More at the flat

We went back to the Flat again today. John washed the bathroom floor, and I did more hoovering. It really was hoovering, as was using Mum's Hoover. But between all of that I sat and watched the sky some of the time.



We packed up yet more stuff and have brought it home. We need to do some decluttering as a matter of urgency!

John picked up some Chinese meals from Morrison's as on special offer for Chinese New Year. Spring rolls for starters, which I am eating now, but they're a bit on the hot side, so am only nibbling till they cool a little more.

We've cleared most of the stuff from the flat now, last few bits need help to shift - eg bookcase still there is too heavy for John to manage on his own. Helen may be able to help on Thurday - last day before Completion of sale.

John had fun watching a boat practising sailing skills.

Still clearing the flat

Went over to the parental flat again today after John took the Band to catch their train back to Cambridge and did the shopping.

I washed the fridge really thoroughly - it wasn't that dirty, but now I would happily put food in it. Before my feelings were it was a bit iffy.

Cleaned bath and basin. Hope we can wash bathroom floor before Completion on 30th.

We brought more stuff back. We have more stuff to bring back still. Prob 2 car trips still.

I am shattered! Sorry no photos - while it was sunny and still when we arrived, wind got up and clouds came over while I was cleaning the fridge. Fortunately the wind abated before we left - was beginning to worry about negotiating the wind tunnel outside the front door to the building!

We may go back tomorrow, depends if I can move at all after today's exertions.

Rather Late New Year Resolution

I made the Resolution at New Year, but power cuts at the caravan prevented me trying to blog about it at the time. And then the car breakdown left me knackered and then other stuff happened too! Sometimes Life doesn't enable good resolutions!

This year's Resolution is to have more fun. The last few years have been very difficult, and we both seem to have lost the concept of fun.

So, will be reading the backlog of books that I bought 1-2 years ago that haven't had time enough to look at yet.

Hoping to get back to drawing more regularly, once a week if I can't manage once a day.

Having re-joined Ancestry when my initial subscription expired, I haven't done anymore work on my Family Tree. I was enjoying this, the hunting aspect is great when you find somebody new! So now the newly released 1911 Census may get me further in that, and maybe a jolt to continue my research.

When I first joined Fotolog, I tried to take a photo every day. Since then I mostly use Flickr, but it would be good to get back to trying to take more photos. Both sites have put me in touch with like minded people, but I haven't kept up with them over the last few years - I want to try and re-connect.

All of these things are fun to me, it will take some time to get back into better habits, but if I can manage one of them each day I will be having a lot more fun!

Edit: PS hope to blog more too!

A rather different New Year

John was able to get most of New Year's Eve off work - just had an hour to do in the morning. He had a part day of holiday left since he began working only 3 days a week. So we headed off to the caravan around 2pm. Bit of a grey day until we got past Conway, when the sky brightened, and by the time we reached Pwllheli we were in glorious sunshine... But bitterly cold! I was very glad of the heated seat in the car!

We arrived at the caravan while it was still fairly light, John got the central heating going (and lit the gas fire as well!) and unpacked the car. I was very tired after the journey, so climbed into a nest of duck down quilt and slept for a while.

I woke up in time to see most of Jools Holland's Hootenanny, and we saw the New Year in together. John was pretty tired by then so went to bed, I began to watch the Kath and Kim Christmas Special. Suddenly around 3am the lights went out, everything went off (including the central heating- urgh!) and everywhere was pitch black. Drew back the curtains, but only starlight. In other words, very dark!

I couldn't remember where the candles were (note to self, in future put ready when arrive in caravan!), so shouted for John, but he was really fast asleep. Eventually he woke, and between us we found the night lights and got one lit. We could see the lights were on in Abersoch, but none by us in Bwlchtocyn, so we both went back to bed. I lay and looked at the stars through the front windows, and eventually fell asleep.

Woke early to a beautiful dawn.

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Power back on, but only on low voltage. Enough for lights, and to boil the kettle (though that took ages!), but not enough for the central heating pump or the television. Lovely morning though, just awful cold! We were both really glad that we had the gas fire, just wish it was easier to get lit and turned up to full. But we got there in the end.

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Power came back on fully around 3pm, after another total outage - presumably for final work on the system. We were really glad to get the heating back on, made the bathroom much more bearable!

John got in a couple of walks, but since he started his own blog I'll let him write about them.

We enjoyed looking at the new decking - Tim has done a fantastic job.



I just did one gardening job - pruned the oregano. I cut it back really hard, we really hope that it will grow back as it did last year, as an almost perfect part sphere... until the wind changed its shape and it became more wild.



We had intended to come home on Sunday, and had packed the car ready to come home. Had a variety of error messages come up, and car wouldn't start. Called RAC Motability number, and they could arrange transport. But by then I was so knackered was almost asleep.

So we deferred travel till Monday.

With one thing and another (mainly the freezing weather so lots of accidents happening) we didn't get our tow till about 2pm. Our rescuer, Jasper, told us that it was incredibly snowy in Beddgelert and around, he'd had some scary rescues to do with folks sliding on the ice as well.



Took some time to load the car onto the trailer.



Our driver was Jasper, and he had lots of interesting stories to tell us - he knows the area well, and many local people and places. He came from the North Wales Recovery service who I highly recommend as being friendly and helpful.

We got towed on the loader to Conway. At the office there we were offered a very welcome cuppa tea, and then were then given a courtesy car to drive home. We got home about 7pm, unloaded the car, and I went to bed while John headed for Tesco to get some food in.

Today I've handed back the courtesy car (collected by a very cheerful chap), and taken delivery of a hire care (delivered by another very cheerful chap) from Motability. I have this for 2 days, if repairs on Big Blue 2 take longer than that we must contact them to extend the hire. While the whole business has been a nuisance, it has been mitigated by the helpfulness and cheerfulness of everyone I've been involved with.

Am so glad I went for another Motability car - wonder if the care and service we have been so fortunate to have would have been so good otherwise.