Good News!

Good news; yesterday afternoon we got the call from Sally our solicitor to say that we have exchanged. Thank god! The papers say that house prices are going to drop another 10% this year so our sale on the kebab flat has come in the nick of time. We still think we've undersold and our buyer has got a bargain but thats by the by. And actually the sale hasn't come a moment too soon. When I got back from the NH time sometime after 5.30 last night there was an Eo-ON electricity man changing the old meter for a new one for the boarded up flat next door which is boarded up no more. There was a young lad hoovering by Mr Electricity man and a quick chat confirmed that he was moving in. I asked him if I could have a quick nosey in his flat; don't ask me why, I think its because this flat has been boarded up for so long that I wanted to see what dark secrets lay behind. Anyway, I got into the lounge-cum-bedroom and there were 4 lads lying on the floor smoking skunk. I had a quick look in the kitchen and then made a quick exit back into our flat and locked the door. Last night was quiet but believe me, I think trouble is to come. Now I can't wait to escape! Our completion date is a week tomorrow.

Deal or No Deal?

I would like to be able to blog to say that we’ve exchanged BUT we haven’t. A phone call yesterday to Sally our solicitor confirmed that our buyers deposit was lodged with her solicitor. This was good news so we didn’t worry but just to confirm I made Phil phone Sally at twenty past five just to check that we had indeed, exchanged. It wasn’t good news; turns out that MK Council had f***ed up the service charge statement and had sent a fax to both solicitors just before exchange. I can’t tell just how fed up we were last night. Hopefully it will take place today but I won’t be holding my breath.

Back to the NH house. It’s weird but we have been quite enjoying decorating Shirley’s house. I think it’s because we can’t wait to leave the kebab flat. The lovely weather over the bank holiday weekend, has made us realise how much we miss having a garden. It’s been fine over the winter but would have been awful for the summer to be without somewhere to sit on a summer’s evening. It’s been a breeze so far and we’ve got on really quickly. It helps that all the windows have got new double glazed units and also Shirley has a lovely new bathroom. We thought long and hard about the kitchen but in the end decided it would be easier to rip it all out and start again. Phil had it all out bar the kitchen sink in a couple of hours. Yours truly had the job of shipping it all out to the tip. Six trips in total, hard work but at least I got rid of all the units in one morning.

Ray and James turned up at the NH house to plaster the hall ceiling. I had my doubts as to whether they would come but they proved me wrong. It took 3 hours in all and they did a good job. I can’t wait to emulsion the ceiling but I know from experience that I have to wait until it all dries up and the moisture disappears. We worked quite hard on Monday but finished early afternoon and went to the health club for a steam and Jacuzzi to get clean. It felt really nice to wash all the paint off! Afterwards we went to Harriet’s house to pick up some of our paints to use at Shirley’s house. Harriet and Shane had brought a new patio set and we sat outside in their garden with a glass of wine. Harriet cooked beef burgers for everyone, the sun was shining and it was a pleasant way to spend an hour.

Yesterday it was back round the NH house. Phil worked on the kitchen and I got on with glossing the banisters. We stopped for lunch, got cleaned up and went to order a new kitchen from Wickes. This is the first Wickes kitchen that we have ordered and so far we have been impressed with the service. We choose Wickes over B&Q and Homebase because they had 50% off. The kitchen consultant was friendly and the plans were excellent. Delivery could be anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks but we have managed to order the sink unit on a special delivery which should come next week. This will mean that we can move in with a sink with running water complete with a worktop and a fitted dishwasher and a washing machine. Sorted!

We also managed to buy all the tiles for the kitchen. Phil had seen some natural slate tiles in Wickes for a bargain price. Louise and Mark have them in their house and Phil loves them and is desperate to have them in a flat. The trouble is natural slate is bumpy on both sides and it would be difficult to lay the tiles without first having the kitchen units. We spoke to a kitchen fitter at Wickes and he gave us some good tips about natural slate. In the end we decided to go to B&Q to get our usual beige tiles. Sometimes it’s easier to go with what you know. The good news was that B&Q had a 15% off tiles for that day only.

Today it’s back for some more painting. I think Phil plans to get started on the tiling. We have the carpets coming on Saturday so he needs to get the floor tiled before then. I think we can get it all done before then but if we don’t, we don’t, it won’t be the end of the world. We are trying out a new plumber who has been recommended by Chris Waugh. His was meant to come round last night but when Phil called to confirm he cancelled. Not a good start for a new relationship. Phil rearranged for tonight but he’s not a happy chappie and intends to have a go at turning the water off himself so he can rip out the sink. He’s never done this before so let’s hope it doesn’t all end in disaster. Having received a phone call yesterday from Abdullah reporting a leaking toilet in Cranfield, the last thing we need on our hands, is another flood!

Stairway to hell

I was right to be worried about the kebab sale flat and a phone call just before lunch on Friday confirmed this. Phil and I had got stuck into the painting at Shirley’s house and were just about to go home for lunch when I received a call from Karen, the manager of Haart estate agency in CMK. She was ringing me to say that our buyer wanted to reduce her offer by 2 grand. I went ballistic and the silly dumb blonde manager couldn’t understand why, stupid woman. We have felt all through this sale chain that the agents weren’t acting on our behalf and this latest trick just proved us right.

Our buyer was obviously playing a strategy, we felt done over on her original offer, made worse because she wanted most of our furniture but this last trick on the eve of exchange, just took the biscuit. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t so much the money; it was the principal of playing dirty at this stage of the game. I was so angry that I had to leave it to Phil to handle the negotiations. After much thought he agreed to pay £1,500 cash to the buyer as long as we exchange contracts on Tuesday and he also asked Karen to reduce her fees. I am still feeling pissed with our buyer. When we moved out, I was going to clean the flat, clean the windows inside and out, wash the shower curtain and leave all my prints and pictures. I also was going to type up an information sheet and leave this with a ‘welcome to your new home’ card and a bottle of wine. Not now though. She’s getting none of this; I intend to leave the flat as dirty as possible and I am taking EVERYTHING that is not on the agreed sale list with me. Shame really, I didn’t want to leave on a sour note but this sort of thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

By the end of play on Saturday we had got the bedrooms and hall stairs and landing painted. For a while things looked worse than they were before we started which is distressing to see. Yesterday I got stuck into the gloss work while Phil concentrated on the stair rails, giving them 2 coats of undercoat. We’ve ordered some new carpets which are being fitted on Saturday. Yesterday morning we started painting at 6am but it was such a lovely day we finished at 11. Phil went home to get a shower and to get ready for the grand prix and I went to Tesco’s. God, everyone woman, man and his dog seemed to be in Kingston shopping. The sun shines and everyone goes mad. Afterwards I went for a swim and a shower at DL and then it was home to read the Sunday paper while Phil watched the live action in Monaco.

Phil was tired yesterday, he has so much on his mind that he can’t sleep and the early mornings are taking their toll. However, even though he didn’t feel like it, yesterday afternoon I persuaded him to walk to the Giffard Park. It was a beautiful day and we had a pleasant walk alongside the canal. Funny seeing the canal boats again, brought back memories from the Trent and Mersey canal. Not good! Did I mention that I’ve resigned from the LionHearts Cruising Club? Yep, it’s official. On Friday morning we received a copy of the monthly newsletter and I saw that me and Phil went on the cleaning rota for the end of June. I immediately wrote a resignation letter enclosing my key and put it in the first class post. Another chapter of my life closed before it even began. I am not sorry.

Today we are back at the NH house. I need to crack on with the glossing and Phil is going to make a start on the kitchen. Ray the plasterer is coming round to skim the ceiling in the hall. At least he says he will be round. There is always a problem with Ray, something always crops up and he has to change his days. He was meant to skim the ceiling on Saturday but he turned up just before midday to say that his van had failed its MOT. Now I don’t why he couldn’t just get his wife to drop him off with his plastering stuff and he could have got stuck into the job there and then. Never mind lets just hope he turns up today. I have a feeling that he has forgotten that it is a bank holiday.

Rain Stop Play

It’s been a rather frustrating week and I don’t feel that we have achieved much. We are still waiting on exchange; letters are going to and fro from each solicitor but still no exchange. I was rather hoping that we would be called today to go in and sign contracts but it seems unlikely. This is not good for my soul, once we’ve exchanged, I can get going, all engines ahead but until then, I’ve got to sit still. It would be easy to go on as if all is honky dory but I know from past experience this would be unwise. Nothing is signed and sealed and it could still all go tits up. So frustrating, it’s like living in limbo land.

As I said, it’s all been a bit boring. On Monday Phil completed his TMA and sent it off to his tutor. On Tuesday night I went to round to see Christine. Her friend Paula was offering to do a facial for everyone but I wasn’t in the mood. Christine laid on wine and Chinese nibbles and I regaled my woeful tale of our disastrous canal trip. I have managed to get to the health club on 3 occasions and yesterday I got my hair cut and highlighted.

Jimmy picked up Phil on Wednesday night and they went round to look at Shirley’s house. Shirley has cleared out all her stuff and the house is just about ready for us to move in. Phil took me round on Wednesday morning so I could have a look at where we would be living next. It’s a sweet house, needs at bit of TLC but nothing major that we can’t sort. It’s a mansion compared to the kebab flat and it will be lovely to have a garden for the summer. Phil took some measurements and then went back to the kebab flat to draw it up. I used to make fun of him for drawing up all the flats but actually the plans come in really useful for all sorts of things. After printing off the plans we went to IKEA to get some kitchen fittings, then it was off to B&Q to get paint, gloss, and all sorts of odds and sods. While we there we also picked up a Trade Account application, makes sense really, gives us another 5% off which will come in handy.

Today we are off to make a start on Shirley’s house, which I am going to name the NH house because it is in Neath Hill. I have to dip out at lunchtime because I have to go to the dentist. I eventually got hold of Kevin the plumber earlier in the week. It took 10 voice messages and 3 texts and I think eventually he realised I wasn’t going to go away. He hand delivered my gas safety certificates and has promised to come today and vent out the extractor at Harriet’s flat; he hasn’t committed to a time so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a ‘no show’. Shame really, because he is a nice guy but I can’t be doing with someone that I can’t get hold of and who doesn’t call me back.

No firm plans for the weekend. Decorating at the NH house with maybe time off on Sunday to watch the Monte Carlo Grand Prix and perhaps a pub lunch if there is time. I think the weather forecast is rain which is rather a shame but typical I guess, for a bank holiday weekend. What can one expect, this is England afterall.

Angels, Demons and Snails

Finally, we managed to get out and hunt the banded snails that I needed for my project in my current OU course S366 Evolution. I had prepared some historic data some time ago but for one reason or another we hadn’t had chance for me to collect my sample. Claire had kindly agreed to come with me so that I wouldn’t feel, quite, such a prat but we still felt fairly self conscious. Claire spent most of her time, on guard, warning me when someone was coming so I could stop looking for snails and act normally before they got too close. “Someone’s coming!”She would whisper quickly, because every moment counts when you are trying not to be detected hunting snails. I would quickly get up and we would walk as normal as possible until they had passed and then I could return to my task safely.

I found some real good historic data collected near Amptill in 1925 so that was our first port of call. I found the site from the coordinates given and printed out a plan/map from Google earth. We couldn’t actually get to the location that this sample was taken because it is now private land enclosed by fences so I guess that the local snail population has moved on anyway. Luckily there was quite a large woods with walks through nearby so we chanced our arm there. Not a single snail of any species was found, either in these woods or on the roadside nearby. Nothing for it but to go to the second best site at the Open University. It was a weekday so we couldn’t park anywhere and came home empty handed. We decided to go back Sunday morning when few people would be around but it was raining until about 11.30 so we went after it had stopped. This historic site wasn’t quite as old as my first choice and it was actually taken by our course chairman 2 years ago by the river Ousel at the back of the cricket pitch.

We got good samples there and after I had recorded our finds, I replaced the snails and headed back home to start my report. We found quite a few, over 50, but couldn’t use the young ones as it is difficult to sort those as they have not grown their stripes properly yet and we ended up with a sample of 40. By the end we were getting old hands at snail hunting and didn’t even try to hide our intentions when the odd jogger passed by. Claire’s new job became “snail police” and she had to watch the snails and stop them escaping until I had collected enough. They are slippery little customers and Claire didn’t actually stop them escaping, just raised the alarm.

That evening we had a more normal evening and went to our favourite cinema with a bottle of wine each, glasses and Scooby snacks to watch the newly released, “Angels and Demons”, the adaption of Dan Brown’s book. Just as I though this book was better than “The Da Vinci Code”, we thought that this film was also better. It’s a bit like Harry Potter for adults, can’t wait for his next book and film now.

Never Again!

I will be very happy if I never have to board a canal barge boat ever again in my life. As you might have been able to tell from Phil’s last blog, I didn’t enjoy our last little adventure one bit whatsoever. I was apprehensive before we left but five minutes into the on-board safety briefing, my heart was pounding.

Just turn the ignition to the left... diesel tank... wait for 20 seconds... as soon as the yellow light comes on... remember to check the weed hatch... lavatory cassette... the switch over there... bilge pump... we do ask you to remember... engine coolant... every night without fail... water filler tank... should you happen to smell gas... isolation valve... bright red lid... the bottom of the spanner, which is also...”

Crikey! I thought this was supposed to be a relaxing break in the countryside! I knew at that point in time there was no way we could remember all the safety instructions and that we were doomed to failure. And I was right! Not in a big-time ‘live or die’ disaster but disaster nonetheless. With only 5 minutes cruising, I realised that I wouldn’t be able to handle the steering and would have to deal with the locks. Before we left I thought I had been clever in finding a lovely barge and getting it at a knock down price (£125pn) but what I hadn’t realised was that the route we were doing had 6 double locks on it.

Luckily we managed to go through our first lock with another boat, which was just as well because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to move the lock on my own, it was so heavy. There were 2 British Waterway workers doing some maintenance on the locks and they were laughing their socks off at me, they said they’d never seen anyone looking so petrified! Stressed more like, after coming out of the first lock, Phil had lost the stern pin overboard and knocked off the engine plate whilst coming out of the lock. We couldn’t face another lock after that and moored up when we got to the next village.

And so it went on. The wind died down but Wednesday morning brought torrential rain. We found another boat to go down the canal with which made the locks easier but it was no fun getting socked to the skin waiting for water levels to change with snot pouring out my nose. The £6.99 waterproofs from Lidl were not waterproof and in the end I gave up trying to keep dry, it was impossible. Eventually we got to where we wanted to be, had lunch, Phil turned the boat around and we moored up. The evening wasn’t so bad, we had a bowl of chilli and Phil even managed to get BBC2. Okay the picture wasn’t great but anything was better than watching the only 2 DVD’s that Phil had got out of the library “How to Decorate” and “How to Tile”. Don’t even go there!!!!!!!

On Thursday morning we hooked up with Howard and his dog Rosie Pickle (same name as his boat) and mercifully he helped us all the way back downstream. There was only one terrible moment when Howards’s boat nearly sunk in one of the locks, he was helping and talking to me and didn’t realise the front of his boat had got caught in the lock gate. Thankfully he was able to rescue his boat with only seconds to spare but it put the shits up me, I can tell you.

We got back to Sawley marina just before the heavy rains kicked in. We had chosen Sawley marina because it was close to Redhill and was one of the only places where Phil could empty the toilet cassette. I was very surprised Phil didn’t mention the toilet saga because he just so loves talking loos (remember the Toilet Police?). Anyway our boat had a cassette loo as opposed to a pump out system. With a cassette loo system, you have to change the cartridge when the red light comes on. On our 2nd night Phil got up in the early hours wanting to do a number 2 but the red light was on so he had to grab some clothes, open up the boat and dump the full cartridge on the deck. He then had to put in the new cassette before he could do his business. I slept through this drama but obviously got the whole sorry tale the next morning. There was nowhere on route until we got to Sawley marina to clean out the full cassette and Phil was paranoid when he changed it for the spare, that this one would fill up and we would be ‘loo-less’. Note, that you’re not allowed to empty the cassette into the canal as this is against the waterways rules.

So, when we moored up at Sawley on Thursday teatime the first job that Phil did, was wheel the cartridge over to the little hut in the marina and clean it out. Not a pleasant job and not one that I think I could have done. The next morning before we left Phil got out the 2nd loo cassette so that we could return the boat with 2 clean cassettes but unfortunately it starting leaking en-route to the marina so he had to bring it back and dump on the deck. Phil stank and was cursing for England!

We said goodbye to Howard and Rosie and at half past nine we started to make our way back to the Redhill marina. Just prior to leaving, the harbour master had stopped by our boat to ask where we were heading. He said that the River Soar was going to flood later in the day so we were lucky we were leaving that morning. If it had been the following day we wouldn’t have been able to get back to the marina and could well have ended up being stuck up for anywhere up to 5 days. What a nightmare that would have been.

The rain was torrential on the last leg and it was difficult to see where we were heading. I tried to hold the umbrella to shield Phil from the rain but he is taller me and it made my arm ache. Even though it was pissing it down I was happy to be heading back once and for all, but 10 minutes away from the winning line, the engine conked out just at the point where we were turning right with a weir which was pulling us rapidly to the left because we had no power. Thank god, Phil got it going and we somehow hobbled back to Redhill marina on a wing and a prayer.

We met Sue and Mac in the pouring rain and handed them back their boat, not a minute too soon for me. Both me and Phil were soaked to the skin but we wacked up the radiator in the car and drove to Phil’s mum and dads for lunch as they’re only half an hour from Nottingham. Phil’s mum put on the gas boiler so we could dry out and served us a lovely lunch. After lunch Phil had a little sleep on the sofa before heading back to Milton Keynes. It was good to get home and sleep in our own bed. All I wanted was comfort food so Phil made us a liver and bacon casserole with a mound of mash and kale. Nothing exciting to report, the weekend has been spent recovering from our ordeal!

So to sum up our canal boating experience in two words – “never again”. On the plus side, the Acumen 2 was luxurious, well equipped, good central heating, powerful shower and plenty of room for two adults. The highlights for me, were getting TV on the second night, meeting Howard and Rosie and handing the boat back to Sue and Mac. I suppose we would have enjoyed it more if the sun was shining instead of it being cold and very wet. But that is England for you. Things also might have been different if I’d researched the route more. In hindsight, I would have chosen a route on the Grand Union, closer to home, with single locks and put more effort into researching the moorings and facilities nearby. Maybe it would have been better with another couple, it certainly would have helped with the lock situation but this would have comprised the space inside the boat. It was okay with just the 2 of us but even 3 would have been a crowd and think about the loo cassette situation.

No, the canal holiday is not for me and I certainly don’t want to live on one. It wasn’t as awful as the campervan experience but our canal boat adventures feature in my 'Top 5' worst holiday experiences. We met some nice people but there does appear to be a boating snobbery and from what I’ve learnt, equipping and maintaining a boat is an expensive business. But at least we tried it and we now know, that it is not for us. We can tick this off the list and move on to the new adventure…………………..

Rosie and Jim

For those of you that have followed our blog for a while you will probably remember our camper van experience. Well this time we had a canal boat experience along the river Trent, river Soar and the Trent and Mersey canal. We arrived to pick our boat up from Redhill locks at 1pm on Tuesday where Sue and Mac showed us around and gave us our instructions. Unfortunately our starting point was marred by Radcliff Power Station. Sue and Mac then came with us through the first locks to get us on our way and returned by taxi. The dark blue boat before the red one was ours, called “Acumen II”.

As Claire wasn’t keen to take the steering job she was forced to do the locks. Well, we had watched the video before we left but I think Claire was still not prepared for them so we managed to wait for another boat to come through with us so she could get some help. I whipped the rear rope off the helm so as to tie the boat up before the first lock and the rope lifted the teller pin out straight into the canal, plop. Never mind I replaced it with a screw driver. Although we had been warned to shut the control cover when in locks as it overhangs the side, I forgot in all the excitement and it got ripped off in this first lock. Not a good start for Sue and Mac. We reached the second lock and decided to moor up for the day just before it and get an early start in the morning.

We didn’t have to walk far to get our first pint in the Navigation. They seemed to have a very good menu and it had already been recommended to us by Mac who said he had their “Canal Boat Pie” which sounded i little like a Desperate Dan pie. Unfortunately, they were open for food between 12 and 2pm and then from 6pm to 10pm and we were in between these times so decided to have a walk along the canal to the next pub the Malt Shovel. This was a lovely friendly pub but they only served food at lunchtime so we thought we would have a drink and catch some food when we went past the Navigation on our way back. By the time we walked past the pub we decided against eating and made our way back to the boat for a slice of Melton Mowbray Pork Pie and a glass or two of wine. Shardlow is a nice little town with about 7 pubs and little else.

In the morning we waited for the first boat to stop at the canal and then Claire asked if we could join them through it which we did. We actually followed them all the way until we stopped for lunch at the “Crew and Harpur” at Swarkastone. This couple told us that we were illegally parked overnight as you should leave at least 2 mooring places before the locks for boats to wait whilst opening the locks. Never mind, no harm done. This couple seemed very nice but he seemed quite interested in telling me about all the gadgets and things on his boat. It was miserable weather in the morning which gave Claire a chance to try out her new (not so) water proofs. It also gives me space to put a few shots of our boat in. We had travelled a few miles and were hungry by the time we had walked to the pub but even though the prices were quite steep for a pub and the menu looked quite professional we were both disappointed with our meals.

Upon our return to the boat I had a quick look at the river guide and realized that we couldn’t turn around anywhere nearby and in fact had to travel about another 7 locks before there was a turning point. As this would take us a few hours we decided to get half of it done on the Wednesday otherwise we would have a very long way to come back on the Thursday so we could moor up somewhere close to Redhill as our boat needed to be back by 10am on Friday morning. Again we waited at the lock for another boat and travelled through all the locks with them. Once we had got through all the locks and I had turned the thing around we moored up before coming all the way back again. As we stopped by the lock there was no pubs or shops or anything nearby so we decided on a night in with the chilli we had brought with us and a few more glasses of wine. We didn’t hold much hope of getting tv reception as we seemed to be more in the middle of nowhere that the previous night and could get no stations at all but we did manage to tune into BBC2 on analogue. The trouble with campervan or canal boat tv’s is that you have to retune every time you move.

Off for an early start at 8am the next morning and Claire did her usual trick of waiting for the first boat and tagging on with them. This time it was Howard and Rosie’s turn to help us out. Here is Rosie, Howards little dog that loved the canal boat life. Howard is planning on spending the whole summer travelling around the British canal and river networks and hopes to travel the whole network by the end of next year. Rosie loves the locks and spots them before you stop there having a look each side and getting excited in anticipation of having a run around the lock looking for cats and rabbits and bringing any branches back for Claire or Howard to throw for her whilst they do their business in the locks. One lock we almost had a problem when somehow Howard’s boat got caught on the lock gate at the front while the rear sank lower and lower almost tipping it over. Howard managed to shut the paddles down at the front again and raise them at the rear to bring the water level back up so the boat could right itself. Even though I watched it, I can hardly believe that he travels around the country doing all the locks on his own. He drives the boat in, climbs out, ties the boat up whilst releasing the water paddles then comes back feeding the rope as the boat goes down or up. Goes back to open the lock and pulls his boat through the lock with the rope and climbs aboard and off he goes again.

We followed Howard all the way back to Sawley marina and moored up next to him for the night. Howard invited us out to a local pub for something to eat so we joined him but Claire insisted on paying for his meal for all the help he had given her. He took us to the Plank and Leggit where they had a “two four one” offer on. As there were three of us we ended up with 2 steak dinners and two fish and chip dinners; mmmm lovely, I can still taste it now.

Just as we approach this marina out boat started playing up and the engine kept on cutting out. When we got back on the Trent and river systems Claire became increasingly worried as the rivers were swollen and she was worried about our engine cutting out and being pulled over the weir so she decided to put on her lifejacket. We somehow managed to get back on tick over before the boat cut out completely just as we coasted up the Redhill mooring.

To sum it up, the canal boat experience for us was like the camper van one except you have to stand on the roof in the rain to drive the thing. Claire may get her way and we leave the Loin Hearts Cruising Club before we get our mooring place.

All aboard the Acumen II

I couldn’t resist a last minute blog before me and the captain sail away on the Acumen II. Am I excited???? No, not really, anxious is more the feeling. The winds are up and rain is forecast for the rest of the week. Sue, the owner of the barge boat, emailed me yesterday to suggest that we cruise down the River Trent instead of the River Soar because there are fewer locks and this part of the canal is not prone to floods. I am not sure what she meant by this but we will take her advice. Sue also advised us to bring warm clothes and waterproofs; we have neither of these so I nipped out to Lidl’s yesterday and picked up some cheap navy blue anorak thingies. I think the proper term is ‘Cagoules’. I haven’t worn one of these since I went canoeing on a school trip.

We meet Sue at Redhill Marina at 1 o’clock. http://www.canalboatforhire.co.uk/ She will go through the health and safety issues and then cruise with us down to the first lock. Sue sent us a DVD on the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of the waterways which we duly sat and watched on Saturday morning. We’ve read through the 20 page safety information manual as well but it’s all forgotten now and I’m none the wiser! I don’t why but I have a bad feeling about this trip, it has a good possibility of turning out much like the campervan holiday, which was a nightmare from hell. Hey ho, at the worst it will be another mad adventure to take to the graveside.

Some you win, some you loose

Life seems to present Phil and I with many battles, just the same as everyone else I suppose; some you win and some you loose but just recently I am pleased to report that we have fought and won a couple of long standing battles. You may recall that we had a fairly serious leak from in the kebab flat last July when the shoddy council contractors installed a new bathroom in the flat above us. The water leaks deemed our electrics unsafe and meant that our tenants had to move out leaving us with no rental income and a flat unfit to live in. Phil has been fighting Milton Keynes council for compensation and finally last week after a 10 month battle we finally received a cheque for the full amount that we’d claimed for. Yes, RESULT!

We have also been fighting the council on a land registry issue. This battle hasn’t been as long but it has been equally frustrating as the fight for compensation for the leak. While Will, the gardener, was killing the weeds in Harriet’s flat I got him to quote me for clearing the 2 borders either side of the block paving as you enter the driveway to our flats. His quote came in at £195 which wasn’t bad because there is quite a lot of work to do but Phil and I knew for certain that this land is owned by the council and we thought to ourselves “why should we fork out for the work??? “ Several phone calls and 3 visits to various departments and the council were still denying they owned the land. In the end, Phil downloaded all the title deeds for our flats and got hold of the title deed which clearly stated that the land either side of the entry, was indeed, owned by the council. We have got the parks trust department, as well as street lighting department involved, because the land is so overgrown that you can’t see the light at night. No doubt it will take weeks before council contractors come out and actually do the work needed but at least we have set the wheels in motion.

Last week I caught up with Sandy from the cul-de-sac for a coffee in Starbucks. She was up the city as she had been to sign on at the job centre. She seemed in good form and is just about managing to hold on to her house. It sounds like she has umpteen lodgers but you have to do, what you have to do, to keep a roof over your head in the current economic climate. Sandy’s love life is as complicated as ever but I don’t expect anything less from Sandy, she is a gall!

On Thursday night Christine picked me up and we went for a bite to eat at Café Rouge situated in the hub. The food was just mediocre but we didn’t mind because we had much to catch up with. We both choose the fishcakes which were slightly overcooked when they arrived. Service was swift, efficient and friendly. The house wine was very nice but overall I thought it was expensive and just over-rated.

We were slightly late waking up on Friday and Phil was moaning that we would be late for our appointment with Rashmi in Maidenhead. But he needn’t have worried and could have waited for me to finish my breakfast before shoving me out of the door because the M1 and M25 were unbelievably clear for a Friday morning. We arrived in Money Row Green just after 9am and ended up going to the local garage for a Costa coffee and a pastry for Phil. It was a miserable morning but we had our coffee and were sat in Rashmi’s office with all of our files on the dot of 10 o’clock, like good clients.

Rashmi likes his holidays as much as we do so we always start our meeting catching up with tales about our latest holidays. Rashmi and his family went to Goa in February; he had a week in Goa first and then he had a week in Gujarat. Sounded like he had a good time, although he did say that things were so much cheaper in Gujarat than in Goa. Trouble is though, that Gujarat is a dry state and wouldn’t do much for the likes of me and Phil. Holidays aside, Rashmi didn’t find any major errors in the accounts and he was able to file our P35 online. We’d overpaid on the VAT and the national insurance but this wasn’t such a big deal, I’d rather overpay than underpay and have the tax man knocking on our kebab door.

In all the years that we have been going to see Rashmi, we never realised that his offices in Money Row Green were so close to the village of Bray. We once stayed on Monkey Island and went to eat at the Riverside restaurant. This is the same village that has the famous Fat Duck restaurant. Rashmi said he didn’t think much to the Fat Duck and much preferred the Riverside. He recommended another restaurant also owned by Heston Blumenthal, The Hinds Head. http://www.thehindsheadhotel.com/. We took his advice and after our meeting finished we headed into the village of Bray.

We were fairly early for lunch so there weren’t many people in the pub when we arrived. Phil decided that we’d eat in the restaurant. The menu was fairly simple but we obviously hadn’t understood it because we thought that the main didn’t come with vedgtables and that you had to order these extra, as side dishes. The waiter didn’t say anything and when our food arrived we realised that we’d overdosed on potatoes and veggies. However, that said, the food was very good, the service was spot on and we would definitely eat there again.

The sun had come out when we came out of the pub and the drive back to Milton Keynes was not unpleasant. We had a slight hold-up on the MI just before junction 14 but otherwise we were back in MK just after half past two. Pat (David the posh plumber’s wife) was in town and popped into the kebab flat for a diet coke. She wasn’t very well a month or so back, the doctor said she’d had a very mini stroke, but she looked very well and she told me her blood pressure was normal and said she felt much better.

Saturday was a day lost at sea. We had no planned strategy and when this happens the day just flies away before you know it, such a waste. I went to collect my Hoover from the repair man and on the way back we picked up fish & chips, steak and kidney pie and mushy peas. In the afternoon we watched about 10 episodes of The Sopranos. We’re really into this now (thanks to Jimmy) and I hope we get to watch the whole series before it disappears from our Bt Vision memory. Steve B (Barker) came to collect us from the kebab flat on Saturday night and we went to have a glass of bubbly at their place in Westcroft before going to the Papaya Thai restaurant in Oxley Park. Steve and Jan had been a few times before and so it came with a pre-disposed recommendation. The food was excellent and it was good to have a green curry with a bit of spice. The restaurant was packed but even so, the service was excellent. Afterwards, it was back to Jan & Steve’s for wine, port and a really impressive cheese board. Some time later (not sure what time) the taxi picked us up and it was back home to bed. Steve and Jan are off next Sunday to the island of Kefolonia in Greece for a much needed 2 week holiday. I know I shouldn't but I envy them.

I knew when I put my dentures in the pot on Saturday night that Sunday was going to be a ‘lost at sea duvet day’ what with a late night and a hangover to boot, but what I hadn’t anticipated was that for some bizarre reason, Phil would be in the wide awake club at 6.30am on Sunday morning. He did his upmost to raise me from the depths of the dead and he succeeded; even though I wanted more sleep I found myself at the newsagents getting some electric for the meter and the Sunday papers at just gone seven thirty. Not good for the mind, body or soul!

Phil slumbered in the morning and watched a crap film while I drove over to Willen to see Funmi. Funmi faces a panel in a campaign to get her son into Ousedale School and wanted to sound me out with her reasons. I just hope she gets him in, she is a very private person and has faced many hard life challenges and after what she has been through, she deserves to win.

Sunday afternoon was beer, wine and the Spanish Grand Prix. Harriet popped round with some post for Simon, the ex-tenant. Phil got all grumpy and shuffled in his pyjamas with his bottle of beer to the bedroom. Harriet has never seen Phil in his ‘grumpy old man mood’ and was surprised and a little bewildered. She said to me “mum, we could have moved to the bedroom if he wanted to watch the race in silence”. I said “welcome to my world”. Phil came in for the last 11 laps and we talked quietly for the last 10 minutes before she left. Harriet sounds like she is getting on good in the flat with her and Shane and seems happy at last, to have her own place. Mental note though: all daughters (and I guess sons come to that) need pampering and I must invite her round and cook a meal one night sometime soon.

To end on a more exciting note though, we have booked a ‘last minute’ break away. On Tuesday we leave on a 4 day, 3 night narrow boat cruise on the River Soar. Don’t ask me how it came about because I can’t quite remember but bearing in mind that a cruise on the canal is one of Phil’s ’50 things to do before you Die’ and also taking on board that Phil wants to live on a barge, then it seems a good idea to me to test the waters for a few nights before we commit. Also I’d like to experiment on the waterways before I dedicate a significant part of my life to the Lion Hearts Cruising Club especially as the next general meeting is on the 18th May, a week tomorrow. To date, the only type of cruising that I have enjoyed is our Caribbean trip on the Queen Mary 2. Somehow I doubt I am cut out for this camping malarky! Watch this space! We may be sporadic over the next few days without a Wi-Fi connection but there is no doubt at all, that we will record the experience and publish at some later date in time!!!!!!!!