Carcassonne

While we have been on holiday we have been playing some new games. Number one son got a copy of Carcassonne. We have had some fun with it (and I’m not just saying this because I managed to win a couple of times). The game revolves around a landscape that is built up by players adding tiles and different types of settler to claim as much of the land as they can. It has just the right balance of skill and luck. When I win I can claim skill, but when I lose I can claim that the cards were against me. The games don’t take a long time to play, (which is something else I quite like about them) but they are quite absorbing.

If you like board games it is well worth a look.

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is ace.  Having great weather probably helped, but the place was pretty cool too.

View from the top

Castle and Mill

Ballista power.

The two big round things on each side take a person each, who walk inside them to lift up a four ton weight that is used to propel the payload a heck of a distance. If someone rocks up outside your castle with one of these you should really let them in, because in the end they are coming in whether you like it or not…

Not Writing Code

I’ve hardly touched a keyboard or mouse for the last few days and I must admit that I quite like this. I have had to use the computer to get pictures off the camera though…

The weather is being very nice to us.

Lego and Robots

We went off to LegoLand today. I really do know how to have fun me. We went on all the rides that make you wet and guess what? We got very wet. I love the models though.

Not Really Real

I had a rush of blood to the head, and I got a copy of the new Mindstorms 2.0 kit which is awesome and lets you make a walking robot. I’ve starting playing with the software that comes with it, and I think I’ll have a go with the Microsoft Robotics Studio next. Great fun.

Tools and Trains

Went down to Bewley today and took a look at their town museum that promises “A surprise around every corner”. I wouldn’t quite go that far, but there were some nice photo-ops.

A bit like my garage

Then we went on to the Severn Valley Railway.

Not steam, but nice all the same.