of some R and R . Thought I'd stick him on a balcony looking out to sea , glass of champers in hand and watch the transformation. That's the plan anyway . Loved your post regarding flying, I too get such a buzz,even now, once airborne. Best ever was a chopper flight over Maui,lucky enough to be beside the pilot, swooped into inaccessible valleys where you could taste the waterfalls then up to the most volcanic,arid landscape - sheer bliss. I feel a holiday coming on !
Love Sandra
I detest flying. I used to love it, but became phobic about it (not good when you live on a small island and are particularly seasick!) a few years ago, sadly. However, all that said, one of my top 'WOW!' moments involves a flight. We went to Las Vegas a few years ago and took a dawn helicopter flight across the desert, past the Hoover Dam (huuuuuuuge!!!) and, as the sun was coming up, and with The Valkyries playing on the headphones, we banked over the ridge into the Grand Canyon! As I say, 'wow' was the perfect description! We landed at the base of the Canyon, next to a working ranch and my daughter, who was six at the time) and I took a dawn horseback ride while the ranchers prepared a traditional breakfast (beans & sausages I think!?) The breakfast wasn't that memorable, but the horseride and helicopter to/from, were out of this world. We also took a night time helicopter ride up and down the strip, which would have been great except for the fact that we'd been spoilt the first time and nothing would live up to that first experience! Definitely my favourite flight, ever!!
Bravo Noe That was great . I was up there with you looking down at all the images you congured for us. I adore flying too.I think my Dad was responsible for that. He flew Spitfires ( or Spits as he called them) amongst many other types of aircraft in his RAF days and clearly loved every minute of it. His tales of daring do captivated my imagination as a child and I was desperate to feel the rush that he used to decribe.Even his flying under the wires and dumping into a ploughed field after engine failure on one occasion didn't phase me. He was obviously invicible as he had lived to tell the tales. He flew with his Squadron in Spitfires following in formation behind Douglas Bader in the fly past over Buck House to celebrate victory. WOW Still takes my breath away just thinking about it.
My first flight was in the company of 5 other nursing students going to Benidorm in1969.I was 18 Oh those were the days Two of us loved it,three were scared stiff and the other one was repeatedly sick .
I love your story,no way you can reduce this one to 500 words. Cant wait to be looking down on the treetops of Trinidads rain forests and watching for my first glimpse of Tobago since last year.
Have a wicked time in Tresco, you deserve a nice break, Hope "Himself" enjoys it too
Gill xxx
Gill and Lisa,
My stories pale into insignificance besides yours!
Lisa, I like the sound of taking a helicopter over the Grand Canyon; I'd be up for that all right!
So, young Gill, you went to Benidorm eh?
Shame on you!
And um sorry Sandra, hate to show my ignorance, but where is Maui? Sounds wonderful!
As for you Dr David Stig Watkins, I know all dese tings you is tellin' me!
We're going to our timeshare on Tresco for an all too short week; the seventh time in twelve years. The locals are neither English nor Cornish but Scillonian!
What you can do for me is not tell the boarder patrol, and get yourself down to Penzance Heliport on May 9th with a big flag or sheet or something and wave any fog away! Then do the same thing on Tresco!
Take care now
Noe
xxx
Hi Noe
Tresco should be stunning next week, if my garden is anything to go by ( West Sussex ) the rhodos. and azaleas are about to blossom so the island will be a joy. Once the acid lovers strut their stuff I always feel summer is not so far away.
Maui is one of the Hawaiian islands, has the same laid back style of Tobago and we love it.A pain to get to but definitely worth it if you get a chance do go. From the little I have gleaned from your posts I am sure you would enjoy.
Love Sandra
Another fine tale. Personally I now find air travel a grueling price I have to pay in order to enjoy a vacation. Have flown a couple of times in a small plane owned by a friend and really enjoyed the experience. I would imagine a helicopter flight would be interesting too.
You're also being a little less than forthcoming on your nickname. I seem to remember you becoming quite upset with Bude Cool Boy when he addressed you as Carole and you made a point of the fact that you were Carol (no e)!!! After that we all very carefully addressed you as Carolnoe and then shortened it to Noe.
Bill poyap
P.S. Sandra, just to bring you up to speed poyap is short for "Part of Your Adoring Public" which is how I referred to myself way back in this thread when I complimented Carol (as she was then known) on one of her funny tales.
Bill
Thanks for that - am catching up fast. Noe is such an inspiration have decided to book a holiday without permission - other half will have a fit but, can't help myself ! Having spent the morning shovelling manure on the garden felt I needed a treat, well, any excuse will do.
That was great . I was up there with you looking down at all the images you congured for us. I adore flying too.I think my Dad was responsible for that. He flew Spitfires ( or Spits as he called them) amongst many other types of aircraft in his RAF days and clearly loved every minute of it. His tales of daring do captivated my imagination as a child and I was desperate to feel the rush that he used to decribe.Even his flying under the wires and dumping into a ploughed field after engine failure on one occasion didn't phase me. He was obviously invicible as he had lived to tell the tales. He flew with his Squadron in Spitfires following in formation behind Douglas Bader in the fly past over Buck House to celebrate victory. WOW 
Oh those were the days 
.
