Greetings and Salutations from ENGLAND!!

B

Brian Johns

Dedicated Member
Hi all.
Arrived at Heathrow last Thursday and so far have visited Portsmouth (HMS Victory and Warrior) with a flypast of two Spitfires just for added extra!:37:, Then Dover and Duxford airshow:37::03:.
About to head up to LOTSW country later this morning (Monday)

Unfortunately my opinion of drivers over here has not been altered for the better. We were only here ONE DAY before I got rear ended by a BMW as I was stationary in a line of traffic. Punched a hole in the rear plastic "skirt" just above the "bumper". I will admit however that the young lady driving was very nice....mind you if I had just hit and damaged a car and two BIG BURLY guys got out of it to "talk" to me, I think I would be pretty polite and nice too!:42:.

Even though it cost me quite a lot, I am glad I paid for the upgraded Insurance packet with the car rental people. It gives me peace of mind if something happens that is MY fault or the other car is uninsured.

Over 45 years driving in OZ without an accident..... one DAY in UK get banged up the ......:20:

Anyhow, enjoying myself nicely although my Scottish blood is showing......got a sunburned face at Duxford yesterday LMAO:29::29:
 
When I was a child, my father was rear ended while we were on vacation. We were driving on Long Island (New York) and he elected to stop for a yellow light and the person behind us did not. Our saving grace was that we were pulling a tent trailer at the time and it absorbed the impact. Further grace was that the place we rented the tent trailer from did not charge us. We just had to return it.
 
Portsmouth is amazing, I've been a couple of times that ships are truly fascinating.
Soon as I read BMW I knew what was coming, glad everyone is ok and your insurance is covering it.
Keep us posted on you visit p there.
 
Despite the bump in the car hope you are fine and enjoying your visit so far to Blighty. As you are a " Fly Boy" , as Entwistle described Howard, it must have been a really stunning surprise to see the two iconic Spitfires , hope you enjoyed the airshow. So you're on your way Up North today and the real UK weather not the same that's reserved for our Southern " Softie" cousins have a great time up here . :)
 
It's true, the southerners don't like the northern weather and being from Oz you might not like it either.
 
Hi all
Been out of touch for a few days...the wifi where I was staying was KRAAP! I am now in Haggis land, in fact in the very town I left from to go to Australia many many moons ago! LOL

Ok here is the update. From Portsmouth we went across to Dover via the Battle of Britain Memorial, and then visited Dover Castle.
From there it was up to Duxford for the airshow, which I loved, despite getting sunburnt! (Shows my Scottish blood...I can get burned at midnight on a moonlit night!)
I wasn't expecting such a strong sun, the temps were OK just very a very "bitey" sun and I was out in it all day (not usual for me) without a hat.
It was worth it though!:37::37::37:

From there it was up to LOTSW country, arriving Monday afternoon and visiting a couple of sites around Marsden.

On Tuesday it was off to Holmfirth where we met up with Maltrab and his brother in law at Sid's Cafe. The weather that day was wet, drizzly and misty. Not a day to see panoramic vistas:(

I was only really expecting to meet up for a cuppa and a chinwag but we were "kidnapped" by Maltrab for the day and chauffeured around various locations. It was terrific:03:
It meant I didn't have to try and drive on very tight roads (for me) in the wet, navigate with a satnav that thinks it is on Mars AND find locations. Maltrab was an excellent tour guide and host and my son and I had a thoroughly pleasant day! Thanks to the gentlemen involved :18:

One of the places we visited was Compo & Clegg's gravesite and unfortunately I have to say I was disgusted by the state of Peter Sallis' grave. I hope once the time period of waiting has elapsed and a proper headstone etc is erected it will be more fitting. Very Unpleasant at the moment!:frown2::(:44:

Yesterday (Wed) we visited a few more sites and also went for a ride with Colin in the tour bus.:37: I have to say though that it is not designed for people our size:08::08:

We couldn't get around to all the sites I wanted to but we hit all the highlights and also went out to have a look at what had happened to the "Monkey"

It is still there and thankfully most of the graffiti has either been removed or has faded considerably, so although the place is abandoned and looking a bit sad it is not quite the eyesore it was before!

We got caught in a massive traffic jam at roadworks during the trip there which robbed us of a lot of time but overall I am happy with the visit.

I DO have lots of pictures but will have to wait until I am back in Oz on my main computer before I can post them here:(.

I now have just over a week left to "do" haggis country and then it is back to Oz.

BTW on the car front...It appears I have been hit on the front right corner somewhere....probably in a carpark somewhere as it didn't happen when I was driving and I noticed it mid-morning today! A dirty big scrape!!:( I will be glad to get back to Oz where even the idiot drivers can drive (at least a bit):08::13:
 
So good to hear you're having a great time, so sorry about the rubbish drivers, I do my best to scream them all into driving correctly but I'm one woman with one voice so I'm limited on this. Please let us know how you get on in Scotland and tell us where you visited. Thanks for the update. Hope your last week is incident free and full of good stuff.
By the way our Terry is a good sort, he helps to me and my trusty laptop stay out of any major trouble. Bless him.
 
Thank you for the update Brian sounds like you are having a great time. I imagine it was quite emotional to "go home" to Scotland but also very enjoyable , really looking forward to seeing your pictures , hope you enjoy the rest of your visit and safe journey home back to Oz. :)
 
I'm sure that the tincture of time will assure that Peter Sallis' grave site will be more pleasing to the eye. The grass will have covered the site and a proper marker will have been installed.
 
Hi again, just a quick update.

Having a lot of trouble with my communication equipment (WIFI etc) but have managed to logon today.

Today I am in Inverness. On Saturday we had to visit Edinburgh airport where number 2 son left me to head back home (Work commitments unfortunately), so I am now on my Pat Malone.

Drove up through Glencoe on Saturday to Fort William. The weather was overcast, misty, showery and in Glencoe itself the drizzle was blowing horizontally across the road.
Visibility was very limited! Typical Scottish summer weather :21:

Spent a very quiet day in Fort William on Sunday, had a "rest day" to recharge my batteries, so this morning got up bright and early and headed north. Went through Nessie country and (following explicit instructions with threats of violence) bought several stuffed Nessies! and some other stuff for the boss.

The weather then brightened up and the rest of the day was glorious. Had a lovely drive in the countryside, visited Culloden and some other places before heading for the hotel here in Inverness.

Tomorrow I am hoping to visit Dunrobin Castle and get up to John O'Groats and possibly Thurso before wending my way southwards again on Wednesday.
I will not be in a hurry as I do not have to be at the Heathrow hotel until Friday night before flying home again on Saturday.

With a few exceptions I have been enjoying myself just cruising around the countryside.:42::17:
 
The car park at Culloden backs onto farm where we holiday. While you're there pop into Fort Augustus, the lock gates are great to watch.
 
....One of the places we visited was Compo & Clegg's gravesite and unfortunately I have to say I was disgusted by the state of Peter Sallis' grave. I hope once the time period of waiting has elapsed and a proper headstone etc is erected it will be more fitting. Very Unpleasant at the moment!:frown2::(:44:....

Pearl has just taken this pic of Peter's grave and asked me to show it to you Brian. It's been tidied up a lot.20232200_10213840546311164_3869346808366461156_o.jpg
 
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I've got some more pictures but at the moment I'm hurtling down the M1 and these lunatic drivers aren't going to shout at themselves.
 
The like is for the post John so kind of you to put up the picture but the grave shows no reverence to the great man you have to hope this is temporary and that imminently a commemorative stone is put in place and the grave grassed over . The cross looks like two off-cuts of MDF nailed together . I find it really distasteful the top edge isn't even straight
 
captain clutterbuck said:
The like is for the post John so kind of you to put up the picture but the grave shows no reverence to the great man you have to hope this is temporary and that imminently a commemorative stone is put in place and the grave grassed over . The cross looks like two off-cuts of MDF nailed together . I find it really distasteful the top edge isn't even straight
Click to expand...

It will take several months for the soil to settle so a headstone can be set and grass seed planted. Until then, we'll just have to tolerate the temporary marker placed by the funeral home on Woodhead Road in Holmfirth.
 
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captain clutterbuck said:
The like is for the post John so kind of you to put up the picture but the grave shows no reverence to the great man you have to hope this is temporary and that imminently a commemorative stone is put in place and the grave grassed over . The cross looks like two off-cuts of MDF nailed together . I find it really distasteful the top edge isn't even straight
Click to expand...
There is a cross with his name on I'll try and upload it.
 
They could turf the plot with very little effort and I am sure you can furnish the grave with a headstone in a reasonably expedient timescale not several months . I am not sure who is the executor of his estate but in my eyes they are failing in their duty and need to rectify the situation as rapidly as possible surely there is money in his estate to take care of this.
 
Thank you for posting Pearl really sad that the last stalwart of our beloved show has passed away but also to be buried in such an inappropriate manner . It did get me thinking however , what if like Norman he left instructions that he didn't want any fuss and the anonymity portrayed by this simple grave is what he requested.
 
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