Off to Pickering

Tomorrow (or today if you're reading this on Wednesday 2nd) we're off to the wilds of Yorkshire with Dong and Auntie Sharon.

Dong is about to receive his Christmas present of driving a steam loco on the Pickering to Grosmont railway, as pictured on the left. The rest of us will wave him cheerily on his way before going off to do something that will probably prove slightly more interesting. I'm sure there will be some paint drying in the area somewhere.


Secretly, I'm rather hoping that we'll take a trip on the railway as I'm told the scenery is quite stunning and some of it can't be seen from a road - so it's either take the train or hire a helicopter (thanks to Bernard for the info). Don't tell anyone though, will you; I wouldn't want to be thought of as a rail enthusiast.

We're then going for a couple of nights in Whitby before heading back to civilisation on Sunday 6th. So this will be the last posting until at least then and probably until Bank Holiday Monday. It's possible I'll neglect Monday as well because it's Black Prince Day and I may have an ale or three through the day. On the Tuesday Nicky and I sail to Brittany for a few days, so postings are likely to be thin on the ground until around May 14th

I'll leave you for now with this most appropriate poem by John Hegley which I have no permission whatever to reproduce, but I'm relying on his evident good nature not to sue for royalties. It's from his collection "Beyond Our Kennel"; I heartly recommend buying a copy (perhaps through Amazon, using the link at the top right of this blog?)

Pickering to Grosmont

From Pickering to Grosmont

you can go by steam

that's what me and Nigel did

it was extremely eye opening.

Putting my head through a window

gave me a surprise

even with your glasses on

the soot gets in your eyes

Further up another bloke

was leaning through a door

looking at the moor,

he wasn't bothered by the smoke

because of what he wore,

he wore underwater glasses

he'd done this before

and I said can I have a go

and he said are you poor?

I said not particularly

and he explained that he wasn't a charity

organisation either.