My Second Year in words and pictures.

Welcome to my Second Year

This page will be updated

So its the only page you need to open.

Second year
 October weather wise this year is getting off to a very warm start, financially however that’s a different Matter. I didn't realise how much a pair of  reading glasses cost i could live on the road for two months with that cash but needs must . I’m looking forward to my second full year houseless it has been a wonderful experience to date you would be surprised how  good living is without the everyday pressure that is thrown onto you within the so called normal living .
28/10/16
Managed to get my self bogged down in a layby again honest this van just has to look at damp grass but this time i was on some cinder ash. A friendly farmer pulled me out still cost me the price of a few beers. On the plus side after a little chat with him i got a few hours shooting on his land.
29/10/16
Sad start to the day today it’s been 5 years since my mother passed away she would of loved a week away in my motorhome. 
30/10/16
Nice hot but overcast day spent time walking along the beach then went and  filled up with fuel @ £1.18 it’s been going up by 1p per day for the last  nine days now.

 I'm getting  more use to my cameras and the software on the computer now it’s like they say the more you do the better you get ? (Not worked with my English tho as it ).  I do still find the Gopro camera very stressful  to use and i dont think any amount of practice will help me with this.
 I am also thinking of getting a drone to expand my photographic possibilities  this will be quite a big layout when all said and done!  ( just read a report on the new GoPro  Kamera Drone it’s being recalled  apparently it’s crashing a lot) I think I shall hold onto my £1500 a bit longer.
This Autel X Star Premium Drone would be my first choice. I do like the look of the GoPro Kamera Drone Looks very well thought out although the recall of the Kamera Drone has undoubtedly done the company some real damage it would be nice for the company to save face with a revised model.
I do have two small cheapish drones to practice with keep the cost low when learning, It would so hurt to spend £1500 on a drone and then loose it within 15mins.

Autel X Star Premium

31/10/16.
Spent most of today cleaning the van inside and outside then the afternoon on The beach.
1/11/16
All day filming in and around Bude trying to capture the essence of the place will now have about a full days work on computer editing  this is the hardest part because of the lack of  mains power. I now have two batteries but i do have to drive at least fourty miles to charge each battery . £15.00 worth of fuel = a day and a half on a campsite with electric 
2/11/16
Woke up to the most beautiful sunny morning went for a drive to the Atlantic village shopping centre just for something thing to do really most of the shops are the over priced fancy short with the exception of poundland and maybe Peacocks ,other shops include Asda, Mountain  Wearhouse, a fancy cook wear shop, a chocolate shop not bad for a half day out parking is easy and free.
3/11/16
Cold start to The day so will  spend some time on computer today editing and laying down a narrative track for one of my videos . Spent two hours doing this well at least I’m learning something useful the cold is setting in now and it’s only three pm so my heating is going on.
4/11/16
Well wet and cold this morning so be spending some time in the van checking things like the draw runners laches and fixtures and fittings. I’ll be doing the house work as well .
5/11/16
Had a bit of a run in with the local dickheads they thought it would be funny to chuck  beer bottles at my van windows luckily no damage done i did challenge them about it luckily the police turned up before it got out of hand. 
11/11/16
Woke up to a frost this morning first one of the year time for the central heating to be turned on! Got plenty of porridge oats ready for the cold mornings going to spend this weekend on the red post campsite in order to give the batteries are boost. Then I will spend Christmas eve / day on the site i should really do this once a month this would help the batteries as most of the runs i do are only 10 mile or less at the Moment.
Put in video of drive around campsite?
14/11/16
Off the red post campsite now it’s good to get off the road for a few days I can spend the same amount of money just driving around trying to keep the battery charged Oh lucky me I've  Found a few fly  fishing lakes nearby within 20 miles of my Base . So looking forward to spending a full day fishing be nice if Tec was here as well.
 Not much chance of seeing the blood moon tonight it’s cloudy and drizzly its now 4.30 pm apparently it’s  closest the moon as been to the earth in 70 years.  

Blood moon from 2014

This is how it should of  looked.

17/ 11/2016
Cold wet and windy today  so not be moving today got plenty to do inside of the van  and I can use the time to tidy up and edit all my stock photos plus play around on computer with the adobe photoshop program.. 

18/11/16
Lots of hailstones today so I’ll  be in the information centre for most of morning keeping warm and working on my blog,i did get my fishing gear ready for a days fishing but thought better of it.
Have to think of keeping my clothing dry and keeping myself dry and warm not as easy when living on the road everything takes a little planning .

19/11/16
Spending the weekend in tintagel and Boscastle, started off cold then got colder and wetter as the day went on . Night time the wind picked up it was bad  and really scary did not sleep at all that night I could here all the roof vents straining to stay put. I tried turning the van into the wind which did help with the roof vents It would not of been sensible to open any doors to go out and look for any damage luckily no damage was found in the morning.   I did have a bad experience in high winds last year when about ten ton of tree trunk fell between my van and a truck when we were sharing  a layby for the night.  Weather is due to get worse as the day goes on do I stay or do I go ? I went and found a spot with a bit more shelter and well inland.
Still got battered but no where as bad as it could of been rain is easing off a little now so time to put a  coat on and get out to check all the fittings.
20/11/16
Weather is still bad with a few places down south getting flooded one of my stopovers by the river neet is prone to being flooded which after last year’s flooding while I was stopping there taught me a lesson.
21/11/16
Not stopped raining for three days solid now, the forecast down here is bad so I’ll be staying put for the next few days.
22/11/16
Had my central heating get on all day yesterday it certainly works well no doubt it will use the gas up quickly if just left on full also with it being blown air you have to think of your battery power as-well .I do use a small independent gas fire as well that I run off its own gas bottle this is to make sure I always have gas for cooking and my  brews.

26/11/16

Spent the morning trying a bit of canal fishing  i have not used a rod and float for over 20 years other than when fishing off the rocks on the coast. It was fun but sooner go fly fishing or spinning for my food.

27/11/16
Spent the day with Dee and Andy  helped  move a bit of furniture in order for the workmen to put a new heater in the bedroom got rewarded with a great eveing meal and a big glass of irish Wiskey.


30/11/16
First real frost this morning , been to do my Christmas shopping and put my decorations up for Christmas.

Cost of £3.00 

04/12/16

Hopfully finished updating my first full year blog  page sat here now thinking of the second years blog  I fancy trying to put it into a E-book i have had a look at the prices they do go from sky high     ( Amason) to reasonly priced  not sure if one year E-book would hold enough content to make it sellable.

10/12/16

Coming down with flu so going to get on a site or somewhere I can stay put for a number of days without being disturbed. First time I have been ill since being out on the road.
 (update) Ended up staying at Tintagel for five days and having a Flu Jab at the chemist this made me feel worst.

20/12/16
Spent two days at Dee and Andys did a little gardening and a little job on Dees computer enjoyed the company and the banter  very much with them both.
21/12/16
Done Christmas shopping now hopefully nothing else to do will stay in town for  Christmas eve and Christmas day have an invitation to lunch on Christmas day on the boat with Lee and Vicki looking forwards to that.


23/12/16
The wind is forecast to be picking up in this area this afternoon  was watching a programme on the building of the first severn bridge last night  and how they redesigned the road platform to control the force's of the wind check it out on the link below. will open in a new tab.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/39-fascinating-pictures-show-m4-8781406

Photo from the above link Modern semi-detached houses at Brynglas are shored up above the new twin tunnels - 10th October 1966

Amazing Grace.

                                                                    Edelweiss with Pictures

                                              Are Windmills A Blot On the Landscape

 

25th December 

Went to watch at least 300 folk young and old take part in a charity dip in the sea  in aid of Bude Life Saving Club at Crooklets beach believe me it was cold wet and windy but so well worth watching 

 

Crazy going ons at Crooklets Beach

27th  December 2016

Bude Harbour My Home over Christmas

Beautiful  sunset this morning on Bude harbour

Spending at least 5 nights along this part of the of the canal don't expect any hassle has most of the houses are holiday let's and a few small guesthouses  got this wonderful photo this morning at 8.pm the photos are untouched  it was a very majestic  scene. 

 

New Year
01/01/2017.

New Years Day At The Compass Bude

Still messing around on the harmonica this is my attempt at making the train sound.

11/01/17
Bright sunny day but very wintery  on a bright note  my motorhome  went through the MOT with no advisories  for  the second year running . Makes you feel good when that happens am now getting ready to do a bit of travelling. 
12/01/17
What a change in the weather rains coming down in stair rod’s and has been for the last four hours it helps keep my van clean I do wipe any rain or morning dew off very day your be surprised how clean it keeps. Let’s put it this way  I have not been to a garage car wash in twelve months now don’t use any cleaner’s just a window cleaners blade

13/01/17
Had the first sprinkling of snow last night did not last long but the signs are there for bad weather I believe the last snow fall around here (Bude) was some seven years ago, Acording to the the news  this morning the south-east coast is getting a battering with the sea defences in danger of being breached and flooding of upto nine foot.

Not looking good for some areas

                                              

After The Storm At Summerleaze Beach.

15 /01/17

Dry but cold start to the morning  I seem to be having a lot of trouble with my EE around this area to be honest I allways seem to have trouble with them. I use My WIFI  ( not on contract) on pay has you go  when on computer the amount of trouble just trying to get on line with it is just not worth the stress it brings with it when my phone contract ends with them I will be of to another provider.

I’m a step closer now to getting a good drone I think it worth waiting to see what is going to happen when the new laws about flying them comes into force.


 below is just one page from a 13 page draft.

1.1 Background: the operation centric concept of operations 

Unmanned aircraft is a sector of aviation that is developing very fast and has a great potential for producing new jobs 

and growth. This activity must be developed in a safe, secure and environmentally friendly manner and at the same 

time respecting the concerns of the citizen concerning privacy and protection of data

Following the publication of an Advance-NPA on 31 July 2015 (A-NPA 2015-10), the Agency has adopted a 

Technical Opinion in December 2015. 

The Technical Opinion includes 27 concrete proposals for a regulatory framework for all unmanned aircraft (UA) which 

is operation centric, proportionate, risk- and performance-based, and establishes three categories as follows:

• ‘Open’ category (low risk): There is no pre-approval of the design of the unmanned aircraft, of the operator, or 

of the pilot. Safety is ensured through compliance with operational limitations, mass limitations as a proxy of 

energy, product safety requirements, and a minimum set of operational rules.

• ‘Specific’ category (medium risk): Authorisation by a national aviation authority (NAA), possibly assisted by a 

qualified entity (QE), following a risk assessment performed by the operator. A manual of operations lists the 

risk mitigation measures.

• ‘Certified’ category (higher risk): Requirements comparable to those for manned aviation. Oversight by NAA 

(issue of licences and approval of maintenance, operations, training, ATM/ANS and aerodromes organisations) 

and by EASA (design and approval of foreign organisations).

The Technical Opinion does not include new draft legal text beyond the one that has been proposed by the Aviation 

Strategy. Its purpose is to lay down the foundation for future work, illustrate the contents of the draft changes to the 

Basic Regulation and serve as guidance for Member States (MS) to develop or modify their regulations on unmanned 

aircraft. 

An important point of terminology should be addressed up front. The Draft Basic regulation has introduced two 

definitions: one for unmanned aircraft and one for equipment used to remotely control the unmanned aircraft. The 

reason was to avoid that the equipment to remotely control the unmanned aircraft be systematically part of the 

“certification” of the unmanned aircraft. Therefore the EASA interpretation is that unmanned aircraft covers only the 

flying element (the aircraft). As the equipment to remotely control the unmanned aircraft is a key element of its 

operations, this equipment must also be regulated by the prototype regulation. A writing convention uses Unmanned 

Aircraft System (UAS) to cover both the unmanned aircraft and the equipment to remotely control it. Unmanned 

Aircraft System is an internationally recognised definition and its acronym (UAS) well known. A consistency review 

has been made to make sure that unmanned aircraft and UAS are used where they should be.

The choice for an operation centric approach is justified by the fact that there is no one on board unmanned aircraft as 

of yet. Therefore the consequences of a loss of control of an unmanned aircraft is highly dependent on the operational 

environment.

The operation centric approach should be risk-based and proportionate. Intellectually a legislation only based on risk 

assessment could work but would lead to a significant burden for operators and competent authorities (e.g. operators 

to produce risk assessments, authorities to approve risk assessment). In addition for complex operations conducted 

with complex unmanned aircraft, there could be benefit to adopt a certification approach as it would avoid re-doing 

compliance demonstration and as it would give confidence to the public. The balance between these considerations 

has led to create the three categories. The ‘open’ category does not require any pre-approval as safety is ensured 

notably by a combination of measures including requirements and limitations on the operation, the unmanned aircraft 

system and the involved personnel and organisations. These general measures are complemented by conditions to 

access to airspace determined by the Member States.

The ‘specific’ category requires operators to obtain an authorisation given by the competent authority based on a risk 

assessment performed by the operator. As this could be burdensome for authorities and operators, a concept of 

standard scenario covering certain types of operations or flights has been developed. As operations with different risk 

levels are envisaged, the standard scenario will identify the cases where in lieu of the authorisation, a simple 

declaration by the operator will be sufficient to start the operation. These standard scenarios will be included in 

Certification Specifications (CS). More details may be found in paragraph 1.1

END.

This could turn out to be an expensive past time I think it wise to hold back a little longer.

While on the subject of laws the new gun law that is now in force in Scotland is a big problem I myself have two full power air rifles which are used for hunting food. I will not be able to cross the border while carrying them i don’t really want to add another  £75 to my living costs so will be looking to sell.

My lovely air rifles

17/01/17
Received a text massage this morning telling a work colleague had passed away last night so I have brought my travelling up north forwards by 4 weeks.
I got back into Cheshire at around 6.00pm took about five hours, I opted for the easy route M5 M6 motorways managed 230 miles without a gear change  the three lots of roadwork’s were of no problem traffic was flowing smoothly. My Home on wheels was running smoothly and returning 34.5 Mpg according to the satnav parked up at Anderton by the canal then went to the Stanley Arms for a well deserved pint.
18/01/17
Walked into Northwich going through the park had a look at the boat lift then walked along the river Weaver, Northwich has changed such a lot in the short time I’ve  been away but things move on and they say change is for the better not sure if I agree with that!. I certainly don’t in the case of Northwich sure it’s a good way forward for the town it’s self but to me it comes at a great cost the loss of another beautiful old  market town the timber buildings of old are being dwarfed by the new monstrous  featureless. Just looking at the new swimming pool is enough to make you throw up! plus the new roundabout is more scary than the old one.

The Baths 

This used to be my shop VALE ROYAL MARTIAL ARTS

I was lucky enough to bump into a good friend of mine Stewart the busker he lives on the canals he like myself is not keen on the new look of the town. We spent the following couple of hours in the Penny Black Pub ( this was the old post office and is one of the nicest old buildings in the town centre ) having a good natter and  along  with a good breakfast and a few mugs of coffee .

Od Post Office now the Penny Black Pub.

Old Post Office

Afterwards i spent a hour in the park practising flying my drone. This is a cheap drone ideal for learning with its really an indoor drone but works ok in still weather providing you don’t take it to high 







19/01/17
Moving off from the spot near the canal today any more than  two nights  in any one place per week is enough we cannot afford to upset the natives.  Its not very nice being called freeloaders, gippos, or any other derogatory names the twats can come up with. Will probably stay on one of the local industrial estates for the next two nights then upto my mates house for the weekend but like i have said before the plan is to have no plan. 

20/01/17


Spending a few hours in Northwich Library writing this then off for a bit of shopping after that i will be calling on a few old friends.The Funeral of my friend is not taking place until the 2nd of feb so i will be around here for a good few weeks.

Northwich Library.

Northwich Swing Bridge

 Click On The Link.
   Northwich The Town With That Sinking Feeling.





Spent the evening in the Stanley Arms had a really nice meal of rolled pork stuffed with black pudding and mustard followed by lemon cheesecake .

The Stanley Arms. not my photo

Visit the pub by canal.  not my photo

                                 

Good food at the Stanley Arms

After the meal  i went into the bar side and meet up with Simon and Gill  they have a wonderful house right on the canal bank great people with wonderful life story's to tell and very entertaining. Got talking to a young girl that was working behind the bar she is saving up to buy a campervan and continue her traveling. She has already travelled to some of the world’s most exotic places backpacking. This lass has a great life ahead of her, wish i had my time again .

           Why not walk over the canal bridge and pay a visit to the Anderton Boat Lift.

The Wonderfull Boat Lift. photo © living on the road 2017.

The boat lift © living on the road 2017.

the Weaver Valley © living on the road 2017

Had a breakfast in the worst café that i have ever been into the food was shite even the rats wouldn’t even eat it. 

                                  

Shite food at a local corner cafe

22/01/17
Sunday morning and with have a small mix of snow, hail and rain i will not be venturing to far on my morning walk today. I can always find a few small jobs to do inside the van i really don’t like to waste my days  with so much to do and so much to learn lifes just great. 

23/01/17

In Northwich Library this morning then going to do a bit of clothes shopping.
I Renewed a few of my tools  while i was in a spending mood got a nice battery powered screwdriver and a new socket set .I also called on my mate Tec to arrange a spot of fly fishing over the weekend will look forward to that . Weather as really gone cold up here the last few days.

24/01/2017
A really thick coating of frost and ice this morning roads are a little slippery i think i will stay put in the library for most of the day keep warm and update my computer.


 29/01/17
Spent the last four nights sleeping  outside  my friends tec,s house  waiting for Sunday so we could go fly fishing.  We choose to go to westlow mere  in Congleton Cheshire  the evening before we had a very deep frost which gave a very cold start to the day ahead.
When we got to westlow  thin ice was covering most of the shallower waters we choose are spots and started setting up. We both have different routines mine is to set up two 5/6 weight rods wet my line by casting both setups out then sitting down have a quick brew then start. Tecs routine is to set up one 7/8 rod sit down smoke a fag with a brew and spend at least 15 mins looking around analysing the water and whats going on around him.
But on this occasion he seemed to be taking a hell of a long time getting started and started pacing up and down the bank  somethings not right  here me thinks.
After what seemed to be over an hour he finally starts fishing. But things still did not look right everything about him seemed wrong another hour passed then he came over to me and said am going to have to stop . This isn't tec at all he fishes  from dawn to dusk every time we go and always has done! after asking him a few times whats up turns out he was getting bad pains shooting across his chest and to say the least felt a little scared.

2/01/17
I Attended the funeral of my friend Phill Newall this morning such a sad event the family were devastated by the lost to say the least. The church was full of folk and being a small village the turn out was fabulous the precession to the crematorium was also a testament to how popular this lad was.
After the  service we all went to Phil’s favourite pub the Stanley Arms in Anderton and  after a few beers where sunk very body started to tell stories and tails of adventures they had with Phil in his short life.
My thoughts are with all the family at this sad time..

Cheesy fishing off the Anglesey coastline

Phil you will be missed by all.

6/01/17
Sat in my van waiting to go for a doctors appointment i also have a sinking cold along with a abscess in one of my back teeth so feeling a little crap at the moment. 
The gas bottle for my fire ran out last night at just about bedtime no problem i,ll get another in the morning from the Moorings  boat yard where I’m parked up  a 15kg butane  £23.95 in most other places £36.00 in the marina  even down south their sub £25.00.

09/02/17
Spending a full day in the library looking for some files and video clips that have gone walkabout from my portable hard drive i move all my MP4 files and the Prev files from my videos to keep space on my computers hard drive. But for some reason last years files have disappeared from the hard drive these files are from my dash camera and my Gopro which are the files i use to make most of the videos to say am a little bit pissed off is an understatement




11/02/17.

Did a bit of re insulating today mostly where the bed goes hopefully this will stop the duvet feeling damp .I also treated myself to a new hoover this is easier than using a brush on my hands and knees i also got a Unibond Aero 360 pure Moisture Absorber System  sounds fancy  but its not .

Doesn't use any power

14/02/17.

Spent yesterday around my mates just catching up with things and going through boxes of fishing flies and making plans to try get a week away and go into Mid wales for some therapy fishing.  The lads getting his act together now and is picking up a car this weekend this should allow him to get out a bit more and mybe go fishing on his own with out having to rely on others.
He works stupid hours 4pm till 12 midnight don,t think my body clock could cope with that and it must drain all the enthusiasm and motivation out of you.

Nice Place To Be Fishing.

We must have at least three thousand flies each.

                                                                  Just Love This Song

14/02/17

Just a quick Video of the crap left in one of the laybys i use in Northwich.

In The Library Again.

New and old Northwich Town.

16 /02 /17

Got a bit pissed of today with the bank i use i tried to order an item from PC World which took me over and hour to complete the order and make payment. I was in the Library using my own computer  and made payment through word pay which PC world use to take payments then the bank ask me to verify my self with my mobile phone and enter the pin number that they send to the phone. Then becouse of the amount i was asked to confirm by email as well.
Which i did only for them to decline the payment i then recevied a text  asking me to get in touch with the fraud department .
I was then asked

The card number.
My Name.
My Address.
Balance of the account.
How many D/Debits And Standing orders i have on the account.
My Age On my next birthday.
Last Time i use chip and pin and how much was that for.
What were my D/Debits for and how much
What were my standing orders for and how much.
 What was the make and model of the Vehicle to which one of the D/Debits applyed to.
Only then would they unblock my account after which i had to reorder the item which to the best part of another hour.
 I had to answer all this while sat in a public Library

I think this was a little over the top (what do you think)


17/02/17

This is the Drone i have just purchased after doing a bit of reshearch this one seems to fit the bill for for the amount of work i want to do with it.

YUNEEC Typhoon Q500 4K Full Version Drone

Technical specifications for YUNEEC Typhoon Q500 4K Full Version Drone
OVERVIEW Type     Drone
Compatibility     - iOS
- Android
Colour     Black
FEATURES Remote control included     Yes
Type of remote control     Wireless transmitter
Power source     11.1 V 5400 mAh battery
Other features     - 25 minute flight time
- Smart flight modes
- Transmitter with touchscreen for live streaming
- No Fly Zone feature
- Follow Me function
- Watch Me function
GENERAL Accessories included     - ST-10+ Transmitter
- Battery x 2
- CG02+ 4K gimble camera
- Steady Grip
- Dedicated aluminium carry case
- Micro SD card
- Propeller set x 2
- Charger
- Connection leads
Dimensions     210 x 420 x 565 mm (H x W x D)
Weight     1.7 kg

19/02/17

Out in Anderton today having the first flight of my drone.
  My first Attempt to fly my Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K Drone a little nervous at first sending it up to 400ft its a bit like throwing your wallet over the cliff into the sea and thinking i will get it back later on. See the results in the video below i never thought doing something like this could be so therapeutic and nerve wrecking at the sametime. One minute your on a high next your thinking what if it falls out of the sky.

                                   the view from 400ft in Anderton

22/02/17

Sat in the Stanley Arms pub near Anderton Boat Lift  waiting for a break in the weather so i can have an hour flying my drone but i don't think the wind and rain is going to ease up. Not to worry im in the best place and im parked up by the pub and the canal what better place could there be.

The vaults in the Stanley Arms.

 23/02/17
Still raining  and Storm Doris is now showing her face the wind is picking up as well so in van playing on the harmonca trying to do a Ray Charles number 

                                   Take these chains from my heart 

24/02/17

Weathers fine  this morning after Storm Doris yesterday so out with my drone for an  hour this will be my third flight this time over water the river weaver near the boat lift bit scary for me need a bit more time playing where i feel safe.
The last thing i want to do is loose this drone because i made the silly mistake thinking i can fly it just cos i can get it off the ground. I ordered some spare propeller blades for the drone from HOBBYTIGER just incase i have the inevitable crash landing as some stage what a waste of good money one pair of blades (B) fitted ok but felt and looked cheap and the other set (A) did not even fit on the rotar  so have reordered from the Yunnec web site cost 3 times more but at least i no they will be right. With all the laws and problems with the public about drones why risk the safety aspect of putting inferior parts on a object that could fall 400ft out of the sky.

Hobbytiger might look the same there not.

Yuneecs own cost more but are the right ones

                               The River Weaver near the boat lift.

  25/02/17

Arranged to go fishing with Tec and Len they picked me up and of we went to Westlow mere  Congleton  weather was fine enough.
Tec as usual  set the pace by catching on his first cast leaving me and len  looking lost i lost one it took the fly off the line to easy i must of tied a bad knot lesson learnt check your knots. No fish were caught throughout the rest of the day until the last hour when guess who pulled in a nice 3lb rainbow  Tec wins the day again.

26/02/17

Went to see another friend Phil he,s a fisherman pike fishing mostly and also a keen motorbiker.  Tec is buying Phils car off him so we got the insurance shorted out after about two hours on comprasion sites and tecs picking the car up on this coming weekend. Hopefully i will be taken fishing Sunday happy days.

27/02/17
Got all my batteries recharged over the weekend its surprising how much stuff we carry when living on the road that rely on batteries, Computer, phone, tablet, Camera, video, amplifier, radio, torch, Drone, hoover, remote,  shaver, hair trimmer, Drills,  thats most but not all . Was hoping to get a bit more flying practice with the drone in  this morning unfortunately the weather says No!. 

28/02/17

Picture Of Northwich

01/03/17

4/3/17

Bright sunny  start to the day had a little play with the drone then took a walk to tec's To go pick his new to him car up .A nice silver vaxuhall astra 1.7 sports with all the add ons with it coming from tecs oldest mate phil who is car mad we know its in good order. After a 30 mile round trip and a call in at a fishing tackle shop for some new fly line and another 10 new flies apiece( for those in the know they where mostly small green montanas) which seem to work well in the still water around here.

me and my brother in his new car

Montana stone fly

05/03/17

Managed one hour out flying my drone this morning before the heavens opened and soaked me to the core. I'm getting a little more adventurous and my control is getting a lot better this made the soaking a bit more worth while but the cold air blowing off the snow capped hills in Macclesfield and Buxton  across to Northwich made it much worst for me.


12/03/17

Spent the day fishing with Tec at Mickle Trafford  near Chester  Tec was the only one to catch again which as usual he passed on to me for my tea.
It certainly was nice to be the passenger in a car for a change.

13/03/17

Nice warm day today so had a lazy day should of been out with the drone gaining more experience  I've had about 3hours flight time upto now .Not a lot i know, I have to drive a good few miles to recharge the drones battery's. Recharging takes about two hours for each battery and i only have the one charger 4 hours driving for one hours flight time.  Being round the Northwich area puts me in the red not recommend fly zone.  Hopefully their will be plenty of nice days ahead when i move of into the hills and beyond

18/03/17

Another wet and windy day so not be much going on I will probably end you in the Stanley ams watching the rugby match and have a few pints of the good stuff.

Don't fancy going fishing today Sundays are usually favourites for Tec,most of the post I'm waiting for should be arriving soon I can then start thinking about making a move.

19/03/17

Not fishing today, I do have a few little jobs to do in the van then I'm going shopping for a solar panel I have so many things that relay on rechargeable batteries I'm going to fit a dedicated 12volt battery and solar panel to run a small bank of USB and 12volt sockets. At least that's the plan the available space and the additional weight might be an issue it will be a case of one new item in and one old item out.
Poor result for England in the rugby well done to Ireland at least the beer was good.

20/03/17

Still raining will it ever stop Van life is good even when it's wet and cold but much better when you can get out in the Sunshine I'm not the type to stay in doors all day and watch TV 9pm till 11ish is more than enough.


Sent from my iPad

21/03/17

Out looking for solar today no luck in getting the 120 watt one for the roof

I did however manage to pick up a  6watt Milenco solar panel /Optimate charger kit from Spinny motorhomes along with a small new car battery from Halfords for a total of £150.This will do what I want i.e. Charge all my small battery operated items .

The larger panel can wait a bit longer never found the need for one over the last few years but now I'm staying longer in each area and not laying as miles down I will be needing to utilise the sunshine .

 24/03/17
Spent the day in and around the boat lift See Video Below.

 

02/04/17                                                                                                                                             

Not done to much over last few days other than loz about enjoying the last few days of sunshine and getting more flying time in i,am loving this living in a van life stlye. It just suits me down to a T. 

Got a good few still shots from the Quadcopter thats the boat lift at Anderton Cheshire about centre and to the right then at the edge to the right of the boat lift you can see my van. 

 Bike ride Anderton to Marbury County Park.

                                               

 

9/04/17

Spent most of the day on my push bike weather was just right for cycling on the way back though the park meet a guy with a drone strapped to his backpack.
So a conversation was started he ( John Paul ) to give you his name had been flying somewhere else in the park and was going to use the remaining ten minutes of battery power to fly along a footpath that runs though the woods.  I asked if I could tag along and film his flight on the GoPro see the resulting film below after this we arranged to meet later on and both fly are  quadcopter,s well in the three hours the wind picked up from nil to twelve miles per hour gusts peaking at about eighteen miles.

John Paul's quad is a DJI 3 and mine the Yuneec Q500 the DJI beat mine hands down for stability in the wind it was well anchored. to say it was scary trying to control my quad is an understatement  but I managed without any mishaps .

             

Please See My Page .My Second Year Part Two.



Brick to rubber.

 

End