Glastonbirthday

24th to 26th June 2011.

Shhhh.....it's oh so quiet at the sleepy hideaway somewhere in the country until.....

GLASTONBIRTHDAY

The weekend of our daughter Wendy's 30th birthday and she chose to celebrate it by camping it up at my brother and sister in-law (Colin and Sharon's) lovely C.L. site out in the countryside near Wainfleet Skegness. It was our son's partner Tracey's birthday too and they had made the trip all the way down from Scotland.

Friends came from far and wide.

Some of us set up camp on Friday.




The large party tent was a god send when there came a down pour on Friday night but it didn't dampen the evening.
On Saturday the weather brightened up and more friends and family arrived some stayed just for the day and some camped over night. We had bar-b-que followed by strawberries and cream.




Wendy had made two fantastic cakes and some yummie cake pops.

There was live music from
'Mad Uncle Peter and the Saga Outlaws'

Some might remember their one hit wonder....
' Why use a belt when string will do'.

Then later on a special appearance by the up and coming double act

'Wild Women Under The Influence'.

Singing their new single ...'Hey....MMMicky you are soo very fine.....hey MMMicky'


'The WENDETTES'
put in a rare appearance with a rendition of the old classic....
'July Surprise'

The fire pit was lit, marshmallows were toasted and so were the gang.

A good time was had by all

HAPPY GLASTONBIRTHDAY

WENDY

The Cotswolds, a Birthday, a cake, a Wedding and a Poorly Dog.

Click on pics to enlarge

April 2011

The sun was shining it was good Friday, we were packed and we were off to the Cotswolds for 10 days ............HOORAH (though it turned out to be 8)
After such a sunny spell so early on in the year we thought it too good to last, our destination was Moreton in Marsh. Our site was the Caravan club site there, a large one but broken up in to sections with little cul de sacs so it had a smaller feel. We found a nice quiet spot under a lime tree, surrounded by grass so Lucy could relax. (And Alan.)


(Note to self never pitch under a lime tree ever again!, lots of sticky stuff and bird doo doo's all over the van).

It is only a short walk in to Moreton, where there are quite a few pubs, a few shops and a market on Wednesday.


Wendy and Dusty came over to stay with us and on Saturday we went to Cleve Hill for a walk of about five miles. It took us past a natural pool know locally as the sheep wash and Lucy had a really good swim, Dusty isn't keen on swimming but managed a paddle.
The weather stayed nice and we were able to have a couple of barby's over the weekend.









Above Cleve Hill

During the week few villages we visited including chipping campden, the Slaughters and Bourton on the water, which I wasn't overly impressed with as there were too many people, we took a picnic and sat by the water.









Bourton on the water

One of our favourite places is Batsford Arboretum,
we've been there before a few years ago, it wasn't that far from the site and so we were able walk accross the fields to it. It's a fantastic place with many species of trees and shrubs including giant redwoods. The bluebells were all out carpeting the ground and complimented the colours of the camelea's and azalea's. It was a very warm day so it was nice to be able to get shade from the trees. We finished the visit with a cuppa and a slice of cake in the garden center cafe before walking back to camp.













Batsford Arboretum

On Thursday it was my Birthday, Wendy came first thing before going to work and dropped Dusty off. After opening my presents and cards and we went off to Stratford on Avon for the day. The sun was still shining and we had a lovelwalk by the river, watched a busker in the park and then went off on a town trail to see the sites, amongst these were Shakespeares House and the church where his tomb could be seen alongside his family.

We thought it would be quite amusing to take this picture of

'Dusty Shakespeare'.........the Bard with the beard,

She's a good sport, always game for a laugh, and gave us her permission.




Stratford on Avon



Wendy came back to the site after work and brought the best cake I have ever seen, she had made it for my Birthday (clever girl),it was a whopper it had a ladybird theme which she knows is dear to my heart. We got ready and went out for tea and then returned later to blow out candles and fill our faces with scrummy cake.



The next day was a special day too, Wendy had stayed and the alarm had been set it for an early start, we had a big occasion to go to.........The royal wedding of William and Kate. Off we went to Wendy's house to take our seats in front of the big screen and waited for the other guests to arrive.



Lucy had got us up on thursday night with an upset tummy and we thought it was just something and nothing, on friday she seemed to be o.k. We left Wendy's and went back to the caravan in the evening but she got us up in the night again. By Saturday morning she was looking very weak and again had an upset tummy so I thought we ought to get her to the vet, it was very worrying. We got an appointment at Stow on the Wold vet's as soon as it opened and rushed her there, a very nice lady vet couldn't find anything visibly wrong but gave us the option of keeping her in on a drip or taking her back with a huge bag of different sorts of medication and monitoring her over 24hours. We opted for the medication and decided to go straight back, pack up quickly and go home so that we could be near to our own vets if she should take a turn for the worst. Luckily the medication worked and though very quiet for a few days made a full recovery, thank goodness.

All in all it was a very eventful time with highs and lows, the sun kept shining , I had one of the best birthdays for a long time and it was lovely to see Wendy and Dusty.



Moreton in Marsh Caravan Club site.
Marks out of ten.

Area 9
Site 10
Pitch 9 (would have been 10 but for the tree)
Facilities 10

A New Look For Spring!

Sun Glasses At The Ready!

Our Lucy is so spoiled and we allow her on the seats so we never get to see the nice upholstery in our van because we have seat covers and they have to be removable for regular washes. I made some when we first got it but we have always thought how boring they were
(a nice shade of ........beige).

We decided it needed a new look so me being thrifty, found some curtains tucked away that I had kept because I really liked the colours and knew I would find something to make with them at some point.

There was quite a bit of fabric but not enough to cover all the arm cushions so I bought two pairs of pillow cases to cover the rest, these I just slipped on until we decide if we like the contrast then I will make them fit.



We are really pleased with them, not to every ones taste but we think they look really sunny and bright and they remove easier than the others.

Just for good measure here is a shot of the other end of the van, a bit more toned down for sleeping, and Lucy's not allowed on the bed.

Xmas, New Year and Chatsworth Derbyshire

Christmas 2010 to New Year 2011.

We were pleased to be able get off on Christmas eve morning, wondering if we would due to the amount of snow and severe temperatures in which, I think was probably the coldest December on record.
Our destination was my husbands brothers, his wife and their lovely family. When it started to snow on the way we did think that if it continued we may have to stay longer.
Of course we were staying in the caravan at their house so the first job was to put the heating on, although the outside temperatures at night were very cold we were snug and warm.

This is what we were greeted with so knew we were off to a good start.


Here we are taking a walk on Christmas day, it was lovely, though not very deep it was very 'crisp and even'. A perfect sunny winters day.



Boxing Day..........

After defrosting the car and saying our goobyes, we set out on our way to the caravan club site at Chatsworth, Derbyshire.

There were plenty of pitches to choose from having been a lot of cancellations from the 'sensible' people who didn't want to brave the weather.
There was still a lot of snow and the ground was very frozen which we prefer for walking, though not so good for banging in the awning pegs.
Facilities on the site are always heated and clean, and the pitches are hard standing.
There were a lot of ducks around which of course were very well fed by everyone.

On arrival the wardens give you a key which gives you access through a gate in a wall to Chatsworth estate where you can walk freely, this way is also a shortcut to the village of Baslow which takes about fifteen minutes where there are pubs, a shop and places to eat


Below: Chatsworth House, looking dull and wintery.












A magical wonderland in the woods on the Chatsworth estate.































A couple of days on and the big thaw started, we were joined by two of our friends for the rest of the holiday, a maiden voyage for their new caravan.

We had a nice long walk across the fields to Bakewell, it was a very misty day and found ourselves taking a diversion. Even though both our hubby's always take a map and have been on an orienteering course we can never go on a walk without heading, at some point, in the wrong direction and have to have a debate about it.
We got there eventually, had lunch and a look around then caught the bus back.

Another walk we did was near to the village of Asfordby with the usual diversion, our reward at the end of it was a visit to the real ale pub we had pinpointed called 'The Old Poets Corner', there we had a nice lunch and a drink beside a roaring log fire. (Ah bliss) even Lucy was allowed in.

All in all Xmas and New Year turned out to be a lovely long holiday and was well worth braving the weather.



This is the life!
Lucy.........as snug as a bug in a rug.

Forest of Dean and Wye Valley

Left: Symonds Yat







We planned a trip to this area because it's somewhere we had never been, we had various comments of what forest folk were like, words like 'strange', 'sallow', and 'unapproachable' came up and this made it even more of a 'must see'.

What we actually found was quite different, I think the myths stem from the folklore and tales of mystery that surround the place.
Whilst having a distinct 'air' about most of the folk that had been born and bred there, we found them to be very down to earth, friendly and helpful, it's just that they don't make a fuss and go overboard to get you to like them.

One afternoon we spent at a carnival in the village of Parkend, we were told that it was going to be a very big event attended by most people in the surrounding area, they were right, I have never seen so many floats at a carnival for years.
The event after gave us an insight into the lives and culture of the people and found that they had life long traditions. One thing that did amuse us was some of the 'entertainment' which included a local chap who whistled for about twenty minutes over the mike, amongst his repertoire was the William Tell overture........erm different to say the least.

One of the places we enjoyed was Hopewell Colliery and underground tour we arrived quite early and so the guided tour consisted of just us two. This mine is still worked by hand all be it on a small scale. Years ago the forest folk could lay claim to an area they wanted to mine and that went on for many years apparently there are tunnels all under the forest. It was a hard life, which included the very young.

Our guide, a partner in the mine and ex-miner was a typical down to earth local, he was very knowledgeable and interesting. The tour was all on foot going deep into the darkness, with only our lamps for light. My mind ran away with me at this point and I did wonder if some of the tales of the forest could be true, and that we might go down there never to be seen again.



PHEW ...... after walking up hill for what seemed like ages, we eventually emerged at an exit (well a hole really) in the forest and walked back to the cafe to find a friendly welcome, coffee and the biggest slice of cake I had seen in ages. Our guide even insisted we got Lucy from the car and brought her inside too.

Littledean jail

Another interesting place was Littledean Jail The fact that it's a jail isn't it's attraction in it's self, it houses one mans collection of all that is weird and wonderful, in their words 'The Alcatraz of the forest' they claim it's the largest private collection of crime related memorabilia and curiosities.

Part of it is aptly named ' The crime through time exhibition' which includes stories of mass murderers, war crimes, and all things gruesome, along side cruel fates of nature, inc a two headed calf. There are collections displaying the antics of the rich and famous, along with a Quadrophenia exhibition.
There is so much to see and read and if we were in the area again we would go back, there wasn't enough time to take it all in.

We went on lot's of interesting walks through the forest, one being a sculpture trail, another nice place was Cyril Hart Arboretum.

Lydney old docks was and interesting place where we had a good view of the magnificent river severn rushing in under the severn bridge.

Another place we visited was the impressive Goodrich castle, we had an audio tour which gave a really good insight into how the castle would have been and how people lived and worked there.


The site we stayed at was called Hawthorne cottage, it is near the small town Coleford. There are only ten pitches, it is a pleasant site, you can go deep into the forest by walking just across the road, this was a favourite with Lucy. The facilities, one shower each gents and ladies were dated but clean. The only thing we didn't like about it was that the neighbours dogs were let out very early in the morning and left to bark. We did tell the owner of the site ( he was one of the lesser friendly forest folk), but his reply was 'your in the country', having lived in the country for most of our lives we are not adverse to cows mooing, cocks crowing e.t.c but did not take kindly to being woken at six a.m. by barking dogs.

Points out of 10

Area 9
Site 7
Pitch: 7
Facilities: 7

Louth, Hubbards Hills and Happyford.

Click on pics to enlarge

This site is one of our favourites, having visited here several times, we think the best time is in the autumn the because with all the colours, the surrounding area is stunning.

The site is called Happyford, it's only a five van site, I would say it's probably around an acre so there is plenty of space to spread out, there are only usually two or three vans when we visit.
It is situated at the back of a lovely spanish style house where there is an outside heated swimming pool which visitors can use, but the weather hasn't been warm enough on any of the occasions.
The views are lovely, there is quite a lot of wildlife to be seen, on one weekend we had regular visits from a barn owl at dusk.

The owner has a menage and does livery so there are some beautiful horses in the fields.
There is a little information hut which has leaflets and local info on places of interest and walks in the surrounding area, a nice touch also is the book and magazine swap.

Many footpaths around the area make it good for walking one of them from opposite takes us literally accross the golf course and then over to a beautiful, place called Hubbards Hills, which was formed during the ice age. Trees grow on the steep sides and these are fascinating because their roots make all sorts of shapes as they are exposed through the ground.

Lucy checking out the area

The river Lud babbles along the bottom of the valley, in the summer it is a favourite with children, the clear shallow water is ideal for a paddle, needless to say it was a favourite with Lucy (the water dog) too. The walk along the top is equally as nice because there is so much to see and the colours at this time of year are fantastic. A little cafe at the far end is a welcome site and they do a lovely cup of tea for under a pound, (a very rare thing these days.)

Our walk, takes us through the town and back up the road or through the park back to the site. There is an assortment of shops and a small market on Saturdays, there are also plenty of places to eat and some dog friendly pubs.

It's strange really because we used to live near here, our daughter was born in the little hospital here, at the time we didn't appreciate what a really lovely area it was.

The old saying is 'never go back', but I'm pleased we have and discovered it all over again.

Happyford.

Points out of 10

Area 9
Site 9
Pitch 9
Facilities
There are electric points.
The site only has a toilet so own facilaties needed.