A step closer.

On Wednesday I attended the Driving Standards agency office in Peterborough to take my HGV Theory test and Hazard Perception test. You are allowed an hour on each test but I managed them both in under 1 hour with a pass result of 94% & 77% respectively. Needless to say I was over the moon with those results.

Next phase is a driver assessment with Apex Driving school in Peterborough. No doubt they will want to extract some money from my wallet for lessons but as a retired professional driver of 30+ years experience and close to a million miles travelled I don’t give much for their chances. All I need is a suitable vehicle to undergo the driving test.

Following the narrowboat blogs since the thaw started a couple of days ago, it is interesting to note that they are all reporting that it will still be a good week or more before there is likely to be any movement on the water. There is also the down side that another cold snap could hit before the thaw is complete and everybody could be back to square one again. You guys on the Cut have our deepest sympathies for what you are having to endure at present.

It throws my mind back to the big freeze of 1963 (I think I got that right) which was the death knell of commercial freight on the Cut when the barges were iced in for about 6 weeks. In the mean time road transport had taken over contracts never to be returned to the Cut. With traffic congestion on the roads I think it might be a good time to reconsider and get freight back on the waterways. It might also help BW’s cause.

How much longer?

I trust everybody had a good Christmas day and didn’t over indulge, I certainly didn’t despite attempts by Mick, my landlord, to overload the dinner plates.

Boxing day has dawned crisp and cold again with a minus 5degC temperature. When is the big thaw going to arrive? I can only sympathise with all our canal friends still frozen in around the Cut probably wondering when are they ever going to be able to start cruising again? Good luck guy’s.

Unbelievable!

Imagine an Eskimo stooped over a hole he has cut in the ice to catch some fish for supper. While on my daily walkabouts I have twice now seen local anglers fishing through holes in the frozen river Nene. The only difference was they were sitting on the bank not the ice. That’s what you call devotion to the sport.

The snow that I spoke of on Wednesday didn’t last long. It only snowed for a short while and then turned to rain. Later in the afternoon it snowed again briefly but with the ground being wet it didn’t settle and during the evening it started to freeze over. Walking to the Model Railway club meeting I began to wonder as to the wisdom of going as the footpath’s were treacherous. Wednesday’s weather was very weird as all around Cambridgeshire they were reporting 2-4 inches of snow and yet around here we barely got 1 inch.

It’s snowing here now.

There hasn’t been any serious snow fall around here since last Thursday but when I threw open the curtains this morning it was snowing very lightly. An hour later and the snow is becoming quite steady and heavy. Are we finally going to join the rest of the country weatherwise?

With overnight minus 18degC temperatures farmers in the area are now unable to harvest root crop’s, carrots, beet and parsnip, due to the ground being rock hard. There is every likelihood that when they do thaw out there will be a race to harvest them or they will rot in the ground and then there will be a shortage on the supermarket shelves. Ho hum, such is life!

Winter Solstice

The Editor in Chief of this blog may be on the other side of the world but she is still keeping the pressure on the sole scribe (me) to produce articles. It is also due to her absence that there is a lack of pictures. Computers and I speak a different language, neither understanding each other.

The recent visit to the National Railway Museum would be better displayed in pictures rather than words. I will say that there  has been a lot of work done at the museum since our last visit and the opening up to the public of the thousands of items in the bulk warehouse was awesome. Everything from scale model loco’s and rolling stock to trackside memorabilia, LMS boardroom table to L & Y signalman training system, station names to stained glass windows. Every rack held untold treasures thankfully saved for future generations to marvel over. I did read that as the museum has so much to offer another museum at Shildon, Co Durham has been opened to cope with the ever growing list of artefacts. Visit their website but be prepared to spend hours there.

Thankfully here in March we seem to be missing the worst of the current Winter weather with only heavy frosts and –5degC temperatures. I must say that the freezing fog on the tree’s and hedgerows making everything white does look like a Christmas card picture. Today being the shortest day of the year can only be good news that things can only improve from here on in. Here’s hoping.

Steam train to York.

A short while ago we booked tickets for the York Yuletide Express. With Dot having to return to NZ suddenly it meant that their was a spare ticket going begging as the tickets were non refundable. Mentioning this to Gary, the model railway club secretary, it transpired that he was on holiday and Thursday was his birthday so what better present than a steam train trip to York.

Thursday duly arrived but that couldn’t be said for the tickets. Even phone calls to the tour company only revealed at the last minute, that tickets had been sent out 1st class mail, but if they didn’t arrive they did supply me with seat numbers. On boarding the train, the crew must have known something because nobody asked for tickets, the latter arrived a day too late. Another change was the timetable which was changed by Network Rail to an hour later than scheduled.

Gary picked me up by car and arriving at the station a good 45 minutes premature we were surprised to find the train had already arrived and was in the goods yard taking on water supplied by the local fire brigade. Another surprise that the engine was not the scheduled class 7 Brittania, 70013 “Oliver Cromwell” but LNER A4 Pacific 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley, Fantastic. It became evident that Oliver Cromwell was out of service under going repairs.

When the train finally arrived at the platform only half of it was on the platform so we had to board where ever we could and walk through the train to our designated carriage. There was only one more designated pick up at Peterborough and a water stop at Doncaster. It was here we were delayed by half an hour due to class 66 diesel stopped at exactly the same place we were to take on water from a conveniently parked tanker. The 66 was taking on fuel also supplied from a road tanker. What happened to loco service depot’s?

We eventually arrived in York at 13.40hrs which gave us 3 hours to do whatever we chose. Naturally Gary and I headed off to the National Railway Museum just across the yard from the station. The last time we had been here was 30 years ago for Gary and quite a few for me. I will dedicate the next blog to this hallowed turf of railway men.

Report from the Antipodes.

A phone call from Dot this evening reports that she is well but tired. Her father has improved slightly over the past 24 hours and has been out of bed.

In the short time that Dot has been back in NZ she has been very busy not only with her father but also an ever growing social calendar from friends and relatives all wanting to see her while she is home. She wishes to thank all the well wishers who have been sending supportive messages .

Many Thanks.

To all you lovely people out there who have sent Dot their best wishes please accept this as a BIG thank you. I have received so many emails this is the quickest way to reply to you all. As I write this she should be about to arrive in Auckland, New Zealand.

May I also take this opportunity to thank you all for your Christmas wishes. Bless you all.

On me Pat Malone.

Despite there being 2 opposing factions having a protest march in Peterborough today we managed to get to the railway station with time to spare. The Queensgate shopping centre was not as busy as we would have expected being only 14 days out from Christmas but the public had obviously opted to stay away from the city. What was obvious was a very large contingent of Police even on the railway station.

A sign placed in the station foyer by East Coast trains warned that there was a total alcohol ban in place for the day and Transport Police would be riding the trains. Inebriated travellers would be barred from travelling and any trouble makers would be removed forthwith. Hooray for East Coast Trains, a pity more companies don’t follow suit.

By the time I arrived back at the apartment I received a text message to say Dot had arrived at Heathrow and an hour later she rang to say she was through Customs. As I write this she is probably hurtling down the runway bound for the first stop, Hong Kong.

Finally, My Driving Licence.

The postman bought us lot’s of goodies this morning and one of them was my drivers licence from the DVLA. It just shows you have to stand up and be counted occasionally. Next job will be to sort out something with the HGV driving school even though I have been driving HGV’s for 25 years.

In the meantime I will have to make do with driving the radio controlled motorhome we found on the internet from Brownhills Motorhomes Ltd. I thought they only dealt with the real thing but they also pander to the kid’s and I’m just a big kid at heart. Right on!

Derek will have to make do driving this until next March.

Due to Dot’s fathers failing health she has made rather rapid travel arrangements to fly back to NZ. Unfortunately we cannot both go due to various commitments so the blog may be few and far between for a while but we will attempt to keep people updated when possible.

Jack Frost or Snow?

Or both! Very hard to tell this morning before the wind got up.

To all our Continuous Cruiser friends where ever you are, we are thinking of you all. Winter was always our favourite time living aboard but we were fortunate not to have had such a severe winter as this. While we are tucked up in a nice warm home we are continually keeping up with all your news and photos.

Happy Birthday Dot

Well my husband never said anything so I have to say it to myself.  Thank you for all the lovely wishes I have received in the last few hours.

Heinzelmännchen - Fairy Mythology.

The Heinzelmännchen and the tailor's wife, a fairy mythology in Cologne.

During our visit to Cologne we came across this statue of a woman and what appeared to be Gnomes or Elves. A Google search found the following information. The Heinzelmännchen (Dwarves or Elves) are a race of creatures appearing in a tale connected with the city of Cologne.

Underneath the statue you can see the Gnomes working hard in the workshop.

The story of the Heinzelmännchen  is celebrated in the Heinzelmännchenbrunnen (fountain). The little house gnomes are said to have done all the work of the citizens of Cologne during the night so that the inhabitants of Cologne could be very lazy during the day. According to the legend, this went on until a tailor's wife got so curious to see the gnomes that she scattered peas onto the floor of the workshop to make the gnomes slip and fall. The gnomes, being infuriated, disappeared and never returned. From that time on, the citizens of Cologne had to do all their work by themselves.

This legend was first written down by the Cologne teacher Ernst Weyden (1805-1869) in 1826. It was translated into English by Thomas Keightley and published 1828 in his book "The Fairy Mythology".In 1836 the painter and poet August Kopich published a famous poem beginning with the words:

Wie war zu Cölln es doch vordem

Mit Heinzelmännchen so bequem!

Denn war man faul, ... man legte sich

Hin auf die Bank und pflegte sich.

Da kamen bei Nacht, eh' man's gedacht,

Die Männlein und schwärmten

Und klappten und lärmten

Und rupften

Und zupften

Und hüpften und trabten

Und putzten und schabten -

Und eh' ein Faulpelz noch erwacht,

war all sein Tagwerk ... bereits gemacht!...

Translated as:-

 

So it was once upon in Cologne,

so comfortable with the Heinzelmen!

One could been lazy ... just lie

down on the bench and let things slide.

There came at night, before one knew it,

little men who swarmed and worked and fussed

and plucked and picked jumped and trotted

cleaned and scoured - and before the lazy man awoke,

his daily work was ... already done! ...

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

The DVLA Saga.

It is now 3 weeks since my doctor finally received the paperwork so I thought it time to once again ring the DVLA. Once again I was given the usual story that they had received the information from my doctor and that my file was being processed. I was getting rather annoyed at this stage and demanded, very nicely, to speak to a manager which the operator was initially reluctant to do. After some insistence I was finally put through to a manager who after listening to my complaint assured me that he would bring my case forward and it would be dealt with in the next 24 – 48 hours. So watch this space!

The Rhine Valley

Fancy rail tunnel portals that were built during WWII as Allied bombers agreed not to bomb castles. That is what they look like from the air.

Vineyards clinging to the side of a mountain in the Rhine Valley.

The are still plenty of castles in the mountains along the Rhine Valley. This is Castle Cat owned by a very wealthy family.

Dot at the Lorelei Cliff above St Goar.

Statue of the Lorelei maiden.

Beautiful churches and castles adorn the Rhine Valley.

Return to Blighty with more photos of Cologne.

The main entrance to the Hotel Anker overlooking the Moselle River.

Our last day in Germany started with an early alarm so as to get our cases down to the coach for loading before breakfast. The hotel didn’t start to operate until 0700hrs, so no porter and only 30 minutes for breakfast as John wanted to be on the road by 07.30hrs.

Xmas painted glassware but it was so delicate.

German style china clay houses.

John opted to use a different route to the one we used when arriving in Brodenbach but this turned out to be his downfall. In a moment of idle thought he took the wrong turn off and even though it took us to Brussels, it took longer, as the other coach we were travelling with arrived in Calais before us even though they left Brodenbach after us. One reason for the longer travel time was that there had been a lorry and trailer jack knifed on the opposite side of the Autobahn. This didn’t affect us directly, just the rubber necker’s slowing down to have a good gawk at the accident scene. It took the best part of an hour to travel about 5km’s. The tail back behind the accident went on for about 10km’s.

These guys were brilliant playing the classics.

Golden Tomb of the Three Kings believed to be the Three Wise Men in Cologne Cathedral

All the way back to France we had numerous snow storms making driving conditions atrocious. At one point John pulled into a service centre to allow us to stretch our legs and for him to refill the window washer bottle which had become depleted due to heavy use. By this time the windows on the coach were so filthy from the road grime we could barely see out. At Calais we all had to pass through the Customs shed to show our passports but this only took about 10 minutes and we struck lucky in that we managed to get on an earlier sailing saving us an hour.

One of several entrances to Cologne cathedral.

Beautiful stained glass windows in Cologne Cathedral.

Arriving in Dover just after dusk and the driving conditions got decidedly worse. With the M20 closed by snow our only alternative was the the A2/M2 which hadn’t seen a snow plough or grit lorry for heaven knows how long and it was only one useable lane so it was a case of follow the leader through the slush. None of the drivers had any idea where the lane markings or the edge of the road was so it was a case of stay in the centre of the road. These abysmal conditions didn’t improve until we reached the Dartford Crossing. By this time John had phoned ahead to re-arrange the change over point with George,the relief driver as he was fast reaching his driving limit. 

Floor tiles in Cologne Cathedral.

Inter City express at Cologne.

Upon change over George complained that the window screen washers were not operating but John just left him to sort it out. Instead of fixing the problem George just carried on driving with a filthy window screen which was not very professional. I certainly would not have driven like this. Once again George did the drop offs in what we all considered to be the wrong sequence even though we pointed this out to him. We arrived back in March at the expected time of around 22.00hrs, but the Skegness passengers didn’t arrive home until after 03.00hrs, which was confirmed to us by a phone call from fellow travellers. A very long day for them.

Rail bridge's over the river Rhine outside Cologne station.

Hog roast at the Cologne Xmas market.

Despite the long travelling days to and from Germany and the fantastic driving of our tour coach driver we thoroughly enjoyed the 2 days in between. The highlight would have been day 2 visiting Rudesheim.

Rüdesheim

Alderturm or Eagles tower in  Rudesheim in the Rhine valley is a 15thC Gothic part of the town fortifications.

The largest life sized Nativity scene in Europe.

Rudesheim's St James church which was bombed on 25th November 1944 and has since been rebuilt from 1946-56.

That's a cracker of a cuckoo clock. Only € 4999.

Rüdesheimer Weihnachtmarkt

Vineyards up the hillside in the Rhine valley.

Wednesday morning and the snow still lay around “crisp and deep and even”. Our driver, John, gave us an unplanned option of how we wanted to travel to Rudesheim. We could go the boring Autobahn route or we could travel over the mountain between the Moselle and Rhine valleys. The latter would entail a ferry crossing of the river Rhine at the princely sum of 2 Euro’s each return. Luckily everybody agreed so we had a fantastic trip over the mountains to St Goarhausen.

St Goarhausen with vineyards on the hill behind

This is a busy shipping highway. The Lorelei statue is at the end of the spit by the sheltered harbour.

A view down the Rhine Valley.

The trip up the mountain was, for those that are familiar with the road, like driving over the Rimutaka hill from the Hutt Valley to the Wairarapa. John, our driver took it all in his stride and made it seem so easy. The only difference was that there were lovely little villages along the way. Going over the top so to speak and it was white as far as the eye could see.

German architecture around Rudesheim.

Product of Finland with a lady in traditional dress.

At St Goarhausen we caught the ferry across to St Goar and onto Rudesheim via a visit to the Lorelei cliff high above the river Rhine. The ferry only took about 3 minutes but was a real spectacle in the way the skipper manoeuvred the ship in the fast flowing river. The embarkation ramp latches down onto the landing dock and as soon as it was lifted the ship was caught by the current. Mid stream the skipper did a pirouette and turned the boat ready to dock on the other side.  The ship virtually travelled sideways all the way across. Driving the ship into the dock and holding under power until the ramp was lowered and locked onto the dock again. John said that he had never seen the skipper miss the dock.

The local hotel in Rudesheim.

The centre of Rudesheim's Xmas market.

At Rudesheim the streets are mostly narrow pedestrian alleyways running between 2 main streets where all the market stalls were set up. The town was much more interesting than Cologne in that it was more traditional in architecture although the church had been destroyed during WWII and since rebuilt. The stall holders were from all over the world,Finland, Mongolia, Holland, Belgium just to name a few which we never saw in Cologne. However Cologne does have 7 markets of which we only saw one.

Narrow cobbled streets in Rudesheim.

Hot chestnuts.

Xmas tree decorations.

After dinner we took a 2 hour cruise from outside the hotel up and down the River Moselle. Being dark there wasn’t much to see but the main intention was down a few steins and be entertained by a local musician whose repertoire was somewhat limited, at least he tried.

The Goldstuck on which we did a 2 hour cruise.

Goodbye!

More on Köln Weihnachtmarkt

Cologne's sight seeing train.

Cologne railway station.

Inter City express at Cologne.

Floor tiles in Cologne cathedral.

Cyclamen flowers pocking through the snow in Cologne

Christmas in Köln, Germany

Cologne Christmas Market.

Brodenbach, Germany.

Looking over the river Moselle outside the Hotel Anker.

Everybody slept well which wasn’t surprising after yesterdays marathon. Breakfast was on from 08.00hrs and we had to be back on the coach at 09.30hrs. The only problem was there was no hotel provided wake up service and Dot set her phone alarm forgetting it was on UK time. Needless to say it was a bit of a rush for us as we were at least 45 minutes late. The other problem was luke warm showers which didn’t go down well. Still we did make the coach on time and we were off to Cologne. John, our driver did warn us that it could be a slower trip than usual because there had been more overnight snow.

The view from the front door of the hotel Anker.

We arrived at 11.00hrs and had to be back at the arranged pick up point by 15.30hrs. This gave us a reasonable length of time to look around the cathedral, market and the city. Starting off with the market we found plenty of stalls selling hot food and Gluhwein (mulled wine). Due to the minus temperatures they were all doing brisk business.

Cruise ships moor here.

Christmas decorations in glass, wood and terracotta,trinkets,and beautiful wooden carvings of all sorts. Winter woollies both small and large as well as hand crafted linen for the season. There was so much that we would have liked to have purchased but it would be a logistics nightmare to get it back to New Zealand. After a while we headed into the cathedral or Dom as the German’s know it, to thaw out for a while.

Cologne Cathedral or Dom as it is known

The interior of the cathedral was nothing less than spectacular. The colour in the stain glass windows were probably the most vivid we have ever seen and we have visited our fair share of cathedral's and churches. Once we had thawed out it was time to head back out and have a look at the railway station which was close by and take some photo’s of the trains passing through.

Cologne Cathedral.

Cologne cathedral or Dom.

We had about an hour left to wander around the surrounding area which of course has all been rebuilt since WWII as it was all bombed out by the Allies and the cathedral was about the only thing left standing. Cologne is just like any other modern city just about anywhere in the world. Back in the hotel we had a very nice 3 course meal followed by a few ales and a chance to talk to other fellow travellers.

Rides to keep the kid's happy at the Cologne Xmas market.

Derek wrapped up well against the -6.0C temperature.

A Hot Chestnut vendor.

Nativity scene in Cologne.