The devoted followers of this blog (all one of you) will know from last year that we had sat nav issues. In that it failed..or I killed it-jury is still out on that one- in Killaloe, about 20 miles into our 5500 mile trip....

this trip it lasted as far as Wales. We arrived into pembroke quite late..I don't know what lasting karma I have with ferries, i can leave 6 hours early for a ferry and still be rushing the last few miles, We left at 3 for a ferry that was at 9, the journey time according to google maps was 3.5 hours..we just made the ferry, but at this stage Doris (the sat nav) was still behaving. The ferry was empty, seriously we were like a handful of peas rattling around in a giant pod. Mollie and I had the kids area all to ourselves so we watched Disneys tangled..again..

anyway we washed up at pembroke at nearly 1am and saw Bosherton marked on the map. For those of you who don't yet know my guilty secret, I collect an old series of school stories published from the 20's to the 50s, chalet school, well in one of the books the Bosherton Lily ponds figure significantly and it turned out to be a lovely spot.

Once we figured out that an army firing range was not such a good spot to park illegally at the side of the road we were OK. There is a somewhat wistful part of me that wishes we hadn't noticed the sign..it would have been a great story to have been woken up by the van surrounded by a crack SAS team..but we parked down the road..we didn't notice the campsite RIGHT NEXT DOOR!...but in the morning it turned out that we were in a gorgeous little spot. A fabulous beach and huge ponds covered in white lilies all in bloom at the moment. We ended up in a tea room run by a 92 year old woman, seriously I don't know what elixir of life they have in the water down there, but that was the second 92 year old we met, the first was schlepping across the sand dunes on her morning constitutional.
 
All was going well after the morning scones in the tea room (you had to ring the front door bell of the house to get served) we headed for Birmingham, via Hay on wye..the town of second hand bookshops...lovely spot.

But then Doris took grevious exception to the whole escapade..or fright at the brecon beacons, I am not sure which but she went into a sulk and refused to talk to the satellites. She emerged from the sulk occasionally and looked around and then went even deeper into a sulk.

Our plan was to meet my old friend Roddy in Birmingham in the crowne plaza..turns out there are two of them..crowne plaza's, not Roddys..he is an original. We found him and the hotel eventually and then late last night headed for London, we got about as far as newport pagnall and a lovely comfy carpark in the motorway services beckoned...scalpers mind you, they charge you 10stg to park in the carpark overnight...still with earplugs, eye mask etc..it is surprisingly comfortable and it is nice to somewhat confound the half awake travellers in the morning when the two of us tumble out of the tiny van, rather tardis like, in my imaginings..but probably knacker like in reality...

Doris woke up with us this morning, but as soon as we got on the motor way she started to sulk again. But started to work as soon as we stopped in NorthWoolwich to revisit my old haunts....I knew it was probably a mistake to name the sat nav after the baddie in Harry Potter.

Speaking of which, we are going to try and see the final movie in the IMAX in London, how cool would that be IMAX, HP and 3D..nerdy heaven!

We are in Bethnal Green now, Doris is parked up for the night, I have a new set of eyebrows (Fabulous since you ask) and the best chinese food planned for this evening...and a proper bed..and the festival tomorrow!!!!




Wulf
7/13/2011 12:35:26 pm

Wait a minute! You're not going to get away with saying "a new set of eyebrows" without offering some sort of explanation. What was wrong with the old ones? Are these stick-ons, or some sort of skin graft? Or just expert grooming? Inquiring eyebrow fanciers want to know!

Weird about the navigation robot, though. Maybe you can upgrade its software?

Hope you filled your water bottle up at the magic lily pond.

Wulf

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Michelle
7/16/2011 06:22:45 am

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7/16/2011 06:30:18 am

I was thinking the same thing! How exactly to you get new eyebrows? Is there some European trade in policy that is kept secret from us over here? Does my English\Irish heritage give me any trade-ins? I mean, mine are getting pretty sparse so...

I am assuming Sat Nav must be what we call a GPS. In my line of work, they always say never work with children or animals. I think we can add artificial intelligence to the list...sorry Doris.

Hope you're having a blast.
Michelle

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edel
7/18/2011 07:10:22 am

Wulf and Michelle...you do realise that when I get a van extension, you are both on the list for the spare bedroom and when we finally get to canada..we are visiting you both..invited or not..

my new eyebrows..nothing interesting in terms of an uber secret trade treaty over here, just a load of little indian women in tiny rooms with balls of thread. I get my eyebrows threaded for the princely sum of about £3 plus a lot of pain though. It looks great and lasts for ages, but it fecking hurts...I am going to have to go now and pick the festival mud out of my beuteous brows...

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