A bright, warm and sunny day today - has the Summer really arrived? It felt like being on holiday. We went to church where Cynthia preached and I was asked by Norman if I would give a talk on the Transatlantic liners to his Probus Group in Salisbury in November. I readily accepted. I will need to prepare plenty of digital slides/PowerPoint before then but it will be great fun doing so. I shall probably entitled the talk "The Atlantic Ferry" being the popular name by which the regular crossing of the Atlantic by luxury liners was known. After church, Mary and I went to Halford's to have another look at the bicycles Tom and I had seen there yesterday and found that the ones we had looked at were perfect - as was the price - half the usual! Kitted out with bike, helmet and lock we returned home for a light salad lunch (crayfish in my case) before we (Mary and I) cycled off to Bentley Wood. Mary walked her bike to Witt Road before she felt confident enough to cycle on the road (there is little traffic generally along Witt Road). Once at the Wood, we set off along the path to the picnic area and then up the hill and followed the tracks to The Barn where we met the ranger and members of the Butterfly Trust, or some such similar sounding organisation. After a short stop to have a drink we set off again down to the southernmost copse (called Donkey Copse). We circled the copse along some pretty rough tracks before setting off on the return ride. Mary only came off her bike once - when I told he to go left, she turned right and then in correcting herself turned the handlebars too quickly. She seems to have inherited her mother's appalling sense of direction - so beware would be suitors! I mustn't feel smug or amused as I also came off my bike when we got back to the Witt Road entrance. I steadied myself on a fence post but also braked with the one brake only tipping me off the bike. A sore ankle and a bruised ego only resulted, thankfully. Once we got back home I mowed the lawns whilst Mary cleaned her, by now, very dusty new bike. She spent some further time riding it over my newly mown lawn. Sara told me that Sarah M (whom joined us at our barbecue last night) had had a suspected heart attack in the night and was in hospital. I hope it had nothing to do with my cooking. Tonight we watched Britain's Got Talent which was very amusing in parts - especially a guy chain-sawing a cucumber! Mary is naturally very tired tonight - a 9-mile bike ride is quite an expedition for an 8 year-old. News outside Winterslow was that Newcastle United were relegated to the Championship this afternoon after 16 years in the top flight - I have every empathy for their supporters as I remember well that awful Sunday when Saints were relegated after 27 years and their decline began. Hull and Sunderland remain up whilst Newcastle join Middlesbrough and West Bromwich in the Championship. Scunthorpe United beat Millwall at Wembley this afternoon to find themselves promoted once more to the Championship. On the political front, David Cameron is likely to lose 100 or more MPs at the next General Election following all the expenses scandals and is suggesting that some of the ordinary electorate should put themselves forward. Perhaps my time has come, at last, to get to the top of that greasy pole! The evening ended with Sara watching Desperate Housewives!!!!!!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A ride in Bentley Wood; A mourning on Tyneside
A bright, warm and sunny day today - has the Summer really arrived? It felt like being on holiday. We went to church where Cynthia preached and I was asked by Norman if I would give a talk on the Transatlantic liners to his Probus Group in Salisbury in November. I readily accepted. I will need to prepare plenty of digital slides/PowerPoint before then but it will be great fun doing so. I shall probably entitled the talk "The Atlantic Ferry" being the popular name by which the regular crossing of the Atlantic by luxury liners was known. After church, Mary and I went to Halford's to have another look at the bicycles Tom and I had seen there yesterday and found that the ones we had looked at were perfect - as was the price - half the usual! Kitted out with bike, helmet and lock we returned home for a light salad lunch (crayfish in my case) before we (Mary and I) cycled off to Bentley Wood. Mary walked her bike to Witt Road before she felt confident enough to cycle on the road (there is little traffic generally along Witt Road). Once at the Wood, we set off along the path to the picnic area and then up the hill and followed the tracks to The Barn where we met the ranger and members of the Butterfly Trust, or some such similar sounding organisation. After a short stop to have a drink we set off again down to the southernmost copse (called Donkey Copse). We circled the copse along some pretty rough tracks before setting off on the return ride. Mary only came off her bike once - when I told he to go left, she turned right and then in correcting herself turned the handlebars too quickly. She seems to have inherited her mother's appalling sense of direction - so beware would be suitors! I mustn't feel smug or amused as I also came off my bike when we got back to the Witt Road entrance. I steadied myself on a fence post but also braked with the one brake only tipping me off the bike. A sore ankle and a bruised ego only resulted, thankfully. Once we got back home I mowed the lawns whilst Mary cleaned her, by now, very dusty new bike. She spent some further time riding it over my newly mown lawn. Sara told me that Sarah M (whom joined us at our barbecue last night) had had a suspected heart attack in the night and was in hospital. I hope it had nothing to do with my cooking. Tonight we watched Britain's Got Talent which was very amusing in parts - especially a guy chain-sawing a cucumber! Mary is naturally very tired tonight - a 9-mile bike ride is quite an expedition for an 8 year-old. News outside Winterslow was that Newcastle United were relegated to the Championship this afternoon after 16 years in the top flight - I have every empathy for their supporters as I remember well that awful Sunday when Saints were relegated after 27 years and their decline began. Hull and Sunderland remain up whilst Newcastle join Middlesbrough and West Bromwich in the Championship. Scunthorpe United beat Millwall at Wembley this afternoon to find themselves promoted once more to the Championship. On the political front, David Cameron is likely to lose 100 or more MPs at the next General Election following all the expenses scandals and is suggesting that some of the ordinary electorate should put themselves forward. Perhaps my time has come, at last, to get to the top of that greasy pole! The evening ended with Sara watching Desperate Housewives!!!!!!
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You can't become a Tory MP, that would mean I would have to vote for you...and I've never voted Tory!!!!
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