As I sit here looking out of the window in between tapping the keys for this blog it’s raining. No surprise there as it is January.

But in the last two weeks we have had temps down to minus 5, we have had snow, not a lot but it was there on the ground settling, we have had warm sunny days where you could wear a T shirt and shorts. Well I could but then I would wear them in the minus temps also. And now we have had storms. Winds of 55/ 60 mph and rain and just as that storm blew through we have another storm forecast for today.

But none of this has stopped us doing things. On one of the nice days we went for a walk across the fields by the river. The river was in full flow because of the rain earlier but the sun was out and as we reached the gate by the pub, looking back the sun was lighting up the aqueduct and viaduct arches just as if someone had put lights under them. What a sight.

And of course we had to go in the pub for a couple of drinks. We always feel we have to support local businesses. And as we move around a lot it’s only fair to support pubs etc in other areas. Well that’s our excuse anyway and we’re sticking to it.

Nikki mentioned she had to go shopping for food which is something I don’t like and to be honest she doesn’t like me going with her because I mess about too much and I get bored. But it was a nice day so a walk first would mean we were both happy.

Tesco in Ellesmere is right by the canal so a nice flat walk and then into shop for shopping. Nikki made us a little picnic to take on the walk. Parked up and a great walk along the canal looking at the narrow boats as we went. Some with there wood burning stoves on which smelt great.

We spoke to a guy who had the job of checking the boat peaple had the correct licence and he said he walks up to ten miles a day and loves the job. A bit like a traffic warden but for boats and like he said but he is liked.

At our return point of the walk about three miles we decided to eat our lunch so stood on one of the small bridges over the canal talking about how years ago this little bridge would have been part of a track with horses and carts going over it. I don’t normally like doing walks where I come back the same way but with a canal walk you don’t have much choice unless you catch a bus back to your start point.

Now as I am getting older I am feeling the cold a bit more sometimes so decided to get my jeans out which I have had for a little while. I love the idea of wearing jeans and a T shirt etc but just feel overdressed.

I got my one pair of jeans out of the wardrobe wondering if they will fit me as at the moment I am a little overweight (or more cuddly) due to not doing a lot because of my injury etc.

And yes they fitted but Nikki said they were so outdated if I kept them much longer they would come back in fashion. So a plan was to go shopping to get some more jeans. But I hate waste so I suggested that if she cut these jeans off I would gain another pair of shorts. Sorted.

With the thought of going shopping and hunting down a pair of jeans I was thinking of ways to get out of it. I wanted some jeans and yes I could get some on line but then if they don’t fit you have the hassle of sending them back.

I started to look on line to see where we could go. A big shopping centre in Chester with a Levi shop filled with hundreds of pairs of jeans at about £100 a pair. Marks and Spencer in Shrewsbury with a good selection at £35 a pair.

So a train was booked for Shrewsbury and at the same time we could meet some friends for lunch, in a pub of course. So before we set off we were talking to our friends on site Simon and Becky and she said make sure you take six pairs of jeans in the changing room so you can try them all on rather than keep going in and out.

The train was half an hour late but we got to Shrewsbury in the end. Walked from the station straight up to Marks and Spencer into the men’s department. Picked up three pairs of jeans, tried the first pair on, liked them and showed Nikki and she liked them. Sorted, put the others back and went and payed for the pair I wanted. Easy this shopping lark.

Then went off to the pub to meet our friends for a beer and some food. Great to catch up with them after two years but the time went to quick. The train back was also late. When we came out of the station at Chirk again we took the wrong turning and ended up in the Hand hotel for a couple more drinks just to end the day off nicely.

My next walk was on my own, another canal walk. There is a pub called the Aqueduct inn which has a fantastic mural painted on the end of it. I have wanted to get a picture of it for a long time after driving past so many times.

So off I set one morning. Four miles later I am at the pub and have taken my photo. The pub was closed, bad timing by me but properly better really because I still had to walk four miles back home. So an eight mile walk just to get one photo. Hope you like it.

It seems I have done so many walks this last month, some with Nikki and mostly on my own. Two reasons for the walks on my own. Nikki says I walk too fast for her to keep up and I like to walk further. I do enjoy going for walks with her though. The other day we walked locally and I spotted a carving on an old tree trunk which she had walked passed before and not seen. The carving has things to do with the area like the aqueduct, a mine shaft, local church.

Nikki is away at the moment visiting her sister and boys for a week. Home alone and fending for myself. I might loose a bit of weight but will be glad to have a proper meal when she gets back.

Another frosty morning with a scatter of snow on the ground I decided to go for yet another walk up into the castle grounds. The sun was out and although the air was cold it was so nice to be outside with just me and the trees, birds, and I never saw another person on the Severn mile walk.

And the trees on site looked so nice the following morning with the sun making them look like they were red. Nature is just so nice. I expect most peaple on site would have not even noticed the trees.

So that’s me up to date as the rain is coming down and the forecast is for 60MPH gusts this afternoon I don’t think I will be going anywhere today. A day of chilling in a tin can. Nikki will be back in two days time so I can get some house work done today while I am stuck inside. Now where does she keep the hoover.

So here we go into 2024, another year which will mean another year older and for us another location. Scotland here we come, well not just yet but soon.

Before we talk about dry January and next year, I will tell you about the last bit of 2023. We visited our friends in Malvern on the way back from Devon. Kevin and Sheryl. It’s always good to see them for a catch up and a good time was had by all over a beer or two and some food.

We visited a couple of pubs and had an Indian takeaway which got delivered. It took an hour and half to get to us and they could not find us but when we eventually got it the wait was worth it.

Malvern is a stunning area with the hills as a backdrop but a very expensive area. We have visited the area so many times over the years to go to VW shows and motorhome shows at the Malvern show ground.

While out for a walk looking for photo opportunity’s I felt I was being watched. I looked around and all I could see was a squirrel, a jay, some pigeons, rooks all the usual suspects but they were all too busy to be watching me. I spotted some fungi near a tree which looked nice and as I crouched down to take the photo the feeling I was being watched got stronger.

And as I looked up I saw it. A face on the tree, a big old oak tree with a real old knarly face made from fungi watching my every move. I know most people won’t see the face and I promise at that stage I had not had a drink. Maybe it’s me that’s weird. Don’t answer that.

After a couple of days it was time to say good bye to our friends and head back to Chirk so I could continue getting my physio regularly at the same place. That way they can see my progress and adjust to suit. The arm is getting more movement and the pain although still there is getting less, but some days I do have a real bad day with it.

From where I sit in the camper I can see the sun come up because I get up early. To be honest the last few days/ weeks there hasn’t been much sun coming up to see. More like looking at the rain on the window.

But one morning I got a real surprise because as the sun was coming up the sky was turning a funny colour and the clouds were pearl effect in colour. This as it turns out is quite rare and they are called rainbow clouds. This happens with the highest clouds at 70,000 -100,000 feet and at a temperature of -80, now that’s cold. Then as the sun comes up it lights them up from below and the ice crystals that are on the clouds turn into these amazing colours.

I saw on the news that they had been spotted in different parts of the country and was so pleased to have seen them. Most people would have missed them by the time they got up.

Out for a walk on a non rainy day last week, well I think it was two weeks ago actually. The viaduct arches were lit up in the morning sun and as we walked along the canal towards a canal side pub one of the small bridges over the canal looked so nice, but that’s where the pub is so the walk stopped there and we headed into the pub to quench our thirst. It’s thirsty work this walking and we had forgot our water bottles. While in the pub we realised we were hungry as well so had a snack. To be honest we could have stayed in there all night but the light was fading and we like to walk back by the canal rather than the road.

The next day was also nice so never look a gift horse in the mouth. We were out for another walk and up in the tree was a squirrel collecting a bunch of berries for his winter stash. He just looked at us as if to say move on nothing to see here and you ain’t getting none of my stash.

So Xmas has come and gone which is great news for us as we don’t do Xmas. New year was a quiet affair but I was awake when Big Ben struck his chimes. I had actually gone to bed then had to get up and thought while I am up I will watch Jools Holland with his hootenanny show. So I watched that for two hours and went back to bed at 1.30am on New Year’s Day.

So that’s another year gone. Going back to the title of this thread, Dry January, you didn’t honestly think that I was going to do that did you. Well so far I have lasted one day January 1st Last year I managed 3 days.

At the beginning of March we leave here to go to the Lake District for a few days and then onwards and upwards into Scotland to start work in the middle of March. We are both looking forward to getting into Scotland.

Happy new year to all that follow our travels and adventures on here.