We arrived at this caravan site on the 31st August originally for four nights. The weather forecast was so good that we extended the stay for another six nights. Now we’ve extended it for a further three as there is quite a lot to do here – my husband loves horse riding, I love art galleries, there’s a transport museum, we both enjoy coastal walks and there’s lots of opportunities for good food. Both of us can work here too which is a bonus. In fact we have better mobile signal than we do at home!
Each time we’ve extended our stay we’ve had to move pitch. This time we’ll be moving to pitch 101.
My immediate thought about the number 101 was the TV programme Room 101 which these days has Frank Skinner as host. The aim of the game is for celebrities to convince Frank that their dislikes merit going into Room 101. It’s a good programme, full of laughs. The winner is the contestant who is the most persuasive. The programme has been running a long time and this is the most recent version of it.
Room 101 originally appeared in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell which I read as a teenager but now don’t remember much about it. In the book Room 101 is a torture chamber in which attempts are made to subject a captive to his or her own worst nightmare, fear or phobia. I’m surprised I don’t remember the details of this book as I’ve now found out that it’s quite unpleasant. Interestingly, Room 101 in Orwell’s novel was named after a conference room at the BBC where Orwell would have to sit through what he regarded as tortuously boring meetings.
Another book with 101 in its title that I do remember is 101 Dalmations.
In junior school one of our teachers read this book to us as we sat cross legged on the floor. She read to us on a Friday afternoon, and I really looked forward to enjoying this relaxed end to the week.
Route 101
In the United States there’s Route 101 (US 101) which is spectacular. The road goes north from Los Angeles in California to Tumwater in Washington. In California the Interstate 5 is a more important transport link but the US 101 is the major coastal route from Los Angeles to San Francisco and is the longest road of any kind in California. The Redwood Highway, the northernmost part of the US 101, begins at the Golden Gate Bridge and passes through the world’s tallest coast redwood trees.
US 101 makes for a wonderful drive. I have a good university friend from California, and we spent a happy few days travelling along the route and staying at a motel overlooking the sea and catching up over a few beers.
A bit less interesting but very important, 101 is the number people in the UK dial for non-urgent reports to the police.
In mathematics the number 101 is prime. A prime number is greater than 1 with only two divisors – themselves and 1. A prime number cannot be divided by any other number without leaving a remainder. A simple example is 5 which can only be divided by 1 and by 5. There are infinite prime numbers. The study of prime numbers dates back to ancient Greek mathematics c. 300 BC.
In this post our caravan pitch number has led to thoughts about a TV programme, literature, a coastal route on the west coast of the US and prime numbers. Numbers really are everywhere!