What are you all up to
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Same here roll on Spring but did see about 100 snowdrops out not far from us the other day which good to see and today I have 2 yellow crocus flowering and 1 daff in bud so the signs are the way I have got quite a few violas out in different colours.
Had a dry day today so some more washing done and nearly dried outside and then late afternoon the rain came back and more tomorrow think we have got webbed feet here ha ha.
@Wherenext sorry to hear about your OH and she improves quickly and you can get things sorted out.
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@nelliethehooker forgot to say hope Flyte's leg improves soon give him a pat from us.
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New Towns - Talking of MK When we got married we couldn’t afford a house in the London area, we lived with my parents for a while and we had been on the council housing list for some time (those were the days when they still had them) we were told that we were almost at the top and any month now. By then our son was 18 months old. Unfortunately a few weeks later Idi Amin told all the Asian people to get out of Uganda, arriving in this country they needed to be housed, we lived very near Heathrow where most arrived, so we were then told that we had dropped back to the bottom of a now long list and it would now be years. Being disappointed I called in to a housing display for a New Housing Project for Northampton. We were told that if OH could get a job there we could have a brand new 3 bedroom house! We moved in a month later, it was a lovely community, all new Mums in our road and because no one had family locally, we’d all moved there from various places, we all looked out for each other. 3 years later we were offered a council flat back home but by then we didn’t want to go back. I loved where we lived and think that New Towns are such a good idea. Later we bought a house there and lived there for 13 years before moving here.
Today I’ve painted the skirting boards in the dining room because they were a bit scuffed. Then we went into the garage to find the emulsion we had used on the walls to touch up a few places that had got marked. 9 large pots of paint found, 5 looked likely candidates so got stirred, none matched! Some pots we don’t even remember buying but could we find the one we needed! I like the colour it perfectly matches the wallpaper on one wall in the room, so I wasn’t very happy. Looks like I might have to do all three walls now, just hope that I can find a similar coloured paint.
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@DEBSC Interesting you mentioned Uganden Asians. When I was a junior manager in the dress fabric department we had a guy working for us who, and his family, had been expelled fro Uganda. I think his family had their own shop out there. Anyway one day he was showing a lady some fabric and she pointed out what she thought was a flaw. His response was priceless. But madam its only on the backside. Whilst that was true it sounded so funny!
One of the major benefits of new towns as you mention was the offer of a new house if you came with a job. We were offered one but we had already decided on private development. Many people purchased the houses they were offered at big discounts. I don't think there arw many now owned by the local authority? We had a lovely older couple in our close who took on the role of welcome committee.
David
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Cold but dry here today, getting colder too. A little shopping, milk, eggs and fruit, on the way to DD’s for lunch before picking up Nathan from school. He and I then went to Aldi to buy a new laminator, then to pick up Callum, and home to fit DD’s new instant warm water tap in the cloakroom by the front door.
It is so far from the combi boiler that it takes ages for hot water to arrive, so 7 years back she had me fit a tap that heats water as it is dispensed. This had started leaking and was in a bad way, so a new, different, one arrived today. Took me a while to fit as all the power had to be switched off, so I had to wait till the internet could be disconnected. Was well after 6 before it was done, so a late drive home and a late dinner.No further word on the car repairs as yet. Paid my income tax last night, so becoming an expensive week!
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Sorry to read that your OH had not been feeling well @Wherenext and that she is soon feeling better.
Thanks all for the kind words about Flyte, it is just short walks for us with him at the moment.
I received a phone call from the hospital this morning about the biopsy result. I will have to go in for a minor operation early next month to remove the area around lesion, so will now just have to wait for a date to have it done locally. Then this afternoon if was a visit to the dentist to get a crown fitted, and a painful tooth removed. This turned into a bit of a disaster as the infected tooth broke during its extraction, so the root remains. I will have to wait and see if the pain has disappeared and if not it will be back again to have the nerve taken out.
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Well we are back to dull, grey and cold after yesterday's sun. Even bigger damp in tge air despite drying road surfaces. I know because I threw some dusty covers over the line to let them blow a bit before washing. When I got them in after an hour, they were quite damp.
The bulk of the kitchen work etc is finished so now await a date for the decorators. Naturally the latent energy of the unused energy of the renovation period has decided it wants to sofa surf!
I vacc'd around again once they guys had gone. The dust will eventually go.....
I cleaned the fridge out, after the electrician left early this afternoon, prior to turning it on. It says don't load for 6 years after turning on. No power 😕. Called the builder, at the back of my mind was the information I'd been given that as well as the 'hard wired' socket there was an on/off socket should there be the need to remove it without turning the house power off. (Highly likely not the correct terminology 🤣). It was the issue. The plinth needs to come off, and the socket turned on. So he'll be here 0730 tomorrow. We both laughed.
I then sorted the dishwasher. Had to do a hard water test and set the machine! Very easy with the provided with the instructions. I was surprised to find we are medium hard on the scale. Then ran it empty. No leaks or drips thankfully - not that I was expecting any. So tonight it's washing our dirty crocks.
I won't be rushing restoring stuff to cupboards, after they've been cleaned, as that'll mean I'll need to cook meals..Besides tomorrow I have to take OH to get his hair and beard sorted. We have a extended family meal Sunday, an early celebration my up coming birthday - ending with a zero, so I'll need to tart up a bit. And when you reach these numbers rushing isn't advised. We'll that's my take on it!
@Wherenext sorry to hear your OH feeling poorly. Wish her better. Caring isn't an easy task - however loving the relationship. More days out sound like a good idea if it's possible.
@nelliethehooker I hope Flyte recovers soon. Edit, our posts crossed. Your dental experience sounds horrid. Hopefully the pain will subside. Again your the 3rd person I know of currently suffering painful dental issues.
@KjellNN some of us here, including @Takethedogalong are in a similar position with outgoings at the moment 🫣
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B2, good to hear that your kitchen is nearing completion, what colour doors did you choose? Hope you manage to get it all cleaned and back in action soon, plaster dust is the worst thing to get rid of!
We find the October to March part of the year always costly, 2 cars to insure, tax and service, house insurance, caravan service and insurance, tax to pay, repairs on the house, seems never ending at the moment. More house repairs, the front steps, a flight of 7, will be needed soon too……just need to decide exactly what to do with them. Previously we would have been tackling things ourselves, but age is catching up with us.Time too for us to think about holidays this year, assuming the car is up to towing the caravan. The last couple of years we have only revisited places we have been to before, so perhaps time to find new destinations. OH is still suffering from Sciatica, 4+ months now, it is very painful and really getting her down, so wondering if she will be up to going anywhere, but making plans will give us something to look forward to.
DD and family are off to London and Legoland over Easter, so we can please ourselves for a few weeks.
Hope your tooth settles down Nellie, dental pain is one of the worst.
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@nelliethehooker sorry to hear your plans will be on hold again. It does all seem to be happening at once for folks at the moment. Hope you get your tooth sorted as well, my sister had same a couple of years ago, luckily without much pain.
@Wherenext thinking of you as well, we know exactly how things are for you, and it’s very hard. Sending best wishes to you all.
Same to others as well, this time of year can be a bit of a plod and this horrible weather doesn’t help. Have a good weekend.
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Sorry to hear of your problems @nelliethehooker - hope they both get resolved soon.
I had an early start, this morning - left home at 0715 for an appt. at the Dentist in Beverley at 0800 to have a tooth extracted. It's been wobbly for at least the last 10 years - a big one at the back - and it's become a bit of a joke between us and I've said just leave it. That was when I was an NHS patient but that finished last year when all existing patients were told, either go privately or leave the practice. It started to get a bit painful a week or so ago - so decided to have it out. Should have done it years ago and saved myself £170 as it turns out! Worse part were the anaesthetic jabs - the tooth came out in about 2 seconds flat! Didn't even know it had gone. Turns out there was an abscess beneath it - hence the pain so it was a good job I had it done. He told me to take it easy today because I'm on anti-coagulants and he didn't want the bleeding to start again. So - I'm having a lazy day😉
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@Wherenext sorry to read your OH is somewhat under the weather; being a carer can take its toll, as attention is usually focused on the "patient" as it were, but carers are often overooked, but they need care too. Glad you had a lovely day out on Wednesday, being outside in nature does help.
@nelliethehooker sorry to hear about Flyte's problems, I hope he improves soon; it's difficult when a pet has health problems, it's not like you can explain anything. And as for yourself, you are also going through it at the moment. The dental visit sounds very unpleasant, with another visit looming as well. Good luck with it.
@Takethedogalong glad your new iPad seems to work well for you, that was very annoying dropping the other one. Good luck with the leaks too, it never rains, but it pours springs to mind.......
@Bakers2 you must be relieved that the kitchen is just about finished, it's a really big job, isn't it? It's the dust etc that's one of the worst parts I found, you seem to be forever cleaning up and then an hour later it's as bad again.
The weather here in Lancashire hasn't been too bad the last few days, Wednesday was really quite nice, yesterday also dry, albeit quite cold and not much sun, and today rain was forecast, but up to now haven't seen a drop. It did rain overnight as it woke me up, but nothing since.
Have a good weekend everyone.
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Awful journey up to Middlesbrough, torrential rain. We stopped off in Thirsk for lunch, now in hotel. Can see ground out of window, so not a long walk tomorrow.
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@Wherenext its difficult being a carer however much love there is. Would MIL agree to a few days respite in a local Care Home, to then enable you both to get away for a short break. An elderly aunt of ours used to book herself into a very nice local, to her, Home for a few days if she fancied a bit of TLC, she always called these breaks her little holidays.
@nelliethehooker I hope that Flyte picks up very soon. I can sympathise about the tooth, my gum has healed over now after the, according to the dentist ‘brutal extraction’. But it was so painful for a time.
After contacting our GP surgery about the problem Specsavers have had trying to remove the ear wax from my ear they finally booked me an appointment with the nurse. I went today, explaining that it had been 3 months now of deafness and earaches. And 5 tries to remove the wax. She said they would irrigate it. However, when she looked she said it was too inflamed to do and the wax was so near the ear drum. I expect that hurts she said! So now another three weeks of doing nothing, then she’ll check again, if a little better then more olive oil drops for a week and then return for the irrigation. I have to say that if, as in the past years, the GPs surgery still irrigated it in the first place it probably wouldn’t have got so sore and I wouldn’t have needed to book at least 3 appointments with them instead of the one. A false economy I would say. And that’s not to mention the 5 tries at Specsavers, and the constant earaches. With now another month to add to the three already.
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Truncated post from me as using phone data, but wishing those with health issues well.
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Funnily enough @DEBSC my dear MiL made that very same suggestion. We were loathed to raise the subject as there are so many stories of local ones and the poor service provided by them plus my FiL went into respite to give all 3 of us a break many years ago. The poor man had Alzheimer and the experience he had has left an indelible stain on her. It was partly restored when he had to go into a care home permanently and they looked after him wonderfully well but that home doesn't do respite, besides which it was years ago. Nevertheless a brand spanking new home has opened only a couple of months ago and she agreed to inspect it. We called in today en route to M&S and they made a good impression. We're not forcing the issue, she has to come to that decision herself. We'll give her time to digest what she's seen and been told. The staff couldn't have been friendlier and to be honest if she doesn't go I think I might book myself in for a fortnights pampering.😂 In the meantime we'll plough on, make some tentative plans and see what transpires.
Good luck with your ears. I should imagine sleeping or trying to is challenging.
Enjoy your time at the Riverside tomorrow @Takethedogalong. Hope you've taken appropriate warm clothing. I remember freezing in April at St.James Park, Newcastle one year. That North East wind can be cruel.
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Hope those with that have been suffering with health problems are soon on the mend, that you are able to get your ears cleared out soon @DEBSC ; and that your wife is rid of her Sciatica so that you can get away in your caravan @KjellNN provided of course that the garage is able to repair your tow car.
Enjoy the match tomorrow @Takethedogalong there should be a good atmosphere and an exciting game with Norwich improving recently.
@Wherenext it would be good for both you and your OH if your MIL is happy to stay in the Care Home for a while to give you both a break away.
It sounds as if you did right getting that back tooth removed @richardandros and I am pleased that it was easily accomplished, I just wish mine had been that easy!😁
Thanks again all for your concern about Flyte and myself. He seems to be going much better today, perhaps him being part way through his course of steroids has helped, they certainly have negated the swelling in his ear lobe. I do not have any pain from the area of the extraction just a bit of bruising on my cheek. Hopefully it will stay that way.
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We are hopeful that the car will be fixed soon, word from the garage today that they were busy putting it all back together and will test drive it on Monday. All being well then, I should be able to go and pick it upon Monday afternoon. We shall see!
Tomorrow is Nathan’s 5th birthday, he is having a soft play party with all his school class, refreshments provided, so Mummy had party bags to prepare today. To give her peace to do that, I was dispatched to pick up Callum from school, bring him home and then take Nathan to his gymnastics class. It was all finished by the time we returned, and the cake was being assembled.
On Sunday there is a family “coffee and cake” party for handing over birthday presents, but we left his birthday card so he has it to open on the actual day. He is very excited about it all!
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Sorry to hear about your trip to the dentist @nelliethehooker. That sounds very painful. I presume that you won't be going away on your travels anytime soon. Hopefully by the time the weather improves you will have successfully completed your hospital visit and your tooth will have healed so you can get away. @richardandros at least your visit to the dentist, although expensive, wasn't too painful. I have had several visit to the dentist recently - tooth extraction and crown and bridge fitted - although expensive they weren't too painful thankfully. I am off to fetch my new glasses from Specsavers shortly. It has been an expensive month!
I hope your MIL decides to have a respite few days in the care home @Wherenext that you visited so that you and your OH can have a bit of worry free R&R. My MIL found a nice care home near us that she decided to use for respite care occasionally and finally decided that she would like to live there permanently which worked out very well. It was all her decision. She just told us after she had arranged it all.
You will be glad to get your kitchen finished @Bakers2. It is the dust that seems to be the worst problem as @InaD mentioned.
I hope you get your ears sorted out with the nurse at the GP surgery @DEBSC It has been a long haul.
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On the subject of Development Corporations - we had a Development Corporation in Peterborough 1968 to 1998. They developed the new townships in Peterborough which expanded Peterborough considerably and brought in thousands of people, mostly from London, who all had the offer of a new house. They also built all the new parkways which make it easy to get around Peterborough and also planted hundreds of trees. Also they developed Nene Park and Ferry Meadows and a wonderful man called Wyndham Thomas who oversaw the whole project, including Ferry Meadows, made sure that the local council couldn't get their hands on it by setting it up as a trust which it still is today. If it had come under the control of the council it wouldn't exist today. There is talk of setting up another Development Corporation now to oversee the new development around Peterborough train station and the access to the city centre.
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The talk of respite care brought back memories of my father in law. Every other Christmas he went to OHs sister, but with all her children and grandchildren staying there wasn’t much room and it was hectic. So it was fully agreed that FIL would sleep at a very nice Home just close to them and be collected each morning after breakfast then taken back in the evening. New Years Eve he asked to go back at around 9pm. The next day he seemed very tired. On speaking to the staff it transpired that, while all the other residents slept he had celebrated New Year in the staff room, and while the staff had maybe had one drink to celebrate he had had a few. He had kept them all entertained with stories of him being in a plane flying during the war. And then stories of him being a publican for very many years. They asked if he could come back the following year. 😂
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@milliehull here in MK all the parkland is in a Trust so obviously similar to Peterborough. No doubt your Development Corporation suffered the samw fate as MK? Peterbourgh was a year or two behind MK. I attended a dinner once where the afterdinner speaker was head of the Peterborough Development Corporation, probably the guy you mentioned. The expansion of Peterbourgh was different to MK but agree the road network in both is pretty good. Ferry Meadows is one of the easist Club sites to get to because of that road system.
David
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In 1976 we moved to Redditch Worcestershire and at that time the local Development Corporation were building a lot of new homes around the town and again like other folk have said did put in a large park/lake for folks to have a area to walk and fish the lake and bike rides around it, but the style of the houses being built were awful so we ended up on the old west side in a small cul de sac but soon we had houses going up around us and a main road so instead of fields up the road from us more housing estates and as we are not townies even though OH born in middle of Birmingham we decided to move south west to Somerset in early 1983 as OH had found a better job there so he travelled to and from there for about 6 to 8 weeks until we moved but he did stay in a local hotel as the firm he worked for paid for the hotel and our removal company which was a very good at the time.
Have had some glimpses of sun today but still very wet everywhere and now cloudy again, had a enjoyable few hours with friends yesterday and a good lunch as well OH sorting computer issues out for them and had a haircut as our friend trained as a hairdresser many years ago, they are off to UK next Sunday for a friends birthday party so flying from Toulouse to Bristol, and another set of friends are off to UK to see a new grandson born a few weeks ago an unusual name of Theodore and he will be called teddy.
Have a good weekend folks.
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Beautifully sunny morning, relatively mild too. Overdressed for the village dog walk!
Builder in this morning, removing the last of his equipment and doing last bit of siliconing. Decorators coming on 9th so a week of non early starts - yay! And time to potter at returning stuff. But not to the pantry as builder would like the doors removed for painting the architraves. As it will involve painting all downstairs bar the lounge, study and cloakroom I'm expecting a couple of weeks. Bonus if it's less. Then I'll properly tackle cleaning. Keeping a path until then.
Builder put all the old appliances in the garage where the new kitchen was stored. So I swept out the covered alcove and replaced what lives there. Then pegged out some washing. Just grabbed in, worst of the drying done, as it's raining. Our bins live under cover and that area needed to be used for cutting when it rained, so they've been returned, but I need to clean the shelves - bird food and other stuff live on them, of sawdust, but not today.
Also managed go retrieve all my pots of bulbs from the greenhouse. That gave me room to walk in and give things a dampen, it faces south, anx some were surprisingly dry. I was also able to pull off some dead stuff on a bed I could reach,making tge snowdrops look less shabby.
Will draw breath for a few days, early extended family (not the NZ clan 🥲) birthday dinner tomorrow. Advance birthday greetings @milliehull 🎂 🥳 🎉. Then potter at straightening around, but bear in mind decorating. I will certainly have the entire day off for my birthday, as best as I'm able. Hopefully seeing an old friend, not as old as me but getting there!, Friday on her way home to Northumbetland with a drop off at Peterborough station. Despite chasing her I still have no real idea of timings or arrangements. If she wants a bed she'll have to clear the stuff off of it 🤣. It's clean and made.
It's really raining now, but my snowdrops and cyclamen are really putting on a show. They'd look better in the sun!
I hope others have a good weekend and ailments get sorted as soon as possible.
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@milliehull thankfully the pain, following my dental visit, has nearly gone, so perhaps I won't be going back there for a while.
@KjellNN fingers crossed that you get your car back early next week, and the you too can start planning your trips.
It sounds as if all your work on the house is nearing completion @Bakers2 and I am sure you will be mightily relieved.
This morning the hospital emailed me with a date for the procedure in early March so we hope to get away in a week or so for a short while, but not sure when or where yet.
Early birthday greetings to both of you @Bakers2 and @milliehull I hope you both have a lovely day.
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Do you feel old?
Conversation with my almost 5 year old grandson yesterday who's doing space at school.
We're sitting on the sofa learning the planets, with very good songs courtesy of YouTube on Daddy's phone following something they'd watched and sung in class.
"I'm going to be an astronaut when I grow up." Me, "you'll need to learn and study lots"' And we discuss weightlessnes. Zero gravity and the simulators they put astronauts in that spin and twist...…
On the song, there's the sun and all the planets in the order from the sun singing/rapping about their properties. Earth's moon is going round the earth. "That's where the rocket has been." "Yes" say I.. "When I was a little girl, about the age of naming his eldest cousin in NZ, I watched the moon landing". "Did you watch it on your phone?" "No on the TV in black and white"....... 🫣🤔😲🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Enjoy your lunch for your special birthday @Bakers2 🎂🍰. Hope you have a great time. Thank you for my early birthday wishes.
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@Bakers2 love the conversation with your little grandson! I remember a similar conversation with our grandson many years ago talking about vehicles, I said we never had a car when I was his age, my Dad had a motorcycle and a sidecar to put me and my sister - ‘perhaps they hadn’t invented cars then Granny?’ - 😵💫😂. Hope you have a great birthday get together, and look forward to a finished kitchen.
BTW my friend in NZ is fine and she didn’t have too many issues with the bad weather fortunately. Although she has almost given up with her smallholding, the veg she grows either doesn’t grow, if it’s too dry or rots when it’s too wet! Although she is in her late 70’s now so has admitted she just can’t keep up with it. She always grew most of her food, she still has a couple of sheep, but no longer breeding, chickens and ducks.Best wishes to all the other birthday celebrations and good luck with the medical issues to all affected.
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Been a quiet weekend here so far. Spent some time at sons flat yesterday doing some work then just relaxed during afternoon. Gave the car a clean this morning but not much happening now quite mild but it’s raining on and off. Glad January is out of the way it’s my least favourite month and I always feel once we get in to Feb the days begin to get longer and we can look forward to the spring and we also have our first weekend away booked now for nearer the end of the month
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Lovely weekend away for us. Not a nice drive up in pouring rain, but hotel was very nice, comfy, clean and a really good couple of nights sleep. Stopped off in Thirsk on way up. We had a wander around Middlesbrough Sat morning, found church where OH’s Granny got married. Had lunch at a very nice eatery, then back to hotel for a cuppa and to get our stuff for match. Twenty minute walk to ground, great atmosphere inside, not many seats empty, apart from away fan allocation, hardly surprising as it’s a long way from Norwich. Good game, Boro scored early, and took the wind out of Norwich’s sails, then both teams had some near misses. Only 1-0 in the end but it certainly wasn’t boring. We ambled back to town centre with everyone else, then had a nice meal in hotel. Decent breakfast next morning, then we headed off for a bit more Middlesbrough exploring. Church where OH’s Mum and Dad got married during WW2, house where his Grandma lived, and some of the Uni buildings he recalled from is time at Teesside Uni. Drove up to Saltburn, very busy there, loads of surfers out and plenty of folks in pier and beach. We only stopped briefly, drove on coast road down to Whitby, and had a good two hours walking the “new town” up to North Cliff area, then down from jawbone to harbour area. Ages since we have walked this side, glad to report that Bothams Tea Rooms and bakery are still thriving, closed on Sundays though. We made do with a nice ice cream instead. Down across moors on A171 into Scarborough, then onto A64 to York, pick up A19 to go home via Selby. Interesting drive home.
Riverside Stadium, just before kick off. Plenty more fans filled the empty seats. We can’t get tickets for match close to home sold out.
Whitby, churches up on South Cliff. Lovely blue skies.
These are “The Herring Girls” part of a sculpture trail around Whitby, lots of different aspects celebrating the port’s fishing heritage.
Final photo is the “Scales of Justice” sculpture outside court rooms in Middlesbrough. Wonderful expressions on the faces of the two children😂
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Belated birthday wishes @Bakers2 - hope you had a nice day - and birthday wishes to you, too @milliehull - although I don't know when it is!!
Wonderful photos @Takethedogalong - pleased you enjoyed the match. Wouldn't worry though, they'll soon be off the second spot in the league😉🤣🐯🐯
Seeing that sculpture of the Herring Girls made me think back to when I first went there - must have been about 70 years ago - and, in the summer - the harbour was packed with the herring fleet - many of them following the herring down from Scotland - to the extent that you could almost walk from boat to boat across the harbour. Oh, how Whitby has changed!!
After a lovely sunny day, yesterday - with blue skies and a hint of Spring - we've reverted back to another grey, overcast one.
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