10 Our trip to France and Germany! October 2014

Well hello guys!

Guess you'd been wondering what I've been up to since the new year.... okay, maybe not...

Al's just got back from a holiday with Sandy to Gran Canaria, where Sandy kept escaping by donning a scuba set and flippers (okay okay 'fins'), knowing that Al is banned from diving on account of his ears!

But now Al and I are off to french France (yay).  Off at the crack of dawn, okay 7am but it's still dark.  Sandy's made me a crash helmet for this trip.  er yes we're on the bike!  We're travelling light, no room for a hair dryer, but with the length of Al's hair he might regret this - scruffy so and so!

We head off south, being chased by the weather.  It's still summery but the wind rain and autumn chase us down the A1; catching us a few times before we outran it as we approached the M25.  It's still 20 deg C which is brill for this time of year - but the changes are coming.

Onto the train and it's so quiet, hardly anyone travelling.  We met up with our newbies joining the 'Wander' - Allan, Richard and Andy - they seem like a great bunch, but with interesting differences of character and backgrounds. Wapping joins us later, he's arriving late 'cos he wanted to watch a rugby match.






Al's been having a bit of grief with his sat. nag, so it's touch and go as to whether we'll make it to the Blockhouse or not.  His first route would have had us going over fields and streams, so I was glad to find the second attempt was more successful.

The Blockhouse (Le Blockhuis I think they call it here) was interesting and HUGE!  Considering the Germans built this in 6 months it's amazing, though it cost the lives of a third of their 6,000 strong slave workforce it seems.  The Brits hit it hard with their bombs and the evidence is still here to see.  I can only begin to imaging the scene when they dropped over 500 bombs in 55 minutes to achieve their intention of creating a mini-earthquake - it must have made the most extreme film set look tame by comparison.

The bit that was targeted for the bombs was the back where the 100+ rockets were stored.

From here we headed to the Ibis budget hotel in St Omer.  It was fine and I took an early kip in the bunk bed, whilst Al went out for a Margarita pizza  (that well known international vegetarian dish that you can find anywhere and recognise in any menu language - ha so adventurous our Al isn't he?)

Early night tonight as we're off easily tomorrow and we've lost an hour because the French put it somewhere and can't find it apparently...

I bag the top bunk (of course!)

Al looks in the mirror (he's always doing this).  I had told him, but now he can see it for himself, his left eye is completely bloodshot.

I hear him muttering about this serves him right, he missed his reflexology session this morning.  He goes on muttering about "'xxxxx' Garmins, all day to load maps, failed, had to do it again...nightmare to plan routes etc etc" .....but by now I'd fallen asleep... zzzzzzzz

09 New Years Eve... Bridge over the River Kwai...

Al said it's Christmas and you have to experience the event, with Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, bridge on the River Kwai... so he was taking me on an adventure today.... and started whistling 'Colonel Bogey'.... mmm not sure what that's about...

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Well we started out on a long trek, seemed to take forever, until we hit the compound where we would be kept...

Here's the block, can't see the towers from here...










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And the shocking accommodation we'd be kept in .  I mean the sofas don't even match,  Ikea, I think not!








And then onwards on our long march, carrying the wood to make the bridge an all....

Okay okay, back in the real world...  : )

Really glad I didn't get wet as I can't handle the damp too well... but it was exciting! The weather had thrown down so much rain last night and I think it all ended up in this river!

We found this bridge  just south of Bowmore

 

 

Then it was a quiet night for me.  I don't really do fireworks so Al and Sandy went off to the village green to see the new year in.  HAPPY NEW YEAR !

08 Boxing Day 2013

Boxing Day.  Dark mornings up north you know!  I set my camera on time lapse so it didn't miss dawn, once it finally decided to show... 

You should see the sun rise and start to head on it's slow journey across the sky....


Cracking view from the conservatory.  Think we'll take advantage of the good forecast today and wander out for a walk somewhere. 



Yesterday the weather wasn't great and we weren't out long before the heavens opened.


Off out then to walk off a few Christmas calories.  We parked up next to a tanker that was next to the track we would head up.  So what's special about a tanker you might wonder? 


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Well, when you look at what it carries (clue on the side), it's a malt whisky from Bruichladdich,











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....and if there's any doubt just look at the hazchem label on the side...!  lets see, wonder if any one's watching... where's my water bottle....







Off on the track then,  This is where we went.

half way along, just look at the peace and quiet.

 

 

I know what you're thinking, I'm not really there at all, but look... I'm in Al's rucksack!







On the way back I catch sight of some wildlife.  Horses and highland coos...  They all seemed to want me to pose with them.

Back home and hunker down as the wind and the rain strike again.  Woken up at midnight by the howling wind.  The chimney balloon (Al says this is a balloon to stop the wind coming down the chimney when the fire's not on) went bang and shot up the chimney.  The waves outside are spraying over the garden wall.  The sea has turned into angry foaming froth.  The foam looks like what you'd expect if you put fairy into your washing machine, it's all over the place!  It was even on the road at the front of the house.  Al took me out to see it and take some photos but it was very dark...

It looks like snow but that's the foam off the sea at the front of the house omg!

Hardly slept a wink for the rest of the night!

07 December 2013 - Christmas in Bonnie Scotland

Al's sister Claire was very kind and let me go to Scotland and stay in her cottage on the Isle of Islay.   Al had let Claire see this blog and she seems taken with me, and thinks we're a bit mad!   Al and Sandy said they'd like to come too, so I relented and said yes.

The forecast said it was going to be a bit rough, with snow and winds expected so I insisted we set off early.  We stayed The Argyll Hotel in Inveraray on the way up having got over the main altitude passes (snow and sleat, but no real issues)

We arrived later the next day after a rough crossing.  We were okay but a few passengers didn't look so good and some paper sacks were evident....

Over to the village on the edge of the Loch.  The wind is high, the sea sounds busy, but it's too dark now to see what's what really.

Woke up to this view!  Conservatory overlooking (read almost in)  Loch Indaal. 

 

 

Thought I'd better get on with some work,  I needed to get this blog up to date, what a cracking view!  - this would make a great office if you could just make yourself work, talk about window gazing!

 

But the weather then just closed in.  Glad we were warm as toast inside :)

The next morning the sea was very rough outside.  Here's an early morning video...



And later here's the view from the back door...

Soon the weather cleared and we wandered out into the gales.

 

 

OK Rock, almost covered!  Al says this bit of rock is famous fro being painted like this, goes back since the olden days or something... anyway he says to put this link in so you know what it's about !
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/193885










Anyway, a bit further down the village is the pier.  It was supposed to be fixed years ago and made longer.  Al's sister raised some money for this to be fixed, a few pounds anyway, must still be in a fund somewhere!

So back to the cottage just as the rain started again.  The RAYBURN is going well so I'd thought I'd make some scones and flapjacks.  Al said "this takes me back.... "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

06 December 2013 VULCAN!

Al's got a thing about the Vulcan, I know, I've told him he's an anorak but he won't have it, keeps going on about what a fantastic and unique piece of engineering it is.... yawn... wake me up when we get there!

Anyway, off to Doncaster it is then.  That's where you'll find 'Robin Hood Airport'  mmm yes I though that it would have been at Nottingham, or Sherwood Forest too!  It was origianly called RAF Finingley before it became Doncaster Airport and now Robin Hood.

Anyway, in the hanger is the last flying Avro Vulcan, (you know the type that bombed the Falklands?)  here it is;

I got to sit on the wing too.  In fact after sweet talking some of the ground crew I was able to get to other places that even Al wasn't allowed to go to!



Here's me on the wing...  It's a bit dark.  Al said something about me stealing all the light from the flash, prima donna or something - outrageous!






Anyway I got my own back when I met one of the engineers.  He asked me if I'd like to see some puppies, or at least that's what I thought he said... but anyway, he took me up into the cockpit.

 Seems that this is a very restricted place as the ejection seats have explosives in them so only specially trained people are allowed up there.  He must have liked me as he broke the rules and took me up.  When I asked him about special requests he said, with a twinkle in his eyes, 'you'd not believe what we get asked to do up here...' okay, time to step off your knee now!  Anyway, a couple of shots of me at the top of the entry ladder into the cockpit.

One last shot before we go..

It was only as we left that Al admitted he'd gone to see Concorde last week at Manchester Airport, but had forgotten to take me...

Like I say, total anorak!

05 November 2013 back to work!!!

Al and I travelled back to his old work for a short visit...  Didn't think too much of the room but Al says we'd have to get used to it seeing as we're only visitors here now : (

I went into the office and who did I see, but Di, my MUM!  You can see her in the photo, with her friend Caz on my left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04 - October 2013 'Loo does The Railway Children'

One of those favourite films is 'The Railway Children' 1970.  Al and Sandy thought it was about time we went to see where it was all filmed, near Haworth, Keighley in West Yorkshire, eh up!

So off early in the car to Keighley and onto
the train to Oxenhope.  But first let's have a cup of tea ...

 

 ...and a warm next to the fire.   er.what's that smell? acrylic?  where's that coming from?  Oh, we're off!

And then we're off to the childrens' home.  'Three Chimneys' 

 

Quick there's a train coming... WAVE!!

 

Six mile walk round

the loop and I had to take a

short sit-down rest ... hidden in full view eh?