A Busy Weekend

Phil thought I was very hard on him in my last blog and maybe he's right, but my public moaning certainly did the trick. When he came home from work on Friday, he straight away got his gym kit on and did a whole hour on the exercise bike without me having to nag him. And, on Saturday morning he got up at first light and brought me a cup of tea in bed and then made me boiled eggs and soldiers which were cooked to perfection; this earned him lots of brownie points!

We had a very pleasant weekend, very busy and not without its stresses. Phil's need to pee had us awake very early on Saturday morning, which was just as well because we were heading to Suffolk and needed to be out of the house before 9am which we easily managed. Step Dad and Marie come back from spending the winter in Spain in a couple of weeks and I had to return their car in readiness for their return. So Phil drove the Land Rover and I followed behind in the Fiesta. All was going to plan, the roads were fairly clear and we were making good time. Then just as we were approaching St Neots, Phil slowed right down to 30 mph and then indicated and pulled into a Shell garage. I knew he had fuel and feared the land Rover was playing up and sure enough I was right. Phil said the engine had suddenly overheated which is a problem that we've had before. It's been in the garage several times and its obvious the problem has not been fixed. Phil checked the water, poured in some more oil and pumped up his tyres while we waited for the engine to cool down. It wasn't a lot of fun because it was raining and was cold and windy.

After half an hour we set off again only to have to pull over twice more on the A14. The original plan was to drop off the Fiesta in Ipswich and then head to Lowestoft to see Phil's Aunt Daphne in the Land Rover but we decided instead to drop off the Land Rover and travel to Lowestoft in the Fiesta. Whilst enroute, I received a text from Emma to say that she been successful on bidding on eBay and had won me the car! I think I mentioned last week that I had seen a car on eBay and had bid £2,500. I was winning on Friday but the bidding closed at midday on Saturday and as I knew that we'd be in transit with no access to the internet, I emailed Emma next door, giving her my user ID and password and asked whether she would bid on my behalf. Thankfully she agreed, and as Emma is an eBay expert, I knew that if anyone could win me the car, then it would be her. And I was right, she went online in the final minutes and only had to bid an extra 100 quid. Thanks Emma, I owe you one!!

The weather was horrible and it took ages to get to Aunt Daphne's house but we finally got there at half past twelve. We haven't seen Daphne in ages and although she looked well, we were shocked to see just how much of her mobility she has lost since her accident. She can hardly move around and even then she is heavily reliant on a frame and sticks. It is a worry as it's not like we live round the corner and if it wasn't for one good neighbour, her cleaner and her good friend Jim, who pops round 3 times a week, I don't know how she'd cope.

With a few difficulties and much patience, we managed to get Daphne in the car and into a local Harvester for lunch. The pub was packed but we managed to get a table relatively near the entrance which was lucky. Lunch was very mediocre, we didn't really want to eat much because we knew that Lou & Mark were cooking us supper. I had steak which was tough and Phil & Daphne had the chicken which was very dry and came with chips instead of the baked potato's they'd ordered. The best thing about Harvester's is the salad bar. After lunch we took Daphne home, stayed an hour or so and then said our goodbyes.

We arrived at my sisters house just before 5pm. It was an added surprise to see my other sister Julia and my nephew Jack who had also come round for supper. Louise had cooked a red hot chilli and rice, and bless her, she knew about Phil's diet and had made him a special chilli with Quorn. It was very tasty. After supper was cleared away, we sat back at the table and played the game, Logo's, at least I think that's what it was called. We played Girls versus Boys and much to the boys delight, the 3 sisters lost. It was lots of fun. Julie & Jack left around 8pm and then we went up to the lounge to relax. Well sort of; Phil mentioned his blocked up ear drums and Louise said she would do him some Hopi Ear treatment. Of course wimpy Phil was reluctant so I'd said I would have it done first so he could see what it involved. I had to lie down on the floor while Lou put some hopi sticks in my ear and then lit them. I had to lie still while she held them in place until they burned down. It was painless although I couldn't tell any difference in my hearing afterwards. Despite me being the guinea pig Phil still wouldn't have it done. Silly really, because I am sure it would have helped his hearing. A few beers and a few glasses of wine, we had a nice time and were all tucked up in bed by 10.30pm. Not late for some but certainly late enough for Lou & Mark and me.

 

After showers and a healthy breakfast of fresh fruit and home made bread, lots of cups of tea and fresh coffee, we packed up the car, bid farewell to Mark & Lou and were back on the A14 just after 9am. We dropped off the Fiesta at Ipswich and popped the keys through step dads letter box and got back on the A14 in the Land Rover. Phil had agreed not to drive the Land Rover over 55mph which amazingly he managed to do. We were going to head back to MK, pick up Harriet's car and then drive to Birmingham to collect my new eBay car but the Land Rover hadn't over heated so we decided to keep on the A14 and head directly to Birmingham. The weather was fine and sunny when we left Woodbridge but a couple of hours into our journey, the sky went grey and it rained all the way to Birmingham. The traffic was heavy and driving at 55mph made the journey a very long one. We eventually arrived in Walsall, at the sellers address, 4 and a half hours after setting off.

The seller, Angela and her husband were nice friendly people. The car was exactly as described and after counting the money we signed the V5 document. I have to say that being an eBay virgin, I was more than a little anxious about such a big purchase but I needn't have worried, my new car is perfect. It's only had 2 previous owners, the mileage is less than 8k and its got air bags, central locking, electric windows and is immaculate inside and out. I am very happy and also grateful to Emma for her help in sealing the bid. I know that I have got a bargain because I saw the same car advertised in the Citizen last week for £3,699 and the mileage was 30k higher.

 

It took an hour and a bit to drive back home from Walsall in the rain and I was a little nervous because I don't really do much motorway driving. But all was fine because Phil couldn't speed and stuck to the slow lane while I follwed behind. We got to MK at half 3 and as we hadn't had lunch, we dumped the bags and headed straight to the Ship Ashore for lunch. I hadn't been there since the refurbishment which has made it much nicer, just a shame they didn't update the toilets in the process. Still I can't complain, the service was good and the Sunday roasts were both excellent. We shall certainly go back again.

After all the excitement over the weekend last night was pyjamas and watching the remaining episodes of 24 and than early to bed. Poor Phil was exhausted from all the driving and I think he is returning to work today more tired than he was when he finished on Friday. Still life is living and its nice to get out and about now and again. Now its time for me to post and publish and then get off my lazy backside and get to the gym.