Wednesday 29 July 2015

Knackered!

That's precisely how I feel, after once again tackling the greasing of the sliding axles and also cleaning each stainless wheel.
Front wheels off and ready for cleaning.
Every time I finish this particular task, I promise myself that I will just drive the Morgan up the road to my friendly local garage and get them to squirt some grease into the aforesaid nipples and I will cross their palms with silver.
Greasing awaits, yippee!!
The only thing that always holds me back is the thought that the backs of the wheels will be dirty and really need cleaning.
Before......
I suppose the chaps could take the wheels off and do that job at the same time and I will consider this again in another 1000 miles.
....and after.
Incidentally, I really must be a succour for punishment, because I noticed, as I drove the car out of the garage, that it has only done 700+ miles this year so greasing could have waited for another 300 miles. Ah well, better safe than sorry!!!

Saturday 25 July 2015

A window in the weather......

.......gave us the opportunity to set forth in 'Nellie' for another drive and picnic.

The forecast was good, just for the one day of course, because tomorrow and indeed for the next few days it's scheduled to be raining again. So, with temperatures expected to rocket to a searing 17 degrees ( I am being cynical!!!) we set off.
Quick stop in Great Eccleston to pick up the pies and goujons for our picnic.
Our target for today was Gordale Scar near Malham in the Yorkshire Dales, a place that I last visited with my family about 54 years ago. 
Coffee stop en route.
Gordale Scar is a dramatic limestone ravine 1 mile or 1.5 km northeast of Malham. It contains two waterfalls and has overhanging limestone cliffs over 100 metres high. The gorge could have been formed by water from melting glaciers or a cavern collapse. The stream flowing through the scar is Gordale Beck, which on leaving the gorge flows over Janet's Foss before joining Malham Beck two miles downstream to form the River Aire.
Malham

Malham Beck.
The route was M55, M6 briefly thank goodness, the A59 to Skipton and then left on the Settle/Kendal road for a short distance before heading up into the hills at Gargrave. Beautiful scenery on what, at that moment, was one of those blue and white days, white puffy clouds scudding across a glorious blue sky.
Picnic in the car park!
Sadly, it didn't last, it rarely does in the UK and darker clouds stated to thicken, threatening showers.
The path up the gorge
The Scar with the lower waterfall just visible in the centre
Anyway, the day was dry for the most part although we did have a light shower on the way home and it was obvious, as we passed through Bentham that we had been fortunate in missing some heavy rain by the size of the puddles at the side of the road and the amount of spray that was being generated by approaching vehicles. Sadly this means that the Morgan is going to need a good clean!
Not really my 'cup of tea'!!

The journey home through some gorgeous scenery

Tuesday 21 July 2015

I just love Norfolk!!

We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Norfolk, a county I have been visiting since 1954 when I was 'knee high to a grasshopper'!

Our accommodation for 9 days was in Neatishead, just a few miles from Wroxham, at the centre of Broadland.

The photographs tell the story.

 
Neatishead

Neatishead Staithe
A Blue Tit having breakfast, taken during my early stroll down a Norfolk country lane.
Sailing on Barton Broad, where Nelson learned to sail.
Great Crested Grebe
Ardfen Broad, landlocked broad north of Horning.
The walk back from Ardfen.
The sailing wherries, 'Olive', 'White Moth' and 'Hathor' at Horning
Coltishall

The view from the top of St.Helen's churchtower, Ranworth. 89 precarious spiral steps, two vertical ladders and a very heavy trapdoor at the top.....but worth the effort.
Pulls Ferry on the River Yare at Norwich, Norwich Cathedral and Norwich Castle

The first of our Day Boats moored at Horning.
Picnic on board.
Happisburgh, pronounced 'Haysbru'.......Church, the Lighthouse and the coastline with a half-hearted attempt at sea defences. Many houses have been lost to the sea and the erosion is continuing.
These two charming young chaps had hired 'Woodcut 2' from Hunter's boatyard for 4 days. They were sleeping onboard under a tent supported by the boom and were, when we spoke to them, searching for their towel as they were about to take showers at the facilities provided at the National Trust site at Horsey Windpump.......classic Arthur Ransome stuff!!!!
Hunter's boatyard at Ludham. The yachts at the yard are as they were in the 30's, no electricity, paraffin lamps and gas for cooking.
Approaching Barton Broad in our second Day Boat
Superb sailing on a very breezy day on Barton Broad.
Lunch at Barton Turf.
Sadly a little blurred, but you've got to be extremely fast to photgraph a Kingfisher and I was steering the boat at the same time.
The 'Ferry Inn' at Horning.
This is a shot of Cockshoot dyke taken on our lovely walk to Cockshoot Broad, private and a wildlife sanctuary.

........and finally, a collage of some of my other photographs of our holiday, not in the Morgan on this occasion, but the weather forecast is looking good for later this week so we will be off in the Mog for another picnic.







Wednesday 1 July 2015

Lakeland Trip

The weather forecast was sensational, Lancashire basking in sun all day and temperatures up to 29C.

What does a Morgan chap do on a day like this? He gets the top and sidescreens off and goes for a spin, that's what!
Garstang High Street


We had some business to do at our new bank in the delightful market town of Garstang and another visit had to be made to the National Trust property of Sizergh Castle to pick up another official parking pass for the Morgan.
Parked at Sizergh Castle
Both these calls were on the route to the Lake District so it was a 'no brainer', a picnic in the Lakes!

I was delighted, because I must admit that I love to have a specific target in mind when driving the Mog, rather than just driving around aimlessly.
'The Mason's Arms', where, just a week earlier, we had enjoyed a wonderful meal with two of our very best friends.
The route I chose was via the Lyth Valley, famed for its damsons in season, then a tiny road, just wide enough for the Morgan, towards Bowland Bridge. Slower than the main roads but utterly delightful, scenically beautiful and we hardly met another car.
Beautiful South Lakeland scenery.
The morning was glorious until we approached Windermere at around noon, when the cloud started to appear, not just over Cumbria, for looking south it was obvious that the Fylde coast of Lancashire was also cowering under leaden skies.
Above Windermere with Gummers How on the right and the Langdale Pikes in the extreme distance
It was very warm though, at least the Met Office got that bit of their forecast correct, but it is so much nicer in the sun....ah well, such is life!
Overlooking Lakeside and the southern end of Windermere, a lake that was the scene of many of my yachting escapades.
As is our wont, we drove around trying to find the ideal picnic spot ie. no people, peace and quiet, a fabulous view and level ground on which to have our picnic. We failed miserably and ended up behind a wall, marking the boundary of High Newton Reservoir in the Southern Lakes with a view that was quite ordinary by Lakeland standards.
Your hero!!!!
But at least it was peaceful and we read the morning paper, ate our delicious chicken goujons and egg butties, washed down by a glass of Chilean Merlot.

Homeward bound we saw a band of blue sky directly above our home and as I put the Morgan back into it's garage the garden was bathed in sunshine and I was 'sweating buckets'.

The moral of this story is, don't place too much emphasis on the weather forecast!