I've just returned home from a gig at the Museum of London and have driven through the worst fog I think have ever seen! It was about -4 degrees outside and the fog was so thick, we could barely see the fog lights of the car in front of us. Really eerie. The drive took about 5 1/2 hours.
I am now safe and sound snuggled in my duvet with a glass of wine, and some hot soup on the hob.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sun in Wales...(this time)
Well, after our last Wales trip, this weekend had to be better. In fact it was more than than… it was glorious!
I had Friday off work, so Matt and I went to Wales on Thursday night (well..ok, very early Friday morning…). Matt had an admin day booked so I was able to help him catch up on expenses that he has been too busy to complete over the past few months. On Saturday we woke up with the sun shining through the curtain!! ☺ We drove out to Betsy-w-Coed, to go biking. Seems like it’s the second time in all of our Mountain Biking trips in the UK where it didn’t rain, and the only other time it didn’t rain, it snowed!
The weather was beautiful - it was sunny, and there were hardly any puddles to ride through. We rode a 25km track though unfortunately 2/3 the way round, Matt was kicked off his bike going around a corner. ☹ His lefty fork needs repairing and there is a nasty chip in his frame. More importantly though, Matt is fine, God completely cushioned his fall, and he came out without a scratch. (mostly:)) Unfortunately, it meant we couldn’t go riding on Sunday; but we did catch up on more expenses for the day, which was just as extreme!
The weather was lovely, still a little nippy after sundown, but there was warmth in the sun for most of the day. It’s amazing how the weather can have a lasting affect on your mood. Such a refreshing break for us both.
Phew!
I had Friday off work, so Matt and I went to Wales on Thursday night (well..ok, very early Friday morning…). Matt had an admin day booked so I was able to help him catch up on expenses that he has been too busy to complete over the past few months. On Saturday we woke up with the sun shining through the curtain!! ☺ We drove out to Betsy-w-Coed, to go biking. Seems like it’s the second time in all of our Mountain Biking trips in the UK where it didn’t rain, and the only other time it didn’t rain, it snowed!
The weather was beautiful - it was sunny, and there were hardly any puddles to ride through. We rode a 25km track though unfortunately 2/3 the way round, Matt was kicked off his bike going around a corner. ☹ His lefty fork needs repairing and there is a nasty chip in his frame. More importantly though, Matt is fine, God completely cushioned his fall, and he came out without a scratch. (mostly:)) Unfortunately, it meant we couldn’t go riding on Sunday; but we did catch up on more expenses for the day, which was just as extreme!
The weather was lovely, still a little nippy after sundown, but there was warmth in the sun for most of the day. It’s amazing how the weather can have a lasting affect on your mood. Such a refreshing break for us both.
Phew!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Wales
We're going to Wales again tonight to go biking...let's hope the weather is a little better this time. (See post following)
Rain, Hail, Wind, Darkness – but no Snow!
In the week between Christmas and New Year, Matt and I went to Rowen, Wales for a little holiday. After a short relax in a friend’s cottage, and some lovely sleep-ins, we travelled out to Penmache, North Wales, to go biking. We managed to pick the one weekend the rain decided to fall, no, drench North Wales. Paddocks were transformed into swamps and roads were flooded, with water spurting upwards out of road drains.
So, we faced the rain with our wet weather gear; it didn’t seem all that bad on the first climb, just a little muddy(!), even if we couldn’t feel our toes by the half way point of loop 1. Feeling adventurous, we thought we’d give loop 2 a go, but we biked into wind so strong it pushed us up hills or swept us off course, depending on the direction of the trail. We pedaled through hail that dashed in sideways and felt like small pellets on our skin. On top of all this, being in the UK in winter it was a race against time to finish the loop and be back to the car before dark. Only problem is Penmache trail was new to us and we didn’t know how long the second loop would take. It was getting darker, the wind was getting stronger, and the hail was getting thicker. We were a little too optimistic.
In the end, thanks to lots of prayer we didn’t have to find shelter in a country house somewhere along the trail, and only just made it back to the car. We were exhausted, soaked, sore, but thankful.
We made it back to Rowen, just in time to grab a pub dinner just doors down from our cottage.
Phew!
So, we faced the rain with our wet weather gear; it didn’t seem all that bad on the first climb, just a little muddy(!), even if we couldn’t feel our toes by the half way point of loop 1. Feeling adventurous, we thought we’d give loop 2 a go, but we biked into wind so strong it pushed us up hills or swept us off course, depending on the direction of the trail. We pedaled through hail that dashed in sideways and felt like small pellets on our skin. On top of all this, being in the UK in winter it was a race against time to finish the loop and be back to the car before dark. Only problem is Penmache trail was new to us and we didn’t know how long the second loop would take. It was getting darker, the wind was getting stronger, and the hail was getting thicker. We were a little too optimistic.
In the end, thanks to lots of prayer we didn’t have to find shelter in a country house somewhere along the trail, and only just made it back to the car. We were exhausted, soaked, sore, but thankful.
We made it back to Rowen, just in time to grab a pub dinner just doors down from our cottage.
Phew!
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Sunny Day
It doesn't happen very often, but we had a nice sunny winter's day yesterday.
To the cynics who will say "that's not a sunny day", look at the shadow on the building to the far left... and you're welcome to come and live in Manchester whenever you'd like :-)
To the cynics who will say "that's not a sunny day", look at the shadow on the building to the far left... and you're welcome to come and live in Manchester whenever you'd like :-)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Broken Heater...
It's the middle of winter and our large, wall-mounted, heater broke last weekend...
I called an electrician in to have a look at the offending item and was told that the service charge for a dedicated Nobo technician to come out and replace it was more than ... and you know where that story goes...
After Googling for Nobo sales and technicians, I eventually found and called the UK Distributors, explained that the tiny, thermostat had broken and was politely told that if I emailed them my contact details they'd courier out an entire replacement heater together with easy-to-use installation instructions - totally free of charge.
! I very calmly explained that what I was actually expecting was a rude fight - where I was accused of sabotaging my own heater, a lengthly delay, a bill for their phone-based, 'service and advice', and no help finding a re-seller... amazing :-)
I called an electrician in to have a look at the offending item and was told that the service charge for a dedicated Nobo technician to come out and replace it was more than ... and you know where that story goes...
After Googling for Nobo sales and technicians, I eventually found and called the UK Distributors, explained that the tiny, thermostat had broken and was politely told that if I emailed them my contact details they'd courier out an entire replacement heater together with easy-to-use installation instructions - totally free of charge.
! I very calmly explained that what I was actually expecting was a rude fight - where I was accused of sabotaging my own heater, a lengthly delay, a bill for their phone-based, 'service and advice', and no help finding a re-seller... amazing :-)
Monday, December 31, 2007
I Have a New Friend!
And it beats Charlie! Yup, we have a new member to the Wysel household, and her name is ‘Butterfly’. She is a Specialized Myka, (for the boys…a girls version of a Spec Rockhopper). She is an aluminium hard-tail, 4”/100mm front suspension, Avid BB5 discs front and back, oh…and she has butterfly decals.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Shop Till...it Rains
A couple of weekends ago, I had a friend from work stay for the weekend. Though British, she has never been to Manchester, and sure enough her first impression of the place was rain…Manchester doesn’t muck around when it comes to being the ‘wettest place’ in Britain. Have I mentioned it rains here all the time? ;)So...what do you do when it rains in Manchester? You shop! So…we did. After some very successful bargains, we met Matt in the evening for a pleasant ale, dinner and cinema.
Davina – you sure can shop! ☺
Monday, October 22, 2007
Parking Police
It seems there's a community action team (made up of Porsche and Mazda drivers) who have been policing the car park under our apartments...
(sorry for the lack of recent posts; we've both been frantic at work and asleep all weekend. Jo does have a few 'draft' posts that will be published in the next day or two...)
(sorry for the lack of recent posts; we've both been frantic at work and asleep all weekend. Jo does have a few 'draft' posts that will be published in the next day or two...)
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