Helter Skelter

I've been trying for a shot like this for weeks, but I'm always too late and they've switched the lights off. The pier obviously goes to bed early around here. Same problem as last night - the wind on the clifftop is still strong and my ISO had to go up to stop the camera shake.

I am told that this particular helter skelter was used in a M&S ad a few year's back, but can't confirm that. FYI, they're called Tornado Slides in the US.

Been struggling with French Genealogy this afternoon (in between clearing the garage out). Whereas in the UK, all our births, deaths and marriages records (after about 1839) are kept centrally at the Public Records Office, the French keep them at Departement level. Even then they're not indexed by name, but you have to know which Mairie / Commune the BDM was registered. As many of these communes seem to have populations of only a few hundred, one is forced to download dozens of PDFs and scan the handwritten registers for names!

Ah well, what else are Sundays for?