Time for a catch up.

I recently received a note from "A woman of no Importance" and it made me realise how long it has been since I posted anything on my blog.  My last post was at the beginning of the boating season and I was looking forward to some lovely times afloat.  How long ago that all seems now!  We did get away for three weeks on the boat, travelling downstream to Peterborough, across the Middle Level and through Denver Sluice onto the Great Ouse.  Our journey took us through Ely, Cambridge, Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots.

Here's a picture of  St Neots 

This is a photo of the Middle Level.  Flat and featureless with long straight stretches that you think will never end.  The wind turbines are a relatively new addition to the landscape and are quite impressive close up. Not sure I'd like to live near them though.

This is the Great Ouse on the approach to Ely.  It was a beautiful stretch of river.

This was our mooring in St Ives.

A resident of St Ives.

The mighty Denver Sluice which protects Ely from the tidal section of the Great Ouse.  This is the river at low tide, you can just see a small island in the picture.  We had to wait for high tide to pass through the lock.  The weather was dreadful.  Great waves pushed us back as our little engine battled up stream towards Salters Lode which is the entrance to the Middle Level.  It was quite an adventure but in hindsight maybe a little scary in bad weather.  If we do it again we'll hope for quiet water and NO wind!

We also had a holiday in Castleton, Derbyshire,  with our good friends.  Lots of walking and laughing (though not necessarily all at once!)  We stayed in a cottage right in the middle of the village.  Mam Tor was as impressive as ever and we enjoyed a day's walking along the ridge to Lose Hill.

Here's our route, looking back towards Mam Tor.

I had a lovely few days away with my bessy mate in Durham.  A couple of days in a hotel, just chatting, drinking tea and having a lovely, restful time.  That's definitely on the Must Do list for next year.

Noodle's 1, 2 and 3 continue to surprise and delight us.  Noodle 3, a little boy,  was crawling at 7 months, standing at 8 months, walking round the furniture at 9 months.  We're anticipating the first steps very soon!  Though he is a little preoccupied with climbing at the moment it can't be very long before he's off.  He'll stand for ages without holding on to anything so the balance is there.  Little Devil!  He is Noodle 2's little brother and she was none too pleased when he arrived but they are great friends now.  Well, sort of...

Here he is.

I'm still enjoying my bowling.  This year I've joined a couple more teams so that I bowl on average twice a week.  It's great fun and I'm enjoying the challenge.  I'm trying to persuade 'im indoors to go to Potters for a bowling holiday.  Long silences coming from that area of the sitting room at the moment when the subject is brought up but I'm working on him and if he should decide that it really isn't for him - I'll go on my own!  Though of course I won't be on my own as people from the club go every year so there's no problem.

The caravan is back in storage for the winter.  We had some lovely times up in North Norfolk through the summer and autumn.  I've already booked up for next year.

This year was the first time I had the 'flu jab.  Must be getting old.

Nah!!