Celebrations

Geoff in Townsville sent us a very nice email a few days back sympathising with our jet lag and various disasters.   The Jordan family along with Jean and Graham are off to Magnetic Island for the Easter break.  Lucky guys!   Geoff says there is still some rain around in the north but hopefully this will stop by the weekend.  Hope you all have a great time!

I can’t believe that Easter is nearly upon us.  We have made no plans, which is just as well because it is cold and wet and as with all other bank holidays in the UK I bet the same is forecast for the holiday.  I was thinking about getting Phil to get the bikes down from the eaves in the garage but there is no point if the sun isn’t out.

I picked up my new glasses from the opticians, even though I picked one of the sale frames, they were not cheap.  They are not so very different from my last ones, I did ask Phil if he liked them but all he asked was how much they cost and why didn’t I claim on the insurance?  He has a point I suppose but the answer to that is that I just couldn’t be arsed.   

We had a late start to the day on Monday not having got to grips with the loss of the hour on Sunday.   We did make it to the gym and it wasn’t too bad.  Each time we go we feel a little more comfortable and in a couple of weeks I’m sure we’ll be like old hats.  It’s difficult not to compare DW to DL because there really is no comparison but all I need to keep in mind is the money we are saving. I do have a few gripes though.  There is only one water fountain in the main gym.  The aqua classes are run EVERY day which clogs up the pool.   Without a doubt, the pool and the ladies changing room must have been designed by a bloke.  There is nowhere at all to hang up towels or wash bags by the pool.  And the hooks by the showers are so high up that I have to stand on tip toe’s to hang up my stuff.  Still, at least the water in the shower was much hotter this week.  The least I have to use our shower at home the better.

Yesterday morning I took my car in for another M.O.T at Arden Park which is where I normally tend to go.  Not one of my best ideas because it failed.  What was I thinking paying twice for an M.O.T.??  The garage does have a body shop but the welding is too severe for them to deal with it.  They gave me a number of a guy that only does welding.  I phoned and left a message and Adrian called me back and I took it over to Sherrington this morning.  Funnily enough, this is the same chap that Chris Ford recommended but when Phil phoned a couple of weeks ago he said he was too busy.  And yet when I spoke to him this morning he said he’d try and weld it today.  Sometimes it pays to be female!

Yesterday afternoon we finally got around to getting the plasma off the wall. It was a real nightmare getting it up there in the first place and with my fragile back I was dubious about getting it down with just the two of us but Phil was adamant.  It wasn’t easy (is anything?) but I have to say it was a damn sight easier taking it off the bracket than it was getting it on.   Somehow we managed to get it into the back of the Land Rover and drove it over to a repair shop on Granby industrial park.  It cost us 47 quid for them to inspect it so now it’s just a case of waiting to see what the repair will cost. It will be a while before we know what’s wrong with it but it does make me question how long the life of a plasma screen is?  Phil is hoping of course that we get it back in time for the Easter weekend so he can watch some of his recordings but there isn’t a cat’s chance in hell of this.  Phil, forever the optimist.  Bless him!  Suppose its better being like that than all doom and gloom like me.

Last night we went to Robinsons in Newport for a meal with Mads & Steve.   We were having a meal to celebrate both their recent birthdays, their 25^th wedding anniversary and Mads recent promotion to Business Manager at Terminal 5 and well, it was also a chance to catch up after the long winter.  Phil and I got a taxi into town which only took 10 minutes.  My car was in the garage and I don’t drive the land rover unless I really have too, certainly never in the dark.

It was really nice to see Angela (the owner) again and the food, service, wine and company were excellent.  Angela had made a cake for Steve & Mads’ anniversary which was presented to them by Lola, their daughter and she had also got Mads a big bouquet of flowers. We all had some with Lola and her new dollie!  Poor Steve had the usual job of driving and he also ended up dropping me and Phil back home and as usual we were the last to leave the restaurant.  So thanks Steve, we hope to return the favour!  I feel a bit guilty that we don’t eat at Robbie’s more often, but in our jobless state, Robbie’s has to be saved for a special occasion, like when one of us finds a job. 

I applied for a job last week and hadn’t heard a sausage so I thought I hadn’t been chosen for an interview.  But yesterday lunchtime, the MD called me for an on-the-spot telephone interview.  He caught me up on the hop a bit because I was halfway though eating cauliflower cheese and a baked potato but I think I did okay, so fingers crossed.  Jeff, I think that was his name, promised he’d phone me by the end of the week.  He also said he’d had hundreds of applications so in reality I only have a slim chance.  I won’t mention the job or the company now because I don’t want to test fate, but needless to say, that if am successful I will reveal all!

A late night meant a late jaded start to the morning.  Also I had to get my car over to Sherrington and couldn’t find my keys anyway.  We both searched high and low because I do have a horrible habit of leaving my keys in the most peculiar places.  I even had to phone Mads and leave a message to ask if I’d left them in her car.  Finally, I eventually found them in the down stairs toilet.  Don’t ask!   I have got a list of jobs as long as my arm and so I must get published and get on.  I really feel like having a duvet day but this is not an option.  Early to bed tonight I think.

Seven years of bad luck?

In the last line of my last blog I wondered what could possibly break down next.  Well, I didn’t have to wait long to find out.  When Phil got up for a pee early on Saturday morning he discovered that the glass mirror had fallen off the tiled wall and smashed to smithereens all over the floor.  To be honest, I wasn’t too surprised because I’d spotted that it was loose at the top whilst I was cleaning the bathroom.  I did mention this to my dear husband but he was having one of his no shower stay in pyjamas days and was deeply engrossed in his OU study.  I did mean to prise it off the wall myself after I’d finished carrying out my going to bed ablutions but I clean forgot.  I just hope and pray that the old saying is just a mith; seven years of bad luck is something I could well do without!

I left Phil to do more study on Saturday morning while I hopped in my car and made my way to the United Reformed Church hall in Newport.  I’d promised to help Vanessa out at her Spring Fair.  Vanessa is working really hard at raising funds for her trek in aid of Willen Hospice and still has a way to go to meet her target. As to be expected from Vanessa, everything was highly organised.  There was a book stall, a couple of bric-a-brac stalls, face painting, homemade cards, plants & pots, tombola and a raffle stall.  Chris & Alex were in charge of the tea and homemade cakes and yours truly was manning the Raffle stall.  We had a respectable flow of traffic into the hall but it was just a shame that it was raining and I’m sure that kept a few people away.  I’m not sure how much money she raised but hopefully it was worth the tremendous effort.  Vanessa will kill me for putting this picture on the blog; she may even stop speaking to me.  Sorry V, I just couldn’t help myself!  

Phil studied for most of the day but at 4pm he had to get dressed and go to the OB flat to collect beds and mattresses.  The couple that moved in before we got back had their own furniture and so wanted our stuff cleared.  When Phil got there he discovered the tenant’s husband came from Philip Island in Australia.  We went there 2 or 3 times when we were staying in Melbourne.  Funny world we live in.  Just a few months ago we’d never of heard of Philip Island, let alone been there.   Phil said the flat was immaculate which was a huge relief.  Unfortunately the bed removals took two trips and now the garage is chock-a-block.  We’re going to have to get us another storage unit. 

We’d not long sat down when a knock on the lounge window alerted us to someone outside.  It was Kevin from across the road, he’d been knocking at the front door but when we sit in the conservatory with the telly on it’s impossible to hear the door.  Phil let him in and offered him a beer which he accepted.  The boiler ignition light had packed up across the road and they have no central heating so Kevin wanted to borrow one of our heaters.  He’s a gentle giant Kevin with an infectious smile.  He’s not like you or me but Phil has a soft spot for Kevin and is always up for a chat.   

By some fluke we were awake around 5am on Sunday morning and by pure chance were in time to watch the beginning of the Australian Grand Prix.  This was lucky really because we had quite forgotten about the clocks going forward.  I stayed in bed to watch the programme but Phil got up and watched in the conservatory because the telly is so far away from our bed that he couldn’t read the screen.   It was a lazy start to the morning.  The sun was sort of shining so we decided to walk along the canal to the shops to get the papers.   We hadn’t got far when the clouds came over and we thought it was going to rain but we got there and back without getting wet.  The rest of the morning was study for Phil and some domestics for me.  Lunch was roast chicken but without roast potatoes and the Yorkshire puddings.  We are trying to be good in the diet department but it doesn’t seem to making much difference.

After lunch, I left Phil alone to his own devices and went over to Great Holm to see Christine.  She’s off on holiday to Cuba on Wednesday (lucky girl) so this was our last chance to catch up before she goes away.  We had a good catch up chat over a cup of tea and walked the dogs, who were just as boisterous as ever.  Last night was Sunday newspapers and Come Dine with me and the film ‘The Truman Show’.

This week we really do have to get our arses into gear. The focus has to be on finances which are not looking good and we do have to do some hard work on the end of year accounts. I’ve had the jet lag to blame for my laziness in this department but now it really is case of pure procrastination. We really do have to get our affairs in order and then we can seriously concentrate on the job hunt. Mind you, there is still load to sort out; the damaged wall where the mirror fell needs sorting, the bath needs sorting and the panel is still hanging off which looks awful.   Phil did manage to find the key for the padlock on the big plasma but we still to find a way of getting it off the wall so we can get it in for repair.  The house needs a good spring clean and the garden needs major work.  Where will I ever time to work a proper job??

It's all going wrong

Number of job applications this week – one.  No of pounds lost – one.  I haven’t done very well this week, failing miserably to meet the objections that I set myself at the beginning of the week.  I feel a failure and am determined to do better. We’ve been back two weeks now and although the jet lag has gone, I’m still struggling to back into any kind of routine.  We did finally manage to sort out our gym membership and are now fully fledged members of the DW Fitness Sports Centre near the MK Dons stadium in Bletchley.

I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but we fell out with David Lloyd before we went away in November.  It was a little sad because Phil was one of the first founder members and we both have been members for over 10 years.  The fees at David Lloyd have gone up steadily over the years but the latest increase made us decide that it was more than we wanted to pay.  We argued with the £70 a month suspension fee which we weren’t happy with, so told DL that, okay, we would pay this, but they could take this as our 3 month notice period.  They came back and said no, you need to pay 4 months suspension and then pay for 3 full months as notice.  Well, of course we told them where to go and immediately stopped our standing order.   Their response has not been professional but we will fight them if they pursue the matter.

We ummed and arrhed but finally decided on membership at DW Fitness. It was a toss up between LA Fitness and DW in Bletchley.  I am not 100% this was the best choice.  The gym is quite blokey and a little impersonal and the water in the ladies showers is barely luke warm. On the plus side, the steam room is great and they have 2 jacuzzi's.  DL is without a doubt the best club in MK but at DW we are only paying half the cost. The funny thing was I recognised quite a few DL members and a DL spinning instructor.  I guess at the moment we are still the newbies and perhaps I should allow myself a few more visits before I make my final  judgement. We were pretty nervous about our induction session on Wednesday and both admitted in the car on the way there, that we both felt more unfit than we had ever felt.  Luckily for us, the fitness instructor had broken his finger playing football, so our induction session was more informative rather than assessing our fitness levels.  Andy showered us the core section area and made us do a few exercises and we had a go on the different power plates.  And that was about it; we had a go on the cross trainers after he left but we could only manage 5 minutes!  We finished off with a couple of lengths of the pool and that was it for our first session.

After lunch I met up with Janet at the OU and we went for a walk around the grounds.  It had been raining in the morning but by midday this had gone and it really was quite a lovely day.  Jan was really busy at work but made time to meet me and we gossiped as we walked.  The garage called and Phil finally got the land rover back.  I’m not really sure what the probably was and although Phil says it’s driving much better, the engine light is still flashing.   Once a car lets you down, you just can’t trust it and it will be interesting to see if the LR gets through it’s MOT which is due at the end of next month.  I know that Phil really wants to change the car but now really is not the right time.

Phil went out with the Wednesday night crew and Chris drove them to the Fox & Hounds in Deanshanger.  All the boys (and me) are already familiar with this pub but recently it has changed hands and is under new management.  Phil said that the menu, although simple was really good, and everyone enjoyed their meals which Phil tells me, were reasonably priced.  I think the new owners are planning to renovate the barns at the back and turn them into a restaurant so maybe worth a visit in the summer.

We’d hardly done anything in our induction session so we were surprised to wake up on Thursday morning aching like crazy.   Just goes to show how unfit we both are and how much work we’re going to have to do to improve.   Even though we were aching, we still managed an hour in the gym yesterday, which was a big improvement on the day before.  Unfortunately aqua aerobics was taking in the place in the pool and it was virtually impossible to swim.

Since we got back home, everything seems to be breaking down.  First up we realised that the BT Vision hadn’t recorded any of our programmes and we weren’t able to record.  Phil tried many things but in the end we had to get out a BT engineer.  Turned out, it was a problem with our broadband speed which was way too slow.  The engineer rebooted and got it back up but some days it works and other days it doesn’t, so the problem is still not resolved.

Next to go wrong was the all singing-cum-dancing bath Jacuzzi shower.  I stupidly put down the bath plug even though I was having a shower and then Phil couldn’t get it up when he went in after me, which meant the bath filled with water.  We both tried several things to get the plug out and Phil phoned a plumber for advice.  He ended up bailing out the water until the bath was nearly empty and eventually managed to get the plug out.  We knew the bath needed some attention before we went away.  But, the bath panel is still off and sitting in the spare bedroom and Phil needs to phone the manufacturer and order the parts.  Something else that remains unresolved.

Next up, was my car failing its MOT.  Not altogether surprising but I didn’t expect it to fail in such a dramatic or expensive way.  I was going to phone round for quotes but instead I’ve booked it into my normal garage for an MOT and am praying that they will pass it.  I know this is slightly ridiculous but this has happened to me before and well, if it fails (which it probably will) then they have a body shop so I will let them carry out the repairs.

A couple of weeks before we got home, our electronic garage doors decided to open all by themselves.   Fortunately Neil next door spotted this and Sandy told him that Emma had a key.  Emma of course, put them down with the remote but they opened a few more times by themselves and in the end Jason had to cut off the power.  Phil and I fitted these doors by ourselves and we’ve never had a problem before, but of course now they’re out of warranty so we shall just have to keep an eye on them.  We’ve got a lot of stuff in our garage so if we can’t identify the problem we shall have to keep the power off. Not ideal really and defeats the object of having electric doors.

There have been a couple of other annoying things like my dying laptop but I think the biggest thing to go wrong happened just last night.  At the end of the day we settled down in the lounge to watch Come Dine with Me. The 50 inch plasma came on and then promptly switched itself off.  The remote wouldn’t work and we powered off and on several times but all to no avail, it just wouldn’t come on.  Phil managed to get the sound back but couldn’t get a picture.  And of course, this is just out of warranty so we shall have to get an engineer out to fix it.  It’s not the best timing either;  the Australian Grand Prix is on this weekend and Phil wanted to record the qualifying session which was on TV really early this morning and now he can’t.  If he can’t get his big screen fixed today, he will be like a bear with a sore head all weekend.  Of course we do have other sets and last night we watched TV in the cold conservatory but it’s just not the same.  I have to apologise again for the lack of photo’s and the improvisation today.  Although I have my new super duper digital camera, all my UBS ports have decided to stop working so I can't download from my laptop.  What next I wonder? 

Only the young and the foolish

I was very pleased with my new second hand camera and when I got home, so was Phil. It turns out that my cheapie has more memory than his very expensive camera and I can see that I’m going to have to keep a close eye on it! On Monday afternoon I went to the beauty trainee salon at Bletchley College. It has all changed since I was there last and the beauty treatments are now done in a brand new building. I was booked in for a manicure and a facial. The young trainees all seem to lack a personality and are a little slow but they do a fairly professional job at a fraction of the cost in a normal salon. My 2 treatments seemed to take forever and I was fairly surprised when I went to pay that the manager had told the receptionist that my treatments were complimentary. I asked why but she didn’t know why, and well, I was going to push it. I will be going back!

Yesterday was Harriet’s 21^st birthday and her treat from her dad was a Wing Walking experience at a flying club in Cirencester http://www.aerosuperbatics.com/

I thought it was horrendously expensive for what amounts to only about 10 minutes up the air but Harriet was adamant that she wanted to have an experience that she would remember forever. Perhaps a bit melodramatic but you get the gist of what she was trying to achieve. Anyway, her original flying time was scheduled in the afternoon but a late email on Monday came, saying that because of the weather her flying time had changed to the morning. This was no big deal but it did mean that we had to up early.

The land rover is still seriously ill in the garage, we’ve not heard anything, but on the proviso that no news is good news, we are assuming the worst. Luckily we still got the stinky doggy blue tiny Nissan Micro so shortly after 8 am we picked Harriet and Shane up from their flat. The drive to Cirencester wasn’t an easy one; traffic in Milton Keynes was heavy and driving through Bicester and the outskirts of Oxford was a complete nightmare, but with the help of Mr Tom Tom we arrived at the airfield shortly after 10 o’clock.

When we arrived one of the team was getting the aircraft out of the shed. We all had a good laugh (except Harriet that is) when we saw the plane and the place where she would be strapped too. Actually I don’t think Harriet was that nervous, her main concern was how she would climb up on to the platform. I don’t think Ugg boots were the best thing to wear and advised her to put on her trainers which she’d brought along just in case. We were given a cup of coffee and Harriet got changed into the red flying suit along with goggles and gloves. We all had a good laugh and made her pose for pictures. There was a lot of hanging around waiting on the pilot and during this time, the weather was deteriorating.

The pilot finally turned up having been back and forth to the main office to get various bits of his flying kit but the rain was coming down so he said his radar said it was going to blow over so it was best to wait for 5 minutes before going up. He said that for a charge of 5 quid we could a DVD recording on a cassette. Of course we said we wanted this even if there was a chance it wouldn’t record.

It was a bit of a performance getting Harriet up on the plane and strapped to the post. She was a little worried that there was only one strap holding her to the plane and I have to say, so was I. But finally the engine was warm and they were quickly up in the air.

We all had light coats on but with the wind and the rain and the long wait, we were all freezing but the time the plane went up. Phil swiped my camera, he’d brought his along but the batteries had run out. I didn’t really mind because I knew with all the practice on holiday, he’d get much better shots. Shane had Harriet’s camera phone and he also took some shots and video’s. Harriet was up in the air for around 10 minutes and was glad to get down. We all said that we wouldn’t be brave enough to do it but when she got down on the ground, Harriet said she’d do it again. She said that the wind was freezing and indeed, her ears and nose looked almost black with the cold. Just a shame she didn’t fly on one of the lovely sunny days that we had last week. Luckily the recording worked and at the end of play, Harriet came away cold but happy.

The trip back was boring and very hot. Phil, frozen to the bone on the airfield because he was only wearing a very thin jacket, had the heating on full blast and was reluctant to turn it down. When we got back to Milton Keynes, we stopped off at our house so Harriet could open cards and presents and then went down to The Giffard for a birthday celebration meal. Harriet was still recovering from getting hammered with Jade on Sunday night so wasn’t in the mood for a drink and also, she had to drive later on. We’d got a bottle of bubbly in the fridge so at least she could toast herself later on in the evening when she got back home.

Phil got loads of photo’s and videos but alas, my removable disk drive has decided to stop working so I can’t download. In fact my old laptop, which I admit is a bit of a dinosaur, has been so slow since we got back, that I fear it could die at any minute. Note to oneself: do a backup today! Anyway last night I had a go on Phil’s laptop but it took forever to download even one photograph. Phil had a go and it turns out that my camera has a far higher resolution than my old one. I wasn’t happy with this and got Phil to turn it down. I don’t want high spec, I just need photographs that are quick to download. Using Phil’s laptop means going into the cold conservatory in my dressing gown and as it’s only six thirty in the morning, I’m sure I can face that at the moment. So apologies. Photographs to follow, sometime later this afternoon. NB: Half seven now and a quick edit. Brafed the conservatory and managed to add photographs now and even a video. Check it out at the bottom of the page. Would you do this????

21 Today!

I can't quite believe it, but Harriet is 21 today!  Here are some pictures taken in her office.  Her team mates did up her desk with balloons and banners and brought her pink champagne and a big chocolate cake with candles. How nice is that?   


Just think, 21 years ago and almost to the hour, I was sat in my bed in Milton Keynes hospital after a 48 labour which ended up in a rather painful forceps delivery. Arghhhhhh so many stitches, even to this day I can remember it so clearly.


To celebrate the day we're off wing walking in Cirencester but more about that tomorrow.  Happy birthday baby girl, I hope you have a great day!

To blog or not to blog?

Well, it’s been a while but here I am back in the blogging world once again. I thought long and hard about starting up again but a couple of girlfriends have been insistent that I/we carry on.  Both Phil and I have been blogging for a while now and I worry that from time to time, we repeat ourselves and that it’s sometimes the same old same.  But I'm here now and I’ve started up so I lets just see how it goes.   Don’t expect too much though in the way of excitement; we’re flat stony broke and we’ve nothing in the diary of any significance for the rest of the year. But hey, no worries as they say back in Oz, I’m sure together Phil & I will find something to talk about in 2010.

It’s been a little surreal being back home.  We’ve spent the last 10 days catching up with friends and family which has been great.  The only downside has been the jet lag which has been horrific.  It’s only been the last few days that we’ve managed to sleep normal times through the night.   We’ve both suffered the same and I’ve never experienced jet lag like it.   I can’t remember too clearly, but the day we arrived home was a haze.  The following day was not much better and bar a trip to Tesco’s for supplies, we didn’t do very much.

Last Saturday Phil picked up Georgina from the city centre and dropped her back home.  Harriet and Shane popped by at tea time to share a Chinese take-away but we had to send them home at 8 o’clock because we were bushed and needed to go to bed.   The following day (Sunday) we jumped in the car and set off to Melton Mowbray to see Phil’s mum and dad.   I had been looking forward to my mum-in-laws roast lamb dinner for many months and couldn’t wait.   We hadn’t got too far on the M1 when Phil said that he thought the land rover felt ‘rough’.  And sure enough, we hadn’t got much past junction 16 when the temperature gage suddenly shot up and we had no choice but to pull over. Phil filled her up with water and oil a couple of times and 2 hours later we finally arrived in Melton.

It was lovely to see Bet and George and lunch was splendid.  Their world doesn’t change much but every time I see them they seem a little bit more bent over and tired.   They said the winter had been long and harsh but thank goodness they still seem to be in relatively good health. Phil’s mum and dad don’t do the internet and so haven’t been able to follow the blog so I’m sure we must have bored them silly with tales from down under.   Of course, we spoke to them on Skype whilst we were away, but still, it was good to see them face-to-face after so many months away.

On Monday evening I went over to have supper with Christine.  So much has happened in her life since I last saw her in November.  I’m not going to say much only that her life has moved on since I last saw her last year and she is now in a much happier place since John died.   We had a nice evening and I didn’t get home until midnight.  I didn’t mean to stay so long especially because she had to go to work the next day.  

Phil took his car to the garage on Tuesday and in the afternoon I picked up Harriet from home and took her to the hospital.  She had to have a blood test and like me she has fairly invisible veins so getting blood is always difficult.   Also she is fairly squeamish so she wanted me along for support.  The nurse thought I was her friend rather than her mum (I liked her!) and she was a dab hand with the syringe and managed to get the sample full of blood from HH on the first attempt.  It was such a lovely spring day that when I got back, Phil & I walked along the canal to The Giffard where we had a curry and a pint.  On a Tuesday after 5pm you can get a curry and a pint for just £4.99 after 5pm.   We were way too early but Steve the landlord hadn’t seen us for so long that he said we could have the deal anyway.  And very nice it was too!

Almost everyone that we’ve seen since we’ve arrived back in the UK has told us how bad the snow was over the winter.  Indeed, Emma & Harriet emailed me some photographs but I don’t think we quite realised just how harsh the weather was.  I think, had we have done, we wouldn’t have moaned so much about the weather in Australia!!!  I don’t do the cold very well so thank goodness we weren’t here.  The weather has been beautiful since we arrived back home, long sunny spring days which bodes well for a good summer.  Fingers crossed!

On Wednesday I drove over to Olney to see Maddie at the cottage; she told me that we hadn’t met up in 14 months so the visit was long overdue.   Steve had replaced the kitchen and replaced the floor in the dining room and what a good job he’d made.  We went for lunch at a nearby pub but I can’t remember the name.   Even though I hadn’t seen Mads for well over a year, nothing much changes in her world; she’s still overworked and underpaid and now she all the work to do for Ed’s wedding in September.  Phil went out with the Wednesday night crew and had a good catch up with all the boys.   Jim & Shirley picked him up and they very kindly dropped me off at Vanessa’s where we chatted over a few glasses of wine.  It must seem that we have done nothing but wine and dine since we’ve back and it’s true but today (Monday) the diet starts!

On Thursday we drove down to Lowestoft to stay the night with Phil’s Aunt Daphne who was released from hospital a few days before.   Unfortunately the Land rover was still in the garage as they hadn’t had time to look at it but we had a blue Nissan Micro as a courtesy car so that was okay.   The roads were busy but we arrived in Lowestoft a little after one o’clock.  Daphne looked better than I expected, considering her age and all that she’s been through over the last few months.  Her good friend Jim has been a star and if it weren’t for him I don’t know how Daphne would have coped.    She is barely mobile and can only shuffle with the aid of a frame.   She was a little cantankerous and a touch on the grumpy side but I suppose that’s to be expected given her situation.  Early evening we went to the Beefeater for supper; it was a bit of an expedition getting Daphne and her frame in the little Nissan but we managed to get there and back without any major trauma.  

Daphne didn’t have any jobs for us to do while we were at her house and well, I’m not very good at sitting around and not doing anything so I was glad to say goodbye and get away on Friday afternoon.   Although the sun was shining in the morning, come mid afternoon, the skies went grey which was a shame because on the way to Woodbridge we decided to stop off for fish and chips on the beach in Aldeburgh.   Bad luck for us because the famous fish and chop was shut, as it always seems to be whenever we go to Aldeburgh.  We struggled to find any eateries for lunch so we ended up in the pub near the chip shop where we shared a ham roll, a pint and a packet of crisps.  It wasn’t unpleasant and it was nice to sit by the open fire.

We stayed with my sister in Woodbridge on Friday night.  Both Phil & I love Louise & Mark’s house and it always a treat to stay there.  As usual, Mark cooked us up a delicious meal which we washed done with a few beers and some wine.  It was just a shame that Lou had lost her voice and was a little under the weather.   Mark’s having a tough time in his job but other than that, they were both fine and are very much looking forward to their holiday to Egypt at the end of the month.  As usual and just as we have done with all of our friends this week, we must have bored them with tales from down under.   We left Suffolk reasonably early but there was horrific hold ups on the A14 and it took us hours to get home. Phil cooked a chilli con carne for lunch-cum-dinner and we had a lazy afternoon and evening catching up on recorded TV programmes.  Yesterday Phil picked up Georgina and they went to Melton to see Grandma & Granddad.  I practically spent the whole morning on publishing websites uploading various blogs in an attempt to convert them to hardcover books.  I succeeded in the end but it took a while because our files were so big and had so many photographs. The afternoon was spent doing domestics. 

I bumped into Jason (Emma’s husband) last weekend and he said I looked knackered.   And then Phil came out of the front door and Jason said that Phil looked even more knackered than me!  Jet lag has a lot to answer for but thankfully we are now back into a UK sleep pattern.  Even though we’ve been away for 4 months, now we’re home, Australia almost seems a distant memory.

As I said at the start, I’m not making any promises that this new blog will make good reading. Phil did exceptionally well managing a post almost every day in Australia but I’m not that interesting I’m afraid and will probably only manage 2 or 3 posts a week but maybe I can persuade Phil to dip in here and there.  I have to also apologise today for the lack of photographs.  Last week I took my camera into the little shop in Fenny Stratford but they said it was full of sand and beyond repair.  Fortunately they had some reasonably priced second hand cameras.  I picked one that looked easy to use and the guy in the shop said he’d do me a deal if I traded in my old chargers and batteries.   I’m picking this up later this morning.  For now, I need to post and publish and make a start on the job search.