Sunday and it had been another very cold night, me cranking up the heating in the early hours when nature came calling.
Tea was taken, the water being boiled in a saucepan on the
hob. The leccy had gone off again soon after I’d switched on the kettle,
despite it being a small low power one and me turning down the heating.
Again though, all was ok on board and at the bollard. After
the cuppa I made my way to see one of the Warden’s but they already knew about
it and assured me it would be on shortly – and so it was. He came to see me
later and apologised profusely – although there was really no need, it was
hardly a drama. It was not the fault of anyone on site but something in the
main control panel, which had now been reported. Thankfully it didn’t happen
anymore during my stay.
Sandra:
Sunday morning arrived and a leisurely start to the morning was
in order. We were due to leave around
10.30 as we had an hour and half journey to go to Richard’s cousin Andy and his
wife Janet for Sunday lunch. It had been
nearly a year since Richard had last seen them it was something I really looked
forward too. The journey was
straightforward in the main, a few roadworks slowed us a little, but we still
arrived pretty much on time. The
outstanding memory I have of the journey, especially as we neared the coast,
was the picture-perfect frosted fields and trees as far as the eye could see in
every direction and were worthy of calendars, even more so when the sun
eventually broke through. There followed
several hours of excellent food, company and opportunity to play with Poppy!
It was great to catch up again after an aborted attempt in the summer when we were up in the lakes and they were in Yorkshire. As always, Jan’s roast dinner was sublime and I may have had a second and possibly third helping! All to soon though it was time to depart. We didn’t want to leave it too late because of the weather.
Sandra:
We returned to Patsy and noticed, that if anything, it had warmed up ever so slightly. With hindsight, alarm bells should have been ringing. We were sitting having our supper when we heard the soft pitter patter and opening the roof blind, saw that it had begun to snow. At the time it was very little and to be honest we thought no more about it. Fast forward to Monday morning, we awoke to something like 6 to 7 inches of snow! This was perhaps exacerbated by being in one of The Dells on the site. Whilst being very pretty, I am certainly of the age where I prefer it doesn't snow on roads and pavements.
I once again had the opportunity to recycle the old gag about
waking up to several inches…. but it did look magical outside in the early
morning gloom, completely undisturbed. I’m not a fan of snow usually – work
wise it’s a pain in the derriere. We get so little normally on the south coast
that we – and the authorities – don’t prepare for it as they might in other
places. And a rear wheel drive minibus on ice is no fun at all – not with kids
on board anyway!
Sandra:
We discussed where we might visit today and settled on Bury St Edmunds – a place I had never visited, and Richard had not been for some time. After a breakfast to warm up, whilst Hetty thawed out, we needed her 4-wheel drive capabilities to get out of the site, we duly set off. We also had to pick up a click and collect from Dunelm, on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds, for some new cushion pads for the covers which had been washed after the October trip to London. Sadly a number of the pads did not make the cut due to wear and tear so new ones were in order. We had managed to buy the two larger ones earlier in the weekend at the Dunelm in Cambridge. Despite me asking a sales rep if they had any of the smaller ones, I was told that they did not. Interestingly on returning to the van after that, I could have done a C&C for them later that day …. Hmm. Anyway, I am pleased to report that all the loose cushions in Patsy are now washed and filled with proper filled pads.
Yes, the chap in the Cambridge branch had all the makings of an S.P.O – Sales Prevention Officer. Never mind. I’d spotted a supermarket filling station on the way and called in afterwards, grabbing some ‘cut’ price diesel some 10 pence a litre cheaper than my last fill back home. Generally the ones around where I live have been very reluctant to drop prices. Gits.
Sandra:
We made our way into the town centre and found a very central parking spot. It was fortuitous as it was now approaching lunchtime, very cold indeed – equally Richard was feeling under the weather too. As I got out of the car, I noticed a lovely old fashioned style café called Harriet's – very reminiscent of Betty’s of Harrogate.
Yeah, although I was looking forward to the lights at Wimpole I wasn’t that disappointed to be honest, having picked up a cold at some point in the last few days. A cosy night in was perfect.
Sandra:
Monday morning arrived and having determined the day before that
I would not leave before daylight and the time when it could reasonably be
expected that the warden would be up and about in case of the need for my car
to be towed out, we cleared the car, plus of course the obligatory snowball!! I was very restrained as Richard was not
100%, perhaps next time. I left in -6C
wondering what sort of journey I was in for.
Following a quick refuel, I was soon on my way and all credit to the A14
gritter crews, I made a steady and safe journey back North. Richard was due to return south the following
day, as I left I was keeping my fingers crossed that the snow would dissipate
enough for Hetty to pull Patsy out of the pitch and onto the main road.
Another superb trip, despite the extreme cold and Richard not feeling too good. Thank you – until the next trip.
I had nothing planned for the day, but after our goodbyes I made a warming coffee whilst Hetty thawed then had a run into the village for a couple of bits and bobs. There was some grit down on the slope to our group of pitches and Hetty coped easily but I was still wondering how she would manage to haul Patsy up. I did at least have the option of staying another night or two. The time was my own.
A little later I set about starting to pack up. The waste water
tank had frozen completely and so had the last remaining unfrozen fresh water
tap on site, so after filling a container with water from the washing up area
to stand on the drainer, disconnected the water and waste, attempting
unsuccessfully to defrost the waste master with a hairdryer. I propped it up in
the shower hoping it would thaw overnight.
That night Pauline picked me up and we went for a curry at one of our favourite places, the Tamarind in Teversham. Not too far to travel either. I eschewed the usual chicken madras this time for a Chicken Naga Morgan which was just as hot but more flavoursome. Just the job for a cold and really tasty indeed.
The following morning I was pleased to see that the warden had
been busy with the grit and there was lots of visible tarmac on the slope.
Hetty hauled Patsy up without any drama and we were soon on the road. It had
started overcast but the sun came out as I hit the M11 and with grit everywhere
frequent blasts of screen wash were needed. If only I’d remembered to thaw out
the jets before leaving! The wipers on their own just made things worse but
eventually a dribble appeared from the nozzle. It reminded me of something…
By lunchtime Patsy was back in her resting place and I was back home, throwing caution to the wind and switching on all the heaters in an attempt to make the flat habitable again. I don’t leave heating on when I’m away – being sandwiched between the ground floor and second, freezing pipes are not an issue, and anyway, it’s now too damn expensive!
And that was the first leg of my Christmas travel plans done and dusted. It had once again been a good trip with new memories made and old ones recalled. There were a few days at home now to catch up then it would be off on the road again, for Christmas up north, this time without Patsy. More blog posts coming soon.
Cheers
Rich