Thursday, 12 July 2012

Wicksteed Park Recieves Grant To Restore Lake

Congratulations to the award winning Wicksteed Park on being awarded a £1m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the fantastic lake that it has.

It was created between 1919 and 1921 and has got to be the biggest and best attraction that Northamptonshire has to offer!  People from all over the UK come to this fantastic Park that is about to get even better thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund's grant.

It was a childhood favourite of mine and I still visit the park to this day - in fact I was there only 2 weeks ago!

One thing a lot of people don't realise it that Wicksteed Park is actually a charity.  No 'fat cats' here, as much money as possible (after wages etc) go straight back in to the upkeep of the park which offers a large Free play area, some great short walks and if you purchase some tickets you can even get a ride on the train that goes around the lake that is going to be restored!

A great day out for all the family.  More details here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-18739909

http://www.wicksteedpark.co.uk/


Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Raspberry Pi - Order Cancelled

To be honest I've gone off the idea of owning a Raspberry Pi, mainly because they 'released' it before they had any proper stock levels of it.

It's been a disappointment from start to finish.  I'm not prepared to pay £5 for 7 week delivery, that's just a joke!

And as for RS to send you email updates saying you can't get yours yet, but have a look at what all the people who have managed to get one have done with theirs is just a smack in the face.

Needless to say I have just cancelled my order with RS so I will no longer be getting my Raspberry Pi.  I may well get one in the future when they actually have them in stock ready to deliver, to be honest I'll probably wait for the inevitable upgrade in a year or so's time.

I hope they get stock levels right for Christmas (yes I know it's months away) as it could be a huge hit for them.


Friday, 8 June 2012

Raspberry Pi - Order Placed

Well, there's no looking back now - I've just placed my order for a Raspberry Pi from RS Components as per the email I received the other week.

On closer reading of the email it doesn't actually say how long delivery takes, what it actually says is "On placing your order, we will advise you when we are likely to be able to send you your Raspberry Pi." it then goes on to say that "Payment will be taken at the time of your order."

That means that they get hold of my money straight away and I may not receive it for a few weeks!

Well here goes, I'm about to purchase my £22 computer...

Nothings ever as it seems is it?  £22 is what I was expecting to pay with a couple of quid for P&P.  It turns out the £22 is excluding VAT and a whopping £4.95 for delivery for a small PCB!!  A total of just under £31 for what was being billed as a £22 piece of hardware.

On top of that, if you live in the USA you can get it for a much lower price of $25 (approx £16).

Disgusted with the fact that Raspberry Pi is a BRITISH charity so how one earth can it be cheaper to buy it in the USA????  I suspect it would be cheaper to import this British computer from abroad but I can't do with all the hassle so I'll settle with buying one from RS for now...


SEVEN WEEKS???   EXPECTED???

This has got to be some sort of joke hasn't it?  They've told me they're ready for me to place my order and that they will take payment straight away, yet I have to wait 7 weeks (possible longer if there are any delays) for it to arrive?

£4.95 for 7 week delivery - that's disgusting.

When you get an email saying that you can now purchase your Raspberry Pi that you've been waiting weeks/months for the opportunity of getting your hands on one, you assume they have them in stock ready to go!  But oh no they don't :( they're still on a ship somewhere between China and the UK.

Useless.

Anyway, I have completed my order and they have my money.  I guess I might have it in my hands by Christmas...