Skies

 No Aurora photos for me last night...there was a glow on the horizon, but the lights you can see... actually much brighter, especially the airport lights in the middle...are no help.

But this morning..

Was clear and cold...again a decent photo was hampered by "security" lights constantly on....and shining upwards... they've just been attached to house walls without regard to angles unfortunately.

Today is slowly tidy and clean, think if I've missed anything that should be packed....and if there is anything that can be left out! 

I'm looking forward to clothes shopping in Whanganui...I have clothes that I bought there twelve years ago that are beginning to look a little worse for wear...I'll be going back to my favourite shops for old and new things.

For some reason I find it easier to get things that fit and suit me there!!

It isn't often that I look forward to shopping!!

Organising and planning

 Just getting things in line..and on line today!

Two lots of washing, banking in the branch in town and on computer.

Shopping for fresh food..not a lot, just basics...I have plenty of tinned, dried and frozen provisions!

I made a physio appointment for tomorrow..it will be interesting to see how that goes..she is apparently senior....but has she experience of sports people?

In other words people who have an idea of what their body should be doing and not just "that will do". ?!   We will see by lunchtime tomorrow.

I am waiting for my postal vote in the local election to arrive....sometime in the next week...

Then there are plans to make...the garden needs re-organising...not a huge job, but working it out on paper first seems sensible...and daunting!!

Then travel plans....to Kent in November....where in December? And when to go to New Zealand?!!

Going back home

 It was a long day yesterday...showery to start with in Wales, getting warmer by Oswestry..I went across to join my usual North South route on the A49...and when I saw the traffic on the M56, carried on on the A49 through Warrington...still jams for the M56 so I carried on on nice roads , to join the M6 that was fairly full but flowing steadily at 50 mph. 

It was really hot, so a nice salad lunch at a service station...and  a rest...and onwards..

A radio traffic warning of a collision near Shap saw me heading off on the A6 north of Carnforth, back to mainly nice roads and rolling along at 40-50 apart from through villages and Kendal...and who wants to dash through and miss all the interesting bits!!

The only congestion I had was coming into Penrith..I wonder how many others had had the same idea....but the combination of several sets of traffic lights, a narrow bridge then more traffic lights on the bypass A66 was more likely the reason. 

On up the A6 after Penrith...a nice rolling road with little traffic...and back on the motorway at Carlisle for the short hop to Gretna.

A stop there to browse in the outlet shops and have a good leg stretch.

Driving is all very well, but doesn't do the body much good!

Coming back into Scotland, I met damp roads and rain showers again, and warnings of heavy rain....but fortunately only light showers on the old road through Annan and all the villages on the nice road....and back to the A75 to Dumfries then head north on the 76... shopping at the co-op in Thornhill..picking up a few reduced items for a no cook supper..and an hour left to go to home...37 miles...and home by 6.30pm as the heavier rain gradually started!!

It rained hard and the wind blew all night....it eased off a little, but not enough to venture outdoors until after 4pm this afternoon.

This morning's view....

Indoor jobs , tackling paperwork and phone calls.... not my favourites, but good to have them done.

Now for some mending.....

Bubbles! And arrivals

 Chiropractor yesterday morning..now I have to work even harder to keep things in the right place, as after thirty years, he is retiring...

Bro and me had a wee walk around Kilmarnock centre... depressing like any town nowadays unfortunately. It was good to see a new Robert Burns portrait..celebrating his 250th birthday...but other brilliant murals on some side streets had been painted over..and the central pedestrian street was grubby and blighted by closed shops.

On the way back to my car.....

Well this bit was clean...

We had an easy afternoon after that...going cross-country to avoid the golfing traffic on the main roads...and the diversions and closed roads...

Fuelling my car, then lunch out...and at home catching up on "Time Team" and other archaeology programmes.

Son#2 arrived after 11 pm, doing the journey from Bolton in one hop (with stops) then spent a couple of hours chatting with his uncle!!

He has gone out on his road bike for 2 or 3 hours while we await the arrival of son#1 and a friend, who came from South Wales via an overnight stop with another friend in Blackpool.

Of course son#2 went out without his key to here....

Op +7. Here and there

 Here and there indeed...catching up on phone calls, rescheduling my Shingles Jag that got missed in all that has been going on...finding out what time the fitters will be here for the boiler....

And the realisation that I'd missed the post collection this morning...dash on the bus to the post office to post an anniversary card to youngest son, The Carpenter...they married on February 29...and this year they have a whole day to celebrate!! Instead of approaching midnight on the 28th, blink and it has gone!!

Phone calls and messages from Pirate...he is being signed out and moved.....

A quick lunch, just as the District Nurse called by...a bed has been earmarked for delivery....a week tomorrow....

Waiting for more information....and a call from him saying Come at the usual time...

Off to see him on the usual bus....which was late as usual! 

Well, he was still in his usual bed, having a rest..the physio has had him practising stairs....it looks like they will keep him there for now as everywhere else is full...and he will be back home on Friday as long as the central heating boiler installation goes ok on Thursday.

As the Sister agreed, everything has just happened in the same week, with his op being sooner than we had dared to hope...with the grant work being weeks sooner than expected..(but good as the boiler has almost given up.)..and our booked weekend away being this weekend coming....and the car needing work done.

Into town on the next bus ( and a very considerate driver paused his departure so that I didn't have to wait in the rain) and a nice chat and mooch around the Red Cross op shop...trousers for me for £4!! Then the bookshop..two mindfulness books for Pirate...he likes to give them to other people, but finds help in reading .

Then back home...and chill out!!

Back Home

 A two day journey home, with an added visit to friends...who had a couple of mutual friends from London staying with them.

A nice stop, coffee and hot mince pies, and the sight of the moon over the Solway Firth.

Then home again to a very cold house!!

And a dramatic dawn after a freezing night.  

I had put the heating thermostat on 12⁰C overnight...and our warmest room, the living room went below 11⁰ and triggered the boiler to start up!

At 6am I turned the thermostat up, to warm the house before we got up!

A morning of washing, tidying, packing four fleabay orders before a quick lunch and off on the bus to our local post office 2½ miles away..then the next bus to town for a quick top up shop. After two days of over 200 miles driving I needed a break!!

Arriving home at dusk, the house was dark...Pirate was having a nap...but also colder than expected...

The boiler was burning gas...but not heating anything....

Luckily we have an electric fire in the living room and a fan heater in our bedroom....and hopefully a plumber tomorrow...or maybe Thursday...a friend of our landlord.... fingers crossed....

Exhibitions

 Saturday didn't quite happen as planned..but at least Pirate got moving a little earlier.. unfortunately we were still just over half an hour late arriving at the Arts Centre...SiL's greeting was "good afternoon"..oops!! 

Two interesting exhibitions though, one inspired by Cwm Elan and its drowning and what was lost, by an artist who was artist in residence there in 2022. The other's main piece was about choices...and divisions. An installation that at one time was in her house. A table with a fence down the middle and you had to choose to go in the front or the back of her  house. At one point her granddaughter was one side...and the rest of the family the other...naturally she was upset.   An analogy for Brexit as well as other happenings.

Daughter had to rush off to a life drawing class and then SiL and grandsons dashed off to town....so not a lot of time together.   But at least we saw the exhibition of work by Wally Keeler and the permanent exhibition..good to renew inspiration.

And the collection

Then head off to Newport to see friends racing and officiating, and see the Oily One (son #1) and friend. Another clear run...until the last half mile of traffic jams!!

After the event finished, pick up a deli picnic in a local supermarket and eat in the carpark..and then the last 75 miles rolled away..to brother's house, our base for a week!

Long day out

 Today's driving was nearly 100 miles each way...for Pirate to see his club sponsor. It was worth it for both of them, plus we saw a clubmate who works for him. That one hasn't been too well or too happy...damaged knees in your early 60s is no fun..but is the result of years of heavy weight training. He is too young for knee operations....but fortunately now he has started back on his bike and is much happier...plus he is a good heavy Rock guitarist!

The weather looked good to start...

And stayed dry most of the day.

We stopped in Rhaeadr Gwy in both directions... convenient conveniences and good parking and decent cafés...even out of season.

It is an interesting crossroads in front of the clock....

The main north to south trunk road goes across in front of the clock...and the section of the road on the right hand side of the picture is narrow and goes between houses that are between 1300s and 1800s...so for a large lorry length the road is not much more than one very large lorry wide...

It is a very busy road...and sometimes it is made more "interesting" by lorries needing to turn to or from the east, past the clock.....

These carry all sorts of goods, plus log or stock lorries...( There is a stock market here)

Once on a previous visit we saw a couple of car drivers being rather selfish and obstinate....but they were very politely sorted by a very large beleathered motorbiker directing everyone out of the lorries' way!! 

Well done sir!!

Fortunately we had a clear run both ways, apart from huge construction works on the Heads of the Valleys road. Very confusing at the western end, which we avoided on our return by sticking to the A 470.  That will now go under a massive and elegant flyover by Merthyr Tudful...which will be finished in 2025...no month given on the signs!!

An easy day planned tomorrow.. thankfully..seeing daughter for lunch so we can see their garden.

Home again

 

We had the best crossing in beautiful sunshine that you could imagine. 

Then straight on the road, 57 miles to Inverness. It would have been nice to stop and take photos, with the snow on the Cairngorms...but the light was fading. 

We arrived as it finally was dark.

Then today we finally got away just before eleven..and straight into cloud going up over Slochd...and clear the other side..relief!

We found the bike shop in Aviemore...and they recommended a café...cyclists are the best ones to ask! And there we went..after Pirate had bought himself a pair of gloves for use when he rides the track at the Velodrome.

Then off again..a pit stop at Broxden outside Perth...a shopping stop on the South edge of Glasgow at Newton mearns...then home. 207 miles from Inverness.

As it was still light, we unloaded the car before supper..and checked the post.

Strangely we have a letter saying that we owe for cleaning our Travelodge room in Manchester because of smoking. Apart from the fact that this is for the 6th of October...and our room wasn't cleaned until after we left on the 8th, after our week's stay there...we don't smoke...

Something to sort out in the morning. But not the welcome home that we had hoped for.

Himself has retired to bed...his job is navigation and observation...so not very taxing...but he is still battling that UTI...antibiotic course number three has been started...and is working..but we need to find out why they aren't clearing the infection properly.

What di I do first thing tomorrow? Pack and send four eBay sales and catch up on the paperwork!!

We have just realised something....the person above us at the Manchester Travelodge was throwing rubbish out of their window...some rather dubious rubbish. I think they are the culprit.

Catching up

 On the ferry now, a nice smooth crossing..looks like we have two nice days to travel

Comments and reading list have reloaded nicely...but is anyone having trouble accessing Steve's blog? 

I will try again with the tablet tonight, but on my phone, Google thinks that it is pornographic...not just a post, the whole lot 😥