Video releases from Ordinary Bloke

In September 2019, we had a week in a little cottage near Fort William with views of Ben Nevis. I was so impressed by it that I produced a little video:

I have been asked why I have a Google account as well as my Hotmail one, surely they ask, there is no need for both. In this short video, I have tried to lay out some of the advantages for having a Google account. Admittedly, some reasons are purely advantageous if you have an Android phone. Suzanne and I both have Android phones and both are logged onto the same Google account so that we can share contacts and calendars. It makes our lives much simpler. It's not all about Android however, and there are distinct advantages for Apple users too. For everyone, there is the possibility of subscribing to my YouTube channels - which you REALLY should do! Other channels are available.

We have visited a number of Warner Hotels over the years and each has its own character. Nidd Hall is on the same lines as Thoresby but smaller. That can be seen as either an advantage or a disadvantage. The location is great, just over 4 miles to Knaresborough and just under 5 to Harrogate. Also, you're less than 20 miles from upper Nidderdale in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

This is a great 3 star adults only all-inclusive hotel which is situated about 2 miles south of Port d'Alcúdia 200 yards from the beach. In my video guide, I show you the hotel and the grand lake nearby plus a few shots from the old town of Alcúdia.

I've been fascinated by magic since I was a small boy, but it has only been in the last 3 years that I have begun to study and practise the art myself. It helps to video my attempts so that I can look at them critically from an observer's perspective. It's also great to be able to show the videos to fellow magicians to get gratefully received constructive criticism. I began to increase the number that I have recorded, so it seemed better that I should put them into their own separate channel - Ordinary Bloke Magic. Here are the ones currently available: 51 Fat Chances Spin Doctor Power of Poker Coin Matrix 8 Card Brainwave Super Closer Deja Vu Vu Find the Other Half Petal to the Metal Smack in the face One Card One Box

Oxford is a unique city, a mixture of the ancient university and the modern. On our visit there in 2018, we snapped a few of the usual iconic buildings and also some off the beaten track. The city is well worth a visit, but expect: Lots of tourists everywhere you go. Entry fees for just about every building, college, museum etc.

During April 2018, we ticked off another item in our bucket list by visiting Venice. I'd tried very hard not to listen to all the people who raved about it saying how fantastic it was. Instead I concentrated on all the negatives I could find: ridiculously early start (3:30am) to get to the airport; and ridiculously late arrival back home (1:00am). I really didn't want the holiday to fail to live up to my expectations. I needn't have bothered, Venice was wonderful. A unique city that's fascinating to explore. We walked miles every day, ate well and drank... er... well. I can thoroughly recommend this to anyone who hasn't been. Avoid the summer months and bear in mind that children may well find it boring. If they're teenagers, they probably find most things boring to be honest. Anyway, here's the video:

I love flowers, they make me feel good inside. As spring seemed to be taking forever to arrive, I thought I'd trawl through my photographs of flowers over the last decade and put together a little video. Here it is:

It's a few years ago that I went to the Dominican Republic and stayed at the Gran Ventana complex in the northern resort of Playa Dorada. I did a quick tour with my flip camera and posted this video on my other site. For consistency's sake (and because the video is still being viewed regularly), I decided to bring it under the 'Ordinary Bloke' umbrella. So here it is...

Some years ago now, I decided to create a video about the resort we were staying in Corfu. So, one morning, I got up early and took my flip camera for a walk, trying to capture the essence of the hotel. When I got back home, I put the clips together and added a few captions and a bit of music. It's not the best video I've ever made, but it hit 43,000 views a short while ago. However, because it's more appropriately positioned in my Ordinary Bloke channel rather than my original channel, I have now published it there. Got to start from 0 views though. Ah well!

I've loved France ever since I went in 1969, sleeping rough and busking for my keep. I went once more whilst at university, once in the 70s and twice in the 80s with wife and daughter (but this time staying with Keycamp rather than sleeping on beaches). Roll the calendar forward to the noughties and I went with Eurocamp three times. This video is a record of one of those trips to five different sites over a period of two weeks.

We have visited Sharm El-Sheikh twice. The first time right at the north end of the resort, but the second time right in the middle - Shark's Bay. This was a reasonably priced hotel with it's own jetty which took you to the coral shelf. This is a video I made of the hotel:

SuzanneHGardner.com  is a website with a dual purpose. Yeah, sure, it promotes Suzanne as a funeral celebrant and is a way to contact her if you want to use her services. However, the primary purpose is to be an information portal for people who have the task of arranging a funeral. There are readings and poems (both religious and non-religious ) which are often used so you can look through and find one which suits your purposes. Also a list of music often played at funerals. There are definitions of the terms Funeral Directors may use - to help you better understand what you are expected to do. There's a regular blog where Suzanne discusses subjects such as ' Should children attend funerals ', ' Registering a death ' and ' The cremation process '. There is also a page on the crematoria in Suzanne's locale. A brief description of each is accompanied by a map and directions and there's an  interactive map of all the crematoria, ceme...

There aren't many places abroad that we've visited more than once, but this is certainly one of them. It's a great hotel yards from a little cove with great walks in both directions. And then there are the Barbary Ground Squirrels...

What could be more relaxing and enjoyable than a log cabin miles from anywhere with it's own hot tub? Well, we could have a long discussion about that, but our visit to Avallon Lodges in the summer of 17 was a great week. It's not too far from the North Cornwall coast with it's rugged coastline and quaint villages, but it's not too near either. Here's my video guide:

A few years ago (2014 to be exact), we were invited to go to Malta to celebrate the wedding of two close friends. They were married in the registry office in Valletta and we followed it by a visit to "The Pub" and a horse and carriage ride round the town. We stayed in Mellieha in the north of the island at the Seabank hotel. I can seriously recommend the hotel - it's a great one, and the location is really good too. Here's my video guide:

Oh dear, I seem to have taken quite a while to get the second video from our Croatia holiday sorted. Well, here it is - a quick guide to the ancient city of Dubrovnik.

After a holiday in Croatia, I decided that a single video wouldn't do justice to either Dubrovnik or Cavtat. So I decided on two and this is the first to be published. It's a lightening tour of the hotel and the lovely fishing town of Cavtat. I can highly recommend this location. It's a pretty place with scenic walks and just 7 miles to Dubrovnik by sea, 12 miles by road. Look out for my Dubrovnik video in the next few days.

  Suzanne is my wife and has been a funeral director for the last 21 years. When she retired from that occupation last month, she began a new (part-time) career as a funeral celebrant. Most people don't know what this is, so I made this video of Suzanne explaining it. It is embedded in the 'About Me' page of her website at  SuzanneHGardner.com  where you can find all sorts of information and useful bits and pieces should you ever (hopefully not) have to arrange a funeral for a friend or family member.

  During one of the hottest few days in 2017 (early July), I shot a series of photos in Bath. It was my first visit and I was captivated by the place. I put together this video slide show, I hope you enjoy it.