A couple of weekends ago we went to visit Fred & Ann who live in, "halfway house", situated halfway up/down the Tardebigge Flight of locks. That's where we met Ann who was out for her morning walk as we made our way up the flight.
Ann & Fred are off to NZ for a holiday in a camper van soon so we visited to catch up and offer some NZ knowledge for their trip.
It turned into a rough day weather wise and inside was the place to be.
The cottage is a couple of hundred years old but very cosy.
The stable door from the canal towpath.....
Opens into the kitchen with the coal / wood range going constantly warming everything and used for preparing the meals....
In the sitting room Fred had.....
Just fired up this burner... for the first time.... Not sure on the settings it got so hot the wall paper behind the fire started to peel....And the paint on the stove done the first time "Burn Off" bringing a slight stinging to the eyes...Worked Great.... After a couple of adjustments to the settings she was all good....
Leonie and Ann.....
Doing a touch of trip planning...
So I thought.....
I could help too... By getting rid of that Fosters from the fridge... And on the NZ map showing all the outlets where "Tui Beer" can be procured....
Ann Ate All the Chocolates......
Some photo's.....
Of Fred's racing days in the Legendry No, 228.....
Fred is also....
An expert on the "Radio Ham" stuff... Late nights talking to mates all over the world... A "Gun"on the morse code as well.... ..--.-...-.---.....-.-.-..---.-.-....- ..
"SOS, the Freak,n canals full to overflowing"......
A most enjoyable day was had... Have an Ex, trip in NZ...
At the car sales it was time to replace some flags with new ones... They're up high poles...
Spencer said we haven't got a ladder so.....
Park the van next to the pole and call it a ladder.... Still to low... I suggested a small plastic stool, from the workshop, placed on the roof would be ideal.... Really the theory was that being on a slope would see, once stood upon, the stool take off down the roof over the bonnet with Spence as well and a "Great Photo" could result. Even with my promise too hold the stool "one handed", I needed the other to hold the camera for action, failed to convince him and some more manuvering of the van completed the job.... DDAAMMMM....
Back home in NZ I must say I was an Avid newspaper, of all sorts, reader. Even if I got home from work at 11.30pm I would still read the paper from front to back reading what I had already read in a different news paper during the day at morning and afternoon tea break. But whilst being on the NB with such a frenetic lifestyle I've broken that habit, well the papers are full of Doom and Gloom anyway. STOP... Whoa Up There.... That is is all except One.. The Racing Post....
Published everyday but only on my shopping list on a Friday. Now it does cover the UK racing scene but I like it, as well, because it has a good coverage of sports like, Rugby, Golf, the all important Darts, League and Footy, Cricket over seas etc.
Last Friday I was on my way back to the workshop after picking up a car that had been to the garage for a MOT so a slight detour to Sainsburys was the order. My Luck was in, got the last one on the paper stand, probably the last in the whole of Oxford, or even England. It was a Sh- - of a day so as I left the warmth of the Super Store entry I stuffed the paper up my jacket. Five steps into the car park, huge one, and the bloody paper decided to coincide with a gale force gust of wind and fall out of my jacket. Well, across the car park, actually along the entry lane in front of the Whole Freak.n store, it blows. Big wind, piss,n rain and I'm doing a steady sprint after it as it unravels. I'm feeling like Melannion pik,n up Golden Apples the spend I'm moving and the Form I'm showing. Page 26/55, then 7/74, 37/44, I'm reeling them in cos, the puddles are slowing there progress but there's still some gathering speed and my hearts sinkin, remember it's probably the last one in the UK plus I aint got another two quid. I've almost given up hope of retrieving pages 3/78, 1/80, Christ what's a paper without the Front page when, through the Gloom I see an Angel, well a Pensioner with her trolley full of Sainsbury specials and steadfast standing as still as the Rock of Gibralter, the storm not stopping her from here duty, there's 3/78 wrapped around the offside rear trolley wheel and her foot Firmly Planted on 1/80.... You Bloody Beauty I'm thinking. Then I remembered I'm feeling a little Stupid by all this cos she wasn't the only witness and I'm sort of out of breath because the chase and pillates stuff has covered all of 30 meters. All the pages I've got are in a screwed up pile so I reach down, untwine 3/78 then she lifts her foot to free 1/80. Complete recovery...
"Thanks" I say, then add, " that was a waste of two quid" hoping she wouldn't think I'm too Stupid...
"Shouda put it on a Bloody Horse" she says......
I drive back to the workshop......
And here's the paper ready to read... wet and not what you'd call in a "Good Read" format...
John, "Super Mechanic" says....
I'll help to dry it out....... Naaaaaa......
Now I know how those people who Restore and Bind old books must feel....
Was a "Hell of a Days Work".......
Headed off to work in the Race Tuned Ford Focus bout 7.20am today, daylight now, and dropped Leonie off at 9.20am, 2 hours, not moving and crawling along, some "Dick" rolled a van just by our exit off the M40 so it was a 3 mile backlog....
If only I'd taken the bloody "Racing Post" along......
