After ten days of of Rodeo sports, wall to wall parties, and a sea of white stetsons, the Calgary Stampede ends this weekend.

Like all other Calgary Stampedes it has been a great excuse for eating ,drinking, dressing up as cowboys, and watching the real cowboys risk their necks for for Rodeo titles, and large cash prises.

This is the time when local hotels, and especially the cowboy themed ones, have a wedding ring checkin. Every year the local news media is retailing stories of the many cowboy-struck participants surrendering their wedding rings for the night.

Apparently, it seems to have some basis in truth, since Alberta divorce rates show a huge increase in the immediate aftermath of the celebration.

For the more sedate of us, there are many displays, and some great musice to keep us interested. But for me personally, the most amazing fact of this show, is that over a period of about ten days, there are between four hundred, and five hundred thousand, free Pancake breakfasts given away all over Calgary.

They are are provided by a wide range of Companies, Banks, Churches, community organisations, city, provincial and federal politicians, the Canadian Armed Forces. You name it, and there have been breakfasts set up all over the city. Several of the the larger shopping malls and corporations have contributed well over 50,000 breakfasts each.

And these are full breakfasts. Pancakes, Sausages, Eggs, Orange juice and coffee. And apparently people are welcome to go back for more, if they wish. My wife has taken her Grandchildren to a couple of these breakfasts, and they have always had fun.

Considering that the population of Calgary is about 1,100,000, that's a lot of pancakes and eggs!

Just thought that I would mention it!

By the way, I will be offline or a couple of weeks after July 18th. My wife and I are going to Ontario and then New Brunswick to visit our kids and grandkids who live there.

Regards, Joe

Never heard of internet cafes?

Have a good time joe!

We do have fun in Bedlington.

Between Monday, July 16th July and Friday, July 20th volunteers will be helping to clear vegetation and litter at the Bedlington Iron Works site as part of National Archaeology Week.

Barry Mead, Wansbeck Council's Community Heritage Officer, who is organising the event at Furnace Bridge, says; "The idea is to clean and expose the surviving 18th and 19th Century stonework so that it can then be properly assessed for conservation.

"I'm hoping lots of volunteers will get involved and help out, however, the minimum age is 16. No experience is necessary but the work will be physically quite hard but great fun.

"I would urge people to wear appropriate clothing including boots and gloves. We will provide the tools but if people could possibly bring a shovel and wheelbarrow this would be really useful.

I will be there everyday from 10am until 3pm and hope to see as many people as possible."

There are no toilet or food facilities at the site and people are asked to bring their own packed lunches.

Further details are available from Barry on 01670 829041 or 07986018242.

Not a pancake or even a drink of water.

Between Monday, July 16th July and Friday, July 20th volunteers will be helping to clear vegetation and litter at the Bedlington Iron Works site as part of National Archaeology Week.

------

Not a pancake or even a drink of water.

How many people are expected? as i'm sure someone with a burger van could pop by if their was plenty!

Never know, if the weathers good, i may even pop down there myself!

Cheers ala...erm...'Richard'!

Cheers ala...erm...'Richard'!

Connecting allah and !*!@# may not be a good ideeea......lol

Connecting allah and !*!@# may not be a good ideeea......lol

lol

(ps, i'm allowing that coz !*!@# is a name, before you start!)

lol

(ps, i'm allowing that coz !*!@# is a name, before you start!)

I spent a lot of my childhood digging on that site. Never did find anything but big cobble stones.

Wouldn't mind another crack at it. I always thought that there had to be lots to find!

Joe

We do have fun in Bedlington.

Between Monday, July 16th July and Friday, July 20th volunteers will be helping to clear vegetation and litter at the Bedlington Iron Works site as part of National Archaeology Week.

Barry Mead, Wansbeck Council's Community Heritage Officer, who is organising the event at Furnace Bridge, says; "The idea is to clean and expose the surviving 18th and 19th Century stonework so that it can then be properly assessed for conservation.

"I'm hoping lots of volunteers will get involved and help out, however, the minimum age is 16. No experience is necessary but the work will be physically quite hard but great fun.

"I would urge people to wear appropriate clothing including boots and gloves. We will provide the tools but if people could possibly bring a shovel and wheelbarrow this would be really useful.

I will be there everyday from 10am until 3pm and hope to see as many people as possible."

There are no toilet or food facilities at the site and people are asked to bring their own packed lunches.

Further details are available from Barry on 01670 829041 or 07986018242.

Not a pancake or even a drink of water.

Sounds very exciting... however is anyone going to turn up? Nobody is going to lose their benefits if they don't go, and the rest work Monday to Friday... Extend it to the weekend WDC

We do have fun in Bedlington.

Between Monday, July 16th July and Friday, July 20th volunteers will be helping to clear vegetation and litter at the Bedlington Iron Works site as part of National Archaeology Week.

Barry Mead, Wansbeck Council's Community Heritage Officer, who is organising the event at Furnace Bridge, says; "The idea is to clean and expose the surviving 18th and 19th Century stonework so that it can then be properly assessed for conservation.

"I'm hoping lots of volunteers will get involved and help out, however, the minimum age is 16. No experience is necessary but the work will be physically quite hard but great fun.

"I would urge people to wear appropriate clothing including boots and gloves. We will provide the tools but if people could possibly bring a shovel and wheelbarrow this would be really useful.

I will be there everyday from 10am until 3pm and hope to see as many people as possible."

There are no toilet or food facilities at the site and people are asked to bring their own packed lunches.

Further details are available from Barry on 01670 829041 or 07986018242.

Not a pancake or even a drink of water.

No food,no drink,no toilets,hard work,bring your own wheelbarrow and shovel..great fun? Not my idea of fun

After ten days of of Rodeo sports, wall to wall parties, and a sea of white stetsons, the Calgary Stampede ends this weekend.

Like all other Calgary Stampedes it has been a great excuse for eating ,drinking, dressing up as cowboys, and watching the real cowboys risk their necks for for Rodeo titles, and large cash prises.

This is the time when local hotels, and especially the cowboy themed ones, have a wedding ring checkin. Every year the local news media is retailing stories of the many cowboy-struck participants surrendering their wedding rings for the night.

Apparently, it seems to have some basis in truth, since Alberta divorce rates show a huge increase in the immediate aftermath of the celebration.

For the more sedate of us, there are many displays, and some great musice to keep us interested. But for me personally, the most amazing fact of this show, is that over a period of about ten days, there are between four hundred, and five hundred thousand, free Pancake breakfasts given away all over Calgary.

They are are provided by a wide range of Companies, Banks, Churches, community organisations, city, provincial and federal politicians, the Canadian Armed Forces. You name it, and there have been breakfasts set up all over the city. Several of the the larger shopping malls and corporations have contributed well over 50,000 breakfasts each.

And these are full breakfasts. Pancakes, Sausages, Eggs, Orange juice and coffee. And apparently people are welcome to go back for more, if they wish. My wife has taken her Grandchildren to a couple of these breakfasts, and they have always had fun.

Considering that the population of Calgary is about 1,100,000, that's a lot of pancakes and eggs!

Just thought that I would mention it!

By the way, I will be offline or a couple of weeks after July 18th. My wife and I are going to Ontario and then New Brunswick to visit our kids and grandkids who live there.

Regards, Joe

Have fun Joe

I spent a lot of my childhood digging on that site. Never did find anything but big cobble stones.

Wouldn't mind another crack at it. I always thought that there had to be lots to find!

Joe

So all these people are wasting their time, Joe has already removed the booty.

For those not into this history, an update lol

:

For those not into this history, an update lol

Interesting read, thanks Richard.

No food,no drink,no toilets,hard work,bring your own wheelbarrow and shovel..great fun? Not my idea of fun

A Denny's voucher would be acceptable.

A Denny's voucher would be acceptable.

Now you`re talkin I`ll be there in a jiffy

Now you`re talkin I`ll be there in a jiffy

We've found Cympil's soft spot.

We've found Cympil's soft spot.

Nowt wrong with a good appetite

Nowt wrong with a good appetite

Now that would depend on your methane production?

We've found Cympil's soft spot.

Porvort.

No food,no drink,no toilets,hard work,bring your own wheelbarrow and shovel..great fun? Not my idea of fun

How did the dig go? Did anyone turn up to help?

It could have been fun, and a little exercise to boot!

Joe

i intended to go, but ended up doing something else

What dig?

i intended to go, but ended up doing something else

I had no intentions of going. And did sod all.