The Dodgey Archive for 2012

Greetings from the Dodge household at the end of yet another year. 

News and photos from 2012

A sad start to the year, as we lost our 'half a pet' - Austin, the seldom seen cat, to a tumour.

Once again we were lucky enough to enjoy 2 weeks in Tenerife in January......

Early morning on the balcony

The camcorder doesn't go to Tenerife, so there's plenty of time to mess around with cameras....

Whether we're talking sunsets.....

Or the moon ....

Slimline Denise, who lost 2 stone in the latter half of 2011, and kept it off throughout 2012

A lovely sunset, the southern tip of La Gomera visible to the right of the sunset....

Time to deal with that mid-life crisis !

Denise poses on Mount Teide, a dormant volcano. There were loads of pungent gasses around, but apparently some of them were coming from the mountain !

Here you can see the cable car station (and pylons) near the summit.  It a third of the height of Everest, yet it's only about 11 miles from Playa De Las Americas, and you can get within 500' of the summit by road and cable car.....

And this is the view looking back towards the southwest - Playa De Las Americas to the left, and the charmingly named Puerto del Colon (where we stay) on the right.

One last look as we head for home.

The good news in January was that Chris had got a MOM's job at Reading.

This was the PTS course held at York in March.

Foxdown Manor, and in particular 'Gilbert', seen here, is rapidly becoming our default destination for weekends away...

Here Denise busies herself in the kitchen.....

...the results being invariable delicious !

At the end of March we headed off to Essex for Wally Low's 60th birthday bash.......

The old gits - yes, John Sullivan, even you're an old git now !

The Spring of 2012 actually started quite well - this is the garden of The Cross Guns at Avoncliff in early April.

The 'leaving do' at Cardiff in early April

.....followed a few days later by a birthday celebration.

Spring boating in 2012.  The camera isn't lying, but this was in fact the most rain and flood affected week that we've ever had.  Here Darryl and Babs Williams wonder where it all went wrong....

..and Darryl ponders how he came to be getting a boat-handling demonstration from Fred Scuttle !

Denise and Bonzo negotiate the what's left of the towpath between the Oxford Canal and the River Cherwell.

Late May, and Chris disappeared off to Moreton-In-Marsh for 9 days for the Network Rail 'Practical Leadership Programme' (PLP) course

For those that have been, the infamous 'F Block' is just left-of-centre at the top of the picture.

Broadway Tower (they let us out on the Sunday) seen from the air, in early December..

 .......as seen here.....

The motley crew of PLP 114

.......and on the last night, someone lost his karaoke virginity !

To the Bomber Command Museum at East Kirkby in early June, where Chris took the opportunity to be taken for a taxy in a Lancaster - his late dad having been a rear gunner on Lancs, based there during 1944.

A very unusual opportunity, but no, they didn't let him have a go.

Video to be posted on YouTube shortly.....

For our French trip this year we were joined by Andy & Wendy Tandy.

Here we sit down to lunch before leaving Migennes

The Canal du Nivernais and surrounding countryside as seen from the top of the cliffs at Saussois - a climb of 3 contours for those of us that count these things.

Once again Le Boat were kind enough to give us an upgrade - Magnifique in profile

Heading towards the summit....

The former lock-keeper's cottage at Chavance is now a tiny bar/restaurant

 Contented customers #1

Contented customers #2 - note the distinctly rustic ambience..

(incidentally the glass in the photo is branded 'Get' not 'Git' as someone unkindly suggested)

Contented dogs, who were later fed with the evening's scraps and leftovers, straight from the pans !

No trip to the Nivernais is complete without an evening next to the Etang de Baye

...time for a media feeding frenzy....

Dusk....

....and early the next morning - Canal du Nivernais to the left of the towpath, the etang to the right

Tunnel vision.....

A glorious sunset at Auxerre

A bike ride from Bath to Bradford-on-Avon on a glorious July evening - one of Bonzo's regular 10 mile workouts.

The Leeds Novotel - 'home' for the month of August for Chris whilst at 'MOMSchool'

The City Exchange (see here behind the Church) was 'the office' for the duration.

An interesting visit to Selby Swing Bridge Signalbox

A freight train rumbles over (or under, depending on your position)

The bridge keeper does his stuff.....

Lots of rumbling and clanking, then around we go....

At last, a boat trip in England with barbecue weather - this is mid-September

Relaxing after breakfast in the sunshine - this is the top end of the Droitwich Canal at Hanbury

'Ostentatious' on the Staffs & Worcs Canal between Stourport and Kidderminster.....

...a lovely week.

 Restocking the wine cellar on another booze-cruise to Calais

Early October and a visit to Wellesbourne Mountford, near Stratford-on-Avon, home to Vulcan XM655

The word 'ergonomics' hadn't been invented when the Vulcan's cockpit was designed....

A seriously creepy moment this - left hand holding the nuclear bomb-release.

In November Chris and (sister) Sheila helped to clear their Mum's loft out.

For Bonzo not so much a case of HMV as WTF? !

Early Autumn in the woods

Bonzo pauses during an afternoon run

Back to Foxdown in mid-November, with Colin Smith, Roger Beazer plus Andy and Wendy Tandy

Sadly, we also lost Morris just a couple of weeks ago

Here a very young cat gets a treat from his owner at The Eagle & Sun at Hanbury.  He was named Morris as in 'Traveller' (see below) in the hope that he would follow in the pawmarks of his predecessor, William, who used to go everywhere with us.  Morris however was not very keen on this, and not inclined to settle down at night, particularly on boats.  He was eventaully shown the Red Card after what was subsequently referred to as 'The Penkridge Incident'.

For anyone under the age of forty looking at this page, this is the original Morris Traveller.

Morris, chilled out at home.

Have a great Xmas 2012, and a happy and prosperous 2013

Chris & Denise

P.S: If by any chance you feel the urge to look at previous years, here are the links:

2011   2010   2009   2008   2007   2006

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