Like Anne & Jim said to me in a private FB message, the key to caravan living is miniamilasim and organisation and I couldn't agree more. I can do minimalistic and have done for many years but this doesn't come easy to Phil. And that's perhaps where my problems lie. Now that the move is over, he is happy to sit in the office writing his book and is oblivious to the more serious things that need to be done on the van before winter really is upon us. At the same time, he is keen to get away in the sun for a week, as am I, but there is no way I am going away before I the underneath is fully insulated and the skirting is put back on securely. Once this has been sorted then maybe we'll get a quick break away.
That little moan over, I will say that we have got ourselves into a bit of a caravan routine. Although Phil normally wakes up first in dire need of the loo, first thing in the morning, I get up and stick the kettle on and put on the gas fire to warm up the lounge. I take my tea to bed, usually with a newspaper and then Phil gets up and makes the breakfast. I wash up and put away, clean condensation from the windows, clean the bathroom after washing and then open windows to ventilate. I put the rubbish out and then check emails, FB, blog and do general internet stuff and Phil disappears into the office to work on his book. Now that the clocks have gone back, we draw blinds and curtains just after 4pm and put on the fires. For now, we are snug as a bug in a rug come evening time but I still do have reservations about when the hard frosts come. So far, with the weather, we have been lucky.
On Friday morning, after domestics, I started on the 36 change of address letters. I have done these in the past and had them saved in a file but I've changed laptops and with no back up, I couldn't find them. I could of course, have made telephone calls but with customer service centres these days being run from call centres in India, I decided to do the old snail mail. This time though, I saved the file and once I'd printed off all the letters, I went to Great Billing to buy some stamps. I thought I could get these at the Garden Centre Village but no, I ended up getting stamps from Billing Garage. I did have a mooch from the Garden Village and I have to say, I love this place. I brought mince from the butcher, he is lovely and friendly and it’s like going back in time plus the meat is fantastic. I also found a rather good shoe shop in the basement of the garden centre. Other than mince, I didn't buy anything and headed to the DW health club in Northampton for an express workout. It was okay; the equipment is not as good as MK but everyone is friendly so I didn't feel like a newbie. I did my stuff then headed home.
I was just in time as Phil was serving up a rather delicious liver and bacon casserole. Out of the two of us, he definitely is the better cook. Whilst I was out, Phil tried to connect up the BT vision box so we could record but he encountered a problem and managed to take down the broadband. I needed to check my email so after lunch, I got back into the car and went to The Manor at Billing to use the free Internet. This was no big deal because we had a text which said we had mail to collect. I also decided to check out the Great Billing sorting office to see if our BT home was being stored there. I queued, I gave them my tracking number and then I waited some more but no parcel. Big sigh but I suppose I at least know where to go for the futurethe place.
When I got back to the caravan Phil still hadn't got broadband back up and running so I got on the phone to BT. After a rather tedious and boring one hour on the telephone we ascertained that the fault was due to the connector and not a BT fault. I then spent another hour, although it felt like much longer on the phone to BT, trying to find out where our welcome pack and new home hub was. Turned out that BT had sent it to Giffard Park. I couldn't believe it. Then BT said no one was home and my new home was at the Kiln Farm delivery office in MK. Thankfully Phil managed to find another connector and get the Internet back up. And that was Friday.
On Saturday morning we did the usual routine, then I set off to MK leaving Phil to work on his book. I had several things to do in MK and my first stop was the sorting office at Kiln Farm to pick up the new BT hub. And guess what? Well, no surprises, it wasn't there. The girl was very helpful though and asked me if I had a post redirection. I had quite forgotten I had one in place which directed all of our mail to Harriet's flat in Caldecotte. Umm I phoned Harriet and left a voice mail message then went to Dunelem's to take back curtains which I'd brought for the caravan which were the wrong size.
I was glad they were the wrong size because when I sorted my refund, I went searching for the same curtains in the correct size when I spotted some thermal backed curtains which were much suitable. Very beige and very plain which is not quite my style but they were very caravan friendly, thermal and blackout. I picked up another heater for the office and then went over to Caldecotte to see HH and to check whether she had my new hub. She did, thank god, because I really didn't fancy another call to BT. I hate this corporate company so much that I have decided that when this 18 month contract expires, I will NEVER EVER use BT again. Thankfully Phil agrees.
Whilst over in MK, the plan was to have a workout at DW but in the end, I had run out of time and only had time for a shower. This was okay, it’s been nice to get back in the gym but with my back, I certainly don't want to overdue it. It was cracking on for half twelve but by the time I’d showered and dressed, my last stop of the day was to go to Sue's house to drop off the mattress elevator that Mike had delivered from Hemel Hempstead and Sue so very kindly offered to lend Phil's dad. Phil took it over to Melton Mowbray last week but couldn't work out how to fit the straps and then mum and dad decided they didn't want it until they move because dad is a little better. Talk about trying to help somebody out and it backfiring on you. But what can you do, old people are trying and it’s easier to go with the flow rather than cross them. I'll do anything for an easy life.
Sue was having her hair done in Newport and wasn't there when I got to her house but that was okay because she'd given me a code for the alarm and a key. We had arranged to meet for lunch and I hadn't been at hers for long, when she phoned to say that she was finished at the hairdressers. We had talked about going to Robinsons for lunch but I hadn't dressed very posh that morning and so I met her in Newport and we went to the Thai restaurant instead. Ummm, it wasn't brilliant but what does one expect for a main course for only £4.95. I should have known really when we walked into the restaurant with no other customers, no lights, no heat, no music, no nothing; just a Thai girl talking on a mobile that didn't seem pleased to see us. But I was hungry and luckily Sue is easy going, so we ordered a main and a glass of red. I asked for spicy and I think my main was better than Sue's as she hardly ate anything. Still, good to catch up with her and after lunch it was back to hers for a cup of tea and then together, we assembled her new TV stand.It was a grey, dull day on Saturday, a pretty miserable drive back on the M1 and I got back to Overstone just before 4pm, just as the light was fading. Phil had had a good day of writing, in fact, he did say, it was the best writing day he'd ever had. I was pleased, because not only had he written a lot, he'd also showered and changed and taken himself for a good walk around the lake. He has been complaining about a bad back lately which he is convinced is because of secondary bone cancer, however, I attribute his back pain to moving heavy stuff and the fact that he has spent rather a lot of time either in bed or lying on the sofa. Even he admitted that once he started walking, his back pain eased. We had a pleasant Saturday night; Phil joined me in wine, I ironed and put up all of my new curtains up, which I have to say made a huge difference in terms of heat. I was pleased because they were a bargain price. I still need to sort out the pelmets, they look bare after I ripped off the Velcro frilly strip, but this is cosmetic and will be done as soon as I work out a solution.
Thermal curtains and a gas fire plus wine and our Phil was fast asleep on the sofa by quarter past eight; I didn't mind much and let him sleep but he missed X-Factor and Big Brother and when these were finished I lead him to bed where fortunately he slept until nearly 6am. It was cold when we woke up yesterday morning, which was before 6am as usual, but I had tea in bed and then Phil went to the shop on site for eggs and newspapers. I have an order in place now for Times on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I don't think a lot of people read The Times here on the park because they only order 4 and every time I have been in to buy a copy there is none there. The guy that runs the shop is nice and friendly, he picked up on the fact that I'd tried to buy The Times and volunteered to save me a copy. That's what’s so nice about this place, it's just like the good old days where people wish you good day, ask how you are and you get good old customer service.
Today and indeed this weekend has been easy and relaxed. I did some more painting in the boiler cupboard and touched up for the 4th time in the bathroom and then went to the gym in Northampton leaving Phil to write some more. We had a mini walk round the little lake en-route to the clubhouse for the Sunday roast. Yes, I know we are predictable but lunch there is good and it’s cheap. Thankfully it was a sunny day and although a big wind chill and a little soggy underfoot, it was a pleasant stroll. The view from the club house was really beautiful.
Phil is still moaning at me for talking everyday shit on the blog but you know what, writing and words have come easy whilst living at Overstone. Words flow and I feel I could write and write and write, even though it’s every day garbage and much ado about nothing. I make no apologies for this, after all, you don't have to read me. What I am failing to do however is to take photographs and that is not good. A picture tells a thousand words and I have hardly taken any. I promise to be better from now on inwards and will try and have my camera in hand at every photo opportunity. Friends beware. Any good blog that is worth reading needs pictures. I need to try harder.
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