Caves, auditions and general witter......

Izzy

To save ourselves the guilt-trip of Izzy going back to school with no interesting half-term holiday news to talk of, we made sure that we did 'stuff'.

The first was to visit Kevs' Aunt and Uncle in Mudeford. Auntie 'Ron is the elder sister of Kevs' late Mum who as some of you may know, died of cancer age 36.

Kev was just six at the time and has quite vague memories of his Mum....just snapshots really so it is lovely to meet up with 'Ron as she loves to chat about her sister and always tells us lots of stuff that we wouldn't otherwise know.

Kevs' Dad is great but being a bloke, doesn't tend to remember the little things that 'Ron does....and Kev loves to hear about his Mum.

The last time we visited 'Ron and Ted was when Izzy was a baby so they had not met Eliza or Carter before. 'Ron is over the moon that we chose her maiden name for our sons first name!

We also visited cousins etc.so it was a lovely weekend which will give us lots of happy memories to talk about.

Travelling one day and coming home the next, with three young kids is a bit of a trial but we all had great fun and have promised to do it again sooner rather than later!

Our next trip was to the http://www.showcaves.co.uk/.

When Kev suggested taking the kids there I must admit I wasn't overly enthusiastic........Hmmmm....caves = cold, dark, damp etc.........great!......

I have to concede though, I was pleasantly surprised. The main showcave was fascinating and quite wonderful. We will definitely make a return visit in the spring. If you have any kids who are interested in nature, history etc, it really is worth a visit and although there are predictably one or two slightly over commercialised aspects, generally it is good value for money with lots to see.

It would have been an even better day had we not got lost due to that damned sat.nav. that Kev doesn't seem to want to go anywhere without these days!

I remember the days when we used road maps when venturing off to pastures new for a day out...........oh, the good old days before sat.nav, mobile phones, endless traffic hold-ups, political correctness, reality t.v.and Safestyle UK advertisements...........I could reminisce for hours........

The highlight for Izzy this week though was entering into the 'Y-Factor' with Sallys' daughter Tinkerbell and another friend who lives opposite us.

It is a fundraising idea for the playgroup which Eliza attends, to raise money for a new building for the playgroup nearer to the school that Izzy and Tinkerbell attend.

Listening to the slightly out-of-tune warblings and watching three awkward looking little girls singing their chosen song whilst practising for the audition didn't fill me with confidence that they would be chosen to go through to the next round but chosen they were!.......with instructions to do a bit of dancing whilst singing next time.

Three very chuffed little girls!

The show is to be held in December and should be a fun night out for all the family!!!!!:/ Lol....Oh how I love the world of kids, playgroup committees, parents evenings, having to smile and be 'all nice' to other peoples kids who I do actually find quite irritating and don't particularly like..............(not including any of my friends kids I hasten to add!)

So, there it is so far. Half term in the world of me and mine.

Next will be the Christmas break.

Sorry, did I say break?


I would say "wish someone would give me one" but it may be asking for trouble...........

Kev just read this and now looks totally confused.........had to explain........Break....wish someone would give me one......god it's hard work sometimes having to explain things....then again I suppose I have to make allowances.....after all, he is a man!!!!!:)

Bikes....bikes..... and more bikes!

The following was written by Kev as a comment on John G's post about his biker-days but it's so bloody long, I've put it in a post instead!

So here goes.......



Hi John......nice to sort of meet you.
Seeing all these photos gives me a real warm glow. Late 70's to through the 80's biking......doesn't get any better...my main time too!!
Skipped the moped and started with the RD at 17 eh....must confess, I did do the moped bit (AP....which I've still got!!) then at 17 bought a Mk3 250 Ducati (which I've still got!!)..then went through a couple of 250 RD's (both silver DX's...both blown to pieces (as you do!)) then a G5 (remember them?), an XS500..loud as hell...(as I thought it would be pretty cool to slash cut the pipe to just infront of the collector box..tee hee!!). After that it only pulled about 80 'cos it didn't have any back pressure..but hey...made me smile (and used to wake my dad up when coming around the by-pass half a mile away at 2.00am).
Then I nearly went for a GS550 too, but got a CB550 instead. This is the one that nearly put me in a box. To cut a long one very short....too fast around an s bend in the middle of the night, hit the kerb, bike end to end down the road.....me?...head butted the kerb (wearing a £5 piss-pot from Exchange and Mart and MkII fighter pilot goggles) then somersaulted through a five bar gate and into a field where I stayed for a couple of hours before I came around!!.....Result...fractured neck, a bit of gravel rash and lots of free drugs in hospital!
Then came a must have. A mate of mine's dad had a 1950 MAC Velocette which I just had to have when he said he was going to get rid. That became my daily mode of transport, purely as a complete laugh. Rigid frame and sprung saddle (Dowty forks on the front)....anyway, still got it. Then for something to go further afield on came a CB750K2. Good reliable bike, albeit a bit of a rat.
One day in '85, I went down to the local bike shop to get a £7.50 seat cover for the said Honda, when in the shop I found and fell in love with on sight...a 900SD. Ran up to the bank...arranged a loan....ran back to the shop....shocked my dad by turning up at home on a huge red throbbing monster (as I like to remind Sarah of from time to time.....wey hey!!)......still got that one as well. Then came the, like yours but not nearly as lovely....yep you've guessed....the obligatory (although I was obviously a late starter) 400/4..and an F1 to boot...and of course it was hand painted matt black...top drawer. This was to get to and from work........aren't they bloody small though. How did you manage 'cos you look like a tall bloke?!
After that came the Z1000ST. Again hand painted matt black....4 into 1...handled like a bag-o-shite (mattress on wheels)...but still almost the biggest kiddy on the block at the time.....great! That's about the time Sarah and I got together.....and her favourite bike so far (weirdo!). I used to tie 4 pint bowls of Creme Caramelle on the back and ride 17 miles to visit her. Good god, I certainly know how to woo the lasses!
Then what was it?...oh yeah....595 Triumph. This came about by way of; went to IoM in 88, then again in 98. Great in 88....crap in 98....too many 'tubes of toothpaste' types (I know you know what I mean) that can go fast in straight line, but fuck it all up around the corners. Came back from the Island knowing that I needed something that would get me past these idiots. A mate of mine at the time had a green 509.....me me me...I want one. Another friend of mine worked in sales in another local bike shop. She phoned to say a 595 (Black...so another must have) had just come in. Get there quick and all mine for under book value. Anyway, went back to the Island in 99 and didn't have the same problem....!! Incidentally..still got this one as well although went to the Island again this year...on the Duke (she had to revisit :-)....!)
Don't think I've forgotten anything....but you never know!
Sarah's been trying to get me to write something since starting all this bloggy type stuff and I've always backed off (for fear of being sucked in). Well, I'm sorry for babbling but seeing your bikes set me off on one of the things I love best.....Sarah being the other ...of course! :-) Seeing your last photo of your France trip brings happy memories flooding back of doing the same type of thing.....5 mates...Bol d'Or....'87...a right laugh...but maybe that's for another time and place. Never did the 'off road' thing though, so can't comment there. Don't know anything about it! Perhaps you could elaborate one day!
Anyway, I'd better go now before Sarah thinks I'm looking at 'dodgy' porn on the net.....again!

All the best........Kev.

What a kerfuffle!!

I would like to apologise to everybody for all the faffing about with my blog lately.

At first , after all the horrible stuff that happened, ie the awful comments left by the ex-husband, I decided to put all my posts along with comments into draft.

Then I put it all back on with comment moderation.

Next I made it a members only blog.



What a kerfuffle!



Then I felt that it being a members only blog implied that I had something to hide. Which I don't.



So now I have put it back to the way it was with just comment moderation enabled.

Minus the really bad comments from him and his cronies that I really don't want left on for all to see.

Sorry to mess you all around but I am, I'm afraid a very indecisive type....always have been, maybe always will be.....or maybe not.......



Then again, judging by the recent severe lack of comments, nobody is really that bothered anyway!!!!:)



Ho hum...business as usual.

So long........thanks for looking.

The ex-husband has found my blog.

There were comments left by him, his wife and their friend.

Not very nice comments.

I will no longer be using this blog......

So, another time, another place.....maybe?


Thanks for looking


HC. X