The holiday season starts here.

Happy Easter!  What wonderful weather we have been blessed with this Easter.  The crowds are flocking to the beach.  Today marks the opening of SAND WORLD at Lodmoor.  http://www.sandworld.co.uk/visit.html  Follow this link to find out all about it.  The best sand sculptures from around the world are here to display their craft. We are very lucky to have them here in Weymouth. Don’t forget that the International Beach Kite Festival starts on the 30th April.

Merry Christmas to all

We would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy 2011.  Although we all like the idea of a white Christmas the recent icy conditions aren’t quite what we would have wished for. The conditions in Weymouth have not been nearly as bad as the rest of the country but we have still been slipping and sliding and for a while cut off from Dorchester. The rural areas of Dorset have had a tough time as you only have to go a couple of miles inland for conditions to deteriate.

We’ve been very busy here at Oaklands with lots of work being done to prepare for next year. We should have some very interesting developments to report in the new year.  We’ll also post some pictures to show how things are changing in the town in preparation for 2012. 

Once again have a lovely Christmas and stay warm!

Southill Fireworks

Tonight sees the annual firework display in the Southill area of Weymouth. These fireworks are the highlight of all the displays which take place at this time of year. It looks like we will be lucky with the weather.

Beach Motocross

Last Sunday saw the annual Weymouth Beach Motocross in beautiful sunny conditions. Huge crowds came to see some great racing. There are good vantage points all along the Esplanade and it’s all for free. If you stand at the start you can get to experience the huge roar of engines as over 50 bikes speed off along the beach.

Bikes on the beach

Busy Week at Oaklands

Pheww!  It’s all go here. We’ve had a busy week with guests coming and going. Some old friends and some new faces. Lots of lovely people. Jennie and I managed get down to the beach last Saturday to catch some of the Beach Live music performances.  We saw a fine set by Hustle, a band fronted by Wessex FMs Maria Greenwood. In between songs she can read the news and give you the weather forecast!       

Lots of maintenance jobs to keep up with this week, so yet another visit to our local DIY store.   On Thursday we woke up to TVs that weren’t working.  We found out later that the transmitter for this area was on the blink but we didn’t find out until we’d called out the aerial guys. 

I had to get some new photos of the house for the 2011 Weymouth & Portland brochure and others.  All I needed was sunshine and a forecourt with no cars……

Now we are looking forward to a lovely sunny weekend and trying to catch some of the Seafood Festival and maybe some more music on the beach.

Spirit of the Sea Festival

From the 3rd to 16th of July Weymouth and Portland holds it’s very own maritime festival.  There will be a wide range of activities including live music on the beach, a two day seafood festival, sailing and rowing regattas and model boats. To see the full programme there is an event website at http://www.spiritofthesea.org.uk/ 

Springwatch in Dorset

The current series of Springwatch is featuring Simon King at various locations around the Dorset countryside. Tonight he was on Abbotsbury Hill showing views back towards Chesil Beach, the Fleet and Portland. If you missed it have a look on the BBC iPlayer.

Weymouth Webcams

Don’t forget you can see the latest views from Weymouth with a range of webcams in the area.  Check this link to the webcam page :- http://www.weymouth.gov.uk/home.asp?sv=94

Lulworth Pirate Festival

Check out this event taking place over the Bank Holiday. Details can be found at http://www.paste.org.uk/pirate_festival.htm

Shiver me timbers!

Steam Train leaving Weymouth

Two engines pulling/pushing eleven jam-packed carriages steamed into Weymouth on Saturday. I managed to get a shot of it leaving that same evening in brilliant sunshine on the long haul back to Paddington.