What are you all up to
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I agree with everything that you say @Takethedogalong. I always say on my tours 'if only the walls could talk'. There would be so many stories they could tell. I often look down the side asles when in the Cathedral at dusk and imagine the monks walking down them. I really do hope a long term plan can be made to keep these wonderful places open. Thank you for your comments.
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I don’t know if you know already @milliehull , but there’s a program on shortly (9pm) on channel 5, ‘Britains Great Cathedrals’.
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Millie
Peterborough Cathedral always seems quite innovative to me in the way it attracts visitors with all the different events it puts on. Perhaps Peterborough is not as much of a tourist hot spot as say Cambridge so it probably has to work a bit harder. I do worry a bit when organisations blame the NMW, especially a church, as someone on that sort of basic wage hardly earns enough to support a family?
David
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We have had it sunny and warm today, after frost overnight. Took a drive out to Birkrigg Common for a walk before driving down to the shore for our picnic, followed by another walk along by the sea front. I was hoping to view the waders and ducks but the tide was fully in with no shoreline visible. Below are a couple of view from our morning walk, one of the Coniston Fells, very different in appearance from the one last week,
and another with Bardsea Monument, a 3 sided 18C folly or cenotaph on Barsdea Park.
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Thank you @Freddy55 I have seen it advertised and will certainly make sure I watch it. Unfortunately I don't think Peterborough is featured.
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Not a very good situation for your Cathedral @milliehull, hope that it is not as bad as you feared and that a solution to it's financial position can be found.
@Wherenext pleased to read that you had a good day out yesterday and that the weather was kind for it. I do like the Owl statue, very clever.
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I see it’s a series @milliehull , so maybe one of the future episodes will feature Peterborough.
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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!
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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😁
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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.
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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.
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Best wishes that the results of the visit meet with your approval @DEBSC. We have the same problem parking whenever we visit Wrexham hospital and it usually takes the driver a while to park. Biggest bugbear is that it is quite close to the town centre, about 10 minute walk or bus right outside and it is free so I'm not convinced all vehicles are hospital visitors. We've suggested some sort of tear off code to leave on windscreen but nothing gets done.
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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.
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Thanks @Wherenext. Never heard of a hospital that doesn’t charge for parking. Always hope that the charges go straight to the hospital. Taunton hospital has a large multi storey car park, the parking charges there are still paying for the building of it.
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Parking at Peterborough City Hospital on Tuesday,cost £6.20 just over 3 hours. What did surprise me is that our bank statement shows the payee as Peterborough City Council. Use of a card on a vending machine shows Peterborough City Hospital.
In Essex, Broomfield and Basildon, it gave the hospital name as payee.
I do hope that the fees don't just get lost in the City's accounts - there in a BIG mess....
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@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.
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@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!😀
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Not done a lot today! We had quite a hard frost last night when I took Flyte out on our last walk but all had gone when we got up and the rest of the day has been dull with a cool breeze. Sky is cloudy tonight so I can't see the planets, perhaps it will be clear tomorrow night.
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@Maplesparents good luck and best wishes from us as well. You will be fine, lots of help if you need it on sites from both staff and other visitors. It’s a PITB having to store away from home, and surprising just how much juice the alarms can drain from a battery. Hope you have a good time, first time away is always exciting, tinged with a few “oh Crikey” moments…..we have all been there🤣
I have a whole two days off!🥳😎The garden is calling today, along with having a poke around inside our poor neglected MH, checking her out, and then tomorrow hopefully having a day out in her.🤞
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luckily I can use my bus pass to visit our hospital. Just about every bus coming through our town ends up at the hospital.
Booked our first trip of the year, 3 nights a Barleywood then immediately afterwards take the van in for annual service
Sympathies with you Millie regarding cathedral finances. We need a whole new floor in our church, no idea how we will fund it especially as the government are considering ending the historic church funding
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When I had day surgery last week at Barrow we were lucky that we could park in a Blue Badge space not far from the entrance - and it was free.
I have only recently got a Blue Badge as I felt I was fine. But with family persuasion (and the support of my doctor) I applied and in this case I was glad I did.0 -
Hi @Maplesparents. Hope you manage to sort out the battery problem and that you get on OK eith your first outing.
We must be lucky, @DEBSC. I don't think I've paid at George Eliot hospital (Nuneaton) since the Covid pandemic. The barriers and ticket machines are still there, but the barriers are always permanently raised, offering free access.
Sorry to hear about the problems at Peterborough Cathedral, @milliehull. Hope things get better financially.
@Goldie146: I think the Blue Badge thing is a bit of a lottery!! I think it depends on the local authority. I've had mine for a few years now. The last time it was renewed, I put the application in one night at around 8pm and by 7am the next morning I'd had an email reply saying it had gone through and to expect the new badge in the post within the next few days.
@Oneputt Our first outing was booked at the end of December (in order to take advantage of the free night 🙂)... off very soon now to Tredegar House CAMC site. Enjoy your first outing of 2025
David
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OH has a blue badge and should be able to park for free at our hospital but all the Blue Badge spaces are invariably full with a queue waiting so as the bus that passes our house goes to the hospital we usually catch that. It takes longer but is less stressful.
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@DEBSC - hope your appointment went OK - I agree that the most stressful part of a hospital appt is usually trying to find somewhere to park and it's even more so if you have to go on your own. Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill in Cottingham - the two largest hospitals in our area are horrendous as far as parking is concerned and even the staff have trouble trying to find anywhere to park. Ros has an appt in a couple of weeks and at least she won't have that worry since I will be able to drop her off and then begin the battle of finding a parking space.
@Maplesparents - hope you have arrived safely by now - and don't forget - if you have any problems and have no one on site to ask - just shout out on here. There's usually someone around to help and we've all been there. I remember arriving on site and having a water pump that wouldn't work and went to a nearby dealer to ask for help - they checked the pump and it was fine but they suggested cleaning the contacts when I got back to the van. I did - and it worked! Since then I have always carried a spare pump and also 'borrowed' one of Ros's emery boards for cleaning the pump contacts. Big problems can often have a simple solution😀
Got set up on our CS near Thornton Le Dale on Thursday and had a lovely lunch with Tony and Philomena, yesterday. We have been friends for over 30 years and Tony is a real character - retired Colonel, ex-Chairman of Magistrates, ex-Chairman of Ryedale Council - Trucial Oman Scouts, speaks fluent Arabic - previous military attache in Washington etc etc. He's almost 90 now, but sadly from being the life and soul of the party with so many fascinating stories to tell, he's a shadow of his former self. His decline in the last year has been rapid and so sad to see and I think Phil is under extreme pressure looking after him. His parting words as we left were, "thank you for coming - you're the last of our friends - all the rest are dead". So sad - but, yet, we still had a most enjoyable afternoon together and it was good to be with them again. True friends, indeed.
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@richardandros thats a lovely, but oh so sad story. Glad you managed a meet up, and enjoy the rest of your stay.
Dad had a Blue Badge, nightmare trying to get it updated though. I think it was when LA’s stopped being the issuing agency. I gave up on getting one for Mum, and she’s past needing one now. Our hospital can be horrible for parking as well, but it’s partly a NIMBY issue. They have tried for years to have a multi story on the land that is currently used as the ground level parking, but local residents (who think they live in the poshest area of town) keep objecting that it will ruin the “aesthetics” of the area. Like a huge hospital doesn’t already🤷♀️ We are used to parking half a mile away and walking in if going to an appointment or visiting someone. All the streets have CC cameras monitoring the local housing estates, there’s residents only parking for a half mile zone. Not good for those who cannot walk though. They have to do the Magic Roundabout tour.
Had a good three hours in garden, bitter cold but I wrapped up well. Lots of snowdrops coming through, and some Hellebores in flower, too much stuff in bud, like roses, though. OH took big bags to tip for me, did a shop, he’s having a go at a new recipe tonight, some kind of veggie meatball and a made from scratch sauce.
@Oneputt don't get me riled up about church finances😡 Church of England is super rich, yet at the sharp end it’s left to the shop floor clergy and dedicated parishioners to keep things going. Grrrrrr……………. I hope something gets sorted for you.
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I have been taking things easy since I got home, plenty of rest and a fair bit of snoozing. My appetite is gradually returning too.
We had ordered a nice oak sideboard for the kitchen just before I came home, matches the kitchen unit doors, but when it arrived it was damaged, so a new one is expected on Monday, hope it is in better shape! The damaged one was uplifted on Friday.
On Wednesday and Thursday we were looking after the boys, and since the Touareg seems to have recovered we used it on Thursday and did a little shopping too. Today we have had a visit from DD and the boys as Daddy was away doing extra school related stuff. They came for lunch and stayed a while for DD to help us with some HMRC related stuff……registering Bare Trusts we have for the Grandchildren. Apparently should have been done ages ago but we did not know until recently. I tried to do it but it is pretty complicated, so took DD a while to figure it all out. Hopefully we will not get a fine for not doing it sooner.Having got me home, the bad news is that on Friday Granny tripped and fell, not paying attention to where she was going, and has broken a bone in her hand. No plaster cast, just a splint, so sounds like it is not too bad. Think we oldies are becoming a bit of a liability for the youngsters!
OH has 2 NHS appointments this coming Tuesday. One at the eye clinic for 8.45, but possibly delayed till 10.30, and a telephone appointment for her sore neck at 11.30. Think we will need to try and make it for 8.45 at the hospital so she is not still there at 11.30. There are so many roadworks going on on the route to the hospital that it is not easy to get there in the rush hour, so when they made the 8.45 appointment they said it was OK to come later.
Parking at the hospitals here is not easy, but at least it is free, but I will drop OH off and go along the road to DD’s to wait as it is only 5 minutes from the hospital. Easier than trying to find a parking space!
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Unfortunately using the bus to get to MK Hospital is not very convenient. It requires two buses and then quite a walk to the actual hospital entrance. In the past we have had to go to Bedford Hospital for some appointments and despite the distance from home that was a bit more convenient as we used the Park and Ride and the bus dropped us off outside the entrance. Over the years MK have tried to expand the parking by building multi storey car parks but they always fill up pretty quickly.
I am at a loss to see how one acquires a Blue Badge. I have investigated getting one for Margaret but the fact she is in pain and with limited mobility doesn't seem to count for anything. It seems, with our local authority, it is based on what benefits you are entitled you claim, not that we have applied for any, rather than the actual health and capability of the person applying?
David
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All been very quiet here, this was from yesterday at Whitley Bay. We've had good sunny weather all last week but today it's foggy and cold.
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@DavidKlyne - re Blue Badge applications. I searched our council website (Westmorland & Furness) and downloaded the form. It could be filled in online, or manually and emailed - which I did, as some of my answers were not as cut and dried as the questions were phrased. Benefits didn't come into it. My doctor was very supportive and sent me a statement about my issues and treatments - which I attached to the form along with ID stuff etc. It was not as daunting as I was expecting. I emailed the form and evidence on a Sunday and on Monday I got an email requesting that I rang up to pay £10. That was it. In the post within a week! Our council may not be the best at everything, but when you speak to a real person they are friendly and helpful.
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I don’t think Blue Badges have anything to do with benefits, it’s more about how far the applicant can walk. Under no circumstances put more than 20 metres or it’s likely to be rejected. Having supporting evidence from a GP etc…. Is good. What really annoyed me was all the paperwork, which might indeed have asked about any benefits received, but quite why I am not sure.
I think the last time I applied it was being overseen by DVLA, but I think it’s back with LA’s now, haven’t checked. I do recall taking Dad, in his wheelchair, aged 87 into our local council offices for his renewal. Took all new photos, queued with everyone else to be seen by a bored clerk. Lots of questions, what about this, what about that, all politely answered. I was fine until she asked was there any likelihood of him walking in the next twelve months. At which point Dad, who was clearly biting his tongue, piped up and said his name was Anthony not Lazarus! 🤣6
