Must be getting warmer.

My humans friends gps says 39k today, impressive. I think they had a hot mountain bike ride. This small lizard was active enough so perhaps summer is here.

Wildlife of Cannock Chase.

Riff Raff at the Blitz

My humans drove me back in time to 1943, I loved the fashion much better than jeans and trainers I usually see them in. Certainly didn't look like Riff Raff. I thought my human looked quite dapper.

They joined 1300 other well dressed people at Blist Hill Museum renamed Blitz Hill tonight. Their job was to entertain the troops with songs from the 1940's in a group called The Riff Raff Singers. From what I heard they were very impressive and they held their own even against The Military Wife's Choir.

A lot of walking and standing so Yanks to the rescue, what better use for a Willies Jeep?

Humans Wilfrid used to sing in a choir, but I suspect he never did any flash mob singing or entertaing pie shop and fish and chip shop queues like my humans were.

Before all the crowds arrived I spotted this strange form of transport which seemed to be driven by steam, how things change.

Robyn hode in scherewode stod

A engine built to cruise Europe, an interior equipped like a luxurious hotel, able to survive for days in some of the worlds wildest places and they take me shopping!

Perhaps they were just passing through as they continued to the east of Nottingham, seems a long way to go to buy plants. They fill me with a huge selection of cottage garden plants, there certainly will not be room for my humans to make a brew now.

At last real adventure and I am on the lookout for men in Lincoln Green, Friars and maids. Now these characters knew how to get away from the madding crowd which is what my humans should be doing, ah well still half the year left.

My human used to pretend to be this outlaw when he was a young lad he even had a bow and arrow, it's in his shed now, he spent many hours with this bow and arrow, climbing trees in Willenhall Park pretending to be one of this band of merry men.

I have to say Sherwood Forest is extremely disappointing we never saw any of them today, perhaps the rain kept them away, fine weather outlaws.


Title of post from .... Thomas H. Ohlgren, Robin Hood: The Early Poems, 1465–1560,
It's in old English, my humans studied such poems when at school and merrily chanted all the lines they could remember and there are many, I had no idea what they were on about.

Legless

One of my humans legs after a very wet mountain bike excursion, (the other was not so bad all the puddles must have been on the left). Sodden, not in my tidy cab!

I've seen his bike in a worse state, the torrential less than 10% rain showers must have washed it off.

Human Wilfrid had many wet biking tales to tell but at least he had the sense to stay on Tarmac.

Matriarch

On Thursday my human took me to visit the family matriarch, his Aunty Dot. In this old picture its the one not smoking a pipe and wearing glasses. I gather they had a long and pleasant chat and she admired me very much.
This picture must be from around 1945 or 46 as Eric had just been demobbed.

Slow progress

From this...
To this took 66 years and my human accuses me of dragging my heals, humph! If you are interested my human is on the right, I bet he got piles in that contraption lol. Bet his cousin did also.

He tells me that when he was older he used the wheels off this pushchair to make a truck ( go cart) hammering the axles to the wood with lots of bent over nails.

Comment from Wilfrid's human "Wilfrid where do you get this stuff? And anyway it's probably 62 years not 66"

Sitting on my laurels?

This is me with attitude, why? I have been called to task.

Today my human threatened to put a bomb under me if I didn't Buck up with my blog posts.

I am not superman! If he doesn't plan a trip I can't be expected to write a blog. I am sure all my followers don't want to hear I have been parked up on my backside all day blah, blah, blah.

He should acknowledge my social standing, but does he heck? So now I will show him attitude.

Chasing the sun

On a cold Wednesday my humans decided to chase the sun, human Wilfrid often did this when on holiday. Barmouth offered 4 days of wall to wall sunshine and so I was loaded with all the kit and saw an early start to transport them there. Sure enough it was hot!

After a day on Barmouth beach I took them to a remote campsite high above Barmouth. You can just see me in this picture, Cader Idris to the South, sea to the west.

Friday they left me in peace and quiet sunshine and walked the 2k to the beach. They returned at 20.00 hours looking very sun soaked. I was looking after 4 of them, my humans, Sarah, Mark and their granddaughter Phoebe, apparently Phoebe's first camping adventure.

Setting out for the beach.

Almost there and they still look very fresh.

The sensible human, protected against the midday sun.

Mad dogs and Englishmen, need I say more? This is just before my human fell asleep, result permanent socks.

The walk back, perhaps those fish and chips on the harbour were not such a good idea. They never learn.

Saturday was very hot and we drove home via Hellfire Pass or Bwlch-y-Groed (pass of the cross) a medieval pilgrimage route and now an iconic bike hill climb. human Wilfrid loved this pass and the view across the peat bogs of the Arrans from the top is amazing.

A cyclist about half way up the pass, it was hard enough for me.

Saturday was still very hot and they drove me home over the highest pass in Wales once known as Hellfire Pass, then down to Lake Vernwy one of human Wilfrids Favorite dammed lakes. Lots of narrow roads, steep hills and precipitous drops, magical.

Human Wilfrid's wife and my human's mom Peggy loved to see the Rhododendrons in Wales so I have included this one by the dam.