The Magic Carpet

I'm afraid there is not much doing really. We have returned to the house for a few days, we have paid the road fund licence fee for another year and I have fitted a carpet in the truck. It didn't cost a lot, I bought it at a car boot sale, £2.00 in fact, and it's new. I put a runner on top to preserve it's new condition for as long as possible, the trouble is, the runner is more of a wanderer than I. I am sure that if we did not keep pulling it back, it would be in the far east by now, it is clearly some kind of magic carpet. We have switched some of the clothing in the hope that the weather is going to get a little warmer soon but other than that we have done little.The clocks going forwards by one hour last night has been long awaited and now I need to study the maps to see where we will go next.

Denbigh in the distance

Just as I thought, on Sunday, Pat asked if we could move on because she was getting bored. Reluctantly I set about the business of de-camping. I didn't want to move, I had been enjoying the peace and scenery. We knew that we would struggle for a camp site so we headed for the familiar ground of Anglesey. I must admit, it felt good as we parked up in Holyhead with the sea to the left and right, and the view across the marina. I found however, that the Internet signal was not it's normal strength, as a result, I could not get on the net all week. Hence the late entry.

On Monday we spent the day at spotters car park at RAF Valley, I took only a few photographs because I have hundreds of Hawk shots already. It felt good to be there, we met Tom (another old friend) and exchanged our stories from the winter months. We did not leave there until flying had finished for the day.

Tuesday saw the most stunning of sunrises, as is often the case here. Of course I shot loads of pictures. Before 0900hrs we were at Valley car boot sale having a nose around. Once again, here we met up with another old friend, Steve. Steve and his wife have a similar lifestyle to ours and they told us all about their adventures on the west coast of Scotland and the sad loss of their dog. We hung around the locality and returned to Holyhead for the evening.

Wednesday morning I did not want to take any more photographs of the marina sunrise because I have so many. Once the sun came up though, I could not resist the desire to capture it and so fired off another hundred shots or so. Heaven know when I will get the chance to view them all properly. We needed a few supplies so we headed for the town. Cupboards full, we moved off to a car park that we know near South Stack. This is a lovely spot with fantastic coastal views and very quiet.

Thursday was another day at RAF Valley where we met up with even more friends, including Dimitri, Jim and Tom. We spent hours chatting, laughing and joking, it was a real tonic. We made our plans for Friday, the Red Arrows were due in.

We spent the night on a common, adjacent to the air field so that we were in our desired spot for the show. What a day, we met up with so many old friends that I lost count, the weather was perfect for an air display and we all laughed and joked as we waited. I have great respect for Dimitri, both as a person and a photographer, he said that the best shots would be got from the "Snake Pit". I asked him if I could tag along and half hour before flying began we were on our way. As we walked across to the snake pit Dimitri said "Keith, do me a favour and watch where you are putting your feet" I said, "Is it that bad then"? "It is" he said. We trudged through the sand and bushes and up onto a mound, a fantastic view point. I sat down, camera at the ready. "It's just my luck to get bitten in the ass" I said "And if you do, I'm afraid you are a dead man" he said "Because I wont be sucking the poison out" The display was all that we expected and we all left there deeply satisfied with the day.

The weekend we spent at Holyhead, Sunday night at Llanberis and the next few days near Oswestry as we made our way back to the midlands.

The days just keep rolling by, there has not been a great deal going on but it has been much warmer than we have been used to. Yesterday we had a drive into Denbigh to resupply, we had difficulty parking in the town and so we parked on a supermarket car park while we had a walk about. I thought about taking my camera with me but it was raining quite hard so I decided against it, however the rain soon stopped and I was wishing that I had picked up my camera. We were both impressed with some of the old buildings and the general character of the place, we will have to visit again.

Today I was out with the camera and decided to take a few silhouette shots, I always like this type of shot, I think it's the simplicity that makes them effective. With a few in the bag I set about loading them onto the laptop. While in the process, I heard a car pull up and turned to look out of the window to see a friend that we had met last year in Bishops Castle getting out. His name is Shaun, he's a smashing guy and lives most of his life on the road with his Jack Russell terrier Oak. It was good to see him again and we chatted for a while, but the time went too fast and he was off.

I think Pat is getting a little bored here now, there is not enough to keep her occupied, she needs people and shops etc. much more than I do and so I wouldn't be suprised if she was wanting to move on soon.

A special day

Today is a special day………It is two years since I retired. I don't know where two years have gone, but unlike when I was working, I have enjoyed just about every day. I still smile in anticipation when I wake, I smile with a feeling of contentment when I go to bed to sleep. God, how lucky am I? I never really knew just how sad I had become, I wish you all the same happiness, however you achieve it.
It is not my place to give advice, nor am I qualified to do so, each person needs to make their own decisions, without pressure from any party and then have the courage and belief to make it happen, it took me 27 years. (That was 27 years in a career, which I hated) What I have found since following my chosen path (Of early retirement) is that my health is so much better, my values have changed dramatically, I see most people in a different light I have more time for them and they for me. Sure, some things piss me off at times, but I don’t dwell on them because they are of less importance. Money no longer has the same value, I don’t mean in the world markets, but to me as an individual, it is all a matter of one’s perspective and ideals. If for instance, you need to feel people envy you or your possessions, then a large or second income may well be important, if, however, you are content, a bulging bank account is of much less significance. Of course we all need money to live but much less than you may think, given a certain frame of mind. Yes, I am lucky, I have a small pension that I was able to take early, but I had to "eat shit" every day for 27 years to earn it. Now, I would never go back to such a miserable way of life, for me, getting out of the rat race has to be one of the most rewarding things ever.
I would not suggest that everyone gives up work and takes up a nomadic lifestyle, but for me, these are the "Good old days" not the dim and distant past. I am even luckier because my wife is in full agreement and gets the same daily buzz that I do. We are the same people that we always were, just happier now that we "live the dream".

Halfway up a mountain

Yesterday we had a bit of a mooch around and for one reason or another we ended up heading into Wales again. We have found a smashing little CL which is half way up a mountain in the Denbigh area. Meg is almost at the end of her season and has been running around paying far too much attention to a young Welsh Collie. Meg is 14 and looks it, the collie is about 2 and acts it, so it is rather like an 80 year old woman running around in a mini skirt and thong, coming on to some young buck from the fitness club. The weather has been very good for the time of year, quite mild and plenty of sunshine. We have had some very entertaining flying displays from four buzzards and many of the birds seem to be busy building nests. While walking up the adjacent lane there were many signs of spring. Honeysuckle and brambles shooting, gorse bushes in flower and Hawthorne hedges filling with buds. I would like to stay here for a few more days and explore the mountains a little, weather permitting. I did have a little time today with my camera and have posted a few shots to give some idea of what we are blessed with looking at.

MOT tested

That's the MOT test out of the way for another year. Great aren't they? It's rather like waiting to have teeth pulled and then paying for the displeasure. From the test centre we made our way to Welshpool where we had a mooch around for a couple of hours, chatted with my brother and then drove to Chirk. At Chirk we said our goodbyes and we headed north towards Mold. Where we have found a CL with all of the requirements and a hook up. Bad weather is forecast for the night and tomorrow so we may get pinned down here for a day or two. No worries, we are in no rush. I am ready to do some serious photography though, it seems like an age since I had chance to air the camera, so at first light I shall be ready to seize any opportunity that should arise.

Bicton, Shrewsbury

We said our goodbyes and we hit the road, by 1100hrs we were in Shrewsbury. We stopped off at a local supermarket and stocked up with provisions before heading to Bicton. We had pre-booked one night at a CL (certified location) with only basic facilities ie. a water supply and a waste disposal point. We don't need anything more and this type of site is usually nice and quiet, which is our preference. Within minutes of parking up the wildlife came out of hiding, there were pheasants, numerous other birds and rabbits all around us. The sun shone for most of the afternoon and the forecast is for a warmer night. It turns out, that we are the first paying guests on this site, which only opened late last year. We were charged £8 for the night, which is a little on the dear side given that there are no facilities. We intend leaving before 0900hrs tomorrow, who knows where we will stay tomorrow.

In anticipation

We are at last ready to move on, I think. We have now spent many weeks back in the midlands sorting various problems and sitting out the winter months. It is our intention to move off tomorrow (Friday 6th March), I have booked a one night stop-over near Shrewsbury and on Saturday the truck goes in for it's annual MOT test. If all is ok we intend to have a little time exploring a part of the coast where we have not been before, around West Kirby. So we are now full of anticipation.