Since I introduced the win streak badges for Who Squares Wins, I've been trying a bit harder to do well at the game. I still got spanked by iRicey this week, but it was my own fault. My first run wasn't until Thursday so he'd amassed a big lead, and my run on Saturday had technical problems. I'd loaded a route onto my Garmin, but 4 miles into 10, the whole thing froze up. I lost about a dozen squares. Not enough to change the result, but enough to mean I threw the towel in on Sunday and ran off grid.
In planning my routes, I've had fun trying to find little shortcuts and amendments to my routes to make the most out of every mile I run. I take a lot of pride in just brushing the inner edge of a square, rather than tromping all the way across it. And revisiting a square in the same run has become desecration of the highest WSW order!
My 10 miler would have yielded 75 squares, technical fails aside - or 7.5 squares per mile, which I'm pretty happy with.
I've made a new table (there's no link to it from WSW yet, but I plan to weave it in somewhere). I figured it'd be fun to have an 'efficiency league' to represent all your most cunning routes. To feature on the league in any given week, you must hit at least 25 squares in one training entry. The person who travels the least distance per square will top the efficiency leaderboard.
One of the criticisms of our GPS games is that certain types of exercise have advantages over others. So this table is doubly nice because it doesn't matter how you visit the squares. There are three walkers in the top five at present. And it's also nice because pace is completely irrelevant. I picked the target of 25 squares because it looks as though multiple people have managed this on less than 5km - so the distance required to complete is accessible to most people.
There may even be a badge for the weekly winner - but let's see what you all think first...
fetcheveryone.com/wsw-rankings-efficiency.php
In planning my routes, I've had fun trying to find little shortcuts and amendments to my routes to make the most out of every mile I run. I take a lot of pride in just brushing the inner edge of a square, rather than tromping all the way across it. And revisiting a square in the same run has become desecration of the highest WSW order!
My 10 miler would have yielded 75 squares, technical fails aside - or 7.5 squares per mile, which I'm pretty happy with. I've made a new table (there's no link to it from WSW yet, but I plan to weave it in somewhere). I figured it'd be fun to have an 'efficiency league' to represent all your most cunning routes. To feature on the league in any given week, you must hit at least 25 squares in one training entry. The person who travels the least distance per square will top the efficiency leaderboard.
One of the criticisms of our GPS games is that certain types of exercise have advantages over others. So this table is doubly nice because it doesn't matter how you visit the squares. There are three walkers in the top five at present. And it's also nice because pace is completely irrelevant. I picked the target of 25 squares because it looks as though multiple people have managed this on less than 5km - so the distance required to complete is accessible to most people.
There may even be a badge for the weekly winner - but let's see what you all think first...
fetcheveryone.com/wsw-rankings-efficiency.php
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
A few feature requests to close off - both the same thing really.
Feature 223 asked for the ability to sort one's pictures into albums (like you can with the routes).
Feature 38 asked for the ability to tag one's pictures in order to find relevant ones later.
I figured that #38 gives you more benefits than #223, because if you tag something with more than one tag, it's the equivalent of appearing in more than one album. And it had about three times as many yes votes.
Here's my example photo The little stringy Chewie dude was posted to me by the lovely runnerbean earlier this week (no pressure on the rest of you, but some folks MAIL ME STUFF). I've added Chewie to the special keyring that Katie had made for my birthday. The keyring is made from a piece of my old dog Arnie's collar, so it's very precious And the keyring itself is attached to the key for the Fetch Office (aka The Foffice).
I've tagged it with starwars, office, arnie and funny
If you go to my uploaded photos here:
fetcheveryone.com/gallery-user.php
there are options to add tags relatively quickly to all your images. And then, once you've done that, refresh the page and a new dropdown box will have appeared in the header. It allows you to filter your pics by tag, so I can quickly find all my 'starwars' or 'katie' pics.
And... in that dropdown there's also an 'Advanced...' option. This opens up another text box where you can type in a more advanced search. It's not hugely advanced, but it will cope with 'starwars and katie', or 'stephen or arnie or harrie' - that sort of thing. It probably won't cope well if you try a mix of 'and' and 'or', and if you try anything fancy with brackets it'll just ignore you. But it's a step up from just a single tag - and hopefully I can apply the same code to other parts of the site where I've used tagging e.g. training log and forum.
Don't forget to:
a) order a hoodie if you want one: fetcheveryone.com/shop-preorder-hoodies.php
b) enter the Sweatshop comp for some New Balance daps: fetcheveryone.com/bannercampaign-click.php?tag=sweatshop/winnewbalance1080v12
TTFN!
Feature 223 asked for the ability to sort one's pictures into albums (like you can with the routes).
Feature 38 asked for the ability to tag one's pictures in order to find relevant ones later.
I figured that #38 gives you more benefits than #223, because if you tag something with more than one tag, it's the equivalent of appearing in more than one album. And it had about three times as many yes votes.
Here's my example photo
The little stringy Chewie dude was posted to me by the lovely runnerbean earlier this week (no pressure on the rest of you, but some folks MAIL ME STUFF). I've added Chewie to the special keyring that Katie had made for my birthday. The keyring is made from a piece of my old dog Arnie's collar, so it's very precious And the keyring itself is attached to the key for the Fetch Office (aka The Foffice). I've tagged it with starwars, office, arnie and funny
If you go to my uploaded photos here:
fetcheveryone.com/gallery-user.php
there are options to add tags relatively quickly to all your images. And then, once you've done that, refresh the page and a new dropdown box will have appeared in the header. It allows you to filter your pics by tag, so I can quickly find all my 'starwars' or 'katie' pics.
And... in that dropdown there's also an 'Advanced...' option. This opens up another text box where you can type in a more advanced search. It's not hugely advanced, but it will cope with 'starwars and katie', or 'stephen or arnie or harrie' - that sort of thing. It probably won't cope well if you try a mix of 'and' and 'or', and if you try anything fancy with brackets it'll just ignore you. But it's a step up from just a single tag - and hopefully I can apply the same code to other parts of the site where I've used tagging e.g. training log and forum.
Don't forget to:
a) order a hoodie if you want one: fetcheveryone.com/shop-preorder-hoodies.php
b) enter the Sweatshop comp for some New Balance daps: fetcheveryone.com/bannercampaign-click.php?tag=sweatshop/winnewbalance1080v12
TTFN!
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
668 pages at 20 pics per page, I'll be right on it !um
Is there an (easy) way you could add dates to the search, if not already there, or just year as an auto pseudo tag?4:56pm, 24th May 2023 -
Oh that's going to be useful. I have a load of pics, but not as many as um.Ocelot Spleens5:07pm, 24th May 2023
-
I'll start tagging henceforth but not retrospectively unless we have a very wet or cold winter and I'm needing something to do - but it's a great idea, thanks Fetch! (ps love the keyring!)LittleDonkeyDaisy7:35pm, 24th May 2023
-
Love, love, love the keyringLindsD9:48pm, 24th May 2023
-
can I add an AI tagging request to the photos please ? the ground truth is all the tagging done in Fetch. That way it becomes a FETCHAI tagging system... with its own Fetch things, like Kayke.The great dollop11:11pm, 24th May 2023
-
oltre a quanto detto puoi fare una selezione multipla delle foto da taggare cosi si risparmia tanto tempo e poi se puoi far comparire come avviene su altri menu tutti i TAGS ultilizzati in recedenza GRAZIE per il tuo inesauribile impegno per tutti noi . Buona Corsa a tuttiZORBAX659:57am, 25th May 2023
I've checked back, and the last time I did a batch of hoodies it was November 2020 (green/blue ones). It's been even longer (about 2016 I think) since the 'classic' red/grey batch. Ask Katie, I live in mine most of the time. It's about six years old now, fraying and a bit faded, but still the next best thing to a hug
Here's a pic from back in 2016, when the last batch arrived:
The preorder is open now until 10am on June 2nd, and then I hope to get my hands on them in mid-June for posting to you. It'll probably be three years until I do another batch, so if you want one, it's now or wait another three years. If you are keen on one but don't have the money, please let me know. I am always happy to put one aside.
Price-wise, they've had to go up a wee bit since three years ago - they are £36. Once I've paid the manufacturer and posting costs, it'll mean about £12 per item for the Fetch piggy bank.
Anyway... here's the URL. Now I wait nervously to see if anyone buys one
fetcheveryone.com/shop-preorder-hoodies.php
Here's a pic from back in 2016, when the last batch arrived:
The preorder is open now until 10am on June 2nd, and then I hope to get my hands on them in mid-June for posting to you. It'll probably be three years until I do another batch, so if you want one, it's now or wait another three years. If you are keen on one but don't have the money, please let me know. I am always happy to put one aside.
Price-wise, they've had to go up a wee bit since three years ago - they are £36. Once I've paid the manufacturer and posting costs, it'll mean about £12 per item for the Fetch piggy bank.
Anyway... here's the URL. Now I wait nervously to see if anyone buys one
fetcheveryone.com/shop-preorder-hoodies.php
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Nicholls5952:49pm, 23rd May 2023
-
NiceRaptors claws are coming to town
(I still haven't managed to wear out my red and black one from around 2007.)2:54pm, 23rd May 2023 -
I really mustn't. But I want to. I'll have a think.LindsD3:01pm, 23rd May 2023
-
I love my green one and its still going strong.D25*xy4aXma5name!3:24pm, 23rd May 2023
-
I have a black one from years ago, along with a red one, so dn't need any this time around!Garfield3:38pm, 23rd May 2023
-
I still wear my black and red one from many moons ago. I might order another one a the end of the month.Jingle Jaks3:42pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Any chance of getting them with a zipper in the front. I like hoodies with from zipper and pocketsFrosty The Bowman 🇸🇪4:03pm, 23rd May 2023
-
I literally just ordered a hoodie from elsewhere at the weekend! I do still wear my 2016 one but it's a bit more 'fitted' these daysStuH4:29pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Dammit no black ones 🥲 as resident goth I just can’t do red or grey 😳😂fraggle4:48pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Definitely need a grey one! When do you anticipate posting them?sallykate4:58pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Hoping for middle of June.fetcheveryone5:16pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Are they zipped or over the head please?HellsBells5:22pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Over the head.fetcheveryone5:27pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Thank you. I prefer a zip so will pass this time, thanks xHellsBells5:28pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Ooh, very tempted to get one of each! Now we have the dog, I live in the things.Grast_girl5:34pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Yay! Mine is darned on the elbows and the cuffs are frayed but I can't bring myself to throw it. But I will if I've got a shiny new one on the wayBattlecat5:54pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Sorry, its a nah from me as I don't like the over the head ones.westmoors6:49pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Mine still going strong but do I need another….geordiebells10:19pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Incredibly tempted. I would metaphorically bite off your hand for a dark green zippy one. But tempted for this nonetheless. What sort of grey are we talking?JamieKai *chameleon*10:51pm, 23rd May 2023
-
My grey one is looking pretty tired, but the green and blue ones are still good... hmm, do I need a red one, perhaps? 🤔I saw ishep come sailing in8:00pm, 24th May 2023
-
What would they be made of? I'm hoping not cotton.Nord Rundeer 🦌10:03am, 31st May 2023
I've just put another competition live for Sweatshop - this time it's to win a pair of New Balance 1080 v12 daps. If you're not sure about the legitimacy of the competition, do please ask LindsD who won a pair of ASICS last time round.
Get your entries in here:
fetcheveryone.com/bannercampaign-click.php?tag=sweatshop/winnewbalance1080v12
As far as possible, I've been trying to step away from the Google Ads that you will have seen on the site for the last few years because (a) they now pay a pittance for displaying them and (b) they are often massively irrelevant. Working with Sweatshop goes a long way to resolving those two issues! So even if you don't expect to win the shoes, the more of you that enter, the better it is for FE. And the better the results for Sweatshop, the more likely it is that they come back again for more of the same. I hope that makes sense.
Ta
Get your entries in here:
fetcheveryone.com/bannercampaign-click.php?tag=sweatshop/winnewbalance1080v12
As far as possible, I've been trying to step away from the Google Ads that you will have seen on the site for the last few years because (a) they now pay a pittance for displaying them and (b) they are often massively irrelevant. Working with Sweatshop goes a long way to resolving those two issues! So even if you don't expect to win the shoes, the more of you that enter, the better it is for FE. And the better the results for Sweatshop, the more likely it is that they come back again for more of the same. I hope that makes sense.
Ta
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
I love my shoes and Sweatshop were incredibly helpful and quick.LindsD1:11pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Done ✔️northernslowcoach1:11pm, 23rd May 2023
-
LindsD
1:13pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Those are my shoes so I've definitely enteredDiogenes1:49pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Enteredbigleggy2:17pm, 23rd May 2023
-
The entry page says a winner will be chosen at random at the end of March? Either it’s a re-used page, or it’s a very long competition.nme2no16:12pm, 23rd May 2023
-
Tidied, thanks.fetcheveryone6:47pm, 23rd May 2023
I figured it'd be a nice idea to introduce a monthly email to explain the updates that have happened on the site. There's usually a nice bunch of them - see the list of closed feature requests here:
fetcheveryone.com/featurerequests-closed.php
On top of that, when explaining each update, I get a chance to explain the thing it relates to e.g. a change in a Who Squares Wins leaderboard gives me the chance to describe Who Squares Wins. For the folks that don't know their way around the site, it hopefully becomes a useful introduction to some stuff they may not have known about.
You would only have received this email if you have ticked the topmost checkbox here:
fetcheveryone.com/user-settings-email.php
(not clicked it? Go on!)
Could you vote on this poll too please?
(I can measure deliverability with internet trickery, but there's nothing like getting some opinions).
And for those of you that did not see it, but are curious, here's the content of the email:
fetcheveryone.com/eblasts/update202305/
I received quite a few replies to the email, and they were unfailingly very kind and encouraging. Lots of the replies said that they didn't know about some of the things described. So I'll do another one some time in June, and see how we go.
EDIT: If you're a non-getter, could you (a) check your spam folders, and (b) try adding ian@fetcheveryone.com to your safe senders list.
fetcheveryone.com/featurerequests-closed.php
On top of that, when explaining each update, I get a chance to explain the thing it relates to e.g. a change in a Who Squares Wins leaderboard gives me the chance to describe Who Squares Wins. For the folks that don't know their way around the site, it hopefully becomes a useful introduction to some stuff they may not have known about.
You would only have received this email if you have ticked the topmost checkbox here:
fetcheveryone.com/user-settings-email.php
(not clicked it? Go on!)
Could you vote on this poll too please?
(I can measure deliverability with internet trickery, but there's nothing like getting some opinions).
And for those of you that did not see it, but are curious, here's the content of the email:
fetcheveryone.com/eblasts/update202305/
I received quite a few replies to the email, and they were unfailingly very kind and encouraging. Lots of the replies said that they didn't know about some of the things described. So I'll do another one some time in June, and see how we go.
EDIT: If you're a non-getter, could you (a) check your spam folders, and (b) try adding ian@fetcheveryone.com to your safe senders list.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
Hi Ian, I got it, but I felt it was a bit word heavy. One of those emails you don't have time to read at the time so you put it to one side and forget about it :-S Maybe break it down into smaller chunks?chunkyblizzard12:08pm, 22nd May 2023
-
Thanks CW - I did wonder about the words-vs-everything-else count. I can definitely make some layout tweaks to give it more of a chunked up feel.fetcheveryone12:12pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I got it and found it useful as it told me about changes that I'd either not voted on, or had voted Meh (vary rarely vote No).westmoors12:19pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I am signed up to get it, but don't!Ocelot Spleens12:20pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I got it, read some of it, deleted it, then forgot I'd had it.Diogenes12:30pm, 22nd May 2023
-
If you're a non-getter, could you (a) check your spam folders, and (b) try adding ian@fetcheveryone.com to your safe senders list.fetcheveryone12:44pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I got it and read some of it, skipped over the sections that were about parts of the site that I'm not using at the moment.Elsie Too1:17pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I got it and found it informative. No problem with the length.laterunner1:34pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I agree with CW..I think knew most of it.TeeBee2:45pm, 22nd May 2023
-
Got it, but skimmed it. A bit word heavy ( oh the irony from me). If you could make the format work then a headline, short summary and link to read more might help.TheScribbler
Loads of info in it about things I don’t use (games etc) - that’s not you, it’s me. Just not my thing, but good to know for people who stumble on them.2:47pm, 22nd May 2023 -
I loved itLindsD3:10pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I enjoyed it. I had time to read it, but only found it after you blogged about it.JCB3:19pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I got it, read it and nearly replied to say thank you for the wonderful job you're doing, but then something happened (can't remember what) to distract me and this is the first I've remembered that I was supposed to reply.HowFar?3:33pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I read it, or skimmed most of it. Saw the bit that said 'please reply', so I did. Then some bot answeredum4:24pm, 22nd May 2023
-
Got it, have now gone back and read it (I assumed it was the monthly race listing one until I saw this blog!)Jen Ho Ho Ho B5:15pm, 22nd May 2023
-
I got it, read it, enjoyed it. It didn’t occur to me to reply, but if I had, it would have oozed positivity. I’ve very much appreciated the Route Picture of the Day additions. Thank you very muchly.GimmeMincepies6:51pm, 22nd May 2023
-
Didn't get it, not in spam and email options ticked...Oscar the Grouch6:54pm, 22nd May 2023
-
Got it, skimmed it, didn't get back to it. Now I've read it, shorter with more pictures please for my miniscule attention span. Good work on them features!JustCommando!9:56pm, 22nd May 2023
-
box is ticked but no email here that I can see (not in spam either).jdawayinamanger2:38am, 23rd May 2023
-
(I know that in the past gmail sometimes has killed email sent to me with no trace to be found anywhere, for no apparent reason that I can discern.)jdawayinamanger2:42am, 23rd May 2023
-
I ticked "yes, it was useful", but... I only went looking for it because I saw this blog (my email is a Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Blob that I largely ignore unless I happen to notice an interesting/important notification on my phone)I saw ishep come sailing in
For those commenters looking for it, mine arrived on the 19th5:53am, 23rd May 2023
And here it is, the final part of the journey. Thank you for all the lovely comments along the way. I didn't do any reading ahead, so I was enjoying the trip at the same pace as you. There's a special photo at the end of today's entry. In the Penn travel FB group, there are dozens of these - different groups of travelling faces peering at us from the past - all with the same background, sitting on the same wall. I had gone through every single photo in the FB group in the hope of finding them - and then my sister sent me a photo of the pic she has safely in a big stinky box of photos. I saw them straight away, and it made me cry a bit. And again now.
Anyway, let's bring them back just one more time...
21st November
300 mile trip today right through the Punjab to the capital Delhi. We have had no music on the bus today, thank goodness. It had been getting on everyone's nerves for some time but only a cheeky taffy found the nerve to ask to knock it off.
There has been nowhere to stop for a lunch today for ages then we find a huge motel with artificial lake, swans etc etc. That's India again, all or nothing. See our first elephant today and if you want to know what greased lightning is, it's a mahout getting down off an elephant for his buckshees. Just try and take a photo in India without paying.
BASH... that's our windscreen getting smashed by some mad lorry driver. Our baby Rosie is sitting in the front seat and gets a broken nose. Once more our nurse Jane is of great help - she sees to Rosie whilst the lads tape the window and we carry on. All of us a lot quieter than usual for we didn't know for sure how bad Rosie was hurt. Once more we are glad to have Paul as our leader and he is no time getting all us lot checked into the Hotel Ranjit; speeding Rosie into hospital, checking up on Hal, Bert and Louise. Plus setting up the repairs to the bus... The front doorway has been put out of line so we have to use the emergency exit. Paul and Martin work very hard for over two days to get it all fixed. There is half a spare windscreen in the boot and they swap the back for the front so it was a lot to do. Ranjit was a fine hotel with cafe, restaurant, barbers, shops etc. The restaurant was very well decorated in sandalwood and the ceiling centre decor was the finest I've ever seen.
Tour round New and part of Old Delhi with a Capt Vogel to see the Red Fort, Ghandi's Tomb etc. There was a lot to see in the Red Fort and we liked the temple of mirrors. Old Delhi is a seething mass of humanity and one large section of the bazaar is devoted entirely to bicycles. Everyone in India seems to ride a bike and at this place there were literally hundreds of small shops, stalls and workshops all for spare parts, repairs or sales... Imagine twenty shops all in a row selling nothing but bike saddles.
We spend nearly a whole morning going round various airline offices trying to get our flight from Kathmandu to Delhi confirmed. Our Delhi flight back home has been advanced by one day so we want to make sure we are back in time. No joy so we have to leave it 'til we get to Kathmandu, cross our fingers and hope for the best.
The centre of New Delhi is Connaught Square and as it was all set out by the British Raj it's very nice with wide streets and lots of trees. Somebody got to blow the trumpet once in a while. Hilda and I wander around and think we are real Pukka Sahibs to take tea in an outdoor restaurant and being served by a turbaned white coated waiter.
At night we take a taxi to the KWALITY restaurant and even if they don't know how to spell, the word was very true... it was superb and a real treat to have sausage and mash, steak and chips or a real properly cooked chicken. A gang of us are sitting at a table when we see a waiter taking a monstrous ice cream to another table. The ladies were agog and dribbling so I went and asked the gentleman about to eat same what it was called. A triple decker banana split. It took some shifting but we made it.
24th November
It's nearly four o'clock before we move off today as the men are still working on the bus but we finally set off. Rosie has rejoined us having had her nose reset and ten stitches. She looks as if she has been prize fighting but it soon wears off... our other three people we had to leave behind.
As the rear windows of the coach are now unsealed the dust comes in very bad in the back, and who do you think is sitting in the back? Yup, that's us, where ever you find Carruthers you'll find us. All of us are coughing well but looking forward to the next place. Agra and the world famous Taj Mahal...
The road is full of barrier poles, put across for many reasons I suppose but quite deadly in the dim light of evening. There is never any white paint or a lamp on them so you have to be very careful not to run into one. We didn't know at the time, thank goodness, but another tour, Hughes Overland actually hit one of these poles, went off the road and had a fatality.
26th November
In Agra at the famous 5 star Clarkes Hotel. A good tour to see Akbar's Tomb, another Red Fort and of course, the Taj. It truly is BEAUTIFUL and never let anyone tell you any different. The workmanship of the settings of precious stones set in the white marble is terrific but it is the design in the particular setting that gets you. A huge building that doesn't seem to be rigid to the ground. It sort of floats before your eyes. It is a sight worth going to India just to see it.
We go back there again to try to see it by moonlight but there ain't no moon, even so it has yet another charm by the dim light of evening. We stay just looking 'til it gets quite chilly. We have come here by pedal rickshaw as it's about two miles from the hotel and we return now by the same means passing through several little villages. Our CHARIOT has NO lights, no bell and no brakes. Indians, lorry drivers in the main either have no lights at all or are festooned all over with red, yellow, blue and green 'til they look like mobile Christmas trees. Add to this wandering water buffalo, sacred cows, rickshaws, bullock carts and anything else you can think of and you will have some idea of why night driving in India is a definite NO NO.
27th November
Long drive to Khajuraho, it's a hard day for though the boys have tried to seal and tape the windows the dust still comes in and we are still merrily barking. The road signs are all in Hindu or Parsi or don't exist so I'm afraid we got lost twice. Once we ended up in a small town, missed a turning and ended up in a narrow market. How our driver ever managed to turn round is beyond me but he finally made it. It's dark by the time we get to the motel so will have to see the temples in the morning before moving on again. We are having a cup of tea in the bar and one of our companions, Terry is a bit down as his wife says he can have a treat and have his favourite - a Bloody Mary (they are young 'uns and on a tight budget). He forgets to ask the price first and it costs him £1.30. That's India.
28th November
Rise early to view the temples, they are only a short walk from the motel which has been built specially for the tourists. They are in lovely lawn settings like huge parks and the temples themselves are carved from top to BOTTOM with lots of EROTIC BOTTOMS. You can if you wish take an elephant ride round but we walked and by nine o'clock we are back on the bus and off yet again. But minus yet another couple, Hector and Gwen. They think Gwen has caught malaria. It later turns out not to be so but the symptoms had been the same.
29th November
Another good Clarkes hotel. But most of us couldn't care less as we are all in bed... some 24 of us are sick with what the doctor calls Ganges Fever. Some manage to get up early, 5.30 to see the pilgrims bathing and the burning Ghats. A boat trip from the far bank but Hilda and I just can't make it. The folk who did go said it was just incredible, thousands of people bathing in the cold icy water full of..... as well. Relations poking into the burning pyres with sticks to make sure the bodies were burning OK. Glad I stayed in bed.
Doctor Dass, who I suspect was really the BOILERMAN in disguise gave us all some pills and Hilda and I are first back on our feet; so we play nursemaid and sick visitors and help where we can. The weather is still nice and warm so we spend the afternoons out on the lawn watching the YOGI and the snake charmers. We pay for the dubious pleasure of seeing a mongoose fight a cobra. We should journey on for another three days now by road via Patna and Birgunj to Kathmandu but we have nearly all had enough so we take a vote and decide to fly direct to Kathmandu, Nepal.
1st December
Indian Airlines flight from Benares to Kathmandu at 12.30 today. Air views of the high mountains are fabulous and the flight takes a few minutes more than half an hour. What a difference three days by road and 30 minutes by air. Martin told me later that the last day when we would have had to have taken two local buses, the road being too narrow for our bus would have been a real LULU. Hairpin bends all the way up the long pass, no air conditioning, no springs and no padding on the seats. People pass the time being sick out of the window. No thanks...
Kathmandu is a very different place from India. Houses are mainly of wood and well carved. It is full of tourists, many of whom are French or German. Hotel rooms are at a premium so we find ourselves sharing a room with Mr and Mrs Jones, our 72 year old babies. Weather is lovely at midday when you could sunbathe OK but at night it is freezing. Our first task is to check our air tickets. At Nepal Airways we find that there is no flight on the 4th. No vacant seats on the 3rd so we are left with the 2nd. Hello and goodbye Kathmandu.
2nd December
Fly off on our tod again after many sad farewells and are soon back to Delhi airport. Once more we have wonderful air views of the Himalayas. Snow capped mountains and dried up rivers waiting for the rains. Have two full days in Delhi before our flight home so we take a taxi back to the Ranjit Hotel and hope we will be in luck. We are, and my pal Bert is still there too. He is very glad to see us for some company. We visit Louise in hospital and she is on the mend but very weak. A very lucky woman for all that. Another four or five hours without hospital treatment and... curtains.
3rd December
UNEVENTFUL flight home... apart from a burst tyre on take off from Tehran, being grounded in Bahrain Persian Gulf in a terrific storm. Over two foot of water on the runway. PLUS a head wind of 150mph that makes us four hours late. London lights look marvellous from the air and when we finally land I distinctly heard Hilda say "THANK GOD" as the wheels touch down on HOME GROUND.
Allan and Hilda are seated in the second row. Hilda is fifth from the right in the white top, and Allan is to her right in the dark shirt
And here's a bonus bonus - I think this pic was taken in the mid-eighties, not sure just now what the event was:
Anyway, let's bring them back just one more time...
21st November
300 mile trip today right through the Punjab to the capital Delhi. We have had no music on the bus today, thank goodness. It had been getting on everyone's nerves for some time but only a cheeky taffy found the nerve to ask to knock it off.
There has been nowhere to stop for a lunch today for ages then we find a huge motel with artificial lake, swans etc etc. That's India again, all or nothing. See our first elephant today and if you want to know what greased lightning is, it's a mahout getting down off an elephant for his buckshees. Just try and take a photo in India without paying.
BASH... that's our windscreen getting smashed by some mad lorry driver. Our baby Rosie is sitting in the front seat and gets a broken nose. Once more our nurse Jane is of great help - she sees to Rosie whilst the lads tape the window and we carry on. All of us a lot quieter than usual for we didn't know for sure how bad Rosie was hurt. Once more we are glad to have Paul as our leader and he is no time getting all us lot checked into the Hotel Ranjit; speeding Rosie into hospital, checking up on Hal, Bert and Louise. Plus setting up the repairs to the bus... The front doorway has been put out of line so we have to use the emergency exit. Paul and Martin work very hard for over two days to get it all fixed. There is half a spare windscreen in the boot and they swap the back for the front so it was a lot to do. Ranjit was a fine hotel with cafe, restaurant, barbers, shops etc. The restaurant was very well decorated in sandalwood and the ceiling centre decor was the finest I've ever seen.
Tour round New and part of Old Delhi with a Capt Vogel to see the Red Fort, Ghandi's Tomb etc. There was a lot to see in the Red Fort and we liked the temple of mirrors. Old Delhi is a seething mass of humanity and one large section of the bazaar is devoted entirely to bicycles. Everyone in India seems to ride a bike and at this place there were literally hundreds of small shops, stalls and workshops all for spare parts, repairs or sales... Imagine twenty shops all in a row selling nothing but bike saddles.
We spend nearly a whole morning going round various airline offices trying to get our flight from Kathmandu to Delhi confirmed. Our Delhi flight back home has been advanced by one day so we want to make sure we are back in time. No joy so we have to leave it 'til we get to Kathmandu, cross our fingers and hope for the best.
The centre of New Delhi is Connaught Square and as it was all set out by the British Raj it's very nice with wide streets and lots of trees. Somebody got to blow the trumpet once in a while. Hilda and I wander around and think we are real Pukka Sahibs to take tea in an outdoor restaurant and being served by a turbaned white coated waiter.
At night we take a taxi to the KWALITY restaurant and even if they don't know how to spell, the word was very true... it was superb and a real treat to have sausage and mash, steak and chips or a real properly cooked chicken. A gang of us are sitting at a table when we see a waiter taking a monstrous ice cream to another table. The ladies were agog and dribbling so I went and asked the gentleman about to eat same what it was called. A triple decker banana split. It took some shifting but we made it.
24th November
It's nearly four o'clock before we move off today as the men are still working on the bus but we finally set off. Rosie has rejoined us having had her nose reset and ten stitches. She looks as if she has been prize fighting but it soon wears off... our other three people we had to leave behind.
As the rear windows of the coach are now unsealed the dust comes in very bad in the back, and who do you think is sitting in the back? Yup, that's us, where ever you find Carruthers you'll find us. All of us are coughing well but looking forward to the next place. Agra and the world famous Taj Mahal...
The road is full of barrier poles, put across for many reasons I suppose but quite deadly in the dim light of evening. There is never any white paint or a lamp on them so you have to be very careful not to run into one. We didn't know at the time, thank goodness, but another tour, Hughes Overland actually hit one of these poles, went off the road and had a fatality.
26th November
In Agra at the famous 5 star Clarkes Hotel. A good tour to see Akbar's Tomb, another Red Fort and of course, the Taj. It truly is BEAUTIFUL and never let anyone tell you any different. The workmanship of the settings of precious stones set in the white marble is terrific but it is the design in the particular setting that gets you. A huge building that doesn't seem to be rigid to the ground. It sort of floats before your eyes. It is a sight worth going to India just to see it.
We go back there again to try to see it by moonlight but there ain't no moon, even so it has yet another charm by the dim light of evening. We stay just looking 'til it gets quite chilly. We have come here by pedal rickshaw as it's about two miles from the hotel and we return now by the same means passing through several little villages. Our CHARIOT has NO lights, no bell and no brakes. Indians, lorry drivers in the main either have no lights at all or are festooned all over with red, yellow, blue and green 'til they look like mobile Christmas trees. Add to this wandering water buffalo, sacred cows, rickshaws, bullock carts and anything else you can think of and you will have some idea of why night driving in India is a definite NO NO.
27th November
Long drive to Khajuraho, it's a hard day for though the boys have tried to seal and tape the windows the dust still comes in and we are still merrily barking. The road signs are all in Hindu or Parsi or don't exist so I'm afraid we got lost twice. Once we ended up in a small town, missed a turning and ended up in a narrow market. How our driver ever managed to turn round is beyond me but he finally made it. It's dark by the time we get to the motel so will have to see the temples in the morning before moving on again. We are having a cup of tea in the bar and one of our companions, Terry is a bit down as his wife says he can have a treat and have his favourite - a Bloody Mary (they are young 'uns and on a tight budget). He forgets to ask the price first and it costs him £1.30. That's India.
28th November
Rise early to view the temples, they are only a short walk from the motel which has been built specially for the tourists. They are in lovely lawn settings like huge parks and the temples themselves are carved from top to BOTTOM with lots of EROTIC BOTTOMS. You can if you wish take an elephant ride round but we walked and by nine o'clock we are back on the bus and off yet again. But minus yet another couple, Hector and Gwen. They think Gwen has caught malaria. It later turns out not to be so but the symptoms had been the same.
29th November
Another good Clarkes hotel. But most of us couldn't care less as we are all in bed... some 24 of us are sick with what the doctor calls Ganges Fever. Some manage to get up early, 5.30 to see the pilgrims bathing and the burning Ghats. A boat trip from the far bank but Hilda and I just can't make it. The folk who did go said it was just incredible, thousands of people bathing in the cold icy water full of..... as well. Relations poking into the burning pyres with sticks to make sure the bodies were burning OK. Glad I stayed in bed.
Doctor Dass, who I suspect was really the BOILERMAN in disguise gave us all some pills and Hilda and I are first back on our feet; so we play nursemaid and sick visitors and help where we can. The weather is still nice and warm so we spend the afternoons out on the lawn watching the YOGI and the snake charmers. We pay for the dubious pleasure of seeing a mongoose fight a cobra. We should journey on for another three days now by road via Patna and Birgunj to Kathmandu but we have nearly all had enough so we take a vote and decide to fly direct to Kathmandu, Nepal.
1st December
Indian Airlines flight from Benares to Kathmandu at 12.30 today. Air views of the high mountains are fabulous and the flight takes a few minutes more than half an hour. What a difference three days by road and 30 minutes by air. Martin told me later that the last day when we would have had to have taken two local buses, the road being too narrow for our bus would have been a real LULU. Hairpin bends all the way up the long pass, no air conditioning, no springs and no padding on the seats. People pass the time being sick out of the window. No thanks...
Kathmandu is a very different place from India. Houses are mainly of wood and well carved. It is full of tourists, many of whom are French or German. Hotel rooms are at a premium so we find ourselves sharing a room with Mr and Mrs Jones, our 72 year old babies. Weather is lovely at midday when you could sunbathe OK but at night it is freezing. Our first task is to check our air tickets. At Nepal Airways we find that there is no flight on the 4th. No vacant seats on the 3rd so we are left with the 2nd. Hello and goodbye Kathmandu.
2nd December
Fly off on our tod again after many sad farewells and are soon back to Delhi airport. Once more we have wonderful air views of the Himalayas. Snow capped mountains and dried up rivers waiting for the rains. Have two full days in Delhi before our flight home so we take a taxi back to the Ranjit Hotel and hope we will be in luck. We are, and my pal Bert is still there too. He is very glad to see us for some company. We visit Louise in hospital and she is on the mend but very weak. A very lucky woman for all that. Another four or five hours without hospital treatment and... curtains.
3rd December
UNEVENTFUL flight home... apart from a burst tyre on take off from Tehran, being grounded in Bahrain Persian Gulf in a terrific storm. Over two foot of water on the runway. PLUS a head wind of 150mph that makes us four hours late. London lights look marvellous from the air and when we finally land I distinctly heard Hilda say "THANK GOD" as the wheels touch down on HOME GROUND.
Allan and Hilda are seated in the second row. Hilda is fifth from the right in the white top, and Allan is to her right in the dark shirt
And here's a bonus bonus - I think this pic was taken in the mid-eighties, not sure just now what the event was:
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
Wow, list for words. They were made of strong stuff.Diogenes10:57am, 19th May 2023
-
I'm pleased they managed to see Bert and Louise was doing OK. I wonder if they kept in touch with them once back home. Amazing adventure, thanks for sharing it.Elsie Too11:36am, 19th May 2023
-
Proper adventuring, thank you for sharingRosehip11:37am, 19th May 2023
-
I know they stayed in touch with at least a few people from the trip, even though I'm only piecing together that now. Terry and his wife were Canadian I think, and came over to see us. And Charlotte and Izal from earlier in the piece - I think they came too at some point. G&G founded a travel club at some point - although I don't know too much about that.fetcheveryone11:40am, 19th May 2023
-
A terrific tale.Pou Pou11:42am, 19th May 2023
-
That's been a great adventure, thanks for sharingK5 Gus11:56am, 19th May 2023
-
Quite an incredible journey and a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing it with us allBazoaxe12:31pm, 19th May 2023
-
WonderfulSorequads12:38pm, 19th May 2023
-
Brilliant. Glad they survived the bollock carts.Nicholls5951:26pm, 19th May 2023
-
Lol, tafetcheveryone1:31pm, 19th May 2023
-
Wow, that was quite the journey. An intrepid pair.Garfield2:10pm, 19th May 2023
-
Did you figure out where Paul is in the photo? I'm guessing the tall guy at the back middle?Elsie Too2:10pm, 19th May 2023
-
I've shared the account to the Penn Overland Facebook group, where I'm hoping Paul (if it is indeed the same one) will read it. So right now I'm not sure whether he's in the pic at all.fetcheveryone2:12pm, 19th May 2023
-
Thanks for sharing that with us! What an adventure! Fancy taking on a journey of that magnitude with no mod-cons. Political troubles (and the fact I’d be one of them puking out the window on the coach) notwithstanding I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to take a journey like that.God Rest Ye Merry Pothunter2:48pm, 19th May 2023
-
I’ve really enjoyed this account. They really were intrepid travellers! Thank you for sharing it.cathrobinson3:06pm, 19th May 2023
-
Thank youBob!4:05pm, 19th May 2023
-
That really was an adventure. So many mishaps that they just dealt with and so, so many good memories made. What a trip!GimmeMincepies4:38pm, 19th May 2023
-
All that way - and only 1 day in Kathmandu! But it was the trip of a lifetime - or did they go adventuring again perhaps? Thank you so much for sharing, Ian - I've loved it!LittleDonkeyDaisy7:22pm, 19th May 2023
-
I had a little cry too. Reading this feels like I know them now too. What a lovely treasure.Corrah7:58pm, 19th May 2023
-
I really can't believe it. I can't think of any of my relatives who'd go off on a 10-11 week coach trip like that. And come back to UK/Wales, then rejoin ... and manage changes of flights and days at the end. My gandmother & great uncle & aunt used to go off for 2 weeks or so to Spain - but not Kathmandu.um
I can see you've got some powerful stuff in your genes.
Very many thanks for sharing. A real insight into a completely different life.
What did they do after that? And did they never repeat it?8:12pm, 19th May 2023 -
What a fantastic experience for them, I really appreciate you sharing this amazing account with us.Festive Flier8:14pm, 19th May 2023
-
Just amazing. So courageous. Thank you for sharing.LindsD8:20pm, 19th May 2023
-
It's been a great read thanks for sharing .pedroscalls11:57pm, 19th May 2023
-
I've enjoyed these tales. Thank you for sharingOscar the Grouch10:40am, 22nd May 2023
-
I've just caught up with these. A great account - thank-you for sharing with us.angelrose9:46pm, 13th Jun 2023
Here we go with another part of the story - probably the penultimate bit. If you want to find the first part and read from there, check out my blog from May 2nd fetcheveryone.com/blog/3/2023/5/466772
And another bit of good news - my sister has a picture of the tour group which she's shared with me. I'll save it for the finale
Where were we? Ah yes, the bus has just left Rawalpindi...
13th November
Still on the Grand Trunk Road we have a long day's travel to get to Lahore, especially for our new passenger. A Mrs Moss, who we picked up last night from a hospital. She was on a previous tour and had the bad luck to break her leg. We are taking her on to Lahore where she will get on a plane for Delhi, Hotel International.
Ain't going to eat any more chicken ever. Escort four wives into town to see the bazaar and sights. Hilda buys a load of bangles and makes the day for some poor stall holder. There are beautiful Saris in the shops, all embroidered with gold and silver thread. Expensive, but the workmanship is terrific. Guess what? Chicken again for supper.
14th November
Free day in Lahore today, tour round to see the Red Fort and the very beautiful Shalimar Gardens. These are really worth seeing, just where they are... in the midst of all the congestion and squalor of India. Outside it's noise, smell and great masses of humanity. Inside, it's peace, clean and any other adjective you like to think of.
Touring round we come across the municipal laundry. En mass Wishy Washy, with hundreds of people washing their clothes in huge tubs of stone and then putting their quite nice clean clothes on the dirty ground to dry in the sun. That's India.
Recommended restaurant in Lahore is called 'Saloos' so who do you think gets a little gang together into a taxi and away? I think we were a bit more scruffy than usual this day or the contrast was too great with the very POSH establishment. Ignoring the wine waiter we order the special of the joint - a sizzling steak. It came on a large wooden board with a huge metal dish and I have never seen such a steak. I even failed to eat it all, it was delicious. I was as usual hungry, but that one beat me.
15th November
An early start. Breakfast at six (this is a HOLIDAY?) to cross over into India and Jammu our next stop. It's a very wide border about three miles from one side to the other. It's another "Not friends" place like Turkey so we expect and get the usual stupid checks and delays. One bright official says he wants a list of all our cameras with makes, serial numbers etc. Paul says "OK, we will bring all the cameras in to you and then YOU make the list". He took one look at all the gear we had and changed his mind quick. There are no diplomatic relations between these two countries so no lorries are allowed to cross with goods. So they've got over 1000 porters who unload lorries on one side and then carry the stuff three miles to load up lorries on the other side. That's India.
We have had to leave two of our passengers back at Lahore. My pal Bert and his wife Louise... the poor lady is now too ill to travel and we hope that a few days of rest in a hotel will improve her, then she can get the trip following us and catch us up later on.
It's very dark by the time we reach Jammu Hotel, a brand new modern motel, very nice indeed with gardens full of Bouganvillia in full bloom, a lovely change from the drab countryside. Hilda is back poorly again and so are many on the coach but we press on now up into the mountains again through a pass some 6000ft high. Hair pin bends every five yards and a local authority with a sense of humour. There are road signs all along the way: "Death lays it's icy hands on the careless driver"; "Watch my curves, not hers"; "Kashmir is PRETTY - live long enough to see it".
Finally we get to Srinagar... Lake Dal... Kashmir. We are here for three days and share a houseboat with four other people... Hector and Gwen, Bobby and John. All Aussies. The houseboats are old and as Victorian as you can get. They are large and consist of three double bedrooms, each with bath and showers, dining room and lounge. Sounds good don't it? But, it was far from clean and night and morning being so high up in the hills it was absolutely b******** freezing. There are loads of blankets on the beds, we get a hot water bottle each, we wear our day clothes as well as our night clothes and we are still cold. The lounge had an old tin stove in it which we fill up with wood and huddle round it trying to keep warm. The trouble was then you couldn't see for SMOKE.
We are the honoured guests of a House Boy named ALI. There can be only ONE Ali in the whole wide world... thief, rogue, villain, COMIC, Doctor, Father and yet somehow a likeable old DEVIL. He made Hilda a brew of foul Persian tea in a dirty old samovar. Charcoal burning inside and heaven knows what in the rest. Lemon, cinnamon and ??? It works anyway and she is much more her old self and starts to eat.
You have to get a punt like boat called a "shikari" to get to your houseboat and hawkers also use these to pester you from about seven in the morning 'til midnight. They sell everything. Fruit, chocs, flowers etc and toilet paper. They all cry out their wares and it always ends up "and toilet paper". There is a message there I think! They cover the boats Paper mache, rugs, leather goods, silks, wool, haircuts, manicure. You name it, they got it. It's laugh or cry in despair of a bit of peace so we laugh and restrain ourselves when yet another of Ali's cousins appears with wood carvings or jewellery.
Dal Lake is shallow and full of thick evil stinking weeds, the aroma of which soon penetrates into all the food, air, and the very pores of your skin. What is it like in the height of summer when it gets boiling hot I hate to think...
It's nice and warm midday so we lie out on the roof veranda and try to ignore the sellers. But soon after tea it's back to the stove, bung in Ali's wood, rub our smoke filled eyes and LAUGH.
Mainly to get away from the hawkers we go on a trip today to a high mountain where some of our party go pony trekking. We are about 8000ft up and those who go riding go up to 10,000ft. The air is beautiful and we are in a pine forest with great views down into a valley. Porters trudge up and down a trail with firewood on their backs. They are paid by weight so carry huge loads.
Visit various "factories" to see wood carvings, paper mache, camel coats, silks etc. Ever faithful Ali comes with us of course. The fact that he gets commission might have something to do with his paternal guidance.
To have a bath or shower you have to inform Ali WHEN you want it. He then tells you WHEN you can have it. He lights a fire in an old boiler, and pumps the lovely lake water up into a tank. Hopefully, some time later you may get hot water.
19th November
Our three days of Lake Dal have passed and we are still alive, though another of our party has got so bad a chest he has flown out to get to a hospital in Delhi. We leave early as usual but have a slight delay whilst the driver and courier get under the bus with fires to thaw the frozen diesel. It is four below zero. Now we know why the natives wear long thick robes and carry little pots of earthenware filled with burning charcoal. It's a fine idea when you sit, curl your feet up under your rob and toast your BARE feet. That's India.
Game to the very last, Ali has had his proper quota of "buckshee" but now tries for our clothes. He tries in vain for my thick pullover and then on the very step of the bus for my CIGARETTES. Poor Ali. For these he just hasn't got a chance.
We retrace our way back down into the plains again and by midday are back in the Motel at Jammu again. You come down hill quicker! We have gradually shed the many layers of clothes we started the day with and now we dive into our rooms and get under the lovely hot showers. It's a new hotel, so everything still works (but I could shoot the cook). Hilda and I open one of our tins of soup. Just down the road is a wood full of wild monkeys. Maybe they have been up to Kashmir too.
20th November
Short morning ride for a change to Amritsar. It's nice to be back on the warm plains again. The Hotel Ritz (another comic) is part old and part new. Yes, Hilda and I get the old part, but it's OK. Our bedroom is just plain enormous, about twenty feet high with a bed in the middle that measured about ten foot across. There was a PUNKA in the ceiling of course but I think it was the Queen Mary's propellor. The adjoining bathroom was almost as big.
Who cares, we get a nice meal of egg and chips which we add a tin of corned beef to. Later we see the KITCHEN. Out in the open, corrugated sheet oven and lovely pans full of dishwater. What at first you don't see...
Bert and his wife come along on Penn's POSH TOUR, but she cannot continue with us and flies on to Delhi where she goes into hospital with double pneumonia...
We take a pedal rickshaw into town to see the famous SIKH GOLD TEMPLE. At first they say we have to go in bare foot AND wash our feet in some dirty old trough of water that some thousands had already used. We say "No way" and then they let us wear our socks and go round the water. We are so glad we didn't give up too easy for it was yet another place you just got to see to appreciate. Unlike many of their temples and mosques, this place apart from being a marvellous building in its own right, gold dome and set in the middle of a lake, it is used all the time by REAL LIVE people. They are there praying and it was really something to see their devotion. Their Holy Book is read all the day long by a relay of preachers and we were allowed to walk quietly around the prayer hall. Here the fine looking old men were praying and chanting. I can't describe it all but all our party felt as though this was something really good and interesting. We also felt our visit was something of an intrusion. The fact they had huge Temple Guards, really huge bearded warriors with spears and swords had nothing to do with it...
We have come into town by rickshaw and the boy has waited for us so now we go round the bazaar with him as a sort of guide. Congestion is no word to describe it. At one time we were hemmed in by bikes, sacred cows, rickshaws, buffalo carts and PEOPLE. It's fun but I think Hilda is a little scared. We do a bit of shopping, buying a sari for our daughter. I have only THREE wives with me today. One of them, Enid is now very sick but a kind stall holder lets her use his shop and cleans up.
That night in bed Hilda puts out her hand to take mine but as the bed is so large she cannot reach and says "Where the heck are you?". We start to giggle and as I can barely see the high ceiling the thought comes into my head that it's like lying in state in Westminster Abbey. But I don't think they would allow LIZARDS climbing up the walls.
And another bit of good news - my sister has a picture of the tour group which she's shared with me. I'll save it for the finale
Where were we? Ah yes, the bus has just left Rawalpindi...
13th November
Still on the Grand Trunk Road we have a long day's travel to get to Lahore, especially for our new passenger. A Mrs Moss, who we picked up last night from a hospital. She was on a previous tour and had the bad luck to break her leg. We are taking her on to Lahore where she will get on a plane for Delhi, Hotel International.
Ain't going to eat any more chicken ever. Escort four wives into town to see the bazaar and sights. Hilda buys a load of bangles and makes the day for some poor stall holder. There are beautiful Saris in the shops, all embroidered with gold and silver thread. Expensive, but the workmanship is terrific. Guess what? Chicken again for supper.
14th November
Free day in Lahore today, tour round to see the Red Fort and the very beautiful Shalimar Gardens. These are really worth seeing, just where they are... in the midst of all the congestion and squalor of India. Outside it's noise, smell and great masses of humanity. Inside, it's peace, clean and any other adjective you like to think of.
Touring round we come across the municipal laundry. En mass Wishy Washy, with hundreds of people washing their clothes in huge tubs of stone and then putting their quite nice clean clothes on the dirty ground to dry in the sun. That's India.
Recommended restaurant in Lahore is called 'Saloos' so who do you think gets a little gang together into a taxi and away? I think we were a bit more scruffy than usual this day or the contrast was too great with the very POSH establishment. Ignoring the wine waiter we order the special of the joint - a sizzling steak. It came on a large wooden board with a huge metal dish and I have never seen such a steak. I even failed to eat it all, it was delicious. I was as usual hungry, but that one beat me.
15th November
An early start. Breakfast at six (this is a HOLIDAY?) to cross over into India and Jammu our next stop. It's a very wide border about three miles from one side to the other. It's another "Not friends" place like Turkey so we expect and get the usual stupid checks and delays. One bright official says he wants a list of all our cameras with makes, serial numbers etc. Paul says "OK, we will bring all the cameras in to you and then YOU make the list". He took one look at all the gear we had and changed his mind quick. There are no diplomatic relations between these two countries so no lorries are allowed to cross with goods. So they've got over 1000 porters who unload lorries on one side and then carry the stuff three miles to load up lorries on the other side. That's India.
We have had to leave two of our passengers back at Lahore. My pal Bert and his wife Louise... the poor lady is now too ill to travel and we hope that a few days of rest in a hotel will improve her, then she can get the trip following us and catch us up later on.
It's very dark by the time we reach Jammu Hotel, a brand new modern motel, very nice indeed with gardens full of Bouganvillia in full bloom, a lovely change from the drab countryside. Hilda is back poorly again and so are many on the coach but we press on now up into the mountains again through a pass some 6000ft high. Hair pin bends every five yards and a local authority with a sense of humour. There are road signs all along the way: "Death lays it's icy hands on the careless driver"; "Watch my curves, not hers"; "Kashmir is PRETTY - live long enough to see it".
Finally we get to Srinagar... Lake Dal... Kashmir. We are here for three days and share a houseboat with four other people... Hector and Gwen, Bobby and John. All Aussies. The houseboats are old and as Victorian as you can get. They are large and consist of three double bedrooms, each with bath and showers, dining room and lounge. Sounds good don't it? But, it was far from clean and night and morning being so high up in the hills it was absolutely b******** freezing. There are loads of blankets on the beds, we get a hot water bottle each, we wear our day clothes as well as our night clothes and we are still cold. The lounge had an old tin stove in it which we fill up with wood and huddle round it trying to keep warm. The trouble was then you couldn't see for SMOKE.
We are the honoured guests of a House Boy named ALI. There can be only ONE Ali in the whole wide world... thief, rogue, villain, COMIC, Doctor, Father and yet somehow a likeable old DEVIL. He made Hilda a brew of foul Persian tea in a dirty old samovar. Charcoal burning inside and heaven knows what in the rest. Lemon, cinnamon and ??? It works anyway and she is much more her old self and starts to eat.
You have to get a punt like boat called a "shikari" to get to your houseboat and hawkers also use these to pester you from about seven in the morning 'til midnight. They sell everything. Fruit, chocs, flowers etc and toilet paper. They all cry out their wares and it always ends up "and toilet paper". There is a message there I think! They cover the boats Paper mache, rugs, leather goods, silks, wool, haircuts, manicure. You name it, they got it. It's laugh or cry in despair of a bit of peace so we laugh and restrain ourselves when yet another of Ali's cousins appears with wood carvings or jewellery.
Dal Lake is shallow and full of thick evil stinking weeds, the aroma of which soon penetrates into all the food, air, and the very pores of your skin. What is it like in the height of summer when it gets boiling hot I hate to think...
It's nice and warm midday so we lie out on the roof veranda and try to ignore the sellers. But soon after tea it's back to the stove, bung in Ali's wood, rub our smoke filled eyes and LAUGH.
Mainly to get away from the hawkers we go on a trip today to a high mountain where some of our party go pony trekking. We are about 8000ft up and those who go riding go up to 10,000ft. The air is beautiful and we are in a pine forest with great views down into a valley. Porters trudge up and down a trail with firewood on their backs. They are paid by weight so carry huge loads.
Visit various "factories" to see wood carvings, paper mache, camel coats, silks etc. Ever faithful Ali comes with us of course. The fact that he gets commission might have something to do with his paternal guidance.
To have a bath or shower you have to inform Ali WHEN you want it. He then tells you WHEN you can have it. He lights a fire in an old boiler, and pumps the lovely lake water up into a tank. Hopefully, some time later you may get hot water.
19th November
Our three days of Lake Dal have passed and we are still alive, though another of our party has got so bad a chest he has flown out to get to a hospital in Delhi. We leave early as usual but have a slight delay whilst the driver and courier get under the bus with fires to thaw the frozen diesel. It is four below zero. Now we know why the natives wear long thick robes and carry little pots of earthenware filled with burning charcoal. It's a fine idea when you sit, curl your feet up under your rob and toast your BARE feet. That's India.
Game to the very last, Ali has had his proper quota of "buckshee" but now tries for our clothes. He tries in vain for my thick pullover and then on the very step of the bus for my CIGARETTES. Poor Ali. For these he just hasn't got a chance.
We retrace our way back down into the plains again and by midday are back in the Motel at Jammu again. You come down hill quicker! We have gradually shed the many layers of clothes we started the day with and now we dive into our rooms and get under the lovely hot showers. It's a new hotel, so everything still works (but I could shoot the cook). Hilda and I open one of our tins of soup. Just down the road is a wood full of wild monkeys. Maybe they have been up to Kashmir too.
20th November
Short morning ride for a change to Amritsar. It's nice to be back on the warm plains again. The Hotel Ritz (another comic) is part old and part new. Yes, Hilda and I get the old part, but it's OK. Our bedroom is just plain enormous, about twenty feet high with a bed in the middle that measured about ten foot across. There was a PUNKA in the ceiling of course but I think it was the Queen Mary's propellor. The adjoining bathroom was almost as big.
Who cares, we get a nice meal of egg and chips which we add a tin of corned beef to. Later we see the KITCHEN. Out in the open, corrugated sheet oven and lovely pans full of dishwater. What at first you don't see...
Bert and his wife come along on Penn's POSH TOUR, but she cannot continue with us and flies on to Delhi where she goes into hospital with double pneumonia...
We take a pedal rickshaw into town to see the famous SIKH GOLD TEMPLE. At first they say we have to go in bare foot AND wash our feet in some dirty old trough of water that some thousands had already used. We say "No way" and then they let us wear our socks and go round the water. We are so glad we didn't give up too easy for it was yet another place you just got to see to appreciate. Unlike many of their temples and mosques, this place apart from being a marvellous building in its own right, gold dome and set in the middle of a lake, it is used all the time by REAL LIVE people. They are there praying and it was really something to see their devotion. Their Holy Book is read all the day long by a relay of preachers and we were allowed to walk quietly around the prayer hall. Here the fine looking old men were praying and chanting. I can't describe it all but all our party felt as though this was something really good and interesting. We also felt our visit was something of an intrusion. The fact they had huge Temple Guards, really huge bearded warriors with spears and swords had nothing to do with it...
We have come into town by rickshaw and the boy has waited for us so now we go round the bazaar with him as a sort of guide. Congestion is no word to describe it. At one time we were hemmed in by bikes, sacred cows, rickshaws, buffalo carts and PEOPLE. It's fun but I think Hilda is a little scared. We do a bit of shopping, buying a sari for our daughter. I have only THREE wives with me today. One of them, Enid is now very sick but a kind stall holder lets her use his shop and cleans up.
That night in bed Hilda puts out her hand to take mine but as the bed is so large she cannot reach and says "Where the heck are you?". We start to giggle and as I can barely see the high ceiling the thought comes into my head that it's like lying in state in Westminster Abbey. But I don't think they would allow LIZARDS climbing up the walls.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
This is such a rich account of their trip. Isn’t it fascinating that Ali made a traditional drink to help with Hilda’s sickness and it worked? There’s definitely something in traditional herbal remedies.cathrobinson2:24pm, 18th May 2023
-
Yes - I felt like my grandpa's initial appraisal of it was a bit harsh.fetcheveryone2:28pm, 18th May 2023
-
What an absolutely amazing experience.Festive Flier2:47pm, 18th May 2023
-
I hope Bert's wife will be OK.Elsie Too3:14pm, 18th May 2023
-
It's a tale of endurance. Nice to see your grandpa adopting local customs and taking many wives.Diogenes3:38pm, 18th May 2023
-
There seems to be a bit of a bromance with Bert.Diogenes3:38pm, 18th May 2023
-
Still really enjoying this, though a bit worried about all the sick people.LindsD4:36pm, 18th May 2023
-
I was in Amritsar a couple of months ago. The Golden Temple is indeed very beautiful and atmospheric. And they give you a free lunch. There is also now much cleaner water to wash your feet in.Pou Pou
I also visited the Wagah border crossing which may (or may not...) have been the one your GPs crossed over - it's now a big tourist attraction with a daily closing ceremony. Braggadocio and pomposity at its comical finest.6:06pm, 18th May 2023 -
Just loving this lCorrah7:06pm, 18th May 2023
-
I am enjoying the words, humour, images and tales of an adventure.GimmeMincepies8:50pm, 18th May 2023
-
So very fascinating.Garfield8:55pm, 18th May 2023
-
It's more survival of the fittest now! I hope everyone eventually recovered 😷LittleDonkeyDaisy9:56pm, 18th May 2023
Here you go with another week from my grandparents' trip from Wales to Kathmandu. And to kick off, here's a picture of them from their wedding day in 1949, which meant that this trip coincided with their 25th year of marriage.
I have a whole box of slides somewhere that I hope to be able to digitise - if I find any good ones I will share.
Anyway... we rejoin them as they leave Kandahar in Afghanistan...
5th November
Wave goodbye to our host and speed on our way to next stop, Kabul. On our way we meet lots of highly decorated (and about three times overloaded) lorries. They are really done up well. Painted all over with scenes, birds and flowers, all trimmed up with baubles, ribbon and lots of chrome. Have a tea break at a CHAI KHANA, sort of lorry pull-in cafe. The BUFFALO tea isn't bad til you find out where they make it, then it doesn't taste so nice... Arrive in Kanul to stay at luxurious hotel. Superb decorated dining room, lounge with good armchairs, lifts that really work, large bedrooms with own bath and lashings of hot water. Waiters in national costume BUT horrible food. You can't win 'em all.
For fun I put a tie on to see what Wilson will say (he and I have a no neck tie pact). Bert says the meal we had was camel meat cooked in cow dung so the search is still on for edible NOSH.
6th November
Sightseeing in Kabul. A large city with shops full of everything you wish for. Lots of imported foods so we stock up with Heinz Spaghetti, Jacobs Cream Crackers, Typhoo Tea Bags and would you believe it, REAL DUTCH EDAM CHEESE. The big story we thought was that Marks and Spencer had a store somewhere in town, decide to try and find it if we could. Sure enough there it was as large as life complete with St Michael brand goods. The chocolates and biscuits are mouldy mind, but they are there... Tummies are full today as Bert has found a restaurant run by a German frau, veal schnitzel, ice cream and even a gateau for Hilda. So now we have more energy to go round the bazaars and bargaining for the gifts we are now starting to try to get into our cases... I wasn't putting no food out for any Afghan coat, leather handbag etc... you never know when you'd need that packet of biscuits and my tea and sugar and little stove were priority number 1. Most people had a little stove of some sort and all of us had flasks. The Post Office at Kabul charges £1.20 or four postcards so anyone who didn't get a card from Kabul now knows the reason why... Another reason was the fact that the local lads use a piece of waste ground next door to the PO for target practice with real guns and real bullets... See some pipe tobacco in a shop so buy some for Hector. Now a pal for life.
8th November
Off to another country today, West Pakistan. But before we leave we have to pay 50 Afghanis to LEAVE the country. EXIT TAX. This is not something Paul has met before as it's a new regulation so it's something of a problem as everyone gets rid of all their money to avoid changing and getting diddled with exchange rates. We sort it out OK and start the usual long wait for this paper and that paper this stamp and that... Eventually we are all set for the terrific ride up the pass and through the Khyber Gorge. Which if you put the drops out of your mind is fantastic. Deep ravines, hairpin bends and the thought that you are travelling on the same route used by Ghengis Khan and all the other armies of history. There is yet another post, Army, at the beginning of the Khyber Pass itself and the usual hold up here too. Hilda feels awful and is as white as a ghost so we get out of the bus. After protesting that she "can't be sick here" and being told by me that you "can be sick anywhere you bloody well please". As I'm holding her head for her to be sick a native comes up trying to sell us black market money. I tell him to go away, in my best fluent Chinese of course...
The pass closes at six for reasons of hold ups by bandits... so as it's now about five we drive off as fast as the road will allow. It's already dark when we come across a lorry overturned on the road. We all begin to quake and think of an ambush... Paul nips out quick, makes sure no-one is pinned underneath and we are off BOD JILDI (showing off his Hindu).
It's late and we are all very tired when we get to our hotel at Peshawar. The hotel has laid cold drinks on for us in the foyer but they are mostly Cokes. Hilda goes up to bed as is sick again. You cannot drink the water of course so I know some people had lemonade downstairs. So I go down and I still don't know whos I pinched. Probably someone at the desk changing money. I couldn't wait to ask so I just TOOK.
9th November
Over more mountain passes today to go up into the lower Hindu Kush. The Swat Valley. No wonder both India and Pakistan want this place, it's very fertile wit lots of rice, sugar cane and fruit. Our hotel is very nice indeed, built in the old colonial style. We feel like real PUKKA SAHIBS sitting out on the veranda as the boy brings us tea and biscuits.
Hilda is feeling much better now but a lot of the coach are beginning to feel the stress of the trip and are glad just to sit in the warm sunshine on the lawn or in the rose gardens for the first day. We notice the daffs are about to come up - yes, daffodils showing on the 9th November... The Minister of Tourism is also staying at our hotel so we have armed guards in the grounds and one or two up on the roof as well; it is also not recommended to go outside the compound after dark.
10th November
Enjoy the sheer luxury of a sleep in til eight o'clock today. Then take a breakfast of two eggs and toast. You could also have had porridge or melon so guess we are really in civilised parts. It was rather cold at first but soon warms up and we are just lazing when a tearful Louise comes up and says Bert is very ill. He won't let her get a doctor for him. I see Paul who phones for one sharp. Go tell my pal he is getting a doctor, like it or not. Walk into town later and buy some fruit but no guns, which together with ammo are on open sale in shops and stalls. We take a taxi back to the hotel. A cab for two, chassis mounted on a Lambretta cycle. No springs so you need more padding than what I've got.
11th November
Take a tour by our own bus today, up the valley to a town called Mingor. This is as far up as our bus can go and a few miles farther on it's walk or mule. Swat Valley is part of Pakistan but for many years it has been ruled by a WALI. A good ruler he has built many hospitals and schools etc and the people look very much happier and better fed than elsewhere. Land is very fertile and must be a wonderful sight in the spring when all the new shoots come up green. Stop to see a simple corn mill, direct water feed onto boards that turn the wheels, the flour looks pretty good. Many of the tribesmen are armed with British Army Lee Enfield rifles but they ignore us. In Barhain we see a wedding procession going up into the hillside to some hidden village; the bride first in a sort of covered litter and all the relations following with furniture and gifts. Later on in town we all get a fright when an old bus roars through with (we guessed) all the groom's pals aboard. One playing the bagpipes and the rest happily firing their guns.
Take our picnic lunch today in a DAK bungalow, sort of government rest house mainly used by travelling government officials. It's high up in the mountains and the scenery is terrific. Our picnic boxes are eagerly snapped up by local children who appear from god knows where. On the way down from the mountains we come across a camel train busy loading up firewood. It's quite an important industry as it gets very cold at night in these foothills of the Hindu Kush.
12th November
Leave Swat Valley today to go back down the pass over bridges that don't look too safe and some take some negotiating as our bus is long. We come to one bend and there has been a landslide, some rocks get lodged under our wheel, our driver gets out to have a look. We are left holding our breath as we are perched some six inches from the edge, the usual couple of thousand feet drop. We squirm in our seats but move off safe and sound once more. We come to an area known as Tribal Territory where a special police force check you in on one side and out the other just in case you get kidnapped, robbed or anything else you care to think of.
At the checkpoints are some toilets but they are padlocked so I bust one open and once more we all share "facilities". Join the famous Indian Main Trunk Road now to travel to Rawalpindi. Hotel Flasman, quite good and not a bad little town, where to Hilda's surprise there is a huge bookshop where she can buy her usual taste of books and some unusual Xmas cards.
I have a whole box of slides somewhere that I hope to be able to digitise - if I find any good ones I will share.
Anyway... we rejoin them as they leave Kandahar in Afghanistan...
5th November
Wave goodbye to our host and speed on our way to next stop, Kabul. On our way we meet lots of highly decorated (and about three times overloaded) lorries. They are really done up well. Painted all over with scenes, birds and flowers, all trimmed up with baubles, ribbon and lots of chrome. Have a tea break at a CHAI KHANA, sort of lorry pull-in cafe. The BUFFALO tea isn't bad til you find out where they make it, then it doesn't taste so nice... Arrive in Kanul to stay at luxurious hotel. Superb decorated dining room, lounge with good armchairs, lifts that really work, large bedrooms with own bath and lashings of hot water. Waiters in national costume BUT horrible food. You can't win 'em all.
For fun I put a tie on to see what Wilson will say (he and I have a no neck tie pact). Bert says the meal we had was camel meat cooked in cow dung so the search is still on for edible NOSH.
6th November
Sightseeing in Kabul. A large city with shops full of everything you wish for. Lots of imported foods so we stock up with Heinz Spaghetti, Jacobs Cream Crackers, Typhoo Tea Bags and would you believe it, REAL DUTCH EDAM CHEESE. The big story we thought was that Marks and Spencer had a store somewhere in town, decide to try and find it if we could. Sure enough there it was as large as life complete with St Michael brand goods. The chocolates and biscuits are mouldy mind, but they are there... Tummies are full today as Bert has found a restaurant run by a German frau, veal schnitzel, ice cream and even a gateau for Hilda. So now we have more energy to go round the bazaars and bargaining for the gifts we are now starting to try to get into our cases... I wasn't putting no food out for any Afghan coat, leather handbag etc... you never know when you'd need that packet of biscuits and my tea and sugar and little stove were priority number 1. Most people had a little stove of some sort and all of us had flasks. The Post Office at Kabul charges £1.20 or four postcards so anyone who didn't get a card from Kabul now knows the reason why... Another reason was the fact that the local lads use a piece of waste ground next door to the PO for target practice with real guns and real bullets... See some pipe tobacco in a shop so buy some for Hector. Now a pal for life.
8th November
Off to another country today, West Pakistan. But before we leave we have to pay 50 Afghanis to LEAVE the country. EXIT TAX. This is not something Paul has met before as it's a new regulation so it's something of a problem as everyone gets rid of all their money to avoid changing and getting diddled with exchange rates. We sort it out OK and start the usual long wait for this paper and that paper this stamp and that... Eventually we are all set for the terrific ride up the pass and through the Khyber Gorge. Which if you put the drops out of your mind is fantastic. Deep ravines, hairpin bends and the thought that you are travelling on the same route used by Ghengis Khan and all the other armies of history. There is yet another post, Army, at the beginning of the Khyber Pass itself and the usual hold up here too. Hilda feels awful and is as white as a ghost so we get out of the bus. After protesting that she "can't be sick here" and being told by me that you "can be sick anywhere you bloody well please". As I'm holding her head for her to be sick a native comes up trying to sell us black market money. I tell him to go away, in my best fluent Chinese of course...
The pass closes at six for reasons of hold ups by bandits... so as it's now about five we drive off as fast as the road will allow. It's already dark when we come across a lorry overturned on the road. We all begin to quake and think of an ambush... Paul nips out quick, makes sure no-one is pinned underneath and we are off BOD JILDI (showing off his Hindu).
It's late and we are all very tired when we get to our hotel at Peshawar. The hotel has laid cold drinks on for us in the foyer but they are mostly Cokes. Hilda goes up to bed as is sick again. You cannot drink the water of course so I know some people had lemonade downstairs. So I go down and I still don't know whos I pinched. Probably someone at the desk changing money. I couldn't wait to ask so I just TOOK.
9th November
Over more mountain passes today to go up into the lower Hindu Kush. The Swat Valley. No wonder both India and Pakistan want this place, it's very fertile wit lots of rice, sugar cane and fruit. Our hotel is very nice indeed, built in the old colonial style. We feel like real PUKKA SAHIBS sitting out on the veranda as the boy brings us tea and biscuits.
Hilda is feeling much better now but a lot of the coach are beginning to feel the stress of the trip and are glad just to sit in the warm sunshine on the lawn or in the rose gardens for the first day. We notice the daffs are about to come up - yes, daffodils showing on the 9th November... The Minister of Tourism is also staying at our hotel so we have armed guards in the grounds and one or two up on the roof as well; it is also not recommended to go outside the compound after dark.
10th November
Enjoy the sheer luxury of a sleep in til eight o'clock today. Then take a breakfast of two eggs and toast. You could also have had porridge or melon so guess we are really in civilised parts. It was rather cold at first but soon warms up and we are just lazing when a tearful Louise comes up and says Bert is very ill. He won't let her get a doctor for him. I see Paul who phones for one sharp. Go tell my pal he is getting a doctor, like it or not. Walk into town later and buy some fruit but no guns, which together with ammo are on open sale in shops and stalls. We take a taxi back to the hotel. A cab for two, chassis mounted on a Lambretta cycle. No springs so you need more padding than what I've got.
11th November
Take a tour by our own bus today, up the valley to a town called Mingor. This is as far up as our bus can go and a few miles farther on it's walk or mule. Swat Valley is part of Pakistan but for many years it has been ruled by a WALI. A good ruler he has built many hospitals and schools etc and the people look very much happier and better fed than elsewhere. Land is very fertile and must be a wonderful sight in the spring when all the new shoots come up green. Stop to see a simple corn mill, direct water feed onto boards that turn the wheels, the flour looks pretty good. Many of the tribesmen are armed with British Army Lee Enfield rifles but they ignore us. In Barhain we see a wedding procession going up into the hillside to some hidden village; the bride first in a sort of covered litter and all the relations following with furniture and gifts. Later on in town we all get a fright when an old bus roars through with (we guessed) all the groom's pals aboard. One playing the bagpipes and the rest happily firing their guns.
Take our picnic lunch today in a DAK bungalow, sort of government rest house mainly used by travelling government officials. It's high up in the mountains and the scenery is terrific. Our picnic boxes are eagerly snapped up by local children who appear from god knows where. On the way down from the mountains we come across a camel train busy loading up firewood. It's quite an important industry as it gets very cold at night in these foothills of the Hindu Kush.
12th November
Leave Swat Valley today to go back down the pass over bridges that don't look too safe and some take some negotiating as our bus is long. We come to one bend and there has been a landslide, some rocks get lodged under our wheel, our driver gets out to have a look. We are left holding our breath as we are perched some six inches from the edge, the usual couple of thousand feet drop. We squirm in our seats but move off safe and sound once more. We come to an area known as Tribal Territory where a special police force check you in on one side and out the other just in case you get kidnapped, robbed or anything else you care to think of.
At the checkpoints are some toilets but they are padlocked so I bust one open and once more we all share "facilities". Join the famous Indian Main Trunk Road now to travel to Rawalpindi. Hotel Flasman, quite good and not a bad little town, where to Hilda's surprise there is a huge bookshop where she can buy her usual taste of books and some unusual Xmas cards.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
So interesting. I wonder whether all the borders and hotels were negotiated in English or whether Paul spoke loads of languages.LindsD1:26pm, 16th May 2023
-
It’s a hell of a journey, one you couldn’t make in these times I guess. I’m liking your granddad more and more with every edition.Diogenes1:33pm, 16th May 2023
-
I feel quite envious of them, but I can imagine there's a lot of not-so-wonderful experiences to counter-balance the adventures. Did they have trouble settling back into Valley life afterwards, I wonder?LittleDonkeyDaisy4:23pm, 16th May 2023
-
This is so interesting!Ness4:49pm, 16th May 2023
-
But… what happened to Bert? And crazy landslides and negotiations. It’s just like a movie.JCB5:07pm, 16th May 2023
-
I didn’t realise Jacob Rees mogg was your grandfatherBazoaxe8:12pm, 16th May 2023
-
I'm enjoying these.RichHL8:30pm, 16th May 2023
-
Excellent diary to have from a lifetime ago.Festive Flier8:33pm, 16th May 2023
-
@Bazoaxe - I can delete accounts you know.fetcheveryone8:44pm, 16th May 2023
-
Oops, let’s go for John Lennon before he grew his hair longBazoaxe
Actually do you know what. I could probably find a picture of my own father looking almost like your grandfather.9:01pm, 16th May 2023 -
I’m worried about Bert too!In the bleak midWinniefree10:31pm, 16th May 2023
-
Was WAS the buffalo tea made from? Real buffalos?Meglet9:15am, 17th May 2023
-
Yes, how is Bert?! It’s interesting to read how much gun culture there already was back then in that region. And those roads sound terrifying.cathrobinson1:53pm, 17th May 2023
About a year ago I introduced a page that grabs all the significant (>10m climb) hills from your training log over the last 365 days, and lists the top 100:
fetcheveryone.com/training-analysis-hillfinder.php
Then of course, I made a badge for collecting 100 x 10 metre climbs. It was very popular, with 609 owners. So I added some harder variants:
100 x 10m >> 609 owners.
100 x 25m >> 350 owners.
100 x 50m >> 91 owners.
100 x 100m >> 20 owners.
There are also badges for doing this whilst biking:
100 x 10m >> 109 owners.
100 x 25m >> 59 owners.
100 x 50m >> 17 owners.
100 x 100m >> 2 owners!!
and walking:
100 x 10m > 123 owners.
100 x 25m >> 52 owners.
100 x 50m >> 11 owners.
100 x 100m >> 1 owner!!
So far, no-one has got any of the swimming badges. I guess they are a bit harder.
Anyway... Feature Request #1626 asked for the table to be sortable by date - so that it'd be easy to see which of your hills were about to 'fall off' the 365 day conveyor belt. This made a lot of sense, and was a quick fix, so I added that.
But then I thought I could take it a baby step further, so I've added a little graph at the top of your hill list:
It shows you a breakdown by month of the number of hills you've conquered. The green ones are the "easy" 10 metre climbs, the yellows are the 25m+ climbs, orange is 50m+, and the red ones are 100m+. So it should be relatively easy to see whether your current rate of accrual of hills is helping you work towards your target badge.
You can pretty much see exactly when we moved house! Until November the only hills I encountered were when we went to Devon in July! I secured the 100 x 10m badge in April, but at the moment I'm not picking up enough yellows, oranges and reds to get the next badge. I need 100/12 = 8.333r = 9 of those each month for a year to succeed!
Feature Request #1476 asked for an ascent-based challenge with badges. I turned that one down, as I felt that our hill collector offers a bit more peril than just accumulating ascent until you reach an arbitrary figure. The 'expiring' hills need to be monitored, and the rate at which you collect your hills becomes an important part of the challenge.
Anyway, I hope you have fun with it. Everest is only 8849 metres, so if you can get the top badge, you'll have truly beaten it!
Another update from the Kathmandu story tomorrow
fetcheveryone.com/training-analysis-hillfinder.php
Then of course, I made a badge for collecting 100 x 10 metre climbs. It was very popular, with 609 owners. So I added some harder variants:
100 x 10m >> 609 owners.
100 x 25m >> 350 owners.
100 x 50m >> 91 owners.
100 x 100m >> 20 owners.
There are also badges for doing this whilst biking:
100 x 10m >> 109 owners.
100 x 25m >> 59 owners.
100 x 50m >> 17 owners.
100 x 100m >> 2 owners!!
and walking:
100 x 10m > 123 owners.
100 x 25m >> 52 owners.
100 x 50m >> 11 owners.
100 x 100m >> 1 owner!!
So far, no-one has got any of the swimming badges. I guess they are a bit harder.
Anyway... Feature Request #1626 asked for the table to be sortable by date - so that it'd be easy to see which of your hills were about to 'fall off' the 365 day conveyor belt. This made a lot of sense, and was a quick fix, so I added that.
But then I thought I could take it a baby step further, so I've added a little graph at the top of your hill list:
It shows you a breakdown by month of the number of hills you've conquered. The green ones are the "easy" 10 metre climbs, the yellows are the 25m+ climbs, orange is 50m+, and the red ones are 100m+. So it should be relatively easy to see whether your current rate of accrual of hills is helping you work towards your target badge.
You can pretty much see exactly when we moved house! Until November the only hills I encountered were when we went to Devon in July! I secured the 100 x 10m badge in April, but at the moment I'm not picking up enough yellows, oranges and reds to get the next badge. I need 100/12 = 8.333r = 9 of those each month for a year to succeed!
Feature Request #1476 asked for an ascent-based challenge with badges. I turned that one down, as I felt that our hill collector offers a bit more peril than just accumulating ascent until you reach an arbitrary figure. The 'expiring' hills need to be monitored, and the rate at which you collect your hills becomes an important part of the challenge.
Anyway, I hope you have fun with it. Everest is only 8849 metres, so if you can get the top badge, you'll have truly beaten it!
Another update from the Kathmandu story tomorrow
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
Ian - all good, but I find a lot of my hills don't get counted or stored as shown. eg 11th May, fetcheveryone.com/t-21828605um
This is the analysis with a 94m, 1m, 54 and 46m climb
But the hill view list show this
Just me? or 2 different calculations? Or am I missing something?
(but thanks for the sorting, it helps me find these seeming discrepancies more easily)3:35pm, 15th May 2023 -
Um - the first thing the tool does is sort by climb, and isolate the top 100. Your 100th placed hill in your walk list is a climb of 33.2 metres, so the 19 and 14 in the training entry from 11th May will not be part of that list. I'll see what I can do to get them included.fetcheveryone4:18pm, 15th May 2023
-
There, the smaller ones are being included now.fetcheveryone4:20pm, 15th May 2023
-
I think it is because the graph shows the top 100 IE can then look to see if your hills are of the right colour to get your next badgeSnail4:20pm, 15th May 2023
-
I should have waited 2 mins!!Snail4:21pm, 15th May 2023
-
I understand the top 100, but why are the heights different between the activity display and the climb display?um4:29pm, 15th May 2023
-
um - is it something to do with whether you use your watch elevations, or get fetch to work out the elevations ? Mine are exact between what's on each training activity, and what's in this table. In the Your Settings, Training Options, I have "Use Watch Elevation" ticked to Yes. I'm wondering if you have that unticked, perhaps what is shown on the activity is from your watch, but then fetch recalculates it to store in his database using his look-up thing ? Have a look at fetcheveryone.com/user-settings-training.php and see what you haveK5 Gus4:59pm, 15th May 2023
-
Meant to say, I have a watch with a barometric altimeter, hence why I have Use Watch Elevation ticked - I'm not sure what the recommendation is if your watch doesn't have a barometric altimeterK5 Gus5:03pm, 15th May 2023
-
Could be it K5. I don't use watch elevation, because at the time of discussions, I thought the watch (735, so not barometric that I know of) gave more glitches and odd readings than the alternative.um
I'd nearly forgotten the elevation difference angsts and options. I'll do my best to try and forget them again!5:10pm, 15th May 2023 -
Getting Sound of Music vibes from this. Next do how many streams have been forded...JamieKai *chameleon*5:23pm, 15th May 2023
-
@um - the hill finder was *not* ignoring the elevation data off your watch. When viewing the training entry, you're seeing the hills on the elevation retrieved from a third party service. The hill finder was looking at the raw data from the watch. It's now respecting your settings, so in theory your data should be matching up now.fetcheveryone5:35pm, 15th May 2023
-
Thanks Fetch! Sorry to be a pain.um
And thanks K5.
[Now ideally, I'd like the badge system to compare watch data vs third party and take the better numbers ]6:10pm, 15th May 2023 -
I love all this. Payoff for slogging up all this hills. Can’t believe I’m still the only person with the Thin Air Walking badge but there are 20 people with the running version (I’m not one of those)Cheeky’s Dad2:07pm, 16th May 2023
-
Ian - a late test, but since I'm back on the SWCP again, just confriming my 91m climb (back to the holiday house with the fish and chips) shows in my activity AND on my 'best climbs'. Tomorrow I'll be going a bit further up the hill, before turning round, to get >100m !um
Thanks !!8:06pm, 19th May 2023
Here we go again with another instalment of my grandparents' trip from Wales to Kathmandu by bus in 1974. Thanks for all your lovely comments - I'm enjoying those too! I've actually found a FB group for people who travelled with Penn before they went bust in the early eighties. I *might* just have found Paul the courier, and potentially some of the passengers - but will finish typing this up first, so I can share it with them too.
Anyway... here we go with another few days of travel...
31st October
Rise early. 5am to beat Tehran's early morning traffic problem. If you leave later it's midday before the rush lets you get to the outskirts. It's a long day through semi-desert with people living in mud villages and looking very poor. There are high mountains in the distance but it's very hot and sticky in the bus so we are glad to get to our hotel even though the two toilets just outside our bedroom door are... ewww! Boys pester us to practise their English, they are taught it in school but don't get much chance to speak it outside school hours.
1st November
Another long day through real desert now, see nothing for many miles, very few people but mainly camels. Paul says there is a fair place at midday where we can get something to eat so take a chance and get BONES. Make up for it at night when we get eggs and steak.
2nd November
Free day in Mashhad today, lots to see and different from other towns as it is a HOLY city and an OASIS. Many different types of people, peasants in Bacteri costumes, Turkomen with their turbans and tall mullahs with long flowing robes... We visit the mosque with its famous blue and gold domes but as infidels we are of course not allowed to go inside. We do get permission to visit the museum. Hilda and all the other ladies are CHUDRIS, the long black robe that covers from head to toe. We are constantly surrounded by the locals as we are off the main tourist track and we are a novelty. They are mostly just curious but we can't help but feel cautious. Once we had about 300 people around us and the police came and moved us away. To get a better view of the mosque (as we can only peer through the gates and then only if the crowd will let us) we get a guide who bribes a hotelier to let us go up on top of his hotel roof. Our hotel is not bad, stand up toilets of course and beds full of rocks.
3rd November
Set off at seven to make our way to the border to cross into yet another country. Afghanistan. The terrain we pass through is aptly named "the desert of death". Definitely no place to break down... We meet up with our first "Kuchis". Desert nomads who wander as they will from place to place all over Persia, Afghanistan and into Pakistan. Not a passport among them. They estimate there are about six million of them but they don't know for sure as they are always on the move. We see quite a large group on the move with their sheep, goats and camels, plus chickens happily perched on top of their camels. Their most treasured possessions are the large tent poles - there aren't many trees in the desert.
It takes us over three hours to cross over the border into Afghanistan - would no doubt have been longer if Paul hadn't bribed an official with a bottle of whiskey, or to be more precise HALF a bottle of grog topped up with distilled water. Half the frontier guards cannot read so they look at your passport upside down. At one checkpoint we all had to go into a small room where the 'boss man' looked at your passport and you. Ours is a joint one so Hilda and I had to stand in front of him together. Hilda got the giggles and said "I will" - thought she was getting wed all over again I guess. Can't take her anywhere...
Arrive at the desert town of Herat to stay at a hotel built by the Russians. They built the road this far then the British built it on to Kandahar... to go one better the Russians built this nice hotel. Swimming pool, rose gardens and generally a nice designed place. BUT they forgot to leave anybody behind to maintain the place. Lights work sometimes and toilets, if the likes of Bert or I have a go at them. We are unlucky this time and have no hot water, no problem our friends Bay and Dot have some so we go and shower in their room. We have a free day in Herat so our own bus takes us on a tour to see the old mosque where young children are being taught to read the Koran by blind men who know it by heart. See the famous leaning minarets and an old field gun left where it was from the 1880 Afghan Wars... Paul takes us to an orphanage to see the little ones making carpets on looms made from tree trunks. It was incredible how fast they worked and when some of the ladies had a go the kids laughed and then cadged cigarettes off us. They seem quite happy and certainly better fed than many outside. Take lunch today in the town of Herat itself. Paul said there was only one tidy place to eat, the one used by Penn's "cheap tour", the one used by teenagers. The meal wasn't too bad but after we take a little 'shufti' round we don't complain about our hotel any more. The bazaar is very interesting with lots of small shops and workshops busy recycling everything and anything - shoes from old lorry tyres and stoves from old tins. We could learn a lot from them. See butchers' shops with the local "fat tail sheep" hanging up. They look horrible as they are like the camel and store fat in their huge tails instead of the hump. My pal Bert is a builder by trade and is fascinated by the scaffolding used on any new buildings... any old piece of timber is used til the place looks as if it's only covered with creepers. We also see an unusual windmill - it only works in one direction and is used solely for the 90 day wind that blows in one direction every year conveniently just after the crops have been cut...
It's a fair walk from town back to the hotel so we take a "gharri" a horse drawn cart. Louise and Hilda are clutching each other in the back and every time we hit a bump we nearly lose them. Bert asked the driver to go back and try again.
4th November
Ever onward we leave the oasis of Herat and go back into the desert on the British built road now. There seem to be many more Kuchis on the move now and Paul says it might be a sign of bad weather, but I guess it was just itching feet for our weather remained lovely. We meet up with a big group of nomads, several hundred, but just as we are about to stop and ask nicely if we can film we saw they had a corpse carried on a sort of litter, so we move off quick. It's very hot by midday so we take our lunch under a bridge to shelter from the sun. The river is totally dried up but we have a donkey and some turkeys to keep us company. Iona is very ill and has to be helped in and out of the coach.
Arrive in Kandahar. Hotel Mayfair. Now this was really something and whoever put that name on the place could write the gags for Bob Hope. We get room 14, a sort of whitewashed mosque out in the back yard. It is quite small with four charpoys and nothing else not even a nail in the wall to hang a coat on. No windows, only a little hole high up in the roof. The charpoys are real native ones with chords criss-crossed over and then a thin sort of mattress. There is no real door, just a curtain and some sort of fly mesh. This delightful abode we have to share with Bay and Dot but they find another empty room and take their beds so we have room to turn around. PHUT... out goes the bare light swinging from the ceiling and it's candle time... this evidently happens every day for the proprietor has a good supply of little green candles. I pinch extra when he isn't looking. There is only one washroom for all of us and two toilets but loads of hot water from a wood burning stove in the corner so at least we get clean.
The place itself was reasonably clean too and the prop. was trying his best. We get an evening meal with some sort of meat and chips, fresh fruit for afters, all by candle. Decide now to go into town to see if the story of a shop selling real apple pies was true. It was true OK, but we made the mistake of keeping them for the next day instead of eating them hot. They had no fat in them and went as hard as rocks. Still if you ever get to Kandahar you know you can buy APPLE PIE. On our way back I see a poor beggar horribly eaten away by leprosy, so manage to tell Hilda not to look in time.
Back in our luxury hotel, the lights are working again but we have two lots of company. FLEAS in the bed and six hippies in the room next door. They're boys and girls and the conversation is incredible... what more could you ask for at about eight shillings for bed and breakfast.
Anyway... here we go with another few days of travel...
31st October
Rise early. 5am to beat Tehran's early morning traffic problem. If you leave later it's midday before the rush lets you get to the outskirts. It's a long day through semi-desert with people living in mud villages and looking very poor. There are high mountains in the distance but it's very hot and sticky in the bus so we are glad to get to our hotel even though the two toilets just outside our bedroom door are... ewww! Boys pester us to practise their English, they are taught it in school but don't get much chance to speak it outside school hours.
1st November
Another long day through real desert now, see nothing for many miles, very few people but mainly camels. Paul says there is a fair place at midday where we can get something to eat so take a chance and get BONES. Make up for it at night when we get eggs and steak.
2nd November
Free day in Mashhad today, lots to see and different from other towns as it is a HOLY city and an OASIS. Many different types of people, peasants in Bacteri costumes, Turkomen with their turbans and tall mullahs with long flowing robes... We visit the mosque with its famous blue and gold domes but as infidels we are of course not allowed to go inside. We do get permission to visit the museum. Hilda and all the other ladies are CHUDRIS, the long black robe that covers from head to toe. We are constantly surrounded by the locals as we are off the main tourist track and we are a novelty. They are mostly just curious but we can't help but feel cautious. Once we had about 300 people around us and the police came and moved us away. To get a better view of the mosque (as we can only peer through the gates and then only if the crowd will let us) we get a guide who bribes a hotelier to let us go up on top of his hotel roof. Our hotel is not bad, stand up toilets of course and beds full of rocks.
3rd November
Set off at seven to make our way to the border to cross into yet another country. Afghanistan. The terrain we pass through is aptly named "the desert of death". Definitely no place to break down... We meet up with our first "Kuchis". Desert nomads who wander as they will from place to place all over Persia, Afghanistan and into Pakistan. Not a passport among them. They estimate there are about six million of them but they don't know for sure as they are always on the move. We see quite a large group on the move with their sheep, goats and camels, plus chickens happily perched on top of their camels. Their most treasured possessions are the large tent poles - there aren't many trees in the desert.
It takes us over three hours to cross over the border into Afghanistan - would no doubt have been longer if Paul hadn't bribed an official with a bottle of whiskey, or to be more precise HALF a bottle of grog topped up with distilled water. Half the frontier guards cannot read so they look at your passport upside down. At one checkpoint we all had to go into a small room where the 'boss man' looked at your passport and you. Ours is a joint one so Hilda and I had to stand in front of him together. Hilda got the giggles and said "I will" - thought she was getting wed all over again I guess. Can't take her anywhere...
Arrive at the desert town of Herat to stay at a hotel built by the Russians. They built the road this far then the British built it on to Kandahar... to go one better the Russians built this nice hotel. Swimming pool, rose gardens and generally a nice designed place. BUT they forgot to leave anybody behind to maintain the place. Lights work sometimes and toilets, if the likes of Bert or I have a go at them. We are unlucky this time and have no hot water, no problem our friends Bay and Dot have some so we go and shower in their room. We have a free day in Herat so our own bus takes us on a tour to see the old mosque where young children are being taught to read the Koran by blind men who know it by heart. See the famous leaning minarets and an old field gun left where it was from the 1880 Afghan Wars... Paul takes us to an orphanage to see the little ones making carpets on looms made from tree trunks. It was incredible how fast they worked and when some of the ladies had a go the kids laughed and then cadged cigarettes off us. They seem quite happy and certainly better fed than many outside. Take lunch today in the town of Herat itself. Paul said there was only one tidy place to eat, the one used by Penn's "cheap tour", the one used by teenagers. The meal wasn't too bad but after we take a little 'shufti' round we don't complain about our hotel any more. The bazaar is very interesting with lots of small shops and workshops busy recycling everything and anything - shoes from old lorry tyres and stoves from old tins. We could learn a lot from them. See butchers' shops with the local "fat tail sheep" hanging up. They look horrible as they are like the camel and store fat in their huge tails instead of the hump. My pal Bert is a builder by trade and is fascinated by the scaffolding used on any new buildings... any old piece of timber is used til the place looks as if it's only covered with creepers. We also see an unusual windmill - it only works in one direction and is used solely for the 90 day wind that blows in one direction every year conveniently just after the crops have been cut...
It's a fair walk from town back to the hotel so we take a "gharri" a horse drawn cart. Louise and Hilda are clutching each other in the back and every time we hit a bump we nearly lose them. Bert asked the driver to go back and try again.
4th November
Ever onward we leave the oasis of Herat and go back into the desert on the British built road now. There seem to be many more Kuchis on the move now and Paul says it might be a sign of bad weather, but I guess it was just itching feet for our weather remained lovely. We meet up with a big group of nomads, several hundred, but just as we are about to stop and ask nicely if we can film we saw they had a corpse carried on a sort of litter, so we move off quick. It's very hot by midday so we take our lunch under a bridge to shelter from the sun. The river is totally dried up but we have a donkey and some turkeys to keep us company. Iona is very ill and has to be helped in and out of the coach.
Arrive in Kandahar. Hotel Mayfair. Now this was really something and whoever put that name on the place could write the gags for Bob Hope. We get room 14, a sort of whitewashed mosque out in the back yard. It is quite small with four charpoys and nothing else not even a nail in the wall to hang a coat on. No windows, only a little hole high up in the roof. The charpoys are real native ones with chords criss-crossed over and then a thin sort of mattress. There is no real door, just a curtain and some sort of fly mesh. This delightful abode we have to share with Bay and Dot but they find another empty room and take their beds so we have room to turn around. PHUT... out goes the bare light swinging from the ceiling and it's candle time... this evidently happens every day for the proprietor has a good supply of little green candles. I pinch extra when he isn't looking. There is only one washroom for all of us and two toilets but loads of hot water from a wood burning stove in the corner so at least we get clean.
The place itself was reasonably clean too and the prop. was trying his best. We get an evening meal with some sort of meat and chips, fresh fruit for afters, all by candle. Decide now to go into town to see if the story of a shop selling real apple pies was true. It was true OK, but we made the mistake of keeping them for the next day instead of eating them hot. They had no fat in them and went as hard as rocks. Still if you ever get to Kandahar you know you can buy APPLE PIE. On our way back I see a poor beggar horribly eaten away by leprosy, so manage to tell Hilda not to look in time.
Back in our luxury hotel, the lights are working again but we have two lots of company. FLEAS in the bed and six hippies in the room next door. They're boys and girls and the conversation is incredible... what more could you ask for at about eight shillings for bed and breakfast.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
What an intrepid bunch. The joke about asking the driver to go back and try again is classic Seventies comedyDiogenes3:33pm, 11th May 2023
-
I do hope you've found Paul - that would be amazing! I'll remember the tip about apple piesLittleDonkeyDaisy3:37pm, 11th May 2023
-
Very good indeed. Quite brave places to go. Interesting to read how building stuff in other countries is step 1 to other things, re: the Chinese in many places now.Ocelot Spleens3:40pm, 11th May 2023
-
That's fantastic that you might have found some of the people on this trip.Elsie Too4:28pm, 11th May 2023
-
Have you any photos of Paul? Or will you ask about his haircut before sharing the diaries?um4:56pm, 11th May 2023
-
Love the descriptions of things, people and places.Garfield4:59pm, 11th May 2023
-
They were very brave exploring off the beaten track.Festive Flier8:08pm, 11th May 2023
-
This has been such a fantastic and fascinating series of blogs. I do hope you’ve managed to find people connected to the trip - how amazing!GimmeMincepies8:25pm, 11th May 2023
-
The bit about recycling: your grandad, the proto eco-warriorDvorak Did you know they had done this tour when they were still alive?10:41pm, 11th May 2023
-
It’s a very rich record of eventscathrobinson11:09pm, 11th May 2023
-
Oh, and I keep having to read it with a Welsh accentcathrobinson11:10pm, 11th May 2023
-
Loving your grandma giggling at the checkpointIn the bleak midWinniefree8:04am, 12th May 2023
-
This is just absolutely amazing. They were so intrepid.LindsD7:13pm, 12th May 2023
-
Joint passport!sallykate2:00pm, 13th May 2023
-
I find myself wondering how much has changed along that route now, would they even recognise it...Gooner7:29pm, 14th May 2023
For those of you following the story, here's another instalment from my grandparents' 1974 journey from Wales to Kathmandu by bus.
18th October
In Urgup. Goreme Valley. Yet another place you just cannot describe. A valley of grotesque rocks like huge toadstools. There is no vegetation at all yet there are still some people living in some of the houses carved into the rock. We visit some of the churches made by the Christians who fled here years ago to escape persecution. With the tools they had it is really incredible. Our hotel is good and we have just returned from a walk around the small town when a dust storm blows up. It went quite dark and then the wind tore round swirling the dust, laundry and anything else hanging around loose... Some of our party were still out and got caught, it took them quite a while to clean up. The management put on a Turkish dinner for us but it is jolly hard work eating with your bum on a low camel stool and your knees up around your ears... Just outside our hotel are old ladies dressed just like in Biblical times taking their sheep and goats to new bits of pasture. They don't like being photographed so we have to sneak shots.
19th October
On our way to Sivas we see more snow capped mountains 6000ft high. Stop to watch a man ploughing with an old wooden plough. Patrick, an Aussie farmer has a go at harrowing with a horse drawn wood beam. You just stand on it and the horse or oxen pulls you along, not as easy as it sounds. Visit an old Selvj Fort and a Caravanseri, a sort of fortified square where at the end of a days journey the merchants and camel trains could have shelter for the night and be safe from bandits. Some local children flock around us, their hands are dyed and we are kissed on our hands and then they press it to their foreheads. We give them some sweets and they start to squabble.
Arrive mid-afternoon at Sivas another small dirty little town, hotel quite good and here we get an unexpected happening. We are sitting in the hotel restaurant about 7pm with Wilson and Julia when Carrie comes up from the foyer to tell us there is a person to person call for us. Lifts are not reliable so fly down three flights of stairs, and over a terrible line hear part of what my brother-in-law is saying. Grandpa Jarman, Hilda's dad is very poorly. I tell him we will fly home as soon as we can and promise to wire from the airport... Leave poor Hilda in care of a few kind ladies and go and try to find Paul our courier. Night Porter doesn't speak any English, so it takes me a while to find which room he is in. He is fast asleep when I do find him but when I tell him what has happened he is as unflappable as ever. As usual it's "No problem Allan, I will take you to Ankara airport and put you on the plane". I can think of another courier who would not have done that.
Our cases are in the bus boot, mine of course right in the front. Quite a few of my good friends get torches and help to unload so that ours can be got out. Inside 30 mins we have packed, washed and are being kissed and hugged all round and are off in a taxi for a long all night ride up the Asian Highway (that's a laugh) 400 kilometres to Ankara, it's some road, full of potholes, fatal accidents and armed police who stop you to check papers. We are all three tired and worried and smoke like chimneys, Paul has had no food and it's 3.30 when we get to the airport... Our tele information re flight to London is all wrong so we decide to wait til 7 o'clock Monday and get a direct flight to London. Hire another taxi now to take us the ten miles into city. All the tidy hotels are full or don't want to know at five o'clock in the morning, so after trying five or six we take the first one we see.
It doesn't look too bad so we book in. There is no water in the wash basin or toilet, so tired and unwashed we get into bed. We put shirts over the pillows cos they don't look too clean and Hilda keeps her dressing gown on... it's now well after five. At seven Hilda is waking me again and very dimly I hear her saying there are bugs in the bed. There sure are B.... Hundreds of them and Hilda is bashing them with her slippers... I shake all my clothes, dress and go and bash at Paul's door. No comments on what he said but inside ten minutes we are paid and outside, still unwashed and in another taxi going back to the airport. Ankara is the capital of Turkey but the airport is the crummiest, no hot water and stinking toilets. We get a bite of something to eat and then Paul has to leave us to fly back to Sivas to rejoin the coach. It will be a long day for all but we learned afterwards that no one complained at all. We are very sorry to see him go as he has been very kind and we were not seasoned travellers then - maybe we are a little now.
Quite on our own, in a strange place I had to change a lot of cheques to buy our air tickets and then 24hrs wait for our FIRST EVER AIR FLIGHT.
Our friends of last night now show their handiwork and poor Hilda is plastered with bites all over. ME? Not one, I'm too full of nicotine and tannic acid...
Hilda's dad has passed away by the time we get home so we stay for a week and then decide if we can we will fly out and rejoin the tour. Fortunately, Penn's head office is only one hour's drive from home so after a tele conversation I drive there and find our air tickets waiting on the counter. Rooms also telexed to Tehran when and we hope to join 'em again. As a firm Penn are high in our esteem. They are efficient and humane and Paul had assured us that we would on his recommendation have been offered another trip some time for FREE.
Arrive in Tehran about midnight, it looks great from the air as it's been the Shah's birthday and the whole city was a mass of coloured lights. On the way out we'd touched down in Rome and had wonderful views of that city and again over Athens all the sights we'd seen now viewed from the air. We were a bit worried as it was so late but we took a taxi to the hotel Penn uses in Tehran. Hotel bookings east of Istanbul can never be relied on. All was well though even though they had me booked in as "BULU". How that came about I don't know but I said I was he and we were shown to a really lovely bedroom. As usual I fancied a cup of tea so we went back downstairs and found the restaurant still open. Have a meal in room decorated in real Persian decor, plus a good cup of tea.
30th October
Our coach is expected at about six today so we have a day to ourselves. After a walk around in the morning we are a bit tired after our long flight out so after lunch we go to bed for a rest... On waking about four Hilda looks out of the window and sees two of our party getting into a taxi. We go down and believe you me it was quite some reception... no one knew we were coming as Penn had failed to contact them at Isfahan. It was one of the most heart warming experiences Hilda or I have ever experienced. Folks a hugging and a kissing and then into the bar for a celebration POT OF TEA. All the gang sitting round us and those with no seats sitting on the floor by our feet. Even got a kiss from Emma and "You're not bad folks to have around" was sure top praise from that tough old lady... We go out that night with a big gang and raid a supermarket. Lots of British goods here but very dear. We have had "stock up orders" from Paul as he says from here on we will be going into the wilds and beyond. I thought we'd already been there.
18th October
In Urgup. Goreme Valley. Yet another place you just cannot describe. A valley of grotesque rocks like huge toadstools. There is no vegetation at all yet there are still some people living in some of the houses carved into the rock. We visit some of the churches made by the Christians who fled here years ago to escape persecution. With the tools they had it is really incredible. Our hotel is good and we have just returned from a walk around the small town when a dust storm blows up. It went quite dark and then the wind tore round swirling the dust, laundry and anything else hanging around loose... Some of our party were still out and got caught, it took them quite a while to clean up. The management put on a Turkish dinner for us but it is jolly hard work eating with your bum on a low camel stool and your knees up around your ears... Just outside our hotel are old ladies dressed just like in Biblical times taking their sheep and goats to new bits of pasture. They don't like being photographed so we have to sneak shots.
19th October
On our way to Sivas we see more snow capped mountains 6000ft high. Stop to watch a man ploughing with an old wooden plough. Patrick, an Aussie farmer has a go at harrowing with a horse drawn wood beam. You just stand on it and the horse or oxen pulls you along, not as easy as it sounds. Visit an old Selvj Fort and a Caravanseri, a sort of fortified square where at the end of a days journey the merchants and camel trains could have shelter for the night and be safe from bandits. Some local children flock around us, their hands are dyed and we are kissed on our hands and then they press it to their foreheads. We give them some sweets and they start to squabble.
Arrive mid-afternoon at Sivas another small dirty little town, hotel quite good and here we get an unexpected happening. We are sitting in the hotel restaurant about 7pm with Wilson and Julia when Carrie comes up from the foyer to tell us there is a person to person call for us. Lifts are not reliable so fly down three flights of stairs, and over a terrible line hear part of what my brother-in-law is saying. Grandpa Jarman, Hilda's dad is very poorly. I tell him we will fly home as soon as we can and promise to wire from the airport... Leave poor Hilda in care of a few kind ladies and go and try to find Paul our courier. Night Porter doesn't speak any English, so it takes me a while to find which room he is in. He is fast asleep when I do find him but when I tell him what has happened he is as unflappable as ever. As usual it's "No problem Allan, I will take you to Ankara airport and put you on the plane". I can think of another courier who would not have done that.
Our cases are in the bus boot, mine of course right in the front. Quite a few of my good friends get torches and help to unload so that ours can be got out. Inside 30 mins we have packed, washed and are being kissed and hugged all round and are off in a taxi for a long all night ride up the Asian Highway (that's a laugh) 400 kilometres to Ankara, it's some road, full of potholes, fatal accidents and armed police who stop you to check papers. We are all three tired and worried and smoke like chimneys, Paul has had no food and it's 3.30 when we get to the airport... Our tele information re flight to London is all wrong so we decide to wait til 7 o'clock Monday and get a direct flight to London. Hire another taxi now to take us the ten miles into city. All the tidy hotels are full or don't want to know at five o'clock in the morning, so after trying five or six we take the first one we see.
It doesn't look too bad so we book in. There is no water in the wash basin or toilet, so tired and unwashed we get into bed. We put shirts over the pillows cos they don't look too clean and Hilda keeps her dressing gown on... it's now well after five. At seven Hilda is waking me again and very dimly I hear her saying there are bugs in the bed. There sure are B.... Hundreds of them and Hilda is bashing them with her slippers... I shake all my clothes, dress and go and bash at Paul's door. No comments on what he said but inside ten minutes we are paid and outside, still unwashed and in another taxi going back to the airport. Ankara is the capital of Turkey but the airport is the crummiest, no hot water and stinking toilets. We get a bite of something to eat and then Paul has to leave us to fly back to Sivas to rejoin the coach. It will be a long day for all but we learned afterwards that no one complained at all. We are very sorry to see him go as he has been very kind and we were not seasoned travellers then - maybe we are a little now.
Quite on our own, in a strange place I had to change a lot of cheques to buy our air tickets and then 24hrs wait for our FIRST EVER AIR FLIGHT.
Our friends of last night now show their handiwork and poor Hilda is plastered with bites all over. ME? Not one, I'm too full of nicotine and tannic acid...
Hilda's dad has passed away by the time we get home so we stay for a week and then decide if we can we will fly out and rejoin the tour. Fortunately, Penn's head office is only one hour's drive from home so after a tele conversation I drive there and find our air tickets waiting on the counter. Rooms also telexed to Tehran when and we hope to join 'em again. As a firm Penn are high in our esteem. They are efficient and humane and Paul had assured us that we would on his recommendation have been offered another trip some time for FREE.
Arrive in Tehran about midnight, it looks great from the air as it's been the Shah's birthday and the whole city was a mass of coloured lights. On the way out we'd touched down in Rome and had wonderful views of that city and again over Athens all the sights we'd seen now viewed from the air. We were a bit worried as it was so late but we took a taxi to the hotel Penn uses in Tehran. Hotel bookings east of Istanbul can never be relied on. All was well though even though they had me booked in as "BULU". How that came about I don't know but I said I was he and we were shown to a really lovely bedroom. As usual I fancied a cup of tea so we went back downstairs and found the restaurant still open. Have a meal in room decorated in real Persian decor, plus a good cup of tea.
30th October
Our coach is expected at about six today so we have a day to ourselves. After a walk around in the morning we are a bit tired after our long flight out so after lunch we go to bed for a rest... On waking about four Hilda looks out of the window and sees two of our party getting into a taxi. We go down and believe you me it was quite some reception... no one knew we were coming as Penn had failed to contact them at Isfahan. It was one of the most heart warming experiences Hilda or I have ever experienced. Folks a hugging and a kissing and then into the bar for a celebration POT OF TEA. All the gang sitting round us and those with no seats sitting on the floor by our feet. Even got a kiss from Emma and "You're not bad folks to have around" was sure top praise from that tough old lady... We go out that night with a big gang and raid a supermarket. Lots of British goods here but very dear. We have had "stock up orders" from Paul as he says from here on we will be going into the wilds and beyond. I thought we'd already been there.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
Wow! This really is some adventure! Sorry about Hilda's Dad/ your great-grandad. It just shows how even without the internet and mobile phones human beings and kindness can still overcome crises!LittleDonkeyDaisy12:30pm, 10th May 2023
-
What an amazing trip, and amazing service from the organisers.Diogenes12:36pm, 10th May 2023
-
That’s one heck of a tale… and what a time to take their first ever flight!cathrobinson12:42pm, 10th May 2023
-
WowDvorak That took quite a turn.1:08pm, 10th May 2023
-
What a story!merry minardi *hic*1:14pm, 10th May 2023
-
What an amazing story.Corrah2:14pm, 10th May 2023
-
What a fascinating story this is, hope there's lots more to come !K5 Gus2:32pm, 10th May 2023
-
A different world we live in nowadays.Festive Flier3:19pm, 10th May 2023
-
This really is a fantastic tale!Bob!3:56pm, 10th May 2023
-
That's a rather major kink to the trip. Amazed (a) they got a flight back and (b) rejoined the trip after.um
What an adventure.6:44pm, 10th May 2023 -
I am loving this story.Bazoaxe7:08pm, 10th May 2023
-
'All the tidy hotels are full...'.Pou Pou
That's very Welsh7:39am, 11th May 2023 -
I wondered if anyone would spot that.fetcheveryone7:41am, 11th May 2023
-
This is just amazing. And in my head Paul is Paul from The ArchersLindsD Am so impressed that they flew home and flew back.2:45pm, 12th May 2023
In case you haven't seen the first couple of parts of this blog... in 1974 my grandparents travelled from the Rhymney Valley in South Wales to Kathmandu. By bus.
I have an old typewritten account of their ten week journey, and I'm working my way through it. Some of the language is a bit dated, as I've mentioned in previous blogs - but I am walking every step with them as they explore a world beyond the valleys.
Let's cover another week:
10th October
Do tour of Istanbul today; Blue Mosque. St Sophia and old city water tank below ground. Get sore feet walking round the covered bazaar. Get a bit exasperated too with all the touts who "come and buy my shop", "you speak English", "Sprake de Deutsch" etc etc. I try my hand at the few words of Welsh I know and to my glee it works; for a few times anyway. Then I get it right between the eyes: "Hello Taffy. You come from Newport?". In the East you can just never win...
Hilda has a bit of a travel cold so I lock her in the hotel bedroom??? and go for a walk round the back streets. See a sweet factory, cross between an iron foundry and a steam laundry, don't think I'll buy any more Turkish sweets.
11th October
Took a two hour cruise up the Bosphorus today, a real bargain at 7 lira (about 21 pence). Landed in Asia proper. A controlled army zone so you were not allowed outside the village limits. Watched an old man baking bread in his bakery that had probably been the same since Moses. Also saw fish being cooked on the quayside on a fire built under old dustbins. One of our party leaves his bag behind in a cafe so he has to get off our boat and return on another. He was lucky and got it back OK. Spend the whole of the afternoon in the Topkapi Palace. The jewels are stupendous but I think they are having us on with one of Mohammed's teeth and a bit of his beard. The clock collection was real enough though, best I've seen. Plenty lookee but no damn touchee.
Bert and Louise come up to me and say they are fed up with kebabs and salads and would like a really good nosh. I heartily agree and we take a taxi (that's living dangerous for a start) and go up into the very heart of Istanbul. We find the PICNIC restaurant and what a lovely place; clean white tablecloth and a menu to make your mouth water. I get creamed potatoes, beef and all the trimmings and Hilda ends up with fresh raspberries and cream. Bert goes a bomb and wolfs down his favourite - walnut cake. To crown it all, it's only coppers dearer than the crummy places downtown. Feeling very good we decide to walk back to our hotel... we get lost but see shops full of the most massive chandeliers you ever saw in your life.
12th October
Leave Istanbul to wend our way down to Gallipoli and the famous Lone Pine cemetery where so many young Australians lie buried. Most of them were only 17 or so and if ever war was portrayed as stupid and cruel it is seen here. The young lads were as green as grass and got mowed down for nothing. The area is still full of troops and fortifications and when some of our party went down onto Anzac beach to take photos they were chased off by armed troops. Get to Acebat where we take a short ferry ride across to Canakkale. Our bus gets jammed on the ramp on off loading so we all have to jump off quick to lighten the load. We only suffer slight dents in the bottom of the sides, nought to worry about. It's a nice little port with horse drawn coaches on the front. Our hotel is OK too but some bright spark has put a loudspeaker from the mosque onto the hotel wall. For the benefit of the tourists no doubt. Also during the night about 3am, some madman went round beating hell out of his Sami drum. He liked our hotel 'cos he came round twice. The second time he woke the mosquitos up too and they kept us awake for the rest of the night.
13th October
On our way to Izmir today we visit the ruins of Troy and see a replica of the famous wooden horse. View the museum and take a tempting shot of Hilda lying on the sacrificial stone. Very fertile land for some time now with lots of apples, nuts, melons, quince, egg plants and loads of honey for sale. Pass through a valley where tortoises roam. Paul stops and picks one up but he's unsociable so we put him off at the next hotel garden.
14th October
In Izmir, one of Turkey's biggest cities and seaport. Hotel Killim right on the sea front, where we get the full benefit of the ships hooters and five subs tied up and charging their batteries all night. We get tired walking round though so we sleep through it all. Spend all morning in the bazaar and buy a small immersion heater which like the stove did valiant work brewing up... One section of the bazaar is devoted entirely to sweets. The Turks must have sweeter teeth than the British. Buy our lunch off a street stall and smuggle it into our hotel to eat and enjoy it, I don't know what was in it but it was nice... I count my money and my cigarettes to see how I'm faring in these two important fields. Hilda counts her mozzy bites.
Stroll out along the sea front in the evening and see lots of cafes full of Turks puffing away at their hubble bubble pipes. They eye the ladies as they pass but they are getting used to it now. Lots of little stalls selling all sorts of nuts so this pair of NUTS buy a big bag full and enjoy them.
15th October
Pass through the ancient site of Ephesus today, a really marvellous amphitheatre and ruins. Extremely hot today and we are glad to get to our night stop especially as it turns out to be yet another wonder. Pamukkale, a wonder of Nature this time, not man. Sulphur springs have run out of the hillside, solidified and formed huge glaciers of white, green and yellow. "Frozen ice cakes and stalagmites", just another sight you can't describe, you've got to see it. It's been developed as a tourist spot of course but they haven't spoilt it. The hotels are great and built right on top of the hill. Some of the warm spring water has been diverted into four or five swimming pools; people are in them at midnight. A lady, Jeannie from Venice California who makes no bones about being brought up hard and worked hard all her life gets out her 1923 model swim suit, gets her bottle of beer and stands in the pool. She looks as if she is having fun so I ask her if it's OK... "Sure is Son" she replies "it's just like Paradise".
16th October
Move on through central Turkey. Land very arid as no rain has fallen for over six months and all the rivers are dried up. Take snaps of an old Pole Well and later see our first camels. During our lunch stop we go round the local market and I buy a kilo of onions to make our picnics a bit more tasty. Cafes and restaurants just don't exist in this neck of the woods.
17th October
Journey on to Konya, a small dirty little town. Watch old men washing their feet in a fountain to go into the mosque. Small boys have cap guns as part of the celebrations for the end of Ramadan. They are quite loud and they invent a new game firing them off behind your back called "scare the tourist". As a variation of the 5am prayer this town has laid on another attraction. About 20 men come at quarter past two in the morning to fill in a huge pot hole right in front of the hotel. Makes a change anyway.
I have an old typewritten account of their ten week journey, and I'm working my way through it. Some of the language is a bit dated, as I've mentioned in previous blogs - but I am walking every step with them as they explore a world beyond the valleys.
Let's cover another week:
10th October
Do tour of Istanbul today; Blue Mosque. St Sophia and old city water tank below ground. Get sore feet walking round the covered bazaar. Get a bit exasperated too with all the touts who "come and buy my shop", "you speak English", "Sprake de Deutsch" etc etc. I try my hand at the few words of Welsh I know and to my glee it works; for a few times anyway. Then I get it right between the eyes: "Hello Taffy. You come from Newport?". In the East you can just never win...
Hilda has a bit of a travel cold so I lock her in the hotel bedroom??? and go for a walk round the back streets. See a sweet factory, cross between an iron foundry and a steam laundry, don't think I'll buy any more Turkish sweets.
11th October
Took a two hour cruise up the Bosphorus today, a real bargain at 7 lira (about 21 pence). Landed in Asia proper. A controlled army zone so you were not allowed outside the village limits. Watched an old man baking bread in his bakery that had probably been the same since Moses. Also saw fish being cooked on the quayside on a fire built under old dustbins. One of our party leaves his bag behind in a cafe so he has to get off our boat and return on another. He was lucky and got it back OK. Spend the whole of the afternoon in the Topkapi Palace. The jewels are stupendous but I think they are having us on with one of Mohammed's teeth and a bit of his beard. The clock collection was real enough though, best I've seen. Plenty lookee but no damn touchee.
Bert and Louise come up to me and say they are fed up with kebabs and salads and would like a really good nosh. I heartily agree and we take a taxi (that's living dangerous for a start) and go up into the very heart of Istanbul. We find the PICNIC restaurant and what a lovely place; clean white tablecloth and a menu to make your mouth water. I get creamed potatoes, beef and all the trimmings and Hilda ends up with fresh raspberries and cream. Bert goes a bomb and wolfs down his favourite - walnut cake. To crown it all, it's only coppers dearer than the crummy places downtown. Feeling very good we decide to walk back to our hotel... we get lost but see shops full of the most massive chandeliers you ever saw in your life.
12th October
Leave Istanbul to wend our way down to Gallipoli and the famous Lone Pine cemetery where so many young Australians lie buried. Most of them were only 17 or so and if ever war was portrayed as stupid and cruel it is seen here. The young lads were as green as grass and got mowed down for nothing. The area is still full of troops and fortifications and when some of our party went down onto Anzac beach to take photos they were chased off by armed troops. Get to Acebat where we take a short ferry ride across to Canakkale. Our bus gets jammed on the ramp on off loading so we all have to jump off quick to lighten the load. We only suffer slight dents in the bottom of the sides, nought to worry about. It's a nice little port with horse drawn coaches on the front. Our hotel is OK too but some bright spark has put a loudspeaker from the mosque onto the hotel wall. For the benefit of the tourists no doubt. Also during the night about 3am, some madman went round beating hell out of his Sami drum. He liked our hotel 'cos he came round twice. The second time he woke the mosquitos up too and they kept us awake for the rest of the night.
13th October
On our way to Izmir today we visit the ruins of Troy and see a replica of the famous wooden horse. View the museum and take a tempting shot of Hilda lying on the sacrificial stone. Very fertile land for some time now with lots of apples, nuts, melons, quince, egg plants and loads of honey for sale. Pass through a valley where tortoises roam. Paul stops and picks one up but he's unsociable so we put him off at the next hotel garden.
14th October
In Izmir, one of Turkey's biggest cities and seaport. Hotel Killim right on the sea front, where we get the full benefit of the ships hooters and five subs tied up and charging their batteries all night. We get tired walking round though so we sleep through it all. Spend all morning in the bazaar and buy a small immersion heater which like the stove did valiant work brewing up... One section of the bazaar is devoted entirely to sweets. The Turks must have sweeter teeth than the British. Buy our lunch off a street stall and smuggle it into our hotel to eat and enjoy it, I don't know what was in it but it was nice... I count my money and my cigarettes to see how I'm faring in these two important fields. Hilda counts her mozzy bites.
Stroll out along the sea front in the evening and see lots of cafes full of Turks puffing away at their hubble bubble pipes. They eye the ladies as they pass but they are getting used to it now. Lots of little stalls selling all sorts of nuts so this pair of NUTS buy a big bag full and enjoy them.
15th October
Pass through the ancient site of Ephesus today, a really marvellous amphitheatre and ruins. Extremely hot today and we are glad to get to our night stop especially as it turns out to be yet another wonder. Pamukkale, a wonder of Nature this time, not man. Sulphur springs have run out of the hillside, solidified and formed huge glaciers of white, green and yellow. "Frozen ice cakes and stalagmites", just another sight you can't describe, you've got to see it. It's been developed as a tourist spot of course but they haven't spoilt it. The hotels are great and built right on top of the hill. Some of the warm spring water has been diverted into four or five swimming pools; people are in them at midnight. A lady, Jeannie from Venice California who makes no bones about being brought up hard and worked hard all her life gets out her 1923 model swim suit, gets her bottle of beer and stands in the pool. She looks as if she is having fun so I ask her if it's OK... "Sure is Son" she replies "it's just like Paradise".
16th October
Move on through central Turkey. Land very arid as no rain has fallen for over six months and all the rivers are dried up. Take snaps of an old Pole Well and later see our first camels. During our lunch stop we go round the local market and I buy a kilo of onions to make our picnics a bit more tasty. Cafes and restaurants just don't exist in this neck of the woods.
17th October
Journey on to Konya, a small dirty little town. Watch old men washing their feet in a fountain to go into the mosque. Small boys have cap guns as part of the celebrations for the end of Ramadan. They are quite loud and they invent a new game firing them off behind your back called "scare the tourist". As a variation of the 5am prayer this town has laid on another attraction. About 20 men come at quarter past two in the morning to fill in a huge pot hole right in front of the hotel. Makes a change anyway.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
It was an incredible journey. I’m a bit worried about Paul though. Couldn’t work out whether it was him or the tortoise that got left in the garden!In the bleak midWinniefree12:09pm, 9th May 2023
-
fetcheveryone I will never know.12:12pm, 9th May 2023
-
I love the humour and also how adventurous they were, disappearing off to find decent meals and tortoises.merry minardi *hic*12:17pm, 9th May 2023
-
I’m enjoying reading these. Thank you for sharing them.Elsie Too12:30pm, 9th May 2023
-
I wonder if the tortoise (or Paul) found his way back home again?Diogenes12:54pm, 9th May 2023
-
These are a fabulous record of their adventures! Thanks for sharing them.Ness1:01pm, 9th May 2023
-
Like minardi, I am really impressed at their sense of adventure and bravery at going out and about and trying new things.cathrobinson1:25pm, 9th May 2023
-
He has a wonderful turn of phrase! I hope when he was fighting with his typewriter (because I’m sure he did!) he had an inkling how many people would enjoy his tale 50 years laterGod Rest Ye Merry Pothunter1:30pm, 9th May 2023
-
Wonderful adventures.Festive Flier2:27pm, 9th May 2023
-
Am totally loving this. Some of the turns of phrase seem a bit familiar, tooLindsD2:28pm, 9th May 2023
-
I'm loving this. Your grandparents sound quite like my Mum who was adventurous (though my Dad would never have countenanced such a trip) - maybe it's something to do with the Valleys, because he was English? We're going to Ephesus next yearLittleDonkeyDaisy3:26pm, 9th May 2023
-
A connection from that time ... even if a bit macabre : Gallipoli and the Lone Pineum
My great uncle was there : awm.gov.au
But the travel diary is great. Thanks for sharing.3:44pm, 9th May 2023 -
Loving these tooCorrah8:35pm, 9th May 2023
-
Enjoying these excerpts of life and travels. 🙂JCB
Interesting, um. Didn’t realise you had a Melburnian Mayor in your family. 🙂3:49pm, 10th May 2023 -
And on who hosted the Olympics JCB !um
(by a fluke, he was due to be replaced at the end of term as mayor, but the next 'selected' (rather than elected, I think) mayor died before taking office. So he got to host the Olympics, royal family etc.6:43pm, 10th May 2023 -
Wow! 🙂JCB2:56pm, 11th May 2023
A whole bunch of Charlies have now been eliminated from our Corovision Deathmatch It's time to vote in round two, to establish the Fetch Nation's Champion Chaz!
...expecting more polls in this round, will add them here, or you can check here:
fetcheveryone.com/polls.php
It's time to vote in round two, to establish the Fetch Nation's Champion Chaz! ...expecting more polls in this round, will add them here, or you can check here:
fetcheveryone.com/polls.php
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
Because of the way the seeding falls out there's 17 games this round and 16 the next.GregP1:42pm, 5th May 2023
-
Makes perfect sense.fetcheveryone1:45pm, 5th May 2023
-
Is it a requirement for all American jazz musicians to be called Charles/Charlie? There seem to be an awful lot of them.LittleDonkeyDaisy4:09pm, 5th May 2023
-
Waiting, in vain, for the appearance pf the member of R & B band, 'The Floaters', who declared, with huge pride, that his name was 'Charles'.swittle4:22pm, 5th May 2023
Obviously there's a thing happening in London on Saturday. It's not my cup of tea tbh, but it has spawned a rather exciting Coronation Deathmatch to crown Fetch's favourite Charlie! So if you're a fan of the Fam Royale, you can vote for them. Or you can exercise your right as a citizen to crown the Charlie of your choice!
The first groups of Charlies have been announced, and voting has begun:
and the rest of the polls will appear here as and when GregP uploads them:
fetcheveryone.com/polls.php
The first groups of Charlies have been announced, and voting has begun:
and the rest of the polls will appear here as and when GregP uploads them:
fetcheveryone.com/polls.php
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
I’ve never really understood the death match threads but I’ve thrown a few votes in here anyway.cathrobinson9:59am, 4th May 2023
-
There will only ever one Charlie for me and I've been married to him for 48 years! 🥰🤣DoricQuine10:00am, 4th May 2023
-
Nobody actually understands deathmatches. Especially Greppers.Nicholls59510:23am, 4th May 2023
-
No idea what this is about but no Chuck Yeager? First person to go faster than Mach 1 in level flight and also famous for flying combat missions in WW2, Korea and Vietnam, he was also flying F-16 fighters in his 80sThe_Saint10:27am, 4th May 2023
-
There are (I believe) 20 groups - so power to add.fetcheveryone10:30am, 4th May 2023
-
He's not my King either, that'sTony Adams. All DMs are great.Ocelot Spleens10:55am, 4th May 2023
-
DMs are Fetch's Mornington Crescent.RichHL
Bond Street.11:23am, 4th May 2023 -
TotallyLindsD
this11:44am, 4th May 2023 -
Please don't encourage them...swittle11:44am, 4th May 2023
-
Fetch-sponsored Deathmatch? That should improve the quality of the electorateJamieKai *chameleon*1:56pm, 4th May 2023
-
I love the royals but hate death matchesDerby Tup2:50pm, 4th May 2023
-
Greppers does fine work, making people furiously contest the virtues of an idiom over an outfielderSerendippily4:33pm, 4th May 2023
-
It's acerichmachristmas7:15pm, 4th May 2023
-
No idea what I'm voting for but I voted 😂😂😂tipsku8:43pm, 4th May 2023
-
I have never seen Walker, Texas RangerI saw ishep come sailing in5:51am, 5th May 2023
Thanks for all the lovely comments on yesterday's blog. It's helped add more colour to the account. I showed it to my mam, but it made her cry because she could hear her dad saying the words. I've typed up another week or so of the journey. I think I made a mistake with the dates yesterday - it was actually 1974 (events later in the story confirm this). The first few entries were incorrectly dated, which threw me. And in what follows, there are a few moments where I think today's audience would choose different words to those in favour 50 years ago. But overall it's been fascinating to track their progress. Somewhere I have some slides too.
Here we go...
2nd October
Travel all day through magnificent mountain scenery. Pass through 74 tunnels, some brick arched and some just carved through the rock and you take your chance. Come to Macedonia where we see the old Turkish influence in the ladies baggy trousers.. Everything seems to be carted by donkey and cart. Whilst picking up some diesel we watch a gang of school children happily filling up a well with stones. Our bus windows have a special lining so that whereas we can see out plain, they cannot see in. A blessing many times when we get surrounded. We often get a clever one who can read some English. Our bus has all the place names on the side. Wales to Kathmandu. We see some incredible expressions on peoples faces.
Get to Skopje. Hotel Panorama on a hill overlooking the new city. Really outstanding hotel originally built for an international chess competition, so you can bet they did their best to show all the others what a fine country they had come to. If hotels seem to feature a lot in this dribble it's because they got very important on our epic journey. After ten or more hours journey where you rested and ATE became an important issue and when I think and compare Hotel Panorama with others later on the mind tends to boggle... Thank God for a fair sense of humour, even if it did wear a little thin at times. Skopje is a modern town, rebuilt just eleven years after the earthquake. Like all tourists we take snaps of the railway clock, in ruins and stopped at 5.15, left as a very grim reminder.
Cross into Greece today. Scenery lovely. Peasants picking cotton, sugar cane, melons and grapes. Had a stop at the Valley of the Wolf - a river gorge where according to legend the river water will restore mens virility (and ladies). Almost every day an American named Hal would get on the bus and announce that the waters didn't work... he was 70! Today we pass by Mount Olympus, home of the Greek Gods, it's covered in swirling mists so we don't get to see them. Come to Trikala, our stop for the night. Hotel Divani, very good with trees all round filled with thousands of birds... Walk out at night to look for Paul's recommended resteraunt but must have taken a wrong road for we fail to find it. See huge meat "loaves" getting cooked on slow rotating spits.
3rd October
Onward today to go to Delphi but on the way we visit our really first big impressive sight. The mountain monasteries of Meteora. 2000ft up on the tips of sheer rocks they were originally only accessible by lowered ropes and you got your bread and milk by basket delivery. Our films clicked because there is beauty everywhere and the sheer skill of the builders needs to be recorded... It's tiring working our poor feet up all the steps so we take our lunch and wee stop in the tiny town of Meteora itself. As usual I go on escort duty to Hilda and Iona to a public toilet. It's the Asian STAND UP variety and had a fat old peasant lady as the "witch of the washroom". She won't let them in 'til they pay and refuses the small coin they offer, they know it is more than enough so argue and eventually push inside... Inside must be more than usually "typical" and trousers get rolled up to the knees and they take a deep breath... Re-emerging red in the face Hilda looks the old dear right in the eye and with no expression on her face at all says "I've got a good mind to report you to the local health authorities YOU DIRTY OLD SAUSAGE".
Delphi is a small town, 100% tourists. Hotel Pannassos is good but we pick a lulu of a restaurant for our first meal. Olive oil plus oil. PLUS. We now know why there is a world shortage of oil. They use it all in Delphi to cook with. We visit the "Oracle" but I don't think it worked for anyone in our party.
4th October
Free morning in Delphi for more sightseeing then short drive to Athens. On the way it's very hot so we stop on route for a cold drink, I get overcharged so pinch spoon to compensate. Hotel Cairo City, not too bad really but very small room and the toilet smells... All our group are in a kind of triangle block and as it's quite hot we all throw open the shutters. We find we can see and talk to each other just like in the fade out of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In". It's a lovely crazy half hour with Mrs Goldberg and chicken jokes etc...
We venture up into the main part of Athens. "Onion Square" (that ain't the way it's spelt), but it's rush hour and Hilda is a little tired so we return to the hotel. Our clothes are in sad need of a wash by now, we have joined the swill socks and pants brigade of course but the bigger things are piling up. We join with Kerry and Jane and go find a "Do It Yourself Wishy Washy Laundry" (Big Izal's name for a coin-operated laundry). Just opposite is the Greek equivalent of a Yankee Hot Dog Stall. We try our luck and they are called SOUFLAKI and are great. Kind of dough cooked on a griddle, filled with lamb keebub and seasoned with tomatoes and onions. Later find a restaurant in town that has its dishes out in the window on display. This suits the man who doesn't speak Greek, so point to "this one" and "that one". It's very good indeed so next night I escort about 20 there.
5th October
Take one of our best city tours today, the guide is a lady who knows what she is talking about. Go to the Parthenon, Accropolis and up inside the highest hill of Athens by means of a funicular railway. The church of St George is right on top and you get superb views out over the whole of Athens. Including the rock where St Paul is alleged to have preached to the Corinthians.
6th October
Took a long trip today with our own bus to view old ruins way down the Greek peninsular but when we got there they were all closed as it was Sunday. We did get to see one but the most interesting sight was the 4 mile Corinth Canal which cuts across and saves shipping something like 400 miles.
7th October
Leave Athens today to travel to Thessaloniki. We pass through a place called Thermopylae, site of the famous battle, three hundred Spartans held back the mighty Persian army of Xerxes. Not bad going, 300 putting the mockers on 300,000... Hotel Delta on the sea front, nice little port with floodlit buildings.
8th October
Through plains of cotton, vines and tobacco we go on to our lunch stop at the small port of Kavalla. Picnic on the sea front watching the ferry boats and fishing boats. Some of these have huge lights on the front for night fishing of herrings. Kavalla has an old aquaduct, a hill fort and one old man who conned a cigarette out of Hilda and then opened a package containing several packets.
Early arrival at our night stop Alexandropolis, the name is bigger than the place but it was very nice. Our hotel was right on the water's edge and many went straight in for a bathe. Hilda went in for a paddle and got her dress soaking but it wasn't long drying in the sunshine. Our bedroom was great but we were so near the sea the roar of the waves kept us awake for some time - it is about the only place on the Mediterranean where it doesn't just amble in.
9th October
Today we leave Greece and the bus is a little tense as no-one knows what the situation on the Greek/Turkey border will be. Penn has an alternative if things go wrong but I don't fancy going up into Bulgaria, southern Russia and into the wilds of Kurdistan. As we come to the border zone we see lots of troops and guns and we wonder... but the border is as quiet as a graveyard, no traffic, no tourists, and no open tea shop. We cross over OK. Then we see the Turkish army. Poor Greece, they wouldn't stand a chance. We are bowling merrily down the road when we hear gunfire and see a field battery shelling the hillside. They are practising but we can see the shells bursting and Martin puts his foot down and we speed away.
Arrive in Istanbul right in the middle of rush hour. Every town in the world must have this problem and the traffic was very heavy. Hotel Hyham was nice in itself but right in the middle of "down town Istanbul". Streets full of various sellers, garbage and crowds. Paul, tongue-in-cheek says Penn picked it so we could experience the true atmosphere... That's another word for SMELL.
We are in the middle of several mosques, it is the time of Ramadan, so five times a day, starting at about five o'clock in the morning we had to bung up our lugholes or suffer. Ramadan proved quite a bugbear as you never knew if banks or anything else would be open or not, and towards the end of the month of fasting people got a bit tense.
Here we go...
2nd October
Travel all day through magnificent mountain scenery. Pass through 74 tunnels, some brick arched and some just carved through the rock and you take your chance. Come to Macedonia where we see the old Turkish influence in the ladies baggy trousers.. Everything seems to be carted by donkey and cart. Whilst picking up some diesel we watch a gang of school children happily filling up a well with stones. Our bus windows have a special lining so that whereas we can see out plain, they cannot see in. A blessing many times when we get surrounded. We often get a clever one who can read some English. Our bus has all the place names on the side. Wales to Kathmandu. We see some incredible expressions on peoples faces.
Get to Skopje. Hotel Panorama on a hill overlooking the new city. Really outstanding hotel originally built for an international chess competition, so you can bet they did their best to show all the others what a fine country they had come to. If hotels seem to feature a lot in this dribble it's because they got very important on our epic journey. After ten or more hours journey where you rested and ATE became an important issue and when I think and compare Hotel Panorama with others later on the mind tends to boggle... Thank God for a fair sense of humour, even if it did wear a little thin at times. Skopje is a modern town, rebuilt just eleven years after the earthquake. Like all tourists we take snaps of the railway clock, in ruins and stopped at 5.15, left as a very grim reminder.
Cross into Greece today. Scenery lovely. Peasants picking cotton, sugar cane, melons and grapes. Had a stop at the Valley of the Wolf - a river gorge where according to legend the river water will restore mens virility (and ladies). Almost every day an American named Hal would get on the bus and announce that the waters didn't work... he was 70! Today we pass by Mount Olympus, home of the Greek Gods, it's covered in swirling mists so we don't get to see them. Come to Trikala, our stop for the night. Hotel Divani, very good with trees all round filled with thousands of birds... Walk out at night to look for Paul's recommended resteraunt but must have taken a wrong road for we fail to find it. See huge meat "loaves" getting cooked on slow rotating spits.
3rd October
Onward today to go to Delphi but on the way we visit our really first big impressive sight. The mountain monasteries of Meteora. 2000ft up on the tips of sheer rocks they were originally only accessible by lowered ropes and you got your bread and milk by basket delivery. Our films clicked because there is beauty everywhere and the sheer skill of the builders needs to be recorded... It's tiring working our poor feet up all the steps so we take our lunch and wee stop in the tiny town of Meteora itself. As usual I go on escort duty to Hilda and Iona to a public toilet. It's the Asian STAND UP variety and had a fat old peasant lady as the "witch of the washroom". She won't let them in 'til they pay and refuses the small coin they offer, they know it is more than enough so argue and eventually push inside... Inside must be more than usually "typical" and trousers get rolled up to the knees and they take a deep breath... Re-emerging red in the face Hilda looks the old dear right in the eye and with no expression on her face at all says "I've got a good mind to report you to the local health authorities YOU DIRTY OLD SAUSAGE".
Delphi is a small town, 100% tourists. Hotel Pannassos is good but we pick a lulu of a restaurant for our first meal. Olive oil plus oil. PLUS. We now know why there is a world shortage of oil. They use it all in Delphi to cook with. We visit the "Oracle" but I don't think it worked for anyone in our party.
4th October
Free morning in Delphi for more sightseeing then short drive to Athens. On the way it's very hot so we stop on route for a cold drink, I get overcharged so pinch spoon to compensate. Hotel Cairo City, not too bad really but very small room and the toilet smells... All our group are in a kind of triangle block and as it's quite hot we all throw open the shutters. We find we can see and talk to each other just like in the fade out of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In". It's a lovely crazy half hour with Mrs Goldberg and chicken jokes etc...
We venture up into the main part of Athens. "Onion Square" (that ain't the way it's spelt), but it's rush hour and Hilda is a little tired so we return to the hotel. Our clothes are in sad need of a wash by now, we have joined the swill socks and pants brigade of course but the bigger things are piling up. We join with Kerry and Jane and go find a "Do It Yourself Wishy Washy Laundry" (Big Izal's name for a coin-operated laundry). Just opposite is the Greek equivalent of a Yankee Hot Dog Stall. We try our luck and they are called SOUFLAKI and are great. Kind of dough cooked on a griddle, filled with lamb keebub and seasoned with tomatoes and onions. Later find a restaurant in town that has its dishes out in the window on display. This suits the man who doesn't speak Greek, so point to "this one" and "that one". It's very good indeed so next night I escort about 20 there.
5th October
Take one of our best city tours today, the guide is a lady who knows what she is talking about. Go to the Parthenon, Accropolis and up inside the highest hill of Athens by means of a funicular railway. The church of St George is right on top and you get superb views out over the whole of Athens. Including the rock where St Paul is alleged to have preached to the Corinthians.
6th October
Took a long trip today with our own bus to view old ruins way down the Greek peninsular but when we got there they were all closed as it was Sunday. We did get to see one but the most interesting sight was the 4 mile Corinth Canal which cuts across and saves shipping something like 400 miles.
7th October
Leave Athens today to travel to Thessaloniki. We pass through a place called Thermopylae, site of the famous battle, three hundred Spartans held back the mighty Persian army of Xerxes. Not bad going, 300 putting the mockers on 300,000... Hotel Delta on the sea front, nice little port with floodlit buildings.
8th October
Through plains of cotton, vines and tobacco we go on to our lunch stop at the small port of Kavalla. Picnic on the sea front watching the ferry boats and fishing boats. Some of these have huge lights on the front for night fishing of herrings. Kavalla has an old aquaduct, a hill fort and one old man who conned a cigarette out of Hilda and then opened a package containing several packets.
Early arrival at our night stop Alexandropolis, the name is bigger than the place but it was very nice. Our hotel was right on the water's edge and many went straight in for a bathe. Hilda went in for a paddle and got her dress soaking but it wasn't long drying in the sunshine. Our bedroom was great but we were so near the sea the roar of the waves kept us awake for some time - it is about the only place on the Mediterranean where it doesn't just amble in.
9th October
Today we leave Greece and the bus is a little tense as no-one knows what the situation on the Greek/Turkey border will be. Penn has an alternative if things go wrong but I don't fancy going up into Bulgaria, southern Russia and into the wilds of Kurdistan. As we come to the border zone we see lots of troops and guns and we wonder... but the border is as quiet as a graveyard, no traffic, no tourists, and no open tea shop. We cross over OK. Then we see the Turkish army. Poor Greece, they wouldn't stand a chance. We are bowling merrily down the road when we hear gunfire and see a field battery shelling the hillside. They are practising but we can see the shells bursting and Martin puts his foot down and we speed away.
Arrive in Istanbul right in the middle of rush hour. Every town in the world must have this problem and the traffic was very heavy. Hotel Hyham was nice in itself but right in the middle of "down town Istanbul". Streets full of various sellers, garbage and crowds. Paul, tongue-in-cheek says Penn picked it so we could experience the true atmosphere... That's another word for SMELL.
We are in the middle of several mosques, it is the time of Ramadan, so five times a day, starting at about five o'clock in the morning we had to bung up our lugholes or suffer. Ramadan proved quite a bugbear as you never knew if banks or anything else would be open or not, and towards the end of the month of fasting people got a bit tense.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
1974 was the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, tense indeed.Ocelot Spleens4:03pm, 3rd May 2023
-
He has a lovely turn of phrasemerry minardi *hic*5:02pm, 3rd May 2023
-
Regardless of language, that's an absolute treasure to have.sallykate5:45pm, 3rd May 2023
-
Just catching up …. this is wonderful stuff! Do you think he counted the 74 tunnels?!♪♫ Synge ♪♫5:55pm, 3rd May 2023
-
"I get overcharged so pinch spoon to compensate" BRILLIANT! That would be my Dad.LindsD5:58pm, 3rd May 2023
-
Really enjoying this. Thank youLindsD6:01pm, 3rd May 2023
-
A wonderful window into the past.Corrah6:28pm, 3rd May 2023
-
Also enjoying this.Garfield6:49pm, 3rd May 2023
-
🙂Festive Flier7:35pm, 3rd May 2023
-
This is such a great readLittleDonkeyDaisy8:37pm, 3rd May 2023
-
I’m also enjoying thiscathrobinson8:54pm, 3rd May 2023
-
This is fascinating. I would like to see the route plotted on a map as my recollection of the geography suggests it’s not anywhere near an as the crow flies route.Bazoaxe9:57pm, 3rd May 2023
-
^^ agree a map of the route would be fascinating. Thank you!TeeBee6:59am, 4th May 2023
-
We travelled as a family through Sudan, Egypt and Greece in the late ‘70s and this story evokes some great memories. ThanksAngus Clydesdale7:49am, 4th May 2023
-
Loving this.Going Commando!
Maybe next years virtual challenge could be some of the route taken.8:54am, 4th May 2023 -
"See huge meat "loaves" getting cooked on slow rotating spits."Nicholls5954:39pm, 4th May 2023
-
Can we have the next installment now? I'm invested!Gooner3:18pm, 5th May 2023
Exactly fifty years ago, my grandparents took a bus from the Rhymney Valley in South Wales to Kathmandu. They were both in their late forties at the time. When my grandma died in 2016, we found an eighteen page typewritten account of their journey, written by my grandpa. I've had it in a drawer since then, but figured it was a good time to digitise it. Obviously it means more to me than to anyone outside the family, but I thought I'd share it with you.
Grandpa died of Woodbines in 1994 when I was 18, so I only really knew him as a young person, not as an adult. A few bits of the account below have not aged at all well. Most of all is the comment about the courier in the very first paragraph. I have no way of knowing if grandpa meant queer as in 'unusual' or 'gay' - but I'm still ashamed by it. I know things were different fifty years ago, and the Welsh valleys were no cultural melting pot - but it still makes me die a bit to see him say that. If there is a plus, the lovely courier appears to have broken through my grandparents' preconceptions and left a sufficient impression to merit a glowing reference. And the grandpa I knew never conveyed the same prejudices, so I hope it's something he really did learn from. I have left it in so that the account is verbatim, but please accept my apologies on behalf of my ancestor.
Ok, let's get started with the first instalment. Here's the first week of their journey:
23rd September 1973
We take an early morning taxi ride from our sleazy flea bag hotel in Sussex Gardens to Mayfair Place, near Cooks main travel centre. Our coach is waiting outside the colonnade entrance of the posh Mayfair hotel - and we are told "I'm Paul, your Courier". He looks about 24, got a queer haircut; but we later find he is 100% good fella who really knows his job and we are much indebted to him. Some of our fellow passengers are already aboard so we get our luggage stowed and sit.
We try to "sort em out" but we find that they are in the main OAP or senior citizens. More grey hairs or bald ones, and that's only the women! We fill in the first of OH so many forms and the time gets near for departure. Over the mike we hear a soon to be familiar voice say "Well, off we go to Katmandu". The short ride down through an Autumn Kent is pleasant and our companions seem likewise. The smiles are yet a trifle weak but we hear of a Mr and Mrs Jones, a Mr and Mrs Morgan so we think we have a fellow Taffy or two, even if only by descent... an American couple of 72, and an Australian Orange Grower with no Welsh ties whatsoever!
Have a tea break in a noisy juke box cafe and I remember saying to Hilda "What a dump". If only I could have seen some of the later "Chai Stops" I'd have kept my big mouth shut... we pick up one more passenger at Dover. A Mrs Eaton soon to be known as Margaret. We don't corrupt her too much but she is soon stealing bread from hotels for our picnic lunches, drinking beers and asking me to swear for her.
Arrive in Ghent. A small rather nice little town. Hotel St George. Very posh, ornate red plush curtains with pillows to match. The evening meal is £5 so we all jib and Hilda and I are first round the corner to a nice little cafe where we get some nice soup, steak and chips, and ice cream. Soon all the bus are there on our recommendation (first of many). Take a little walk round town to see a pretty floodlit church, then as it has been a long exciting day we retire early; just as well as we are off early next morning at the soon to be normal time?? Rev 6am Breakfast 7am Move Out 8am. And that's a lie in day....
24th September
Arrive in Heidleburgh. Stay in the annex of hotel some 400yds from the main building. Just us two nuts all on our todd but we have a whole suite to ourselves; two bedrooms, lounge and huge bathroom. I brew up my first of many cups of tea on our little "godsend" stove. Today is Sunday and the Frau Prop of the hotel won't have any money transactions in the hotel so we all have to pay Paul in the bus. Take our midday lunch stop in Cologne so we are able to visit the lovely Cathedral and see some folk dancers and an organ in the square. Cross over a very busy River Rhine.
25th September
Travelled on to Munich. Visit Olympic Stadium. We think it's ugly and Hilda says it looks like a huge spider's web. The TV mast is over 1000ft so they ought to get a good picture there. Cross into country #3 now. Austria. Very beautiful, snow capped mountains, pretty houses and lush fields. The very warm sunshine is much appreciated after our long wet summer.
26th September
Hotel Wilder Mann. Here we get our suitcases out of the boot. This may sound incidental but later on when you heard "Pack your overnight bag for four or even five nights" 'cos you don't get your main luggage till then. Getting fresh clean clothes can be quite a treat after five dusty days travel. As specified our overnight bags are small as they either have to go under your seat or by your legs. Roof racks are for coats etc as anything else might fall on some poor soul's napper on a lot of the twisting bumpy roads.
Innsbruck is a nice town, we think.. as most of the time here we spent in the hotel as it sure did rain - the only rain we were to see for the next ten weeks. We pay in the hotel to go on a city tour but in the rain we must have stood in the wrong spot and we finally gave up. Went to see the museum which was very interesting. To get out of the rain we dove into a restaurant and have to pay £1.25 for a pot of tea and two crummy hamburgers. Really starting to get to know our fellow passengers now and spend an hour in Jane and Terry's bedroom chatting. The are young Canadians. She is "our Nurse" and much appreciated later on by many of our gang, he is a school teacher and they have both been in Zambia for two years helping to get the country on its feet. Take our evening meal in the hotel with Americans, Big Izel and his little "Child Bride" Charlotte, Mr and Mrs Jones, our BABIES of 72 and the toughest people on the bus...
27th September
Leave early to pass through the Brenner Pass and over the Dolomites on our way to Italy. Lovely mountain scenery, snow and swirling mist and something I'd never seen before, a "frost ring" all round a peak in a definite line. Venice is another two day stop, quite a long haul from the bus park to our hotel. Hotel National, aptly described by Paul as "something of a rabbit warren". Miles of corridors and old fashioned furniture and a wardrobe door that opened on its own when you put your foot on the floor. The plumbing was fantastic if you like the sound of Al Capone's #1 Tommy Gunner. We are travel fresh so we laugh and go out into the warm sunshine. We have two good days sightseeing and go about most with our next door folk. Dot and Bay from Australia. Enjoy a pittza on the banks of the Grand Canal and admire Venice all lit up at night.
Spend day two looking down into San Marco Square from the roof of the church (yep, Hilda got up there too). See the clock strike and go into the Doges Palace. Huge wall paintings are fantastic, Old Venice sure saw some bloody sea battles. Cross over the "Bridge of Sighs" and Hilda takes a snap of that "last look of daylight". Decide to go off the main tourist track now and wander round the back streets, through little alleys and quiet squares, children playing football and small shops of woodcarvers and upholsterers. Find a lovely church in a small square so go inside and light a candle (do everything once in a lifetime). We meet up with another meandering couple. Kerry and Des, Aussies. They have been in Holland for a year on a tech training course and are using Penn to go home as far as Katmandu. Take our evening meal with two yankee ladies, Penny and Emma. Emma is a young 70 and has spent the last four years wandering round the face of the earth like Moses... Russia, Egypt, all over Europe and Africa, even spending a month by herself in a Masai village, living in a native hut.
28th September
Depart early to go through Trieste, weather very hot today but soon reach Adriatic coast which though beautiful in its way soon gets monotonous in its sameness, wild rocky slopes right down to the water edge. The water is an incredible deep blue and though I didn't count them I am quite prepared to believe there are "a thousand islands" there. We are on the coast road and though the surface is good there are S bends every ten yards which makes it a very hard job for our driver.
Arrive at Zarda, seaside Yugoslavia. Very posh hotel, Hotel Barbara newly built for the tourists. Dine out down on the front at Cafe Rico with two more wives, Margaret and Iona. Waiter cannot speak English so we order blind and get veal, chips and salad.
29th September
Very long day along the same coast, hills barren with small poor farms, many vines and goats. Several small ports, very pretty but all getting new high rise hotels for the tourist trade. Get to Dubrovnic which looks very nice from the very post hotel some six miles away, high up on a cliff. Hotel Platt. All English holiday makers, private beach and even a head waiter who fancied himself. English newspapers, really luxurious bedroom which we only appreciated later on cos we didn't know what was still ahead.
30th September
Laze on the beach this morning with Dot and Bay, buy fruit off a local peasant and view the bikinis. Try to view the topless too but Hilda won't let me. After lunch, take the hotel bus into Dubrovnic town. We walk around the walls, looking out to the sea on one side and down into the narrow streets and small squares with steep stepped alleys. We liked Dubrovnic and recommend it for a nice lazy sunshine holiday. (After a tea of ham and eggs I must say this or the tourist board will get me). Found a very pretty church with a sort of cave inside which had been decorated into a shrine. Have a late night "feast in the dorm".
1st October
Short ride today of only 120 miles. Leave coast road to climb up over the mountains, reach a height of 4000ft. Short ferry ride to save a long haul round. In the area of Pomegranates. Get to Titograd, modern and very dirty but an excellent super market so we stock up with goodies for picnic lunches and dorm feasts. Hotel Podora very nice and the banks of the river but as usual they don't finish the job and leave all sorts of rubbish about outside and it looks poor and unfinished.
Grandpa died of Woodbines in 1994 when I was 18, so I only really knew him as a young person, not as an adult. A few bits of the account below have not aged at all well. Most of all is the comment about the courier in the very first paragraph. I have no way of knowing if grandpa meant queer as in 'unusual' or 'gay' - but I'm still ashamed by it. I know things were different fifty years ago, and the Welsh valleys were no cultural melting pot - but it still makes me die a bit to see him say that. If there is a plus, the lovely courier appears to have broken through my grandparents' preconceptions and left a sufficient impression to merit a glowing reference. And the grandpa I knew never conveyed the same prejudices, so I hope it's something he really did learn from. I have left it in so that the account is verbatim, but please accept my apologies on behalf of my ancestor.
Ok, let's get started with the first instalment. Here's the first week of their journey:
23rd September 1973
We take an early morning taxi ride from our sleazy flea bag hotel in Sussex Gardens to Mayfair Place, near Cooks main travel centre. Our coach is waiting outside the colonnade entrance of the posh Mayfair hotel - and we are told "I'm Paul, your Courier". He looks about 24, got a queer haircut; but we later find he is 100% good fella who really knows his job and we are much indebted to him. Some of our fellow passengers are already aboard so we get our luggage stowed and sit.
We try to "sort em out" but we find that they are in the main OAP or senior citizens. More grey hairs or bald ones, and that's only the women! We fill in the first of OH so many forms and the time gets near for departure. Over the mike we hear a soon to be familiar voice say "Well, off we go to Katmandu". The short ride down through an Autumn Kent is pleasant and our companions seem likewise. The smiles are yet a trifle weak but we hear of a Mr and Mrs Jones, a Mr and Mrs Morgan so we think we have a fellow Taffy or two, even if only by descent... an American couple of 72, and an Australian Orange Grower with no Welsh ties whatsoever!
Have a tea break in a noisy juke box cafe and I remember saying to Hilda "What a dump". If only I could have seen some of the later "Chai Stops" I'd have kept my big mouth shut... we pick up one more passenger at Dover. A Mrs Eaton soon to be known as Margaret. We don't corrupt her too much but she is soon stealing bread from hotels for our picnic lunches, drinking beers and asking me to swear for her.
Arrive in Ghent. A small rather nice little town. Hotel St George. Very posh, ornate red plush curtains with pillows to match. The evening meal is £5 so we all jib and Hilda and I are first round the corner to a nice little cafe where we get some nice soup, steak and chips, and ice cream. Soon all the bus are there on our recommendation (first of many). Take a little walk round town to see a pretty floodlit church, then as it has been a long exciting day we retire early; just as well as we are off early next morning at the soon to be normal time?? Rev 6am Breakfast 7am Move Out 8am. And that's a lie in day....
24th September
Arrive in Heidleburgh. Stay in the annex of hotel some 400yds from the main building. Just us two nuts all on our todd but we have a whole suite to ourselves; two bedrooms, lounge and huge bathroom. I brew up my first of many cups of tea on our little "godsend" stove. Today is Sunday and the Frau Prop of the hotel won't have any money transactions in the hotel so we all have to pay Paul in the bus. Take our midday lunch stop in Cologne so we are able to visit the lovely Cathedral and see some folk dancers and an organ in the square. Cross over a very busy River Rhine.
25th September
Travelled on to Munich. Visit Olympic Stadium. We think it's ugly and Hilda says it looks like a huge spider's web. The TV mast is over 1000ft so they ought to get a good picture there. Cross into country #3 now. Austria. Very beautiful, snow capped mountains, pretty houses and lush fields. The very warm sunshine is much appreciated after our long wet summer.
26th September
Hotel Wilder Mann. Here we get our suitcases out of the boot. This may sound incidental but later on when you heard "Pack your overnight bag for four or even five nights" 'cos you don't get your main luggage till then. Getting fresh clean clothes can be quite a treat after five dusty days travel. As specified our overnight bags are small as they either have to go under your seat or by your legs. Roof racks are for coats etc as anything else might fall on some poor soul's napper on a lot of the twisting bumpy roads.
Innsbruck is a nice town, we think.. as most of the time here we spent in the hotel as it sure did rain - the only rain we were to see for the next ten weeks. We pay in the hotel to go on a city tour but in the rain we must have stood in the wrong spot and we finally gave up. Went to see the museum which was very interesting. To get out of the rain we dove into a restaurant and have to pay £1.25 for a pot of tea and two crummy hamburgers. Really starting to get to know our fellow passengers now and spend an hour in Jane and Terry's bedroom chatting. The are young Canadians. She is "our Nurse" and much appreciated later on by many of our gang, he is a school teacher and they have both been in Zambia for two years helping to get the country on its feet. Take our evening meal in the hotel with Americans, Big Izel and his little "Child Bride" Charlotte, Mr and Mrs Jones, our BABIES of 72 and the toughest people on the bus...
27th September
Leave early to pass through the Brenner Pass and over the Dolomites on our way to Italy. Lovely mountain scenery, snow and swirling mist and something I'd never seen before, a "frost ring" all round a peak in a definite line. Venice is another two day stop, quite a long haul from the bus park to our hotel. Hotel National, aptly described by Paul as "something of a rabbit warren". Miles of corridors and old fashioned furniture and a wardrobe door that opened on its own when you put your foot on the floor. The plumbing was fantastic if you like the sound of Al Capone's #1 Tommy Gunner. We are travel fresh so we laugh and go out into the warm sunshine. We have two good days sightseeing and go about most with our next door folk. Dot and Bay from Australia. Enjoy a pittza on the banks of the Grand Canal and admire Venice all lit up at night.
Spend day two looking down into San Marco Square from the roof of the church (yep, Hilda got up there too). See the clock strike and go into the Doges Palace. Huge wall paintings are fantastic, Old Venice sure saw some bloody sea battles. Cross over the "Bridge of Sighs" and Hilda takes a snap of that "last look of daylight". Decide to go off the main tourist track now and wander round the back streets, through little alleys and quiet squares, children playing football and small shops of woodcarvers and upholsterers. Find a lovely church in a small square so go inside and light a candle (do everything once in a lifetime). We meet up with another meandering couple. Kerry and Des, Aussies. They have been in Holland for a year on a tech training course and are using Penn to go home as far as Katmandu. Take our evening meal with two yankee ladies, Penny and Emma. Emma is a young 70 and has spent the last four years wandering round the face of the earth like Moses... Russia, Egypt, all over Europe and Africa, even spending a month by herself in a Masai village, living in a native hut.
28th September
Depart early to go through Trieste, weather very hot today but soon reach Adriatic coast which though beautiful in its way soon gets monotonous in its sameness, wild rocky slopes right down to the water edge. The water is an incredible deep blue and though I didn't count them I am quite prepared to believe there are "a thousand islands" there. We are on the coast road and though the surface is good there are S bends every ten yards which makes it a very hard job for our driver.
Arrive at Zarda, seaside Yugoslavia. Very posh hotel, Hotel Barbara newly built for the tourists. Dine out down on the front at Cafe Rico with two more wives, Margaret and Iona. Waiter cannot speak English so we order blind and get veal, chips and salad.
29th September
Very long day along the same coast, hills barren with small poor farms, many vines and goats. Several small ports, very pretty but all getting new high rise hotels for the tourist trade. Get to Dubrovnic which looks very nice from the very post hotel some six miles away, high up on a cliff. Hotel Platt. All English holiday makers, private beach and even a head waiter who fancied himself. English newspapers, really luxurious bedroom which we only appreciated later on cos we didn't know what was still ahead.
30th September
Laze on the beach this morning with Dot and Bay, buy fruit off a local peasant and view the bikinis. Try to view the topless too but Hilda won't let me. After lunch, take the hotel bus into Dubrovnic town. We walk around the walls, looking out to the sea on one side and down into the narrow streets and small squares with steep stepped alleys. We liked Dubrovnic and recommend it for a nice lazy sunshine holiday. (After a tea of ham and eggs I must say this or the tourist board will get me). Found a very pretty church with a sort of cave inside which had been decorated into a shrine. Have a late night "feast in the dorm".
1st October
Short ride today of only 120 miles. Leave coast road to climb up over the mountains, reach a height of 4000ft. Short ferry ride to save a long haul round. In the area of Pomegranates. Get to Titograd, modern and very dirty but an excellent super market so we stock up with goodies for picnic lunches and dorm feasts. Hotel Podora very nice and the banks of the river but as usual they don't finish the job and leave all sorts of rubbish about outside and it looks poor and unfinished.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
What an excellent snapshot of your family history and of travel 50 years agoRaptors claws are coming to town
In 1973, in somewhere else that wasn't a cultural melting pot, my parents and grandparents would have used "queer" quite freely to mean "odd" or "unusual".10:40am, 2nd May 2023 -
What a journey (so far)bigleggy10:54am, 2nd May 2023
-
Yep, queer would definitely just have meant odd or unusual at that time, with no other connotations at all.Cerrertonia10:55am, 2nd May 2023
-
My memory of the time and my parents/grandparents would probably have used that for any hair style longer than collar length.um
The thing that struck me was how long it took to get anywhere. eg 3 days to Munich.10:55am, 2nd May 2023 -
Wow, thanks for sharing! If only they'd been playing ConquerciseSigh11:07am, 2nd May 2023
-
Such a fantastic thing to have. Interesting anglicism of Heidelberg. Thank you for sharingLindsD11:14am, 2nd May 2023
-
Wonderful!Lizzie W11:25am, 2nd May 2023
-
Very interesting read and for some reason I can picture all the locations in the form of grainy, oddly bright postcards. It sounds like a journey that would be impossible today with maybe Iran and Afghanistan to go through.Ground HogFather11:33am, 2nd May 2023
-
This is fascinating and yes, I would take the queer haircut to be a strange/odd one. No apologies necessary.merry minardi *hic*11:43am, 2nd May 2023
-
Ocelot Spleens
11:51am, 2nd May 2023
-
Interesting to read of the bus trip through Germany downtown Austria. My nan used to do that as her annual holiday. She liked Austria.Ocelot Spleens11:53am, 2nd May 2023
-
I read that as "odd"D25*xy4aXma5name!12:04pm, 2nd May 2023
-
That’s quite the coach trip! Lol at “handburger”God Rest Ye Merry Pothunter12:05pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Whoops, that's my typofetcheveryone12:06pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Jibbed - not heard in that context! Thanks for sharing!2triornot2tri12:37pm, 2nd May 2023
-
So looking forward to the next instalment great readGus12:52pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Fascinating! And I truly believe he meant 'queer' as 'peculiar' - I was still living in the Welsh valleys then and don't recall it being used in any other way.LittleDonkeyDaisy1:12pm, 2nd May 2023
-
This is absolutely fascinating.Andy ClawS Is Coming To Town
I concur that "queer" appears to be being used to mean "odd".
I'd swap your GP for my casually* racist grandparents any day of the week.
*And often not-so-casually: my GF in particular absolutely loathed the fact that I was the son of an Irishman. Many's the time I heard him use the expression that got "Oliver's Army" cancelled...1:14pm, 2nd May 2023 -
What they all said!^ Thanks for sharing this.Ness1:49pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Wow what an adventure and like those above I'd have read that as odd.Festive Flier2:04pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Very interesting. I did the first bit (as far as Innsbruck) on a bicycle, sleeping overnight in a bivvy bag beside my bike, in 1972, to meet some friends and climb in the Zillertal Alps. It was very interesting to compare your Grandparents Cook’s Tour, and the plush accommodation, with my more primitive bivvy bag and ‘foraged’ food.Canute2:05pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Really interesting, thanks for sharing!roberton
And to add to some of the others, I do not agree with your reading of the first paragraph.2:11pm, 2nd May 2023 -
From the OED:McGoohan
Queer fellow: an eccentric person
Strange, odd, peculiar, eccentric, in appearance or character. Also, of questionable character, suspicious, dubious. queer fellow, an eccentric person; also used, esp. in Ireland and in nautical contexts, with varying contextual connotations2:13pm, 2nd May 2023 -
Goodness, what a journey. Looking forward to the next instalment.In the bleak midWinniefree2:21pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Very interestingUltracat2:33pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Yes I agree with with the other comments about the word queer. There are lots of words we find offensive now that were originally completely inoffensive and innocent words. But then people start to use them as insults…Fragile Xmas Ornament3:15pm, 2nd May 2023
-
I imagine Cologne came before Heidelberg.ChrisHB3:21pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Yes I thought so too Chris, but the first sentence of the paragraph could reflect the end point of the day, with the rest being recollections.fetcheveryone3:23pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Of course, "queer" as a word was once entirely innocent and meant simply "odd", then it was used pejoratively, and then adopted and used with pride (Pride?). English changes from generation to generation, and as someone who was a boy when your grandparents went a-travelling, I sometimes have to stop and think about whether some terms are acceptable! (I am the target demographic for my employer's Diversity training!)3FrenchMs
Great travelogue though! Imagine going to Katmandu by coach!4:06pm, 2nd May 2023 -
Intriguing impressions of their journey. Queer would have been unusual or odd in this context.Garfield4:08pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Amazing!JCB4:36pm, 2nd May 2023
-
Very interestingJingle Jaks6:33pm, 2nd May 2023
-
I've read a few other accounts of people taking the bus from London to Kathmandu in the early 1970s, but they tend to have been twenty-something hippies. I'm looking forward to the rest of this.Cerrertonia9:32pm, 2nd May 2023
-
It’s an interesting read… what an adventure for them to take! Looking forward to reading the next instalment.cathrobinson10:31pm, 2nd May 2023
-
What an account and what an adventure, thanks for sharing this. Back then there was the "Magic Bus" too that took mainly hippies across Europe to the mystical east! Fabulous to have that history of your Grandparents who were able to live a much more free life than seemingly we do today.steve45
I was surprised at the price of a pot of tea in Insbruk...£1.25 which would have been quite a price back then.
Like several others above, I agree...I was 24 years old in 1973 and certain words hadn't been "hijacked" and used widely as they are today... being a regular Welsh Valley visitor (I was born there) and living in Cardiff the word "queer" referred to guys with long hair or wearing outlandish hippie clothes (like I did!). Incidentally the use of the word "queer" was first used in relation to homosexuality in 1894 but not widely used thereafter by general society.9:24am, 3rd May 2023 -
Lovely stuff! And that episode finished on my 3rd birthday!Joopsy7:31am, 19th May 2023
April was a bit of a flounder after March, but overall I can't complain.
Here's my April graphic:
Mileage was back down in the eighties. Most obviously, this is caused by a few big gaps in my training. I spy two 4-day gaps and one 5-day gap - so getting out there was a bit of an issue at times.
My pace increased from an average of 9:17/mi to 9:09/mi - although I'm not seeing this as a good thing necessarily. The majority of my runs are supposed to be easy-paced, but I've been slipping into a slightly faster gear, and letting my HR drift up as a result. But on the plus side, the one quicker run gave me some improved benchmark times - new bests for the year of 24:38 for 5k and 40:37 for 5mi.
It's time to check the April goals:
1) Let's see if I can average sub-1260 beats/mile across the month. ❎
No. The average was 1271, and I'm currently typically just under 1300. Not awful, but at best a flattening out.
2) Maintain 75% in Z0 and Z1 heart rate zones.❎
Tied to the above, I only hit 62% in Z0 and Z1, with a tendency to drift into Z2 (24%). I have tried using a HR alarm to remind me to back off, but I am clearly ignoring it. Wondering about trying (shock, horror) a pace alarm instead to keep my easy runs easy.
3) Knock out another HM, or at least a couple of 10 milers.❎
Well, I got one ten miler, so it's a partial credit. It felt pretty good too. Came out at sub-1:30, which is good for me for a relatively relaxed run.
4) To help with the speedwork, 10% in Z4 &Z5, however it comes.❎
I did one tempo run, and it was pretty good. A mile warm up, then four miles at what I felt was 'effort' pace (7:50,759,8:01,8:01), then a recovery mile. I was expecting to rack up some time in Z4&5 here, but didn't really hit Z4 until the last effort mile. A reminder to myself that it felt pretty good! And maybe nudged my 'default' pace for the rest of the month that little bit quicker.
5) Build OWS to an hour-long session by the end of the month, if weather permits. ✅
I made a great start by swimming at the lake on April 1st, but then didn't swim again AT ALL until April 30th. But in that time, the lake had warmed up from "OMFG my head hurts" to "ooh, this is alright, innit?". So I swam three laps of Box End on Sunday in 57 minutes. Good job too, as K has pointed out that there are just over two months to go until the BWS
6) Definitely get a couple of bike rides in. Just for fun :-)❎
Hah! Nope. I did buy some chain lube though, got the mould off the gloves, and pumped up the tyres on *Katie's* bike. So it's progress, albeit small.
7) STILL DON'T GET INJURED BECAUSE I'M ENJOYING MYSELF ✅
Big win here though. I am still upright, and everything appears to be working.
Here are my goals for May:
1) Let's stick with sub-1300 for beats/mile in an attempt at realism.
2) Get back on the easy pace, with 70% in Z0&Z1.
3) Total run mileage > 100.
4) Three tempo runs. Most of my good UTMOST times expire this month, so it'd be good to come up with some replacements.
5) Build OWS swims to a two-hour session by the end of the month.
6) Any sort of bike ride
7) STILL DON'T GET INJURED BECAUSE I'M ENJOYING MYSELF
If you want to build your monthly infographics, here's the link:
fetcheveryone.com/training-summary-monthlyinfographic.php
Here's my April graphic:
Mileage was back down in the eighties. Most obviously, this is caused by a few big gaps in my training. I spy two 4-day gaps and one 5-day gap - so getting out there was a bit of an issue at times.
My pace increased from an average of 9:17/mi to 9:09/mi - although I'm not seeing this as a good thing necessarily. The majority of my runs are supposed to be easy-paced, but I've been slipping into a slightly faster gear, and letting my HR drift up as a result. But on the plus side, the one quicker run gave me some improved benchmark times - new bests for the year of 24:38 for 5k and 40:37 for 5mi.
It's time to check the April goals:
1) Let's see if I can average sub-1260 beats/mile across the month. ❎
No. The average was 1271, and I'm currently typically just under 1300. Not awful, but at best a flattening out.
2) Maintain 75% in Z0 and Z1 heart rate zones.❎
Tied to the above, I only hit 62% in Z0 and Z1, with a tendency to drift into Z2 (24%). I have tried using a HR alarm to remind me to back off, but I am clearly ignoring it. Wondering about trying (shock, horror) a pace alarm instead to keep my easy runs easy.
3) Knock out another HM, or at least a couple of 10 milers.❎
Well, I got one ten miler, so it's a partial credit. It felt pretty good too. Came out at sub-1:30, which is good for me for a relatively relaxed run.
4) To help with the speedwork, 10% in Z4 &Z5, however it comes.❎
I did one tempo run, and it was pretty good. A mile warm up, then four miles at what I felt was 'effort' pace (7:50,759,8:01,8:01), then a recovery mile. I was expecting to rack up some time in Z4&5 here, but didn't really hit Z4 until the last effort mile. A reminder to myself that it felt pretty good! And maybe nudged my 'default' pace for the rest of the month that little bit quicker.
5) Build OWS to an hour-long session by the end of the month, if weather permits. ✅
I made a great start by swimming at the lake on April 1st, but then didn't swim again AT ALL until April 30th. But in that time, the lake had warmed up from "OMFG my head hurts" to "ooh, this is alright, innit?". So I swam three laps of Box End on Sunday in 57 minutes. Good job too, as K has pointed out that there are just over two months to go until the BWS
6) Definitely get a couple of bike rides in. Just for fun :-)❎
Hah! Nope. I did buy some chain lube though, got the mould off the gloves, and pumped up the tyres on *Katie's* bike. So it's progress, albeit small.
7) STILL DON'T GET INJURED BECAUSE I'M ENJOYING MYSELF ✅
Big win here though. I am still upright, and everything appears to be working.
Here are my goals for May:
1) Let's stick with sub-1300 for beats/mile in an attempt at realism.
2) Get back on the easy pace, with 70% in Z0&Z1.
3) Total run mileage > 100.
4) Three tempo runs. Most of my good UTMOST times expire this month, so it'd be good to come up with some replacements.
5) Build OWS swims to a two-hour session by the end of the month.
6) Any sort of bike ride
7) STILL DON'T GET INJURED BECAUSE I'M ENJOYING MYSELF
If you want to build your monthly infographics, here's the link:
fetcheveryone.com/training-summary-monthlyinfographic.php
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.
Comments
-
Pretty good then. I also struggle to keep my HR low.LindsD9:14am, 2nd May 2023
-
Good luck with your targets for this month.Ness9:27am, 2nd May 2023
-
Plan your work and work your planFrosty The Bowman 🇸🇪10:00am, 2nd May 2023
About Me
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!Blog Archive
Expand All
2024 (125)
December (4)
Chewie, we’re home!
Pics for 2024 :-)
Counterintuitivityness
Progress at the flood house
November (10)
Spam Audit
Granville... fetch your cloth
Orange is not the only fruit
Saddle Up
Beat that, Andy Dufresne
On the train
m
Swittle's Bench!
Escape to Meriden
Secret Santa
October (16)
New KML export button
Triathlon Loitering
Tagging in blog comments
New blog buttons
Disaster Strikes!
New badges!
Bat renovation
HQ
Up-stickering
It's not magic, it's you!
Join us for the Doctor K Cup
The sun was shining...
My dear old things...
Copernican Revolution
A polite no
Pass the spanner
September (6)
The Doctor K Cup - 19th October
Big Scary Project! :-)
Tea towels on their way
Please excuse the lag
I'm back :-)
It was 20 years ago today…
August (12)
DESIGNS REVEALED: Fetch 20th anniversary shirts and vests
Schrödinger's Holiday
Look what I've got!
Finally, a bit of progress
May UCAS be fruitful
Get your pre-orders in :-)
13 spots left...
26 spots left...
Filling up nicely :-)
20th anniversary commemorative tea towel :-) GET IN QUICK :-)
Morienteering Badges :-)
Wheat Intolerance and Barr's Strawberryade
July (16)
Would you do it for a Scooby snack?
Play Along
Pilgrimage
Site down for a short while this afternoon
Attention Chrome users
Pace Analysis
Picture Usage tracking
Nice beats per mile graph
Thanks for the donation Jeff Bezos :-)
F'laps 2024 is done!
F'laps - three laps in
Me in Women's Running magazine :-)
Add A Race - Usability followup
#dogsandwivesatpollingstations
Cadence Filter - a little tweak
F'Laps Leaderboard - help me kick the tyres
June (11)
Today’s Task
Here's something cool
F'Laps - get togethers
Forum tagging
F'Laps - broken delete link :-/
F'Laps - your opportunity to withdraw gracefully :-)
Usability - look what's changed
RW Refugees welcomed
Oscar's Everyone Day
New training entry view is live
Snap Poll :-)
May (7)
Easy Street
Track me on Sunday
V2 Training Beta
New Training Log Beta
Five Noahs
Diamanté Celebration Spatula Kit
Marmite Excalibur
April (13)
In case you haven't cancelled it yet...
Weasels and spiders
Blog Listings Change (nowt major)
Six New Badges! Adding pics to Conquercise zones.
Night Races - Can you help?
Sifting Chunks: Gradient versus Pace
Audible Free Trial - You get free audiobooks, I get five quid!
A donation from JH
Andy Townsend :-)
GCU50: Citizen on Patrol
Fetchpoint: The Game - Where I'm Headed
Fetchpoint: The Game - a consultation
Heavy Roller please
March (11)
I can eat fifty eggs
Oscar the Grouch :-(
If a Fetch fails in a forest...
Trialling a new weekly update email
Lasting Power of Suspicion
Fetch Virtual Challenge 2024 *bunting*
Swittle's Funeral
Cadence
Tea & Trails Podcast
Down to my last pen
A bench for swittle
February (8)
The Lightning Struck Tower
Swittle
Cholesterol
This year so far in pictures
Three Noahs
Fetch is as strong as you make it.
100k - what do I need?
Paywalls are BS: I'm on a podcast!
January (11)
Chasing Round Numbers - A Cautionary Tale!
MOTM - Decision Made (and a competition for EVERYONE!)
MOTM - a chance to rethink
Training Home Page updates
How much walking will I do?
Training Plans - Further Updates
Training Plan List
Butter Police
Why no app?
Useful Chat!
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
2023 (136)
December (6)
Nearly forgot...
Jam today
Removing another bit of Google's invasiveness
Fancy an extra challenge over the next 12 days?
Chewie, we're home!
Two tips for today's advent challenge
November (13)
Spammy McSpamface
40 days and 40 nights
EfM confirmed!
New Training Log Beta! 😲 (aka Change Is Not Good)
Escape from Meriden
Waiting for your training?
Route of the Century?
I didn't know I owned a nutcracker
Design our anniversary shirts/vests!
Holiday Reading - plenty of fiction :-)
Swimming in a metaphor
Hello
Off World
October (11)
Fl'update
To think I tried to mop it up!
Vote Please: How many F'Laps will you try to do?
F'Laps 2024
Long Run
So it still needs a name...
Front Garden Ultra?
The Boy is a man!
Festive Fetch Calendar
Creative K's
Signs
September (7)
Training Edit Screen - time to ditch it...
Stock check
The Doctor K Cup - October 7th!!!!
Removing the training edit screen
A Happy Applecart
Happy 19th Birthday!
Forgotten pictures
August (14)
Just in case
Weekly Total Hours
Dim Brys Dim Chwys
All hail our robot overlords!
Your local parkrun
Fool on the hill
Survey Follow Up
A survey?
Did you know?
I made a thing
VC Day
FBI Agent
What keeps you going?
Be careful what's in your paste buffer (and July training update)
July (13)
Delight
Respecting your eyeballs since 2004
Hot Stuff, coming through
Ocean Colour Scheme
18 years, 10 months, 13 days and counting...
Ooof #fail
Our listings need you!
Pics from the end of the swim
A whispered, half-remembered dream
Try the Heatmap!!!
Teaser
100 Running Words (and my June summary)
July Virtual Mile
June (8)
Last Big Swim
I can't be the only one...
Which is the real me?
#EveryoneDay
The legendary sixth samosa!
WSW Main Page Layout Changes
May Summary (contains swimming!)
Hoodies pre-order closes at 10am
May (17)
A new WSW challenge
Tagging images
Hoooooooooooooodies!!!!!!!!!!!
Another Sweatshop Competition
Did you get an email?
Fifty Years Ago - Part VIII
Fifty Years Ago - Part VII
Fifty Years Ago - Part VI
Help on a slippery slope
Fifty Years Ago - Part V
Fifty Years Ago - Part IV
Fifty Years Ago - Part III
Chuck-off: Round 2
Not my king?
Fifty Years Ago - Part II
Fifty Years Ago
And that was April
April (10)
Centurion Safari!
Sheep treats (and a routes feature)
And I’ll sail her up the west coast, through villages and towns.
15,746 places to 💩
Track Your Blood Pressure
A couple of quick fmail updates
Rusty Metal and a Cycling Grudge Match
Please help me kick the fmail tyres!
Onset of Summer Watch. Have you got Onset of Summer? +fmail!
Premium?
March (10)
And that was March
Try the new fmail system
Can you help my boy?
Tell A Friend?
Some Sweatshop Competitions
Sign up to our 2023 Virtual Challenge
Review: FORM Smart Goggles
UTMOST vs Treadmills
33,258
Embranglement!
February (13)
And that was February
This year's Virtual Challenge
What does Points make?
Automatic Everything Collector
Peaky Finders
FAO Fitbit users
My favourite training graph
You've got this.
Coffee Survey (for my stepson)
Access all the tips
Tiny Usability Changes
Cod science
Hot Tips
January (14)
Monthly Infographic Bug Fixes
No, but really...
Have a play with the monthly infographic
It's not ready yet, but...
Introducing Fetch Premium
Help me design a new Monthly Infographic...
Still following?
Fettle
Definitely Not Betting
Do you follow? (plus burp chat)
Advance warning for stalkers!
I'm back (and the Fetch LS, SS and NS shirts preorder is open)
Attention Fitbit Users
Review 50 albums in 2023 (badge!)
2022 (144)
December (8)
Treasure Hunt Day 1 - the best gift
Important updates to the Fetch Relay
Introducing the Fetch Relay 2023
Who Am I? (Solved, thanks) And How Am I?
Confessions :-)
12 Days of Christmas Treasure Hunt
Chewie, we’re home!
A few pics from the Foffice :-)
November (24)
Yesvember - Day #30 (and Festive Fetch Calendar Eve!)
The Fetch Festive 160.934 :-) [Yesvember #Day 29]
You'd better watch out... (plus Yesvember Day #28)
Brace Yourself (and there's one spare bobble hat!) and Yesvember - Day #26
Hats in the post! Plus Yesvember Day #25
Look what arrived!
Yesvember - Day #24
Training Graph Manager - usability update (Yesvember Day #23)
Yesvember - Day #22 - Cheating?
Last chance to enter the Advance Performance comp
Yesvember - Days #11 thru #14 (plus Jumpy Boy)
Weather on the training home page watch. Have you got weather on the training home page? (Yesvember - Day #10)
Oh, and... it's Yesvember - Day #9
Another bit of the internet fenced off
Yesvember - Day #8 - taking steps
Yesvember - Day #7
Yesvember - Day #6
Yesvember - Day #5
The curse of swimming GPS
Yesvember - Day #4
The Les Mis effect
Yesvember - Day #3
Yesvember - Day #2
Yesvember - Day #1
October (15)
October gives way to Yesvember!
Anyone fancy a threeway?
More thoughts on races
Racing, post-pandemic
Contracts exchanged!
Competition Time!
Last call for Flobble Hats
A record year for swimming?
Woburn Lido
Order your Bobble Hat! If you like.
I appear to have entered a race! (plus new Garmin import queueing system)
Eric the Eel
Get your hobbit on
The Doctor K Cup: Saturday 8th October!
I felt the touch of the kings and the breath of the wind
September (16)
Take This Bus To Cuba
Fetch Bobble Hats
Trumpeting
Training View tweaks (switch maps, game overlays, mile markers)
Training View tweaks (and a play button bug fix)
A long ride and a cold swim.
Play Button
UTMOST Wava & Bike Division Rebuilds
New UTMOST leagues for cyclists and WAVA fans
The Doctor K Cup
Chance encounters
Do I ditch our Facebook stuff?
A keeper, from my feedback inbox...
Ultra distances - update
Adding ultra distances to Fastest Fetchies league.
Try the new Training Groups pages
August (11)
Training Groups Update - Coming Soon
Garmin Queue Issues
Donations without reference numbers :-)
New Elbow Laws
No longer the 3398th fastest Fetchie over 10k!
Pulling counties into league tables
What was I thinking?
County Champion?
Just bear in mind that you asked for this.
Wahoo and Coros users
How to make half a million quid (batteries not included)
July (6)
Club Listings
Book giveaway :-)
Updated Race Portfolio
Updated Targets Page
Exactly ***1*** Spare Ladies L Cycling Jersey
Search All Blogs :-)
June (10)
Imagine you could search all the public blogs...
Banking Scandal at Fetch Towers!
7pm on Baker Island #everyoneday
#EveryoneDay - Sunday 26th June 2022
Spare Challenge Coasters
The North West Passage
Feature Request Voting - Know Your Limits!
UTMOST Division 8: YIKES!
Shepperton Weight Gain Programme
UTMOST Division 9! Sub-50 10k :-)
May (16)
Four hours left :-)
Division 10: No hope of escape?
Book giveaway :-)
Division 11: No place left to hide
New HR Analysis
They're here! Well, not exactly *here*, but...
A quick Darth Mode update
Darth Mode! And a few biscuits for the hyperdrive.
Division 12: Two hours of pushing broom
Dark Mode: Beta
PB Potential? Fancy a quickie? ;-)
Division 12: Running Out Of Road?
Thank you everyone!
Making UTMOST moves :-)
Do you want a Fetch shirt?
I did my UTMOST :-) (plus new sharing infographic)
April (7)
Today's plan
NEW UTMOST BADGES!!!!!
A plug for some races
Raspberry Pavlov
Win a book :-)
United Colours of Cross Training
A little Streetview adventure
March (11)
The lockers are a pound.
Advice for Gym Noobs!
Feedback made easier
#EveryoneDay June 26th 2022
Fetch Virtual Challenge 2022 🎈
Thanks Chunky: parkrun routes!
Sniffer Dogs
Yikes!
Fetch Cycling Jerseys - Update
Route Plotting tweak
The Crow: A Pipedream!
February (7)
Fetch Kit Spares
Updated Race Listing Pages
Introducing Rundle!
I appear to be training for an OWS event!
Fetch Cycling Jerseys!!!
Does you wantz free shoez?
Post Office tomorrow - kit spares
January (13)
Updated Flanci Design (now with more Fetchness)
Badge Collection Graphic!
Updated elevation trace
Book Lists :-)
Updated sharing infographic - do you like it?
Spare Fetch Kit
Badge page refresh / feature requests
Flanci / Fetch Leggings
New Badge Pages
New hill badges
Join me on my fitness journey!
Are you the farmer?
Blog every day challenge - finishers
2021 (187)
December (14)
Book List
Ten years ago today...
A big slobbery elephant snog.
If you don't like hills, this must be getting tiring :-)
When does a hill end?
Hill finder - prototype v2
Hill Finder - prototype
2022 Targets
Chewie, We’re Home! Happy Fetch Independence Day!
Embed badges, plus a new badge :-)
Updated people page
Seeking map
Streak Watch
The new Fetch buffs are here…
November (23)
Almost there...
The Fetch Library
Update your thread titles
Ascent dissent
Mute a thread
Shortcuts
Training Import Queue
I fell off (but not really!)
Croeso i Fetcheveryone. Ydych chi'n siarad Almaeneg, Swedish neu Eidaleg?
New mobile nav
Last call for shirts
@
Just a trim please
Brought to you by wind power
300 miles later
Golden Ticket Shocker!
Banjobax (aka KOG)
Home and Away kit preorder - with long sleeve option
A little competition - win a copy of Daniels' Running Formula
Garmin testers - thanks
Add your grub stops!
Points Of Interest: Grub Stops
Garmin-owning testers wanted
October (19)
New home and away shirts and vests
Benchmark league - a few more updates
Benchmark league table
Hill areas
Preorder is now open!
'b'uffs then
Necktube design #1 & #2
Buffs (well, neck tubes)
Report dodgy GPS stuff
An apology for people who follow my training
New cycling and swimming badges
New Conquercise Feature: Grids
Sprouting a tiny biking antler :-)
Have a try of the cycling gradient analysis
Struggling with my big ring
Cycling: gradient vs pace
A question for cyclists
For Doctor K
Shan't.
September (14)
New comments (FID 1212)
Forum post previews
Garmin imports with a snippet more info
Gallery upload options
Golden Tickets
"No need to panic donate", says Williams
Forum Quotes
Spoiler Alert!
20th of March and all that.
Have you signed up yet?
This bit of crappy Upminister nearly cost me my f***ing life.
A guide with no pages
To steal a catchphrase from a wise lady...
Multiple choice polls
August (11)
Pre-Race Training - Updated
A connection!
New Member of the Month sponsor
Best Weeks - bug fixes
Your Best Week Ever
Rainbow Kit - preorder is open
Age Bests - filtering out the mistakes :-)
Sign up, sign up, for the Doctor K cup
A message from my lovely wife ❤️
Another batch of rainbow kit?
Spares: Event Clips, Swim Hats and a few rainbow tops
July (10)
A bunch of site goodies :-)
Hello kitty
Holy Simmering Mercury Batman!
Settings
A heart rate question
Sleepy Shuffle?
365 graph
Slipping on ma noob shoes
Meatronomes
World's Sexiest Bridges
June (11)
Benchmarks - a *tiny* little improvement
Race Leaderboards - some small improvements
Race Finder - Update
Up there ^
Routes - more updates
Last call for FE Event Clips
Server update
Minor code problem
Some little updates to your route list
Feature requests - two years on!
More than just a rainbow
May (8)
Rainbow Kit - update on delivery time...
Fetch Ron Hill Cycling Jerseys
Pre-order your rainbow kit now :-)
Jimi Hendrix vs Run DMC
The return of parkrun - a poll
Something in the woodshed...
Default to walk
A tour of the Fetch Office
April (11)
Instabanned :-)
I has Instagram
Fetch Event Clips
FERC
Castle Challenge Coaster!
My chess rating
Jab - symptom watch
This just in...
REVIEW: XMiles selection box
Let FE pay for your coaching qualifications :-)
Castle Challenge - A Quick Blog
March (18)
The Fetcheveryone Castle Challenge
Running vs Cycling Cadence
Fetch vests and shirts (and swim caps)
Elevation vs Follow Roads
£500 of England Athletics courses up for grabs!
TomTom users
Music by year: 1993
10k Analysis: Part 7 - Length of Training Runs
Music by year: 1992 (plus some 1991 additions)
Bot sniffing win :-) plus daily blogger count!
User profiles
10k Analysis: Part 6 - Training Pace Again
Time to update your injuries :-)
User profile - sticker button.. EDIT and race standard
More user profile adjustments
User Profile tweaking
Cute story of the week*
10k Analysis: Part 5 - Training Pace
February (17)
Year on Year mileage comparison
Elevation graphs
It's all kicking off in chess club!
Music By year: 1991
10k Analysis: Part 4 - Weekly Training Habits
Tagging virtual races
Chasing rainbows
Rainbow Shirts
Lance!
Blog writing improvements
10k Analysis: Part 3 - Accuracy of human predictions
Music by year: 1990
Smacking bots
29 slices - my seven days of dinner
10k Analysis: Part 2 - Age and Performance
Pass it on
10k Analysis: Part 1 - Distribution of best 10k times
January (31)
January
Mobile Usability Team Helping All Fetchies...
Salmon Ramen Recipe :-)
Salmon Ramen (for TBR)
Backup dog
The best GPS watches in the world... volume 1
Pick it...
People who liked...
Obscure bugs
Zen & The Art of Heart Rate Training
FIT file import - temporary issue
Keep the change, ya filthy animal
The honeymoon is over
Dirty data
Mobile Usability
Oops
Readership!
Stay sticky
It's Hip To Buy Squares
Related Threads - Exposé :-)
The Batshit Association
Jobs
Tag Team
Feed the monster!
An ad for Fetch Chess Club :-)
Estimating VO2Max
Three little birds
A not uncommon swelling
Church Mouse January
Honey, where's my super suit?
Not here.
2020 (128)
December (6)
Blog A Day 2021?
9 years ago today
Chewie, We're Home! Happy Fetch Independence Day :-)
Be Prepared
Becoming an effluencer
A few Fetch Mugs left
November (10)
The Festive Fetch Calendar is back!
FIT file import
Mugs!
Thank you, mysterious Fetchie!
Chess
UTMOST in the age of COVID-19
This'll cheer you up for sure...
Lost in translation?
Annual Infographic... updating now.
In theory...
October (11)
Training Plan Analysis
Mini plans with the training plan
5k with The Boy :-)
Welcome to tomorrow
Thank you
Become tradeable!
Pre-Race Training Volume
Doctor K Cup Week
Last orders
Advice for a friend
Trader Makeover
September (6)
The shop is open!
Hoodie Colour!
New Fetch Hoodies
A big up/holler!
VO2max
A benchmark derailed by GPS data *nerd*
August (8)
10k analysis
Officially a Sheepy Shuffler!
Pi Watering
Pre-order Avoid Everyone Face Masks
I got sent these...
Other sites? :-O
Benchmarks - an infinitely configurable set of ladders.
Try the monthly infographic :-)
July (10)
Update on Monthly Training Infographic
New Infographic
Monthly Summary (with a little tweak)
A quick Garmin update
Open Water / Wild Swimming Database
Avoid Everyone - spares
OWS Locations
Thread-level search
New Sharing Graphic & New Pastures
My first lamp post
June (16)
Replacing the Who's Training page
Combining some pages
In pursuit of the Gridmaster Ultra
15th Anniversary Kit - Spares
Shoelaces
A new How To video
Training Plan Updated
Black Lives Matter
Avoid Everyone Spares + Second Batch
Wikipedia page
Another YouTube video for sharesies :-)
Getting data to Fetch from **other places**
Feature Voting - some further updates
Feature Voting - speeded up
Another How To video - this time, Conquercise
Fantastisches Tweeten
May (13)
A video for sharing
Bees!
Fetch Introductory Zoom Presentations
A promise to all Fetchies
Fetch Virtual Weekend: Replacement Bus Service
How has Fetch use changed?
Fetch Weekly Virtual Races
Zoom Meeting - Thursday 9 til 10am
WAVA Standards Update
WAVA Standards + Poll
Fun with Age Grading :-)
New Badges Day
The test shirt fabric has arrived :-)
April (14)
Zoom Podcast - watch the video
What is WBC?
If you did the free Amazon trial...
Some small amends (and shirt version)
Pre-orders open
I was only joking, but...
If Fetcheveryone did lockdown merch
Site outage - Thursday 16th April 11pm
On exercising responsibly
My Sports Quiz - how would you have scored?
Your creative thinking required
WBC My Favourite Teacher (a bit later than the deadline)
Updated Training League
Server Downtime, Thursday 9th 00:01BST to 04:00BST (and thank you!)
March (13)
New Fetch Game: Hide and Seek
Free trial of Audible
Do you have a good memory?
New Opt-In for Fetch Miles
New Badges for Fetch Miles
The Fetch Five: Don't Let CV19 Win!
Amending event dates and notifying of cancellations
A green light comes on over your head, and you can get on with life
Most Popular Shoe Brands 2019
A review
Android: Session I
Compare Your Training
Book Now to avoid disappointment :-)
February (10)
Imports from Suunto, Fitbit, Polar and TomTom.
Plot A Route - mobile improvements
Happy tugging!
Something to play with
Adding A New Feature
February Treasure Hunt
Server Downtime
Miles = Smiles
Build Your Mile
Pop Will Eat Himself: Update
January (11)
Clarence the Cadence Kitten
Trim your trails :-)
Seven Day Leaderboard
Let's try that again
Some minor blog amendments
Try the new Forum Search Prototype
Pop Will Eat Himself
A card from HowFar?
Thank you HowFar? (Statement, not a question)
Take the red pill
Climb every mountain
2019 (134)
December (7)
The Christmas Poem
Where your treasure is...
Listen to the dog breathe
Chewie, We're Home
Thursday's Challenge
Which GPS?
Fetch Shop (of sorts)
November (12)
The zeroth challenge
Polar users - auto import
Calling all Polar users
Mobile Optimisation
Calling all Android users
Did your ads disappear?
Pin that sucker down :-)
Easier tagging
Category now editable from VIEW
Kit now editable from VIEW
Working towards tagging
Manual Add Training bug
October (16)
Boring Cricket Blog
Books Part 2
Books :-)
42
Training tags Part 2
Training tags
Let's Jazzercise
My precious
Cricket Week 4: Footage :-)
Forum Training Threads
Benny Neutrino Returns
Cricket Week 3: Wingardium Leviosa!
Benny Neutrino's Filter Tips
Cricket Week 2
Continuing Amazon Affiliate Saga
In case you haven't seen...
September (11)
Updated: Spare Anniversary Kit
Affiliate links
I did a cricket!
Fetch365 - enjoy responsibly
Filth
My dear old things
Buddies vs Follow
Server Invoice Day
Our new MOTM sponsor
Fetch Power!
Race Listings: Please Read
August (5)
Everyone *rainbow*
Almost there...
Quick blog
Country Badges
A new set of badges
July (6)
Pre-orders open
Anniversary Shirts v2
Fetch 15th Anniversary Shirts
Fetch Fest 2020
Shout Outs
Missing imports from Garmin yesterday
June (13)
Who Squares Wins: 64 screenshot
Who Squares Wins: 64 Player Edition
Training summary - older pages
Training sub-menu rejig
Try the infographic
Steady Edina
Annual Summary Infographic
The height of daft things
The training summary - the morning session
The training summary - a wordier blog
Try the annual summary thing
How to listen to the Fetch Podcast
12 month summary mega-graph!
May (15)
£79.99 off the bottom line
Competition
parkrun reviews - now with routes
Fix It Friday; Project Joker Week 2; and some shout outs.
Fetch Kit Cupboard Sale
The bonus ball
Project Joker - Week 1
Fix It Friday
A quick update on the server
Fetch 15th Anniversary Kit
There is a good service operating
Oof.
In case you're wondering...
Trouble auto importing from Garmin?
Fix It Friday: Stuff that came to me in dreams
April (12)
Feature Voting - now with virtual badges :-)
The moment of triumph!
New Feature Voting
Fix It Friday: What would your horse be called?
Marathon Pacing: tyre-kickers required
Fix It Friday: Back to Basics
Podcast Poll
Fix It Friday: The League Of Everyone
Dom, dom, dom, I've got DOMS, I've got DOMS!
Crouch, Touch, Pause.... longer pause... what am I doing again?
Training Log - Update
Site Update: New Font
March (15)
Fix It Friday: An Endless Mission
Naming and faming :-)
2nd in my age category!
Fix It Friday: Brought to you by Surprise Inset Day
New training log
Route Matching - Ready :-)
Fix It Friday
What's your unit of measurement?
Ciderthon competition
Fix It Friday: Stroopwafels of Doom!
Route Matching - Update
This week's cool list
Me in the river
Big Fetch Miles 2019
Fix It Friday: Fingerprints!
February (13)
A Maths Challenge
Fetch Legends: Activate!
Whose coat is this jacket?
Fix It Friday: The Fix Awakens
Joining the awesome list...
Fix It Friday
Naming and faming :-)
Fix It Friday - Monthly Summary
Training Month Summary
Podcast Q&A
If you can't read this, don't panic.
*redsaber* The force is strong with these Fetchies!
Fix It Friday *bluesaber*
January (9)
Some shout outs :-)
Fix It Friday!
Podcast Ep 3, plus some naming and faming :-)
Fix It Friday
Fetch Chaos
Oooh! Second chance Berlin trip! And new subbers, podcast episode, and Trader.
My week of running
Naming and faming - this week :-)
Naming and faming :-)
2018 (138)
December (8)
A Christmas Message (in podcast form)
Rungeon :-)
Hey, Everyone!
France Trip Vote
Happy Fetch Independence Day
Actual free trip to France (incl. flights)
Litter
Sombrero's Lovely Cards
November (14)
Hoodies + other spares
Spare Fetch Kit
Festive Fetch Calendar 2018
Avatars
Book Giveaway - Can We Run With You, Grandfather?
Fix It Friday
Bedford Harriers Half - place offered
Updated Kit Bag
Family Fortunes :-)
Any adidas experts out there?
No Fixes Today - just two challenges
Big Fetch Mile Cardiff
Fix It Friday
Festive Fetch Calendar 2018
October (14)
Hello landlubbers
Embedded polls
Member of the Month
Fix It Friday
Spare Fetch shirts and vests
Abingdon
Fix It Friday
My Fetch Mile
One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner.
Fix It Friday - 'Ave It!
Automatic route matching
Automatic route matching
One last reminder for those cycling jerseys
Fix It Friday - Forensics and User Experience
September (14)
Fix It Friday
Server Downtime 2.30pm 26th September
Never Again
Fix It Friday!
Handling your weirdness
Cards ordered :-)
Just wondering...
Fix It Friday :-)
Try the Fetcheveryone Tutorial
40 days and 40 nights
Fix It Friday
ARION insoles - review part 1
Fetch Shirt - Black Ones, and sizing
Shirts and Vests Pre-Order
August (14)
Fix It Friday
Blog Height squished
Site Outage Last Night
New Mobile Nav
Fix It Friday
New feature - how you doin'? :-)
Sunflower spread
Fix It Friday
A new pre-race mileage graph
Fetch Social: Draycote Water September
Fix It Friday: The Supermarket Analogy
A run with _andy :-)
Suunto 9 Review
Fix it Friday
July (5)
Fix It Friday!
Five Get Wet In Devon
Big Glasgow Weekend - Part 1: Gies A Cwtch
Tom Williams Interview - Final Part
Glasgow Big Fetch Mile Results and Pics
June (17)
Abingdon Week 17 - P&D Booster rockets
Interviewing Tom Williams: Part III
Walking League (and one just for Nellers)
Follow Roads - continued
Week 18 in the bag
Tackling turds
Abingdon Marathon Training: Week 18
Interview with Tom Williams - Part 2
Server
Five Questions (ready for serious answers)
Kick some tyres for me
Interview with Tom Williams - Part 1
Five Questions
Follow Roads saga
Google maps progress, plus Abingdon plans
Training Summary - Infographics
Who Squares Wins - ranking update
May (10)
Training log maps converted
More mapping updates
Who Squares Wins - The Wizard's Hat
De doo doo doo... another one bites the dust...
Invisible changes
Silverstone 10k
Three year throwback
Why your support makes the difference
Some high mileage Fetchies
dryrobe winner
April (14)
Interviewing Tom Williams
Swimming Caps!
#finishformatt
New batch of shirts and vests
You make big mistake my friend
Fetchpoint
Glasgow Big Fetch Mile announced
Two tickets to the Running Awards
Pics from Dudley Big Fetch Mile
Notes for London Marathon Fetchpointers
Results from today's Big Fetch Mile
Who Squares Wins - prototype board
Attention London Marathoners!
New game - coming soon
March (9)
Intervals, Solidarity, Swimming and Fmail
Ready to give the new fmail a try?
More on fmail
New fmail system
Win a dryrobe :-)
For jabberknit...
Updating the Training Home page
Pics from Bedford Big Fetch Mile
Sledgends :-)
February (13)
Buffs On Sale
Big Fetch Mile Bedford
Vlog :-)
Marathon Talk
Important GDPR stuff - PLEASE read
A page of historical importance
Vlog :-)
Road Rash, Marathon Prediction and T-Shirts
This :-)
Capturing the dog
It's BACK!
Enter Wilmslow Half Marathon
An advertisement
January (6)
Local Fetchies - Opt In
Revealed: World's Best Shoes
How I chose the Big Fetch Mile venues
Big Fetch Mile 2018 - Venues & Provisional Dates
Try adding an image to your training entry
Mileage Targets 2018 - Update
2017 (147)
December (12)
Mileage Targets 2018
Thank you
Brownie Recipe :-)
Phew
Fetch Hoodies + Buffs SALE Update
Chewie, We're Home
Fetch Hoodies SALE - what's left
Fetch Hoodies! SALE!!! (and Buffs available too)
Chewie, We're Home
Sharing pics
Fetch Jingle Mile Cambridge photos
Glorious Failure: Bedford Harriers Half Marathon
November (20)
Serpents, hamstrings and inversions
A special anniversary approaches...
Hamstring and prototype updates
Training Log Prototype - Today's Improvements
Red Venom sale
For what it's worth...
Training Log Prototype - Update #2
Training Log Prototype - Update
Big Fetch Mile - venue hunt
RT for a Garmin
Training Log Prototype - To Be Fixed
fetcheveryone.com/amazon
The Weekly vLog (by me)
Thanks :-)
New Training Log Prototype - Available Now
Thanks for following
VLog - footage from the Cardiff Big Fetch Mile
Big Fetch Mile[s] 2018
Win a place in the Surrey Half
I vont to scan your barcode.
October (12)
Big Fetch Weekend :-)
Fetch Mile Results
Festive Fetch Calendar :-O
Calling Parkers everywhere!
In which I decorate a cake.
Regent's Park Fetchie Discount
Elevation in colour
"I didn't come here to walk to Sparta!"
New elevation info
Chicken Ballot-ine, with a side order of beef
New training log headers
Ballot day tomorrow - help needed
September (19)
Weekly vLog - COCONUTS!!!
River Thames Half Marathon
The lollipop update
On failing gracefully
Doctor K Day
Fetch Kit Sale - Updates
Weekly vLog
Fetch Kit Sale
Training Log View Update
Fetcheveryone Weekly? Vlog?
Fetchie Race Discount - Regent's Park 10k
Training Log Tags - Live
Training Log Tags
Weekly vLog - Derby Mile, and a pause to salute the legendary Doctor K
24 hours later
Doctor K donation page
Doctor K
Fetch Weekly vLog
Derby Mile - tomorrow!
August (8)
Race Prices; and an alien earworm
Straight outta Cromford - the Fetch Weekly vLog!
A Fetch vLog! With prizes!
Quick search location for sharing
New WAVA graph
Weird FIT file thing
Back from me 'olidays :-)
Linking race results to training log entries
July (12)
Race Pricing - crowdsourcing
Appdate for Android and iPhone
Inhalers
Fetch Mile - Cardiff?
Bookends
Race listing omelette
Coding and town planning
Please review your races
A2B winners
Motivational Sounds - the final 10
Two more Big Fetch Miles? :-)
Bedford Fetch Mile Results
June (19)
Big Fetch Mile
Motivational Sounds
Fetch fug - updated design
Fetch fug (available at the Fetch mile)
I've done the naughtiest thing ever.
Donating Blood - my Vlog
Fapp In the App Store :-)
Can I kick it?
A***biscuits
This just in...
For Bean
Your app status is Waiting For Review
A2B
Fetch Caps
Garmin Communicator Plugin
Fetch App - strong and stable testing
HTTPS is here
Fetch App progress
https access to the site
May (14)
Fetch App
Apostrophes
[Untitled]
[Untitled]
Site down at 11pm
Round and round the garden
Try the new home page layout
Server down tonight @ 11pm
Browser testers wanted
The Big Fetch Mile!!!
Site *NOT* down tonight. [cough]
Bluffer's Competition - Winner
Bedford parkrun timelapse
Return of the cap
April (8)
Fetchpoint (London and Milton Keynes!)
Base camp, VMLM
Bronze!
Just for D2
Off to the awards
Bloodvlog
Hoodies - it's on!
Updated Training Home Page
March (6)
'Train' page
Project Joker
Hoodies and Londons
Hands up, hands UP! Draycote Water 10
Bluffer's Competition
Project Joker
February (12)
Draggable?
Running Awards shortlisted
Route Plotter now with OpenStreetMap
Plan for Bluffer's comp
Update to Route Plotter
First update to the route mapper
For Angus
Virtuous Circles
Competition coming soon
Race Guide Ads
Club La Santa vLog
Fetch Fixtures
January (5)
Word Clouds
Buckets Ready
New Home Page
Do me a favour...
Limited Companies, filing accounts, that sort of thing
2016 (128)
December (11)
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
Five Years Ago Today
Pantsfest! May the stains be ever in your favour!
#FEXIT
Photoshop SOS
Attention: Fitbit users
Bedford Half 2016
Luton Fetchmob: Breaking Point
Vote Fetch!
Breaking news: Paris Marathon
November (21)
How to end a LiveChat.
Define wrong
TomTom Runner 3 Review - Any Questions?
Deliveryman
Movember: Project Beard: Day 24: Beardraggled
Festive Fetch Calendar 2016
We're gonna be in the Hudson
Hey Chiefy
I've written summat
Going Postal
A special mention
Training Log Beta
Spare Hoodies
Updates to Training Beta
Movember: Project Beard - Day 8 (The Seven Day Itch)
Vote for Fetch
Training Log Detail View - Some Changes
Aberdeen University Study
Consultation V2
[Untitled]
Fetchpoint - October Winners and November Prizes
October (16)
Alien nuggets!
Keeping a tight lid on the biscuit tin
Training Log Beta
100 Running Words
Pssst....
Fetchmob, December 3rd
Where to mob?
Little things
That All-Time Mileage League
The sudoku that keeps on giving.
Sub-25 for 1km :-)
Fetchmob - December 3rd
New Training Log Preview
Fixed the overlap...
Why the new training log isn't ready yet...
vLog
September (12)
Doughnut or Donate
Training Log - Sneak Peek
Fetch Shop Sale! Old stuff clearout!
vLog!!!
The consultation system...
Garmin support for timezone info
The GMT/BST/Timezone problem
Training Log Consultation...
Training Log - Consultation
Fetch Social Runs
Subscriber shirts, vests and hoodies, and determination.
Fetch Voluntary Subscriptions
August (3)
Ze Gryndylows! My first #OWS :-)
Testing Fetchpoint exclusion zones
Fetchpoint scoring system
July (7)
Conquercise Prize Draw?
Fetch Games: Checkpoints (and what's wrong with them)
More owls...
Your Favourite Fetch Game?
Even More Utmost Than Before...
Chiswick!
15 days later...
June (10)
Five days on...
[Untitled]
A quick thank you...
What do you think?
If you'd be so kind...
Poised
Which watch?
Run Bedford 10k
Import from a TomTom
Attention TomTom users
May (10)
Race Distance poll
An ungainly fish
A five year plan
What Club La Santa can learn from parkrun
Cream Me Up, Scotty
Greetings from Club La Santa
And a quick poll...
Club Charter
A poll about intervals
More owls!
April (11)
Robin Hood and his Merry Dad :-)
Warning: Dull - some screen res stats
Responsive Design Update
For all you marathoners
A Poll
Fetchpoint
Ditching the forum categories?
Moving to Responsive Design
Sandy 10: Be Kind To Horses
Owls!
For Adam and Jamie
March (11)
Bacon Smoke!
Benchmarks Update
Bath - Race Report
PB!!!!!!!
An annoying eight-year-old.
Let's Cook and Cut and Paste :-)
Let's Cook :-)
RIP Gramma
Book Winners
Dog farming
Site header update
February (5)
Book Giveaway
Pi Club
Pi Project Update
Because I'd like to check the blogging badges are working...
Crapruary
January (11)
Snooker Freak
Badges - Another Update
Unlockable Badges - Update
Unlockable Badges
TomTom Runner 2 Review
Gallery updates
Snowball coding and Fetch Unlockables!
Achievement Medals - what do you reckon?
Run The Sum
2015 Book List (and a bit of a review / plan)
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
2015 (175)
December (7)
Red Red Wine
A Poll
Gis a job!
Bedford Half
REMEMBER!!!
Vote for Fetch
Now you've hopefully got the idea...
November (13)
The Festive Fetch Calendar
Don't get excited or anything...
Slightly Dismal Friday
Pre-order your Fetch Buff now :-)
A message from our sponsor
Dr Fetch will see you now
Only the grumbliest, achiest chocolate... :-)
The Stanford Experiment
Buff Design
Snugs - Review
Love, Commitment, Support
The pre-wedding blog!
Good morning Fetchers, good morning Everyone
October (9)
Monthly Totals
Did you write a blog yesterday?
The First Rule of Web Server Maintenance
The gain line
Fectch
The zipper challenge!
Sugar daddy
Now in colour!
Competition Time!!!
September (14)
Teach your kids (or yourself) to code
Sticky Training Choices
Goodies: GetMore water and the Alcatel OneTouch Watch
Shirt size guidelines
This nearly made it...
Subscriber Shirt Design
I've got wood!
Humbled
New Beginnings
Some more questions answered
Swimming
Some responses to your comments
Standing on the shoulders of Fetchies
Funtleks
August (8)
24 hours in the south
24 hours in the north
Fetchies Assemble!
Thank you
Better knowledge than riches
Fitbit Urge
The villainous Mr Fetch!
Uncomfortable rear
July (8)
Why don't you play Conquercise?
Another week of strange training
Book Giveaway - Winners
GPS Reviews
Criteria for reviewing a GPS
Auto-bike-detector :-)
Win some bookses :-)
Half Way!
June (13)
Time Lapse Clouds
TomTom Bandit - very QUICK first impressions
My wings are like a shield of steel!
Running plus Cycling update
Embarrassingly...
Stalkers Paradise!
Recommend me a bike :-)
Holy Steamrollers Batman!
Rest day (no such thing)
Sqveeeeze!
We will now imitate the flight of a goose :-)
You made me ink! Snorkel safari :-)
Good morning from CLS :-)
May (10)
Club La Santa :-)
The AWESOME Power of Fetchies!
Home Insurance Shaftage :-/
Editing Forum Posts
The Future!
Some London Marathon stats
Walking On The Moon
Hardest parkrun?
New found wisdom
Week 1
April (11)
Marathon vLog
I owe some hugs!
And that concludes the voting from the Danish judges
Adventures in geocaching
Your video clips wanted!
Jelly with no spoons
Random Ultra
Suncream in my eyes - a review of 'Running and Stuff'
Books what I've read this year
Measuring the effect of wind
Wind Roses
March (18)
Watching the tide roll away
A great week of running!
Happy Jigs Wisdom!
Mobile Fetch
I don't do this very often...
Breathless Optimism
20 miles yesterday
This Week's vLog
Decision Trees and the sub-4!
Democracy Street
Mayan Maths
Bath Half (at last)
Still a chicken
Costume Drama in Bath
TomTom importing
Updated 'Train' page
Zonked
Nearly
February (29)
Pheasant
An Unexpected Journey
Wind picking up...
An unplanned kit alarm
Race Pace Test
2nd place
Week ends
Bounceback
Barking carrots
Bedroom pizza
Top of the mountain
Blogs get the mobile treatment
Supersonic Katie, and a marathon pace question
Back home
Racing parkrun ;-)
Unblocking the sink
Start in Darkness
Some times I'd like
Mobile Site - Forum Section
All-Time Leaderboards
Batteries
Sword fighting
PB Attempts
Duct tape and WD40
Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants
Lessons
Shoe horning
Training vLog Week 13
Big February Project
January (35)
Cake, invalidated
Small sips
LiRF, award shortlist, beginners, books, boy.
Dog Available :-)
Cutback
New Recipe Section
Lazy
Another threshold run
New Beginnings
Blah
But far more importantly...
Fetch Beginners Programme
Give it a go :-)
Training vLog - Week 11
Threshold Run (a running blog)
Long day, short blog
(Lack of) Pump Action
A thread to follow
This Boy Can
Local Leaderboards for Checkpoints
Choking.
February 18th
Godzilla!
The Travelling Checkpoint Salesman
Acorn Antiques
Bearing Up
Deleted Bridges and Dodgy Lasers
I'm Batman!
Healthy and Appy
Punch O'Clock!
The plan, then.
Ten mile toes
On Parliament
[Untitled]
Bold Claims, and a Challenge for 2015
2014 (262)
December (9)
A trip to Wales (vLog)
Christmas Messages from Fetchies
Various
FERC London Marathon Places - Draw
It's gone in my sock...
Festive Fetch Five
This Week's Training
To the Post Office!
Training vLog - Week 4
November (12)
I Am Groot!
Slightly Dismal Friday
Week 3 - in which I nearly drown my wife!
I said yes :-)
Free Daps! aka Test GORE-TEX® footwear this winter!
Training vLog - Week 2
More chances for VMLM entries
Marathon Talk
My first training vLog :-)
Second place?
In :-)
Questionnaire about personality traits amongst runners
October (16)
Adidas API
Horseplay minimiser
Running with the big dog
Flat and Windy
Who'd like to test the Garmin API then?
Advantage Borg
Deal?
Jumble
Milk Tray Reps in the Rain
Geneva
Quote
Hatfield 5k, and some other running thoughts
Site layout changes
Vote for Training Plans
Maths help
3-2-1
September (8)
A quick device poll
Garmin Connect API
Cake at the lake :-)
Empowering Women
This Week's Training
Tick :-)
Article help
First outing with the Harriets
August (7)
Book club and Harriers
A treasure trove for bookish types
What I did on my Summer Holidays
Local decoration
The Fisher King
Mojitos and no mosquitos!
Cake-athlon
July (26)
James Mason
Missing Week
Camping View
Wild Camping
Quick
Transalpine Race
In brief
Urgent! Pair of runners wanted!
Fetch Kit Available to Pre-order :-)
Fetch Anniversary Kit - Preview
API and FAK!
That dog has a puffy tail
More books
Reverse Moses
Zombies vs Plants
Shovel required
Nightfever
Dayfever
Catcher in the Rye
My sister the psychologist
Drink your strong limey drink
Keep me in the loop
Bread knives, hedgehogs and the dog in the night time
Whoops
Pinteresting
Q&A?
June (34)
Checkpoints video
Walden
Happy boys and giggly imps
Spring loaded
Elbow grease
Fetch 10th Anniversary Kit
Fetch YouTube Tutorial - Race Guide
Finding the Library folder on a Mac
Stoat!
Sonic screwdriver
Live wires
Wiring help needed
Garmin Express Experiment
Scalded sloth
Garminge
Potching
New Forum Layout
Further updates to the blog layout
New blog layout
First woodpecker
Beastin' parkrun
Pantoball
All was well
USA! USA! USA!
Marking Territory
The People's Poet Is Dead :-(
Holy Water
Throwing shapes
Life moves pretty fast
Recursion is beautiful
Win an OS Explorer / Landranger map of your choice
Intervals with a Suunto Ambit 2S
Tick
Economy done two ways
May (31)
[Untitled]
Vorsprung Durch Lego Technic
How do I liberate my boy from his XBox?
Questions?
Life in the Woods
Lazy
MovesMissed
Intervals with a TomTom
Electioneering
[Untitled]
Tree fluff
More camping
Zen and Camping
Not eaten by bears
Bear food
Camping List
Camping Venn Diagrams
Floppy dog
Routes but not Rathbone
Illustrator wanted
Masking
Highlights
The Cosmic Ballet Goes On
Silverstone 10k :-)
Quick one
[Untitled]
Superhuman snooker
Dogturdflagman
Numbers!
Whittlin'
Chapter 1
April (29)
King Bin
Quiet day on Feedback Mountain
Listing
42
Go directly to parkrun. Do not pass Godzuki.
A day in Wales
[Untitled]
Spanner
The Lost Diadem of Fetchbook
Falling asleep in my dinner
Egg
Sofathon
God gave rock and roll to you.
Sugar Mule
Not bad, consid'rin.
Tinkering
Can U Dig It?
A weekend in Wales
Looking forward to Oliver!
Thank you, and more App talk
RIP Nan
Blah
Appy
Pyjamas at both ends.
Thump. Saturday has started.
Sore tum :-/
Zombies aside... first impressions of the new TomTom
TomTom Runner Cardio Press Event
Am I pregnant?
March (31)
Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes
Sandy 10
#bedfordhappy
Me on YouTube
New graphs live
Follow the dot
Only the best for the Captain's table
Mrs Diahann Wagner is GOING HORNY
Sport Relief Win
Hot dogs, quick blogs
Toton Sidings
A sign!
Owen Farrell visualisation technique
Kebabs!
Booster fails to ignite
Myton Rugby Run (5 Miler)
Rugby before rugby
Sweetcorn antidote
Custard factory
Pooped
I did some intervals :-)
Speed work?
Many things
A bit cabbagey here.
Angry Wasp
Minty
Rainbow's End
Core Dump
Bath Half (in detail)
A quick overview
Down to business in Bath
February (28)
Made it to Bath
Unexpected hugs
Slider
I like to go a-wandering
Spring cleaning
Tongue-lolling
Because We're Worth It
I don't know what!
Thanks Jim
Enough now
Clearing the pipes
Crouch, Touch, Pause...
Medication, that's what you need.
Symptom Tour
Hello FBI
Dazed day
Why I'm an optimist
Mobius birds
Snotty knuckles
In this house...
Retch Everyone
Carrots
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
Ultrahalfmarathoner
Angry Birds
Belching
Clarkson averse
Good day :-)
January (31)
*bunting* *cake*
Bigger Boys
Zombies!
Pretending to be Saga Norén
Waiting for the AA
Ship shape
Readthrough
Technology takes you further
Love Garden
Cushions
High Heel Striker
Bit of a rubbish one
Ta
Hot Re-fills
Coding Grinch
An august prediction
Some Running Goals for Q1
Wipe-clean dog
Breaking it down
Snakes and Ladders
Bigger Ponds
Drink Your Weak Lemon Drink
All in All
Panning the pancake
Does JK Rowling own a dog?
Back to the kitchen table
Steve Davis shoes
Pigs on a water slide
Sloshing
Protocol
19 books :-)
2013 (29)
December (3)
Oh...
Engine Management Light
Hannibal Vector
November (3)
Speed skating
Stew-pendous
Cool Hand Grandpa
October (3)
Bookish
Minecraft Cake
Random dump
September (2)
Blog by Email!
Catchup blah
August (3)
Big Green Caterpillar
Questions answered - final CLS blog
Last Days at Club La Santa
July (10)
A nice morning of swimming and tennis
Please Read: Questions for a sports coach
Snorkeltastic
Hitting the straps
First Impressions at Club La Santa
Mile High Blog
Clocking off
For the second week running...
Another Club La Santa catchup
The Floor In The Plan
June (3)
Club La Santa
Bulk Uploading, and win a book
FERC Charities 2011-2012
March (1)
Bath Weekend
January (1)
Meet Steve
2012 (39)
December (2)
Tired Now Boss
Bath - Week 14 + Foodbank
November (3)
White Level Reading
Bath - Week 15
Bath - Week 16
October (2)
Onwards!
C'mon Dave
July (1)
RIP Arnie
June (2)
Rub some bacon on it
18 weeks
May (9)
Techy not tetchy
Time for a techy blog
Time to walk the dog
Stevington 12k
Properly coldy
Still a bit coldy
New blog design live
A bit coldy
Blogs Redesign
April (2)
Easter
SERIOUSLY LORD FETCH, SORT IT OUT
March (8)
A long run up
Running Tick
Weekend
Sport Relief Mile
Back once again
Swimming sweetcorn and other vegetables
Joy Rides, Sticks and Medals
Training Tip
February (9)
And...
Katie, ICT, and some more MySQL
May The Ground Force Be With You
Functions
Well done Batman.
Optimisation Crossword
Snow Days
Gallery, and parkrun
Pleased
January (1)
There Are Some Really Sexy Girls On Fetch
Comments