Daniel and Chie tie the knot
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Sunday, 22 February 09 - 09:55 AM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Family & Friends |
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On Valentine's Day this year, I travelled to France to my friend Daniel's home village of Trelly in Normandy, to attend his wedding to Chie.
It was a fantastic day. I was offered the most generous hospitality from his family to whom I am very thankful, and it was also great to meet many of Daniel's old friends.
More importantly Daniel and Chie had a beautiful ceremony conducted by the village mayor - Daniels Father - Monseiur Boizzard!
It is also worth mentioning the delicious food served at their wedding reception. If anyone is passing Normandy then I would recommend a visit to the La Verte Campagne , which is a friendly Hotel and Restaurant oddly run by a British couple with a typical French je ne sais quois.
I wish Daniel and Chie all the best of luck for their future!
From Russia With Love
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Sunday, 04 January 09 - 10:22 AM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Family & Friends |
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On November 28th 2008, my friend Maurice married the girl of his dreams Anastastia. I went to the wedding in Moscow. I wish them both the very best in their future life together.
Anastasia's family and friends made us feel truly welcome and the the whole event went perfectly. It was also a great opportunity to see Moscow.
Dive Maldives - Onboard Nautilus 2
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Sunday, 28 September 08 - 11:48 AM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Diving |
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I have just returned from a very relaxing and enjoyable week in the Maldives. The trip was arranged by Tony Backhurst on board the liveaboard Nautilus 2. I travelled with my friends Ben and Ros, and we flew with Emirates via Dubai.
We had a lovely time with many positive experiences. We saw some beautiful wildlife including Eagle Rays, Whale Shark, Great Reef Ray, White Tip Sharks, Grey Reef Shark, Leopard Shark, Green Turtles, Moray (and honeycombed Moray!) as well as the usual array of reef fish including Anenome Fish, Titan Trigger Fish, Unicorn Fish, Batfish, Lion Fish, Oriental Sweet Lips, Yellow Snapper, Blue Fin Trevali, Octopus etc etc. We stopped on a deserted desrt island one evening for a BBQ, which was lovely, but the memory of the week for me has to be the most fantastic night dive I have ever done. We were completely surrounded by swimming Moray, Green Turtles and Feeding White Tip Sharks for the entire dive. It was truly amazing!
Emirates is a very good Airline. For a change there were no problems at check-in or bagagge reclaim and I was hugely impressed.
Despite the positive experiences, sadly this liveaboard did not stand out as anything special for me. I think the Nautilus 2 could offer so much more. I am not going to write a long post about the whole experience, but will leave these brief notes for any other divers considering a booking.
----- Lots more photos can be found here -----
Although we enjoyed the week the general feedback on the liveaboard quality was distinctly average. The biggest problem was that guests arrived and departed over a period of two days which essentially means that everyone looses a day diving. In addition the dive guides have to provide several introductory briefings and not all information is provided to all guests, and quite often we were left feeling completely confused with what was going on. It also didn't help that Tony Backurst was not the sole agent responsible for arranging the trip. What they don't tell you when you book is that Nautilus 2 is Austrian owned and half the guests seem to be British and the other half Austrian. It seemed that the whole dual agency thing was the cause of most of the confusion. The itinery was not focussed on finding what we had come all this way to see - a Manta Ray. The boat dived a majority of easier dive sites inside the Atols, and didn't reach Ari Atol for several days. Nitrox fills were free but random - anywhere between 23% and 32%.
Compared to other divers experiences of liveaboards in the Maldives it seems that Nautilus 2 can not be recommended until their organisation improves. I am writing to Tony Backhurst to let them know my thoughts, and will post any replies here. In the meantime if anyone is looking for a good Maldives liveaboard experience I would try http://www.scubascuba.com/ who I intend to use for a return visit.
It's a long way to Tignes ... at least it is if you go this way!
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Sunday, 14 September 08 - 04:53 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Travel |
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Skiing in Tignes - New Year - Dec 2007/Jan 2008
Better late than never I have finally got round to uploading some photos from last year's Ski Trip to Tignes (for a change 
). Last year had a difference though .... Logan and I left a couple of days early and took a scenic route ...
View Larger Map
We are both keen on miltary history and wanted to take in some famous sites.
Our route took us through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, France again, Germany, And Switzerland before arriving back in France at Tignes.
We managed to see the whole lot in two days. It was a rushed trip, but enjoyable and interesting none the less. To top it off of course we enjoyed a great week skiing including a fantastic new year party. Hopefully we'll go back to Tignes this year 
James Boards Back to Val Claret on our last day
A weekend in Normandy
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Friday, 22 August 08 - 11:11 AM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Travel |
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My website has taken on a Poppy theme following a brief visit to Normandy and the D-Day landing beaches.
My cousin Vincenzo and myself took the Newhaven to Le Havre ferry on a Friday and came back on a Sunday. We stayed with my friends Daniel and Chie.
It was a brief visit, but we greatly enjoyed the French food and hospitality provided by our hosts. It was also a great opportunity to get a rough idea about the history of D-Day. We managed to visit every beach quickly, the Airborne museum, as well as the major British, American and German cemetaries in the area. With so much to see and learn it deserves much more than a weekend to explore properly, and I am sure that some day I will be back in Normandy to explore in more depth.
British 10k
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Sunday, 06 July 08 - 03:16 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Running |
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No pictures yet 
, but today i completed the British 10k in 55 mins and 49secs 
. It's not a bad time, but it was crowded with 25,000 runners and a chaotic start. The British 10k was unlike last months BUPA run, as the runners are all grouped together in no particular order. Fast runners start with slow runners and this has a knock on effect all around the course with people bumping in to each other and jostling for position.
However, despite this, it was a realy fun day with a great route. There was patches of fantastic support out on the course and I have so far managed to raise £240 for SOS Children's Homes. Its a great cause and well worth donating money to, so if you haven't done so already you can always sponsor me by visiting my fundraising page.
Thanks to everyone who sponsored me this time, especially HTL . I will be running for the same charity again soon.
BUPA London 10k - I did it!
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Monday, 26 May 08 - 06:41 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Running |
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Today in London was wet and cold, but despite the weather I still managed to run the 10k. My time was 50m and 58s, not bad for my first attempt at a long distance run, but I feel I can do better in the future.
The weather kept many spectators away, but my family braved the elements to give me some well needed support. The whole event was very well organised and seemed to pass without a hitch. The run was wet and windy, and parts of the city felt like running through a ghost town, but with the occasional band and other runners egging you on it seemed relatively easy to keep up the pace and run a relatively decent time.
Thank you to all those that sponsored me. It's been great to have your support, and I'm happy that between us we will help Amnesty to make a difference for those less fortunate than ourselves. For a full list of those who sponsored me please see my Justgiving Webpage. I have (so far) raised £405, so I didn't quite make my target, but the website will stay up for at least another month, so if anyone else feels the urge, please feel free to sponsor me 
Special thanks also to Natasha Green, who has been helping me train. From the unfit blob I was 3 months ago to this! A great achievement for her! If anyone needs a professional, reliable and motivational personal trainer whose great fun to work with then please visit her website.
Today was a great experience and one that I hope to repeat again soon 
Running 10k for Amnesty International
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Wednesday, 16 April 08 - 02:48 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Running |
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On the 26th May I will be running in the BUPA 10k London run. I realise it doesn't sound far, but I haven't run a distance like this in 20 odd years, so for me it feels like a marathon. I am busy looking for sponsors and would be very grateful to any one that would consider sponsoring me.
I'm running for Amnesty International because they work for things that many of us take forgranted. It's the 21st century and governments all round the world continue to treat their people like their lives, thoughts and beliefs are completely meaningless. Amnesty stands up for individuals in tragic circumstances, and tries to change their government's views on human rights.
The upcoming Beijing Olympics have really hightened the worlds awareness of the Human Rights Situation in China and whilst it is so high on the press agenda Amnesty can do with every penny we can give them to help make a difference.
To sponsor me please visit my justgiving.com web page (click here). Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. If you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
Thankyou for your support 
Beijing 2008
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Monday, 17 March 08 - 06:42 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in General |
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The Olympics own charter states: "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" and its goal of promoting "a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity." The profoundly sad irony is that the above two points listed in the Olympic charter are located on the Official website for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Lt Cdr (P) Derek Fieldhouse (RN)
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Monday, 17 March 08 - 05:17 PM (GMT) By Justin Dean in Family & Friends |
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I'd like to share with anyone who visits my site the story of my Granddad's military service and tragic death.
Lt Cdr (P) Derek Fieldhouse RN (1926-1963)
He sadly lost his life piloting a Royal Navy Sea Vixen. The website www.seavixen.org is dedicated to lost SeaVixen Aircrew. On the website you can find a biography of my Granddad - Lt Cdr (P) Derek Fieldhouse - or simply click here.
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