under another sun

Lorraine and I up at seven thirty and after breakfasting and poking an antibiotic into Calliope's mouth etc. off to Ashford. As we were driving through Rye, Lorraine noticed that the van behind us was from the removers. We got to Pat and Maureen's house a little before them. A father and son removal team from Seaford, the son suffering from kidney stones, which is a bit grim, and the dad not much younger than me. Luckily not too much to move from Pat and Maureen's house.  Lorraine knew what to take and what not to take. I dug up a rose in the garden that had been given to Maureen by her sister. I felt something end-of-chapterish about leaving Pat and Maureen's house, and of course for Lorraine it was the family home since she was a little girl. However little time for sentimentality,  we  zoomed off, back the almost two hours to Seaford eating peanut butter sandwiches en route.   More complicated to unload stuff at Stratheden Court, and take it up to the second floor...

Surprising the sparrows, Lorraine and I sprang up at six nasty and left at 7am for Ashford, driving into the rising sun. Lorraine brought breakfast with us, which we ate in Ashford.  Lorraine then drove Pat to his medical appointment, and I enjoyed chatting with Maureen and Claudia who over from Finland with her boyfriend Jonas. Jonas had never been to England before, but was able to speak English well.  Maureen on top form, and there was a comedy routine with boiled eggs for Claudia and Jonas, whose egg tops wouldn't come off with knives and spoons. Maureen hammering on them, and explaining to people how to eat boiled eggs -- Claudia laughing lots.   Lovely to see Claudia, for the second time this year. She and Jonas had flown over yesterday to Heathrow, and she had taken Business Class because she had inherited an airline card from a colleague. She said there was a Finnish minister on board, and an eccentric software multimillionaire from Finland who is called the Elf, ...

A slow start for us, and we had a roast chicken lunch with Pat and Maureen. Loraine and I went for a walk around the cemetery and the Rec, and then home to sort out packing and ferret about in the boxes and bags for a few things to take on our cheeky escape to Greece. An idea that still doesn't seem at all really yet. Chatting with Mum while we were doing so.  Calliope and Brian seem to have settled in fairly well, and have found favourite places to curl up and are brave enough now to nip into the back garden for walks. I am very happy that Maureen and Pat will be looking after them. Those cats both love sitting on Maureen.  Pat and Maureen couldn't have been kinder in giving us and our felines shelter till we move into our new house.  Lorraine and I packing groggily. To bed early, with the daunting prospect of being up really early tomorrow.   A nondescript path through cherry trees that aren't flowering on the edge of the cemetery. The only photo of the day.

Slept much better, the deep tiredness still remains however and simple things feel like a bit of an effort.   Spoke to Mum however, who was cheerful this morning, and sent me the photo below of herself in the Waggon and 'Orses with a hat on. I went off at lunchtime to buy fish and chips, which Pat and Maureen tend to have for their Friday lunch. And in the afternoon, as the rain started, Lorraine and I went for a stroll around local streets, popping into a post office and then into a park called The Rec, where Lorraine and her brothers used to play as kids. We went for a long stroll, and into an underpass, with a man sitting silently in it, and then back over a bridge over the railway lines (including for the Eurostar). A lad rapidly tidying away his gear as we approached the stairways on one side, and having crossed, some harmless teenagers on the other smoking weed and drinking what was probably booze out of pop bottles. It felt a bit desolate in the rain. In the afternoon I sett...

Recovery day one. Our first morning in Ashford. Lorraine and I lay in bed, amid a pile of our boxes and cases, and sorted out the gas, electric, broadband, water and so on. Slowly up and a toast breakfast. More sorting of things, banks and paying Bearded Bros, and Lorraine chasing her pension people and so on, while chatting to Maureen and Pat. Lorraine and I went for a short afternoon walk down past St Mary's church -- where Lorraine's nan and great aunt are buried -- to pick up prescriptions for Pat and Maureen in the apparently badly run pharmacy. A slow long queue which Lorraine joined. We talked to a woman outside, who turned out to be Jenny Bickle, who went to school with Lorraine. A short amble through the green bits down by the little river, then home again. We are both feeling very weary after the exertions of the day. In the evening Lorraine, Maureen and I drove off to Tesco to do some shopping. This followed by a light supper and an early night.  A nice note from Cha...

The great Exodus today. I had a terrible night's sleep, barely sleeping, Lorraine little better.  But up before seven this morning and to work with a cup of tea and a rapid bacon sandwich. The removal people, Bearded Bros arrived on time, four guys with two big vans, a pleasant can-do bunch.  They got to work instantly and made great progress. We cleaned and hoovered as we went. Beth dropped by to collect some stuff for the tip despite having a stressy day. Then when the Bros had filled their lorries, they drove off to unload them and send one back. At 12 o'clock however the buyer's lorry arrived. An impasse. The waiting was stressing me lots, so I went for a short walk around Blaker's Park and by the time I returned the  new owners had arrived and they were bringing stuff in. Our guys turned up and at some points there were two lots of removal people, and the galling business of other people ordering people about in your own home. However, mercifully, this crossover wa...

Up and working with Keith for a couple of hours, then Lorraine and I zoomed over to Ashford to celebrate Pat's 89th birthday (which was yesterday along with Sam's) and Pat and Maureen's 65th wedding anniversary.  When we I arrived at Pat and Maureen's house I had to zoom upstairs and work and give a presentation. Microsoft teams suddenly not working on my laptop... Nine minutes late to join feeling stressed and flustered. Thankfully the people involved are very nice. After this crammed into the car, picked up an old pal of Pat and Maureen's called Janet Pooley, and then made off to The White Horse in Chilham in Kent (and very chilled it was too). Much enjoyable bantering in the back of the car. Maureen was saying that Margaret was very nice 'but how she ended up with a one like that...' glancing darkly at me. She does make me laugh. At Chilham (indeed very chilled) we met Lorraine's uncle Steve and we went into the White Horse pub where a table had been ...

Up fairly early this morning. Could hear Jade coughing in bed. Lorraine drove us and Beth off to Ashford today to see Pat and Maureen. Had to be rerouted due to the enormous tailback of lorries caused by complications due to Brexit, the PO shipping crisis, etc. etc. We went off to a garden centre for lunch, I had a nice baked potato. We all bought some pot plants, for when viewers come round to look at our place. Both on good form, and keen to learn more about our plans to move house.   One of Pat and Maureen's neighbour pals dropped in, a nice woman called Janet Pooley that Lorraine has known all her life. Her son now lives in Kingsbury. On the way back heard that Jade had taken a covid test and has this time tested positive. We hadn't seen her this morning, and she is now isolating in Sam's room. I am hoping now, selfishly enough, that Lorraine and I don't get it too and have our Easter disrupted too. Bloody covid is a pain. And I feel sorry for Jade who just wanted t...

A good night's sleep and both Lorraine and I were feeling distinctly perkier. A quick breakfast with John then off in the car to Marks and Sparks to pick up a cake that Lorraine had had decorated there, and a cheeky bunch of flowers. Drove off towards Kent to join in the celebrations of Pat and Maureen's sixtieth wedding anniversary, which occurred while they were on holiday. At Ashford Station we picked up Beth and were soon at Pat and Maureen's house. It was already filling up with people, as Pete, Ken and Clare were there. Soon Lorraine's nieces Sarah and Louise, and Louise's partner Will had arrived, then Jason, and Maureen's sister Betty, and Betty's daughter (Lorraine's cousin) Janet and her husband... Then it was time to drive off to the Duke's Head, where we had a room, the same one we'd been in for Pat's Eightieth birthday.  We were joined there by several other family members including Maureen's sister Doris, Pat's brother...

A fast journey to Ashford and we were there in an hour, listening to Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, with rugby referee Nigel Owens, in what turned out to be an inspiring show that had Lorraine and I glistening at the eyes as she drove. It was filled with passionate Welsh tunes, and ended with I am what I am . Before that was a really tense Archers omnibus. The Archers used to concern itself with chutney recipe controversies, to a backdrop of moos in the cowshed. Now its all mothers tearing stolen babies from the arms of psychotic kidnappers. Then we arrived at Pat and Maureen's for a cup of tea before Lorraine drove us to The Blacksmiths Arms, where we had some good quality soup and roast turkey, a great deal of vegetables, and the no-brainer choice of an excellent lemon meringue pie. Friendly in there, especially to Pat. Home and the luxury of a doze in the armchair. Having mentioned to Pat and Maureen about my desire to wear smarter clothes, and Pat offered me a pick from his...

Much improved this morning, so much so that I went with Lorraine to visit Pat and Maureen in Ashford. A quick trip to The Blacksmiths Arms  where we had a nice Sunday Roast. A nice old fashioned feel in there with the dried hops (for this is Kent) hanging from the walls, and bunches of burly balding  blokes drinking a Sunday lunchtime pint, and lots of tables with folks forking down their lunches. They know Pat and Maureen there, and were pleasant and speedy in their service. Talking to Pat about The Great Chad Adventure, and he said he had spent three months in Libya, the country to the north, which puts a mere ten days in perspective. Then back to sit in the garden for it was a sunny day, where there was a certain amount of hat play. before sitting on the sofa where Lorraine showed them some photos from Greece and Whitby. Maureen has just started thinking about Christmas shopping, and asked me what I wanted. I said a willie warmer, and a certain amount of r...