Life is a Beach

I know we’ve used this title before but I don’t really care very much this morning. It’s before 6am when my internet speed is at is fastest and I’m not really feeling that awake, let alone creative.

On Thursday morning we drove down to Suffolk to say goodbye to John (step dad number 2) and his partner Marie. John and Marie are going across the channel and are driving through France and down to Le Manga in Spain where they will be spending the winter. In fact,157 days of the winter to be precise. They are new to camper-vans, only having brought their campervan last year; this trip is only their second overseas.

After a quick coffee on arrival, Phil and I spent nearly an hour admiring their van. It cost more than we paid for our kebab flat and is obviously their pride and joy. Don’t get me wrong, it certainly was plush inside but if you read the blog last year, you would know that me and Phil had a bad experience in a campervan. In fact it was so bad we vowed never to step foot in a campervan ever again! That said, whilst I am not jealous, I admire J&M for attempting the long journey and hope they have a happy and sunny winter in Le Manga. After the campervan tour we hopped in the car and went to a pub called The Raven for lunch. It was cheap and cheerful and really quite nice food for pub grub.

Just after 4pm we said our goodbyes and headed to Woodbridge to see Louise and Mark. Louise said she would leave her back door unlocked but there was no need because Mark was working from home that day and was there to let us in and make us a cup of tea. We always love staying at Mark & Lou’s house because it is so luxurious. After 2 weeks living in the kebab flat, it felt even more spacious and luxurious then ever before! Mark cooked us salmon with new potatoes, broccoli, roasted red peppers and green beans. It was delicious but I couldn’t eat it all after my 10 ounce steak at lunchtime. After dinner we retired to the lounge in the attic where we watched a recorded documentary about designer vaginas. Phil is such a woss that he had to look away for most of it but I thought it was most enlightening.

We weren’t late to bed because L&M had to work the next day but Phil and I still managed to drink loads of wine so we felt a bit worse for wear the next day. It was such a lovely morning that Louise suggested we stop off at Felixstowe and have a walk along the beach to blow away the cobwebs. I wasn’t keen because I knew how much there was on my ‘to do’ list but Phil insisted we do a detour. Just as we were on our way out, my sister Julia dropped in for a cup of tea on her way to work. It was nice to be able to see her so we stayed for a bit longer to catch up with her news before setting off to Felixstowe around half eight.

When we got there I was glad that Louise and Phil had persuaded me to go to the beach because it really was a beautiful morning. True to say, there was a bit of an easterly wind blowing and I had no coat but the sun was shining across the sea and I had one of those very rare moments where I felt glad to be alive. Phil was really taken with Felixstowe and was looking at a house with a ‘for sale’ board outside and wondering how much it was up for. I do like Felixstowe but it’s not my favourite place in the UK and whilst I would love to live by the sea, I don’t want to spend my last days in England, the weather is way too lousy. Phil agreed but then he said we could spend hthe winter abroad and the summer in England living by the coast. Seems sensible but as I sit typing this in the kebab flat, retirement seems a long way away.

Before I forget, I must tell you we had an offer of £80k on the kebab flat. Our asking price is

£109k which Phil thinks is way too low, despite the falling market. Of course, we said no to the agent and there have been no other offers since. It was an investment buyer and obviously he didn’t want to negotiate. That’s fine, we are nowhere nearly finished with our refurbishment; we have the bathroom to replace, the laminate floors to lay and the doors to sort. Only once this is done can we seriously begin to market the kebab flat.

We got back to Milton Keynes around 11am but decided to go and buy supplies and materials before going straight home. First up we headed for IKEA and brought a chest of drawers and a 2 ring hotplate. Phil had ordered one that fits into the worktop but it was going to take 3 weeks before delivery. We picked up our flat pack from aisle 18 but ditched this when we found a similar chest of drawers in the bargain bucket corner for only £19.50. Unfortunately we had to pick up the hotplate from the IKEA warehouse just up by B&Q and this took nearly an hour because there had been an accident. We had to ditch the car in avenue 2 and walk to avenue 3 because the police were blocking it off but when we realised how far it was we turned back, got back in the car and drove to avenue 3 from avenue 1. A nightmare and Phil was cursing like there was no tomorrow!
In the afternoon I left Phil filling in all the potential mouse holes in the kitchen while I went to ward 18 at Milton Keynes General to see John. I last spoke about John in the blog a few weeks ago, when despite catching C-Diff, he was back at home and was doing well. Since then however he hasn’t been able to shake off the super-bug and has not been able to digest or keep down his food. As a result he was admitted to ward 18 last Wednesday. The doctors and nurses have given him a nutrition plan which will hopefully feed him up and give him some strength back. I have to say, despite what he has been through over the summer; John as per usual still had a smile on his face throughout my visit. Sure he looked a little weak and frail but we talked about his plans for the future and I am positive he can get through this blip in his life. I am going to get some cruise brochures from the centre today and may drop these off later if I have time.

Phil got up very early on Saturday to watch the qualifying and as a result was very grumpy all day long. He would have loved to have a day doing not very much but unfortunately I had a list of jobs as long as your arm. It was also not good that his tennis elbow was really hurting him. We spent much of the day in the kitchen sorting out the plumbing for the washer/dryer and fitting the work top. This wasn’t easy not least because it was as hot as a furnace in the kitchen but also because it is such a small space to work in. It wasn’t the best of days but now I have at last a finished kitchen, with a microwave, a combi microwave, a fridge/freezer, a washer/dryer and a 2 ring hot plate. On Saturday night we slobbed out on the sofa with wine and watched the X-Factor.

Phil had another early start on Sunday morning when he got up to watch the grand prix live from China. It wasn’t as early as Saturday morning and I didn’t mind because I was already awake when he switched on the light. I caught up with a big heap of paperwork and we had a leisurely morning with a late breakfast. Phil wasn’t in the mood because he hadn’t slept very well but I made him put up a shelf in the bathroom and re-hang the picture boards. We went to B&Q to buy some white board for the boxing in the bathroom and then it was back home for lunch. After I washed up we sat and watched an old black and white film called Yanks. It was mushy and corny but somehow perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.