Where Have You Just Been?

[Big Kev]

A few pics from last week's trip to Fountains Abbey.

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The cellarium

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I let Paulette loose with my camera

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Paulette lurking amongst the stonework

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I'm sure it thought I had some food

[Stanley]

I love that undercroft.... such a great survivor.
Paulette has cracked framing and perspective!

[Big Kev]

Had a walk around Quarry Bank Mill, Wilmslow this afternoon. The weather was good for us, 22 degrees and a bit of sunshine.

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[Stanley]

I did a lot of work there with David Sekers when he was running the trust.... Mainly with putting the waterwheel in which we took from Pately Bridge.....

[Big Kev]

The wheel was still turning, we went down into the pit where the original wheel would have been too. There were also a few demonstrations of manufacture, fascinating stuff from knowledgeable people

[Stanley]

[PanBiker]

Skipton, journey from hell! Set of at 10.15 to take Sally and Ruby to Skipton for an 11.00 am train to Bradford, just got back an hour and a half later! Traffic backed up nearly to the Elslack turn off trying to get on the A59. It's Tough Mudder this weekend on the Broughton Estate. I turned round and went through Elslack making for Carleton over the tops. Loads of traffic who all had the same idea but no awareness of passing places, ditches at the side of the road or priority of traffic going up hill rather than down. Lots of oversized SUV's that the drivers would not risk tucking in and inconsiderate others who though they owned the road. One bloke in an SUV would not move although he had a good foot of road to his left. I had a 9" ditch to my left and could not get round him. I had to wind the window down to ask him to move. Anyway progressive driving and road awareness got the girls there with ten minutes to spare. I got caught on the way back entering Carleton from the ramper with another caravan of oversized cars in front who had no idea how to cater for an oncoming articulated wagon by the alms houses. Made it through after 20 minutes of mayhem and continued on down Stoneybank, through Earby and home. If their choices of motors as so precious they should not drive on back roads with passing places if they don't have road awareness or know the width of their vehicles.

[Wendyf]

I always check where the passing places are if I'm driving up and down to Elslack as it usually seems to be me who has to do the reversing. It's crazy out there today, we were down in Colne early on and there was masses of traffic heading down Skipton Old Road as we came back up.

[PanBiker]

Yes, I'm the same Wendy. It's not difficult. I am always amazed at the amount of other drivers who don't seem to have little or in some cases any road awareness at all, invariably the worst ones are in oversized cars. I was stopped on the uphill today to allow traffic past a nippy bit and there was a bloke who refused to come forward despite a white stretched transit in front of him driving through with room to spare. Why do they buy these huge SUV's if they are not confident with their dimensions?

[Tripps]

I parked next to a brand new Range Rover today, and idly wondered what it had cost.

I really had no idea. A quick search shows they are well over £100,000.

I think If I'd payed that - and just got it - I'd be very cautious about putting it at any sort of risk.

[Stanley]

I can't get my head round paying that much for personal transport.... My last car, a perfectly serviceable Astra estate, cost me £600 and when I sold it I got that much for it. I suspect buying something like that is a form of attention seeking.....

[Tizer]

There's a road near us that always has a line of cars parked on one side. Fair enough, the old houses don't have any off road parking. But it means the remaining width of road is too narrow for cars to pass both ways at once. Of course you always get one noddy who thinks he can get through so, before entering that bit, I always press the button to retract my door mirrors. Recently I did that but the car behind started flashing its headlights at me and and it all the way through the 20-car long gap. I was concerned something was wrong with the back of my car so when we got out the other end I pulled in. He pulled out alongside me with his passenger window down. I was expecting a torrent of abuse but instead he smiled and said `You've got your mirrors folded in mate!' then drove on. He obviously isn't aware of the ability to retract mirrors from inside the car and the fact that it makes driving safer in those situations. At least he probably thought he'd done me a favour.

[Stanley]

I used to pull my driving side mirror in when I had to go through the Blackwall Tunnel but that was a manual operation......
As for your flashing driver. I don't believe in driving the other bloke's motor, you have enough on looking after your own knitting!

[PanBiker]

Just been back about an hour from the hospital appointment from hell! Sally had a referral note to attend Bradford Royal Infirmary for a 10.20 appointment. This was arranged by the guy we saw in A&E on Sunday. We set off at 9.00 am for the appointment, we went in good time as we were going via the Bingley bypass which was a totally different route from the last time 20 odd years ago when Sally had some treatment there. I got her there at 10am after trying five of the seven parking zones round the hospital to no avail. So I dropped her off outside the eye clinic and went on the hunt for a gap somewhere. Parking outside the hospital on Ducket Lane itself was full. I tried all seven of the zones at least three times. I know the route around Toller Lane, Daisy Hill and Ducket Lane like the back of my hand now. I eventually managed to find someone backing out. It was 11.45 when I parked up and bought a ticket for 3 hours then made my way via a 15 minute walk to the clinic.

I found her in the outer waiting room and she told me that the hospital had told her they had not received her referral! They were trying to create her a slot from an already full slate so we just had to wait. 12.15 we were ushered to the eye clinic waiting room proper. An hour later she was called to have her eye pressure tested. Half an hour after that a nurse rocked up with some drops to dilate her pupils, she said the drops would last five hours. everyone else in the waiting room was called before Sally. The car was running out of parking time so I hoofed it back up to the car park and put another two hours on another ticket. 15 minutes later I am back in the waiting room. Sally still not called. Staff shift change and the clinic rolled over into the afternoon session and another load of patients were filling up the room. another half an hour and she was called for her scans, 5 minutes later she only had to wait for the doctor. That took another hour, there was a note regarding that possibility in the waiting room. Ten minutes with the doctor eventually to explain the results.

Nothing wrong with her eyes as such and no detached retina,. the cause was diagnosed as age related, apparently you have a gel type substance behind your eyes, as you age this can occasionally partially liquefy and cause the symptoms that she experienced. So a good result but a bit of a marathon getting it!

[Big Kev]

Good to hear Sally got a good result

[Stanley]

Please tell Sally I am glad she got a good result but what a marathon! It just goes to show how far we have let the NHS deteriorate. Still a wonderful service but now totally inadequate to service the demands being placed on it. Safe in our hands they said..... Nye must be rolling in his grave.

[PanBiker]

I suppose 14 years of underfunding will take some catching up on.

Regarding BRI, the parking options or lack of are well known for that particular venue. There are seven zones, each is divided into staff and visitor/patient areas. There are also various sections of on road parking around the hospital perimeter. All to no avail for the staff and services that the hospital provide. It's in a built up area of course up above Bradford so I suppose the only option would be to build upwards for the amount of usage needed.

[Gloria]

We’ve been to Bizzie Lizzies at Skipton down by the canal, with the grandchildren, who are grand people now not children, lovely day and lovely meal.

[Wendyf]

I suppose 14 years of underfunding will take some catching up on.

Regarding BRI, the parking options or lack of are well known for that particular venue. There are seven zones, each is divided into staff and visitor/patient areas. There are also various sections of on road parking around the hospital perimeter. All to no avail for the staff and services that the hospital provide. It's in a built up area of course up above Bradford so I suppose the only option would be to build upwards for the amount of usage needed.

The only times I have managed to get a parking space at BRI were during Covid when I was called in by Intensive Care to see if I could calm Colin during a psychotic episode.......i couldn't, he saw me as the enemy and punched me in the face. Also a late night visit when a relative was dying. traumatic memories!

[Stanley]

Unimaginable Wendy! At the moment Margaret's mother in law Jo is in hospital with a broken hip waiting in pain for an operation, so what with her and Colin I have continual reasons to say thank God it's not me. Selfish I know but human. Reading about that episode with Colin makes me even more aware of my good fortune.... I can only conclude that life is a lottery and our fates are beyond our control. I shall go in the shed and refine small engine parts with a file and think about how Colin would love to be able to do that. Take another big hug!

[Wendyf]

I should point out that Col was in intensive care following the oesophagectomy operation and he reacted badly to hefty doses of morphine.

[Stanley]

Wendy. I didn't for one minute think that Col was to blame, even though I didn't know the cause.

[PanBiker]

A nice day out for Finlay and myself at Leeds Armouries Museum. When you look at the development of weaponry through the ages from clubs to 6,000 rpm mini guns you realise there are probably 10,000 different ways of killing people. Anyway we watched the Agincourt Archer doing his description of the campaign in 1415. We had some lunch then caught a re-enactment of gladiatorial fighting in the arena. We walked the mile or so each way from the train station and got back just in time for the 15.36 for Skipton. Sally picked us up from the station. Going to the pictures tomorrow in Burnley.

[Big Kev]

A post breakfast walk to The Marble Church (St Margaret's) Bodelwyddan



Lots of marble in them columns.


Commonwealth graves.

[Cathy]

Thanks Kev. Wow, so beautiful