What are you all up to

Arrived at Abbey Wood today. Surprisingly, the M25 was relatively light so only took around 3 hours from Bristol. Tomorrow isn’t looking great, weather wise, so not sure what the plan is, might have a look around Greenwich. We’ll visit the Tower Of London on Wednesday.

IKEA..... that's very brave of you David...  🤣🤣🤣  I quite like the stuff we have bought from IKEA  but the shop does put me off.  When I go shopping, I like to go straight for what I want.  I know there are short cuts, but it always seems to take an age to get to the tills...

On the rare occasions I go to the supermarket - Carol usually goes - I usually end up by flagging down an assistant to help me find what I want.  I did get a really funny look from an assistant last time I went.  I was in the 'toilet roll aisle' and there was a young lady filling up the shelves.  I was after toilet roll for the caravan.  She did seem taken aback when I went up to her and said.... "Oooo! You're the toilet roll expert!  Could you tell me which toilet roll has the thinnest sheets?"  🤣🤣🤣

David

I assume all IKEA stores are the same? There has always been two ways round, the long way and the short way depending on whether you are shopping for large items or accessories. If you can't make up your mind they are very clever by placing the cafe in between the two so you can have a coffee whilst you decide! We enjoy having a general browse although as a former shop keeper I am not sure they always use a logical way of displaying their goods. If I want a light bulb I want them all in the same place rather than looking all over the lighting department. I don't think we have ever escaped from IKEA without buying something we probably didn't need!!!

David

Wonderful place to explore is Greenwich. From the Old Naval College to the museum of time to the top of Greenwich Hill for a great view of London plus good pubs and shops in Greenwich itself. Enjoy it Freddy.

Talking of buying things that you don’t really need...We are both feeling a bit better and fed up with being stuck in, and now testing negative, we decided on a short trip to B&M and Homebase, both near to each other. Instructions before we went were, ‘no more plants, the garden is full.’ So no plants but, solar lights for the path, a solar Sun for a wall, and 2 solar dragonflies. I needed a new pot for a new acer and they were buy 1 get 1 half price in Homebase, bargain, so 2 new big pots. I’ve just put them all out and OH asked what I will put in the extra pot, without thinking I said, ‘oh I’ll buy more plants’. He wasn’t amused.

One of our granddaughters passed her driving test today, our first grandchild to drive. She was so happy but then realised she had only put 500 miles per annum in her previous insurance quote, when she upped the mileage they obviously upped the price, Now not able to afford it her mood dropped like a stone. Nan & Grandad came to the rescue and helped out, which she was very appreciative of. Couldn’t believe some of the quoted prices. After some searching she has insurance with a box in the car, which we think is a good idea, she is sensible but this is, hopefully, extra peace of mind.

We last did Tower of London 15 years ago, and did it via a very nice river cruise. Got in via Tesco vouchers. Really enjoyed it, and there was an extra exhibition on down from Royal Armouries Museum. One of the tower’s has some of the best “graffiti” we have ever seen. Carved into the soft walls, some of the famous prisoners from various reigns.

Lots of rain here this morning, so our terrace is on hold, but a very nice afternoon. I have been pottering around pricking out seedlings in greenhouse, tidying up a few pots.

OH has got us tickets to The Bike Show at the NEC in June, thanks go to WN for the tip off about the free tickets👏👍

Enjoyed a trip to Portmeirion today. Haven’t been there since I was about nine years old whilst on a caravanning holiday with my parents. It hasn’t changed much from what I remember. We were then staying on Mochras which at that time was like a CL with only a handful of vans/tents allowed.

Yes, Portmeirion is quirky and has that certain false feeling about it but it seems to have achieved and maintained this with some degree of decorum and style.  The grounds, beaches, walks and vistas from the village, which look across Bae Tremadoc, are absolutely stunning. Specimen trees and flora have been planted and make for a pleasant stroll. We departed with ‘be seeing you’ ringing in our ears!

We finished the day with a visit to the Glaslyn Ospreys. The sun shone and the birds put on a show for us. Recommended. Loved it.

Another two fine days on the Monday coast. Yesterday we visited the Spey Bay Dolphin centre, and was fortunate to see an Osprey feeding near the mouth of the river, but no signs of the dolpins. 

This morning we walked the coastal path from the village to Portknockie and back, before having lunch down by the shore at Sandy Creek. A second walk around the harbour followed.

Dropped Mrs One in Aylsham where she travelled home by bus pass. Meanwhile I drove cross country to Rookesbury Park.had a real in a large lay-by just outside of Oxford, started to drive off and as I was joining the A34 the dash lit up like a pin ball table, car initially lacked power but eventually it perked up.  When it settled down the only light on the dash was ABS so I guess it’s a sensor.

A lot of rain on the way down and sudden temperature drop from 22C to 14C.

I guess Rookesbury is only half full at the moment.  As I’m travelling by myself the price was better than local CLs 

Thanks 👍 We had a few downpours overnight, but just cloudy this morning so decided to take a chance and visit the Tower Of London. We joined a tour with one of the Beefeaters, very informative and amusing. I had no idea it was such a large area, the exhibits are something to behold, very impressive. We didn’t get to see everything as SWMBO is struggling with her hip, fingers crossed she will be ok for another toddle tomorrow, which is earmarked for a trip to Greenwich. As an aside, I’m always impressed by the transport network here, fast and efficient, oh for something similar in Bristol.