Woke up to find the sun shining, and everything looking really fresh after the rain on Monday. We decided to go for a walk in the forest on one of the trails within a few yards of where we are staying. It was absolutely glorious! The forest was so quite and peaceful, and very unlike the common of the day before.
The common was open and ad lots of bushes and heather growing, the forest near our apartment was wooded and full of pine trees, oak trees and ferns littered the forest floor. We didn’t see any animals, not even any horses, but it was just so lovely in the morning sunlight that it really didn’t matter. We walked about 3 miles I think, a round trip from Woodgreen, up to Godshill, and then down to Castle Hill, and then back to the apartment.
Tried going to Lymington, but it when we got there, it wasn’t at all as we had expected so didn’t bother stopping. We then went back to the pub with the hot spot for a late lunch and to check out some things on the New Forest website.
We’ve found that since being here now, for 4 days we have yet to actually mange to be in Ringwood at the right time to catch the Tourist Board office there. Its totally useless, its completely shut on Mondays and then only opens for a few hours each day. 11 – 1pm or something like that. This is no good whatsoever if you want to get somewhere relatively early….. very, very frustrating!
As we had eaten quite late we didn’t feel that we wanted anything for dinner in the evening, but decided to walk into Woodgreen village to see what they’re pub was like.
I’m not actually sure if I have explained what our accommodation is like…… its lovely actually, a really nice place. But, I think we must have found the only self catering place, which is situated on probably one of the only hills in the New Forest LOL. So, the walk DOWN to the pub wasn’t too bad at all, although we were slightly conscious of the fact that we would then have to walk back UP the hill to get back. That being said, apart from a bar lady, who looked a bit more like a bar man, it was very pleasant and after two glasses of wine, we decided to head back.
Thursday 21 June 2007
Monday
Piddled down for most of the day, well on and off, so we didn’t really get the opportunity to do a lot. We did go to Burley though. It’s the smallest village you could possibly think of, very quaint in its own way, but basically despite its reputation for being a home to Witches, its really not too interesting.
We parked and went for a walk around the village which consists of about 5 shops, and a tiny village green and then got back in the car and drove to Ringwood to find this here hotspot to update the blogs. From there, we went to a pub called Alice Isle which was the pub where the bike ride started from on Sunday.
We had a lovely, albeit expensive lunch and then went for a walk in the forest from one of the areas maintained by the National Trust, Rockford Common. Thankfully the weather by this time had cheered up a bit, so although it was quite windy up on the common it was actually very warm and the jackets came off and it was rather nice.
The horses, ponies, and foals are quite literally everywhere in the New Forest and they seem to keep one eye on you as you walk – it can be quite off putting. We encountered one on the common that just stood behind one of many prickly bushes and watched us walk past, and then watched us walking back again…..
We parked and went for a walk around the village which consists of about 5 shops, and a tiny village green and then got back in the car and drove to Ringwood to find this here hotspot to update the blogs. From there, we went to a pub called Alice Isle which was the pub where the bike ride started from on Sunday.
We had a lovely, albeit expensive lunch and then went for a walk in the forest from one of the areas maintained by the National Trust, Rockford Common. Thankfully the weather by this time had cheered up a bit, so although it was quite windy up on the common it was actually very warm and the jackets came off and it was rather nice.
The horses, ponies, and foals are quite literally everywhere in the New Forest and they seem to keep one eye on you as you walk – it can be quite off putting. We encountered one on the common that just stood behind one of many prickly bushes and watched us walk past, and then watched us walking back again…..
Monday 18 June 2007
Ride Update
Rob was getting more worried about the ride as he was still suffering from his cold (or my cold which ever….) and after viewing some of the hills (and I thought the New Forest was flat?) he was thinking he wasn’t very well prepared. Anyway, he set off with everyone at 11am on the dot. This is where my boredom started, as all I could really do was sit in the car and wait for his return.
…………………
A very tired and worn out Rob appeared about 2.5 hours later! And I must admit I’m very proud of him!!! :o) the first person back did the 26 miles in 1 hour 20 mins, so all things considered Rob did really very well. I’m not sure when the last person returned but it was certainly a long time after the race started.
…………………
A very tired and worn out Rob appeared about 2.5 hours later! And I must admit I’m very proud of him!!! :o) the first person back did the 26 miles in 1 hour 20 mins, so all things considered Rob did really very well. I’m not sure when the last person returned but it was certainly a long time after the race started.
Hot or Cold Spots
Well, a bit later than planned due to the fact that we are using BT Openzone to link to the interenet. Basically, this means that you can connect to the internet using a WiFi connection in so called “hot spots” – usually pubs (Shame! Lol). Well, as you know all the best laid plans go wrong and despite our best efforts to make sure we knew where these “hot spots” were before arriving, our local one which was in a pub, was closed for refurbishment! Great!. So, a day late, but nevertheless we have now found a nice pub in Ringwood which we can also use.
Here I am, sitting in a pub at 11:30 in the morning, something I’ve not done for a LONG time, tapping away into a computer – it feels a little surreal really.
Here I am, sitting in a pub at 11:30 in the morning, something I’ve not done for a LONG time, tapping away into a computer – it feels a little surreal really.
Thursday 14 June 2007
Office Etiquette
Had two meetings today at work and after retuning from being off sick, achieved very little really apart from being even more bunged up than ever with my cold.
Our office, you can’t really comprehend it until you see the insanity of it being written down…
Today the office was about 28 degrees hot – unbearable at best. Apparently, despite it being an average of about 23 degrees outside, we have to keep the heating on! This is because it stops the air conditioning pipes, (that have holes in?) from leaking……. It might be worth bearing in mind at this point, that the heating was not on at all over the Christmas period due to the pipes being fixed and then we all froze to death. So, now as the pipes are “fixed” (NOT) we have to have the heating on in the summer – I’m sure I’m missing something here. In their defence they did, for a time, turn the heating off….. there was then a ceiling collapse as the pipes leaked – am I losing the plot or were they fixing that over Christmas…… Confused? And all this in a supposedly modern office – in what year I ask myself 1803?
Anyway, it was because of the stuffiness in the office that I was bunged up – I’m sure of it.
Our office, you can’t really comprehend it until you see the insanity of it being written down…
Today the office was about 28 degrees hot – unbearable at best. Apparently, despite it being an average of about 23 degrees outside, we have to keep the heating on! This is because it stops the air conditioning pipes, (that have holes in?) from leaking……. It might be worth bearing in mind at this point, that the heating was not on at all over the Christmas period due to the pipes being fixed and then we all froze to death. So, now as the pipes are “fixed” (NOT) we have to have the heating on in the summer – I’m sure I’m missing something here. In their defence they did, for a time, turn the heating off….. there was then a ceiling collapse as the pipes leaked – am I losing the plot or were they fixing that over Christmas…… Confused? And all this in a supposedly modern office – in what year I ask myself 1803?
Anyway, it was because of the stuffiness in the office that I was bunged up – I’m sure of it.
Cold
Its been a while since I last put anything on my blog, but ohhh boy have I got some stuff to put on there now!!
Last weekend I was thrilled to find out that I had got a head cold, and I felt terrible. I don’t often get colds like that so it I must admit I was feeling quite sorry for myself. Not being able to breathe, sneezing constantly and also an incessant sore throat – just fantastic!
This all happened on Sunday, then on Monday I felt even worse and didn’t manage to go into work – couldn’t even manage inane TV for the day URGH!! Didn’t even feel like switching the computer on! (WHAT? That’s unheard of!) Watched an old episode of Cagney and Lacey on cable though – how good was that show!? I had forgotten.
What is it about colds…… you sneeze all the time, and then, when you think you’re going to sneeze you don’t. You then do the “huh, huh, huh” and then nothing happens. Your eyes begin to water, your nose then runs, then blocks up and then finally does that thing that feels like clingfilm being continuously stretched to a point where you know its going to give and create a small hole in the middle to let some air through. Of course, when this does finally happen you have those wonderful few moments where you can breathe – ohhh it feels fantastic, and then arrrgh one side is blocked again….. back to bunged up.
Well, all I have to say is thank goodness it was this week and not next when we are away.
Rob was not too happy with my ailments and I think he would have had me locked in the conservatory with a red cross on the door and sign saying “unclean” if he could of. This, obviously didn’t happen and so now of course, he now has THE cold, 2nd edition and naturally far more deadly – marvellous!
Last weekend I was thrilled to find out that I had got a head cold, and I felt terrible. I don’t often get colds like that so it I must admit I was feeling quite sorry for myself. Not being able to breathe, sneezing constantly and also an incessant sore throat – just fantastic!
This all happened on Sunday, then on Monday I felt even worse and didn’t manage to go into work – couldn’t even manage inane TV for the day URGH!! Didn’t even feel like switching the computer on! (WHAT? That’s unheard of!) Watched an old episode of Cagney and Lacey on cable though – how good was that show!? I had forgotten.
What is it about colds…… you sneeze all the time, and then, when you think you’re going to sneeze you don’t. You then do the “huh, huh, huh” and then nothing happens. Your eyes begin to water, your nose then runs, then blocks up and then finally does that thing that feels like clingfilm being continuously stretched to a point where you know its going to give and create a small hole in the middle to let some air through. Of course, when this does finally happen you have those wonderful few moments where you can breathe – ohhh it feels fantastic, and then arrrgh one side is blocked again….. back to bunged up.
Well, all I have to say is thank goodness it was this week and not next when we are away.
Rob was not too happy with my ailments and I think he would have had me locked in the conservatory with a red cross on the door and sign saying “unclean” if he could of. This, obviously didn’t happen and so now of course, he now has THE cold, 2nd edition and naturally far more deadly – marvellous!
Sunday 3 June 2007
Sunday - Green Cone
Woke up at 6am – forgot to turn the flippin’ alarm clock off again!! I don’t think Rob was too pleased….. Ever since buying a radio alarm clock every weekend we go through the same thing. It was fine when we relied upon the humble battery alarm clock.
Finally dragged myself out of bed at about 8:30 to the sounds of digging coming from the garden……
We received a booklet through our door from the council a while ago about recycling and basically ways of reducing your carbon footprint. The council had arranged a special offer price for some composting products, one of these being Green Cone. We have decided to give it a go and our Green Cone arrived about a week ago.
I won’t go into the technical way that the Green Cone works, but basically it requires you to bury part of it in the ground to ensure good drainage. Rob, had decided to start digging the hole to hold the base at 8:30 this morning! And, by 9:30 it was dug. However, good drainage is not something that clay offers and all the earth that was coming out of the hole was it exactly that – clay. We’ve now found that because of this the hole needs to be dug a further 4 inches deep and wide. Needless to say – its not been done today due to blisters. Nevertheless its started, and we also even made it to a garden centre to look at trellis so that it doesn’t end up being a bit of an eyesore in the back garden.
As the weather today has been fantastic, we went for a walk this afternoon, we think it was about 4 miles. Rob wanted to have a look at this Forestry Commission forest close to where we live, and I have to say it was beautiful! So peaceful and quiet, it was just lovely. It was difficult to believe that somewhere like that was right on our doorstep and we will defiantly be going again. Rob thinks it will make a good bike ride and is already trying to work it into a route he can ride sometime.
Finally dragged myself out of bed at about 8:30 to the sounds of digging coming from the garden……
We received a booklet through our door from the council a while ago about recycling and basically ways of reducing your carbon footprint. The council had arranged a special offer price for some composting products, one of these being Green Cone. We have decided to give it a go and our Green Cone arrived about a week ago.
I won’t go into the technical way that the Green Cone works, but basically it requires you to bury part of it in the ground to ensure good drainage. Rob, had decided to start digging the hole to hold the base at 8:30 this morning! And, by 9:30 it was dug. However, good drainage is not something that clay offers and all the earth that was coming out of the hole was it exactly that – clay. We’ve now found that because of this the hole needs to be dug a further 4 inches deep and wide. Needless to say – its not been done today due to blisters. Nevertheless its started, and we also even made it to a garden centre to look at trellis so that it doesn’t end up being a bit of an eyesore in the back garden.
As the weather today has been fantastic, we went for a walk this afternoon, we think it was about 4 miles. Rob wanted to have a look at this Forestry Commission forest close to where we live, and I have to say it was beautiful! So peaceful and quiet, it was just lovely. It was difficult to believe that somewhere like that was right on our doorstep and we will defiantly be going again. Rob thinks it will make a good bike ride and is already trying to work it into a route he can ride sometime.
Saturday
This weekend hasn’t really been too exciting. Saturday Rob went on a ride (trying to get ready for the charity event) and I took him, in the car, to Bramley where he joins the Downs Link and then I went later to pick him up at Bramber Castle (near Hove). Made a bit of a boo boo though as I made some sandwiches to take with me when I went to pick him and up, but picked up the wrong box out of the fridge and so when he opened the box, there were 4 sausages staring back at him! Not quite the picnic I’d planned!?
However, I did think that the run went well with him completing the 28 miles in about 3.5 hours – I’m not sure I would have completed it in 3.5 days let alone hours.
Went on an extremely exciting shopping trip to Tesco in the evening where for about the sixth week in a row they haven’t had the white bra I’ve been looking for in my size…… argh! And I forgot to get the water filters for the kettle again!!
However, I did think that the run went well with him completing the 28 miles in about 3.5 hours – I’m not sure I would have completed it in 3.5 days let alone hours.
Went on an extremely exciting shopping trip to Tesco in the evening where for about the sixth week in a row they haven’t had the white bra I’ve been looking for in my size…… argh! And I forgot to get the water filters for the kettle again!!
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