"Life is a pilgrimage. The wise man marches on " Swami Sivananda. I am standing in front of a locked gate outside the marina at Gertreidenberg in the Netherlands. I can see motorhomes inside but there is no sign of life. No-one about to ask how to get inside .I look at the gate and the numbers on it , two keypads , one to open the big gate and the other the pedestrian gate but no clue how to get in. A lady appears . "Hello " she shouts . "Are you wanting to park up ? " " You need to ring the number on the gate " But then she opened the gate and let us in. "Go over to see the harbourmaster " " Down the steps, pay him for one nights ... read more

Monday - Bank Holiday and everywhere closed down for the day apart from the odd supermarket . Shopping done early this week as I don't want the fridge and freezer full of food which will /might go to waste. No swimming today and the football moved from Bank Holiday afternoon which is the usual day for a match to tomorrow Tuesday night . It is a funny old time . That bit where I would have been working and trying to sort out the van in between that work . Now with no work we have more time but that gives the butterflies more time to start fluttering round . The fact that the trip has changed times many has caused some issues . Maps of Turkey and Greece printed out and a route planned . ... read more

Ziggy found herself being driven out of Wrexham County Borough to the nearby county of Denbighshire . So what were we doing going out to Ruthin a town we lived in for 7 years ? We were picking up a CARN card which would allow us access to all the records offices that were part of this Archive scheme . We had once had CARN cards . The old blue and white paper copies with our address on the back and signature and with a photo stuck on the front . Gone were those days . Now an application had to be made on line , a photograph uploaded and an appointment made at a records office to pick up the card once identities had been checked . We only had a choice of two days ... read more

The days are getting shorter as they do when we move through August . The weather though is still hot and muggy. Wildfires are breaking out here and there . Hosepipe bans are being introduced in some counties and the reservoirs are starting to look dry . It feels best to do things early in the morning . Walks feel better in the cooler morning air . Swimming is pleasant before the summer heat kicks in . The fridge is working overtime to keep cool . As we are struggling too . The fields are yellow or turning brown . The Rowan and Hawthorn berries are beginning to turn bright red . Autumn is only just around the corner . Before long we will moan about the rain , the lack of sunshine and the thought ... read more

It has been a short break this year between the end of the football season and the start of the new one . Scotland start early due to their bad winters . Because of the World Cup our season is starting a month earlier than normal . The Charity Shield as I will forever know it was held at the King Power Stadium in Leicester . Liverpool hammered Manchester City . It has been a season of summer sport from Wimbledon to the 20/20 Cricket , from the Womens Euros to the Commonwealth Games . If you are into your sport then the summer of 2022 has been a good one with something for everyone . As we drove into town clutching our tickets for the last pre-season friendly we found ourselves chatting about the match ... read more