What are you all up to

Nice day, though very cold.  Left Kendal at 09.50 and arrived home just after 12.45.   Not too busy on the roads.

Had lunch, moved van onto driveway, then went to see DD and the boys and catch up on family news as she had been over to visit her brother.  Grandson is settling in well at Uni in Stirling, and has made 3 new friends, which is a lot for him as he is very quiet and a bit shy.  

Back home for dinner, we will need to start unpacking everything  from the van first thing tomorrow.  Meantime we have emptied the fridge so it can be switched off.

We got home early afternoon from a nice weekend at The Ranch AS in Maybole not the best of weather but nice to be away we like being away in the autumn. Site not too busy it closes for the winter ar the beginning of next month. Easy 40 minute tow home today got Van back in it’s space now hoping to get another weekend away nearer the end of the month again it will be just local 

Hope everyone else has had a nice weekend 

We woke to a temperature of 1C and the car's windows covered in ice! By the time we were ready to leave all was clear and we had an easy drive down the A7 and the M6, which we thought was rather busy. With a lunch stop just before Longtown we arrived at the CC's Troutbeck Head site at 1:10, and were 4th in the queue! However the site is only about 1/4 full, with caravans outnumbering M/Hs 3 to 1. It is our first time here and like the central area, but am not impressed with parts of it, in particular where the serviced pitches are which has no outlook other than other units. We made use of our free night so the price for two nights worked out equivalent to staying on a CL.

Some photos from today's walk along the seafront at whitley Bay.

Love the photos, Corners, especially no. 3 - one very wet - and very happy doggy

I wonder if those guys on the Harleys were on the huge rally that drove along the sea front passing the WNs and ourselves we met up at Rhos on Sea earlier in the year?

We'd had another hard overnight frost when we got up this morning, severe enough to freeze the water on the service pitches, which are just that bit higher than the main site, much to the chagrin of those pitched up there!! As the sun was up it soon cleared and we had a lovely warm sunny day. We drove up to the top car park above Trelkeld and took the old mine track around Bowscale Fell last Max's memory wood. The views were excellent although the trees have yet to attain their full autumn colours yet, unlike those we saw up in Scotland. After lunch we had another short walk on Mungrisdale Common, although we had intended heading towards Keswick, but bridge repairs had caused a long queue of traffic heading that way so we turned East instead of west.

 A couple of photos, one from yesterday from near the site and the second from our lunchtime seat today. 

Lovely photos, those big Harley’s are superb. Sunday ride out I am guessing. 

Quiet couple of days here, shingles vacc for both of us yesterday, then got up this morning to a pipe leaking under sink.😡 Luckily, I keep all our bottles under there in a couple of plastic boxes, but it’s ruined all but four dishwash tablets. We think it’s an old seal that has given up the ghost on the u bend. It will get replaced today. 

MH is due its MOT next month, so we are off to investigate a potential new local independent garage today. Has to have entrance tall enough to get her in. We will have had MH ten years this November, and she has never failed an MOT🤞

We had a nice day out yesterday, although a long one. We left home at 10.30 and didn’t get back until 8.45pm, partly due to overnight road closures and diversions on the North Devon Link road, they have been upgrading this road for years now, well behind with the finish and not sure it will be worth it. We went to Exeter, then called in at IKEA there on the way home.

A bit of shopping in Exeter but mostly browsing, a nice light lunch in John Lewis, restaurant it was packed as usual. A little shopping in Lakeland. Then on later to IKEA, a good mooch around OH managed to get what he needed and then off to the restaurant for the famous meatball meal, which were excellent. Surprised how many families with young children were there but with a kids meal for £1.95 it’s great value and very good food. Arrived home and flopped with aching feet.

I picked up a M&S magazine with their Christmas food, not sure who they are aiming at but one would need to take out a mortgage for some of it. Turkey pie £45 and roast carrots £8! They are 59p in Tesco, put a bit of honey on and roast and pretty much the same.

Lovely photos of others breaks away, especially always love to see photos of the Lake District.

I am sure we have all had a few moans about the NHS in recent years but I come with more positive feedback. Back during Covid Margaret discovered a round mark on her head which looked a bit odd. Because of the problems of seeing a GP at the time we sent him a photograph but despite the restrictions she actually had an appointment. His view was that it was nothing sinister. Role forward four years and we notice changes in the mark so off back to see the same doctor who was a bit more concerned about it this time so he arranged an urgent appointment at the Dermatology Department at MK Hospital. Its almost two weeks to the day from seeing the GP that we arrived for the hospital appointment which is pretty good service. The lovely lady doctor reassured Margaret that it was not sinister and there was nothing to worry about. It has a long name which I don't think I can pronounce let alone spell!!! So relief all round. Shame her hip problems couldn't be dealt with as quickly.

David

 A different day weatherwise, with a dull start but no frost. We packed up and were away before 10:00, arriving home a couple of hours later without any holdups. I put the heating on when we got in and all seemed fine while OH did the first round of washing any I emptied the van, but when we sat down for lunch it was apparent that the heating had stopped working for some reason. Contacted our boiler insurers and they have arranged for a service engineer to come round in the morning so we have resorted to our backup heating! Hopefully it is nothing serious and we can get away again as hoped next Monday.