Golf balls

Grey and drizzly in Ripon this morning, but the day started out well enough. A wander around Ripon before viewing a property there. It was a nice enough house, but a little too small for our needs, and there was no parking at all in the surrounding area - a distinct disadvantage.

The plan for this afternoon was to travel down to Leeds for a meal with Tom and Lucy. Mid-morning a text arrived from Lucy, with a photo showing two red stripes on a lateral flow test. Aaargh! Covid! Rude words were uttered. We set off for Leeds, passing the 'golf balls' at Menwith Hill on the way. First stop was the house where Lucy lives, to hand over - at a cautious distance in the garden - part of her birthday present. We stood outside and chatted for a very short while before drizzle turned to heavy rain. MrM and I left for the short drive in to central Leeds. On consulting Google Maps for exact directions I thought it must be wrong - 39 minutes to cover 2.4miles. But it turned out to be an under-estimate - the traffic was so dire that it took 45 minutes! Only 15 minutes late at the restaurant! Meanwhile, texts from Tom. He'd accounted for the train strike, but not bus cancellations and taxis failing to turn up - so he was 45 minutes late. Luckily the restaurant wasn't busy, and we enjoyed a Japanese meal, then a drink in a nearby hostelry before taking Tom back home. It was lovely to see him, if only briefly.

To end the day a trip to Wetherby so that MrM could drop off a fiddle that he's repaired for a friend. We stayed longer than intended, and it was time for bed by the time we arrived back in Ripon.

According to an article on Wikipedia, Menwith Hil is a Royal Air Force Station. However, allegedly it's the largest intelligence-gathering, interception and surveillance base outside the US, and apparently has many roles which are for US interests only. It would seem that the base is unaccountable, secretive and out of control of the UK government...