Could you do this?


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Ladybird was owned by a friend of mine Dave Ling of Bridges van hire, he sold it about a year ago and has now retired.

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Oh yes, I remember it well. That first jump on the parachute course from that tethered balloon raised to 900 ft. then singly from the door way, then 7 more  all different exits from the old 'Dakota's

We’re away in Dorset for a few days while the sun is shining and it’s unusually warm for this late in October.   While out for dinner this evening we were chatting to a couple from New Zealand wh

Two years ! I love my holidays and travelling, but I love to return to my own bed, pillows, shower, toilet paper, garden. Oh, £50M on the lottery...... Mmmmm, I might just manage come to think of

Dave was the guy who caused a bit of rumpus over the Lace Market when he became becalmed and couldn't move.

Homesford Cottage a bit further on was another launch site we used. That area was chosen because the prevailing wind took us back towards home.

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It was the Ladybird balloon I went on, got a ’ Sustificate’ to frame!

 

Someone I knew in the 70s, Howard Cox who used to live Long Eaton way, was killed in a balloon accident in New Zealand in 2012.   There were 10 passengers plus the pilot on board, the balloon hit power lines and burst into flames. Two jumped to their death, the rest burnt to death.  It was a major tragedy that was worldwide news, I wasn’t aware until a couple of years ago that Howard was one of the fatalities.   Forensic tests showed that the pilot had been smoking cannabis.  A chilling reminder that we don’t know who we put our lives and trust on .......... people we don’t know from Adam almost every day.  

 

 

 

 

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We’re away in Dorset for a few days while the sun is shining and it’s unusually warm for this late in October.  

While out for dinner this evening we were chatting to a couple from New Zealand who are travelling around Europe, they’ve been in England for several weeks and off to France tomorrow.   They were telling us that they’ve got no kids, their dog has died, they’ve sold their house and put all their worldly goods into storage in Auckland and are travelling for two years,   

 

Could any of you lot do that? 

 

I have always loved to travel and see other parts of the World but I’m blowed if I could live out of a suitcase for two years.   Think I could just about manage a month or six weeks!   We’ve never been to NZ and Oz and to go that far I reckon we’d need several weeks away but won’t consider it until our Jack has gone over the rainbow bridge.  

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Two years ! I love my holidays and travelling, but I love to return to my own bed, pillows, shower, toilet paper, garden.

Oh, £50M on the lottery...... Mmmmm, I might just manage come to think of it ! 

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This travelling pair weren’t particularly young either. I should say they were early 60s.  Good luck and well done to them though. It’s easy to put off doing things until the time is right and then it’s too late.  

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You're right Lizzie regarding not putting things off until it's too late. My ex and I had planned on doing the Southern States of America. 

Mainly for the music, food, easygoing way of life, and to embrace the Southerners views on the world. 

Sadly, it never came to fruition, as we parted in 2001. I'm now 73, and still have the desire to get there, but the current Mrs FLY is apprehensive about flying, but I'm certain she would agree if I REALLY insisted. 

I'll just keep hoping !

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Too true Lizzie, mea culpa and now living with the regret; there's always tomorrow but sometimes that tomorrow DOESN'T come. It is so good that you are doing so much and enjoying so doing. Good on yer mi duck !!

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I did make the move. I left Nottingham for reasons already explained on this forum and moved to the South of England. After a time there where I was also finding things 'less than amiable', shall we say, I had the opportunity to first of all to sort of commute to France on a two or three weekly basis and then to move permanently to the country.

 

I have no particular affiliation for the French people and I did find my early days there rather difficult but I did find things a lot better than I found the UK to be in my later days there. I fairly quickly became used to the French way of life - so much so that when I visit the UK now it seems somewhat like a foreign country.

 

I can't imagine what it would be like to live in another country now.

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You do get used to being and living in another country. At first you miss your home comforts, things you've been used to all your life and nowhere sells them. Different medical arrangements, the language if you don't speak it, no big shopping centres if you don't live in a city, different sizing of clothes, getting used to waiting in banks and post offices as everything is done on the computer and loads of other things that maybe hasn't occurred to you but there is another side. Fabulous weather most of the time even in winter the sun is quite warm even if the air is freezing, food, you can find most things if you look and fruit and veg is cheap compared with uk, restaurants, bars and pizzerias are in abundance. I could go on all day about the pros and cons but its up to you to do what you want to do and whether its the right thing to do at your age. 

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4 hours ago, MargieH said:

I presume they were travelling in a big motor home?  

No Margie, they are staying in hotels/B & Bs and travelling by car mostly.   

I have a schoolfriend who sold his house by the beach on the east coast of Scotland about 5 years ago, bought a massive motor home and spends 8 or 9 months a year in the south of Spain, but last year they went down there via Croatia, also spending several weeks travelling around Europe.   They have a ‘garage’ in the back of the motor home where they kept a Smart car for local driving until this year, but they now have too much stuff to cart around that he’s bought a trailer for a slightly bigger car and uses the ‘garage’ for storage.  They also have an elderly dog who goes everywhere with them.  Not my idea of fun but they’re enjoying life.

My two sons didn’t go with the flow on leaving school by taking a Gap Year.  Neither of them have liked ‘slumming it’ and said at the time that they would travel the World when they can afford to stay in decent hotels rather than backpackers hostels.  Now, in their jobs, they seem to spend more time in business hotels than at home!  

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5 hours ago, FLY2 said:

You're right Lizzie regarding not putting things off until it's too late. My ex and I had planned on doing the Southern States of America. 

Mainly for the music, food, easygoing way of life, and to embrace the Southerners views on the world. 

Sadly, it never came to fruition, as we parted in 2001. I'm now 73, and still have the desire to get there, but the current Mrs FLY is apprehensive about flying, but I'm certain she would agree if I REALLY insisted. 

I'll just keep hoping !

Well, if you do, drop in and see us.  We'd make you welcome.

 

Re. Taking to the road.  Mrs. L and I discussed the motor home idea and hitting the roads in the USA.  We finally decided that for a couple of old doggy fogies it would not be the best option.  Emtying sewer tanks, 

refilling water containers finding plug ins on camp sites is Ok for a holiday for a week or two but could get old  quickly as one ages.  We like the comforts of a house.  So I anticipate staying here until I'm removed in a pine box.  :biggrin:

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A friend of mine, a Stabbo lad, had a Winnebago, a huge thing that weighed over 6 tons and with a 7 litre petrol engine did 6 to the gallon. Anyway he along with his new lady friend went for a jaunt through Europe (£16000 on fuel alone) to his villa in Spain. His lady friend loved the villa and asked to stay there while he returned to the UK to sort out some business. On his return he found strange people living in the villa and claimed they owned it. Turns out while he was back home she had sold it, (£95000) and buggered off to Australia!

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Reminiscent of my ex Brew. She got a Toy Boy, a villa in Portugal, toured Europe, Did the US in a hired Winnebago, then months in the Far East, on my hard earned savings !

Great life innit ?

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55 minutes ago, FLY2 said:

Reminiscent of my ex Brew. She got a Toy Boy, a villa in Portugal, toured Europe, Did the US in a hired Winnebago, then months in the Far East, on my hard earned savings !

Great life innit ?

But she hasn't got a friendly little 3 legged cat who comes round to see her everyday! 

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