Fourteen years gluten free

Today marks my fourteen year Coeliac Anniversary - my Coeliacversary.

I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease fourteen years ago today. And so began my journey into the gluten free world.

What is Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac Disease is a lifelong autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In Coeliac Disease the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This can trigger a number of painful, horrible, stressful and uncomfortable symptoms.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

Living a gluten free life

I'm still alive and kicking as I've avoided gluten (my Kryptonite) since 2008

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008. It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a Gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

My life as a Coeliac in LEGO form

While having a life-long condition such as Coeliac Disease can be a pain - and horrible if I 'get glutened' - having the disease has had some positives. I've met great people since my diagnosis and have made some brilliant friends who I've met through Coeliac groups. I've also blogged a lot about living with the condition and the great free from food and drink I've found since 2008.

Thank you to everyone for their support, tips, help and recommendations over the years. It's very much appreciated.

For more information on Coeliac Disease visit the NHS Choices and Coeliac UK websites.

Making it a Blockbusters NQ night

Drinking in a video store.

We finally made it to Blockbusters NQ in Manchester last Thursday.

Not a video store

It was nice to have a drink in a 'video shop' speakeasy.

It was nice to be on the INSIDE of a new bar for a change!

We first heard about the nostalgia-inducing video rental shop bar last November and have been looking forward to stepping inside since we first saw it.

BE KIND
REWIND

The theming is really well done and the bar had a chilled atmosphere. It's worth a visit.

An eclectic selection

You can never have enough copies of True Lies. I prefer the Laserdisc edition myself

Most of the videos are retail ones rather than ex-rental tapes, but there are some big box treats to find lurking on the shelves.

A look at the cocktail menu and one of the big box ex-rental Blockbuster Video tapes I found on the shelves

The Chase is the best bit of Midnight Express

This big box ex-rental tape is from a Video Box Office store.Video Box Office was the Business to Business part of ChoicesUK and launched in the UK in 1985 when the brand offered video rental services via third-party convenience stores. As the popularity of physical media rentals declined in the late noughties 59 ChoicesUK shops were taken over and rebranded as Blockbuster stores! We found an old Video Box Office presence inside a Happy Shopper in Ilkeston, Derby in 2020

PLEASE REWIND

Check out the Blockbusters NQ website for more information and opening times.

Blockbuster Video

We're big fans of video, videos stores, retail history and retro stuff and have been visiting and documenting the last remaining traces of the Blockbuster brand in the UK over the last few years. We've seen a number of the brand's shopfronts, signs and QuikDrop boxes. As well as some other video shops.

The first of the old Blockbuster locations we found was also in Manchester, just up the road from us at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster Video at Fallowfield Retail Park in Manchester, June 2020

Blockbuster Video Stores

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now visited 28 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop.

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Putters Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in Manchester

A look at Putters Tech-Infused Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in the Manchester Arndale Centre.

The Urban Playground at the Manchester Arndale Centre is home to three 9-hole indoor tech-infused Crazy Golf courses.

Check out the Urban Playground website for more information.

Blockbusters NQ is open in Manchester

Although we were there too early in the afternoon to get a drink.

Check out the Blockbusters NQ website for more information and opening times.

We're hoping to head inside for a look and a drink in the next few weeks...

We first heard about the nostalgia-inducing video rental shop bar last November.

Blockbuster Video

We're big fans of video, videos stores, retail history and retro stuff and have been visiting and documenting the last remaining traces of the Blockbuster brand in the UK over the last few years. We've seen a number of the brand's shopfronts, signs and QuikDrop boxes. As well as some other video shops.

The first of the old Blockbuster locations we found was also in Manchester, just up the road from us at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster Video Stores

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

The QuikDrop box at the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Failsworth, Manchester

We've now visited 28 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop.

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Adventure Golf at Fusion Trampoline Park in Carlisle

There are plans for a new Adventure Golf course at Fusion Trampoline Park in Carlisle.

The 18-hole outdoor Adventure Golf course at Fusion Trampoline Park would have have a Roman-theme.

It'd be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Abingdon Bun Throwing - Sunday 5th June 2022

The next Bun Throwing event will be held in Abingdon to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The first bun is due to be thrown from the top of the old county hall at 5pm.

There will be entertainment from a band and the town's Morris Dancers from 4pm.

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

This will be the 16th Bun Throwing event in my lifetime. I've been to them all so far.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

Adventure Golf at Fishers Farm Park in Sussex

A look at the Forgotten Farm Adventure Golf course at Fishers Farm Park in Sussex.

My brother and his family recently visited Fishers Farm Park in Sussex and saw the Forgotten Farm Adventure Golf course there.

Visit the Fishers Farm Park website for more information.

The combined total of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is now at 1,032 courses visited since September 2006.

Porthmadog Crazy Golf

A look at the Porthmadog Crazy Golf course.

Many thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for sending over this snap of the Crazy Golf courses in Porthmadog in Wales. What a sad sight.

We visited the courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009. At that time there was this Swedish Felt course, the fibreglass course in the background and a grass Putting course to the right.

Dino Encounters Crazy Golf in Great Wakering, Essex

A new Crazy Golf course has opened at Cupids Country Club in Great Wakering, Essex.

Many thanks to my cousin Jayne for letting me know about a new minigolf course that has opened near her.

Dino Encounters Crazy Golf is now open at Cupids Country Club in Great Wakering, Essex.

Check out the Dino Encounters Crazy Golf Facebook Page for more information.

It's another new place for us to play the game on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Aztec Adventure Golf at Dobbies Garden Centre in Huntingdon

A new Aztec Adventure Golf course is opening at Dobbies Garden Centre in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire this summer.

The new course is set to open in July 2022.

Visit the Aztec Adventure Golf website for more information.

The layout is another new one for us to swing by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Plonk Golf on Hoxton Street in Shoreditch

Plonk Golf is re-opening on Hoxton Street, Shoreditch.

Plonk Golf are re-opening their venue on Hoxton Street in Shoreditch, London.

You can find Plonk Golf courses at Borough Market, Camden Market and Hackney.

Visit the Plonk Golf website for more information.

It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Wild Blades Axe Throwing & Adventure Golf in Haverhill, Suffolk

There's a new Adventure Golf course at Wild Blades in Haverhill, Suffolk.

Visit the Wild Blades Axe Throwing & Adventure Golf website for more information.

It's another new venue for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini Golf at Beamish Museum

A new mini golf course is part of a 1950's area created at the Beamish Museum for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Visit the Beamish Museum website for more information.

The mini golf course is another new one for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf on Southend Pier

There's a new Crazy Golf course on Southend Pier in Essex.

A new 18-hole Crazy Golf course has opened on Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

The layout has replaced the 12-hole course on the spot 1.3 miles out to sea!

Visit the Southend Pier website for more information.

The new Southend Pier Crazy Golf course is a new one for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Abingdon Bun Throwing 2022

There is just one week to go until the Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The next Bun Throwing event will be held in Abingdon to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The tradition sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

This will be the 16th Bun Throwing event in my lifetime. I've been to them all so far.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

Princess Parade Crazy Golf in Blackpool

The Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool has now been open again for a year and a day.

Princess Parade Crazy Golf is on the North Shore in Blackpool

The Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool was re-opened on the 28th May 2021.

A view of the 18th hole

Holes 1-9

Holes 10-18

Check out the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course Facebook Group for more information.

Reopening the abandoned North Shore course

Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels and Blackpool Fulfilling Lives joined forces to refresh and reopen the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course on Blackpool's North Shore in 2019 and a number of other people and groups have been a part of the project. Including me.

The base of the course itself has changed very little since it was first created in the late 1950's and it's wonderful that the area is easily recognisable from old postcards from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

There have still been some very noticeable improvements to the course and the whole area it sits in. Most notable are the repairs to the obstacles as well as the addition of professional putting carpet to the holes. It makes the course very nice to play.

More information can be found in my blog post from the launch event in May 2021, in one of my previous posts charting the progress on the refurbishment and this blog post from September 2020.

Gloryholes Crazy Golf in Nottingham

A look at the Gloryholes Adult Crazy Golf course in Nottingham.

Emily recently swung by the new Gloryholes Adult Crazy Golf course while on a trip to Nottingham.

The course was the 993rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Gloryholes Crazy Golf website for more information on the courses in Nottingham and Sheffield.

Mini Golf at the Farm House Pub in Ixia, Rhodes, Greece

A look at the Mini Golf course at the Farm House Pub in Ixia, Rhodes, Greece.

My brother and his family recently spotted the Mini Golf course at the Farm House Pub in Ixia, Rhodes, Greece.

The layout became the 1,031st visited on our overall Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

 

New Adventure Golf course in Harrow

Work is underway on the new Adventure Golf course at Bannister Sports Centre in Harrow, London.

The outdoor adventure golf course at the Bannister Outdoor Sports Centre will have a dinosaur theme.

Check out the Bannister Outdoor Sports Centre website for more information.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Birdies Adventure Golf in Folkestone

A new Adventure Golf course is opening at Folkestone's Harbour Arm in Kent.

Work is underway on the new 12-hole Adventure Golf course and café on Folkestone Harbour Arm and it is planned to open this summer.

It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.