A Cautionary Tale

While we were in the area a couple of weeks ago, Sue and I drove over the causeway to Holy Island. We even managed to drive back again without having to wait for the tide. I know that this is a non event not worth mentioning, but it serves to keep this thread alive.
 
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While we were in the area a couple of weeks ago, Sue and I drove over the causeway to Holy Island. We even managed to drive back again without having to wait for the tide. I know that this is a non event not worth mentioning, but it serves to keep this thread alive.
Quite a few places around the UK you can be trapped by the tide and people have to be rescued...not about the tide but one secluded place in Ireland scared the s***e out of me at the time (and when I keep thinking back ) was when climbing down a face of a rock at about 45 degree angle, covered in dry moss on a sunny day, very near to a ledge with deep water for fishing......after a while a heavy mist come in from the sea and decided to call it a day and climb back......and you've guessed it when moss is wet. :jawdrop:
Most people (inc me) often don't think of Murphy's law when dealling with the sea.
 
This is an all too common occurrence up here, it happens at least once every 3 weeks in the summer. The first part of the causeway lulls them into a false sense of hope but the causeway nearest the mainland, where the refuge huts are, rises at some speed.

Saying that a few years ago I had to drive over the causeway in the winter, when there was a near gale force south easterly wind blowing, and it covered the causeway with 2" water even though the tide was right out, that was weird!
 
We need a wince emote...
 
oh, compared to some of the tricks we got up to, the spud mortar was pretty restrained. I vaguely remember making a "scaled up banger" from the contents of several packets of conventional ones and the inside of a loo roll, wrapped in gaffa tape for a bit of extra security... the more astute amongst us probably realise that is basically a black powder equivalent of a stick of dynamite. I know it left a crater about a foot deep on the school field when it was let off...

And then there was the time when I was doing the "pyrotechnics" for the school play... Something crap that involved a Djinn / Demon arriving in a flash and puff of smoke. Rehearsals required multiple attempts to get this right, each time re-loading the flashpot with a bit o fuse wire as the igniter and a single teaspoon of flash powder. After the 9th take, where the Demon still hadn't hit his mark, I'd got sloppy, and forgot to remove the flashpowder tin and replace the lid. Yep, spark hit the half-pound of flashpowder - basically a 12 foot high 30 second+ duration blinding magnesium flare erupted blinding everyone on stage, scorching the Demon, charring the proscenium arch over the stage and leaving a big burned spot on the stage - not to mention flooding the entire school audtorium with acrid white smoke that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and causing pretty serious panic... So much for my career in Special Effects :LOL:

This bit is also worth remembering too. 'scorching the demon' :ROFLMAO:
 
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