FauxSurreyHubby and I went on jolly hols last week. All had been meticulously planned and arranged.
Big, beautifully furnished luxury cotttage in prime Cumbrian village location, walking distance to fab pubs & L'Enclume (oh yes we have been back!!) - tick. Call made to agent to explain my rubbish back & that I need a board / firm bed - tick. The KC's favourite live in cat sitter booked months ago & all paid for - tick. Plans made to look at houses whilst we were there as this is where we are running away to - tick!! Essential food & drink items all identified & ready to come with us (olive oil, gin, coffee etc) - tick!
So - all tickety boo then?! Yeah right - don't be daft this is US trying to go on holiday!
Untick #1 - FauxSurreyHubby slipped a disc 6 days before we went caused by him lugging concrete blocks around the garden - properly slipped in that he could not even stand up properly (my job I think you will find); a flurry of physio appointments ensued & a week off work was taken. Painkillers were also forced down his throat! What is it with boys & not taking painkillers??
Untick #2 - the KC's fave catsitter cancelled at the last minute - a family emergency / illness prevented her from coming to live here whilst we were away & doting on the kitty. Calls were made, emails went back & forth and there was a mad scramble by cat sitting company to find a suitable alternative. They found an alternative but I am still not best pleased - all a bit complicated but I ended up paying EXTRA for a woman I didn't know / didn't really want ... it all worked out in the end (as it does) but go figure! Stress levels began to rise.
Untick #3 - to be fair the holiday house was gorgeous - beautiful kitchen replete with Smeg fridge & Aga range, full on Sky TV (we watched a bunch of recent movies we had missed!), very flash bathrooms, beautiful little courtyard; silent, what else could we want? Try a DECENT MATTRESS!!!! Despite being provided with a board the beds were a disaster; there were 3 bedrooms and we attempted to sleep in all of them in various combinations (sleeping apart NOT the point of a holiday) meaning I slipped a disc day 3 meaning we ended up on our emergency orthopaedic airbed. Yes we slept on the floor in what was the childrens room ... and what is it with unlined curtains that keep NO light out so you are awake at 5AM?
Untick #4 - stupidly we had not booked a restaurant for the Sunday night - a bank holiday Sunday so all local pubs & restuarants were rammed. FSHubby tootled off to get a Chinese takeaway from Grange Over Sands. Not the centre of Chinese cuisine I can tell you. Ugh. Disgusting. Barely resembled Chinese food if I am honest! Ranks up there in the 5 worst meals I have ever had.
Untick #5 - we had found a bit of a dream house - affordable enough to buy now & get it ready slowly to run away to, HUGE (5 beds) great potential on the edge of a little village called Lindale. I had contacted the agent to organise a viewing but as it was such a fab bargain by the time we got there, all ready to see it, it was sold!!
Untick # 6 - whilst we were away (and therefore unable to stop her ...) 17 year old StepDaughter put yet ANOTHER hole in her flesh - taking count to 10 or 11 now - this one is in her body, through her belly button. I feel sick even typing about it! Chav-tastic or what? She is such a beautiful girl, I really don't get this low level self abuse / self harming.
So what went right?? Oh OK lots really!
We are now 100% certain this is the part of the world we will run away to when we can quit work & start slowing down. FSHubby & I inadvertantly went to what turned out to be a stunning vegetarian restaurant - even carnivore hubby loved it! Our meal at L'Enclume was STUNNING! We spent a couple of nights hanging out in our favourite local Cartmel pub The Cavendish Arms; we walked the length of the prom at Grange Over Sands admiring the view of the bay & saw Steve Coogan & his stunning 1960's Aston Martin at the pub at the beginning of the walk (rock & roll!); we had hand made pear drops ice cream in the sunshine on the beach at Arnside; we enjoyed shopping in Booths Supermarkets (think Waitrose but better!!)
We found a crystal glass outlet & I spent big on 50's style champagne saucers, gin glasses & whisky glasses; we stopped in Kirkby Lonsdale for a fab afternoon tea & saw a beautiful ginger cat sleeping on a ledge at Ruskins View (said view is the stunning view to the right); we visited a favourite shop in Barnoldswick (another place we could live!) and bagged a bargain fabulous solid mahogany coffee table; we also discovered a really funky & fabulous coffee shop / bar / restaurant - The Green Chimney - in Colne (
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Chimney/346327295479526 they are on FaceBook I am most certainly not!) & had the best coffee we've had in a long time.
So not all bad!
So here I am in pain. Leaning back on my special back chair to type this, I am hurting but feeling good. It is justifiable well earned pain. I have been hoe-ing & digging & tidying & weeding & clearing. And my super fragile back does not like that - but I had to do it. I had to spend 2 back breaking hours in the FauxSurreyGarden today as it's Chelsea time - the Royal Horticultural society Chelsea Flower Show that is - and watching the coverage on the beeb last night gave me an almighty kick up the whatsit to get out there & sort our beautiful garden out!
FS-Hubby & FS-StepSon are very good at the big stuff - they keep on top of the mowing (note to self - we must get our ride on mower working again as FSHubby's back not great ... and we are blessed with a huge lawn) and the digging & the shed & the strimming and stuff like that but the weeding & planting are my area and I have been neglectful. Well I've been busy ... but today I gathered my gardening kit around me (hoe, Fisker weed magic thing, trowel, secateurs, big bucket & garden bin) and went for it.I showed the weeds no mercy.
BUT - I now look out at a (virtually) weed free, well kept garden to be proud of. Also, I spent an hour cleaning out the grubby, algae ridden water feature yesterday, so the tinkling backlit water is now a clear & clean blue hued waterfall not all murky green & sludgy as it had been; all we need now is a bit of sunshine to get out there with a G&T & enjoy it!
