Mer

Good choice Alton, duh! Dressing gown or onesie

DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE! Oh god. Erm. I'm wanting to say Hex because it never has a queue and doesn't break down like Valhalla does. Plus it has the legendary story and you can go on any time of the year and don't get left with soggy shoes! So yeah, Hex. But I still love Valhalla just as equally Blackpool or Brighton?

Awww really I looked strange in my hoodie and Converse compared to everyone else though! Still, it was good fun! EDIT: Ooh er...imagine if this had happened when we were there! Five hundred youths in street brawl http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-29295541

Omg that photo with the caption "Vikings are bad guys with a hatred for pirates" - the guy at the bottom He reminds me of a muppet, I think it's called Beaker. Lol!

Oooh phones My contract ended yesterday, and even though I probably won't get a new phone until after Christmas, I've obviously been thinking about what to do next and I may return to the iPhone... Long post ahead! I had an iPhone 4 for 2 years, then upgraded to my HTC One X in 2012. I loved both phones but definitely prefer Android in this instance (but not necessarily the phone itself, more on that later), love how customisable everything is and WIDGETS! Do iOS 8 and/or the new iPhones support widgets now? I'm so used to them and in some ways, they've helped me to become a little more organised, with things such as a calendar widget, Google Keep, etc. Having a widget there, open and running, is an instant reminder and means I don't forget to actually write things down or procrastinate Having widgets for commonly used apps like Facebook, weather etc, means I can just check them quickly, or open the app if need be, without having to scroll through all the other apps and then get distracted BUT, there is a deep and dark downside to all this I've wasted ridiculous amounts of time customising my phone, getting confused with which launcher to use, which lockscreen, different fonts, different SMS apps...argh! Then there's this one called Zooper Widget where you can make your own widget, and the basic and advanced options were one thing...I then discovered you can even input coding etc as part of customising it, which I very quickly picked up so spent hours playing around with that! It does mean I've never become "bored" with how things look, and the phone still, in some ways, feels new and exciting, which is nice when you're in a 24 month contract! Now onto the phone itself... I do miss the whole "It just works" side of Apple. My HTC is 32GB, but the storage is divided - there's nearly 7GB "App storage" (also referred to as internal storage) and over 25GB "Phone storage" (of which I have just under 13MB left). App storage is just for apps (phone storage has apps, photos, music, etc) and is used for any updates. However it is always nearing capacity, most of it being consumed by "Other", don't know what that is as you can't select it and look or anything, but presumably it's app data etc. So I often have issues updating apps, getting an "Insufficient storage space" error message. Even though as many of the apps as possible are in phone storage, it bases it on how much app storage you have left. So I quite often have to clear app data, which is a pain in the arse, especially as frequently used things like Google search and Facebook create a lot of data, quite quickly! Also, I don't exactly have loads and loads of apps, not compared to other people! My iPhone 4 was 16GB and mostly full with media, so I thought double that amount would be fine, especially with cloud storage etc. Little did I know it would have this silly app data/internal storage thing! I don't recall having this with my iPhone, maybe only on the odd occassion when it was almost at capacity but at least Icould delete photos etc to make the room, it was simple! The battery life is dire, I know all the little tips and tricks to reduce battery usage but it still doesn't stop it running out too soon. When I first got it, I noticed how quickly it would run out compared to my iPhone! These days it seems to suddenly drop quite a few percent without necessarily doing anything... The video recording quality is great, HD, nice sharp picture, however the sound is AWFUL, it's like it can't cope with loud noise and has no bass at all, it's all sharp and harsh to listen to. And it's not just me, I googled it and so many others said the same! Really odd and disappointing from a smartphone in this day and age! So yeah, tl;dr - I really do like Android but I'm cautious about getting HTC again due to their infamous bad battery life, which apparently is better now but then they all claim that! Also, I really want to try just stock Android without any skins like Sense, TouchWhizz, etc. I don't know, there's nothing wrong with Sense for example, I'd just like to try an Android phone that is just running their OS and nothing on top. The only phone out right now that does this is the Nexus 5, so I'm curious about their next phone, although rumours are it'll be a 5.2 inch screen - well I occassionally have trouble using my HTC (4.7 inch) with one hand, my thumb can just about reach across! So I don't think I'd want one any bigger! And I do like the iPhone 6, shame there's not a 32GB one though! The tariffs with O2 are really good, cheaper than I expected and will hopefully go down a bit too after Christmas. I've never had any issues with O2 and the Refresh thing seems really good so I'll probably stay with them. I looked at EE out of curiosity and they charge a lot more, what's the deal with that? Oh and I found out yesterday, the day my contract finished, that the house/contents insurance policy my mum has with Aviva includes all phones, even if something happens not in the house. So I could've saved £10 a month on insurance!

Great pics as usual, stretch! May have borrowed some for the TPM You've Been Framed thread! My photos are on Facebook, only taken on my phone as my camera wasn't charged and I kept forgetting to charge it! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154498275765391.1073741849.792210390&type=1&l=a02995c98c Will scan the group photo from the Tower tomorrow, toofpik has the other group ones from the Dungeons, I'll leave him to post them Was an awesome weekend, definitely the best meet this year! I definitely will do a trip report For now: Pleasure Beach was just too fun for words. Big One and Avalanche were a lot more enjoyable than I previously thought; Big One seemed faster and just a lot more fun, Avalanche was the same and also seemed a little more intense than I remember. Managed to sit at the back on the woodies which I didn't do last time I went, and it definitely made a difference, my god! Luke was my ride buddy airtime bitch for a lot of the rides and well, I never knew he could produce such high pitched noises! Oh and Steeplechase was just brilliant. Sunday was great fun too, the circus was better than I thought it would be (wasn't too sure what to expect or if it would be my kind of thing) and really funny! The ballroom was stunning and I even got to dance with a very good dancer and apparently I did quite well I leave you with my Big One photo from our last ride of the day, which toofpik accidentally took home but very kindly scanned for me EDIT: Here is the group photo from the Tower, not a scan but it will do for now!

So stretchy got some very flattering photos at Blackpool... This is just brilliant: Matt's triumphant, ecstatic woodie face, ladies and gentleman: Mr Fish having a poo on a pier! Annnd then I also got a few! Mr Fish and Alpengeist getting cosy on Avalanche: Toofpik aka Sleeping Beauty: Scarycoasterboy and Styles pulled at the beach!

Ooh there's an app for Apple and Android which contains special offers amongst other things!

Awww I'm gutted I won't get to see my ex hubby You shall be there in great spirit though, Liam! I'll shout your name from the top of The Big One, scream "And now it's going backwaaaards!" in true Marcella Whittingdale style on Revolution...and be thinking of the following video whilst riding The Big One http://youtu.be/3qURAI-M6uk

I'd love a Tulleys Farm meet It's about time people experienced a decent Halloween event (And came down to my neck of the woods, think of us Sussex folk!) We could even make a day of it if people wanted - Crawley has Hollywood Bowl at the leisure park, and a newly opened Laser Quest in the town (ran by a world champion http://www.crawleynews.co.uk/Lasertag-games-return-Crawley-new-company-takes/story-22898857-detail/story.html) - both of which are walking distance from the train station. Leisure park has Pizza Hut, Frankie & Benny's, TGIs, Nandos, Bella Italia, Harvester...so no issues with where to eat! Oooh and there's also Go Ape at Tilgate Park! And a nature reserve, now with MEERKATS. And a Smith & Westerns. Crawley is quite an exciting place you know Although this would be an awful lot to do in one day, gosh, we might have to do a second meet...maybe in Feb half term to coincide with my birthday *cough* So yeah, Tulleys also has a dedicated bus service for the event which runs from Three Bridges station for anyone who was getting public transport. We could call it the Creepy Crawley meet

I thought that was going to be a link to "Going to the store"

Cows, you say?

Agreed with the above, treat others how you want to be treated, etc. Back on topic...the crazy cat lady of TPM has a confession to make... I... Erm... I really want a dog. Like, actually really seriously want one. DOGGEHHHHHHH

This: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/09/david-clapson-benefit-sanctions-death-government-policies?CMP=fb_gu I can't even begin to explain how much this angers, sickens and deeply upsets me. What the f**k are these morons at the DWP playing at? Of course, there will be those who wonder why he didn't ask someone for help, apply for a crisis loan, go to a food bank etc. But that's not the point. Nobody should be mistreated like that and left in that desperate situation. Not in this country, in this day and age.

MR MANNERING!!

I would have said the same as Josh... But then I remembered Matt Creek's rendition of The Bare Necessities!

Distress!

Can't wait for this Grand National, Wild Mouse, Valhalla (to name some favourites)...so excited!! Plus all the other attractions outside Pleasure Beach! I feel so privileged to be able to make this And I can't wait to see y'all again!

When MAPs come up in a conversation and you're about to type "My Merlin Membership expires in December"...then you remember that they don't expire like APs do It's a relief knowing I won't have that worry, and won't have to faff about in a horrific slow-moving queue to renew/get a new one. Anyone who was at the Christmas meet last year will remember how long I was in SeaLife for - the printer was being dodgy and making passes that couldn't be scanned Nice photo though... Voldemert?

#MentalSelfie

Skinny dipping in the lush sea of the North.

OH GOD. ERM ERM ERM Back To The Future Delorean or Tardis?

Man-made disaster.

Calamity Canyon. Cliff Richard or Rolf Harris? Nah, too soon Who would you rather spend a day with? Bruce Forsythe or David Dickinson? EDIT: Ok if you've already answered to that first one then don't worry