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Showing posts from December, 2015

Run up to Christmas

And so the pressure builds - cards to write, newsletter to finish off and print out, presents to buy and wrap!  At the end of November I felt quietly confident I had it all under control, but ever since the beginning of December I have just felt a rising sense of panic! When I got back from Butlins the place was in upheaval - after 28 years we have had to say goodbye to our wonderful, reliable Potterton boiler and have a new one.  We are also being obliged to have a thermostat and new heating controls!  The plumber had already removed the old boiler and installed the new one - which had entailed destroying the cupboard and surround that the people building the extension had put in.  They hadn't really envisaged a time when the boiler would be changed so had made the cupboard an integral part of the wall!  So now we will need a plasterer and possibly a carpenter to make good the damage.  Sounds like a Flanders and Swann song! The whole process took 3 days - but at least it is al

Great British Folk Festival 2015

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This was held at Butlin's Skegness 4th-6th December.  Lorraine and I were booked in for the 3 nights but as Lorraine was working on Friday until 8.30 pm we decided to drive down to Skegness on the Saturday morning and just have 2 nights there.  The big draw for me was Steeleye Span, but it was also on my bucket list to go to a music festival, and this seemed more civilised than the tents and wellies in rain and mud version. We set off at 8.30 hoping to arrive about midday - but unfortunately we had a slight navigational error with the Google Map instructions when we came off the M1 and were nearly at Oxford before  realised we were going in the wrong direction.  So we had to retrace our steps some 20 miles back again.  Otherwise it was a hassle-free journey and we arrived about 1.30.  We checked in and found we had been upgraded from a Silver room to a Silver apartment - it was lovely, with a small kitchenette and living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom.  It was on the third flo

December begins

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1 December - went to Forever Fit class, but it wasn't very aerobic and spent a lot of time using stretchy bands which hurt my wrists. In the afternoon prepared my Christmas card labels and they printed out perfectly first time which is very rare. Also prepared a secondary e-card using photos of Suki which came out well. Went swimming in the evening.  Earlier I had bought a pink swimming cap which was very easy to put on and did manage to cover all my hair - and it matched my costume nicely. Decided to swim until I got cramp or needed a wee. Cramp came first after 40 mins - managed 44 lengths including one of crawl (well my version of crawl).  When Mike came in later Suki jumped off his knee and ran after a fox. I could hear Mike whistling her way down the road so I went downstairs to try and help with a squeaker, and Suki was in the hall looking out of the wide open front door with a puzzled look on her face! So it was Mike I had to go and find! Went over to Keith's on Wednes