This is probably my least favourite day of the year, the day that presages the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Not all bad though as it marks the end of the main holiday season for boaters so it is also the start of a less busy and frantic waterway. I had two hire boats getting in to trouble right outside my boat yesterday, rushing to get back to their home base before close of play.

Off to Ellesmere on the No53 bus. Arrived, picked up my prescription from the pharmacy. Quick jog round to Tesco to get Onken on offer and some other goodies. Jogged back to the bus station where I caught the 499 to Oswestry which arrived with five minutes to spare before catching the No53 (actually the same bus I caught to go to Ellesmere earlier) back to St Martins.

Spent some serious time planning a summer (autumn) holiday. Criccieth out of the question, Seahouses out of the question, Alnick out of the question. Beginning to lose hope as the weather is awful for all of those places for the next week or so. Break for lunch. Investigated anywhere in Devon, Dorset, Cornwall that has good bus and train links. AI turned up Penzance and St Ives (and the surroundings). We eventually settled on St Ives and then frantically investigated train journeys and tickets to and from St Ives before booking the penthouse and rushing off to Gobowen to get the tickets, maxing out my credit card in the process. Looking good, we just have tomorrow to prepare as we are setting off at the crack of dawn on Saturday.

Last minute shopping for picnic stuff for tomorrow, packing, organising taxi for first thing in the morning and generally panicking.

Taxi arrived early, but that was no problem. This taxi driver was the epitome of helpfulness, unlike the taxi driver that picked up my No2 at Ellesmere. Arrived at Gobowen station with lots of time to spare, just as we planned. Although each transfer from one train to the other went smoothly the journey was still arduous as it took so long, eight and a half hours. The second leg from Newport to Taunton was punctuated by the antics of a girls day out at Weston-super-mare. The four of them and their compatriots were drinking from small plastic tumblers that looked like medicine measures. We were delighted when the disembarked at Weston-super-are and vacated a table seat which we promptly occupied. When we arrived at St Erth I rang ahead and booked a taxi to take us to the holiday let and was glad I had done so as just carrying the rucksack along the platform was too much effort for my lungs to cope with and St Ives is a very hilly place. The first thing to do was find a shop for milk and tea bags, which I did. Caught the last bus of the day to Tesco where I made my purchases. As there were no more busses I caught the train back to St Ives and found my way back to the holiday let, settled in and planned our first days activities.

Up early for a walk, checked the TV before setting off and noticed that MOTD was on so checked with my No2 if she wanted to watch. 'Go Away' was her reply. Off for my investigatory walk. Wandered around getting a feel for the area and popped in to a pasty shop to get a pasty. Opened my wallet only to find that I had no folding money in there. Paid with metal money and pondered as to where all my paper cash had disappeared to. The last time I used my wallet was at Tesco. A ha, must have dropped it there when taking out a fiver to pay for my shopping. First thing, off to Tesco to see if anyone had handed in my money. No such luck, someone else's need was greater than mine. Got a box of tissues and a packed of packets of tissues (our colds are still extant) and a couple of litres of milk. The next item on the agenda was a swimming trip for my No2 at Porthminster beach, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Iowner Sven dropped off the gas while we were on holiday.

Another swimming trip for my No2 at Porthminster beach, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Her main aim at all seaside venues is to swim in the sea. Spent the rest of the day taking a bus trip to Penzance and back. Only stayed a short time in Penzance as it looked far too commercialised for us. Caught the school bus back. None of the children offered to vacate a seat for either of us. My No2 found a seat and I made noises that I would like the schoolgirl who was spread out with her feet on the seat next to her that I wanted to sit there. She grumpily got up and moved to a vacant seat next to another schoolgirl, which left the double seat vacant for my No2 and myself. Back at St Ives walking back to the holiday let my No2 purchased a crab sandwich or herself for her evening meal. We continued wandering round town for a while as it was so pleasant.

Up early, as always, walk around town, found a takeaway breakfast for £7.50. Swimming, walk along the South coast path to Mans head to watch the surfers. Wandered back to the harbour as Google Gemini had told us that we had a 40% chance of seeing a seal in the harbour an hour either side of high tide, especially if the fishing boats were unloading. The fishing boats were not unloading but we did see a seal. Back to the holiday let via the crab sandwich shop. I popped out later for my customary Chinese while on holiday.

Wandered around St Ives looking for a burger for breakfast. Very few places sell burgers here and the cheapest was £17.50, I am not paying that no matter how many tomatoes and how much salad and how many cucumbers they put on it. Found the Coop and purchased six wholemeal rolls and four quarter pound burgers for £6.50, that's £1.50 per burger and 50p for the two spare wholemeal rolls, much more my style. Breakfast over and my No2's nap complete (she is having difficulty sleeping what with all the overnight and early morning noise going on) we set off to Porthminster beach for another swim. Equally as good as the previous two. Coffee and off to the harbour to see if the seal was there again. No, but we did enjoy watching the big fish and a lone sailor in a dingy with a lug sail tacking his way into and across the harbour to his mooring. Back to the holiday let via the crab sandwich shop and a quiet evening watching Outlaws.

Today's the rainy day. Leisurely start, a burger for breakfast, and then off to the Coop to get picnic provisions for the journey home. The Coop didn't have any pork and pickle pies, nor any plain crisps so I returned the rest of my potential purchases and made my way to Tesco where I got everything I wanted.
Bus back to Rooftop Rendezvous. Spent the rest of the morning investigating the black rock along Porthminster beach and the afternoon around the harbour hoping to see another seal. Some lads walking along the parapet of the sea wall spotted a sting ray in the water, and a woman we spoke to said she had seen a seal just outside the harbour wall. We did watch a fisherman unloading his catch of mackerel with a swinging winch.
Burger for evening meal then an hour packing up ready for the journey home tomorrow. Tried booking a taxi for 08:45 but the only slot available was for 08:10 so plumped for that.
An episode of Ludwig and off to bed.

Although the taxi was booked for 08:10 it did not arrive until 08:20, still lots of time. Got stuck, as expected, by various vehicles either making deliveries or collecting rubbish and the like as happens in St Ives. All the streets are just about wide enough for a car, or a transit van at a pinch.
Did get to the station by 08:40, still in plenty of time.
Nothing of particular note on the journey home, all the connections went off smoothly right down to the bus at Gobowen.
Pea soup for dinner, a couple of episodes of Doc Martin and off to bed.

First day back, off to Ellesmere on the No53 at half nine. Collected parcels from post office with just enough time to catch to 449 to Oswestry. Twenty minutes to get my shopping doen before the No2 bus leaves for St Martins. Basic shopping done, the 53 came before the No2 so got on that.
Back at the boat I used the new leather sewing kit bits to splice a loop on the end of the braided rope I have.
Investigated possible holiday venues for after my next eye appointment and decided on a cottage in Saundersfoot for five days week commening 21st.
Made a fruit cake and started a new onion bag made from the remains of the super king size sheet that I cut in two to make two fitted sheets for my No2's bed. Saag Aloo (vegetarian shepherds pie) for dinner.

Completed the onion bag. Not delighted with it so made another but this one has a zip in it. Repurposed the old (new) onion bag as a potatoe bag and made a hook to hang it on the back of the galley door underneath the onion bag.

Caught the but to Gobowen. The woman bus driver was adamant that our bus pass was not valid. I showed the email from Arriva saying that it is valid but I don't wthink she could read it. We both sat down and let her carry one . One of the passengers had a conversation with my No2 regarding this situation and agreed wholeheartedly with us. By the time we got to Gobowan train station to book our tickets to Saundersfoot we were both on out high horse and extremely angry. Containing our anger we got our tickets. As the next bus was the No2 into Oswestery we caught that and did a little shopping. Cught th No2 back to St Martins annd were told again that our bus passes were not valid. I explained to the driver that he had broken the law by telling us that and he let us on with no further ado.
This experience triggered a strong desire to get thos sorted out so I spent the next couple of hours interrogating AI as to the best way to tackle this situation. The whole thing got excalated from a simple driver error to a major breach of +health and safety amonst other things. I sent emails to Shropshire County Council, Arriva, The Bus Ombudsman and the local MP.

Neither of my journeys today were recorded and one of the drivers again told me my bus pass was not valid. Reported this to Shropshire County Council.

Shropshire Council got back to me, they have taken my issue up with Arriva and I am told that action is being taken to rectify the problem.
Neither of my journeys today were recorded.

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Taxi arrived while we were at the bus stop. Arrived at Gobowen with plenty of time to spare. Train journey uneventful but pleasant, interspersed with picnics and train changes. I have noticed that younger people are becoming very helpful when it comes to getting our rucksacks up on to the overhead racks and down again, perhaps our age is showing. At Saundersfoot the walk to the holiday let was peppered with several stops to catch my breath but we managed it. At the property we found five or six air fresheners which we promptly put in the garden shed. Unpacked, settled in and planned our next day's itinerary, mostly mooching around Tenby, my No2 realised that she had not packed her loaf of olive bread which decided the major definite objective for tomorrow morning.

Started the day's activities with a walk around the garden, both extensive and interesting. It won an award this year. After breakfast, walked into Saundersfoot to catch the bus at The Arcade and book the taxi for Friday morning. Waited for the bus and when it arrived it was already full so as the waiting passengers boarded and packed themselves in we decided to give it a miss and catch the next bus. Time for a look around Saundersfoot. Found a source of crab sandwiches. Saundersfoot beach looks more than adequate for a swim, so made a mental note of that. Off to Tenby. Arrived, found Sainsburys and purchased a loaf of olive bread, some rolls and some burgers. Back to the bus stop where we dived in through the hole in the town wall along a passage of a couple of hundred feet and out the other side. Found a bakery at which to purchase a pastie, a crab sandwich and a couple of cups of coffee. Consumed our repas sitting on a bench overlooking North Beach with a view of Pier Hill, Tenby Castle and Tenby lifeboat station. After lunch we wandered along to South beach. The weather was superb so my No2 decided that today would be a good day for a dip. Found a cave just big enough to get changed in and off for a swim. She tells me it is the best swim she has ever had so we plan on repeating the exercise tomorrow. More wandering, back to the bus stop, boarded a bus that ended up being full to capacity and back to Saundersfoot, where we continued our early morning walk around the remaining part of the harbour. mAs we were exiting the area we noticed som furious activity in the water with tiny fish leaping out of the water and landing on the seaweed adjacent to the harbour wall. We spoke to a seasoned fisherman who conjectured that it would be sea bass chasing mackerel or mackerel chasing fry, but could not definitely confirm this as he had never seen it in the harbour before. Spent the evening planning our next holiday up to Seahouses and an overnight stay in Hexham. My No2 found another two air fresheners in her bedroom.

I think (hope) we have finally found all the air fresheners after my No2 found another this morning. We lined all nine up on the garden table and took a photograph of them. This does not take into account the five balls of deodorant in each of the two loos. Squirted off a quick FYI to yikes Holidays re the air fresheners. Our plan for today is a repeat of yesterday but to try and walk along the Tenby Town walls. Before setting out we planned the trip up to Seahouses via an overnight stay in Hexham going via Lancaster and the Settle Carlisle line.
Wandered around Saundersfoot for a while. Spotted a ‘fashion’ shop and popped in on the off chance that they had a poachers jacket. Nearly, they had one like the one I was wearing in navy blue but on closer inspection most of the pockets were dummies and could not be used and some of the zips did not work either, so gave it a miss.
Back at the bus stop found a taxi and booked ot for the trip to the station on Froday.
Bus to Tenby, the busses seem to be very well used and most days there are standing passengers. One way and another we spent the rest of the day looking for a poachers jacket. We did manage a walk along the esplanade and back along the beach but much too windy to go for a swim. Had lunch much the same as yesterday, and continued our search for a poachers jacket, My No2 did find a Tee shirt she liked, but no jacket for me. Bus back to Saundersfoot and straight back to the holiday let where we had a game of scrabble and I had a good two hour soak in the bath, bliss.

A final swim at Castle beach in Tenby.
Late start. Breakfast in Saundersfoot for my No2, I waited till we got to Tenby where I had my customary fish and chips, in this case fishcake and chips. Off to Castle beach for my No2 to have a swim which she thoroughly enjoyed. Nearly got caught by the rising tide. Found our third way on to the beach and a different third way off the beach. Sainsbury’s for picnic items for tomorrow and tried a meal deal for two for £15. Beef bourguignon, chips, crumble and a bottle of wine. Back to the holiday let, found ANOTHER air freshener. Watched the football and packed for the return journey tomorrow.

Taxi arrived at 09:15 as arranged even though I could not remember if I had booked it for 08:15 or 09:15, so all ok in theend. The only hitch on the return journey was that a farmer had left a gate blocking the train so the train driver had to get out of the trrain and close thegate before we could proceed. Made us about an hour late at our destination as the train we were on now did not stop at Gobowen so we hade to detrain and catch the next one.
Unsurprisingly the ticketing issue with the No2 bus has not been resolved so I guess thart will be my major definite objective for Saturday.
Had the chips with a couple of fried eggs and the crumble with custard and yoghurt for dinner, with a glasss of wine.

Unpacking, my jar of honey lost it's lid so I have honey on some of my clothing. Everything going in the wash, dirty or not.
My No2 rn out of water so we prematurely upped sticks and moved to the water point. Painfully slow as in both directions as we had very slow hire boats ahead of us. In both cases they pulled over to let us past a short distance from out destination.
Filled up with water.

Whilst working on my web site today I notined that I had a migraine. Checked it out on the internet and apparently I get/have a scintillating scotoma.
Robert turned up today with my brackets for Dennis. He was attending a breakdown (Mick on Nimrod) so was convemient. I quizzed him about what he has been doing lately as I haven't seen him around. He tells me his wife has breast cancer which has kept him occupied.
He apparently has a couple of Calor Gas Bottle going begging so he is ging to drop one off with Dennis tomorrow.
As he wanted my DC to DC charger I suggested that it might be a straight swap for the bottle, he seemed agreeable. He is also happy for me to have the generator sent to his house.

Set of about half nine. My No2 took Iowner through the locks, I worked them. My No2 returned to Dennis for a well deserved coule of days without me.
Cruised to Ellesmere where I emptied all three loos and got rid of the rubbish. Continued into the arm where Mick on ????? made room for me.
Collected my medication and then did an enormous shop, getting ready for the El Nino winter hardships.
Robert dropped off a full Calor gas bottle for me.
Roast Pork with roast potatoes, red peppers and carrots with a little boiled broccolli for dinner.

Did a small shop, topping upp on the items that Tesco did not have yesterday. Because I went in soon after they opened to make sure I could get the six packs of milk I had the pick of the reducedd items, in this case a leg of lamb at forty percent off.
Made a bum bag from an old handbag, not up to the job for me. Cut the capped off water pipe tails in the bathroom cupboard so they are less intrusive making more room for storage. At least if one of the connectors comes off I won't flood the boat as the water pumps are now on a one minute timer.

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