Packing up again!

Thurs 23rd Jan 2014

Started packing up AGAIN for our journey tomorrow. We cannot wait to get all our “stuff” together and in one place and all organised in our new Motorhome (still stressing as money still hasn’t gone through!). David feeling much better with his back and has this morning hung a mirror, fixed a dripping tap and cleaned windows for Mike & Liz. Had a lazy evening watching Gavin & Stacey episodes (if you haven’t seen them - it’s a MUST). Early to bed for our early start in the morning.

Grove Lock Canal

Wed 22^nd Jan 2014

David feeling a lot better today-thank God! We walked to Harpenden train station and purchased our tickets for Friday morning to go to Christchurch in Dorset/Hampshire £58 to do the hand-over of our Motorhome. Mike & Liz have very kindly offered to drive down on Saturday with all our luggage (no way could we take all that on the train and underground in peak hour!!!) Stressing a bit as the money hasn’t gone through yet for the Motorhome!!! In the evening we met again with our friend Nick in The Engineer pub in Harpenden. He then drove us to Leighton Buzzard where his friend Susie lives on a Barge in The Grove Lock Canal. It was a shame it was very dark so could not get any pictures from the outside. We had a great meal in The Grove Lock pub which used to be the lock keepers house then had a tour of the barge - it was like a penthouse apartment, Susie has it decked out beautifully and even has a Yoga room! It is worth about £60,000 and we both said we could live in it. The water is very calm all the time and great to just open a port hole and look out (our Motorhome is going to feel sooooo small!!!!). We were very close to Grove Farm! Yes THE Grove Farm that Ronnie Biggs and his mates used in The Great Train Robbery!!!

Link to the Motorhome we are buying:

http://www.dolphinmotorhomes.co.uk/UsedMotorhomeView.aspx?registration=WX07WNC&model=Pilote-Adventura-P670&schLocation=0&schType=0&schBerths=0&schPriceRange=999999&schSeatbelts=0&schLayout=&schMileage=&schTransmission=All&schWeight=10000&schNewOrUsed=

Ox cheek suet crust pie-yum

inside the barge

inside the barge

What's David & Andy Murray got in common?

Monday 20^th Jan & Tuesday 21^st Jan

Woke up to a very frosty morning. Then a foggy one on Tuesday. We had planned to go to London again but David is suffering with his back again! So plenty of rest and drugs for him! I kept myself busy with cooking, washing, shopping and doing house work as Mike & Liz are always working. Tuesday I got an appointment for David with a Physiotherapist (who turned out to be The British Davis Cup team physio and has been working for Andy Murray) only the best for our Daveth! He advised that David was very inflamed and that he should be taking anti-inflammatory medication. He manipulated him to try to loosen him and taped him up. We have made another appointment with him for Thursday. We hope we don’t have to change our plans for the end of the week when we are due to pick up our motorhome!

You will be pleased to hear that by Tuesday evening David has started to come good. Fingers crossed xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spent the evening watching The Australian Open Tennis.  

Forgot to mention that we learnt from our trip down The Thames the meaning behind the phrase “Dutch Courage”. It comes from when The Plague was occurring in London and the only nations ships that would dare to come up The Thames with medical supplies were The Dutch and as a thank you all the crew were supplied with barrels of beer. Since that date to the present all Dutch Ships pay no mooring fees on The Thames!

A trip down The Thames

Sunday 19^th Jan

Got the train from Harpenden to London (Elephant & Castle) with Mike, Liz and Hannah. We were blessed with another sunny day. Walked to Borough High Street where Emma’s University accommodation is (she is training to be a paediatric nurse. We all had lunch around the corner at Joes Kitchen, this set us up for the day, walked to South Bank to the London Eye then over Westminster Bridge and saw The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. We the got on The Millennium Diamond River boat for a 75mins ride down The Thames to Greenwich. What a great way to see London and only £8 each one way. Great time of year to see it too as not too crowded. Went past many historic sites and a couple of lovely old pubs that we may have to visit later! We could really do with at least a month in London to see more of it. Arrived in Greenwich and saw The Cutty Sark on the way to The Royal Observatory - what a lovely walk to it it was. Fantastic views all over London. We stood on The Greenwich Meridian Line so was in two hemispheres at the same time. Walked back down into Greenwich through the markets to the river to see The H.M.S Argyle go past (they had to open Tower Bridge so it could get under). We had a drink in The Spanish Galleon pub then a lovely meal in a Chinese Noodle Bar. Returned to London on the new Docklands Light Railway system (DLR). Really weird as the trains have no drivers so you can sit right at the front so it’s as if you are driving. The new system was built especially for the Olympics and all the old run down areas that existed when we were last here have now all been redeveloped into commercial buildings and flash apartments. Arrived back in Harpenden after another great day in London.   

The London Eye

Big Ben & Houses of Parliment

Tower of London

Cher owned penthouse-now owned by Helen Mirren

Prospect of Whitby Pub

Canary Wharf

The Cutty Sark

Greenwich

View from Royal Observatory

2 hemispheres!

H.M.S Arglye

Redborn and another fine!

Saturday 18th Jan

Started the day doing exercises in the cellar with Liz (no wine in there! Shame! They have renovated it into a lovely room-Jess stayed in it when she was here). Post arrived in the letterbox today - guess what!!!! A speeding fine for David! Same day as the One-Way fine! 36mph in a  30mph zone so that’s another £100 and another 3 points! Don’t know how that’s going to work as they have taken his licence away!!!!!!!  David spent the day with Mike while Liz and I went on a walk from Harpenden to Redbourn 4miles (approx. 6kms) It was really lovely. We ended up in The Chequers in Redbourn. Lots of memories here, I remember as a child coming here often with my family for a very yummy turkey pie. Liz and I had a bite to eat (Stilton & squash tart and potted pulled pork with black pudding-yum) before Mike picked us up (so we didn’t have to walk home). Had a relaxing evening in front of a roaring fire. Hannah (Mike & Liz’s youngest) is due home tonight from University in Cardiff and tomorrow we are off to London again.

The Chequers in Redborn