Remember those dear little adventurers created by Edward Lear? "The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat."Well, guess what? Mike has also taken an owl and pussycat in a pearlescent grey van. Not nearly so poetic, but later on, in this post we will look into what Mike has been up to on his solo adventure to mainland Europe. As for the honey and money, I'll let you know how the budget is going next month. If you're totally confused by that last sentence read this.
Last week we set off from Dereham and headed to the West Country. Our first stop was the beautiful cathedral city of Worcester. We chose the campsite closest to the centre and felt let down because it was £15 a night, the shower didn't work at all, and looked very neglected, however the spiders would have loved an indoor life with no disruptions. We had a pleasant stroll along the river into the city and admired an attractive row of terraced houses on the opposite side of the river. It was disheartening when we took a close look at them from their side and we could see that nearly all of them were empty and they appeared to have flood damage. It was hard for us to imagine what a raging torrent the river would have been to have reached up to that level.
From Worcester we headed further West and South, to theForest of Dean in Gloucestershire. We parked overnight in a quiet location ready for a special family weekend away.
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The occasion was my Mum and Dad's fiftieth wedding anniversary. They treated the whole family at the Forest of Dean log cabins. Luxury with a capital L. Clean, modern, hot tub, high quality fixtures and fittings. The only negative was the size of the fridge, but perhaps that just reflects the size of my greedy appetite. Anyway, a good time was had by all and we had lots of laughs. On Monday morning Mike headed East for Dover, for his onward trip to Calais and I went back to Mum and Dad's house for a quiet catch up as I hadn't seen them since Christmas.
There has developed, over a number of years a ridiculous ritual where we 'plant' a stuffed toy after a family visit. The idea being that you don't want to host this unwelcome guest in your house, flat, motorhome or car. Years ago somebody knitted an unattractive grey stuffed cat, it may have been Mum, or one of my sisters. This was soon joined by another feline, patchwork this time and then the menagerie was completed with the addition of a brightly coloured nylon owl. The idea behind the game is to place any number of these toys somewhere or some place at your host's. Hopefully not to be found for some time afterwards. The feeling when you do discover that one of the family has caught you is of amusement at their inventiveness but dismay that you were silly enough to let your guard down. There have been some truly memorable classics, one for Mike when he opened his briefcase during an important business meeting with clients to see a stuffed toy perched on top of his files. Another where we found the little blighters tucked behind the curtain of the motorhome after we arrived in the USA in 2004.
Mike set off for Dover and stopped at a service station for coffee. While he waited for the kettle to boil he did a quick inspection of the van from the outside and found an owl and a pussycat wedged in between the bars of the bicycle rack. All he could do, after muttering under his breath, was bring them inside for a warm up and some breakfast. So the three of them have set off on their travels. Pictures to follow.
Mike arrived in Germany on Wednesday along with a Dutch family who he met as he crossed the border. Unfortunately, their car was the unwelcome guest as it ploughed into the rear of the van. Luckily no-one was seriously hurt, although Mike can't open the rear doors and the 12v electrics have been knocked senseless. The vehicle failed to stop at the junction because they were admiring the view of the Rhine from the bridge. Poor Mike!
I've asked him to take a picture of himself and his travelling companions (owl and pussycat, not Dutch family) and hopefully his techno savvy self will make the grade.
Photos for April here.
That's all for now. Enjoy the bank holiday.
Mike set off for Dover and stopped at a service station for coffee. While he waited for the kettle to boil he did a quick inspection of the van from the outside and found an owl and a pussycat wedged in between the bars of the bicycle rack. All he could do, after muttering under his breath, was bring them inside for a warm up and some breakfast. So the three of them have set off on their travels. Pictures to follow.
Mike arrived in Germany on Wednesday along with a Dutch family who he met as he crossed the border. Unfortunately, their car was the unwelcome guest as it ploughed into the rear of the van. Luckily no-one was seriously hurt, although Mike can't open the rear doors and the 12v electrics have been knocked senseless. The vehicle failed to stop at the junction because they were admiring the view of the Rhine from the bridge. Poor Mike!
I've asked him to take a picture of himself and his travelling companions (owl and pussycat, not Dutch family) and hopefully his techno savvy self will make the grade.
Photos for April here.
That's all for now. Enjoy the bank holiday.
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