Manky Monkey Motors

I'm on holiday from work this week, but got lots of things to do, so haven't been able to get away anywhere.
Needed a break from the workshop though, so had a very pleasant afternoon wandering along the canal in Oxford a couple of days ago. Had another free afternoon today so just jumped in the car & drove at random.
Ended up in Arundel, West Sussex, & very nice it was too.
Torrential rain when I left home in Hampshire, but beautiful warm sunshine down towards the coast.
I haven't been to Arundel for over 10 years & had forgotten how much I like it. Used to pass through here as a kid when my Mum & Dad took us to the seaside. I remember the castle, literally towering over the village. Thankfully the place hasn't changed at all. Lots of quaint little antique & art shops & a million tea rooms -& the castle of course. Got there too late in the day today to look around inside, but spent a relaxed couple of hours wandering around it's perimeter. A lovely little place if you fancy a ride/drive out somewhere.

.

.

Tbh the castle is better from the outside.  You pay a lot, don't get to see much of it, and then discover it was mostly 'remodelled' in 1846.   Better to see it from afar and keep the romance alive!

Still wish I could've gone inside the grounds, (it'd closed for the day by the time I got there).
This gorgeous building was visible over the wall -wasn't till I got close to it that I realised it was made entirely of wood with gilded turrets.

The cathedral. I'm not remotely religious, but always find cathedrals & churches fascinating. Just can't imagine how you'd begin to build something like this. No cement mixers, no powered cranes, no modern scaffolding. Fantastic.

.

The inside's just as impressive.

And yet nowadays they can't build anything right with all the technology and know-how.....

They never got the lift working in the Portsmouth tower thing.
Our wonderful 'twin sails' bridge in Poole is forever getting stuck
They built a Millennium bridge somewhere that wobbled....

And so on...

But this was built by a bunch of blokes with nothing more than hand tools & has stood for centuries!

I like churchyards too. Very tranquil places & full of wildlife. This is the parish church opposite the cathedral.

.

.

An iron headstone, for a little girl who died at just 5 weeks old.

I always like taking "people piccies" & found these guys. Life sized. The one on the left was particularly lifelike & quite spooky. If you've ever seen the "weeping angels" on Doctor Who you'll know what I mean.

.

After an ice cream & a wander around the village, I carried on to Brighton.
Complete change of pace. Splendidly tacky & awash with foreign students.
The Regency pavillion's pretty spectacular though.

.

First time I visited Brighton was with a college friend in his Austin A40 to celebrate the end of our apprenticeships.
God I'm getting old.

.

.

A quick stroll along the seafront in the afternoon sunshine & it was time to head for home.
Passed through some huge floods on the way back. Looks like I found the best of the weather today.
Batteries fully recharged & ready to get back to the workshop again.

Always wanted to visit the Brighton Pavilion but somehow when I've been in brighton there's always been something else going on...
Glad you had a good holiday

love that picture Andy

yes but they didnt have  : local council planning , health and safety executive, UE, Brussels

 ;D

 ;D
Oh, to be down by the sea again.
I've been to Mudeford, near Bournemouth, Dorset today. Visited my Mum in Christchurch, dropped in on TrikerPete & Chrissie in Lymington, (hope you get over the colds soon guys), then had a wander along the beach.
Perfect warm sunshine & hardly a soul in sight.
The Needles on the Isle of Wight.

One o' them boat things, doin' ...boaty stuff.
I was hoping he was a pirate, but he had all his limbs intact. And a flat cap. So unlikely.

"Red sails in the sunset........"

 :)