An update of whats been happening.

August 15^th

Has it really been 2 months since I last posted? Gosh, I’m beginning to wonder where the time has gone. It's not as if nothing has happened; I’ve just been very lax in putting fingers to the keyboard. Oh, and I’ve just realised that one year and 15 days ago I had my knee replacement. To date, all good although the swelling is still present. Maybe that will never go down, but it's a small price to pay for a pain-free lifestyle.

So what has been happening for the last couple of months? Well, firstly it's now official. We will be leaving the water for a land-based lifestyle. Returning to the park home site in Grantham, we decided on a different plot to the one we originally chose. It's slightly more central to the lake, so the views will be even better. Also, all the spec on the mobile home has been given the go-ahead to the manufacturer so now it’s a waiting game to sell our bungalow. That goes up for sale on 1^st September.

 

We have Toffee at the moment and slightly longer than expected. Our niece got married down in Maldon, Essex, and as we all but passed our son's house in MK, it stood to reason that collecting her a week early was better for us than having to make the journey back to MK a week later. With the weather so incredibly hot, we decided to get an electric fan to keep her (and us) cool in the boat. Even so, we sweltered. Temperatures up in the 30s; it felt like we were roasting in an oven. The steel hull and cabin sides do not help to keep the heat out! And another thing, CRT kept closing the Erewash due to low water levels. It got so bad that they decided only boats going to the boatyard for maintenance or blacking would be allowed up, and that was with assisted passage only. Needless to say, Dan and Vicci, boatyard owners, have lost a lot of business because of it, one they are not sure they will ever get back. The annoying thing is the basin has plenty of water; the feeder is still topping us all up even though, on a daily morning ritual, the bottom paddles have been lifted to send water down. Makes one wonder where the water is disappearing to, but it can only be due to leakage through the gates. A lot more will have to be done to keep the Erewash alive! And also with no boat traffic, the weed has built up alarmingly, so much so that the use of Pentland (ECP&DA work) has been put to good use by the society work party pulling out as much as possible. A thankless task in my opinion, but a much-needed one.

Last week we made a 'spur of the moment' decision. The boat was becoming too unbearable; that heat was a killer, so how about heading for the coast where conditions were cooler. Mid August and school holidays what were the chances of finding a campsite for the motorhome? Well, we got lucky, found a 'hideaway site' about 15 minutes from Cromer that could take us for 5 nights. So last Thursday we headed off, took 5 hours due to traffic, and on reaching the site found only one other camper. 

Friday we found a dog friendly beach at Overstrand. OMG, Toffee went ballistic, jumping in and out of the waves and having mini nut spells racing around the beach.  The dog might have loved it, not so much me having to walk across an uneven pebbled area to get to the sand and that ramp to get down to the beach...talk about steep! Going down was bad enough; going up made me realise how unfit I was!

Next weekend we dog sit for our daughter and son-in-law. They are off to Croatia for a week, so River, their black 2yo lab, will be our doggie fix. We would have had her on the boat with us, but she has been named well! Trying to keep her out of water is a nightmare; imagine then what she would be like with the canal for temptation! Nope, we decided to house sit instead, keeping River well away from any water. Oh, and I got some photos of the eclipse, not brilliant as I had no special lens but managed these anyway.

 

A big decision to make

 Lots have happened since our return to FS last Tuesday. The park at Presteigne ticked all the boxes, and we came away thinking this must be the right park for us. Feeling excited, we phoned the family. Our daughter was all for it, even though we said they would have at least 2.5 hours to drive from their house. Our son Colin, on the other hand, was very much against it. Their drive would be nearer 3 hours and his argument was that if anything happened to us, he wouldn't be able to get to us in a hurry. By now, feeling very deflated, we gave up on that park, feeling that we needed to take both our children's thoughts into consideration. 

On Wednesday, 17th we drove to Grantham. Another park called Lakeside, with three fishing lakes, had also been on our list to see. This is a very new park, having only been open for two years. About 10 homes have already arrived and been occupied, and several plots are being developed. So the place looked a bit like a builders' site, but with imagination, you could see what it could be.

view from one of the show homes window. Building work can be seen on the left.

The developing plots above and below

 

4 mobile homes purely for fishermen who want to stay for short periods

All the lakes hold specimen fish (catfish, very large carp and coarse fish)

pizza oven

4 more plots for development

We spent nearly 4 hours at this park, not just talking to the owners but to the residents as well and without the owners present. Everything pointed to a well-run park site. So, a lot of decisions to make, our children are all for it, the drive for both is about 90 minutes. We have chosen the mobile home and picked a possible site to put it on. Again, not developed yet, but will eventually overlook one of the lakes. All I can say is watch this space.

Back at FS, one of the first things we did was to order a fridge for the motorhome. That took some finding, and unfortunately, the same model of fridge was no longer available. The one we did get has a smaller capacity but fits in the space like a glove. Yesterday we both went to the motorhome at the storage yard. My 'man that can' removed the old fridge, we both manhandled it out of the door, and the new fridge was carefully taken in. We didn’t want that damaged, considering how much it cost! It has to stand for 48 hours because laying it down in the car boot was the only way to transport it. Ian assures me that the gases will have settled after that, and it can be switched on.

 

No more plans for a motorhome getaway at present. Family commitments keep us tied to Langley Mill, although we will be 'teenage sitting' for two weeks starting next week at Milton Keynes. Toffee will also be coming to stay in August for three weeks. We do so love having her to stay. Every now and then, we need our doggy fix.

Park home and Leisure Show

 Near the Stoneleigh show ground was a CC site. It happened to be at the Rugby Club, and electric hook-up, as well as drinking water, grey water disposal and Elsan were all on hand. It was the ideal place to stay for three nights because on Friday and Saturday, we planned to visit the showground to see what was on offer in the way of new and used mobile homes.

Our allocated pitch was under a tree, and it wasn't the rain that kept us awake but the high winds
 

Two days of wandering around the show ground looking at mobile homes of all shapes and sizes, chatting to various manufacturers, we found one we both liked. The manufacturer is Pathfinders, and the 50ft X 22ft mobile home feels like the right size for us. It has 2 bedrooms, one with an en suite, a guest bathroom, a kitchen-diner, a separate lounge, and an added bonus of a small study. 

 The price is within our budget, and can be taken to any location of our choice. The biggest problem is finding the right park home in the area we want, and that could take some time. Of course, we still have to give our tenant notice and then sell the bungalow, so nothing will happen in the immediate future, but at least we have some sort of plan now.

June 14th. Unplanned journey

Leaving the Rugby ground for Powys, it was a touch of deja vu as we almost followed the same route back to Wales. This wasn't planned, we were going back to the boat but talking to a site owner at the show, and being shown photos of the park, and the fact we were only a couple of hours from the Welsh border, it was too good an opportunity not to go and see it. So we found a pub stopover, The Bateman Arms, at Shobdon. It's literally about 20 minutes from Presteigne, where Norton Manor Estate park home is situated. This photo from the leaflet

 A meal was booked for 5.30pm, Ian chose steak and ale pie, and I had the lasagna. Wow is all I can say. Never have I had such a flavoursome lasagna; it was delicious, and Ian's handmade pie was full to the brim with tender succulent beef. We both highly recommend this pub! I suppose the only fly in the ointment was the red wine. They only had Malbec or Merlot, no Shiraz, but that was a small price to pay for such a good meal and excellent service. 

 So, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. 

Issues with the fridge and we visit Raglan Castle

 June 9th

Arrrggghhhh....the smell hit us suddenly just before dinner.  A very strong smell of ammonia, strong enough to catch at the back of our throats and make our eyes water. But where was it coming from? We immediately went outside, and although there was a faint smell, as soon as we re-entered the motorhome, it became apparent that the source was from inside. After looking at the batteries and electrics, Ian opened the fridge and OMG....now we knew where the smell was coming from. It was a leak from the refrigeration circuit that was the obvious cause. The fridge was switched off immediately, all windows and doors opened for ventilation, and even overnight, with the temperature dropping to a cool 5-6 degrees, we still left the roof vents open. Extra blankets it was for us both, then. I was very relieved to wake up this morning with the smell gone.

June 10th 

Without a working fridge, this morning I cooked everything I could that had started to defrost. The sausages and bacon we had for breakfast and tonight’s dinner will be the breaded chicken, defrosted chips, now very soft, and a handful of peas. Thrown out were the rest of the peas; I had bought a large bag that would now just go soggy and nasty if left, and although I had thought of soup, we couldn't keep it cool, and we certainly couldn’t eat a massive pan full! Ian looked at the cost of a new fridge...we were shocked at the price! It's not an option, though, if we want to keep the motorhome; we just have to open the wallet and fork out!

We were the last van to leave the site this morning, the loo emptied first, and water tank filled. The only plan we had for today was to visit Raglan Castle, so we took our time leaving.

With nothing on TV these days worth watching  (football is not our thing), we have revisited the series Merlin, first filmed in March 2008. It's on Amazon Prime, and we only recently found out where some of the scenes were filmed. Raglan Castle was one such place, especially in the courtyard, where Morgana sacrifices her sister, Morgause, to tear a veil between two worlds, releasing the deadly shadow creatures.   So of course, we had to have a look.

 

We think it was filmed here.

The castle itself was pretty spectacular; built in the 15th century by a Welsh nobleman, Sir William ap Thomas, and finished by his son William Thomas. Much of what remains at Raglan dates during the period of the Wars of the Roses and the rise of the Tudor dynasty. The castle was besieged for ten weeks in 1646 by parliamentarian troops and ultimately destroyed. In the years that followed, Raglan was abandoned and left to decay. Click HERE to read more of its history. 

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 Exploring the ruins, we came across plenty of steps leading down into the cellars. Some had small exhibits in them, and others our eyes had to adjust to the light before we could see anything. 

Snack Heating Engine

Key Xylophone

Beer Dispensing Engine

There was a grand staircase that led us up and onto the castle roof.  

Near the top of the circular stairs was a pigeon! The stupid bird had built its nest on the step, and how it wasn't trodden on by folk climbing up was a miracle. Although we did have a warning notice when we first entered the stairs, it didn't tell us how far up. Thankfully, it wasn't in one of the really dark places!

Having made the climb (I'm so unfit at the moment), the views at the top were neat. A board with a photo of what the view would have looked like during the 15th and 16th centuries showed a landscape more like the manor house gardens you see today. 

 Unfortunately, the cafe wasn't open today, so we had to make do with a drink back at the motorhome. It was now about mid-afternoon, and we hadn't even decided where to stop tonight. Ian has loads of CC apps on his phone, and a site was found at Merryland village, called Heatherdene, lovely and rural, with one shower, toilet and a basin for washing up. The first thing I did when we arrived was to try the shower. Clean and one of those electric ones with instant hot water. The only trouble was that the water never got hot. I ended up having a cold shower. Certainly woke me up! Ian abandoned the idea, saying he would have one tomorrow at the site near Stoneleigh. Yep, we have booked the Rugby club site for 3 nights to be near the show ground. Will we find our forever location and home amongst the park home displays? To be decided after the weekend.

And a few more photos,

 

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