What are you all up to
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We have now done 30 minutes of towing training on local roads, van still in one piece, so will now get it back into its place on the driveway. DD said she found it a bit nerve wracking, so we will have to make time for several more sessions before their holiday in July! She is usually a confident driver, but I expect it does take a while to get used to allowing extra width for the van, and using the extended mirrors.
If good weather tomorrow, she has stuff to do in her garden, so we may go down in the afternoon so I can help her…….she has 2 conifers to cut down, some other dead shrub to remove, and a holly tree to trim the lower branches of, in order to be able to get the caravan onto her drive in July to prepare for their trip. Plus there is a playhouse she plans to paint. Think I will stick with the tree cutting as she has asked me to bring along my big chainsaw.
Getting the van onto her drive will need some planning as she would need to occupy the spaces either side of the drop kerb the night before to have enough space to stop, unhitch and then use the mover. I think some careful measuring of the space available will be needed first. I would take it down and help her get it onto the drive, but their cars will need to reserve the spaces so she has enough room to get the van back onto the road again. It is either that or just park it on the road hitched up to her car, or they have to bring their stuff here to pack and pick the van up the morning they set out.
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@heddlo I don't remember having mechanical problems with the Morris. It only cost £199.00 when I purchased it, probably around 1970? The funnist thing was that we were once driving in heavy rain and Margaret complained that her feet were getting wet! A closer look underneath we found the floor was rotten in several places so had to have a welding job done. A problen not unique to the Moris as both a later Renault and Ford both suffered from bad rust. Modern cars don't seem to rust like those of the 70's/80's ones?
David
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@Wherenext thanks for the encouragement. I can manage one mug or a glass at a time but that is using my right hand. I can carry empty things with the left, after a fashion. In the house I can get around without my stick which enables me to carry such things. Not very elegant but I seem to manage.
David
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David, if you have space to park it, OH has found a suitably sized trolley from Ikea is very useful for moving things like dishes to the dishwasher safely, drinks to the lounge, and if the correct height, also good for support, instead of her sticks.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/loshult-trolley-pine-40576279/
She has this one here at home, and this one at DD’s house, but finds it a bit low.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/raskog-norrava-trolley-with-lid-grey-blue-s89580755/#content
Comes in several colours and with or without the “lid”
There is also this one
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ragrund-trolley-bamboo-20549418/
Again not as high.
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Enjoy your stay at Blackmore's C&CC site @Freddy55 that is one of our regular sites for later in the year.
Another fine looking jigsaw @DavidKlyne and I can't believe it is 12mths since your strike, keep up your improvement.
Pleased to read that the towing instruction is coming along @KjellNN perhaps your DD will be more confident when she is using her own car.
We didn't have a Morris Traveller but one of our Minis leaked like a sieve around the front window.
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Another dry but chilly day when out of the sunshine. Our walks were in the forest close to the site in the morning and then along by the R.Spey again, this time from Aberlour. The site has had a roughly constant 20 or so units while we have been here, only about 1/3 full.
Victoria Suspension Bridge over the Spey at Aberlour
This beauty was parked in the town, a 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 limousine
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The RR Phantom III was used by high ranking officers during WW2, hard to imagine now.
Great pics @nelliethehooker , keep ‘em coming 🙂
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Well, the match was good, except the end 0-0 result. Cue the second leg and hope for better. We got drenched walking back to hotel after game though. A lovely drive home down the East Coast beckons today, and the sun is shining again.
Lovely photos from everyone.
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Quite possibly Nellie, though she has frequently driven our Touareg over the last 9 years, and borrows it when she needs a car as OH finds it easier getting into the T-Cross these days.
We have extending mirrors that clip on to the wing and wheel arch, which I prefer and am used to, but she found, as her driving position is different to mine, that the rather sturdy pillars on the Touareg were a bit in the way. We have suggested that she might prefer to invest in a set of Milenco Grand Aeros to use on her Kodiaq.
We stuck to our local roads for her to get used to staying far enough from the kerb and allowing more space at corners and roundabouts, but will need to venture onto dual carriageways and motorways soon, starting with the Clydeside Expressway and the M77, before tackling the M8 through Glasgow, which can be very busy.We have now booked our first trip, in June, a week at East Fortune to visit friends. And are working on a second trip heading south after picking up the van at the end of DD & Co’s stay at Haggerston, have so far booked Lakeside at Castle Howard.
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@vbfg One of the reason I had five Kia's in a row was because of the 7 year warranty although I only remember one issue that needed to be sorted under warranty in all those years of ownership. We owned several Swift stabe caravans and really didn't have many issues with any of the. We also had two motorhomes which did have a few issues with damp but that was sorted by the dealer. I think motorhomes can be strange fish as they are individually built, probably without the fine tolerances of a car so I suppose there will be more room for issues?
David
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Because they are entirely different animals. Different materials, construction methods, safety fittings, legal requirements etc etc. If caravans and MH hab units were built in the same way as cars, they would be untenable as far as towing with the family car is concerned and need far heavier tow or base vehicles. And then there’s cost! Apples and pears I’m afraid.
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I have a 2019 Skoda Octavia Estate now (need a large car for son's wheelchair) but before that I had a Nissan Laurel, which I had for around 15 years and and a Nissan Primera, which I had for 19 years. Both of them hardly had any problems at all. My M/H is a 2004, Eldiss Autoquest high top which is looking a little tatty now but hasn't had any issues of damp, apart from a very few small spots of mould above the window shel, but I often read about vans and M/Hs that do have issues with damp and other problems.
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Moving day today. Decided to break the journey by calling into Anglesey Abbey. Had lunch then a stroll through the gardens and woods. Blustery day but quite nice when you found a spot out of the wind.
We surprised ourselves by having a wander around the house afterwards. My, the owners had some money. Mainly from their American side, involved in Railroad then Oil (Standard Oil for those that remember).
Some photos attached
Lode Mill, part of the estate.
A scene from The Godfather perhaps 😁
A chair reputed to be once belonging to William Shakespeare and the one he used to as his seat when writing.
Now at a lovely CL about 6 miles from Ely.
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3 of our granddaughters and one boyfriend came for Sunday roast dinner. It proved difficult to get dinner eaten as they really laughed so much. They were the same when they were little, one remembered being sent to the naughty step for disrupting lunch so much. I did threaten it again but she’s now 21 😂 I won’t even mention how many Yorkshire puddings they got through. We then played some games. So a nice day. They’ve gone so just relaxing now, just a prawn sandwich for tea. A bit cold and windy here.
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Great excitement today for 50% of the moulsey household as Hull KR make it to Wembley again for the challenge cup final. It'll be a tough match against Wigan but just hoping The Robins will get it right on the day and retain the trophy. I actually booked my coach ticket weeks ago, National Express from just down the road to London Victoria return for the princely sum of £6:40 (and that includes a booking fee!).
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We quite like Blackmore @nelliethehooker , not as regimented as some sites, with quite a bit of open space and good size pitches.
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@Wherenext We went to Anglesey Abbey some years ago and thought the Silver Birches looked quite Eerie, I seem to recall there was a carpet of Snowdrops but it was probably earlier in the year compared to your visit?
David
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@DavidKlyne yes, our first impression on seeing them was like your reaction. I could actually see them in a painting and being mesmerized by them. I liked the way they look in the photo, a sort of army formation with a spearhead.
All of the winter flowers now gone.
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looks like everyone has been having a nice weekend
Lovely day here today I was at a classic car show up in Bridge of Allan great day for it even got the roof down for a while some lovely cars on show. Got home just before 6 so we are getting a take away for dinner tonight. Mercedes now back in it’s garage until next time. We need to start getting the van ready during the week as we’re are due off on a 10 night bread near the end of the week
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I do sometimes hanker after the old days, when cars weren’t so sterile and had a bit of character. But of course, I wouldn’t travel anywhere without a fairly comprehensive toolkit in the boot. Yes, one could tackle a whole range of issues given the relative simplicity of how things were put together. But I also remember seeing 1 year old cars going rusty. Our Kuga turns 10 this year, not a spot of rust and still gleaming, starts on the button. Of course, it’s pretty generic (boring) , but I wouldn’t go back.
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Yes @KjellNN we have spent 5 nights there. The facilities do still need improving, I don't think that work has been completed yet, but they were fine for me. They have installed a completely new toilet block at their Tarland site, and put in a combined double H/S pitch adjacent to it, which I think is for those that need to be close to the facilities for health/physical reasons.
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@KjellNN I didn't realise that they still take touring caravans on the Castle Howard site, we stopped there when we first went caravanning, and before we were CC members, so at least 50 yrs ago!!
Some fine looking vehicles there @Francis the Mini I noticed was originally registered in our home town!
Fine photos again today @Wherenext it has been quite a while since we visited Anglesey Abbey, must get back sometime. Glad you like the CL.
We started our homeward meander this morning with an easy tow down to Deeside. As we couldn't book in till 13:00 we stopped for a picnic lunch in a layby where we enjoyed a background chorus of songs from Sedge and Willow Warblers. The site is much quieter than last year as we are couple of weeks earlier, with around 20 units on. It stayed dry until this evening, so had a walk after setting up in the local woods and saw our second Red Squirrel of this trip. Unfortunately the wind has got up and brought rain with it, the heaviest we have had so far this year in Scotland.
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Not a bad day here, a bit chilly in the wind but plenty of sun. We were at DD’s house by 11.30, and after she and the boys came back from swimming lessons, we made a start on demolishing the 2 ornamental conifers beside her drive that were starting to take over her parking space. I cut away the branches starting at the bottom, and she shredded them into the garden bins. We had to stop after doing about half of each tree as both her bins are now full. She now has 2 very strange looking trees! We will continue on Wednesday.
The boys were invited to play with the children next door, so we were able to work in peace. Nathan came home for a while to eat lunch as he had been promised waffles, but they were both still next door when we left at 5pm.
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OH says it is a Rover P4. The Morris Traveller is coloured Trafalgar Blue🤭
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