A Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening in Preston

Last month I was invited to be a speaker at the Dull Men's Club's 'Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening' at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable time as a guest speaker at the Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening at UCLan

The Dull Men's Club is where dull men — and women who appreciate dull men — share experiences of enjoying everyday, mundane things, far from glitz and glam — "Celebrating the Ordinary".

The Dull Men's Club - where dull men, and women who appreciate dull men, share thoughts and experiences about ordinary things

The keynote speaker at the event was Dr Sandi Mann, aka ‘Dr Boredom’, author of The Science of Boredom: The Upside of Downtime, who spoke to the attendees about the benefits of boredom and her research on the Thirty Habits of Boring People.

One of the highlights of the evening at UCLan

The pink post-it notes directing delegates to the lecture theatre were a bit bright for a dull event

We were on the 1st floor

Not far from here

The desk space in the lecture theatre was a lovely shade of grey

Some highlights of my presentation covered my travels on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and how I, along with Emily, had - up to that point - visited 815 miniature golf courses since 2006.

One of the scorecards displayed in my presentation

Some of the intricacies of the sport were also discussed, with the show & tell element on minigolf balls being a particular highlight.

Course #683 - Southend Pier Crazy Golf

Somewhat controversially the 'Delightfully Dull, Brilliantly Boring Evening' was anything but. With a range of characters talking about their hobbies, pursuits and interests the group could've spent a long time sharing stories and ideas. Perhaps next time there'll be a longer Dull Men's Club symposium to spend more time talking about dull and boring matters.

Showing off my Putter

The "Anorak of the Year 2017.4" was also announced one the night (".4" as we were 40% into 2018), with Roundabout enthusiast Kevin Beresford taking the title.

Following the event I visited the 816th course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when I swung by the indoor Crazy Golf course at Level Preston.

At Trailer Trash Jim's Crazy Golf course at Level in Preston

Links:
- The Dull Men's Club
- Dr Sandi Mann

Other dull blog posts can be found within the archives of the Ham & Egger Files...

Fantasia Adventure Golf in Felixstowe

A look at the Fantasia Adventure Golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe.

One of our most visited courses is the Fantasia Adventure Golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe. We've been going to the seaside town for many many years and always swing by for a look, and more often than not a game on the 9-hole course.

Hole 1 of the course in May 2018

On our recent visit we noticed the felt and signage have recently been replaced and the layout was looking in very good condition. The weather was nice on our Bank Holiday weekend visit and on our return stroll along the prom in the early afternoon the course was proving very popular.

The last time we were there it was snowing!

You can see what it looked like before the new felt was laid in this blog post from 2016.

The course was the 7th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 821 courses!

Related blog posts:
- Felixstowe
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Ten years gluten free

Today marks my ten year Coeliac Anniversary - my Coeliacversary.

Ten years ago today I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and so I began my journey into the world of all things gluten free.

I'm gluten free, not a glutton (or any number of other misspellings of gluten)

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.

Why I avoid gluten at all times!

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 my 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.

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 been very much appreciated. I've also found some funny things about being a Coeliac along the way.

And a MASSIVE thank you to Emily for all of her help and support throughout my struggles with the illness.

For more information on Coeliac Disease do check out the NHS Choices and Coeliac UK websites.

You can also view the very first blog post I wrote about gluten free / Coeliac stuff at 'Gluten Free Fish & Chips at Rossi's in Swansea'.

Popeyes Take Away in Blackpool

Emily's spot of the 'Popeye' shops in Edinburgh reminded me of this bootleg takeaway we spotted in Blackpool.

Popeyes Take Away in Blackpool

While 'Popeye' is holding a can of spinach, I don't expect there'll be many greens on the menu

Related blog posts:
- Bootlegs
- Popeye
- Blackpool

Adventure Golf at Stonham Barns in Suffolk

A look at the new Adventure Golf course under construction at Stonham Barns in Suffolk.

Last month we swung by Stonham Barns in Suffolk to take a look at the new Smugglers Bay Adventure Golf course being built at the leisure and retail venue.

The Smugglers Bay Adventure Golf layout replaces the old Crazy Golf course at the site. That course was the 33rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in August 2007!

The new Adventure Golf course will certainly be different in style to the old course.

The old Mini Putting course as it was in 2013

We're looking forward to a game on the new Smugglers Bay Adventure Golf course when we next return to Suffolk.

Related blog posts:
- Smugglers Bay Adventure Golf at Stonham Barns in Suffolk
- Course played #33 - Crazy Golf at Stonham Barns in Suffolk
- A Minigolf revisit to Stonham Barns

Link:
- Stonham Barns Golf Park website

Popeye, Bluto and Olive - in Edinburgh

I never knew Popeye, Bluto and Olive lived in Scotland.

What a great pair of bootleg businesses Emily spotted while up in Edinburgh.

It's a good job Station India is in the middle of the two establishments else it'd be all out war

You can find both businesses on Portobello High Street in Edinburgh.

While in Camber Sands back in 2010 we found this legit Popeye Arm Wrestling Machine in the beachside amusement arcade.

Related blog posts:
- Bootlegs
- Edinburgh
- Popeye

Darts in Barrow-in-Furness

Last weekend we had a marvellous time visiting our mate Marc Bazeley in his new home region up in Cumbria. As well as exploring the local area we were up in Barrow-in-Furness to attend a special Darts Exhibition evening starring the 1996 BDO World Professional Darts Champion, 'The Bronzed Adonis' Steve Beaton.

The charity event took place at The Kill One pub in the town, with fund from the night going to the Paul Larkin memorial darts competition and this year's chosen charity Parkinson's Disease.

The hottest ticket in town

We bought a few strips of raffle tickets which, if drawn, would entitle you to face-off against Steve in front of the crowd. As luck would have it my 'lucky' number was called out third from the end of the evening, much to the relief of Marc, Emily and Lauren.

What a venue

It was certainly a brilliant opportunity, but also pretty stressful to get up on stage and try to compete with a world class act.

In action against the 1996 World Darts Champion!

After my nine practice arrows I started the leg off and managed to average around the 40 mark. With the heavily refreshed crowd behind me I managed (Steve let me) get down to a finish of 53, before he ended any hopes of a win for me by shutting out the leg with an exhibition finish.

The night got a big thumbs up

Check out the video to see 3 minutes of sporting action I will never forget. Steve Beaton never stopped smiling. Neither did I. What a superb night.

The Sajwani Army with darts legend Steve Beaton

We had a wonderful time in Barrow-in-Furness and are looking forward to returning. I'm not so sure about returning to the oche against world class opposition anytime soon though!

Check out Steve Beaton's website, as well as The Kill One for more info about the next charity darts event at the pub.

To top it all off Marc and I made it onto Steve's blog post about the night too!

Miniature Golf at Coronation Gardens in Polzeath, Cornwall

A look at the Putting Green at Coronation Gardens in Polzeath, Cornwall.

Many thanks to Dan Paynton for sending over some more photos he's taken of minigolf courses while on his travels.

'Bouncing Castles'!

This time Dan has been in Polzeath, Cornwall where he spotted a couple of minigolf courses "opposite the toilets in Coronation Gardens".

The course was closed when he arrived

Looks like an interesting layout with some ridges and hilly bits

We're looking forward to giving it a play in the future

A sign for the Crazy Golf course, but there was no sign of the course!

Dan was also recently at Flambards Theme Park in Helston, Cornwall where he spotted this 9-hole Adventure Golf course.

We haven't been there. Yet. The closest we got was the nearby service station. We didn't have time to justify buying a ticket to the park

They are three courses we failed to reach on our epic two-week road-trip around the south west coast back in 2015. We did manage to visit 62 others though.

It's the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings, East Sussex this weekend

The World Crazy Golf Championships are taking place on the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course at Hastings Adventure Golf this weekend.

All the best to the 98 players and characters competing in this, the 16th edition of the event.

Playing the 2nd hole on Hastings Crazy Golf course in my last tilt at the title back in 2015. In nine attempts I finished in  17th place four times

Once again, I look forward to seeing who finishes in 17th place...

You can follow the results online throughout the weekend.

Minigolfing in Grange-over-Sands

Playing two more courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golfing in Grange-over-Sands

We've added two more minigolf courses to our visited list after playing the Crazy Golf and Putting Green at Promenade Recreation Park in Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria.

Emily's best hole saw her score a 2 on hole 2

The visits were numbers 820 and 821 overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The two layouts were the 485th and 486th we've been able to play during our 12-year journey.

Minigolfing on the grass Putting course

Visit the Grange Promenade Recreation Park website for more information, opening times and prices.

Having a nice sit down outside the course

Our friend and minigolf rival Marc Bazeley visited the course and guest blogged about it on the site last year.

The courses at Grange Promenade Park are the sister courses to those at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria. We visited those during a road-trip in April 2012. The Crazy Golf course in Ambleside was the 463rd we visited.

Roasted Gluten

Many 'thanks' to my mate Paul O'Connor for sending me this snap of a bag of Roasted Gluten he spotted in a Chinese supermarket.

As a Coeliac this is my version of Kryptonite!

They look like croutons to me

It's not the first time Paul has documented his gluten discoveries.

Related blog posts:
- Fried Gluten in a Can
- Gluten - my Kryptonite

Minigolf in Carcassonne - Lac de la Cavayère

A look at the minigolf course in Lac de la Cavayère, France.

Charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher Gottfried has been off on his travels in continental Europe again and this time has come up trumps in finding a minigolf course at Lac de la Cavayère.

However, the course is only open in July and August!

  

A view of the course from afar

Christopher remarked that the place seems to combine my love of mini golf and park benches... one for every hole it seems!

What a lovely spot it'd be to have a sit down

There do certainly seem to be ample facilities for sitting

A couple of days ago Christopher was in Sète and spotted Mini Golf listed on this map (C1), however it's been turned into a skatepark.

C1 is now a skatepark

Earlier this month Christopher ticked off a few more minigolf course visits in Europe during a cycling trip in the Mosel Valley in Luxembourg and Germany.

Putting Green at Beach Gardens in Swanage, Dorset

A look at the minigolf grass Putting course at Beach Gardens in Swanage.

Many thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Tiger Pragnell for sending over these minigolf snaps from his recent trip to Swanage. While on holiday in the Dorset seaside resort he found a Putting Green that we missed on our tour of the South West coast in 2015!

A nice flag. And bench

Tiger also swung by the Jurassic Adventure Golf course at the Santa-Fe Fun Park on the seafront. That particular course was the 600th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Adventure Golf course in Swanage

Adventure Golf at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Wokingham

A look at the new Adventure Golf course at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Wokingham.

Many thanks to fellow minigolf adventurer Matt Dodd for sending over a snap from his visit to the new Adventure Golf at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Wokingham.

The 18-hole Dinton Adventure Golf layout opened earlier this month and Matt and his family were among the first players to have a round on the course.

Dinton Adventure Golf course is located at Dinton Pastures Country Park, Davis Street, Hurst, Wokingham, Berkshire RG10 0TH. Visit the Dinton Adventure Golf course website for more info.