Humans

I will never understand humans! Two days of over eating and they think two days walking might undo the result, ah ah!

Still I get a winter outing.

Another observation.... On the 1st of January humans are at least one size larger than they were on the 24th of December.

Beyond a Joke

Global Warming

And rainbows turn pink!

Strange times!

One of my Christmas observations....The fact that Santa Clause can get down chimneys, walk through walls, deliver millions of presents to millions of children all over the world in one night is unquestionable, I saw him last year and children all over get sacks of presents. But the fact that he will live for ever seemed very questionable in my human's grandchildren's eyes.

Oh no first snow!

After a long autumn, General Winter marches in, brrrrrrrr.

Derbyshire madness.

Back to Callow Top for a weekend of Birthdays, Fireworks and Walking. I think my humans were living in hope putting up my Sun Canopy, still they got to sit under it. Why do I always get the pitch that turns into a swimming pool?

All my human's family turned up and it was the little ones first Fair and Bonfire, here they are in Ashbourne on Friday night. They feasted on Pizza in my human's son's caravan, cosy, glad they didn't all pile into me.

Looks like they all had fun, is that really a pink cup? How strange these humans are.

A walk along the Tissington Trail for a day in town, then back to the campsite for a splendid firework display, bonfire and Autumn moon. More food in the caravan and not me, phew!

At least all of the rain came over night and boy there was lots of it.

Ophelia takes away the blues

Before the wind arrived all was still, no birds sing or fly, blue spectrum disperses and the world turns red.

Not sure I like my new colour scheme!

Fame again

How does my human do it? Interviewed by this new upmarket magazine. At least I get to figure in it this time.

Homeward Bound

After a slow start, my humans are hopeless at breaking camp, we visited Snape Maltings in a setting of reed beds in the flat Suffolk countryside.

Home to some of my humans favourite sculptures, you can see me parked close to a Henry Moore bronze, then a Barbara Hepworth, ideal settings for such large works.

This is home to the Aldeburgh festival thanks to Benjamin Britten.

Long walks big rewards

 

My humans set off to find The Red House via an Italian restaurant for lunch. A good way out of Aldeburgh I see the home of the belated Benjamin Britten, he swapped the one on the right above which was by the sea for a quieter remote farmhouse. 

Apparently the visit was worth every penny of the £5 entry fee and the ticket is valid for return visits for a year. I think my humans have been enlightened by this visit as they knew little about the life of this composer having been influenced by human Wilfrid's love of Beethoven, Schubert and Bach. 

The house was full of art by incredible artists who had presented Britten with it as gifts.

Sun, Sea and Madness

A long walk along the edge of the land covered in exotic salt loving plants to a tranquil village on the edge of the sea, houses here are unique, non more so than the house in the sky.

An expensive way to disguise a water tower, it can now be rented as a holiday home. Just don't be tempted to walk out of the door.

Two very different ideas of madness! Both providing modern life essentials.

We are going to need a lot more of those on the right of the picture once they replace me with new fangled electric cars.

The walk back to reality and a time past, fish caught from boats launched off a shingle beach and smoked or cooked in wooden huts high above the shore line. Not much different from the poem and later Britten opera PeterGrimes.

Napoleon and Flint

Sea defences to stop Napoleon invading, now a holiday home with 4 small windows.

Martello Tower is all that is left of the village of  Slaughden washed away by the sea in the 1900s after hundreds of years of hardship as a fishing community.

  

For clarity of where my humans and I are this is a flint wall of a 15c building in Aldeburgh. Not Scotland as some thought.

Big Skies

I travelled many miles and arrived after 4 1/2 hours by the sea. Parked on a very nice location 2 minutes from the sea. Big skies wide open spaces, non of the mountains human Wilfrid knew so well, I don't think human Wilfrid ever ventured into this part of the world.

Everything here is very arty despite the nuclear threat a few miles north.

Chase the Cake

Before the rush, early on a dull autumn morning we are listening to a Brass Band and signing up for a    Family Charity bike ride. BUT! My humans family desert him, too wet and muddy, what they like? 

Instead my human decides to do the 20 mile off road route.

Muddy, wet and tired but cake always puts a smile on my humans face?

Cakes were fantastic, well worth the Chase.

Human Wilfrid used to bake cakes. He said he baked a cake once a year to prove to his wife Peggy that he could still be independent.

Early Bird Rewards.

 
An early start to catch the thin autumn light and clear wind swept air after a night of gales.

We had Cannock CHase to ourselves although I didn't get to venture off the beaten track.

Land of Cotton

North to dark satanic mills. A working cotton mill with water driven and steam driven looms.

Human Wilfrid would have recognised the mills belt driven machines from his days in The Yale, a company of lock makers. My human remembers them, how quickly technology changes! Even I am now relegated to the scrap heap, no more combustion engines has been decreed.

Llanwydn

Back to Llanwydn the village below the dam for a weekend of sun and music. Long warm early morning sun typical of Autumn days. The sun awning at last is proving to be a good addition to my equipment. This is one of the best small acoustic and folk festivals in the U.K.

I was treated to musicians sitting all over the camping field playing a variety of musical instruments, fantastic!

 

Two of my favourites were these lads playing Gypsy Jazz and Vernan had made his own guitar.

As well as the buskers there were all day sing and play arounds in the bar and the main acts on the stage which all helped to create a relaxed and entertaining festival.

Main acts were....
Ruth and Ken the festival organisers.

And these on the poster...

Typical Welsh weather though, cold Friday, Frost early Saturday, hot once sun up, very wet Sunday. My sun awning coped with it all well done Vango.

Will be back next year!

My future

Worried! 

My human was looking at this available in about 6 years, all electric.

Can't see it getting around route 500 without solar panels lol.

Not so much laughing but 😭 apparently it can do 373 miles per charge.

I want one!

My humans went in search of something called a Gruffalo. They found one of me with an extension and some sinister but beautiful art work.

I want both!

They did find creatures stranger than fiction. Figments of my humans imagination captured through the lens.

Coal wealth and ruin.

 

Today my humans ventured North West chasing the sunshine. I was parked beneath apple and pear trees at house built from the fortunes of Welsh coal.

  

Victorian glasshouses and gardens of splendour entertained my humans.

 

I enjoyed the peace and Welsh Dragons.

Human Wilfrid never visited this gem as in his day it was derelict.

Coal wealth built it coal subsidence almost destroyed it.