This evening saw the launch of a new Brora website – The Brora Website – a pictorial overview of Brora featuring many of the local attractions as well as information on how to find and enjoy them. Here is a selection of photographs from the new website.
The Brora Website – click here
Quite a few of my friends and acquaintances have been downloading my custom Tomb Raider games only to find they can’t play them because they don’t know the controls. As trial and error doesn’t really cut it in a gaming environment, we had a problem!
The solution? A Tomb Raider level made specifically for new players to run around in. Enter Croft Manor!
If you are a new player to the custom Tomb Raider scene or have only played the latest official games and would like to try custom levels made with the TR4 game engine, then this Croft Manor tutorial level could be the introduction you’re looking for. If you can complete the assault course comfortably, you are ready to begin your adventures!
Screenshots
My latest custom Tomb Raider game, The Museum, was released earlier this week. A perfect game for a night in, it can be finished in one sitting, has plenty of next generation effects to keep you happy, entertaining gameplay, good music and flybys and trademark GMac atmosphere and ambience.
The game is playable directly from the download and no installation is necessary – simply download, unzip, click and play. Here are a few screenshots from the game.
More Information and Free Download
We at the Gold Club felt a need for a website to provide information on gold panning and equipment, not just for enthusiasts to the hobby but also for land owners interested in seeing what we do and how we do it.
Our brand new website provides information on gold panning and the equipment used as well as providing a few pointers on getting started in this fascinating hobby in the UK and obtaining permissions to pan.
Be sure to check out and enjoy the new site!
It was so good to see old friends again. I love these gold panning meet ups. The river was very low and it stayed that way for the week despite the rain. Wow but those midgies can sure make your day uncomfortable.
Of course it isn’t all cold rivers and hard work, there were the barbies and the laughs and the team work and the very special friendships, which is really what this thing is all about. The gold is important too though and I estimate around 15 gms of gold came out of that burn during the week.
The Kildonan campsite from the hill leading up river
Jamie sorting out his gold
Shopping in Helmsdale
Leon Kirk getting ready for another shift
Me in my latest drysuit
Some nice gold
Showing off our gold around a barbie is always fun
The windscreen wipers on my dad’s car were squeaking and scraping something awful so I went to our favourite garage, Station Garage in Golspie (highly recommended by the way) and Roy ordered new Renault wiper blades. The following day they were delivered and fitted. Nice and silent wipers now. Luxury!
When we got home dad was poring over the invoice. Is there something wrong I asked? No, he mused, it’s just that wipers cost more than five times what cars did when I started driving.
I laughed but the look on his face showed me he was being serious. How much did you pay for your first car, I asked? £7 15 shillings he replied. The wiper blades had cost £40.
Yesterday I enjoyed my first real day’s sniping. My mate and I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect day. It was warm, there was a beautiful breeze to keep the midgies away, the river was cystal clear and we both found some nice gold. Perfect day out!
Where we were working. My mate getting down to bedrock.
Me in my new drysuit taking a look under the water.
Checking the cracks.
Me in my new drysuit.
My gold for the day included some nice little pickers.
Had a great day out with one of my mates, who found more gold than me! In my defence, this was my first foray into sniping and I spent most of my morning trying to keep my mask from steaming up and wondering why my snorkel kept filling with water.
River was low so in the afternoon I picked a nice deep pool and had a swim around admiring the underwater view (through my steamy mask and between bouts of spouting water out of my snorkel)
I did find a nice crack though and took most of this out of it. The big piece is between 0.2 and 0.3 gms
Met up with Leon Kirk, one of the UK’s top gold snipers, and a few other friends at Kildonan last week and what a week it turned out to be. Learned loads, the weather was amazing and I went home with 3 gms of best Kildonan gold.
Leon Kirk getting ready for work!
Here is me kitting up in the sunshine.
Jamie hard at work.
Leon sniping.
Leon sniping around the edges of the waterfall pool.
Leon Kirk showing off a day’s haul.
A weeks work – 9.2 gms split 3 ways, just over 3 gms each.
And here is Leon on telly showing off his nuggets to Nick Crane.
As I do without if I don’t have enough money to buy something and save for purchases it was rather nice to drive this thing home earlier. Two owners from new with a full service history and it is in immaculate condition for its age. I’m looking forward to some pleasant motoring this year.
