A weekend away…

Just what I needed. I spent the weekend with my beloved, and did as little as was humanly possible. The original plan was for us to go to the F1 day at Mercedes Benz world on the Sunday. However, this went “splat” as we didn’t get allocated the tickets (allegedly 45000 people requested tickets, but my guess was that most of those requests were duplicates...) So, that put paid to the original plan.

So, we decided that we would go to RAF Hendon on Sunday, as it was undercover (the weather wasn’t supposed to be too good – and I hate the cold!) But Saturday was a different matter entirely.

My shoulder has been playing up something wicked just recently, and I went to see my tame physio, to see if I could get this sorted out. Oh, it got sorted out ok – to the extent that I threw up! Stuart was really good about it, and gave me a disposable bowl, as I was at least able to warn him, before I threw up.

That knocked me about for a few minutes, and as I had to drive south, he made me promise that I would not only take things easy, but I would let him know that I had arrived ok.

That wasn’t an issue, and I took a leisurely drive down the A5 through Towcester, and stopped en-route for a break, as I really didn’t want to push my luck with my shoulder.

I got back on the road, and my beloved called to find out where I was – I was about half an hour away, stationary at traffic lights! For once in my life, I didn’t get lost and I was able to park on the drive and go into the house and get warm.

We’d arranged to go to a firework display that night, and I will admit to being very glad that I had “Stinky” with me (my late father’s Barbour coat with the detachable furry liner!) as it was bloody cold. The display was smashing, and I will admit to jumping every time there was a loud bang – no idea why, as normally I’m not bothered by such loud bangs…

Sunday itself was quite good fun – we went to RAF Hendon, and managed to get to see the Grahame-White Factory collection  This is where the historic WWI aircraft are kept. This hangar is something rather special, because it’s the only one of its type in existence. My beloved was able to explain the story behind the hangar.

It turned out that RAF Hendon sold the land where this hangar was located, and after much bargaining, the deal was reached to move the hangar, restore it and re-build it to modern building regulations, but keep as much of the original material as possible.

After that, it was a cold walk back to the main building, and into the Milestones of Flight aircraft collection.

This hall shows little gems, such as the de Havilland Mosquito (the wooden airplane – the glue used to hold it together is still classified under the official secrets act!)

As well as more “modern” aircraft like the BAe Harrier GR3:

And the ultra modern Eurofighter Typhoon:

But my favorite aircraft, I have to admit, is the North American P-51D Mustang. Simply because I love the mascot:

It was then a short, but cold walk though the covered walkway between the two halls, into the Bomber Command Hall.  The only drawback to this is the lighting in there is appalling. This meant the flash on the camera was very heavily utilised in a vain attempt to get any kind of photo!

The one thing that I did notice, was that there was more space than before, as some of the aircraft that had been in the bomber hall had been moved to the sister museum at RAF Cosford - planes such as the Valiant, which had been moved to the Cold War exhibition at RAF Cosford.It looked like they were doing some kind of restoration on the Buccaneer that was there.

However, S for Sugar, the big Lancaster bomber was still in pride of place in the middle of the bomber hall.

That wasn’t the only little gem that I managed to find. I also managed to find the Handley Page Halifax II. This aircraft looks like it should have been sent to the scrap yard, but it was recovered from Lake Hoklingen in Norway in 1973, and was taken to RAF Hendon in 1982. Whilst we were there, there were volunteers working on the aircraft. What they were doing, I truly do not have the foggiest.

It was then time for us to head across the car park to the Battle of Britain Memorial Hall, although this is now known as the Sunderland Hall for some reason...    The exhibits are something rather special, but again, the lighting lets them down really badly.

Ok - I agree with atmospheric lighting whilst the show "Our Finest Hour" is going on, but afterwards, decent lighting would allow people to enjoy the aircraft properly.

The camouflage on the Messerschmitt Bf 110G-2 was rather spectacular - a two tone mottled blue-grey top surface, with a light blue undersurface (no idea why this particular paint scheme - I just thought it made a rather dramatic photograph with the subdued lighting!)

But, once you left this part of the hall, the lighting difference was incredible (even allowing for the grotty British weather!)

As per my luck, the Sunderland wasn't open for the publick to walk though, but that didn't stop me getting some superb photographs...

After we finished at RAF Hendon, we took a quiet run home, and I will admit to falling asleep in front of the TV – only to be woken up by my beloved. We ended up going out for a curry, and I will admit it was really tasty (and very reasonable!)

The rest of the weekend?  Well, what can I say, other than it was a nicely chilled time, and I managed to sort out most things.  Although there was one cloud on the horizon...  My beloved woke up Monday morning in tears, and said that he'd had a dream.

Ok - not something I would normally worry about, but he said that it concerned me.  Ok - now I was worried.  He said that I'd told him (in the dream) that I wanted nothing to do with him, and that I was quite nasty about it, and that I was being egged on by someone (but he couldn't see who). 

That scared me, and I will admit I tried my best to reassure him that I have no intention of walking out on our relationship.  Later on, he said that he couldn't do without me in his life, and that he hoped I felt the same.  I do, and I know damned well that what ever happens, we'll always be there for each other, as I think I have finally found my soul-mate.

That's not something that I take lightly, and I have made myself a promise, that if he needs me, I will do everything in my power to be there for him, in spirit if not physically.

Ah well, guess I should call this quits - I'm supposed to be working, not blogging!

Back later.

Karen

Now some things you hold on to - and some you just let go
Seems like the ones that you can't have
Are the ones that you want most

A visit to a city’s history

What a way to send a weekend! I spent time with someone who means an awful lot to me, and I was able to see and do things with someone who enjoys the same sort of things as I do – i.e. we’re both petrol heads!

It started on Saturday, meeting at our normal meeting point of Warwick services (ok – the services are closer to Gaydon, but that’s just local knowledge speaking!)

We had a coffee and our normal chat about the route, then headed into Coventry to the park and ride at the Memorial park, as parking in Coventry is horrendously expensive.

As the main point of interest didn’t open until 10am, I suggested that we visited the two cathedrals. No – I didn’t mistype that – Coventry has two cathedrals - the old cathedral (the one that the Germans bombed in 1940) and the new one, which was built next to the old cathedral in the 1960s.

The old cathedral still has remnants of the stained glass that decorated the windows, and is most noted for the so-called Cross of Nails:

The Cross of Nails – on the night of 14 November 1940, the city of Coventry was devastated during an air raid and its cathedral burned. Shortly afterwards three nails from the bombed roof timbers were taken and formed into the shape of a cross…

In places, the damage from the bombs can still be seen on the outer walls of the old cathedral, and I will admit, I’d never really taken much notice until my friend remarked on it.

The new cathedral however, is very different. The outside has a huge bronze sculpture of St Michael and the Devil, by Sir Jacob Epstein, and is quite an impressive sight.

But, I guess the thing that the cathedral is most famous for (apart from standing next to the bombed ruin of the old cathedral) is the huge tapestry – Christ in Glory. I seem to recall being told that this is one of the largest tapestries in the world…

Then, it was off to the main reason for my friend coming into the city – the Museum of Road Transport. The museum is a real mix of old, new and incredibly fast (it holds both the land speed record cars – Thrust 2 and Thrust SSC) and holds some incredibly rare and unusual cars.

There was one car that I was really keen on seeing – Thrust SSC. When it was brought back from America (after breaking the land speed record and the sound barrier) I wasn’t able to go to the parade that was held to celebrate its success, so seeing it in its new home in the museum was a real treat for me.

After seeing that, the rest of the museum seemed to be a little bit of a come-down, but the exhibits were quite interesting. They had a small section of motorcycles, which was quite interesting for me, as they had one of the original speedway bikes!

Sunday was a lazier day, as the pair of us headed to the National Motorcycle Museum at Bickenhill. This was the museum that my friend had been teasing me about acting as the guide for him, as he is passionate about his own bike.

However, that didn’t stop him falling for a 1930’s motorcycle. He said that it had nearly every feature that he takes for granted on his own bike.

My own personal favourite was (and still is) the 1969 Triumph Bonneville. Ok – I know all the arguments about it being unreliable, etc but it is still one of those bikes that I have a real soft spot for.

Guess I should call this quits – I’m supposed to be working, not blogging!

Back when I get the chance.

Karen

Learning to fly, but I don’t have wings

Off to the Motorcycle Museum...

Mum and I have been on about going to the Motorcycle museum for a long time - well before Dad died! But, for whatever reason, we never managed to get around to it - until now.

So, we decided to make a trip up to the museum - and see what they had done to the museum since the devastating fire - and I was wondering if my favourite bike - Slippery Sam had survived...



The museum itself was as good (if not better) than I recalled it, and I have to say that the website doesn't really do the new displays justice... There were also little boxes attached to the wall for donations to help restore / replace some 250 bikes that were damaged or destroyed in the fire.

Whilst I was wandering around the museum, I had a message arrive on my 'phone from my daft hog riding friend..

Hi I bet you're sitting by the telly watching the GP. It's sunny here and I have a monster headache - all my own fault - too much to drink last night...

I sent a reply saying that I was at the motorcycle museum, and I got a surprise when I read the message that he'd sent back...

Oh I wanna go to the motorcyle museum. When you taking me then?

Excuse me - I didn't realise that was on the cards! But, given that he's been kind enough to invite me south again, I think it's the least that I can do is get him back up to my neck of the woods and show him around here...

Guess I should be thinking about doing some w*rk, but I'm suffering from TNFI again...

Back when I get the chance...
Karen
Learning to fly, but I don't have wings

A fun but tiring weekend…

It was just the sort of weekend I needed to brighten my mood after a rotten week.

I got to our meeting point, and was able to sneak up on my friend who had his back to the door, and made him jump by giving him a cuddle. We had a coffee and talked about the route to Cosford – which meant that we would have to use the M6… Ok – not a problem there, as it was a Saturday, but I knew from past experience that traffic could be hell.

The museum at Cosford opened at 10am, and there were a couple of aircraft outside... Not an issue, but it was blowing a gale across the airfield, and I was shivering, despite the fact that I had a heavy coat on – as it was my legs that were cold!

Once inside, my friend was a real angel and guided my frozen carcass to the hot air vents, which supplied heat to the museum building – and me! Once I was warmed up (ok – not nearly as warm as I would have liked, but I don’t think my friend would have been too keen on staying by the heater as it was quite a drive to get to Cosford!), we started to go ‘round the museum.

I will admit, I was wishing that Dad was with me, as he would have really enjoyed the museum – simply because he would have been able to tell me about the passenger aircraft that my friend and I were looking at.

The exhibits were incredible, and I will admit being awestruck by the sheer size of the Lincoln bomb bay, and my friend was a real angel, and explained about the different ways that the bombs could be loaded, and also showed me the loading diagram on the side of the bomb bay.

I also saw one of my favourite aircraft – the Spitfire. Ok – I know that sounds corny, but it really is a favourite of mine, and I’ve been lucky enough to see one flying several times – and one of those times was when the Lancaster bomber was flying as well…

We then walked down to the other hangar, where there were a variety of aircraft, including the York transport aircraft – which was another derivation of the Lancaster bomber. My friend was quite upset, as the aircraft had its tail pointing towards us, and we were unable to go around the front, but he took the time to explain what the differences were and what it was used for.

The one thing that he was determined to do was go and see the Vulcan cockpit simulation... Ok – not a problem there, as I was interested as well, but I didn’t realise that I was claustrophobic.

Which is crazy, simply because I didn’t have a problem when I went ‘round St Michael’s cave in Gibraltar. I couldn’t stay in there, and I gave my friend quite a fright when he turned ‘round, and I’d gone!

What I did was scoot out as fast as I could, and headed for the Concorde engine, as it was something that I was interested in (as I’ve got several bits of one at home, thanks to Dad, who used to work for British Airways!)

I didn’t hear him walking up behind me, and he returned the fright that I’d given him earlier in the day, and was quite concerned about me. I explained that I had felt very uncomfortable, and needed to get out of there as fast as I could. He was really sweet, and said that if he’d known that I was claustrophobic, he wouldn’t have let me go in there!

We then decided that it was time for a coffee, and as the coffee shop was in the main building, it meant that I got cold again! I wasn’t terribly impressed, and headed straight for the coffee shop, whilst he went ‘round the shop.

Once that was sorted, we then headed for our over night stopping point – which was the Mellor Park Premier Inn at Wolverhampton – as my friend wanted to go to Chapel Ash Harley Davidson the following day.

Before we went to dinner, he got this bag out, and told me to hold out my hands, and close my eyes… I will admit to being somewhat suspicious, as he can be quite a wind up merchant, but I decided to trust him. I felt something soft and furry against my hands, and when I opened my eyes, he’d given me this really sweet little toy tiger!

He said that it was the only one in the basket, and had made the most of the fact that I’d gone for a coffee, as it meant that he could dig through properly, and see if he could find a little tiger for me! Needless to say, the tiger was duly named Cosford, after the place that he was bought, and I hooked him straight onto my car keys, so that he was safe.

I then gave him the little teddy that I’d got him (it came with a miniature bottle of Bells whisky) and he immediately called it Grumpy, as it had a seriously grumpy expression on it face!

We then decided to go to the adjoining pub for dinner, which was really good, and I have to admit, I was absolutely shattered – but equally over the moon, as Scotland had won the Calcutta Cup! (It’s a trophy that is contested between the English and Scottish rugby union teams)

The following day, we headed for Chapel Ash, and had a quiet wander around… I bought myself this magnificent t-shirt, in shades of blue, with the union jack on the back – much to the disgust and annoyance of my friend, as it was the one that he wanted!

The drive back was ok – apart from the fact that I really aggravated my shoulder injury, by being too damned stubborn to stop and have a break – which caused my friend quite a bit of worry, as we parted company at Warwick services, and he admitted that he was worried about me, as he wouldn’t be there to act as my back up if anything went wrong!

But, I survived, and had a really good weekend, and the memories will keep me smiling when I’m feeling down…

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming

I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you
Is a moment I treasure

Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep
'Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

'Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream would never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Time to call this quits – I’m supposed to be working, not blogging!

Back when I get chance.

Karen
Learning to fly, but I don’t have wings

Starting to walk on air...

There's something about talking to a good friend that really lifts me.

I called my daft hog riding friend at lunchtime, and he was making me laugh, complaining about his phone and hands-free kit packing up. Once he'd had his grump about that, we got talking about various things - including his trip to see We Will Rock You in London last night.

He said that it was really good, as he really likes his Queen music, and said that there were some parts that had him in tears, as he admitted that he's rather vulnerable at the moment, and was grateful that the theatre was dark!

We got talking about our trip to Cosford, and we've agreed to meet between 08:00 and 08:30, and the second one there not only buys the coffee and also gets a huge hug. That made me blush, and I have to admit that I was really glad that I was in the car, and not anywhere that I could be seen!

Once we get to Cosford, we've both agreed to turn our 'phones off, and he has said that he'll have no need for his phone, as he would be holding my hand the whole time, and that when he hugged me, he said that it would take an awful lot to make him let go of me! That made my smile get even bigger, and I have to admit, I'm counting the hours until I see him, as he means an awful lot to me.

We had to end the call as he was arriving at his next customer's premises, and he said that he would see me very soon, and would speak to me later this evening, when he finishes work.

Time to call this quits - I've got four tyres to locate for an order...

Back later, if I get chance.

Karen
Learning to fly, but I don't have wings

Opening the floodgates..

Well, today has been a real eye opener in more than one way.

I met my daft friend at Gaydon, and he seemed somewhat subdued, and I will admit to being somewhat apprehensive about spending the day with him, as he seemed... Distant somehow - almost as if his mind was on something else...

The exhibits didn't seem as good as I remember them being, but I did enjoy looking at them, and seeing cars that I remember thinking were the height of sophistication (before I learnt to drive, I might add!)

After we'd been around the museum, we headed for a near-by pub, and sat chatting, and again, I felt that there was something that was troubling my friend, but me being me, I was unwilling to press the issue, as I felt that if he wanted to tell me what was bothering him so much, then he would talk to me...

As neither of us fancied what was on the menu, I decided to head to the Blue Lias - and found that it was closed, so resorted to my second choice - the Buck and Bell - I was hoping that it was as good as I heard, and thankfully, it was!

And that was when things started to kick off. As we sat having dinner (I admit, I had very little appetite, as I really worried that something was going to kick off - one of these days I'll learn to listen to my instincts), my friend held my hand, and said that I looked like a frightened rabbit!

Ok - I've been likened to many things in my life, but never a frightened rabbit! We finished our food, and that was when he started to open the floodgates.

Rather than drag it all out in a place that neither of us felt comfortable in, we opted to leave and find somewhere we could talk...

Talk about setting the floodgates to maximum flow. My friend poured his heart out to me, and seemed terrified that I was going to explode at him, and refuse to have anything more to do with him.

That was the last thing that I was going to do to someone who was as emotionally vulnerable as that - so vulnerable in fact, that he cried his heart out on my shoulder. All I could do was hold him, and re-assure him that no matter what happened, I was always going to be there for him - come hell or high water - there was no way I was going to abandon him.

Time to call this quits - I need to get some sleep tonight if I can - as I don't mind admitting that my mind is whirling around faster that hurricane Catrina!

Karen.

I walk where others fear to tread

Back to the blog... And back on the mainland.

Well, I'm back from the Isle of Wight. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but some of the roads were..... Scary I think is the best term! Again, this post will have few external links, and the opinions are mine and mine alone, so if you don't agree with me - tough.

The trip across to the island wasn't as bad as I'd thought - mind you, I was dosed up to the eyeballs on prescription drugs to stop me throwing up - I hate boats full stop! So, we got to the island, no problem.

The fun occurred when I realised that the roads were more like a hill climb track - i.e. steep gradient / nasty bends. But, I soon overcame that problem, and started to enjoy driving.

The St. Maur hotel was lovely - really peaceful and very good food, and had plenty of information on what there was to do on the island. I get the impression that it would be a real walkers paradise, but as Mum isn't fit enough to do that sort of thing, we opted for the other attractions - those that were open that is!

What makes me say that? Simple. The mere fact that most places don't open until April, and those that were open were rather few, or of little / no interest to Mum and myself. But one place that was open, was the Isle of Wight glass studio (see http://www.isleofwightstudioglass.co.uk/) I did get Mum a piece as her birthday is coming up, and if there wasn't anything that she liked, I'd have scampered off over to Stratford to my usual shop to get a piece of glass.

We also found the Garlic Farm. And yes - I did get some garlic bulbs. And boy - didn't I know I'd done so! The reason? Simple. The car stank of garlic everytime I opened the boot! Or at least it did, until I bought a couple of air fresheners to mask the smell!

On the subject of smell, we also found Isle of Wight Lavender (see http://www.lavender.co.uk/) and they make some lovely bath salts. I managed to get some of my favorite Lavender & Rosemary scent, as well as Lavender & Lemongrass. A couple of them I found somewhat overpowering, but it all boils down to personal preference.

But there was one place that I will admit to being somewhat reluctant to go to, but went simply because Mum wanted to go. This was Osborne House, which was Queen Victoria's holiday home on the island. (See http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/ - places to visit for more details / history, etc.) Having said that though, I'm very glad that I did go, as the interior was fabulous, and the tour guide was wonderfully informative...

We also went to the county town of Newport. To be honest, the shops there were rather limted, and if you didn't want to buy your clothes from Marks & Spencers or Matalan, I think you would be hard pushed to find anywhere else on the island!

Other than that, there seemed to be little to do, and some places weren't worth the petrol to get there, but I guess that's one of the perils / part of the fun of travelling to a new location.

We were lucky on the way back though, Mum and I got the earlier ferry back and were able to go to the National Motor Museum at Beulieu in the New Forest. (See http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/ ) To be perfectly honest, I was very disappointed with the motor museum - I thought that there would be loads of exhibts, all with loads of information about the cars, etc.

Well, to be honest there weren't. And, in my opinion, the Motor Heritage centre at Gaydon (http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/) and the Museum of Road Transport in Coventry (http://www.transport-museum.com/home.htm) have a far better collection, and more to the point, the Coventry museum has the two most important vehicles in the land speed record attempt - Thrust 2 and the current land speed record holding vehicle - Thrust SSC.

Ah well, suppose I'd better go and make peace with the furry fiends - they've been giving me the cold paw treatment since I got home....

Back later - if I haven't been clawed to bits!

Karen.

Don't let the b'stards get you down