Well first a update on our Awning problem. Glossops have another awning for us, a NR Balmoral which is going for £170, after a discussion with the boss their knocking £20 off it so we've got £50 to find. I don't mind as NR are a great awning and Barmoral was the top of their modal range.
Now for caching news! were to start? Well on the permission front, I've been working on obtaining permission for a Letterbox Hybrid, after speaking to the Flintshire CC Ranger for the area, and to his boss several times who is all for it, I then had to contact the landowners who happen to be a local community council. John the Ranger manager gave me the phone no of the clerk to the council, who I finally managed to make contact with after 10 phone calls leaving messages. She asked me to put my request in writing so that it could be presented to the full council. This took several days as I prepared a presentation bundle for them, my Intro Document [which can be found
Here ],
Warren Dee Wind Farm and my 2 CITO events
Castle Clean Up and
Cachers and Flintshire CC Rangers, a copy of the document finders will need to find the cache (well I did say it was a Letterbox Hybrid so not only will have a custom stamp picture at the top of the page, but it will found Letterbox style using instructions if searchers can find them) plus a letter of request. As you can see from the presentation I've done my best to explain in full about caching, that as the area is a nature reserve I can place caches in a way that works with the local wild/plant life. And that I take the CITO ethos of caching seriously, it will probably help that one of the CITO events is taking place with Flintshire CC Rangers. Now comes the long wait to find out if I've been successful, as the council don't sit until the 28th of July. Oh and I forgot to mention that I've already had the cache approved for listing on GC, 2 faced I can see you thinking, listing a cache without permission! Nope I did say approved not listed! Currently the cache is archived but not visible to anyone other than the 2 UK approvers which just protects the location from someone else coming along and getting a cache listed for there, if I'm refused, the area will be put out of bounds for cache placement.
Well you've read about my plans now it's time to describe the fun Nette and I had delivering the documents. The address of the Clerk was another village fairly local to us. I used the postcode on the
AA Route Planner to get a idea of the location of the house, which it seemed was located somewhere in the village. Sunday afternoon and off Nette and I set to deliver it, we arrived at the village and then spent a hour asking locals for the lady by both name and by house name (note no house no). When I say asked locals by this I mean asked anyone we saw in the street and by knocking on their doors. No one had a clue and sent us all over the village, in the end by using the AA route (which used distances once it reached the village) I got it down to a group of 4 houses, 3 of which had their house names showing, so off I set down the driveway to the accoumpament of loud barking from the family dogs, and eureka the correct house.
On the found front I'm sad to say that there is only one cache found. The Big Rubber Swap by Fruity and Doggit went live (sorry I'll edit later on to give a link, GCs server is too busy again), so off I set with Dolly Girl (Stephanie) and 4PawDrive (Trixie) set off to find it. Arrived at a parking location and it was a case of hey I've been here before, when looking for another cache. Out we get and follow the arrow over a stile into a field where the etrex was pointing into the middle of a field. After checking out what appeared to match the clue at the other end of the field, it was time to phone the cache owner. Following his directions we ended up over 55m away from where the etrex was putting us. Cache eventualy found and a FTF for us, coordinates noted we headed home and logged our find. I added my coordinates to the log, which unlike the original ones put the arrow where it should be and not where it was showing on the cache page. Unfortunately Pieman went to find the cache , but had not seen my coordinates so ended up with a DNF on it.
On my cache front, I had a DNF on Warren Dee on the final cache. As Trixie needed a walk we strolled down to the final cache to check on it. The cache is well hidden but I could not even see what it is hidden by! The undergrowth surrounding it has grown to 4ft high and I struggled to find it, but at least it's still there. I'm holding a raffle at Cachers and Flintshire CC Rangers CITO event in aid of
British Heart Foundation as Friday July the 15th was the 10th anniversary of the loss of my Father due to a heart attack, so the BHF is very important to my family!
I'd like to thank the follow people who have donated items to raffle off, Fruity and Doggit (Craig and Rex), Jan and the Percy Boys (Bob), Marinor (Bill), Dolly Girl (Stephanie) and Nette(I'll edit this list to add other names). Thank you guys and gals!
One final piece of caching news, I've created a GC account for
4PawDrive I don't see why she shouldn't have a account just because she's a dog, she's present at cache finds so why not log her finds for her.
You'd have to live on another planet not to know that the latest Harry Potter book was released on Saturday. Having per-ordered it from Amazon last December (eager I know) I had the knock from the postman Saturday Morning at 08:15hrs. When I opened the door the postman with a big cheesy grin on his face handed me my copy with the comment "one Harry Potter book"! It was a case of straight into reading it. It was a case of I'd finnished by 01:45hrs Sunday (well we did go shoping and went to the club with Craig and Sarah). Oh and I got in trouble with Nette, she'd gone to Bingo with Sarah and guess who was late picking them up! yepp thats right me! Too busy reading HP
15:30 and Nette and I were heading toward the car, as I had a dentist appointment, when Nette suddenly said "Look at that! A Bat!" me being the ejit that I am, I was looking for a bat that the next-door kids had thrown into the garden when I suddenly realised that she was actualy talking about a real live Bat! Having never seen a wild Bat before, I just had to go and get the camera to take a photo.
