Sunday, 10th April, 2022
Gorgeous weather with a bit of sadness built in. It is the build up to Easter. Not that it means anything at all to me apart from a date in the calendar. This was the time we would set off for Greece. In the 1990s/2000s, we would get a Friday night flight to Athens, possibly stay in the Electra Hotel and then catch a Saturday morning ferry to Sifnos arriving around mid-afternoon. A decade ago after we had retired, we arrived on this day to find the work we had ordered complete.
We were already considering putting the house on the market as the Greek economy began to crumble and were doing everything we could to make it as saleable as possible. Before we left in October 2011, we employed a Romanian builder to build a wall all the way up the front of our land. In retrospect, it cost very little – about €3,000.00 and it looked lovely. As we approached it on our return in April 2012, we were really pleased with what he had done.
These are nice thoughts tinged with sadness because I really miss bits of my past painfully. I am soft like that and can’t help it. I don’t even apologise for it ultimately. The house had to go but I miss it. The times have to go but I miss them. People from my past have to go but I mourn their departure. We were talking about Mothers this morning on our walk. Pauline’s Mum died 12 years ago. It feels as if we can still touch that time and yet we have done so much in it.
I have to touch base with the people from my past. It is very important to me. Exactly 4 years ago today, we were staying in a hotel in Kensington and spent a couple of hours with Elerania Miliotie and her family. Her husband is a dentist. Her daughter is at University in Denmark. Elerania was our close friend and our Notary (Συμβολαιογράφος) for the sale of our house. She helped us repatriate our cash back into UK. It was important that we meet again.
Closer to home but in just the same way, it has been important to meet up with Kevin, Christine, Julie, Nigel and John from the late 1960s/early 1970s. It has meant a huge amount to me and I think it has to them. I had shunned them for decades and I was wrong. Life’s experiences, I’ve learnt to my cost, are too important to ignore.
Monday, 11th April, 2022
Another lovely day. Out in the back garden were the obvious signs of freedom of movement. During the hardest times of Lockdown, the skies were completely clear. This morning the sky was hectic in plane trails highlighting the exodus from both Heathrow and Gatwick jetting out across the Channel.
We don’t often hear them because they are so high by the time they reach us down at the coast but the trails tell their own story. Of course, the pandemic is not over. Down here, infection rates are still high. Only this morning, Julie contacted me from North Yorkshire to tell me she tested positive for Covid over the weekend. She has been prescribed antibiotics for a severe chest infection.
Find it hard to believe that we’ve been in this house for 6 years this week. We left the North of England 11 years ago this month and retired from teaching for 13 years last week. Everything screams that, if you have an ambition, you should never put it off because the time is flying away. I refuse to give up on my ambitions!
We were in this car most evenings during our month in Florida and managed to survive. We were lucky. As M&K drove to an ice hockey game (Why?) over the weekend, they had a tyre blow-out and eventually had it towed away. At least they got a lift in the tow-truck.
After my colonoscopy and a month in Florida, I came home to my biennial bowel cancer screening test. We did it, sent it off and the result came back within a week. Both completely clear. Phew! I have written to my Nuffield consultant to request I go on his biennial colonoscopy register. Better safe than sorry.
Tuesday, 12th April, 2022
Very (relatively) warm morning. Not Floridian but very nice! Talking about Florida, when you’ve been away for a month, there is so much to catch up on.
When we got home, we found that the Spring gales had loosened and removed some concrete coving/pointing down the gable of the NW end of the house. We are already 1 year out of the 5-year warranty but our housebuilder immediately engaged a company to come and do a repair at their cost. We had a cherry-picker parked outside the garage to get up, clean out and repoint. It only took about an hour but it was one of the less usual events of the day.
Not only has British Gas repaid us £150.00 which we had over paid for the previous year but they have cut our annual charges by £820.00. When you set this against the current angst for so many people about the strains of heating and eating, you realise how fortunate we are. You also realise that the more time you spend in Florida sunshine, the less heating you need elsewhere. Just saying!
Finally got round to ordering Pauline a new laptop. Don’t like spending money on her but I made an exception because I’ll use it while we’re travelling. Fantastic price includes an pickup & return repair service. About 30 years ago, I bought my first laptop – a Toshiba – for £3,000.00. It was incredibly chunky and heavy. This has a 17″ screen and is slim and light and beautiful …. just like me. She’s a very lucky woman.
Received our Covid Project Test results today. Pleased to say we are both virus free and both still have ’High Level’ blood antibodies … and we got £50.00 for the privilege.
Wednesday, 13th April, 2022
An absolutely glorious day. It got sunnier and hotter as it went on and we reached 18C/65F. I went out for a walk of a couple of hours first thing while Pauline waited to receive a large, fresh fish delivery – Salmon, Tuna, Hake, Tilapia, Crab and King Prawns – and the delivery of her new laptop.
This brought me a few hours of work unpacking, assembling and installing software. These days, a lot of software downloads automatically from the cloud – saved files, Ms Office, etc. I had to include Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks, Adobe Acrobat Writer and the all important Ms Money financial package.
After 2 hrs walking and a couple of hours on the laptop, I also cut and edged all the lawns and then went out for another hour’s walk before our meal. I am genuinely tired now and looking forward to watching the final episode of the final series of Killing Eve. This has seemed the least satisfying of the series.
It was nice to see Daniel pop up on Instagram signing for his Florida University – Saint Leo’s. Good to see M has taught him how to write his name and spell it correctly. Soon, she will teach him how to shave!
Thursday, 14th April, 2022
A wonderful, warm and sunny day that started with a visit by an engineer to repair our treadmill. It needed a new computer board and power controller fitting but it took him a couple of hours to work that one out. Fortunately, it turned out that we are covered for this for 3 years. We have half of that remaining which is wonderful news. A repair that would have cost £500.00 was ‘free’.
After the engineer left, we went out for a couple of hours walk and then ate a snack, salad lunch outside in the sunshine. Sitting out there, we have finally come to the conclusion – after 6 years – that we must do something ‘officially’ with the garden. We are going to edge the lawn/fences with raised beds in which we will plant herbs and salad plants.
Our home-office has two, laser printers – a mono and a colour – but we are increasingly frustrated by not being able to print directly from our smart phones and iPads.
I have decided to rectify that by replacing our mono laser with a wi-fi one which we can download to from everything. Can you believe the price? Almost giveaway but the catch is you are tied in to the manufacturers toner supplies for ever.
Friday, 15th April, 2022
For the mid point of April, this was a lovely day. We reached 22C/70F by 11.00 am and stayed there until late afternoon. The whole region from coast and Marina to fields of the Sussex Downs was looking beautiful.
We went out shopping early. Both Tesco and Sainsburys shelves were shockingly bare. It felt as if we were in a third world country. This is Brexit just as much as the ridiculous scheme to export asylum seekers to the sunny heights of Liberalism in …. Rwanda!
Our long walk in the sunshine was delightful and we followed it with another trip to the garden centre to buy plants for the patio. Cheese and wine outside in the garden and …. relax!
Saturday, 16th April, 2022
Another wonderful day of sunshine. We have hovered around 22C/70F all day. Those who went to Spain this week have had a fairly average experience weather-wise. I went out to Lidl to buy Almond Milk and found their shelves really well stocked compared with the main supermarkets. I wonder why they can do it?
This is the sort of weather that brings out the tourists to the South Coast. The marina thrives in these conditions.
We had quite a low key day potting up plants on the patio, walking in the sunshine, lunching outside, lazing in the sunshine.
In contrast, Mr Perpetual Motion – aka captain John Ridley was launching his sailing season on the Ullswater lake this morning. Actually, I have the wanderlust. This morning, I was within a click away from booking a short break in Venice staying on the Grand Canal.
It is more than 30 years since we were there and it is time to return. Unfortunately, sense overtook impulsion and I decided to get my operation over before we embark on a whirlwind of travel. Pity!