In search of a cossie.

I’ve been out this morning in search of a new swimming costume. My old one is far too big for me now, and I am determined to go swimming during this years holiday. If you remember last years holiday, the one where we endured a week in a mobile home that was shaking in gale force winds and driving rain,  I had to sit at the side of the pool jealously watching Kerri swimming back and forth in an enticing looking pool that she enjoyed all by herself. (every other camper had obviously been blown away in the gale force winds.)

I had to forgo my daily swim because I was on chemo at the time and also giving myself those Clexane injections into my tummy. This time I plan to make up for last years omission and enjoy a swim every morning as soon as the camp pool is open!  I finally chose a cossie with ‘stomach control’ (whatever that means) and of course I’ve had to purchase one for you know who as well despite the fact that her old costume is perfectly presentable and still fits her perfectly. Can’t have anything on my own, can I?

On the bus home the heat was issuing forth from the heaters as is usual for the buses on our particular route, but thankfully other passengers had taken the trouble to open all the windows (well, the few that were available to open that is) so we were all spared the humiliation of melting. I did consider being controversial and marching up the aisle to ask the driver if he would break with tradition and turn the heating off, you know, kid himself along that it was still winter, but then I decided that as he looked to be quite a burly surly sort of chap (hand picked for our route obviously) I decided that it was probably wiser to suffer and sweat it out.

I did become concerned though that maybe I didn’t smell too nice when the man who was forced to sit next to me as there was no more room anywhere else, proceeded to sit as far away from me as he possibly could without actually falling off the seat into the aisle, and then later to add insult to injury, as soon as a seat became vacant he dashed to it as if the hounds of hell were after him.  Not only that, but the lady and her husband who were occupying the seats directly in front of me also moved further down the bus as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Hmm. Perhaps I should get into the habit of carting my deodorant around with me on my bus journeys in future!

I did note as I alighted from the bus that the driver was keeping nice and cool in his shirt with sleeves rolled up as far as his bulging biceps would allow.

“Thank you!’ I said as I stepped off the bus, still silently tempted to add ‘and can you turn the heating off please, or will you risk getting the sack?’ but I resisted temptation.  As is usual with all our drivers who are unlucky enough to be allocated our route, he didn’t reply. Not even a grunt. I might have spied a bit of a smirk though.

TG

Technorati Tags: shopping,marks&spencers,costume,bus,heater,deodorant

Beauty all around us.

 

These are just a few pictures I snapped yesterday as we walked down to town to do our shopping. I have to confess that I much prefer wild flowers to the garden variety, not sure why, and bluebells are amongst my favourites.

 

These bluebells were all growing in the grounds of what used to be an old peoples home, where one of my Aunties was residing.  Now its just a forgotten and unloved site. The building itself has been demolished and since then, the grounds have become populated with wild flowers such as these bluebells and wild onions.  People keep taking the coping stones from the wall so eventually I suppose there will be nothing left of that either.

There are residents there though, a squirrel dashing up the tree trunk as I ventured down the drive to take these pictures. He watched me from a safe vantage point high above.

It fills me with the satisfying knowledge that if we humans suddenly disappeared from earth, that our wonderful planet would simply dust itself off, brush itself down and restore itself to its former gorgeous wild state that it was before we came along.

TG

Technorati Tags: walk,bluebells,wild,onions,squirrel,wall

One of those days.

 

I’ve just had one of those days today. The sort of day where you look back over it and wonder what on earth you have been doing all day. You see, yesterday we spent the entire day clothes shopping. It will no doubt come as a surprise my male readers (if I have any that is) but I am one of those rare females who hates shopping. We were shopping for some holiday clothes during one of the coldest May’s I am sure has ever existed and which didn’t really fill me with much enthusiasm to find myself rifling through shorts, pedal pushers, short sleeved t-shirts and the like. To add to the rubbishy ‘fed up’ mood I was in, I couldn’t seem to find anything I liked or that fitted me properly.

You see, I like trousers to come right up to the waist and give a snug fit around it. None of this ‘hanging from the hips’ business for this Gran! Every single garment tried on didn’t fit around my waist at all, despite fitting everywhere else. Daughter was having no luck either, as her search for size 18 short leg trousers with matching top drew a complete blank. (Finding clothes to fit Down’s Syndrome people is a nightmare, because of their shortish arms and legs)  We had searched in Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencers, and despite the fact that we didn’t seem to be having much luck, we had still managed to spend quite a sizable amount. I was fed up. My back was aching, my feet were hurting, and I was just about to insist that we go home when we had a bit of an argument regarding that old stalwart for ladies of my particular age, BonMarche. I was more or less sure that it had shut up shop but Kerri insisted that it was still open.

Wagering a small bet of £5 to the winner, we marched up through town to check. She was right (as she so often is) and at last I found some white pedal pushers with an elasticated waist. Sure, BonMarche is no fashion boutique and is firmly aimed at the older woman, but their trousers are just how I like trousers to fit, right up to the waist and with no excess sticking out of the back. I bought a pair of summer weight jeans as well as the white pedal pushers. At last we could return home!

However, I didn’t bother trying them on in the shop (too fed up to bother) and when I did get around to it at home they were a size too big, and so today we have had to return to BonMarche for a smaller size. We decided to try Huddersfield first (despite the fact that I had bought them in Halifax) but the Huddersfield branch didn’t have the smaller size, so we had to catch a bus to Halifax. The only one due was the 501 Arriva bus which was already in the stand. We boarded and sat ourselves down, fully expecting a roughly half an hour journey or thereabouts. Hmm. What we didn’t know was that this route took in most of West Yorkshire including a circular tour around just about every farm, estate and field in Kirklees and Calderdale. We were even treated to the sight of a field full of black sheep! BLACK SHEEP! I thought they only existed in nursery rhymes! 

To make matters worse, it didn’t seem to have any heating. I honestly hadn’t a clue whereabouts we were and can remember the thought crossing my mind as we chugged along, that if the bus happened to  brake down we would be completely lost. There were some familiar sights along the way of course, though they were few and far between,  Huddersfield hospital to give one example and we also passed Ainley Top at some point in the journey which we both recognised, we did go through Elland (eventually) but then went off on some detour around the countryside before finally joining the road to Halifax. I didn’t actually time the entire journey from Huddersfield but I am sure we were travelling for nearly two hours. By the time we reached our destination, the weather had taken a turn for the worse and we spent the short time we were in town dashing quickly up and down the streets just to keep ourselves warm.

I did get the pedal pushers changed so we did achieve our goal. Eventually!

TG

Technorati Tags: shopping,sainsburys,marks&spencers,bonmarche

Giving my blog a spring clean.

 

If any of my  readers happen to pay this blog a visit this weekend, they might think that they need new glasses or their eyes testing as it will be going through a transformation as I do my usual messing around that I frequently seem to have to do. Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope that you won’t all get completely fed up and beggar off somewhere else….

 

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

TG 

Stop Look and Listen!

 

All of my fellow bus passengers and I were very nearly witnesses to a terrible accident yesterday. One which to be honest with you, I have been expecting to occur at any time. An accident in which the person concerned would only have had himself to blame. Not one of us on the bus would have blamed the driver. Its avoidance and the young man’s life being able to continue on today was purely down to the instant reflexes of our bus driver ramming on his brakes quickly enough to avoid hitting the young man, that most of us passengers very nearly hit our heads on the back of the seat in front. I personally heaved a sigh of relief as the young man gazed up at us all from his safety of the pavement as we continued on. I hoped he realised just how close he had been to disaster.

The cause of the near fatality? Earphones. Walking along, listening to whatever music he was engrossed in, he stepped out to cross the road unable to hear our approaching bus without nary a glance either right or left, and  he is so so lucky to still be enjoying life today.

The only thing that amazes me these days, is how few accidents actually occur to young people as they wander along unable to hear anything apart from their headphones, or see what’s in front of them as they gaze down intently at their mobile screens.

They have obviously all forgotten their green cross code….either that, or life no longer holds much meaning for them.  Sigh.

TG

Technorati Tags: bus,accident,brakes,earphones

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A Walk around Coley.

 

Yesterdays walk was a strange one in that right up until the very last minute, we didn’t know where we were going to begin or end up. We had planned to go with the Heartbeat gang as usual, but one of the walk leaders contacted me to state that he didn’t think it would be suitable for Kerri as there were quite a few steep and very muddy sections to climb, a combination that has tended to spell disaster in the past with Kerri ending up covered in mud after a slip and fall.

At the last minute, I suggested that we walked from Coley church via Coley Hall Lane. It’s a relatively flat walk down a bridle path that I knew wouldn’t be muddy. We would eventually emerge at Leeds/Whitehall road where we would either walk through the golf course or continue down the road to Lightcliffe and our lunch venue, the Sun Inn.

We caught the 10.15am bus to Coley which dropped us off conveniently right outside the church. I had hoped that Kerri would be rewarded with some close encounters of horse and riders out for a walk, seeing as Coley Hall Lane is a bridle path,  and even before we had reached the Coley Hall Lane entrance we encountered three ladies out for a ride with their mounts. Pleasantries were exchanged and as always she was eager to learn the names of the horses. Following that encounter we began our walk. It was a very pleasant day weather wise, not too hot for walking, and although Kerri does find the going tough over rough surfaces, we still managed to make good progress.

It was such a clear day that you could see Emley Moor transmitter over in the far distance. Strangely enough there were quite a few people also using this route, three young ladies went jogging past us, two or three people were taking their dogs for a walk, and one remarked that it was unusual for this lane to be so busy! There aren’t all that many homes on this route either, but what there are are really very attractive, with quite a few  barn conversions and the lovely cottages. It was so peaceful and quiet as well without the usual vehicle traffic.

We could have continued onto Norwood Green which was forming part of the mornings walk for the rest of the Heartbeat crew, but we had already decided that we would head towards Lightcliffe instead. We passed a horse training yard where a lady was busy training a horse and Kerri was rewarded with the sight of many horses grazing in the field next to it. As we neared the end of this road, we again met the three ladies out riding who had obviously done a circuit tour and were on their return journey. They were followed by some more younger riders who stopped to have a chat. Kerri was in her element!

 Crossing over Leeds road by the White Horse Inn, no easy task by the way, as its a very busy road, we continued down Knowle Top road and then onward to the Sun Inn at Lightcliffe for our lunch. By the time we arrived it was only 11.30am so we enjoyed a relaxing drink as we waited for our meal.

I plan to do this walk again at some time in the near future, probably making  a longer and more circular route by starting at the White Horse Inn and eventually ending back there for lunch.  Enjoy the photos taken as we journeyed along, and I hope you enjoyed our walk as much as we did.

A Walk around Coley VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

TG

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A Day Out in Skipton.

Yesterday we set off for a day out to one of my personal favourite places, namely Skipton. Known as the ‘Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales’ it also contains a medieval castle which is well worth a visit. It has a thriving market, and a canal basin from which you can enjoy a canal tour via boat. Yesterday was particularly worthy of a visit because Skipton was hosting the annual Waterways festival. We stumbled upon this annual event purely by chance some years ago when we paid Skipton a visit as the festival happened to be taking place. On arrival by the bridge that spans the canal, I couldn’t understand what all the festivities were about, but quickly found out that every year, narrowboats from other areas congregate at Skipton and then deck their boats up in various arrays of decoration. There are lot’s of attractions as well for visitors and a stage with entertainment taking place throughout the day.

On arrival, we went to book a canal tour but the first boat was fully booked by a party. So to pass the time before the next available boat at 12.00pm, we took a walk along the canal so that we could get a close look at the boats and their decorations. This years theme, because its the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, was based on Great Britain, although some boats did seem to veer from this remit somewhat! We were also having lot’s of luck with the weather for although quite chilly, at least the rain did not show its face. We eventually arrived at the park and decided take a stroll up the path before turning around to make our way back to the marina in time to board the next boat.

Seating our selves at the front of the boat on boarding, we set off down the canal. It’s such a tranquil experience cruising along at a snails pace, and so removed from the usual hustle and bustle of our daily lives that I recommend everyone to take a canal cruise at least once in their lives. The boat had hot and cold drinks on board, a waitress who takes your order and of course a toilet. We were rewarded with some stunning views over the countryside before we eventually turned around to head back to the basin.

By now it was well past one, and Kerri had already sussed out (her first job when we arrived as its top of her priorities) where we were going for our dinner, Bizzy Lizzies. This establishment is fairly new, I don’t recall it being there on our last visit to Skipton, and its conveniently sited next to the canal bridge. The service in there was excellent and a telling sign that its a popular eating place is the fact the we had to wait a while for a table.

The table manager was very friendly and he told Kerri that he had seen her dancing earlier on the Quay side to the music from the entertainment. Although it turned out that because it was a Saturday, they didn’t serve their smaller ‘pensioners portions’ which I prefer because a full serving tends to be too much for me these days, my fish and chips were amongst the best I have ever tasted, and I thoroughly recommend that if ever you are in Skipton, you pay Bizzy Lizzies a visit. Kerri had a chicken burger with chips and coleslaw followed by the inevitable chocolate cake.

Following our wonderful meal we made our way up to the Skipton Castle for another visit. Despite the fact that we have visited the castle many times, we never tire of exploring it again, its fascinating to see how everyone lived over 900 years ago, the kitchens, the toilet (which Kerri always enjoys trying out) the dungeon and the old St John the Evangelist chapel. Of course there’s a gift shop in the grounds so I bought my customary fridge magnet (I’m rapidly running out of space for them now, and could do with a double doored fridge) Of course I took loads of photos which you can see via the enclosed photo album. We made our way back to Skipton station and luckily our train to Bradford Forster Square was in.

Travelling on these electric Siemens trains is an experience in itself. They are electric, so they are whisper quiet in operation, lovely and comfortable though they are beginning to look well used now, although we both can remember when they were brand spanking new. I think they were the first trains we ever travelled on that used the tannoy system (and the scrolling info boards in each carriage) which state the next station, and at the end of your journey, the usual ‘this train terminates here, please take all your belongings with you’ to which Kerri always adds ‘especially your knickers’ (yes, I have to hear it every time, and she still finds it hilarious. The joke has kind of worn off for me..) It’s from this particular train that you can visit not only Skipton but also Keighley and Worth Valley railway and also Saltaire which is a world heritage site. So quite a well used route! Enjoy all of my photos of our day.

A Day Out in Skipton VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

TG                                 (this blog is composed, formatted and edited in Windows Live Writer.)

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