Eleven: York City (06/03/09 - 07/03/09)

Well, that was a first - scraping me windows with a squeegee before setting off...I suppose He knew what he was doing, but I thought I looked cool with frosted glass. Another thing...they didn't even bother to put water in my tank, despite loading up with clothes and food...have they lost it??

We went south down the A19 and I thought to myself "Osmotherley here we come" but no, after he had taken a pic of something they called the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough (which they'd only get me on if they blindfolded and gagged me first!) we went straight past the turn off for Osmotherley without even a sideways glance.

We then quickly skirted Thirsk and travelled on to York, where they parked me up at a place called Rawcliffe Manor Caravan Park next the the Lysander Arms pub. Oh Joy - my first super pitch - I must be doing something right for them to treat me this way - ehu and water right next to me and my own rubbish bin. Having said that, the view I had was not that inspiring...houses all around me...but it is in the suburbs of York. Him and Her were extra efficient in parking me up, hooking me up and then donning coats and heading off for what they said was a ten minute walk to the 'Park-and-Ride' - I thought that was what they had just done with me...but I suppose that was ride-and-park!

About six hours later they came back, dropped off some bags and then left me to go and drink mucky beer in the aforementioned Lysander Arms. Not too long later (they couldn't have had time for more than a couple of pints) they came back and told me all about their day in York.

They saw a busker playing an upright joanna and wondered how he managed to carry it home when he had finished playing the blues, had an excellent breakfast with real tasty sausages in the Little Shambles Tea Room and then a look round some shops before a visit to York Minster, including a climb up all 275 steps of the central tower, for fabulous views across the city and the surrounding countryside.

They also talked about how, having gift-aided their entry fee they now had access to the Minster and Tower for the rest of the year free. On the way back She bought a new pair of boots but left her scarf in the shoe shop somewhere near here.

They went back to the shop, but it had closed while they had been in the Golden Fleece drinking mucky beer, so they had to leave it there.

Saturday, bright (well, slightly overcast) and early they got up, and cooked breakfast (well, She cooked it - He just buttered the bread!), ate it, washed up and then set off to retrieve the abandoned scarf. This time, they walked into the city along the river, saw lots of students messing about in boats (well, racing in coxless pairs, coxed fours and eights - he's obviously been looking at a rowing website to be able to tell me all this), retrieved the scarf, bought some orchids from Newgate Market and then got the bus back and we set off for home shortly after midday as He had to go to something called 'The Match" - and there was me thinking the red'n'white stripes he was wearing were just a sign of his bad-taste in clothing. Before we set off, however, She stuck hearts on my windows - it must be love, love, love.

Ten: Budle Bay, Holy Island, Seahouses and Howick (28/02/09)

Off bright and early, heading north on the A1 instead of the usual south. Will I finally make it across the border to the Land of the Thistle? No, after about an hour we turn off right for the coast and Budle Bay. They park me up for a short while, have a look around, comment on how nice it is and then off we go northwards again. Once more we turn right off the A1 and this time I'm really excited..we're going across the causeway to Holy Island -

I just hope they've got the timing right cos it wouldn't be fair if they got to ride in a helicopter and left me alone in the rising tide. But no need to worry, the tide is out and they stop and read the tide table at the start of the causeway so they know when to return. Only thing is, it seems that His memory is getting worse...you only have to look back over the blog to see that he's always forgetting to do things.

They park me up with a glorious view of the sand dunes and Lindisfarne Castle and then head off for fancy coffee and tasty cheese scones in Pilgrim's Cafe

While out they had a wander round the bay at the foot of Lindisfarne Castle and then round by the Priory where they saw a wedding taking place.

They arrived back separately - apparently He had to go and spend a penny and She didn't want to hang around while He made up His mind what to spend it on. Having said that, I couldn't understand how He came back empty-handed and She came back with some books and a new jigsaw. They also said they saw a partner for me but I think she's a little green round the gills....what do you reckon?

A quick sprint back over the causeway before the tide turns and then down to Seahouses. Some excellent reverse parking from Her and their off for fish'n'chips. They tease me with them by bringing them back but, instead of eating them they, well She, drives off and they talk about finding somewhere nice overlooking the sea to sit and eat them and then follow them down with a coffee and a read of the paper. After about 20 minutes or so they park up by a bush with a wonderful view of waves crashing off rocks and a seal playing in the surf and re-fuel themselves with the fish'n'chips.

When they had filled up they said they were going to "walk it off" and, on their return, raved about a wonderful little bay they had visited and claimed that it was one of the best places on the coast they had ever been to and would love to go back there again. They took loads of pictures - some of them are below:

You can see more of the photos taken here.

After a cuppa and a read of the paper we set off for home. As we went round a sharp bend I thought I'd remind him that being chronologically gifted brought some issues with it...he'd left his camera on my cupboard top. So, as I shot around the bend I threw it off the cupboard and laughed as it bounced along the floor to the other side of my living quarters. His memory can't be that bad though, because He said to Her, "*£@%$ - That was my camera" and shot up, wobbled to it (I was still tearing round corners which was the cause of the wobbling - although with all the fish'n'chips and the mucky beer He must take some of the blame for his movement!), grabbed it, sat back down and started playing with it. He took a few pics as we were moving and apparently all is well with the camera.

Nine: Valentine's weekend in Robin Hood's Bay (13/02/09 - 16/02/09)

It had been snowing all week and I thought to myself "It's gonna be a while before I get a run out" but no...on Thursday I heard them making plans and Him telling Her that he'd managed to book a hard standing at Hooks House Farm and we would be there for 3 nights.

On Friday they loaded me up early in the morning and then cleared off for the day, so I'm left wondering have they just forgotten me? But around 5.00pm they get back, fill me water tank up and off we go. Most of the snow seems to have cleared, but I'm still a bit worried about how I'll get them across the North York Moors in the dark, but it proved to be easy...all the snow that was still around was on the fields rather than the road and we got there no problem.

It was dark when we got there and they just pulled up on to the hard standing with the best view...but it was on a slope. Wisely, I thought, they decided to just park me up anyway and then sort things out in the morning. Mind, this decision gave me plenty to smile about overnight as they kept sliding down the bed!!

Before they went to bed they got some home-made chilli out of my fridge, heated it up and scoffed it in minutes.

The following morning they worked well together, using wooden chocks provided by the site owners, to level me off before donning boots and walking gear and setting off leaving me to enjoy the wonderful view over Robin Hood's Bay and Fylingthorpe.

When they got back they raved about what a fab time they had had walking about 3 miles or so along the beach with waterfalls caused by the melting snow cascading over the cliff-face, finding loads of fossils, which they proceeded to put in my underseat tray, wonderful fish'n'chips and pints of mucky beer in a lovely old pub called The Laurel.

That evening, which was, of course, Valentines Day She gave Him a wonderful card that she had made with her own fair hands. He gave Her lots of apologies for having got her nothing. Still, they seemed happy enough sipping champagne and chatting for the evening.

The next day they had a bit of a lie in before they went for another walk on the beach, northwards this time I heard them say, collecting more fossils, looking at shells,

having a couple more pints of mucky beer in a different pub (The Dolphin),and Him bragging about how he had been asked by someone called Richard Bacon off the tele to take a couple of photos of him and his friends.

They then watched Mr Smith Goes to Washington and did some of their jigsaw before nodding off for the night.

Monday morning and they pack up by 10 o' clock and surprise me by not going home but parking up in a Whitby. They leave me with a view of the Whale Bones and Whitby Abbey whilst they go off for...yeah you guessed it, fish'n'chips. When they get back they get in and drive me right into the middle of the town and down a dead end street. She stays in the cab and He gets out. "Very odd", I thought. A few minutes later He comes back followed by two women carrying a coffee table and yes, you've guessed it, they turned me into a removals van. Oh the indignity of it!!

As we arrived home, the sun setting behind Penshaw Monument was fantastic, but neither of them could take any photos of it as all their batteries had run down..HaHa..that'll teach them to misuse me!

You can see all of their pictures from this trip here.