Gosh, it seems an age since I last put fingers to keyboard to record an account of our goings on. Not everything had gone to plan though, the solar charger refused to work so Ian bypassed the Sargent unit and connected the panel controller directly to the battery. A worrying sqealing noise from the engine also had Ian slightly baffled. It turned out to be the auxiliary belt, more expense but better safe than sorry! Then just before we were due to leave for the Shetland adventures, my laptop died! Our lovely fix-it man Guy was away on holiday so the only choice to be made was buy another laptop. Luckily days before the demise of said laptop, I had backed up all the files. Phew meant at least we hadn't lost anything. But installing all the apps again took time including Blogger. Still, everything I need is now installed bar one. I cannot get my Grammarly spell checker to work on Blogger anymore. It works on everything else, but not on Blogspot. Now I have to write in Word to correct any spelling and then copy and paste into the blog. Talk about long-winded! Does anyone know how I can rectify this? I would be soooo grateful.
With all the problems fixed, MB was put to bed. We had the usual dentist and doctor appointments and at the beginning of June our niece Melissa tied the knot in Buxton. It was a fabulous affair marred only by us getting locked out of the Palace Hotel bedroom 5 times! Those card locks refused to open the door and each time a new one was issued it worked only once. Consequently standing outside the room door well after midnight and desperate to go to bed, was no joke!
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| Susannah (my sister) Melissa and Andy (brother in law) |
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| Daughter Christine and daughter in law Iwona with a tray full of Jaeger Bombs ! (Jaeger spirit and Redball) |
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| Son-in-law Kev, Christine, Iwona, son Colin (sitting) and Ian. |
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| Very glad I abstained! |
Monday 10th and MB was loaded with food and booze, (most important) bedding and clothes squeezed into cupboards and by 1 pm we were on our way to Brigg Garden Centre. It was our planned stop-over for the first night, we had stayed a couple of years ago on our way North and although a tad noisy with main road traffic nearby, a great cafe serving big breakfasts was a good enough reason for a return visit.
York beckoned. You would think we had seen everything there was to see having spent three days back in 2022 but one attraction remained, Clifford Tower. It had been on our list to do, another English Heritage place but renovations were taking place at the time so it was off limits to the public.
Using the Park and Ride was so easy in York. No barriers to stop one from entering and a designated area for camper vans and motorhomes. Showing our bus passes reduced the return fare from £5 pp to a tad over £2 each. Within 10 minutes the bus dropped us off in the centre of York and another 5 minute walk got us to Clifford Tower. OMG...if we had realised how much of a steep climb it was to get to the entrance, we may well have thought again!
Groan....bloody knees....and we have started taking Seven Seas Joint Care tablets containing a zillion vitamins and turmeric! They are not cheap either! Anyway, a convenient seat halfway helped and not having loads of tourists trying to make you climb faster also helped. Slow and steady, we got there in the end.
Not much to look at inside, several information boards dotted around, seats with audio information blared out and a spiral stone staircase to climb to the top. I debated whether to give those stairs a miss but I had heard the view was good from the top so it had to be done.
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| York Minster |
If going up was hard, coming down was a nightmare! We both suffered and were extremely glad to reach the bottom. Deciding to stay longer in York we walked to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall for a late bite to eat. After that huge breakfast only a snack would do, a chocolate brownie for Ian and a cream scone for me. The bus stop for the Park and Ride happened to be right outside, convenient as by now we both decided to return to MB and head off to Prospect Farm, our next stop for the night. Laptops needed charging and we had booked a pitch with electric.
Driving to Settle tomorrow. So looking forward to arriving because on Thursday we both get to handle and fly Birds of Prey. Postponed from earlier this year due to bad weather, we are keeping our fingers crossed that nothing will go wrong with the weather this time.
6 comments:
I hope you've got your sticks with you - and that you are both using them. They will certainly help your knees as you descend, and they help your quads as you climb - take it from one who has to use them!
I'm very excited about the birds of prey visit, and you will have to walk for that, so blow the cobwebs off the sticks.
Did you get magnesium cream? It also helps when your knees are sore.
I too am glad you abstained from the shot experience - red bull and tequila would have you being bouncier than usual, darling.
Mxx
We have our sticks, Marilyn, didn't take them yesterday because we forgot! Rest assured, they will be coming with us if we go for a long walk, although maybe not on the Birds of Prey experience. Trying to carry a raptor perched on the arm could be a tad difficult with a stick. And no we didn't buy that magnesium cream. We have Ibuleve gel to use up first.
Xxx
I love reading your blogs Irene. I get so much pleasure from the fact that Ian and yourself live your lives to the absolute max! Your honesty and enthusiasm hold no bounds and whilst l don’t know what either of you did when you worked l suspect you were both formidable work colleagues. Don’t stop blogging Irene or stop taking photos. I’m totally genuine writing a totally genuine comment.
Paula - a reader of many years! x
Did you keep your room cards close to your mobile phone? I have had a similar experience in the past before a better informed receptionist told me that this is a 'well known' - but not by me - problem.
Ah, but Ian had the cards in his top pocket and phone in his trouser pocket so not sure of that is correct. Still, if it is, you would have thought this would have been rectified by now.
Xx
Thank you, Paula, your comment has made my day.
Xxx
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