The Blue South - A Beautiful and Colourful Effort

Advantages: A lyrical and melodical masterpiece with hidden depth
Disadvantages: Dark and seedy themes may not suit all tastes

...INTRODUCTION It is beyond doubt ? in my mind at least ? that a good song is formed of that rare combination of melody and lyrics. In my view, a song that sounds good but has no lyrical depth has little staying power - melody appeals to the heart, but lyrics are what engage the brain. To belabour the point just one stage further, the melody attracts you, but the lyrics are what ultimately keep you interested. Indeed, it was the catchy melodies and compelling hooks that drew me to the music of the Beautiful South in the first place, but even after listening to their songs and albums countless times over the years, each listen is still rewarded with new discoveries, new nuances and new revelations. My favourite Beautiful South album (despite the regrettable name ? I am an Arsenal fan after all) is ?Blue Is The Colour?, released in...

Hishyeness 19.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Blue Is The Colour - Beautiful South (The)

South Devon Railway

Advantages: Nostalgic look back in time.Wonderful scenery, friendly Staff, Clean Trains.
Disadvantages: Short journey.

...We visited South Devon Railway for a day trip to Totnes on the steam train. Admission Prices: Return trip (single fares also available) Buckfastleigh - Totnes Littlehempston Adult £9.90 Senior Citizen £9.20 Child £5.90 (5 years - 14 years; under 5s FREE) Family £28.90 (two adults and two children) There is also FREE parking at Buckfastleigh for cars and coaches. We travelled from Totnes to Buckfastleigh to Totnes and it was just like going back in time. It was a thorougly enjoyable ride on a proper steam train. Taking in the wonderful scenery from Buckfastleigh to Totnes. We went in the summer and it was a fantastic journey beside the river Dart t. The trains are clean and comfortable, in my opinion much better than the trains of today. The children enjoyed the ride and the ability to get up and move...

livelylad 31.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of South Devon Railway Trust

Journey South

Advantages: Great voices, brothers are very easy on the eye!
Disadvantages: No original tracks

...This is the debut album from Andy and Cal also know as Journey South. Andy and Carl are brother who shot to fame on the X-Factor. They had been singing together for years and had spent all of their time touring the country playing small gigs and singing in pubs and clubs. All of their hard work paid off when they auditioned for the X-Factor and easily made it through to the live finals. Unfortunately the brothers did not win the show, much to my disapointment, but they did very well which lead to this album. There are 11 tracks on the CD which are:- The first time ever I saw your face Let it be Desperado The circle Nobody Knows I still haven't found what I'm looking for All of you Time after time It must have been love All that I am English Rose All 11 of the tracks are cover versions but they do sing them very well...

sewbizzie 24.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Journey South's Album

South Yorkshire's Best Kept Secret

Advantages: History/ Beauty
Disadvantages: Unambition/ Lack of vision, funding/ Very poorly managed

.... The massive, well preserved keep was added in the twelth century. Other additions were made in and around this time. By the fourteenth century a 'Warenne' died without issue which meant ownership passed to the Crown. But by 1537 the Castle was abandoned and in ruins. A survey records that the gates, barbican, walling structures and some of the keeps floors had collapsed. This ruinous state is probably why the castle was left alone in the Civil war and why it is so well preserved today. Most castles in that era were demolished to prevent them from being used. TODAY Doncaster Council own the land the Castle sits on but it falls upon English Heritage to upkeep it who in turn use the Ivanhoe Trust to manage the property. The castle is seen as a primary tourist spot in South Yorkshire and it sees 30,000 visitors a year. This Castle is one...

WormThatTurned 23.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Conisbrough Castle, South Yorkshire

The South Yorkshire Transport Museum

Advantages: Nostalgic, Historical
Disadvantages: Admission Charges, Limited Opening Hours

...The South Yorkshire Transport Museum can be found at Aldwarke, near Rotherham in South Yorkshire. Until recently this Transport Museum was located in the former Tinsley Tram Sheds between Sheffield and Rotherham. I visited here about 4 years ago and it was then called the Sheffield Bus Museum. Now it has relocated, it has been given a new name, the South Yorkshire Transport Museum. The former Sheffield Bus Museum first opened its doors to the Public ten years ago, in 1997. In December 2006 this Museum closed, re-opening at its present location a few weeks ago, in the Spring of 2007. This Museum has a collection of Trams and Buses that were once in use in Sheffield and the surrounding area. All of these have been fully restored and are in pristine condition. Almost all of them are also in full working order and when the weather is...

micksheff 29.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of The South Yorkshire Transport Museum

The History of South Tyneside

Advantages: Free entry, interesting, easy access
Disadvantages: None

...I first went to this museum with my sister when I was about 8 or 9 years old. When looking for something to do on Monday, I asked my friend, Emma, if she wanted to go here with me since I haven?t been for ages. My older sister, Joanne, lives in South Shields so we met her and my niece (23 months) at the museum on Monday morning. I got slightly lost getting to South Shields as I took the wrong turn at a roundabout, but as it was my furthest venture in my car on my own (about 25 miles) I was still quite pleased I found it without too much hassle! On arriving at South Shields I met my sister and followed her into the town centre, as I don?t know my way around South Shields. (The museum is signposted though) The entry into the museum is free and although we just spent about an hour and a half there (my sister was going to Uni. ? and I...

bluejules 20.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of South Shields Museum

Thomas at the South Devon Railway

Advantages: Very pretty, well located to combine with other attractions
Disadvantages: Expensive, lack of display space, no platform tickets available

...The South Devon Railway is, as the name suggests, a railway situated in South Devon, running steam trains from Totnes to Buckfastleigh. I visited with my family in May 2007, on a special ?Day Out with Thomas? weekend. There are three working stations on the line: Buckfastleigh, Staverton and Totnes Littlehempstone. If you are travelling by car, it?s best to head to Buckfastleigh station where there is extensive free parking just off the main A38 road from Plymouth to Exeter. There is some limited free parking at Staverton. At Totnes station there is no parking, although you can park at the Main Line (First Great Western) station or the dedicated Totnes Council car park, for both of which there is a (reasonably steep) charge, and a short walk to the station. If coming by train, a good feature of this heritage line is that, unlike many...

Ali1000 11.06.2007 (18.06.2007) · Read review
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Review of South Devon Railway Trust

Brodsworth Hall, South Yorkshire

Advantages: Lots of history
Disadvantages: Admission charges

...Euros) Charges for the gardens only are: Adults - £5.00 (7.5 Euros) Children - £2.50 (3.75 Euros) Concessions - £4.00 (6 Euros) Entry is free for English Heritage members. Brodsworth Hall Brodsworth Doncaster South Yorkshire DN5 7XJ Telephone: (01302) 724969 Fax: (01302) 337165 Overall I think Brodsworth Hall makes for a great day out. It is always good to see how the other half live (or lived)....

micksheff 23.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Brodsworth Hall, South Yorkshire

Firsby Reservoirs, South Yorkshire

Advantages: Tranquil, free to visit
Disadvantages: Difficult to find, no circular footpath all the way around

...Firsby Reservoirs lie approximately 4 miles (7 Kilometres) to the north east of Rotherham town centre in South Yorkshire. They consist of two separate bodies of water that were created between 1874 and 1880 to provide a supply of fresh drinking water to Rotherham and the surrounding area. Their secondary purpose was to also to act as holding reservoirs for the nearby Thrybergh Reservoir. However, it seemed that the odds were stacked against these reservoirs right from the start. It soon became apparent that both reservoirs leaked badly and despite numerous repairs the problem was never really solved. In the early 1970's the M18 Motorway had been built close to the site and by 1974 the whole area was so heavily polluted that Firsby Reservoirs were no longer viable as a source of drinking water and they became redundant...

micksheff 26.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Firsby Reservoirs, South Yorkshire

South African Quality

Advantages: Nice staff...
Disadvantages: Serves LHR with check-in problem

...South African Airlines has recently had a facelift to bring in its new logo and tail designs, looking more sunny and South African. They also serve a variety of markets, of which I will try and address most of here. First of all, there is the SA Airlink domestic market. This airline has only recently joined the South African fleet - a few years ago it was an independant company. But South African is taking care of it, and keeping it young, and the service is as good as ever if not better! SA Airlink operates a fleet mainly of prop/ regional jet, with their main hub at Johannesburg International (see seperate opinion). But don't be put off, as their props are the comfortable and roomy Bombardier QSeries. The company flies serving routes between all the South African airports. The staff are very friendly, and always willing to...

danieletheridge 04.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of South African Airlines - SAA