314 Sep 18 to Mar 19

20th October 2018

 

We had made some good friend with a couple that also recently moved to the village. We met them in the ocal pub and soon got talking and identified that we had many similar interests, mainly pubs and motorcycles.  

These friends, Kev and Sally-Anne Hawker joined us in a quick pirates jaunt on the high seas of the Norfolk Broads. In reality, it was a piss up (as most Broads trips are) and dressed as complete morons we got steadily more an more drunk as the day went on and had a thouroughly fuzzy time.

Ooo Arghhh me hearites, break out the rum...

Best stop at the pub - just in case.

Back across Hickling Broad.

And on to another pub...

Pissed as crickets now...

21st October 2018. 

My ageing brother, almost 72, is going banger racing again !!  You couldn't make it up. Cars are a lot less robust than when he used to race and being out of practice for building cars showed somewhat.   It was not the lack of skill that stopped him but the lack of a strong car. Never the less he had a great day  and all his old buddies that he used to race with and against wre also there. There were the usual old rivalries that in the past often ended up in punch ups but age has mellowed then so along with abuse there were smiles and wind ups with the old adversaries. 

The track at Avely, Essex has been sold so this is the last opportunity to use this nostalgic home of banger racing. This however did not stop a lot of old men re-living their youth. Unfortunately, some drivers were not as robust as they used to be and a serious crash would often stop the race as the medics were extremely concerned for the wefare of the participants.

 

Bruces mate Bill laughing at the semi fossilised drivers...

Bill taking Bruce out for the formation lap

Bruce doing OK....

 

...till the car breaks down.

31st Oct 2018. We decided to go to Scotland to visit Mum. As wew were about to enter Scotland We saw a starling murmeration in full swiing over some marshes. We quickly turned off the M6 and down a side road straight to the feild in question. I quickly stopped the car, opened the boot and grabbed my camera. Unbeknown to me, the lap top strap dropped onto the boot locking mechanism and prevented the boot from closing properly.

Anyway, we chased the murmuration for a sort distance taking many piccys and whilst stopped  we were approached by a guy in a car that asked us if it was our laptop that he had just ran over. DOH!

 

This is never going to work again.

It's had a bad day.

Fortunately, the insurance agreed to pay out and sent me  new laptop and case within a few days. Wohoo !!

 

Despit this the murmuration was prestty awesome. This the first time we has seen one in real life and it was indeed a spectacle. The photo's do not do it any justice.

 

30th November 2019

Just by chance we bumped into a farmer who has cattle on Martham Island. A nature serve closed to the public. He asked if I wanted to go and see the wildlife and WW2 SOE training camp. He opened the floating bridge and took me in his 4x4 onto the island. We visited the old SOE training camp and I took some piccy s of the wildlife.

The elusive Cranes.

The boss of the heard.

15th January 2019

We decided to pay Karen's brothe John a visit in the Cumbrian part of the Yorkshire dales national park for a few days. Having recently bought a couple of electric bikes we thought we would try then out on the hills. They were fantastic, we did a 10 mile ride up into the hills and as we neared the top is started snowing. The bikes were incredible on the hills and put the fun back into cycling.

Karen's face is a picture.

... but it was worth it.

25th January 2019.

Something happened today that we were completely unaware of. In an old water mill in a small village by the name of Kedington, near Haverhill, a set of Border Collie pups were born.   

 

2nd March 2019

We set off today for a weeks skiing trip to Saas Fee in Switzerland. Our skiing trips are taking on a more booze orientated slant (if that is actually possible) so we needed to start as we meant to go on. 

 

La Mumba - rum and chocolate - at the airport on the way out.

More La Mumba, this time with some necessary food, at a piste side cafe.

The scenery was as is usual, breathtaking.

The ski runs were pretty good too.

Not much snow down low so: off to the bar instead.

 

22nd March 2019.

Karen had been searching for a Border Collie dog on the internet and came across the set of pups from Kedington. There was on left, a brown/red and white one. She phoned me and we arranged to meet at the venue, me coming up from Harlow where I was working and her from home. It was friday night and the dogs were a day off, of being able to be sold. We saw the dog, were happy with it and the breeding circumstances. We left a £100 deposit of the £700 purchce price. 

 

23rd March 2019

We got up early to collect the dog and as we were about to leave, received a phone call from the breeder. She informed us that she had made a cock up and sold us the wrong dog. The only one she had left was a female 'blue merle' which is a specific colouring of collies being predominantly grey with black and white. We had a quick chat with each other and decided to buy this one instead. 

We collected this little monster: