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Showing posts from October, 2019

SAYING GOODBYE TO THE GIRLS

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It rained very heavily during the night but we all managed another good nights sleep in the motorhome. When we awoke the next morning the rain had stopped. We had a slow start to the morning, lazing in bed again chatting and laughing and having cereals and a bacon sandwich that I quickly russelled up. It was so nice to have the time to spend with such good friends. All too often life gets in the way. And although we are all sixty we felt like the young women who started nursing together and lived in the nurses home all those years ago. The girls did the washing up and then we packed up the motorhome, I knew now that I needed to take the grill out of the cooker and wedge it in the seat under a blanket and the glass tray out of the microwave and do the same, so they didn't rattle when I was driving. I checked that all the skylights were firmly shut. That the gas cylinder was turned off, the grey water was emptied and everything was secure in the cupboards. I didn't want things

THE LAKE DISTRICT

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We headed off in the motorhome from the Yorkshire Dales towards the beautiful Lake District. It took about two hours, through some breathtaking scenery, to arrive at the Lakes. At times I was very nervous navigating the narrow roads but it was great fun having the girls along with me. They gave me courage to carry on. We booked into the  @skelwith.com  caravan park in Ambleside for a couple of nights. It was perfectly situated for the walk we wanted to do. When we arrived we set up and went for a little wander and explored the area. We came across a fab pub called the Drunken Duck Inn.  It had fantastic brews and views to die for. So we didn't do too much walking after that, we sat and had a few beers and a good laugh before heading back to the motorhome for the night. Having finished the Dingle Gin Ann brought over from Ireland the previous night, we embarked on the gun powder Gin that Maggie kindly provided. Well I don't know what is in it but we all h

THE IRISH TRIO HIT THE ROAD

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We have been friends for 42 years, since the day we all started nursing at St James' hospital in Leeds. Our lives have taken different paths, I ventured into journalism, Maggie nursed at a doctors surgery, Ann returned to Cork in Ireland to work in a nursing home but we have always kept in touch. Although we do all admit we are pretty useless at keeping in touch for ages but when we do reconnect it is just so much fun and laughter, we ask ourselves why don't we do this more often. So I was really excited to go to Leeds Bradford airport to meet up with Maggie and collect Ann from the Cork flight, so that we could spend a week together in my lovely motorhome. We all squealed with delight when Ann came through the arrivals door and we headed off to the fab campsite that I had found at Pool Bank Farm. The views over Wharefdale were to die for and we just sat outside with a few gins and caught up with all that has been happening in our lives. Ann had just retired

HARROGATE WITH FRIENDS

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I finally arrived at 'Three Acres', the small certified location on a farm just outside Harrogate.  Certified locations, are hidden gems offering picturesque solitude away from the crowds and they are exclusively for members of the Caravan club. Not all of them have any facilities but this one had a toilet and shower as well as drinking water and somewhere to empty my toilet cassette. ( I have spared you the detail of doing that, surffice it to say, I just knuckle down and get on with it every time I have to empty it and I try to think of other things whilst I am doing that.) and to be honest it is no where as bad as I thought it might be to do it.   I took myself off to have a lovely walk in the surrounding area for a couple of hours and it was beautiful Yorkshire countryside. I Could see Menwith Hill, the satellite communications station, in the distance   When I got back I noticed that one of the sheep in the field alongside the motorhome was in a spot of bothe

'RAIN RAIN GO AWAY'

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                                                              'RAIN RAIN GO AWAY' At the end of my last blog I thought someone had taken my raincoat that I had left in the shower room. But my faith has been restored in human nature. Someone kindly handed it in and I got it back. Apparently they found it when the office was closed and they got up late and eventually took it to the office. So all is well that ends well. And boy do I need that raincoat! I have never seen so much rain but saying that I am enjoying it as well, especially when I am snug as a bug in the motorhome. My next port of call in the Peak District was Chatsworth House campsite. I was still very nervous about driving around in the motorhome, getting to grips with the width of the road and just how fast to go. I tried not to let the cars behind make me feel pressured into going faster than I was comfortable with, but if I am honest it did stress me out a bit. So at one stage, when I was struggling to f