Carol's Job Interview

Carol has been applying for teaching jobs in the Yorkshire area. On Tuesday she had one at a special school in Barnsley. We drove up after school on Monday and stayed in a Travelodge hotel overnight, as the appointment was at 8.30 the next morning. She had to give a presentation, amongst other things, on how teaching in a mainstream school differs from that in a special school. She had been working on this for around two weeks, over the Easter holiday infact.

We got up to Barnsley in good time, found the hotel (after a bit of searching) and then went off to find the school, which was only around 10 minutes away from the hotel. On arriving back at the hotel we went for a meal at a Frankie and Bennys, which was over the road from the hotel. 

The following morning we were at the school before 8.00, in really good time for the appointment and she went into the school at around 8.15. I then went back to the hotel until 12 noon, as that was when we had to check out. I filled in the next couple of hours until I was due back to pick up Carol at 2 by wondering around the Barnsley area and sitting and reading my book which I had taken with me. Carol came out of the school at around 2 p.m., not knowing whether she had got the job or not, as this won't be decided until Monday, as it depends on the school's budgets. We drove away from Barnsley and got on the M1 and stopped at Meadowhall shopping centre near Sheffield and had a meal. We got back to Milton Keynes by around 5.15. The weather had been reasonably good, but on the way back it rained heavily, but as we drove closer to home the sun did come out briefly.

Visit to Brighton and Worthing- Part 2

I have to say that a lot of places that we visit have really poor, or at least, confusing, signage. Never more so as we approached Worthing, and also in the centre of the town. The Travelodge we were booked into was on the sea front, and you would imagine that there would be signs saying 'To The Seafront.' As the sea is the main reason people visit such places and that they would want to get there on arrival, signs so saying would be a priority. The place has a really confusing one-way system. We had looked at Google Maps at home, so we had a vague idea how to get to the seafront. We eventually found the Travelodge and parked the car opposite the hotel. It was one of those places where you have to park your car and then find a meter to pay. Fortunately we had enough change on us, and anyway, the parking payments finished at 6 p.m. We had decided that we would go to Brighton the next day (Thursday) and make it part of our return journey to Milton Keynes, but as we were parking the car, we saw a bus turn up outside the hotel, with 'Brighton' on the front, so we decided to unload our luggage and sign in to the hotel and then catch the bus to Brighton, rather than go in the morning. We asked at the reception desk about the busses to Brighton and discovered that they ran about every ten minutes and cost about £7 return. So we returned to the front of the hotel where the bus stop was and waited for the next bus to Brighton. There wasn't much else to do in Worthing (it was around 4 at this time.) so a trip along the coast to Brighton seemed a good idea. It also meant that we wouldn't have to worry about driving there or finding a parking space in Brighton.

It was pleasant just sitting on the bus and enjoying the scenery as it went past. The journey took around 30-45 minutes.

I have to admit that there's nothing particularly exciting about Brighton. It has the seaside and the Pavilion, but that's it. Oh, and the Pier, of course. I know the film 'Brighton Rock' (the black-and-white version.) and the latest version where made and set there. 'Guenevieve' the classic film starring Kenneth More and Kay Kendal was partly set and filmed there, as well as the Richard Attenborough-directed film of 'Oh What A Lovely War' was filmed on the pier. (I have just realised that he was in 'Brighton Rock' as Pinkie.) But otherwise than that, it's not a particularly exciting place. I suppose 'The Lanes' are interesting and there are quite a few quirky shops there, mostly antiques and collectables, but considering the amount of time it took us to get there, it's not all it's cracked up to be.

We went to the Pavilion, but didn't go inside. We decided that we might come back some time in the future, but not drive there. We can go from Bedford Midland Road railway station on a Thameslink train and go through London, and it'll take around two hours (which I've done before now.) Certainly a good deal less stress than driving. Anyway, Carol was intrigued by what she saw of the Royal Pavilion. It doesn't seem real, somehow. I know, from what I have seen on television lately, that Queen Victoria wasn't impressed that 'Prinney' (The Prince Regent.) was so extravagant over the cost of building it, and she was persuaded not to have the place demolished when she came to the throne in 1837. Probably a good thing she didn't as it is really amazing. We took lots of photographs, as we always do whenever we visit anywhere.

Visit to Brighton and Worthing- Part 1

At around 9 on Wednesday morning, we left Milton Keynes for our journey to Brighton. Daniel had booked our over-night stay in a hotel in Worthing, a Travelodge. We went to get the car tyres checked. I was quite surprised how low the pressure was in one of the tyres. It always seems to be on one side of the car. I put it down to the fact that there are so many roundabouts in Milton Keynes, and the poor state of the roads. There seem to be more potholes per mile than anywhere else in England, despite the Council doing repairs. It's quite a job finding a petrol station with an air-line which actually WORKS, or is working at the correct pressure. It used to be 20p for five minutes, but Shell suddenly decided to increase this to 50p, so we didn't have the correct change. If you've ever tried to do this operation, set the correct pressure on the machine, put the coin in, un-reel the air-line and unscrew the little cap on the tyre, and manage to hold the line at the same time as putting the air in the tyre, before the air-line reels itself into the machine, you'll know how difficult it is, and all before the 50p runs out, so having someone else to hold the line with their foot, and moving around to the tyres at the rear of the car before the thing attempts to reel itself back in and NOT getting your hands covered in black from the rubber of the airline. is a real help. Why do they have to make it like this? It beats me. Anyone got any suggestions?

When we drive down to Bournemouth to visit Carol's parents we usually go via the M40, which means driving to get on the Motorway through Buckingham, but this is rather a long way out of our way, and it means making two sides of a triangle instead of driving more directly south and not driving further than necessary. So we went to get on the M40 near High Wycombe, and driving via Aylesbury and across the Chilterns. It's a really attractive route though the countryside, and we went at a more sedate speed and could take in the landscape as we drove. From the M40 we eventually met the M25. It's around four lanes, and you have to keep your wits about you, otherwise you can find yourself accidentally making an exit off the motorway (as I've done on a few occasions.) For some reason or other we managed to come off the motorway a couple of junctions too late or something, and couldn't find the right road to Brighton, so decided to get back onto the M25.

It's quite a complicated business trying to find our way back onto the M25 as where we ended up there are several motorways, all intersecting with the benighted M25. We saw a sign which absolutely intrigued us saying 'Fanny's Farm.' So, we followed the signs and found the most quirky place I've been to in years. As with a lot of things we do as a couple, our propensity for getting lost is renowned, but we also tend to find things at we might otherwise not come across. One time we were going to Claydon House (a National Trust property) and getting somewhat lost and coming across a whole field of alpacas. Quite unusual and unexpected. On another occasion I was driving on my own and saw what I thought was a emu looking over the hedge of a field as I drove past. I had to turn round and take a look, and, sure enough, my eyes hadn't been playing tricks on me, it was an emu, infact it was one of a whole host of emus in a field. This 'Fanny's Farm was a farm shop, but I can't give it justice writing here, it was indeed a farm shop, but also a managerie, as there were all manner of animals, goats, chickens, pigs and so on, and really quirky buildings built out of scrap materials. If you want to find out more visit their website at www.fannysfarm.com or if you have a Facebook account check them out as there is a Facebook page.

We had intended driving to Brighton first, and then going on to the hotel in Worthing later, because we couldn't get into our room before 3 p.m. We had hoped we would find a Park-and-Ride system running in or near Brighton, as most large towns and cities in this country have them. We've been to Cambridge, Bath, Oxford and Scarborough and used these and it saves a great deal of stress as you don't have to worry about looking for parking and then being charged an extortionate amount into the bargain.

As we approached Brighton, we saw signs saying 'Bike Ride Park-and-Ride' so we decided to follow them, with the intention of finding a car park and then catching a bus into the centre of Brighton. After something like 2 hours of searching we found nothing. At one point we landed up in the campus of Brighton University, which includes a new stadium for Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, but no park-and-ride car park could we find. We decided to then go onto Worthing, as time was moving on