The Trip To Bergen And My First Day 30,June 2013

I got up early finished my packing, had breakfast,  felt really sad about leaving this beautiful place and my friends,  but it was time to go so we all set off for the bus (I do struggle because its the best one I have ever been on) seems there is no word for coach in Norwegian,  there was plenty of room on the coach so settled back intending to take photos but we were traveling to fast,  we changed to another bus and it filled up as we traveled. the weather was quite warm, and sunny

We eventually reached the ferry so it was a chance to stretch my legs, use the toilet and have a sandwich, by the time I had done this the ferry was docking, what I had not realized was that I should of been on the coach, oops,  I rushed off after it, fortunately it stopped to pick up other passengers so I was able to board without any embarrassment,  then off again to Bergen, just for a change I slept for much of the way despite the fact the driver seemed  to be going quite fast.

Finally  I arrived at the bus station and thanks to Mykles excellent directions was quickly outside the hotel which was opposite the train station,  it seemed very grand from the outside, even more so when I entered,  the young lady was very pleasant and quickly booked me in.

this photo is typical of the layout of the hotel, I now regret not taking more,

I went to the room it was old worldly and spacious, but a little warm for me despite the fact the windows were open, again no air conditioning,  the bathroom was much better, only problem was the towels were a little worn,   but not worn out, there was also a surprising shortage of storage space,  although there was a refrigerator with a range of drinks to buy, on the table there was a basket with snacks,  when I read the prices they seemed quite expensive, again thats based on English prices, not in Norway which is a rich country, but I was later to find they were not so bad, there was also a decent size safe that took everything including my large camera  and was free. The bed was a double and looked very comfortable,  I unpacked had a shower then changed before my first expedition into the town, the receptionist was very helpful and showed me the route to the harbour and provided me with a map.

When I got to the harbour I noticed the funicular to Floyen, it was bright and sunny so I bought a ticket for my next adventure,  I took photos as we climbed,

when I got out it was well worth the trip with views for miles in every direction of the harbour and sounding area, so many more photos were taken. I decided to walk along one of the tracks through the woodland,  somehow for a change I got lost, eventually found a signpost to put me back on track, it was beginning to cool down so only walked a little further before my trip back down to the harbour.

I did not feel like a large meal so settled on an enormous hot dog and a drink, I also purchased a very large piece of Carrot Cake to take back to my room for later, whilst I was catching up with my blog, I also watched tv for a little, there were tv channels in English with Norwegian sub titles,  I found a film on one which helped me settle, the bed was as comfortable as it looked so off to sleep looking forward to tomorrows new adventures.

Only One More day left Before I Have To Leave 29 June 2013

Up late today, maybe it was reading until the early hours,  looked at more photos, had breakfast, I have been trying to eat a little better whilst away, trying local food, today it was shredded wheat with cranberries and milk, may see if they have this at home for a change from porridge.

Went with Mykle to Sande, I must apologise because some of the Norwegian words I am using, I do not have the correct keyboard for, had a look at the airport very different from others it is tiny, then to see ferry crossing at Andetolote where they are proposing a replacement bridge to speed everything up. Then on to Utvik fjell down to the village and Invik, next shopping in Sande for some items Jean needed for the traditional meal she was cooking that evening. We stopped so I could take photos across the lake from where they lived, then back to house.

Went on computer to book train trip from Bergen to Oslo,  then had evening meal of, typical Norwegian food, consisting of kjottkaker (meatballs) entestuning (mushy peas) potatoes,  carrots, tyttebaer (cranberries) the meal was delicious but then followed byblå plomme (similar to damsons) with custard. After we went for a walk I was hoping it would help me burn some of the meal off so I do not put to much weight on.

For me it was quite sad as was my last day in this fantastic setting with two fantastic people for company, I shall miss Jean and Mykle greatly but am hoping to keep in touch on my return, they have shown me how different life can be if we really try at it, if you read this Jean and Mykle again thanks for everything. After this I went bed to be ready for the long day tomorrow.

A more cultural day 28 June

Believe it or not this is my second attempt at what was quite a long blog, that suddenly disappeared when I went to save it, so as cannot sleep at 3 30 in the morning will try again.

Late start, first breakfast and conversation then as Jean was going out so Mykle and I went on a pleasant walk to look at the Nicolai Astrup museum not far away at Astruptunet,not being a great follower of art I had not come across this artist before

  It seems he is a famous Norwegian painter who moved to the area when quite young, married had children and used the setting of mountains lakes and the general scenery from his studio for inspiration,  as his income Improved so he moved from house to house next to each other, all now preserved. His homes were so basic compared to those today. We had a young guide explain about his life and paintings, that went from landscapes of the area to

portraits,  plus some more complex subjects, the guide also gave background to his home and family, I have never been that interested in any particular artist but, I found some of his paintings very attractive to look at, also to see the houses preserved and odd little things like the roof was covered in vegetation that turned out to be bark from trees which it seems is a very good strong resilient way to protect the roof of a house, also I found with my bad back that the doorways into the houses were quite low, my presumption was that this was because Norwegians were small, the guide explained in actual fact it was done this way so that anyone attempting to get in and attack had to bend down very low so then gave the owner a good chance of hitting them over the head with a weapon, it just goes to show there is a good reason for everything.

It had been raining unlike previous days so it was as well we had umbrellas to protect us on our walk back, when we arrived so had Jean so we had something to eat, whilst eating, there was another visitor to the bird feeder, namely Cyril the squirrel,  he was a red one, I had only ever seen one before, but it seems they are common in the area, he set to eating some of the food Jean had put out, so I took a series of photos of him.

As Mykles computer was still not working spent some time trying to resolve, but was unsuccessful even with the assistance of fivety plus forums kind assistance, and that of my computer expert back home via e mail.

During my time here I had not watched or missed the tv but tonight there was a programme 50 years of Richard Attenborough, the others wanted to watch so we did, it was funny to see how he had aged from a young man and how technology had progressed over the years to enable them to observe and record more detail of the life and environment of animals both during the day and night.

Mykle and Jean then showed me photos that charted their progress from the original plot to their present home, it must of taken so much desire, determination, planning, skill and physical effort to of achieved such a fantastic home in this sort of setting, where the elements conspired against them.

It was late so I went to bed but could not sleep, so decided to read a little of one of my e books, More William by Richmal Crompton,  whose books I had read when young, I had not realized until starting this book how long ago it had been written,  in fact it was 1922 a very differt world to the one we live in, the book though was still an enjoyable finish to the day.

More beautiful scenery today 27 June 2013

I must apologize to all you readers, firstly I cannot remember my password for the blog, so it is ceating a problem for those trying to post comments, also as am so busy with all these adventures I am falling behind with updates, so will try to do better, also when return home will attempt to add photos out of the 400 or so I have so far taken.

Now back to the plot, we had a trip into Ford so Mykle and Jean could do some shopping, I went for a wander round the art museum, most of the exhibits I could not understand, then a sandwich and a drink, the prices here are so much dearer than back home, but not particularly for Norwegians,Norway is a very rich country,followed by a walk along the riverbank, whilst waiting I noticed a fire engine, I looked through the zoom lens only to find that the 2 firemen were watering the flower beds,

an interesting way of using resources, so sat and waited on a bench before meeting up again, we drove to the agricultural college, Jean explained less and less youngsters go there as they now wish to do more modern things such as computers as a job, they took me through the grounds to a really magnificent waterfall,

we continued our drive looking at further beauty spots, then stopped at            to look down at the road and the series of hairpin bends, it made me dizzy just looking down,

the scenery is so different to that at home and I have never seen so many waterfalls.

Eventually returned and tried to assist Mykle who was having difficulty connecting  his laptop to the internet, we tried various remedies, then asked advice from some of the people on Fifty plus forum, still no success,  I even tried my computer man back home via e mail, in the end gave up, he will take to shop instead

Then had a well deserved rest, whilst writing this out in rough, I was sat in the garden a mixture of all sorts of plants and colours, the only noise was birdsong and that from the waterfall, bliss. Later another enjoyable meal cooked by Jean with good company and conversation.

Despite the fact it was quite late, the sun still had not set and the sky was turning a delicate pink, I have taken a photo with the tablet but not yet worked out how to upload it, I think I am going to be very busy with the number of photos I have taken trying to sort them out when I return home.

Day Two At Myklebust 26 june 2013

Had breakfast, what a view outside the dining room window, went round the garden and full plot of land, I could see how much time, effort and energy Mykle and Jean had put into making it such a fantastic place to live,This is what the plot looked like when they first aquired it

was shown log splitter and how it works, Mykles vehicle to carry heavy loads,  the vegetable garden, what a good idea to raise some of the beds to make it easier.

We walked across the other plot to their Waterfall,

  what a feature to have on your land Mykle explained how it froze up in winter, it was hard to believe with such a strong flow of water. We went for a walk around the area, it was a mixture of modern and older properties, but everywhere the views were stunning and apart from the odd car passing, so peaceful and quiet.

Came back met up with Jean and had something to eat, then off on a trip that included the glacier museum, fjaerland, Mundeal village, which is the book town where shops are former piggeries, boat houses etc, we also went to boyum arm glacier, that Mykle tells me is the largest in northern europe, even from a distance it was huge and almost intimidating

its so hard to explain how impressive it all was, when I get home I will try to upload some of my photos to give a better idea.

That evening despite all the driving Jean cooked us a delicious meal, after we sat and chatted, it was still fairly light outside although getting on for midnight, we finally retired to bed to prepare for our next adventure.

Norway and a meeting with Mykle and Jean at last

I rose early finished my packing, had a shower, I had by now got the hang of how not to soak the floor, then went down for breakfast, Brian was worried about the weight of his backpack,  so we checked he was still under the limit, it seems he wanted to take the papers he had collected to read at his leisure,  checked out, got metro to the airport, it was even busier than when we arrived, said cheerio to Brian,  warned him about security,  then went to check in, there were great long queues, but eventually all was sorted, had a wander round the departure area, bought sandwich and a drink for the flight then people watched, what a range of different people and cultures, eventually boarded the plane very pleasant staff,found that the quality of service from Scandinavian airline a pleasant experiance only a short flight, Bergen airport  was tiny compared to the last, picked up luggage,  then outside.

There was Mykle patiently waiting for me, we went for a snack, then got the bus into town, much better seats and ride than those back home,  the town was very pretty to look at as was the backdrop of mountains and fjords.

We wandered down to to the ship through the market, on the way looking at the live crabs and lobsters in tanks, got to the boat it was large and modern, found seats with a good view, when we set off I said I wanted to take photos, Mykle warned me not to go to the front, as soon a went on deck understood this with the wind, took a series of photos of mountains bridge etc,

the boat called at a number of ports, there was an announcement that we had to change boats, which was done with little fuss,

finally we got to Sogndal.

There waiting for us was Jean who was very welcoming then we set off on our way to our destination Myklebust,  along the way we saw beautiful fjords and lakes,  waterfalls and mountains and even a glacier,

because of my surname Glasser, at school any reference to glaciers always had brought out laughter concerning my name,  at long last here was one of these gigantic areas of ice so large its difficult to describe.

On our trip we stopped at various places to take in the landscape, we even stopped at a toilet in the middle of nowhere as I had mentioned in my other blog, finally we reached Mykle and Jeans home, it was well worth the trip what a stunning location and their home was very attractive also, they explained we were 100 feet above sea level but because of the height of the mountains  and lake it seemed much lower their home was as beautiful inside as out, I unpacked then we sat and chatted before finally going to bed

Last day in Copenhagen 24 June 2013

I must apologize to you readers, for getting so far behind but it has been a busy few days since my last post, I will post this about our final day in Copenhagen,  then tomorrow try to catch a little on the next day or two, its always harder when busy to find the time

Sadly this was our last day in Copenhagen,  we started with a hearty breakfast, then into the city by tram.
We decided to do one of the hop on off, boat trips, to make it easier to get round,  there was a group of young school children on board who were very well behaved, this photo is of a particularily low bridge we went under, we again visited sites such as the little mermaid but also a mixture of other sites that were of interest,

I noticed this motorhome as the boat went past, I hope nobody tried to walk to the back whilst it was parked so far back on the quayside

Then went looking for the Round House Rundtarn, what a climb it was  along the sloping floor to the top

but well worth the effort, we could see the bridge to Malmo in the distance

but also some of the rides at Tivoli Gardens,

next we went to the Botanical Gardens, had something to eat, then wanderd about admiring the displays and taking photos

,  this is one of the alpine gardens together with my elusive travelling companion Brian,I enjoyed the tranquility of the lily pond with the ducks

eventually we left there and I returned to the hotel, Brian stayed on.

I did some packing, had a rest as my back was in pain,  then we later went for our last meal at the Chinese,  I had a real beef burger, it was 3 times the size of those from a certain fast food chain and much tastier,  I struggled to finish the meal.

Next we went to the promenade to take last photos,  of the sunset,

clouds had gathered so nothing like as good as we hoped for,  so we started back, but over a 10 minute period the sky went a lovely red and pink making it worth the wait,

then back to the hotel as it was getting cold, then more packing before we went to bed.

Another busy day in Copenhagen, summer solstice

As usual we started with a good breakfast, then off to get the bus, unfortunately we could not work out where to get off so decided to use the metro, yet again we could not work out which sort of ticket but a lady kindly helped us.
We were hoping we would see lots to photograph on the trip to they centre,  sadly most was underground,  we got to the center then, took the escalator up into a store,  oops,  we quickly found our way out and set off looking for the Little Mermaid

and any other places of interest along the way along the way. for example we saw the royal theatre

Unfortunately  I did not record all the places we saw along the way, so may need Brians help later to edit,

I think it was the royal palace where we saw the guards outside and there were all sorts of statues, again I will have to put photos on when return home, trying to remember it all at 12 at night is a bit of a struggle made worse by my senior moments, there were lots of coaches full of tourists, along the way l needed to go to the toilet (see other blog) plus a cruise ship in the harbour, whilst there, it started to rain which quickly meant the people disappeared,  it only lasted a while, we made our way back to the centre and stopped for something to eat and drink as my back had set off again and I needed a painkiller, I settled for a pizza,  after this we made our way to the Town Hall where there were all sorts of activities taking place,

we passed a Latin American style band on the way, Brian bought us an ice cream each,

We went to Central Station for a look round and to catch the metro back unfortunately it doesent run from there, I have never seen so many cycles in one place at a time

I used the toilets there (see other blog) Brian had noticed there was something showing up in his viewfinder on the camera we could not remove it but managed to get it lower down on the screen hopefully it will not spoil his photos, then we went looking for the bus back as it was nearer than the metro,  we found the tourist office but it was closed,  which seemed odd in such a busy tourist resort, we found the bus stop but then were told it was the wrong direction, the driver sent us to the wrong street, but Brian  sorted us out plus we found the statue of Hans Christian Andersen and we were on our way back to the hotel, its a shame that it is surrounded by roadworks at present so is not at its best.

When we got off Brian said lets go down to the promenade as it was the Summer Solstice and lots of peple would be going there, I was amazed at how many people were walking and cycling there, couples family's and groups of friends,  both young and old, we wandered along, many had brought a picnic, particularly young couples,  one I noticed had rye bread, sausages and strawberries,  an interesting combination of food, we took a series of photos, then noticed that the sun was setting in the opposite direction,  just then there was a brief shower,  which quickly abated but many had already started to leave,

I forgot to mention earlier that Brian had kindly offered to carry my backpack to help me cope, normally I would not of taken him up on his offer but realised that it would help me to continue longer so many thanks Brian,  just after this we saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky so again out with the cameras.
I needed my painkillers that I have to take with food so back to our Chinese for a meal, what an odd combination I had of omelette chips with a mushroom sauce, whilst waiting I noticed the sun had changed to beautiful reds, so off for a few more photos, we then came back after the meal for an early night, ready for another busy day tomorrow

Day Two Our trip to Malmo

My phone rang at 6ish,  it was
Brian asking if I was ready for breakfast, I explained this was a little early for me, that I would meet 8ish, which we did, what a great range of food, I did struggle with the fruit juice which was to sweet and the coffee to bitter and I am not sure what happened with the bacon, I tried the rye bread and it found excellent


We then made our way to the metro then airport station for the train to Malmo, it was clean quiet and comfortable,  unfortunately we did not manage to obtain any photos of the bridge, Malmo station was very busy, in the distance we could see the new tower, called the Turning Torso,so started to walk toward it for a better photo,

the walk was through an industrial area it seems the whole area is being renovated, on the way we came across a small museum and spotted a jet fighter in its grounds

We then walked back through the park,

then the streets of Malmo, we came to the main square with lots of beautiful buildings and fountains for us to enjoy

another photo opportunity there was a very unusual band the optomistic orchestra, there

My back suddenly went into spasm so I suggested we make our way back to the station so I could have a painkiller, drink,  food and a rest, at the station I needed to use the toilet (see other blog) Brian wanted to try some local food so we had some rye bread with a variety of toppings, which I enjoyed, then back on the train to Copenhagen,  I said would buy the train tickets only to find I did not have enough money, so Brian sorted us out, I then worried what I had done with the rest of my Swedish money, this time the train was quite busy, when we got to Copenhagen my back was still painful, so I returned to the hotel for a rest, but Brian decided to walk back, on my return, I checked my money, it seems all was correct and I had bought less Swedish kroner than I thought, I rested for a couple of hours then we went for another meal at the chinese,

this time finishing off with a chocolate lolly each, we returned to the hotel, discussed plans for tomorrow, hopefully there will be no early calls in the morning

THE FIRST DAY

I could not sleep so I got up early had breakfast then a bath got ready, Geoff came on time, when we got to Brians he was outside waiting obviously eager to get going, the drive to the station was uneventful we said goodbye to Geoff got our tickets and went to the platform,

the train arrived on time, only problem it was packed out, we rushed down the train, eventually we managed to squeeze on and off the train went, a man with rather a loud voice was trying to chat up a young woman, only problem was she was more interested in sending texts, as we stopped at various stations more were more people packed in,

the conductor made an announcement warning passengers not to use first class unless they had a ticket, not sure how he could enforce this as there was no way to get through the crowd, eventually most got off and we could finally get a seat

No problems on arrival at Manchester aiport although it was a long walk to check in, that went well so on to security,  not sure what was wrong, but they did body search on me, had explained to Brian to put watch etc in container despite this they took his bag off for some reason but eventually returned it, after that no more problems,  flight ok, but it seemed a long trip from plane to getting out of  Copenhagen airport,  our carousel for baggage was furthest then had to walk back to get out

We coud not find out how to get to hotel, eventually found helpful lady and off we went on metro,  booked in, lift would not work,  we found out we had to insert room key in slot first, unpacked had a rest

Later went down to beach and spent some time taking photos, oops,  forgot to say that today was a very warm  day, was surprising how many planes flew over, there was also a mixture of boats and ships from tiny kayaks, to large cruise and cargo vessels,  withe the odd speed boat, leaving a huge trail behind them eventually went back to hotel,

today is longest day of the year, but we felt the need to eat then rest, we found some shops and the only one open was a Chinese, we settled for rissoles and chips with a coke,   place seemed very popular,  after back to hotel,  Brian tired so went to bed, thinking of my loyal readers I decided to post this blog,  only problem,  I could not remember the password, well now done hope not to boring for you, will post next episode tomorrow

Photos are of Brian on the promenade and the bridge between Copenhagen and Malmo seen from the promenade

Nearly time to go

Well its the day before we travel, my back is still in spasm, I have been to the GP who has given me strong medication to cope with the trip, I have now repacked everything and as far as I can see not forgotten anything, how odd that these days a set of scales is felt needed to make sure I am not carrying to much weight in my case and to avoid having to pay extra costs.

I have put the bedding in the washer, think I have all my paperwork sorted, now all I need is my friend Geoff to turn up at the right time in the morning and Brian to be ready when we go to pick him up, I will have an early breakfast and bath so am relaxed for the flight, I have been told by the physio to wear my support belt so will do this in the hope the pain quickly abates, I hope future posts on here will become more interesting as the journey progresses

My Trip To Norway

Hi Folks, as some will be aware, I am off to Denmark then Norway for a holiday this Friday 21 June 2013 until 4 July 20913, it will hopefully be a trip of a lifetime, because I have promised myself that I would get see the Norwegian Fjords, for many years.

It all started with meeting my friend Mykle in London last year and him showing me photos of where he now lives in Norway, also my reading his story of how he moved there and the trip he does each year to come back over to England. This was the inspiration I needed to start planning the trip. I decided that a blog was the easiest way for me to give updates of the adventure rather than endless e mails.

Because I was waiting for an operation until that was carried out and I had the all clear nothing definite could be planned, then next task was to obtain travel insurance, which I eventually resolved, so the idea could start to develop into reality. I had also discussed a holiday with my friend Brian who has featured in previous Blogs and our other friend Alan, we talked about different destinations and in the end settled on Copenhagen, we were going for a week, so we then started working out how to get there and where to stay,

I contacted Which Travel for advice on things to do and see, then contacted my friendly travel agents Sue to ask for her help. It seems that Scandinavia, other than by ship is not listed in most holiday brochures. Unfortunately, Alan decided in the end that he was not going with us so we ended up booking for 4 nights, the first being the summer solstice(longest day) we booked the flight and accommodation and I bought a new lens for my camera to capture all the things I am hoping to see on the trip.

We are also hoping for a trip to Malmo in Sweden to see the bridge between the two countries. Brian will return home after 4 nights and my real adventure will really start I said I was considering visiting Norway and may call to see Mykle and his wife Jean, Mykle kindly offered that I could stay with them when visiting the area that they live in as a result we spent a lot of time through e mail and phone calls trying to work out an itinerary for me, up to this time I did not really know where he was in Norway apart from the fact it was away from the towns and cities, plus that it gets very cold in the winter, eventually we sorted out a trip that would enable me to see some of the best parts and beautiful scenery there, my friend Brian said I may see elk and wolves and possibly beavers, seems he had not done his research that well as Mykle stated this was unlikely, they lived further north.

The trip from Copenhagen, will take me by plane to Bergen where I will be met by Mykle, then boat to Sogndal, from there by car to his home in Myklebust for a few days, then we travel back to Bergen by coach, and I will stay for 3 nights, I then travel from Bergen to Oslo by train which Mykle tells me is quite spectacular, then later that day fly back to London, where as it will be in the evening I will stay before returning home the following day.

Due to uncertainty about the weather I will take a mixture of clothes, I have bought a tablet computer so I can continue to record the trip for the blog, the tablet has been a learning curve for me, but my son spent some time showing me what the various functions are for. I had forgotten how many pieces of paper are needed when travelling independently, as well as medication, transformers for charging devices, and guides, unfortunately over the weekend my back has gone into spasm, so yesterday I saw an osteopath, the pain has not yet abated, if it does not improve before Thursday I will have to go and see GP for strong painkillers, as I am not going to cancel the holiday

An Incident at Manchester Airport

Embarrassing Incident At Manchester Airport Last weekend I travelled over to Ireland for my granddaughters 21st birthday, when I got to Manchester airport I could not believe how quiet it was and I sailed through security apart from having to take my shoes off and put them through the machine, not sure what that proved at all.
Not having had lunch I went and bought a meal Deal then found a convenient seat where I could see the departure board and my flight boarding gate, I put my MP3 player on, got my paper out and started to eat the sandwich,
I’m not quite sure why but I suddenly felt I was being watched, so looked up, the young man sat opposite, who looked very intense had a pad on his knee seemed to be staring at me, then doing something on his pad, being conceited I thought maybe he’s trying to sketch me, so continued with my food and reading. I’m not sure why but I started to think about what he was doing, so now started watching him,
he looked very very intent, and I suddenly noticed he was not drawing but writing notes. I couldn’t decide what to do, should I confronted him, should I try to absorb myself in my magazine music, should I move seats, the information desk was nearby, maybe I should mention it to them, in the end I decided to move across the way so I was not in his line of sight and see what happened,
what I noticed was that he continued with the same behaviour, I now started to wonder was it something to do with the till at Boots behind me, it all seemed rather odd.
A member of staff came and started working at the information desk, so I decided to have a word with her, I politely explained and said it was a gut feeling that something was not quite right, she asked me what she wanted me to do, explaining that she could not approach him.
It was decided in the end that she would contact security and be advised by them, so I felt that was the end of it all. A few minutes later she came over to my seat, to inform me that she had spoken to security and that they had informed the police who would call down and chat to me about the problem.
Oh dear this was not what I was hoping for, I prefer to be anonymous but now was going to be the centre of attention and the man was going to know it was me that reported him. A little time later two young policemen arrived, I explained to them what had happened and how the man of made me feel quite uncomfortable and that may be there could be problems with other passengers because of his odd behaviour, we gave a description of him because by now he had disappeared, which in itself seemed a little odd,
one of the policemen took my details and said he would let me know what had happened. A few minutes later they came back, it appears that the man was a French person, an accountant in fact he was busy working on a project and had been totally absorbed in this, oblivious of all around him, he was flying back to France and everything checked out,
of course I was totally embarrassed, but the policemen reassured me that I had done the correct thing and it was better to have made sure all was well, I spoke to lady at the desk, she said similar, and also said there was something about his appearance and manner that could be a little off putting, but that all had worked out well in the end.
I am still unsure what it was that set me off, was it some basic instinct, was it the stress of being at the airport, was it something to do with getting old and less sure of myself, what would I do if a similar incident happened in the future, let’s just hope it just doesn’t happen.

A new start

I had not realized how long it had been since I last posted so I think now is a good time to start again soon as some will know I am off on a trip to Norway and intend to try to do posts on the trip I hope you will enjoy all of this in the meantime I will try to find something to chat about

Gentle C hit Chat Thread on Sagazone

I have started this Blog to help people who come across the Gentle Thread to learn a little about its history and the people who post on it

Gentle Chit Chat - Any time of day and Linking not allowed!

I am sorry all you linking fans but I am blinking fed up with it.

Bring back chatting without linking, please - good topics and lighthearted banter are all that's needed in my humble opinion (like wireless radio before tv came along!).

Susie Q

09/03/2008 01:34:37 Its hard to think so much time has already passed and so many people have joined in our chat since this date.



Well that’s how Susie Q started it all, in an effort to get away from some of the stranger threads on the site & to make it easy for anyone to join in normal conversation through Sagazone,, despite the distance some of us are from each other, without any nastiness, rudeness where people can support each other joining in general conversation, where people could talk about the ups & downs in their lives without feeling threatened.

When I checked a little earlier today we had had over 56000 posts on this thread, so I think it’s a sign that people are enjoying it up to now.


Susie mentions Linking and many have asked what this is and are worried about inadvertently doing so on the thread
This refers to when people show a link in a post , you can see these on many threads on the site when they show a short piece of text usually blue underlined that has a web link to another area or site, it was felt on this thread that it was distracting and did not help with the flow of conversation.


The other issue that Susie raised was that of quoting, which is when people use the quote button to refer back to a previous post. This on the odd occasion can help people to see what a previous poster was talking about, but as you may of seen on other threads, to many quotes can totally lose the point of the conversation then make it hard to follow for the rest of us.

Early contributors included, Goingupcountry, Whitehall, Wait and see pudding, Cinderella Sue, Jeffreybbb, Veronika, Pennywt, sadly some have found other parts of the site more interesting and moved on but maybe one day they will call back in for a chat.

Common interests and topics for discussion seem to include
FOOD, our own or others pets, travel, family, MEN & their failings, drink, meetings, the weather,
this is not a comprehensive list & other topics can be added later by any of you

Below is a list of members, I am sorry if I have missed anyone out and if you join after this is posted please send me a PM with brief details and I will add you to the list.
Should you not want to be included I will happily remove you and your details from the list.

I have put words that come to mind when I see your names, and occasionally things that appear to be topics you discuss or points I have attributed to you, no offence is intended, its all in fun, this is only to encourage you to give me a couple of lines to replace mine and to help people know a little about you in terms of the thread, obviously if people want to know more they can look at your individual profiles




Veronika early riser dogs, meetings

Nobaggage France holidays OH, village

Samsnan Grandchildren

Bollie Budgie breeding, ironing, baths

Greendragon cats

Idanyelle Red rose

Maggie C Morgan cars

Jeffreybbb Grandchildren, giving unwanted advice, fantasy forums

Brendaja webcams, meetings Caravan, food

Minijune Cats, planes, cars,EX OH

Andtiggertoo Cats, London, meetings OH

Merlotjess Able to stand up at an angle, Scotland

Dolly j

Lindy lou Moving house

Coomara

Murriell Daughters, holidays, meetings

Myklebust Norway, snow, fish

Dee3

Skipton recently joined

Aggie Maggie Meetings, London

Wellie recently joined

Tigger too recently joined

Nippynana

Angie 027

Boudica recently joined

Yeaovileman

Ribrae

Maryrose


I have not written about all of you because so far it has taken three hours to get to this point, please PM me some info to be included about yourselves

My Trip to Kefelania

My trip to Kefelonia

I was feeling fed up, I was recovering from a virus, and I felt I needed some sort of a break in guaranteed sunshine, I checked various websites but everything seemed so dear, then I remembered Sue my helpful travel agent, so contacted her and explained what I was looking for.

Within a short time she seemed to find something that fitted the bill, was inexpensive in a beautiful location Kefelonia, it was travelling the following Tuesday so I needed to book it straight away which I did.

All went well on the trip, then on the coach transfer I first met Elizabeth the representative from Olympic, she seemed so kind and caring toward the people as they reached their destinations, in fact at one place, there was no one to meet the elderly guest so she finally found someone who would take care of them until the owners arrived.

Finally I got my apartment, it was very strange because was no reception desk and the apartment was down a side street, it appeared that the owner lived on the top floor showed me to the room which was a bit basic but not to bad, if I wanted air that was on an additional charge, so I decided to see how the weather went but it was already hot and humid, so un packed and had a look out of the window, in one direction I could see the sea in the distance but very prominently was a bright yellow tractor, so I looked to the left and appeared to be looking out onto somebody's back garden and rubbish tip, but in the background there was a view of the mountains and sky plus I had my own balcony.

I went out and wandered round the town, that seemed to consist of a main street with lots of cafes mini markets and souvenir shops, but there was a beautiful Long Beach all along the bay, so I went and bought some provisions, I was quite surprised that the cost was so much bearing in mind that Greece is in the middle of a recession, that night I struggled with the heat, so decided that next morning I would pay for the cost of the air con.

Went to the welcome meeting for Olympic, which went well, originally I had decided that I would like to rent a car so I could see all of the island was having seen the way people drove and the hairpin bends decided because I was on my own it was best not to, so chatted to Elizabeth about the various other options and decided in the end to go on two trips, I said I would pay her then, she said to leave till later in the evening, so I ended up having a wander around the town.

In the evening went to book the trip, Elizabeth said she was surprised that I had come back to do the booking, so I said I was quite surprised that she hadn't taken money off me that morning, because she was not busy we had a chat for a while, also spoke to the young lady waitress who I later learnt was called Lynda, so I now had an island tour booked and a trip to one of the other islands called Ithica.


Over the course of the week I had walked along the bay in both directions wandered round the countryside taking photos and relaxing on the balcony reading my book and sunbathing, unfortunately though I managed to burn my left shoulder which caused the discomfort for the rest of the trip so I was much more careful after that exposing myself to the sun.

I went on a coach trip to Ithica which was very beautiful and we stopped in some lovely bays for a look round, at lunchtime I joined up with another man on his own and shared lunch and had a chat which made a nice change, I decided I would love to come back again at another time.

The day before my return I went on an island tour, I have to say this wasn't quite as good as Ithica, but was still pleasurable, the only problem on both trips was the picking people up at the various places before the trip started, which was an hour long, but then another hour dropping off at the end which made it a very long day, the courier on the trip was very knowledgeable and made it pleasant, the only other difficulty was that on the first trip the air-conditioning did not seem very good on the coach.

In the course of the week I had dined at the restaurant where the welcoming meeting was, on the first occasion the place seem deserted, but I later learned that most of the people sat at the back in the shade, I asked could I sit at the front because being on my own at least I could watch the people going by, I got chatting to the young lady waitress, part of her task was to say hello to people in the hope they would be attracted to come in.

Whilst watching the people I realised that very few were happy or smiling as they walked down the street, it was interesting that some people acknowledged the young lady with a slight smile, many looked embarrassed and some actually turned away, which seems such a shame because after all they were all on holiday I presume, but many looked stressed, I talked to the young waitress about this and she said this was typical of the people who visited.

I realised quite quickly on holiday that I am not a person who copes very well with their own company 24 hours a day and at times felt quite isolated, it would have been lovely to have shared a holiday in this beautiful setting with someone special but unfortunately my special person couldn't come, neither could my friend Brian who I could have shared photographic opportunities with.

On the last night I called in at what has now become my favourite restaurant and had a brief chat with Elizabeth who I learnt was on Facebook as was the young lady waitress who I now learnt was called Lynda, I explained that I was going to put the brief story on my blog and gave details of how to find, so Elizabeth and Lynda if you are now reading this thanks for making my holiday special and best of luck in the future.

I would love to go back to Kefalonia but even more so to Ithica to spend more time exploring this beautiful island.

One of the interesting things on the holiday was that if I saw couples together taking each other's photograph I would volunteer to take one of both of them, it was surprising how many people initially seemed to mistrust my motives, what a shame I was only trying to make their trip a little more memorable but hopefully it gave them pleasure later.

A Catchup on 2009

It seems such a long time since I did the last blog, unfortunately this has been the combination of poor health lack of motivation and not very much interesting that I feel would appeal to the readers going on in my life.

Despite this I thought as we are now in a New Year of 2010 the least I could do was give you an update on my life, so here goes.

You may remember earlier this year I was having investigations of my spine and subsequently there were issues of whether I had angina, the good or bad news is that at present the sciatic pain has diminished and therefore the surgeon feels he will put off a back operation, this unfortunately will not stop the pain from the prolapsed disc so I will just have to put up with it, after an angiogram they have now decided to have a blocked main left artery which needs a stent in the not too distant future so we'll wait until I see a heart specialist about this.

As a result I am now on various sorts of medication, which seemed to have slowed me down greatly and I feel I have little energy at present to carry out a normal life, this is quite ironic because I retired in April to try to give me a better quality of life so that I could do some of the tasks I had been putting off but also because it it was considered my health would improve, so I applied for the new sickness benefit ESA unfortunately their doctor was of the opinion that I was fit for work despite various evidence I presented from my GP and other professionals,

I did appeal and even went to my MP, but there adjudication officer still felt despite the fact I had been considered not fit for full-time work since 1996 that miraculously I could suddenly carry out a full time job, in February I am due to go to tribunal in the hope that I can convince the panel that at the age of 62 with a range of conditions that affect my ability to get out of the house never mind work that common sense will prevail.

Sorry I have been rumbling on a lot about my health so on to happier things, most recently I went over to Ireland to see my son and his family and spent Christmas with them, the rest of the time I spent with my friend Debbie and her family and totally overindulged myself before coming back home to the present six to 12 inches of snow we seem to have

It's odd really because I had all sorts of ideas of things I wanted to achieve in this last year, such as doing a course at night school on digital imaging but because of the issues around my benefits felt it best to leave until this was resolved, I had thought of doing some travelling but again because of the issues to do with the angina thought best wait until that has been resolved,

I still go on to saga but find unfortunately that my back starts to ache quite quickly so it does not give me the pleasure in the way it used to having said that only yesterday I spent two hours doing my first Sainsbury's online shopping to relieve the effort of going round the supermarket then having to carry my groceries home, this is quite handy at the moment if it works because my car is snowed in.

Well I'm hoping to get back into the habit of doing blogs again so please look out for my next one in the not too distant future.

a Trip To Llandudno & A Search for Emmerdale Viaduct

Hi Folks, sorry its been so long since I last posted a blog, but how odd the more time we have the more we fill it with other things we cant remember about later, plus I seem to of really slowed down in the last few months, with various health problems.

Maybe that’s a good start, I have now been diagnosed with angina & am off for an angiogram in a couple of weeks time to find out what is causing the problem, hopefully it will be nothing invasive, they have already told me that I will be on tablets for the rest of my life, hope they have got it wrong

My other problem with my back seems to be changing to, its funny because I have been the one who origionally wanted the operation, but the thought of the restriction on my life for some time after does not appeal, having said that if the long term will be better it will all be worth it, they are going to review me after heart is sorted out so it seems soon will sorted out & maybe better again

Well back to the adventures first I must tell you of my trip to Llandudno at August bank holiday with Brian & our new mascot Pierre, you may remember him from our earlier trip to Blackpool, but, on with the story, the weather was okay so we spent time taking photos of Pierre in a variety of settings, one being on the beach, I had an idea of getting one of him exploring peoples sandcastles, found a really good one, but was a very large young man with a child, for some reason, did not feel he would take well to me asking for photos.

Instead found a less menacing person & on the understanding that we only wanted his sandcastle & not his daughter on the photo, plus that it would feature on my blog, as well as being used to fundraise for a charity I think made his day, I suppose we could of made our own but then we would have had to buy our own buckets & spades & we had photos to take.

Well that evening we decided we would aim to take some stunning photos of sunset from the Great Orme, (not sure think would be classed as large hill rather than mountain) so sought suitable locations, eventually decide higher was better so set off just before dusk in the car, unfortunately I had misjudged the time so by the time we had driven up , guess what the sun was gone for the evening, despite that we then took photos of the clouns & horizon just in case, but the got really windy & cold so eventually even us intrepid photographers gave it up

The next day off inland to Betsy Cowyd an area of narural beauty, well it would be but for us and all the other people who had come here to escape the crowds, we had a pleasant walk along the bank of the river looking for some sort of different photo to take as a souvenir of our trip, well that’s the right word because that’s exactly what Brian did, well what a fool I was here was a unique opportunity to get a photo, but being the kind caring person I am I got my priorities right & instead went to rescue his umbrella that had blown onto the bank of the river, whilst he managed to get up only losing a little dignity & no real harm, but in my efforts I nearly fell in the river instead.

For the rest of the trip we were more careful & sadly there were no real photographic opportunities for either of us, having said that it was a pleasant break from normal life if only for a brief time

Our Trip Seeking Emmerdale Viaduct

My next adventure was much more exciting when I went searching for the Emmerdale viaduct with another friend to take photos of it, we knew the location so was this not going to be the easiest experience ever, well no because we could not find the path marked on the map & when we established where we were realised we should have had the map of the next section.

Therefore we first wandered through fields then through someones private drive in our quest only to be told we were on the wrong side of the river & the best way was to take shoes & socks off & roll up trousers & wade across the river, now this is to someone who struggles to balance on a nice flat surface, plus I had my camera to consider, so after directions we set off again,

Now we found a sort of map, but it seemed very odd the route, but it couldent be that far could it, oh yes it could, it was through woods & kindly someone had but boards & handrails for people like me, but quickly the pain set in, & the only thing keeping me going was the sensational photo I was going to get soon, but I got more & more tired the further we walked & my feet were aching in the boots.

Well we eventually got to a point where there was a wire fence & the rain started, seeking shelter there was some sort of brick structure that we could shelter under, hey hang on a minute, it was it was a viaduct, it must be the viaduct, well what was the problem, well it was sounded by trees & there was nowhere to get a good photo of it, just then a nice family came a along & we asked about a quicker easier way back to the car, they gave instructions which included climbing some stairs up to the fields which we did, all I wanted to do now was get back to the car & collapse as soon as possible, cutting a long story short we ended up lost & met up with the family again who suggested we should return to the woods as It was the quickest way back.

Well we did this & the aches & pains as well as breathlessness all got worse the further we went but at least we were on our way back, many of the wood areas had chicken wire on for some reason, it seemed rather odd to me until, when distracted my right foot slipped forward on one that had no wire on (now I know why it was there to stop people slipping) I fell backwards banging my head & spine on the boards, my companion who had been leading turned round at the noise & wondered where I had disappeared to, I eventually I managed to get up but ached all over, at that time I even hoped I had done something to myself which would of meant the emergency helicopter would of come & just lifted me away, unfortunately I was able to stand & walk, but in great pain.

Well you can imagine what the trip back was like from then, my feet were already aching, as was my head & lower back & every step hurt me, why is it always a longer distance when you are exhausted than when feeling happy, I hated every step I took, I suppose I could of asked my companion to put me out of my misery but don’t think he had a gun to do it, sob sob, its all right for you reading this in a nice warm room, for me I just kept thinking what am I doing here, how stupid to of even attempted it given my health & had it made my spine any worse.

Well eventually we got back to the car park & the map, it was no consolation to be told that maybe we should of carried on to the other end of the track by car & walked along the disused railway line, I just wished I had the energy to have a tantrum, oh forgot to say we had not eaten from early morning so was starving as well

We cleaned me up & went to a pub for a meal & the young waitress was lovely when I told her the story even offering me an ice pack to ease the pain, being a martyr I refused, must say was best steak & ale pie have ever had, on the way home slept most of the way, & when got back straight in the bath, well not quite true had to wait for it 20 minutes whilst it filled sob sob

Well the next day went & Googled the viaduct, guess what readers I think it was the wrong one, (stamps feet very hard on the ground in tantrum) so it was all in vain

The pain got worse in lower back so went to see GP, mine not available so saw young locum, who looked young enough to be my grand daughter, she had that sort of disbelieving expression until she saw how badly I was bruised, but said nothing broken just bruising & to take pain killers, it was three weeks before I seemed to get over worst, spent much of my time in bed in the meantime feeling sorry for self

Well will close now until the next great adventure, hopefully will not be so painful