away

We're away in South Wales for a long weekend, staying with friends , seeing the Wizzard and his lady on the way down..a much needed stop overnight on the outskirts of Manchester. Good to see him playing cycle polo, something I did in the late 60s....
Chilling out with friends,resisting even the pull of a Saturday market in Abergavenny!

We briefly walked two Long Dogs over the local fields and started sloe picking until we realized that the estate shoot was on...and they hadn't used the shooting points set up in the field...so we beat a retreat to save risking the gamekeeper's ire!!
Tomorrow afternoon we ride at the velodrome,just one race each before supper with the Carpenter and his family.  Baby is due in just over a week so hopefully we'll be back again soon!

Monday we pack up our hired van with grandma's wardrobe, three sets of shelves and a cupboard with pottery tools, cones and such. Along with a kiln chimney ,spare HTI kiln bricks and other things I've forgotten- these have been in store in my friend's lockup for a year!! Then we collect a small doughmixer from another potting friend before heading off to Bristol for a family visit for the Pirate.

Then the long haul home on Tuesday, unpack on Wednesday morning and return the hire van.

It has been an experience driving a brand new transit van...SIX gears!!
The Transit I drove from '99 to'02 had four forward gears...it was at least ten years old then!! Compared to that,this one feels like a cross between a car and a lorry!!