What are you all up to
Comments
-
Where are you this coming Friday @nelliethehooker ? We are heading to Spofforth on Thursday night, going to Harlow Carr on Friday, then across to Skipton Saturday for our Steam Train Afternoon tea. Decided to stay at that lovely little CS at Spofforth, as it’s only £15 per night. Bolton Abbey was over £40 per night!!😱 Plus we would have to rejoin. It was cheaper for a room at Travelodge at Skipton but we wanted to use MH.
1 -
Well, just managed to complete another jigsaw. Not quite as slow as the first one after my stroke but still not quite as fast as I used to do them although I suppose speed is not really important. This on is the Ravensburger Christmas Special edition 2025.
David
8 -
You have done very well with that jigsaw @DavidKlyne it looks a rather confusing puzzle.
Have emailed you @Takethedogalong That's a fair bit of difference in price between the CS and the club site!!
Rather mixed weather today, with a dry cloudy and cool morning after rain through the night, then sunshine from mid morning until late afternoon when the rain returned blown in on a very strong wind that is rocking the van at times. We drove over to Saltaire with the intention of taking a walk along the canal and then viewing the Hockney exhibition after lunch but the car park was packed to the gills, so we made do with a walk along by the R Aire and a visit to Aldi to restock. It could be a short & wet final walk shortly.
This blossom tree and the flats behind caught my eye today
A rather fine casting in the park.
5 -
Love the jigsaw @DavidKlyne. 👍👍 Not a bad day of weather today, but a bit windy with a shower around tea time.
Spent most of the day with the MIL, preparing for her eventual move to 'sheltered accomodation'. Of course, we ended up at Starbucks!! 😀😀
David
4 -
You've got a lot more patience than I have @DavidKlyne ! Ros bought me a set of three x 1000 piece jigsaws as a stocking filler for the Christmas before last, thinking I could do them when we were away in the caravan. I think I lasted about 2 hours before I gave up and I'm not even sure where they are now!!
Made the most of the dry weather over the last couple of days and have managed to get the van polished ready for going away next week - although I nearly got blown off the steps this morning😮. It's blowing an absolute stink here at the moment but at least I've managed to avoid the rain that's due later.
One thing that's annoying me, though - if you look carefully, you can see that the grab handle at the front has dirty marks on it - and the other one's the same (and I can't understand why because they've never been used 'in anger'). I have tried everything to clean them and I just can't budge the marks. I've even tried 3000 grit wet and dry - a tip given to me by Paul from Tourershine - but even that has no effect. Any suggestions, anyone?
1 -
You could try Barkeepers Friend, or make up a bicarbonate and water paste, leave on for a few minutes, then scrub off. But make sure you carefully protect the van from either solution, you don’t want the tiniest amount on your panels.
Lovely but windy day here. Cold though.
0 -
There was a funeral yesterday for one of our congregation members at the Cathedral and a dear friend to many of us. He didn't have any relatives so the clergy arranged a lovely funeral for him. He died alone at home. It is all so sad. However most of the congregation attended which was lovely.
I have been out this morning for a foot appointment and then to do some grocery shopping and gosh that high wind is bitter. Glad to be back in doors and hopefully not going out again today.
Goodness that was an achievment with the jigsaw @DavidKlyne Well done. I am afraid I am like @richardandros and don't have the patience for jigsaws.
Your caravan looks very smart @richardandros
2 -
We had 10 minutes of snow this morning, otherwise blue sky and sunshine, but quite windy at times.
Have started making the “concrete boots” for DD’s BBQ shelter, should get a second piece made this coming weekend. We are using a ready bagged mix for convenience, need to get a couple more bags tomorrow
0 -
Thanks for that suggestion @Takethedogalong - I'll give it a try. And thanks for your comment @milliehull and it was nice to hear that most of the congregation attended the funeral. It would have been really sad if there had been no one there. Re - jigsaws - I usually have lots of patience - spent hours doing fiddly bits with model making or wood turning in the past, but jigsaws just don't do it for me. I admire your persistence @DavidKlyne 😀.
0 -
@milliehull thats a fabulous gesture, and makes all the difference to those friends he leaves behind. A proper send off.
I hope it works @richardandros bicarb of soda is a fantastic cleaning product, as is white vinegar or lemon juice, but you do have to be careful on some surfaces.
1 -
@milliehull so nice if all the people to turn up for the funeral
@richardandros van looks lovely ours is filthy at the moment after our recent trip to Chester hopefully get it washed at the weekend
we had hail this morning and it’s been very windy all day but it’s nice and sunny now very cold though
0 -
@milliehull that sounds like a lovely send off with lots of people attending his funeral.
All these clean 'vans 🫣 impressed.
Gosh it's turned very very chilly with really strong winds. Last night, the night vent in our bedroom window caught the wind and 'sang' often. Then we had a terrific squall.
I'm not going to say much, save I gave up on trying to get a GP appointment or result of my chest xray. I started to feel better and so far so good, day 3 of no siesta 🤣 and this morning I took myself to St Ives for a wander, explore and mooch. Quite successful too! Then I had an hour before collecting our grandson from school. He was 5 yesterday 🫣 where did that go 🤔?
@DavidKlyne fabulous jigsaw, well done.
Just watching BBC4 a thousand bees in my garden - wow.
Loving all the news and photos, keep them coming
@Goldie146 I hope you're beginning to feel better and settled now you're home? And that you're not overdoing anything!!
Our resident artist placed the Easter postbox topper yesterday. Definitely her most ambitious it was blowing well today, but standing up well
8 -
Thanks everyone for the kind comments about the jigsaw. I appreciate they are not for everyone but I find them quite relaxing and I quite enjoy the challenge. Not sure I would have tried to do one in the van as with everything else going on I don't think I would complete a puzzle in on a single trip? Over time you also develop your own method of completing them. I imagine that most complete the edges first? I then tend to look for parts of the picture which are easy to identify, could be a boat, car or a train. So I construct in blocks and the gradually build them together. Some people separate the pieces either into shape or colour. I do sometimes do that towards the end as it speeds up completion but that is just my method. I keep the photographs in their own file and it seems I have completed 52 so far. I have more to do. I did see for sale a circular map of the London underground, am I brave enough?
David
3 -
@richardandros the caravan looks great, you have done a fine job there. I hope that @Takethedogalong tips do the trick. I think that the rubberized nature of the handles make them difficult to keep clean.
Somebody has spent a lot of time and effort in producing that decoration, @Bakers2 a grand effort. I 'm very pleased to read that you are starting to feel better, and hope your improvement continues.
It was heartening to read your post about the funeral of one of your cathedral's congregation @milliehull and that most of the congregation attended it.
We moved up to the CC's Knaresborough site today for a couple of nights, making use of the spring free night offer. It is our first visit here and will probably be our last as we are not impressed, just another car-park type site with no views, apart from other units, although it is obviously not so with many members, as it is full tonight, and according to the site staff it has been that way for a while. Every one to there own thing, I suppose.
We had rain overnight, and strong winds which have continued throughout the day, but it stayed dry from getting up and although cool the sun was out for most of the time.
0 -
@nelliethehooker I know your not a big fan of the main club sites but we visited the Knaersborough one last summer for the first time last year. We liked it you might not see it at this time of year but when we were there in July the wardens had done a great job with the flower arrangements all around the site also the cafe/bar on site was a bonus for us we had a meal there a couple of the nights and made use of the outside seating area. As you say the club site can be a bit bland but we do like them although we do have a handful of CLs we use now. Enjoy your trip
0 -
@Bakers2 fabulous topper, such a lot of work. Glad you feeling a bit better.
@DavidKlyne I like jigsaws as well, haven’t done one for ages though. I like to leave one out and dip in every so often. At the moment, I am in a woollly phase, so there’s no room🤭 OH does sort of giant jigsaw puzzles, puts engines and car bits back together. The air can turn blue if there’s a piece missing! Or won’t fit!
@nelliethehooker we haven’t stayed at Knaresborough, but we have used Port Arthur Farm CL, which is very close by. It had just opened, we enjoyed a couple of nights there. Years ago now, we still had caravan in use.
0 -
@Bakers2 I am so glad that you are at last feeling better. We used to love a wander round St Ives when staying at the Houghton Mill site. I love the post box topper.
OH has lost one of his hearing aids (again 😳) When he rang Audiology for an appt for some new ones he was told he needed a hearing test which needed a referral from his GP. My heart sank. I eventually put in a request online and OH has a telephone appt with a GP tomorrow. Best of luck with that as OH won't be able to hear him 😁
1 -
@milliehull ”Best of luck with that as OH won't be able to hear him 😁. Your post made me laugh, sadly typical these days! We had a random telephone call a few days ago from our GP asking to speak to OH, mild panic as we haven’t been to the doctors for quite a while. Apparently the routine annual blood test OH had before Christmas showed a slight deterioration in kidney function, ok what do we need to do? Oh nothing it’s fine, they were just informing us. You couldn’t make it up could you! If we wanted to speak to a Doctor it would be few weeks wait!
0 -
@heddlo It makes you want to weep sometimes doesn't it!!
1 -
@heddlo and @milliehull - you have my sympathy- we have a similar situation here. I think I've mentioned before that Ros has had / has a lot of problems with polyps in her bowel and she has been having a colonoscopy every year for the last 30 years or so. Last year, however, she had three colonoscopies and a lot of polyps removed. She then gets an appt to see her consultant, a couple of weeks ago - online message, of course - to get the results. Then - about a week later she gets another on-line letter - from her consultant, essentially telling her everything's fine and all the polyps were benign - no need for any further action. Good news! Then - yet another reminder for the original appt at a hospital about half an hour away - on the afternoon before we are due to go away. Rings consultant's secretary - surely there's no need to attend, she asks - given the detail of the letter. "Oh I don't know", this obviously young secretary says. "I think you should come anyway". So we're going to waste an afternoon when we have plenty of other things to be getting on with - just to be told what she already knows and I'm sure the consultant could be using his time to greater effect!.Left hand and right hand - eh? Is there any wonder the NHS is in the state it is?
1 -
I just saw this on the internet. How true 🤣
7 -
The NHS apparently has some 600 million patient interactions a year so I suppose in the scheme of things a few problems will arise? Interestingly the private sector is not immune from issues. When Margaret was waiting for her first hip replcement, which was being done privately, we had a phone call one morning asking where she was as the theater staff were waiting to do the operation. The only problem was that no one had told us!!!
Anyway we have been to MK University Hospital today as Margaret had an appointment in Audiology. Her current hearing aids have not been as effective as they should be for some time, albeit they are getting on a bit. The upshoot that she has been givng a new set, so a bit of a result. There is a Costa Coffee in the main entrance so we treated ourselves to a coffee and something to eat. I should avoid too much caffine so I had a decaff Americano which tasted the same as a non decaff which is encouraging.
David
0 -
Currently on the club site at Chirk, on the way home from Evesham after part exchanging our Van with no name for a small Coachbuild. Stayed at Chapel Lane site last night.
We broke the journey at Attingham Park NT for lunch and a stroll. Much better day, weather wise, than yesterday. Home tomorrow. Can't believe how busy the site is.
A couple of photos from today.
A worm in an apple!
The Repton Oak, about 650 years old but still going.
7 -
@Wherenext New van looks great hope you enjoy it. We use Chapel Lane almost every year as our stop over site on our way south its very handy for all the surrounding motorways also a great farm shop just across the road. We always feel like we are on holiday when we arrive at Chapel Lane as we are usually only a few hours away from our (Main) site for a couple of weeks where ever that may be. Not decided where we are going this summer yet though
1 -
Ah, you’ve gone down the AS route @Wherenext. The Nuevo is very popular.
Is a good place to visit if you have questions.
2 -
I'm feeling extremely sad 😪😪.
I went to put some food for the birds over the fence onto the school field once the children had left for the day, as I often do if I don't want the dog to get it! Grapes today.
There laying in the field was 'our' hedgehog deceased. No blood, no inners just the prickly case. 😪😪😪.
I've asked a neighbour to contact the school so the remains can be removed before the children find them.
The field is adjacent to our side path, a good 6 foot lower than the level of our garden so I have no means to retrieve it.
I've never seen a fox, or evidence of one, in the garden - Dora would definitely have let us know, she loves their perfumed droppings.... or badgers.
We've had a beautifully sunny if chilly day. Washing dried on the line. A good walk across the fields for Dora on her 6th birthday. Where did those years go? The blue haze of the bluebells is getting stronger. Then I took himself for his hair and beard trim - I recognise him again now 😉. Plus we moved our existing Nationwide 1 access ISA's paying just 2.8% to their new one paying 4%. 😀. I call them the 'just in case' ISA's not needed to spoil things for 8 years 🤞. Almost time to review ISA offers for the new tax year 😉
1 -
Sorry to hear about your hedgehog @Bakers2 I hope the school managed to remove the corpse before the children came out.
It has been a fine sunny, but still quite cool day. We had a pleasant walk from the site down to Nidd Gorge. The site is less busy tonight but expected to be full again from tomorrow.
Pitched up on the Knaresborough site.
3 -
@Bakers2 how sad about ‘your’ hedgehog, hopefully another one will appear. We have 2 or 3 that visit our garden, we leave food and water out every night it’s usually mostly gone by morning but I do have worry on the days it doesn’t go! We often put out a trail cam so we can see them.
0 -
Slept the sleep of the Innocents last night (so the saying can't be true 😂) Woke up to gentle rain but we managed to pack up in the dry and were home within the hour. Unpacked in the dry as well. The problem is we now, over the weekend, have to put everything we took out of the other one into this new one (new to us anyway). A fun weekend to come. Whoever was the lone owner has looked after it very well.
Thanks for the contact details @Tinwheeler.
Hedgehogs have a tough life trying to survive @Bakers2 but always sad to see a favourite meet its end. Sorry to hear of it though.
1 -
Arrived home on Tuesday after a lovely time in North Norfolk. Unfortunately when driving through a village an oncoming vehicle travelling very fast and over my side of the road struck my towing mirrors and smashed the glass. He didn’t bother to stop.
We put the new specialised towing cover on the van where we found an area of stitching had split, so now got to sort that.
On Sunday we are off to Rookesbury for a few days.
Have a good weekend everyone0
