Planet SharkyUK
Wearing the daddy gold hotpants since the 1990's…
Home Sweet Home
0As I write this I’ve been in my current place for just over a year and Paula moved in a few months ago, too. It was at that point when things started to get a little more ‘homely’ as I’d been living the minimalistic lifestyle until that point. It’s quite funny looking back now… but that’s what you get when your new place is unfurnished and you have no furniture (and your car spectacularly breaks down and soaks up all your money!)
Here’s the house – in sunny South Wales. Sometimes. When it’s not raining.
I have to admit that I am quite a lucky guy as it’s a real nice house in an equally nice area and it immediately felt like ‘home’ during a prior viewing.
It has the garage, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (including en-suite), a good sized kitchen, utility room and separate living and dining areas. It also has a decent sized garden. Ok, so it’s a bit excessive considering I was living alone to start with but the deal was too good and I liked the house too much!
As mentioned above, my style was minimalistic to start with (as you can see with the lone chair in front of the TV in the lounge!)
But it’s amazing how different things look when you’ve bought a few bits and pieces. Take the kitchen, for example. After a quick trip to a local retail park I had soon taken delivery of a few appliances.
Within a few weeks of moving in I woke up one morning to this. Snow. At least it wasn’t raining! 
Shortly after Christmas I decided that I really needed to sort out the living room as I couldn’t keep sitting in my office chair each day. So, naturally, I decided to buy a huge bean bag. This came to be known as Goliath and Paula and I actually used it for some months thereafter. It was quite comfortable (or so I thought). But it wasn’t just the lounge that was lacking in furnishings; I was sleeping on an inflatable bed (a single bed, then later a double bed) so this would have to be rectified at some point. Eventually. 
It was July when Paula and I actually went out and bought a new sofa (to go with the small table, rug and pot plant). It certainly improved the look of the room and meant we actually had somewhere to sit. Goliath was taken upstairs to his new home, the chill out / games room (which is still work-in-progress!) The lounge was transformed into something like this:
Much better, don’t you think? And within a month or so of buying the sofa, Paula had started to bring over some of her furniture and possessions in readiness for moving in with me. This actually worked out well as the tenancy agreement was just about to expire at her place. Making the journey over to Wales was her bed so we were finally able to furnish the guest room (whilst we still used the inflatable bed) The guest room was now available for, well, guests!
And so eventually arrived and it was time to consider losing the inflatable bed and to upgrade to a proper bed. Luckily I had just the bed in mind… and the good news was that Paula also liked it. The only problem was the price (hence the reason why we hadn’t bought it earlier). But thanks to the good old January sales, the bed went on sale with 60% off so we decided to go for it. Within a handful of days the new bed (and eventually the mattress) had arrived and the master bedroom was transformed:
Next on the agenda is the office / study and the chill out room…
Wilton House Supercar Day 2011
04 days ago
Yes, yes – I know I’m still stuck in 2011 but my time machine is broken so you’ll just have to wait until it’s fixed…
To be honest I couldn’t help myself. I simply had to post up a little report about the Supercar day that Paula and I went to last August. So many beautiful cars to look at and listen to; I was in petrol-fuelled Heaven. The day was made all the more enjoyable due to the fact that we were joined by some good friends (and FullyFuelled.com Club members) of ours.
Whether you were an Aston Martin admirer, a Ferrari fetishist, a Porsche-aphile or a Lamborghini lover, there was something for everyone. With the blazing sunshine and blue skies it was very much a day for sunglasses and sunscreen (the sunglasses mainly to cut out the glare from the polished cars on display!)
With a couple of Bugatti Veyrons (not to mention the brand new Lamborghini Aventador, Aston One-77 and McClaren MP4-12C) there was some serious metal [and money] on show. However, my favourite car of the show – and still the car I’d buy tomorrow if I won the lottery – was/is the Ferrari F458 Italia. A bargain at £170,000. Isn’t it beautiful?
As soon as the details for the 2012 show are released I’ll be applying for tickets so that I can once again get up close and personal with some of the world’s most exotic cars.
FullyFuelled.com
04 days ago
by SharkyUK
in Cars and Driving
It’s true, I do indeed have a passion for performance cars of one sort or another. Whether it’s a hot-hatch, super-saloon or hypercar, it’s probably going to get my interest to some degree. And because of that, I decided that I would start a new Car Club whereby friends and performance car enthusiasts could gather together and do all those things that petrol heads like to do. Drives, track days, social gatherings and attending car shows… we’ve got them covered.
FullyFuelled.com came into being circa last May and started life primarily as a group of friends with a common interest. Due to lack of time I haven’t yet promoted or pushed the Club as I intended to so it’s kind of ‘simmering’ away at the moment with the odd new member joining now and again. The good news is that we are very active and there are several events planned for the coming year.
If you fancy joining a friendly car club for the drives, meets or simply good old-fashioned chat (via the online forums) then please do sign up. Likewise, if you have friends who may also be interested then please do let them know about FullyFuelled.com.
Looking back – Budapest 2011
04 days ago
by SharkyUK
in Travel and Trips
Last September I took a trip over to Budapest, Hungary, to visit family. It was my first time back in Hungary for many years and I travelled over with my sister. My dad was already in Budapest staying with his sister and the plan was to meet up with them once we had arrived.
As the flat where my aunt lives is quite small (especially considering the fact that my elderly grandma is living there and my dad was staying there, too) Nicola and I were staying in the Hotel Charles. This was pre-arranged on our behalf before we got there and the location of the hotel was ideal. It was only a relatively short walk to the centre of Budapest and a short journey to my aunt’s flat. Talking of walking… we walked miles. Miles and miles. If nothing else we certainly kept ourselves fit during our time in Budapest!
During our walks we visited many places including the Houses of Parliament, the Fisherman’s Bastion, Margaret Island and many other historical and picturesque places – as can be seen in the photos above.
Looking back – Morocco 2011
06 days ago
by SharkyUK
in Travel and Trips
August is a good time of year. It’s usually quite warm and it’s also the month in which I was born. Interestingly enough it’s also the month in which Paula was born. And August 2011 was that little bit more special than usual thanks to a fantastic birthday treat courtesy of that very lady! A trip to Morocco…
We stayed in a Riad in Marrakech and we were fairly centrally located. We were only a matter of minutes away from the medina and the souks for which Marrakech is well known. In addition, the holy Koutubia Mosque was only minutes away, too and throughout the day we would hear the call to prayer.
Here’s a selection of photos from the holiday:
Our time in Marrakech fell during the Islamic month of fasting, more commonly known as Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during the hours of daylight. The intention is to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God (Allah). It must have been tough due to the extremely high temperatures throughout the day.
To escape the heat of the city we spent some time exploring in the Atlas Mountains with our tour guide. This time was spent crossing rivers and trekking along some fairly precarious ravines. The final stage also involved the climbing of a rock face over which a waterfall fell from some 100 feet high. It was spectacular if somewhat perilous! 
I only wish I’d had my camera with me to capture it.
Looking back – Part 4
26 days ago
There are not many more instalments to go in this looking back series so please do stick with it.
It was a sunny day in July when we drove the very short distance from home to the local town of Caerphilly. Despite being famous for it’s cheese, the Big Cheese (an annual festival) and being the birthplace of Tommy Cooper, we were visiting for entirely different reasons. We were interested in visiting the Castle, which is the largest in Wales and the second largest in Britain.
I have to admit that I know Caerphilly quite well having lived there for three years or so (in fact, I was there earlier today to get my haircut, to wander around the shops and to enjoy a quick chip butty before driving home… ) However, I also have to admit that I’d never been in the castle during my time there hence the reason we decided to do just that last July.
It’s quite an impressive castle, don’t you think? It’s quite a sight as it stands and dominates the centre of the town!
Moving quickly on (and jumping a week forward in July) a trip was made to Lytes Cary in Somerset. The plan was to check out the Manor House, the Chapel, the gardens and – of course – the cream teas. Sadly the cream teas weren’t all that good here but we did enjoy an hour or two walking around the gardens surrounding areas. And Paula enjoyed her swings yet again…
Thanks for looking.
Looking back – Part 3
06 days ago
Continuing with the 2011 highlights reel…
May 2011 rolled around and we decided to take a trip to the Dan yr Ogof Showcaves in the Brecon Beacons National Park. I had been past this place many a time (usually during a ‘spirited’ drive through the Brecon Beacons) but never actually taken the time to venture in. I had no idea what to expect.
It was a great day out in the end, the highlight for me being the caves themselves. They were amazing and equally awe-inspiring in terms of their scale and natural beauty. If you are ever in the area then please do take the time to spend a few hours here.
Some 25 years ago *cough* I was born in the northern shires of Nottinghamshire, not all that far from the Derbyshire border. And the following weekend Paula and I were visiting that very area to see my parents. Whilst we were there we also took the very short journey over to Hardwick Hall (where they made a really, really good pot of tea incidentally!) It had been many a year since I’d last visited Hardwick Hall…
Towards the end of May we decided to visit the National Trust-owned Montacute House. Montacute House is a Grade 1 listed Elizabethan country house (and gardens) situated in southern Somerset. As we wandered around the grounds and gardens Paula could not resist the urge to jump into each and every swing that she came across…
Quickly moving forward a month into June, we thought that it might be a good idea to visit the Gower Peninsula. It is a beautiful part of Wales and we were heading to the community of Rhossili which is on the southwestern tip of the peninsula. It was a beautiful day and consequently very busy; but despite the large numbers of people it never felt crowded. There was so much open space, miles of coastline to explore, empty beaches to walk along… I was enjoying the walk so much that I didn’t take many photographs but here’s one I grabbed of Rhossili Bay:
I am really looking forward to visiting the Gower Peninsula again. It’s a great place to go to simply relax and unwind.
Looking back – Part 2
06 days ago
Continuing the [brief] story of 2011…
By the time April came around, Paula and I had become members of the National Trust. This would prove a very worthwhile thing to do over the course of the year as we would visit many National Trust sites and save a lot of money through simply being members.
Tyntesfield was the first National Trust property we visited in April and the House in the estate is Grade 1 listed. Sadly some parts of the house were closed for renovation but work was nearing a close with respect to the new roofing on part of the property.
Next on the agenda was Caldicot Castle. On the day we visited the sun was shining and it could well have been the middle of summer. It was hard and thirsty work exploring the medieval castle so naturally we had to break at one point to sample the cream teas. And they were good. In fact, Caldicot still fills our number 1 slot in terms of the best cream teas we’ve had whilst out and about on our travels. Here’s a selection of photos:
A couple of weeks passed and Paula and I visited Stourhead. I had been looking forward to visiting for some time as I’d heard that it was a really picturesque place with good walks and trails to follow (as well as providing ample opportunity for amateur photographers to get their fill). It was definitely a great place to visit as it turns out and I’m looking forward to visiting the place again soon – maybe at a different time of year to see it coloured by an entirely different palette. Sorry about all the photos but I really liked it here!
Are you bored yet? I hope not as there is more to come in Part 3 as I continue to look back over 2011.
Looking back – Part 1
06 days ago
As mentioned in the first post of this new (and improved!) blog I will highlight some of the things I did over the last year or so… Exciting, huh? 
Back in February of 2011, Paula and I visited the lovely city of Bath. It’s a beautiful place to visit (assuming you can find a parking space) and I would highly recommend spending an hour or two there to take in the sights, sounds and rich history. For those of you who live further afield you can read more here. Having spent an hour or two roaming around the city streets we made our way to the famous baths. Photos from this trip can be seen below:
March was a busy month as Paula and I visited a few different places in and around South Wales and Southwest England. The first of our three trips was to Dunster. Dunster is a village parish in west Somerset and is looked over by a rather impressive motte and bailey castle. The castle, which later became a fortified manor/country house, is owned by the National Trust. Wikipedia has more information about Dunster and Dunster Castle. Here’s a selection of photos from the trip:
For the record, there is a fantastic fudge and confectionery shop in the village and – would you believe it – I strangely found myself drawn inside! Highly recommended!
The second trip in March was to the town of Glastonbury; most famous for (possibly) the annual Glastonbury Festival. Even though the festival is not actually held in Glastonbury… Anyway, it was a lovely day so we both decided to take the walk up Glastonbury Tor. On such a clear day the views are often quite spectacular and, arriving at the top, I wasn’t disappointed.
The third and final trip in March was to the nearby town of Chepstow, Wales. More specifically we had gone to take a look around Chepstow Castle. Once again we were extremely fortunate with the weather and certainly made the most of it as we wandered around the castle and the medieval exhibition that was going on within the castle grounds.
There’s more to come in Part 2 as I continue to look back over 2011…
Hello?! Anyone?
4Guess who’s back? It’s been a long time since I last posted up here. The reasons for my absence have been many (I won’t bore you with the details) but not having access to my SharkyUK domains was the biggest problem! However, things have changed and I’m back up and running with my all-new and improved blog site. I hope you enjoy it.
In all truth my plan was to bring across all the posts and content from my old blog but, alas, this has proven somewhat difficult to do. Why? Well, as luck would have it, my one and only backup appears to contain corrupt data; which means I am unable to import the database content and structure to my new site. In non-technical terms, the “old stuff is broke.”
Having thought some more about the aforementioned database problem I realised that – perhaps – this was no bad thing. A lot has happened in the last year or two so a fresh look and a fresh start was just the ticket. Ok, so the website name is a little crap but I can’t think of anything particularly clever or witty at the moment so “Planet SharkyUK” it will be until something better crops up.
To get things started I’ll post up about some of the things I’ve done over the last 12 months or so. Various trips, holidays, trials and tribulations and any other stuff that I can find to fill in the virtual blackhole that was SharkyUK over the past year! And I’ll try not to write too much about my car. Although I can’t make any promises… 
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