Herbie's blog

Husband's new grandson arrived at the end of July. He was a couple of weeks late, but making up for it with his own blog at http://herbieharford.blogspot.com/.

Devils

Husband took two grandchildren youth hostelling earlier this week in Snowdonia. They went up Snowden, the highest mountain in England and Wales, so can be proud of their walking abilities and energy.

In this photo, husband or grandchild is in the "Devil's chair". If the weather is so bad that you can't see the chair, they say the devil's sitting in it.

To the Isle of Wight

Here's husband and grandchild enjoying a trip round HMS Victory.

With two pleasant children, husband and I are youth hostelling in the Isle of Wight. We arrived from Portsmouth on an almost empty ferry. The whole island is so quiet that you'd think it a permanent holiday. A little girl asked her mother if there were no schools on the island because she thought it a permanent holiday island.

On the ferry to the Isle of Wight, with a calm sea green sea, grandson persuades Grandpa into buying fruit drinks from a machine. Grand daughter Joy draws. Grandpa teases grandson, "I hope that ferry isn't going to bump into that container ship over there." Grandson leaping up to look. The ferry goes round the stern.

Grandson and grand daughter wander off to read the posters. "Donning instructions" "Donning", what's that? It's not a usual word is it - to don your life jacket. We're collecting unusual words. "Muster station" you get buses at a bus station and trains at a train station. Do you get musters at a muster station?