Best Of
Re: What are you all up to
@Maplesparents Hope that your battery will take sufficient charge to enable you to get to the site and pitch up. A couple of days then on mains supply should charge it nicely. Perhaps, if you are not going to use the caravan on a frequent basis during the winter months, it might be advisable to purchase a second battery which you can keep charged at home and then swop them over whenever you pick up your caravan.
They definitely charge locally, but I have no idea what the charges are as we live within walking distance of our hospital, thankfully.live
@DEBSC that sounds like an exhausting day, hope that the outcome of the visit is satisfactory.
Hope your chap arrived on time and that all went as planned, @Wherenext
@Takethedogalong glad you had a good day out at W W and that all the memories it brought back were pleasant ones. Grand photo of the Jeep!😀
Re: What are you all up to
@Maplesparents - Best of luck on your maiden voyage. Hopefully any mistakes will just be one offs. Don't be reticent about asking for help on site. It's not a sign of weakness but of strength.
Free Hospital parking charges are a Welsh thing, I believe.
Re: What have you seen
Just had a look at the stars as we have a clear night here and I can see Saturn slightly South east, as I look at it but in the western sky, from Venus and in the Eastern sky I can see Jupiter shining quite brightly. These next few weeks is special as there is going to be a chance with an excellent telescope to view all the Planets at the same time around the 20th.February.
Re: What are you all up to
We are very excited! Taking our first ever caravan ( a 2013 Coachman VIP/460 2 berth called Pearl) on our Maiden Voyage tomorrow. We live in Ashford, Kent but we store her in Staplehurst and we are doing two nights in nearby Goudhurst, Tanner Farm club site (literally 15 minutes from the storage site). However, came over to the storage yard today to take off her pyjamas (full cover) and put on her brand new towing cover, only to find the leisure battery is completely flat! She's been in storage since the beginning of December and it is a very 'hardy' leisure battery according to Halfords. It's about 2 years old, an LHB800. Frantically trying to charge it via our trickle feed charger at home atm and hoping there will be enough juice in it when we set off to go to Goudhurst tomorrow as we would rather use our motor mover than us shoving it about to hook up. We are complete novices to caravanning and there have been so many 'snags' that freak us out! We live in the hope that the more we are going out, the easier this will become :-)
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Re: What are you all up to
A long day yesterday and an early start. Never seen such a busy hospital, thought our local one got busy and been to Taunton hospital for OH but neither any comparison to Exeter. Lucky that OH could drive me there as couldn’t find anywhere to park. He dropped me off and I had completed the first part of my appointment before he could get parked, lots of cars driving around looking for parking. Very stressful if the patient was driving and I wonder how many appointments are held up due to this. Lovely volunteers in the reception area to direct patients to their appointment areas, such a good idea. We needed to be there for many hours, the restaurant there was huge and nice and extremely busy with both staff and patients. Finally finished late afternoon, still cars driving around looking for parking, someone waited for our space. We decided to visit the close by IKEA, had the obligatory meat balls for tea, they never fail to please. Lots of kids in the restaurant after school with parents, at their prices for kids meals we could see why. All we purchased though was a shoe horn for OH. Home about 7.30 last night. Housework this morning and my feet up in front of the tv now.
Re: What are you all up to
Due to take the ladies to town this morning when our afternoon appointment phoned and asked if he could come this morning instead. 15 minutes later and the answer would have been no but lucky for him it's yes. OH taken her mother down. Coffee called for now whilst I wait.
Nice memories @Takethedogalong.
Re: Flashing Warning Lights
A few points from the Spanish regulations that may need a bit of emphasis.
The light is designated a type V16. It has been useable in Spain since July 2021, instead of or in conjunction with a reflective triangle. Easy to purchase from various online stores.
From Jan 2026, the light will be compulsory, and warning triangles will not be valid. It will be compulsory for vehicles, both Spanish and foreign to carry a light available from within the driving compartment, such as the glove box. There will be fines for not carrying and/or deploying the light. The light will be self contained with its own battery built in.
A big point is that the light must be 'connected'. It will use 4G / 5G connectivity with a non removable SIM that has a guaranteed 12 years of validity. The price of the light must include this so there are no further charges. The connection will be made when the light is used, so there are no extra steps to take. This connectivity is a new compulsory requirement.
Only approved lights can be used, so watch out for 'word salad' sellers on online stores, unless they are selling a genuine article rather than a knock-off. This will ensure that the various tech specs, such as brightness, and 360 degree coverage, are met.
Not yet needed in France, but some bureaucrat is probably salivating.
Have fun.
Re: What are you all up to
The Tony Robinson series is very good, not recent though, we watched it a few years ago. The Cathedral at Peterborough was our reason for first staying at Ferry Meadows. I knew we could cycle in easily, and a very kind member of staff kept an eye on our bikes for us. I wanted to see the grave of Katherine of Aragon, and knew that Mary Queen of Scots was buried first there before being reinterred in Westminster Abbey.
Enjoyed our afternoon down in the cellars, and up in the attic rooms at Wentworth Woodhouse, a brand new tour, ours was the very first tour round. Enjoyed a nice coffee in the library as well. I used to revise for my exams in here………45 years ago😉
Ornate fire grate, in one of the attic rooms.
One of the library rooms, now used as a coffee and cake lounge.
We got permission to park outside the main entrance as we dropped off a load of books for fund raising sales. Not a bad backdrop for the Jeep😁
Re: What are you all up to
Thank you @Freddy55 I have seen it advertised and will certainly make sure I watch it. Unfortunately I don't think Peterborough is featured.
Re: What are you all up to
Thanks I didn't know. I've put it on record series, missed 3/4 of the 1st one, but at least I should remember to watch on catch up this way 🤣. I've been out to a very interesting talk on blue plaques in Peterborough.
@milliehull it's so sad that things have got so bad 😢. It's a great cathedral, which seems to try very hard. Sadly, I think the general demise of Peterborough Centre itself won't be helping. I'm not sure that charging to visit would bring in enough. Interestingly, the chap doing tonight's talk mentioned the site at Ferry Meadows. Quoted something like 55,000 visitors to the club site. Most wander round Ferry Meadows and perhaps stand in Cathedral Square and wonder what to do and probably don't even explore the Cathedral precincts. Maybe the club could promote the city!