here it comes......and...this is it! and again.

They say we are getting a "beast from the East" as far as weather goes.All manner of excitement is forecast. Snow snow and more snow. In fact loads of snow.

On Monza's walk it threatened .......Lee wanted to go home quickly as the cold really effects him badly.

Monza was not to keen and slowed after about ten minutes of the biting cold and demanded buscuits and going back to the Fonz car.

A big hairy dog is Monza. He spent the rest of the day after this in the warm house. In fact he is snuggling on the bed as I write this.

He spent alot of the afternoon barking at Lee because he wanted to go out into the garage with him. Very much too cold for him to be outside. He is a seventy year old dog in doggy years.

We went over to Guiseley....Lee would not let me hang about to go to the charity shops as He thought the snow could start at any moment.

The Fonz car is lovely. But we are not sure of his performance in snow.

Straight from Dog walk down Carlton Lane to Guiseley. It all looks really angry.....

I insisted on stopping at Guisely  church hoping to get some great angry sky pictures.....

The snow was just starting to come down and it was bitterly freezing and nipped all my hands making my trigger button hand hurt....

When my ears joined in I ran back to the Fonz car for a warm up.

Snow drops in the church yard.......

And then a very quick super market......we had a table booked for lunch and I need to get a prescription filled.

Home and then very quickly walked to the pub for lunch.........

It's a coming!

 Woke up before 5am. went out.  Here is the Fenix car ....Lee wrapped him up in blankets in anticipation of his treasure getting cold.

 There is some snow as it turned out.....though I have seen thicker and more dramatic frost.

Disappointed I came home and thought that I would wait for the light to come up and then go out again.

I started rattling about in the house...washing cleaning stuff........then quite honestly I could not be bothered.
A great big disappointment.

Later......on Tuesday

 I could not resist.....I took these photos on the way to the supermarket. Lee stayed home as the cold is causing him problems and it is better if I go!

 So I went to the Tarn first and then charity shops on the way to the doctors surgery to pick up my prescription......

 It looks great ....however it is very very cold!!!

Wednesday now. Wednesday morning we are both exhausted and slept in. I missed the dawn. I missed the snow storm and woke up and looked out onto a whiter world.

We dare not take the Fonz car out so Lee and I walked over to the shop. First I insisted on going to the Tarn to take some more snow pictures.....

 We went down the front path just as neighbours were coming out. They could not get to work in Bradford this morning.....and now as I write it is Wednesday night and the snow and wind is here big time.!! So work is not looking good for some tomorrow at all.

 The back of the house and the log cabin. Lee has wrapped up the Fenix with blankets and boards to stop the freezing cold getting into the engine. Work can not start on the Fenix until this all clears up......pity really as he is a big powerful four wheel drive and would have been really useful in all this snow.

 Everyone else managed to get to work......then more snow came and filled in all tracks back and front and recovered the road.

 As we approached the Tarn there was a beautiful wintry pale sun.....

 and the Swans were there to day. There are parts of the tarn that are frozen...so the birds were left with a small bit of water.....

 beautiful isn't it?

 Lee was getting very cold by now....so we headed into Yeadon and the shops. A very bracing walk we had....

 The One Show on BBC 1 was dedicated to the weather and the consequences. I think we have escaped the worst of it. Scotland! now that really has been hit hard.

The beast from the East!? well yes. Now we have it. And it is set for another few days yet.

Wednesday night and we are in bed now with our feet under a warm Monza dog. Monza insisted on bed time as he then commanders the hot water bottle for his own back end.
I am on holiday this week and can not take "extra hours" at work. The holiday was allotted to me as I had some left from last year and it has to be taken or loose it. So I am here in the snow being paid for sitting around not going anywhere much.  I was hoping to go and pick up a Barbie plane that I won on Ebay........and go to Ikea over in Burstall to get some more display shelves for the doll room.........

Otley and Luton.

 We are tired today. The excitement of getting the Fenix Frontera delivered yesterday and Lee's birthday generally have made us tired as hell. And we did not even do half what I planned......like going out for the day and lunch! still there you go that is birthdays for you.

This morning I woke up late for me it was half past seven and the day was nearly gone by my standards........We went to Otley on a Saturday...The place where we have parked for years...and I do mean years....has now got an hour restriction on it at weekends. So this was a really quick visit.

 We only did the 20p shop and 99p shop as there was no time to go through all the other faves.....

the 99p shop had a "sale" and so I bought Ariel doll and Skipper Mattel dolls for 50p each. I do nor really need either but Ariel had on the dress in the photo plus her original mermaid green tail......

 And from the 20p shop I got an old Lewis Collins film on DVD...."who dares wins" , "Swordfish" with Halle Berry, John Travolta, Hugh Jackman........

came home and redressed some 1960s dolls.....

So that was Saturday dealt with and my evening shift all done and dusted.


Sunday!
I woke up this morning....I am always pleased about that too and got up and did a load of stuff that you do when rattling around on a cold dark morning in February. Five thirty it was so I washed up did the laundry laid some carpet squares in the cellar...those left over from the loft....put down an old rug in the cellar and re carpeted the entrance at the back. I drank tea as I went and contemplated putting on "swordfish" DVD from yesterdays finds but ended up hoovering instead.

I have put up all the "new" pictures I have collected of Whitby opposite the bed. So I now wake up to the hundred and ninety nine steps at dawn. Some of the collection are Glenn Kilpatrick the Whitby photographer....others are old prints.

as the light came up I could quite clearly see the Fenix Frontera parked up where there was decking a few days ago. So it is true then....I really did buy this beast on Ebay. It really is here.

A Vauxhall Frontera. I can tell you this. It is a damn HUGE vehicle.  I just looked it all up. The one I just bought is quite rare as it turns out.  AND look! you can even buy yourself a mug of it. This will possibly be a present for our wedding anniversary then.

and here we have Richard Hammond reviewing the 1999 version. Ours is a 2003"facelift version" . Lee told me that. do not go thinking I know anything about cars because I only know what I have looked up and what Lee tells me. Expert I am not.


Mine or ours as I bought it for Lee's birthday...is a Vauxhall Frontera 3.2 V6 limited edition. So there you have it.

The forerunner of this was the Isuzu MU that was produced by Japanese based manufacturer Isusu. this became Opel Antara in Europe and the Vauxhall frontera in uk. it was launched in 1991 and built at the former Bedford van factory in Luton. This became known as IBC factory (isuzu Bedford company) in 1980s .
So The monster I have bought was made in Luton. The last time we were in Luton was as "a man with a van" and we stayed at the Travelodge. It was the last time that Rusty van went on a long journey and it was Monza dogs first big journey with us as we only had him a few weeks at this point.
I can not now remember much of the delivery to Olympia for an Education show involving a government ministers speech and a load of Technology. The whole thing turned into a fiasco as the assistant to the director of the company was sacked. She was the person  coordinating all the deliveries. So without her co ordination the computers which were the pivitol point of the exhibition were left in Halifax where they should have been was London at the Olympia show. We had loaded Rusty van the night before and set off to Olympia in the early hours. A second van was to be driven by one of the staff of the computer owners and was nothing to do with us......only they forgot to load the computers and drove to London without. When this was discovered the pooh hit the fan and they had to go back to Halifax and get them.
As this played out Lee and I and Monza dog were arriving at the Travelodge in Luton as we had done our bit and been paid.

We Managed to get Monza dog into the building and up the stairs as far as the  fire doors by a lift on the first floor. we were just starting to go down a long corridor to our room when a guy coming the other way started walking from the opposite end.
It was that moment we discovered that Monza dog hated greying tall men. Even worse as it turned out if the greying tall man had a brief case....Evasive action was required and fast...so we went back to the other side of the fire door. Monza dog...who is a huge animal had to be dragged by both of us to stop him eating the guy. At the other side of the fire door he attacked the door both paws up on the widow ..........

Lee and I were the only casualties. we both got bitten. Though we did manage to keep Monza out of the way after the guy went downstairs. We got him to our room and closed the door shaking......

We left Luton at 3am. It was quiet and no one was around. That was the only way we were getting out of that building. That was our last visit to Luton!

Yep. It is still there that Vauxhall Frontera called Fenix. Lee has wrapped it in blankets because the weather is coming in badly....well it would. I have this week off.

A birthday present. Meet The Phoenix.

23rd of February 2018 . It is Lee's birthday and we are drinking tea. I have been out early in the frost and my pyjamas so all is normal here in Yeadon this morning.
I was up late on Ebay last night. I buy a lot of stuff, usually dolls or stuff for the house. This time I bought a car. It is a Vauxhall Frontera beast of a vehicle. I can not drive and only know about cars because Lee does. Simple as that.
I bought him a "fixer upper" for his birthday. The seller tells me it is this is a beautiful vehicle .  I can see that it is too.


lee is wandering around singing" I am 51 today...never been 51 before....I got the key to the "door"(car)......tiddly tiddly te he he he

And yes! I intend to park it on the Terrace, and yes I am not taking any hassle about either. Everyone else parks and does whatever they like here. So here is mine.

Big Epic vehicle is it not!?

 so first I went out to take some photos...walk Monza dog, who has gathered that it is Lee's birthday! he was very excited and kept running up and down with a squeeky toy.

 The day dawned colourful and crisp. very very bracing. The plan was to go out to lunch in a local pub. I cancelled that! as the car was to be delivered by the seller on Ebay......

It arrived about lunch time. It is now parked outside and it is HUGE!!!! and yes it needs fixing!!! and yes it is rusty too.

 It is a beast of a vehicle. just like an old friend. I think Lee has found the love of his life. I would not be suprised to find that he has moved in to it and we never see him in the house again.

 The former owner drove it from Huddersfield. It rattles and humms. There is an engine and bearing issue and this makes it very noisy. Lee will need to have the engine out and strip it down.

 This will keep him happy for weeks, months maybe even years. It will provide presents for a few more occasions yet.

 I think a new engine may be in order! this is going by the rattlings and bangings that happen when it runs......

 The electric windows and heated seats still work fine.

I cancelled lunch. it would have been futile anyway. I have not seen Lee for about two hours.

So that worked out well then!........I also bought him a new (yes it actually was new!) coat and a power tool...a De Walt chop saw which is no mean small machine either. these have now been forgotten. in fact the coat never even came out of the wrapping.

It is now Saturday morning and I have looked outside and yes I really did buy this car. Not bad for a girl eh? It does rattle clank and hum as it drives but all that does not matter a damn as Lee is having the engine out anyway. If he can not fix it I can get him another engine for his next present.
Personally, being a girl I would not want an engine as a present.....in fact I would go as far as crying probably. Men are totally different breed and an Engine is suddenly a great present! look what happened yesterday for example. We never go out to lunch! I had a special table booked and had even downloaded menus..........I was really looking forward to it. Everything paled into an insignificant mist as this Phoenix could be heard driving up to us about a mile away.....

Meet the Phoenix. A Vauxhall Frontera.....Though Lee wants to spell it Fenix .Dont know about that. what do you think?