Good morning. When I look out of the window now and see a dull miserable rainy day ahead, I thank goodness I went on holiday last week. Wall to wall sunshine for most of the time. A few pics of the Whitelink Ferry crossing. I chose the Lymington - Yarmouth route because I didn't want to drive in Southampton or Portsmouth. Here I am stood on the deck as we set off.
I asked if I could go up there for a better view. Of course the reply was no. But if you don't ask you don't get, that's my philosophy.
Bye bye Lymington.
Hello Yarmouth. It takes about 30 minutes to cross.
One boat arriving, and one leaving.
I was off the boat at 9.15am and went straight to the nearby long term car park, where I ditched the car for six hours, at a cost of £8.30. Rather expensive I thought. I later found that all the official council carparks had the same tariff, maybe I won't be using them very often.
I set off for a walk, taking the coastal path. It was six miles, then I had to get back to the car before the parking ticket ran out. I must find some free parking so that I am not restricted by how far and how long I can walk for.
I am slotting the videos into the blog. Another one coming later today.
My holiday always starts from when I leave home. I had arranged to meet my nephew in Burton upon Trent, on my way down south. We had a great catch up coffee and cake at Costa Coffee. Ady says Hi.
My camp on Rownham Services on the M27. It was very quiet on the car parking side on a Saturday night. There are quite a lot of lorries over there on the truck park. As it is so close to the docks of Southampton and Portsmouth it is a convenient place to overnight park for deliveries the next day. Docks work 24 hours seven days. I paid £13 to park here.
There were five of these big machines parked up overnight. Three of them were off early, gone before I had chance to get photo's of all of them. I had a chat to the driver of this one. Trucking talk of course, just like old times. Aren't they wonderful.
I got an earlier boat, so I waited for the one I had booked to come in.
Good morning. Phew, that was the week that was. I slept extremely well in my home made camper car, ten hours every night. Early to bed when it got dark, stealthy, lights out, hidden under the duvet. Awake at first light, coffee, flannel wash in a bowl of water, ready to face the world. The sea air was a tonic, I felt so much fresher, so much more alive.
The cats were well chuffed to see me, especially Mayze, demanding cuddles. The boys say, oh, you're back, and do their own thing once they have eaten. It's thanks to Janet for looking after the place while I was away. Looks like there has been some heavy rain during the night. Mayze is outside on the table, her usual place for overseeing who enters the garden. I have the water heating up for a good soak in the bath, I am a bit smelly.
I met some very nice people while away, they were all chatty, and I see that I have messages from them. Amazing that someone shouts hello to me from a car window, and I find that they know me from what I post online. Even more amazing that a long term follower just happened to be at the same petrol station as me, washing her car, where I was camping for the night. I had a lovely chat with Darren who was working on renovating windows at a thatched cottage. There was a lady who was seeing her sister off on the floating bridge. Dressed up sister was going to cross the water for a night out. I chatted to a lady who was watching a queue of people snaking their way around a Waitrose store. I asked her why they were queuing. She said they were waiting to go into the medical centre to get their flu/covid jabs. She had an appointment but had decided she couldn't stand that long, and would book another more convenient appointment. There was a lady I met in a park, lovely chat with her. Oh, and apologies if I have missed anyone. The Isle of Wight is a friendly place.
Someone is watching me. A news item popped up on my screen this morning. Redcar up in the North East has a problem with accommodating motorhomes and campervans. The council are trying to keep residents and campers happy and work out a compromise to suit all. It seems to me that some people are resorting to holidaying at home, such is the deterrent to flying off to other parts of the world. All those nasty emissions. The van life fraternity are exploring new options. Some use their vans for cheap accommodation while holidaying, some have resorted to selling up and moving full time into a van. I parked in a place for two overnights. Fort Victoria has a big area, it's close to the sea, it has public toilets, the cleaning crew turned up every morning at 7am, and it's free. Both nights the same 7 or 8 vans were there. Apparently the council allow that because it stops the toilets from being vandalised. I don't know what Redcar can do. They need to look at other models.
Anyway, now I'm going to get scrubbed up. Blog posts will be as and when, as will video uploads. Hope to have it all covered in a week.
Thanks for popping in. Pathetic sarcastic trolls need not bother. Toodle pip. ilona
Hello. People may have been wondering where I have been. All is revealed. I have been to the Isle of Wight for a week. This is the boat that I came back on this morning, from Yarmouth to Lymington. I was booked on the twelve o clock sailing, but I turned up early and they got me on the eleven o clock. It was raining, the first rain after a glorious week of sunshine. A good time to come back I thought. I was lucky with the weather.
The drive back was a blur it chucked it down all the way to Oxford, then it eased off before the showers started again. It's a flippin long way. I take my time on a long journey, sticking to a steady 55 - 60 miles per hour. I listen to the radio and relax.
So, that's the longest car camp I have ever done. Sunday night I spent on Rownhams Services on the M27, before heading to catch the boat on the Monday morning. I travelled all round the island in an anticlockwise direction, taking in as many places as I had time for. It was difficult to find anywhere to park overnight. There are official car parks which are very expensive to use during the day. They advertise a £2 charge to stop overnight, 6pm to 8am, but the notice says strictly no sleeping in vehicles. It is the same notice in every car park. The streets are clogged up with parked cars from those who are trying to avoid the charges, and the residents struggle to find any spaces for their own cars. I had to drive to the outskirts of the towns to find a quiet street, then use my map to work out a circular walk from there. There are hardly any laybys, and if there is a bit of spare ground to park there are notices up limiting the length of time you can stay there.
Anyway, apart from that, I had a fantastic time. Now I have 287 photo's to sort out, and a few videos to upload. I am now on the verge of collapse, I am so tired. I'll be back tomorrow with some piccies.
Have you seen anything like this before? There is an exhibition at the 20 21 Art Centre in Scunthorpe at the moment. If you stand in front of it for any length of time, you could become hypnotized. Arms and legs projected onto a big screen.
Peter William Holden is the artist, and the end date for this is 23rd September, then it will move on to another venue. So 13 days if you want to catch it here.
This sculpture is Arabesque, with gentle music accompanying the dancing arms and legs.
20-21 Visual Arts Centre is delighted to present the first major UK gallery exhibition by kinetic sculptor Peter William Holden. His mesmerising installations combine sculpture, robotics, video and sound in automated sculptural performances.
The Arts Centre is in a church. There are some interesting shadows on the walls.
The umbrellas open to Dancing in the Rain. As each one opens you can hear a click, just like the tap dancing of Fred Astaire. This sculpture is called AutoGene.
If you follow this link to Peter William Holden's web site you will find a list of his sculptures. Click on each one for a video version.
If you put Peter William Holden into the search facility on yoootooob, you will find many more like this. Have fun.
Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your weekend. Toodle pip. ilona
This is a story I made up. It is a figment of my imagination. It is not true. I wrote this on a typewriter about 20 years ago, photocopied it and sent it to a magazine. I still have the rejection letter, no thank you, from Woman's Weekly.
I dabbled a lot in writing, mostly for myself in the form of diaries, sometimes sending letters to magazines, and articles to local newspapers. Many were published. Many more were not. But it was fun, I like writing. The process is a lot easier now with computers enabling editing as you write. Words move swiftly from the brain to the fingers at speed, and land on the screen in a flash.
The title of this story is, 'Not That Desperate'.
The line between truth and fiction is often blurred. Make your own mind up.
Thanks for popping in. Have a good weekend. Toodle pip. ilona
While I've got a minute. This has been an interesting topic of conversation over on my yoootoooob channel. Mixed responses with varied opinions. I try and reply to most but it's hard to keep up.
Strange weather this morning, misty/foggy/damp. Now time for breakfast.
Good morning. Digging this one out of the drafts folder for publication. You can skip this if you have seen it on yoootooob, or if you have no interest in anything I say. I'm a bit busy . Will be back later. Another video in the pipeline.
I was undecided about whether to put this video on here, after the recent spate of nasty comments. Most of them don't get published. If they can't comment here, they will go to other blogs to talk about me. So much for blogging buddies, eh! I have been feeling rather deflated.
Walking outdoors helps of course. Turning things over in my mind. The vast open spaces helps to put things into perspective. So does chatting face to face with friends here in the village. I was at the Crafty Club yesterday. We all had a good laugh about the craziness of the differences between face to face interaction, and online interaction. The confusion of what is real and what is not. I briefly outlined the situation of what has been happening here. I said I couldn't understand why I am getting so much aggro from those who don't know me.
Several of them said, there you have it. It's because they don't know you. We see you every week, we know what makes you tick, we accept you for what you are. And so it works both ways, I accept them for what they are. Mutual respect. Face to face with friends is always a better way of communicating.
This morning I woke up with my usual optimistic self. I have often said that if you have had a shit day there is nothing you can do to change it. It has happened, things have gone wrong, and the morning will bring a fresh new start. Yesterday, last week, last month, last year, is history, you have to move forward. Every day is a fresh new start, the clock goes forwards, not backwards.
That is my philosophy anyway.
The sun is shining. Now I will make breakfast. I went shopping yesterday and now I have choice in the cupboards and fridge. Avocado on toast with an egg, yum.
It was a lovely afternoon for a walk. A little too hot maybe, but I took food and drink with me and made sure I kept hydrated. I met several people along this track, going in the opposite direction. The weather brought them out.
My sanctuary. The open countryside, with fantastic views.
I called in to see my friend June, for a catch up natter. She was showing me her new mobility scooter. I can see me riding one of those in a few years time.
I took a track through a farm. I wish I could have a drive of this beauty. It was so clean, it looked brand new. Shame to get it dirty.
Seven miles, fairly whacked when I got back. Good to sit down with a glass of wine.
Comment on the previous post Big Splash. (not published)
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For heavens sake stick to posts such as this as opposed to perpetuating conspiracy theories- 5 minute cities, vaccines, no man ma made global warning, Hawaii fires were all part of the big plan. Have you any idea what distress such rubbish causes people?
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Do I detect a sense of anger here? It looks like you are very much distressed yourself. But why is that?
I am feeling very distressed at the moment, but I suppose that doesn't matter to you. Having an understanding of what is going on in the world is a massive burden on my shoulders. This is where I can offload a little bit, while keeping the real horrors of the world to myself. I know a lot more than what I share here. I am shielding people by staying quiet.
Why do you say it's rubbish? Because you say so? Have you looked into it, and I mean really looked hard into it, not just skimmed the main stream media?
I am not angry with you, so why do you attack me for my beliefs? You could do yourself a favour and not come here at all, it would keep your blood pressure down to a more manageable level.
This video came up on my sidebar. I remember standing by the Ford at Rufford and watching the cars drive through the water. I wasn't driving myself at the time, I was on a walk in the area and came across this source of amusement. Fords can be anything between a few inches deep, to a few feet deep when it rains. It is perfectly fine to drive through them when the conditions are right, saving a long and sometimes complicated diversion to get around them. People often take a chance though, and as you can see from this video they sometimes come unstuck and have to be helped out of the water.
It reminded me of my watery mishap years ago, when I had a Honda CX500 custom. I had saved up long and hard for this bike. I passed the motorcycle test a few years before on a Kawasaki 100 which my friend bought, for me to practice on. I took the test in Southport. The first bike I bought for myself was a Honda 125. It was big enough for a starter bike.
But then I wanted something bigger so I could ride further afield. Going all the way to Aberystwyth from the Midlands on a day out, on a 125 was a bit of a slog.
I decided on a Honda 400. I wanted a new bike and I could just about afford that. I scoured the ads in Motorcycle News and found a dealer just off the North Circular Road in London. Off I went in my old van to view what they had in stock. When I got there they didn't have the chosen bike for me to look at. However they did have a 500, and with the discount of a cheque for £100 arriving in the post direct from Honda, I worked it out that I could afford it. Two weeks later I went back to London on the train to pick it up.
My pride and joy. Big handlebars, small fuel tank, I was now an 'easy rider'. I bought panniers for it and could now go anywhere. I cleaned it and polished it every time I went out. The only new vehicle I have ever had.
So what's the connection between my bike and the Ford at Rufford? The local police had organised a competition and test for bikers, taking in 30 miles of all types of road riding. I thought it would be useful to brush up on my riding skills, and give me another piece of paper to go with my car, lorry, and coach driving certificates.
Around the course they had checkpoints. The police were stationed to watch how the riders tackled junctions and other minor obstacles. At one point we had to guess the weight of our bike, and put it on a weighbridge to check it. I hadn't a clue so made a wild guess at 500 lbs.
Then, I came across a Ford on a country road. Not very deep, but I hadn't encountered that before on my normal riding. What should I do? Stop, first gear, take it slowly, or go at it a bit faster and whizz through. I opted for the cautious option. All eyes were on me as I attempted to ride through the water. Police officers were watching. I hadn't reckoned on the stones on the bottom being green with slime and very slippery. I reached the centre and my beloved bike slid from underneath me. I was left with legs wide apart and the bike on it's side.
The bike was heavy and I couldn't lift it. Two big blokes in uniform came to my assistance and pulled it out for me. Oh the embarrassment. I was also very angry that they had included this in the test. How ridiculous. If I had come across this on my normal days riding I would have found a way around it. Disgruntled, I gave up, and abandoned the rest of the course, and went to my aunties house nearby to calm down.
A week later, I had a knock at the door. A policeman stood there. He said, you know that part of the test where you had to guess the weight of your bike. I said yes, hoping he would not mention the fact that they had to rescue me. It turned out that my guess was spot on, and he presented me with a set of drinks glasses as a prize.
I had a few years of happy riding. Found some pals, went to some rallies, often camping at pubs, or farmers fields. A lady trucker friend from Hampshire had a BMW bike, and invited me to a rally in Holland. I went a day before her because she couldn't get time off work.
I got on the boat, was chatting to a Dutch biker who had been in the UK for a holiday and was on his way back home. I said I was nervous about riding on the right hand side of the road. He said, no matter follow me as he was going in the same direction. We disembarked and I kept him in my sight.
The first roundabout we came to he started to go the wrong way around it. I stopped dead, this wasn't right. I laughed my head off. He had got used to our road system over the previous two weeks. He realised what he had done, so off we went again. He did a right turn straight into a 'no entry' road. By then I was thinking I would be better off on my own. I found the rally site.
The time came to move to my present house, I had to sell my beloved Honda. I had become a fairweather rider anyway and it was spending a lot of time in the garage. I also needed the money for the new house. When I first had it, a friends husband said if I ever want to sell it, give him first choice, so I did. He snapped it up, still in pristine condition, and it went to Bristol.
And there you have it. My biking life in a nutshell. A bit of a saga, my fingers are dancing all over the keyboard.
It's raining at the moment, so I will keep busy indoors. Have a good weekend. Toodle pip. ilona
Come in to my Echo Chamber. I sometimes copy and paste good news and bad news. You may respond with a comment. I may or may not publish it.
Sweet seventeen and never been kissed
Publicity shots in France with Sir Alistair Morton on the Eurostar.
Time for a break in my truck
Guided tour of Barcelona Football Stadium
My 60th Birthday showing my first bus pass
Makeover for Chat Magazine
Trying out some roller blades I bought from a car boot sale
A walk over the Humber Bridge
Late evening charity walk for a Hospice.
Who am I ?
A retired lorry driver who is trying to keep my life normal, while those all around me are losing their minds. This is my diary. What I do and what I think about. You are welcome to read it. Toodle pip.
