Pulp Birmingham

Or, Why Joey Miller really wants to make the US team for Ghent ...

The famous Trout of The Confederacy

Steve & Adam discover the truth behind those internet rumours outside The Museum of The Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia

The end of the Line

We are now ending our epic journey. Antietam yesterday finished our Civil war odessey, and vodka and red bull finished us generally. Back to the airport for the flight home......

manassas

First Bull Run

Walking the field right now. Sun is shining. Sky is blue. And there are lots of those clever fences that all three of us are thinking how we can make out of matchsticks!

The end of the Campaign is in sight!

Yesterday we covered land and sea, modern and old, by taking in the USS Wisconsin at Norfolk Virginia's Naval museum, and then the museum and battlefield tour of the British defeat (!!) at Yorktown in the American War of Independance. Apparently we almost accidentally surrendered to the French, so a narrow escape there then....

The Wisconsin is rather large and very grey,

..and the Yorktown site is fantastic - a really American place, in that it allows drive through tours, where you dont even have to get out of the car to see some of the sights and read the information boards.

We ended up in ex Capital of the Confederacy, Richmond, and today our agenda should include the museum here, then a trip to Manassas and Antietam ("Anne-tee-tam"). The Museum of Aviation near Dulles Airport is on the list for Friday.

Unfortunately the business centre computeres in the places we have been staying recently are cleverly put together, and I cant upload photos from my camera to them, but there will be plenty coming in the next few weeks !

18th - Wednesday

We are now in Winston-Salem, a traditional town where the residents still believe the Prime Minister of England is a Witch.

Yesterday we attempted to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway whilst listening to Bluegrass music and spitting chewed corn cobs out of the car window every 200 yeards. This proved somewhat difficult as the Parkway was closed - for no apparent reason.

Last night a local resident narrowly escaped a heavy beating, as we walked 6 blocks to find what our guidebook described as the best restaurant in Winston Salem, as all three of us had just about reached the EU legal limit for the number of fried and grilled meat based meals one is allowed to have in any one week, and we were desparate for "proper" food.

Unfortunately the restaurant was closing as we walked in (at 930pm), but the barman was able to helpfully recommend an alternative. When we asked him what it served, he volunteered the information "Oh yeah, they serve REALLY great Chicken Wings. And the Sandwiches and Ribs are excellent too...."

He will live his life not knowing how lucky he was...and we are one step closer to believing Clarkson is right - here is more Top Gear

textbook stuff

We saw both types of music in Nashville, watched baseball in Chattanooga, and now are on the road listening to Springsteen.

What's not to like?

3 Bars

3 versions of "Sweet Home Alabama". Welcome to the South

heckle That !

Right now all 3 of us are in a bar where someone (a mid 40s mousey haired glasses wearing librarian/hairdresser) has just shouted out a request to the band for a song by Conway Twitty loudly enough to be heard over the noise of the band. .

Now, That is what I call entertainment....

Boy Band of NICT?

Note the remarkable similarity between Scott "baseball cap and hoodie" Jeske and any member you wish to choose of Boy-band Backstreet Boys??

Rumour on the North American DBM circuit is that Jeske was an original member, but found the competition from the other five members in the original lineup of the band was too intense.

However he has taken counselling since then, allowing him to succesfully become The American Continents Best DBM Player This Year For Sure Uncontested etc etc etc as NICT Invitaional Champion where he won from a similarly sized field of , erm, 6

Hilton Nearly Kills us All

Before the tourney started we took a late night ride to Hooters with Hilton in his mobile Roy Orbison Shrine/Widescreen Cinema



Handsfree driving means something different in the UK. At least he had only been drinking Miller Lite !

Steve Royle on Monorail at Gatwick

In Britain today there are many people like Steve.

But they are all special, and need our support

Please send your donations to

BHGS

The White Cottage....

Me Collecting the Winning trophy In Birmingham

The information published by the Yanks is all lies!! This Marc Crotteau bloke (on the right) is NOT accepting the "best Placed Non Brit" award donated by me, Steve & Adam - he's giving the winners prize to ME, honest!!!

Is there a Hooters in Ascot...?

Me with my new friend Hollie on the first evening in Birmingham Alabama.

I suspect will never quite have the same degree of positive sentiment about the offerings of the the curry house in Ascot ....

Finally...

We had more time than I thought, so after the CinC command was almost totally eliminated by the Germans some light horse sacked the Jewish baggage and the final element came as the elite of the Judean army, some Ax S came out of the rough to take on my light horse.... And lost on a 6-1 !!!!!

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Steve lost to Steve Payne, so Marc Crotteau wins.

What a weekend!

Now for the holiday - more reports to come.

Photos to follow of our evenings out in a few days, and full game reports in more depth in a few weeks.

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Yee Hah !!

ps - Talledega Speedway actually exists as a real place - we saw it! We thought it was made up for the film!!

Almost!

Got the CinC but still need 3 more elements. And I can't see them .

Need to work out how much time is left

The Teutons have a lot of dead stuff to wade through

Still grinding on

Germans are nearly in but there are a lot of judeans to kill here and I'm making no progress with the rest of my army as it has been becalmed with had pips for a few turns.

The Parthians

Are about to go I think. All 4 cats killed by wagon action. This will bring the Germans online, and allow me to go on the offensive.

My aux attack has virtually petered out on my right...

So far

Its all very bitty but the teutons are still unreliable.

I am having to mess about with wagons to try and create something as my army is rather toothless without the Germans.

My attack on the right with the aux has stalled due to poor pips.

The only opp is to pick on the Parthians with wagons and try and make a hole in the line to get the Germans online again.

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Its started

The teutons are unreliable with a line of bd I facing them!! Doh!

But there may be a chance to push on my right over some ps I with my auxilia and flank some Bw I

So, I will attack anyway!

Sunday am

I'm lying in 6th or 7th, playing Ricky and his Later Judeans. Lots of terrain here so far. A morning of extracting auxilia I feel....

Steve is in the hot seat as far as is Brits go, sitting in 4th

1:25am

We are in a redneck Karroke Bar in the middle of nowhere. We only recognise 10% of the artists on the juke box. There are adverts for the NASCAR special bargain deal (it involves Bud and free ham).

This is why we came !

2-14 !!

The auxilia in my big command rush to their death against a demoralised cavalry ordinary general ( with an overlap) 1-6, whilst I wash up 1 element short of his CinCs command, and kill the cinc - with 6 dead already so if Mike had had to roll pips again I would have won 14-2

Wild!

Phew!

Teutons have gone!

I'm on the brink!!!

Re: The warband

Collapse!!!! A couple of 6-1s and the huge command turns tail and flees! My own command is teetering on the brink facing it though and there is nothing between my baggage and 5 CmS when my command inevitably falls....

I have to hoover up the CinC before this happens.... 4 down, 4 to go, but they are hard to kill Cv and hard to catch LH!

The warband

Are running riot, aided by camels, but more by my desparate pip dice! 1 2 1 1 for the command facing these 2 commands in the last 4 turns. 32 pips in response! This email is from Reed Exhibitions Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 678540, whose registered office is at Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, United Kingdom.  This message is private and confidential.  If you have received this message in error, please return it to the sender or call our switchboard on +44 (0) 20 8910 7910 and remove it from your system. The opinions expressed within this communication are not necessarily those expressed by Reed Exhibitions Limited. Visit our website at http://www.reedexpo.com

The warband!

Are out of the rough and into my light horse. Plus one rapidly relocated Teuton

Quick start

Both armies are keen to get to grips.

The Arabs have shifted their camel corps into face my Teutons, and the Cv S have wheeled to protect a flank!

Game 3

Against Mike McGee and his Christian Nubians. Almost no terrain and I'm attacking. Could be interesting if I guess right or wrong on the camel and warband scenario...?

Finally tipped them over!

A dead general and 3 dead bowmen followed by poor pip dice means I take a command out of the blue! Then the flank also crumbles under weight of casualties.

15-0 to me!

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Going well...

The sicilians have all 4 generals engaged, but then roll 6666!!!!

But the liths are starting to find flanks....

And the wagons are shooting well....

And the. Art S has killed 3 bows

The enemy army

Seems to have little in it for me to hit.....?

Sicilian!

2nd game, Mark, Sicilian, defending again, and a good burger and 2 pints of bud for lunch!!!! This email is from Reed Exhibitions Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 678540, whose registered office is at Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, United Kingdom.  This message is private and confidential.  If you have received this message in error, please return it to the sender or call our switchboard on +44 (0) 20 8910 7910 and remove it from your system. The opinions expressed within this communication are not necessarily those expressed by Reed Exhibitions Limited. Visit our website at http://www.reedexpo.com

7-4 win (6-4 with 15-0)

2 other commands were within 1 element of breaking, but my CinC was close to going down.

its now raining

just like home really.

Action!

Got the flank command! This email is from Reed Exhibitions Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 678540, whose registered office is at Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, United Kingdom.  This message is private and confidential.  If you have received this message in error, please return it to the sender or call our switchboard on +44 (0) 20 8910 7910 and remove it from your system. The opinions expressed within this communication are not necessarily those expressed by Reed Exhibitions Limited. Visit our website at http://www.reedexpo.com

Still going

Slowly pushing on. Dan is being tormented by bad pips! One of his commands is on the ropes against my right wing cav and lh command

In the thick of it now..

Cavalry engaged on my right, but blades closing in in the Bw X... This email is from Reed Exhibitions Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 678540, whose registered office is at Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, United Kingdom.  This message is private and confidential.  If you have received this message in error, please return it to the sender or call our switchboard on +44 (0) 20 8910 7910 and remove it from your system. The opinions expressed within this communication are not necessarily those expressed by Reed Exhibitions Limited. Visit our website at http://www.reedexpo.com

Excitement!!

Some of my troops have just wheeled! The first bit of recognisable tactics from the lithuanians!!

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.This email is from Reed Exhibitions Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 678540, whose registered office is at Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, United Kingdom.  This message is private and confidential.  If you have received this message in error, please return it to the sender or call our switchboard on +44 (0) 20 8910 7910 and remove it from your system. The opinions expressed within this communication are not necessarily those expressed by Reed Exhibitions Limited. Visit our website at http://www.reedexpo.com

Setup complete

There are a lot of bow in this bedouin army. But ive screened off a lot of the table to mass my attack on my right, and the artillery S has surprised him as its part of the flank screening force on the left side with all the terrain. Fortunately the. Arab bw X are not teed up against my Teutons and may have to wheel across my blades to get to them. Which may be tricky!!!! Looks like he's going to try though.... Interesting.

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.  This email is from Reed Exhibitions Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 678540, whose registered office is at Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, United Kingdom.  This message is private and confidential.  If you have received this message in error, please return it to the sender or call our switchboard on +44 (0) 20 8910 7910 and remove it from your system. The opinions expressed within this communication are not necessarily those expressed by Reed Exhibitions Limited. Visit our website at http://www.reedexpo.com

Game 1

Dan hazlewood and dynastic bedouin. No terrain except in one corner (my side). Oh, and he's seen my list on this site! Surprise!

Different country, same experience.

25 minutes wait for the doors to open before we can get in. I've now done this in the UK, Spain, Greece, France, Italy AND The USA.....

roadkill!

We've just seen a coyote roadkill!!!!!

we are here!

We've landed at Atlanta and collected our baggage - twice! And we are now crossing a timezone in Marks Truck. The sun is shining, the weather is warm. Missing Ascot already.....

Gatwick Airport Friday Morning

Tim, Steve & Adam sample British Airways Loungfe hospitality. Very pleasant...

Gatwick Airport

We are currently starting our first glass of wine of the day in the BA club class lounge.

And its quite nice indeed.

America here we come!

Glad were only going to Tenessee !

A Louisiana pawn shop saw a father give his 2-year old toddler a lesson in how to use an AK 47.

BJ's shop owner said the man kept repeating "anybody in front of you, you can mow them down. Kill everybody, soldier, because daddy's going to buy you this chopper."

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/11534890/detail.html

Now can someone tell me more of this 'Hooters'....?

It is a fine dining establishment where the cuisine is only
surpassed by the expertise and efficiency of the servers.

They are known for their Buffalo Wings and Beer selection.

To see the menu please click on a link below:

Pumpin' on your Stereo...In Birmingham

Time to get in some practice - I am told there are radio stations which only play this song.



I hope we can tune into some of them !

But How Safe Will We Be ?

Our plan will involve driving across Alabama, Georgia & Virginia after the competition.

Will it be like this - but without the slogans...?

Press play and stand back....



George Bush, God & Country & Western.......

Keep On Trucking !

This is the sort of email a Brit can only dream of getting when you plan a trip to The Deep South....

"Tim,Hi,

My name is Mark Faircloth. I will be going to the Tournament in B'ham from Atlanta. I can provide a pickup from and return to the airport. Based on what I have read so far I will be at the airport at 5pm.

I have attached a picture of my truck.

I will wait outside until 5 or I hear from you, then I will begin circling the pickup lanes.Also, how many will we be picking up?"

I just hope we can all find ourselves check shirts to wear when we get there....