Jet Age Museum near Cheltenham

We took advantage of having a car at our disposal this weekend. Tony was very keen to visit the Jet Age Museum at the former Staverton Airfield

Staverton’s history

The Vulcan nose and the navigators position

The Meteor and below Meteor trainer

The Biplane

The Javelin

Fr

Frank Whittle the inventor of the jet engine

We saw these exquisite tapestries on display in Gloucester Museum. Each one has a notice explaining what happened to the RAF Station. Most of the wartime airfieds have simply returned to agricultaural use

My favourite bit was this wall outlining Women in the Air

If you are an enthusiast then you could spend a couple of hours here. It does have extermely enthusiastic volunteers that like to engage you in conversation! It does have cafe and most gents were tucking into bacon butties.


Ashdown Camp Evesham Military Vehicle Show Saturday 15 June

Bus travel yet again and a most helpful driver dropped us at the entrance. It happened to be the exhibitors entrance but they took our cash and we were made to feel welcome despite this !

Mud, mud and more mud everywhere! Raw recruits attempting drill watched by nurse and ambulance driver

First world war cyclists were an important for carrying messages. Look at the guns on the cycles

The wounded

The airfield has a number of Nissan huts, The ladies in the post office and store were keen to welcome Tony who walked aound for the whole afternoon with lipstick on both cheeks

Note the tin baths!

Many came in uniform

Hard to believe my father carried all this kit as well as driving his sherman off the beach

A quiz, answers at the end!

Then a display by US armies

The confederates were not quite so well armed

More vehicles

My favourite tanks were radio controlled with moving figures. Very impressed!

Quiz answers How well did you do? 12 is a good score!


FLOODS!!!

We have had rain every day since Friday 7th June and just look what happens! This is 10th June and the river level is normal – green

The gauge has changed and is almost on Amber which means “proceed with caution” This is 11th June

By June 15 at 9.30

And by 4.30 is almost at 4′ This means the River Avon is five feet above normal for this time of year (you add the amber to the red) So this means no boat can go out. Happily we like it here. Here are a few more flood pictures

Rescue Volunteers returning after their patrol. Note the path on the left. It later disappears under water

Floating debris A tree is now blocking the channel under King John’s Bridge

Before and after or after and before!

All the small footbridges are now under water

Lock mooring but no lock needed! The levels of the Severn and Avon are equal. Here’s how it looked on 26 May

Here is the lock keeper going home after shopping on Thursday 14th. She said there are three flood levels: wellies, waders and dinghy! She is wearing waders!

Another after and before

We walked to look at the river Severn. It had begun to claim nearby fields The brick building is Severn Trent water treatment establishment

So we have now had eight days of rain! Climate change predictions for an english summer: cooler and wetter. I leave you with that thought!

Stratford on Avon 31st May 2019

We met the curious Eleanor and her family from Baddesley Clinton, whilst at the lock, and she and her father & sister came aboard for the short trip into Stratford. Mother and dog had to walk!

The perfect mooring. Google thought we were attending a performance at the theatre!

A charity relay race was to take place in the evening and the start/finish was to be alongside Matilda. There were over 100 teams of four running 2km each. There were prizes for the best fancy dress won by the unicorns and a prize for the team where there combined ages were over 200!

We enjoyed a local beer and the chicken wraps

Saturday we walked a considerable distance in tropical temperatures to meet friends on the canal and help them down the locks, Stratford canal is a narrow canal. There was a problem with the last lock so the CRT had to come and remove the obstacle and get the gate opening. They were really nice chaps working in heat of the day and Tony got them all ice creams. When he mentioned to the stallholder why he was buying ices and who they were for she returned his money ! Yet another act of kindness.

Leaving the canal basin . Note I am still on lock duty!

Busy riverside and even a punter! This theatre dates from the 1930s and must be the ugliest building in Stratford

Safely moored up. The batteries had to be replaced the following morning! So much for a supposed luxury hire boat! We pushed on to aim for a mooring at Bidford on Avon, and saw this interesting sign

You have been warned!!

Swallows and Rabbits!!! Tewkesbury Marina June 11th 2019

Not an amazon in sight just swallows nesting under the floating pontoons and rabbits hiding under cars!

We moored in the marina for a few day in order to attend the funeral of Tony’s Father. It is quite extensive and has river moorings and basins on the River Avon as well as the River Severn. It is incredibly well maintained. Each morning someone will walk around to check the boats, clean the pontoons of duck muck and dust down cobwebs on the electic posts. The recycling bins are full of recyclable materials and rubbish is in the rubbish bins! And the laundry room is clean! Add lovely landscaping to this and excellent welcome.

Swallows are nesting under the pontoon by the white blocks. They fly so quickly it’s impossible to catch them on camera, however this one liked sitting on the electric post

And here is the Watership Down contingent

Quite glad we are here in the Marina as the rain began again about five in the afternoon yesterday, continued overnight and is now at 3pm quite heavy again. The River Avon has gone up by six inches. Our rainwater harvesting system is working well and the water tank is full!

Return to Tewkesbury 6 June 2019

75 Anniversary of D Day More of this later

Sitting down on the job at Pershore lock

Sometimes it’s quite tricky to line up the bridges

This is the M5 motorway. I always try to get a shot of an Eddie Stobart lorry. Failed again!

Rather liked this flood picture

Some signs around the town

Remember Green Shield Stamps?

This sculpture is called Touching Souls

It is D-Day so I am wearing my Fathers medals. He was a 19 year old gardeners apprentice who rolled his tank up the beach at Le Hamel, a small village near Arromanches. Some six weeks later he was wounded and shipped back to the UK. After the war he trained as a nurse.

Tewkesbury May & June 2019

We plan to move up and down he Avon so I will add bits as we go along , Tewkesbury is lovely little town full of independant shops and interesting bits! Firstly the Abbey

And as it was the 75th anniversary of D Day yesterday I wore my Fathers medals and this photo of the British Legion seems appropriate

The Bell is opposite the Abbey and Tony & I stayed here many years ago to celebrate my birthday.

It floods frequently in Tewkesbury

An amazing model funfair exhibited in the Museum

The town has some interesting alleys

Mr Hughes sold dairy produce

A bit of history

The Victoria gardens are now very simple thanks to the flooding

I haven’t seen any of these yet…..

Look what happened in 1841

Moored by the lock on our first visit

Our second visit: Tewkesbury Marina is beautifully kept and the staff are so helpful

Have you discovered Bumble Wrap. Supposed to be better than cling film and reuseable. The Volunteer in the Abbey shop recommended it.

And finally the aaah photo