Bath Bank Holiday Flowers & Dancing

If you're looking for something to do in Bath over the Bank Holiday, why not take in the Bath Dance Festival and/or the annual Bath Spring Flower Show.

The Larkhill Festival begins with a stand up comedy evening at the Oriel Hall, in which locals who have been learning the skill for just 3 months will show off their talents. Other events taking place over the weekend include a family fun day, belly dancing workshops and massage taster sessions. The Festival ends on Monday with a party in Alice Park.

The Bath Dance Festival, commencing on Saturday will include lessons at the Bath Leisure Centre in modern jive, street and the charleston. An attempt on the World's Largest Umbrella Dance will also be made at noon on Sunday.

The 24th annual Bath Spring Flower Show also begins on Saturday at Royal Victoria Park. Guest appearances will be made by TV gardener Bob Flowerdew and horticulturalist Mary Payne on Saturday and Martin Blunos, former 2 Michelin star holder and TV/radio personality.

For more details, see http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Weekend-music-dance-flowers/article-2088360-detail/article.html

Record Breaking London Marathon

A total of 18 world records were broken in yesterday's London Marathon. The marathon was under threat by the Icelandic volcano eruption for a while, but as far as I am aware, everyone made it. Last year's runner-up, Britain's Mara Yamauchi, finished 10th. She said she had endured a "mental rollercoaster" after spending six days travelling to London from her training camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Princess Beatrice was the most notable record breaker, being the first royal to run a marathon, she was also part of a 34 person caterpillar - the new record for the most runners tied together. Other new records included fastest cartoon character, super hero and leprechaun.

Former Army Major, Phil Packer, who suffered severe spinal cord injuries in 2008, is aiming to complete the course in 26 hours for 26 charities. Amazingly, he completed the course in 14 days last year and has raised £1.3 million in donations.

Celebrities that finished the race include Sir Richard Branson, Natalie.Imbruglia and Jenni Falconer. Gordon Ramsay suffered cramp and was unable to complete his 11th marathon in as many years.

What Happens When A Plane Flies Into Volcanic Ash?

To answer the question why so much caution is being taken over getting planes back in the air after the volcanic eruption, the answer is that its extremely hazardous to a plane's health. It can shut down the engines, sandblast the leading edges of the plane and scar the windshield so much that it is virtually impossible to see through. The ash can also get into the passenger compartment, not only looking like a potential fire, but the sulphurous fumes cause a choking effect to passengers.

Here's a video documentary about BA flight 009 which experienced the hazards first hand.







Given the options, I think I would prefer to hire a car in Alicante if I was stuck there. The airlines may be losing £20million a day, but the ferries are putting on extra services and advertising spare seats.

UK Flights Disrupted by Icelandic Volcano

A volcano eruption in Iceland has disrupted flights to the UK as well other parts of Northern Europe and closing Oslo airport. Volcanic ash is particularly dangerous to aircraft as it can cause engines to stall, jam machinery and contaminate the passenger compartment if it gets into the cabin.

The ash cloud is moving down from the North, causing the closure of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports as well as flights to Manchester and other parts of Northern England. The ash cloud is set to move south and could take several days to disperse. In the mean time, warnings have been issued to pilots that UK airspace is closed to all incoming flights.

Domestic flights, including flights to London are at a virtual standstill and it will take time to get back to normal after the event because of crews and planes being in the wrong place and the passenger backlog.

The International Airways Volcano Watch was established as a global early warning system because of the threat volcanic ash poses to aircraft. Iceland is considered as being particularly vulnerable to this hazard.

The first eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano took place in vents on a mainly ice-free part of the volcano, so didn't cause the flooding that was feared. However, the second eruption came from a vent underneath 200m of ice, causing rivers to rise by up to 3m. Around 800 residents were evacuated.

Volkswagen Transporter Van Turns Sixty

Since it first rolled off the production lines in March 1950, the VW Transporter has become the number one imported van in the UK and an icon around the globe.

The Transporter has been the ideal van hire choice for many functions over the years - one day ferrying a rock band to a gig, the next taking a family on holiday. They are also one of the most popular vehicles for businesses' delivery vans or passenger transport. They have often also been snapped up as used vans for intrepid round the world travellers and explorers.

Over its sixty years, over ten million VW Transporters have been produced and evolved through five generations, each striving to be the epitome multi-purpose vehicle of its day. In fact, the current Transporter advertisements is entitled "Evolution of Van" and was launched in January.

The first Transporter was imported into the UK in 1955, and now, 55 years later, it is still going strong.

Bargain Car Hire Holidays

If you want to get the best value for money when going on holiday, especially long haul travel, it makes sense not to go at peak times. Hang on for a week or go early and the weather will be just as good, but you can save a packet.

The USA is becoming more popular with UK tourists as tour operators and USA car hire companies squeeze profit margins and offer ever more tempting bargains.

Take Orlando for example. In the summer, it is hot, humid and thunderstorms are a regular occurrence in the afternoons and hiring a car in Orlando is more difficult. The winter is decidedly cold too. But, going in late May or early June is much cheaper, the weather is more pleasant and it can coincide with half term if you have children. Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter is also due to open in Spring this year.

For a change of scenery, hire a car to Miami and explore the 12 miles of sandy beaches, restaurants as well as the Art Deco architecture and galleries. Miami also has plenty to offer for the more active holidaymaker - cycling, fishing, diving, tennis and golf just to mention a few. Miami's shopping experience is pure joy, with its outdoor shopping promenades and low prices in places such as The Dolphin Mall or Prime Outlets.

Fly To Dubai In Super First Class

A new standard in luxury travel has been rolled out by 3 airlines - Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways and Emirates.

The new super first class comprises of your own enclosed cabin, complete with 23 inch tv, massager, a specially prepared menu and champagne, and a luxury bedroom suite.

The cabins are aimed at the wealthy businessman, sportsman, celebrities and honeymoon couples and designed to ease the transition between luxury hotels and a cramped aircraft for the flight home. John Terry and Freddie Flintoff are known t have taken cabins on flights to Dubai, and Danni Minogue utilises super first class for her flights to Australia.

Tim Clark, the president of Emirates airlines, said: "International premium travellers are highly aspirational. You have passengers coming out of luxury hotels, and you can't have them getting into something that comes out of the dark ages in terms of the airplane. So we brought the service up to high levels, and then went beyond that."

Whilst this could be taken up by other airlines, British Airways won't be among them. A spokesperson said "We have invested £100 million in our new First class cabin and the feedback from customers is already very good. We looked at creating a fully enclosed suite, like other long haul carriers have done, but our customer research came out strongly against such an idea."