How's your day?

[jonab 1,644]

Absolutely chucking down with rain here which is unusual, the rain is normally quite gentle unless it is a thunderstorm. Still quite warm, though.

[nonnaB 4,895]

Not quite the same Jonab but its dull and trying to rain. Rain is forecast but the thing that worries me are the floods that will occur after the long hot and dry summer. It happens every year. The rain here does frighten me Ive never seen such heavy rain as I've seen in the last few years.

[LizzieM 9,510]

I’ve heard it’s been snowing in Mansfield this morning!  They can keep it. 

 

[MargieH 7,600]

Here in the Cambs fens, it's zero degrees but sunny.  

[jonab 1,644]

Floods aren't so much of a problem for me - living halfway up a mountainside (not quite halfway but you'll know what I mean) and there is a substantial wall surrounding my grounds that keeps away any potential excess rain from higher levels. I do have to have the wall re-bedded periodically to keep it in good condition and to comply with my agreements with the council as parts of it are said to date from the thirteenth century.

[LizzieM 9,510]

We’ve always bought homes on a hill, without even realising it.  That is until we bought an apartment in jonab’s neck of the woods, in Mandelieu-la-Napoule.  There was exceptionally heavy rain at the end of September 3 years ago, water came down to the coast from the Grasse area, causing terrible floods.  We lost a car, a scooter and lots of household goods that ended up under 5 foot of water in our underground garage.  Several lives were lost in the town, it was awful.   

 

[jonab 1,644]

I think I recall that flooding event, Lizzie there certainly has been a lot more rain in recent years.

 

It's stopped raining now but it's still dull.

[carni 10,094]

3 hours ago, LizzieM said:

I’ve heard it’s been snowing in Mansfield this morning!  They can keep it. 

 

It's been sleeting here in Wolvo this morning.  Must bring my boots and winter coat to the front of the wardrobe. I bet the sunshine will be back tomorrow if I do.

[West Bridgfordian 144]

Sunshiiiine all day so far today on IoM...

[PeverilPeril 3,283]

Went up to fish Ladybower Res yesterday. It was snowing! Fly fishing in the snow is quite silly really, but as you know.......

We caught a few and lost a few and also got frozen. However, from the boat we were able to see the remains of cottages. Caught one trout from some ones old kitchen or whatever room it was behind their chimney. 

Got Daughters family with us and all the tribe including three Great Grandchildren will be attending my 'official' birthday party today 

Daughter and Grand daughter did 30 min ea on the rowing machine this morning with me doing the coaching. My turn next 

[nonnaB 4,895]

13 c here and raining. Although we live in a valley we are in the higher part of the village, the historic part, so not so much fear of floods just land slides

The vineyards are all on hilly parts so when it rains continuously the excess soil drifts onto the roads. Roll on spring. I can't believe the sudden change in the weather. So Jonab when you've got bad weather you can be sure we will get it the following day.

[philmayfield 6,138]

1 hour ago, PeverilPeril said:

Went up to fish Ladybower Res yesterday. It was snowing! Fly fishing in the snow is quite silly really, but as you know.......

We caught a few and lost a few and also got frozen. However, from the boat we were able to see the remains of cottages. Caught one trout from some ones old kitchen or whatever room it was behind their chimney. 

Got Daughters family with us and all the tribe including three Great Grandchildren will be attending my 'official' birthday party today 

Daughter and Grand daughter did 30 min ea on the rowing machine this morning with me doing the coaching. My turn next 

The water was the lowest I’ve ever seen it when I drove past a few weeks ago. I remember trying out my new Grey’s rod on Ladybower some years ago when the tip section snapped off on the first cast. I hope your new design prevents such disasters.

[jonab 1,644]

nonna, thunder and heavy rain forecast here for this pm and tomorrow as well.

[jonab 1,644]

I remember the old village in Ladybower. I'm very surprised the buildings are still standing - it was sixty years ago.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

 

The likes of this were destroyed to create that dam!

[jonab 1,644]

That's the sort of building I remember seeing - at least the tops of them. It was a school trip during a drought especially to see what had been sacrificed to provide us with water. I can't recall the year but it was when I was at Butler's Hill Juniors so, 1955 or thereabouts.

[LizzieM 9,510]

We’ve been out with the dog around Lambley and the Dumbles today.  Got about 5 miles under my belt and must say that’s about my limit, I start complaining if I have to walk any further.   Gorgeous morning but pretty chilly, first time woolly hat and gloves have been required since about March.   Central heating on now and roast dinner will be in the oven shortly.  

What a sad day for Leicester City FC, sounds like they’ve lost a really lovely man.  RIP Vichai Srivaddhnaprabh (bit of a mouthful that). 

[FLY2 10,108]

Just read in the Nottingham Post , that some of the WW1 commemorative decorations have been vandalised in Lambley last week.

In fact, one of the metal cut out statues actually had its head broken off. Unbelievable ! How can anyone desecrate such items.

Also, some of the large poppies attached to lamp posts in Stapleford were also damaged a few weeks ago.

Bring back the birch.

[FLY2 10,108]

A few weeks ago, there was rather a heated discussion within this topic regarding parking notice restrictions and clamping etc.

Well here's a word of warning. 

I was holidaying in Dorset two weeks ago, and decided to have a drink and a meal in a pub adjacent to a Premier Inn. I saw warning signs saying that the car park was PI owned, but knowing that Whitbread PLC owned PI, and also the pub, I parked there. 

Last week I got a penalty notice. As I was in the area again this weekend, I went into the pub and queried it. It transpires that if you're only using the pub, you are required to log in your car registration on a small touch screen monitor on the bar. As I had got immediate waitress service at the table, I didn't visit the bar, and didn't see it. I showed my notice to the manager, who photo copied it, then emailed it to the car park overseers with details of my visit, and said that was it. Ignore it !

So, beware, and read everything thoroughly, and look for notices requesting you to log in.

[DJ360 6,730]

I realise this isn't Nottm stuff.. but ..today I walked a longish section of the 'Old Coach Road', just north..ish.. of the A580 between Manchester and Liverpool. It's an almost dead straight and almost flat metalled road, about one vehicle wide and about 3.5 miles long. It's laid over a typical 'moss'. That being an area of peat.. formed by aeons of bracken, as opposed to heather.. broken down, yet solid, yet delicate.. as it were...

 

Walking the Coach Road is always interesting, and also gives a lovely sense of isolation. You hardly see a soul.

 

The best thing about the Old Coach Rd is that it runs from nowhere much, to nowhere much else.  ( Actually, from a gatehouse built in 1931.. same time as the A580, to a place called Barrow Nook, just outside Bickerstaffe, which is next to nowhere.)  Thus, it is not easily accessed, which keeps it quiet.  It's also interesting, despite its straight flat nature.  Its original purpose was, as its name suggests, as a Coach Road serving Knowsley Hall, the seat of assorted Lord Derby's since time immemorial.. if not longer..  I walked the part that is North of the A580.  It's not a public footpath, but one of those paths where you are allowed to walk so long as you understand that you might not be.. depending on the mood of the owner.  The part to the South, other side of the A580 and guarded by another much older gatehouse, is in the current Knowsley Hall Estate and is very private, although a phonecall to Lord Derby's office did once establish that they might allow a mob of us to do a charity walk the full length, including the private bit.. right to the front door of Lord Derby's gaff.  Jolly decent of them I thought.  I've been in Knowsley Hall a few times and very nice it is too. They have a terrific Library which is sadly all behind glass in locked shelves.

 

So anyway.. here it is... 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4699347,-2.8201795,677m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Despite what the map says, you can't drive along the Coach Road, or join it by vehicle from, say 'New Cut Lane', because they are blocked.  There are a total of 3 barriers along the Coach Road, which prevent such local 'Oiks' as can actually find it.. from driving the full length.  For most of its length, the road is open, but tree lined.  In places it is through woodland. At one point it crosses the single track railway from Wigan to Kirkby and legend has it that 'His Nib's' train used to have a 'Halt' there for him to alight.. though no evidence exists now.

 

On a more proletarian level.. there's an area with old buildings which once formed part of a WW2 Searchlight Station . part of the defence of Liverpool.  It's now stables, plus a delightful single story cottage, with a lovely cottage garden and so on.

 

Further along, the road passes this feature:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4976562,-2.8128421,1152m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

This fascinated me for years until I discovered it was a WW2 Munitions Store.  It has buildngs separated by high bankings, to prevent one explosion triggering another.  It's now privately owned and used as  warehousing.  If you look very carefuly, you can see evidence of how a rail link once ran from it and curved around to join the line to Kirkby, where there were bigmunitions factories.

 

Interesting stuff.

 

 

 

[jonab 1,644]

Thundery here today. Not too bad, I suppose. The rain is not particularly heavy and it's quite warm.

 

Supposedly thundery on and off all day. nonna's probably having the same.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

Frost!  Comes as a bit of a shock after such a lovely summer and autumn.

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

9 hours ago, FLY2 said:

Just read in the Nottingham Post , that some of the WW1 commemorative decorations have been vandalised in Lambley last week.

In fact, one of the metal cut out statues actually had its head broken off. Unbelievable ! How can anyone desecrate such items.

Also, some of the large poppies attached to lamp posts in Stapleford were also damaged a few weeks ago.

Bring back the birch.

I wish we could put these mindless idiots in the trenches for a few weeks. Shameful.

[FLY2 10,108]

My sincere apologies to the residents of Lambley, it was Linby where the vandalism occurred. 

I must get round to wearing my reading glasses !

[DJ360 6,730]

There are a dozen or so of those metal 'silhouettes' dotted around the St Helens area.  No sign of any vandalism yet.. which surprises me to be honest.