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Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
Love Paddington. What a great opening, re plumbers etc.
ReplyDeleteGary, You are a 🌟🌟🌟 ✔✔✔
Gary, I love the way you tailor the heading photos to our conversations - genius!
ReplyDeleteEureka!
ReplyDeleteWe have Central Heating.
I had telephoned a local person on Friday but he couldn’t come until this afternoon.
He has been with a new pump and sorted things out for us.
He was here for less than an hour.
Interestingly he did not need to go into the loft at all so the work could have been carried out by the original plumber last Friday and we would not have had to pay because we would have been covered by the Home Emergency premium.
I am not an ambulance chaser and had the private plumber had to get into the loft I would not have said anything but because he didn’t and it should have been fixed on Friday morning I decided to telephone the Home Emergency number, and spoke to a Manager who sounded very sympathetic.He is looking into it for me..
I am just so pleased to have heat
Good News. 🔥🔥
DeleteI would also want answers, as to why not sorted last week.
Hallelujah Lanjan 👏🏻 🤗 👍
DeleteThanks Gary.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief, eh, Lanjan ?! Pleased for you, & hope you do get satisfaction anout the original screw up.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, Gary ! And I'm m hoping new washing machine will indeed arrive tomorrow, no blips as on last few occasions, & that Paddington has some strong assistants with him &:that it can be successfully installed ( no easy task in our set up)
Plumbing problems seem to abound at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWhat next in this bright new year?
How are your mosquito bites Archerphile?
ReplyDeleteSubsiding, I’m delighted to say - strong antihistamine tabs + gel+steroid cream seem to have calmed itching but still have huge purple patches on legs which I hope will fade before the 14th. Main aim now is not to get any new ones, so dowsing myself in spray and staying resolutely indoors.
DeleteThe family are back at work/school now so we have the house to ourselves during the day.
Knee excessively swollen/painful after fall so taking strong painkillers, which I can’t name for political reasons. 🤫
Looks like on the right track AP 🤞
DeleteA coincidence only, but have had an e-mail today, to book my electric/gas CH boiler + system/fire etc. for the annual maintenace service + check.
ReplyDeletePleased to hear that it's fixed LJ, but also pleased you decided to challenge the fact that last weeks home emergency plumber was not willing to do the work.
ReplyDeleteI hope your challenge is successful and that you are recompensed.
I have not joined in the discussion on ' Home Emergency' packages as my experience in the past has not been good.
In my previous home where I lived for twenty years I twice went for periods without heating and hot water. Once for over three winters. The reason being that my ' home package' did not cover the part of the system that was broken and I did not have the financial means to pay for repairs.
I have learned from that mistake and would not take out such an agreement again.
Something entirely different.
ReplyDeleteAn old friend got in touch on Sunday to say she had been on the point of telephoning several times to see if everything was alright because she hadn’t heard from me on her birthday.
The card then arrived several weeks later rather worse for wear .
I think she felt she was safe to ring then!
Apparently the area she lives which used to be in Cheshire before “they” messed up Counties by adding names like Greater Manchester and Merseyside .
Her postcode was a Liverpool one and has been for many years.
She told me that a lot of people were up in arms about it and wanted the postcode changed so now it has become a Ch postcode rather than an L.
The trouble is that a lot of her mail is arriving late now.
Has anyone else experienced a change of postcode?
Yes, LanJan, several decades ago, but we still receive one Christmas card every year with the old one. Curiously, it's from people who didn't know us when we had it!
DeleteThanks to all for kind wishes regarding health. I do hope other invalids are progressing well and are reasonably comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI finished 18 weeks of steroids and other treatment on 22 Dec and was left with pale purple blotches but which seemed to be on the way to healing.
However within a week the itching started. Suffice to say before the consultant appointment on Jan 4 th many, large dark purple patches covered entire legs, large area of back and overlaying old'wounds' on arms. So previous treatment abandoned and different one begin😒
This time steroids for 12weeks with methodroxate (I think) to try to reduce autoimmune cells being created. So that's the next 3 months till next consultant's appointment.
Probably have to let the cricket club down for this season but two of my sisters and brothers in law have promised me they will be over to sort my garden out next month. At least I will be able to look at it through the window even if I can't sit outside!
On the plus side the two UK based sons are taking care of me and just had flying visit from eldest son and family for a long weekend. Haven't seen granddaughters since last Easter so that was lovely.
ReplyDeleteBit more negativity having just paid garage bill of four figures for kapput heater, service and MOT now laptop gone west! Please excuse mistakes being made on IPhone/ Android or whatever this thing is. Hope to have proper IT equipment sorted next week!
The extra bothers just have to get thrown into the mix, don't they, Spicy ?! As if the physical challenges aren't enough, small but deadly gremlins get moving to disrupt practical aspects of life, which one takes for granted until....
ReplyDeleteI hope the new regime really, really nails it this time. Did the consultant act hopeful ?
Glad you have such strong family support, they're all rallying.
( Discovered the ultimate secret of happiness this morning : at last, at last, the shiny new washing machine arrived 😊 There is a back story of course, but no energy to spell out right now. Anyway, it is spinning merrily, & my heart is singing !)
All the best, Spicy. You know we're all routing for you.
Spicy, it’s good to hear from you again and everything is crossed for your new treatment plan. Really hope you can properly turn a corner this time. Good to know you have family support through these setbacks.
ReplyDeleteHope others are supported likewise with their various health concerns and other trials.
LanJan, hope you are enjoying being warm again - what a saga.
My little trouble this morning was that I wondered why I was being followed in my car. Turned out a neighbour who pulled out behind me noticed I was driving on a completely flat tyre, and was trying to warn me. Don’t understand how I didn’t realise. Then I found I had left my mobile at home so couldn’t ring Mr S to bail me out. Thankfully all sorted now and very glad it didn’t happen on the motorway 😱
Just spent a few hours this afternoon taking down lots of artworks & putting them back up in different places - a great way to "re-appreciate" what's on your walls and make rooms look very different for very little effort! (And at no extra cost....)
ReplyDeleteTrapped indoors because of the atrocious weather. It's so miserable. But I suppose it IS our turn - it's been so quiet & mild for months up here. The noise of the wind coming down the chimneys right now is soooooo loud....
Good Luck All. 😍😍
ReplyDeleteThere are many ongoing problems for such lovely wonderful "friends" - be it a health or a home maintenance problem.
Just keep "chatting" and comparing experiences. I love to read them. 😀
Me, I am waiting patiently for the appearance of my latest "Grand Neice", due date Jan 8th. It will happen sometime soon. 🤞🤞all goes well.
Interesting Lanjan, re change of a postcode. A year ago, I had a letter stating, that my "parlimentary area" was under review and might go into another area. Thanks to an on-line petition, this didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteDid it make a difference in the Dec. 2019 election, probably not, but it was the principle that was involved.
Spicy I would like to add my support and very best wishes to all the others that you have
ReplyDeletealready received from your blogger “friends” 😍
Me too, Spicy. Just because I haven't posted doesn't mean you're not in my thoughts, because you are. It's so, so hard to keep going when every time things look as if they're on the 'up', it all goes pear-shaped again and you're back where you started. It sounds like a very demoralising condition and I feel for you.
ReplyDeleteGeneral: enough with the boiler-talk, people. Mine has now started making a noise like a dustcart with its engine idling and I've had to turn it off.
It seems that many of our boilers have a touch of the 'Starlight Barking!' Ours (apparently over 27 years old but with lots of servicing over the years) finally packed up before Christmas. A new one was installed at great expense (7 grand and oil!!!) Now we have to have one half of the house rewired as we were in danger of death by a thousands flashes! We knew 'stuff' needed to be done when we bought 2 years ago, but what a money pit old houses are. Thank God we are not thatched!!!! 😌
ReplyDeleteSpicy - such a relief to see you posting here, and on the other blog, again. You seem to have to lurch from one problem to another but thank goodness you have good help from your family.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure we are all hoping and praying your new medical regime will be successful and that you’ll be able to enjoy your usual pursuits again soon. Keep strong, we are all routing for you. 🙋♀️
Good to see you back with us on this forum Spicey.
ReplyDeleteWonderful that your family are rallying round.
I seem to be lucky.
ReplyDeleteMy CH is working fine, and thanks to my new + expensive "front" door, my little home, is very warm + cosy, so much so, have not had to light the fire.
Hope haven't spoken too soon...🤞🤞😀
GG (4.36pm), I so agree about moving the pictures around - it really does refresh the home ! Makes you look more closely at the works, whilst testing out new juxtapositions. I do it , also, probably less drastically than you did today, some items just have to stay together if by the same artist or sharing a theme, but....you've triggered some ideas now; I'm going to look at changes in the next few days !
ReplyDelete( E.g the hares don't all have to stay in the same corner. Remain together, yes, but nearer a natural light source...)
Gary and Caroline I think I must be an awful stick in the mud. Last summer when I still wasn't paying much attention to things my daughter "refreshed the home" by squirreling a load of paintings away up into the attic. They had been in exactly the same position since my childhood and before that through my great aunt's time ( one was dated 1910 ). They had virtually grown into the walls, and I still see them even though they aren't there. I am beginning to contemplate a trip up into the attic!
DeleteGypsy had an operation today to remove a growth on the back of her head. It was a worry because she has Cushing disease which compromises her liver. Anaesthetic is broken down through the liver so last time she went in they decided not to operate. However Katy put her on milk thistle, a homeopathic remedy and the liver had improved so it was decided to go ahead. The growth had got bigger and there were periodic bleeds. In the summer it could attract flies. I was worried as she may not have got through the anaesthetic but it had got to the stage where it had to be done. Late this morning I had the good news that she had come round and she came home at 4. Not a happy lady but hey! The big problem will be stopping her from bursting the stitches which have to stay in for 3 weeks as Cushing means slower healing. They couldn’t fit a collar because of the site of the wound so we have had to tape socks with cotton wool in the toes to her back feet to stop her from scratching! Mercifully we do have a stock of doggy socks. What we do for these animals!!!😍🐶🐶🐶
ReplyDeleteAh bless Ev! What a relief for you both and what a worrying morning you must have had, no doubt it seemed for ever and then a phone call which you probably hardly answer followed by ecstatic relief - wonderful 🤗
ReplyDeletehardly dare...
DeleteWe're sending cuddles to Gypsy from Glasgow!
ReplyDelete(even Pi cat!) 😉
Hope Gypsy is brighter tomorrow Ev.
ReplyDeletePtbY - where are you ?
Hope your silence does not mean that your unwell too.
How is the eye, and have you seen the consultant yet ?
I've been wondering about PtbY too MrsP....
DeleteGet well wishes from Bella and Tiger Lily to Gypsy; and my good wishes to all who are not well.
ReplyDeleteBurnham Beeches 7:21 yesterday -
ReplyDelete"Starlight Barking"? Sounds intriguing - do please explain?
Gary - I’m beginning to wonder if we should start a third blog for all the dogs and cats our members care for - a sort of ´pets corner’ where they can exchange exciting experiences or send good wishes when one of them is ill?
ReplyDeleteI don’t have any four-legged friends at the moment but my garden pond goldfish and koi might like to join in! 🐠
GG 12.34 am. I was just trying to be a bit too clever by three quarters! The Starlight Barking was Dodie Smith's sequel to the One Hundred And One Dalmatians. The Twilight Barking was the dogs equivalent of the telephone or internet.........spreading the word. I think I rather pushed the allusion with our respective boilers a bit too far!! 🙄
ReplyDeleteHave just read the synopsis of it and I must say, it appears to be absolutely stark raving bonkers!
Delete😊
DeleteStill here, just haven’t had anything to say. I’m a miserable cow over new year. I hate it. All the “ happy and prosperous new year” talk when you know it’s going to be as crap as the previous year.
ReplyDeleteNow wearing an eye patch that attaches to my glasses. I’m treating it as a new trend, the pirate look, but at least it means I can function without the double vision and headaches. I’m due to see consultant 12 Feb.
Carolyn. Was excited for you with your new washer. Did you sit and watch it for its inaugural wash? 😁
Lanjan. So glad you’ve got your heating sorted. What a carry on to get it done. Good job we haven’t been in a beast from the East weather situation.
Spicy. I feel just awful for you. 🤞 this next round of treatment sorts you out.
Hattie and Mabel send Gypsy positive vibes to get well soon. 🦮🐕🦺
Our son visited with his girlfriend this last weekend. She was very nice, apart from she’s from Lancashire! Anyway, in texts afterwards he reckons she’s the “one”. My advice to him was......don’t rush into things but I don’t mind if you elope cos the cost of weddings is ridiculous. “Kirsty” would have been proud of me.
Best wishes to all the “unwell” on here. 💐
PtbY your last sentence. As they say in the US " Back at you."
DeleteI never ' celebrate ' New Year. It just means another year older and (probably) deeper in debt!
Hope your consultant gives you hope as well. 💐💐
Spicycushion.
Delete16 tons.
Tennessee Ernie Ford
👍😀
DeletePositive waves to Gypsy from Merry 🐱🐕
ReplyDeleteHe's out of his thyroid tabs, so not himself this am. Hopefully the vet's had a delivery..
PtbY, good to hear from you and hope your appointment helps when it comes. Annoying that the first date was put back, especially when you are in pain.
ReplyDeleteI tend to reflect rather than party at New Year. I can sink into the doldrums in January and February, obsessing over the time of sunrise.
At last the top of my garden is being cleared of brambles, an old fence and the debris from my father’s shed that is sinking into the ground. When I return to North Yorkshire in the spring I am looking forward to doing something with it, rewilding in mind of course so nothing too managed.
PtbY - I too was rocking an eye patch until a couple of days ago! I thought I carried it off spectacularly well even if I do say so myself.... It was funny seeing other people's reactions to it when I was out and about - you would have thought by some of the stares I got that I was wearing a giant hat made of fruit!
ReplyDeleteGypsy says thank you for all the good wishes and she had a good night apart from waking at 4.30 and not being given her breakfast then! She is now fast asleep while her humans have to get on with their day!
ReplyDeleteI see the new year as a fresh page. We have to be realistic that it won’t be all sweetness and light but a new start nevertheless. I always remember the line from a hymn: “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” Hope is very important and looking forward not back. My husband died in 2017 and as the year turned I thought now I could say he died last year. It helped the move forward. I now think you never get over such a thing but as time goes on it becomes easier to bear. Some of you have major health problems and it is wonderful to share on this blog. Just hope things improve or you get the strength to come through it.
PtbY, 8.02 Hear hear! to your first paragraph - been saying that for years. Ev, I've been thinking exactly the same about 2019. It's a relief to leave it behind.
ReplyDeleteHa! Once again have heat/hot water - air lock in the pump had been pushed through to the boiler, causing it to overheat and operate emergency cut-out. All sorted in 10 minutes. Would that life were always that simple.
Good to hear from PtbY.
ReplyDeleteAnd will be thinking of you on the 12th of February which at the moment must seem such a long way off for you. I'm so sorry that it was postponed.
And yet again wishing well to all others with health problems.
Mine are low energy at the moment but get my B12 Jab tomorrow thank goodness.
I too find NY difficult all the jollity discomforts me, but accept that it is a new start, however ephemeral and also a time for reflection.
Good on you P tbY .for remaining positive and cheerful in spite of the trouble with your eye.
ReplyDeleteYou ought to check your posts though because you meant to say I ,am sure ,that your son’s girlfriend was very nice BECAUSE she comes from Lancashire .
The lad’s got sense.
Ha ha.
DeleteSo good to hear from you, PtbY ! Agree with all you say, too; can't stand all the manufactured positivity around this season. If one is having a bad time, acknowledge it ! It won't go away with wishy washy sentiments. More important, find ways of coping & do what you personally can to improve your situation. I see you are doing just that ! Horribly inconvenient as it is, am glad the pirate look has at least stopped the headaches + double vision.
ReplyDelete. Roll on that Feb. apt. !
Confession time : yes, I did watch the inaugural wash, & many moments of the subsequent ones ( there were piles waiting eagerly to be done !) Best news in weeks.
Mr C. out of hosp. but still weak ( pneumonia) but I'm hoping he'll get back gradually to the way he was before we both copped this chest infection. I had good news today, Dr. found my oxygen levels are ok now, though awful last week. She also said the continuing cough, feeling weak etc can be expected for another week or more, after a severe infection like that,
but, basically, I'm on the mend.
Glad to hear about Gypsy, what a worry, yet what a valiant old lady she is !
Oh dear all.
ReplyDeleteHope all are surviving, be it health-wise, or with other problems.
I also did the "pirate" look, a black patch over a pair of glasses, 2x last year. It works -
as the eye stays relaxed and doesn't need to focus.
My new "grand niece" has reached her due date today. Not expecting her to appear, on time, but hope she doesn't keep us waiting, for too long 😀.
Also a grand-nephew is 2yrs old very soon. Luckily remembered in time, due to the time taken for things, to get to OZ.
DeleteGood news Carolyn, especially that Mr C is out of hospital. Are you fit enough now to look after him yourself? This wretched virus (or whatever it was) that you both had sounded really nasty.
ReplyDeleteAll the best for your emergence from the infections into the new year. And one of much better health.
That goes for everyone, by the way!
I try, AP, I try, but this is some obstinate man ! ' I need to do this or that...' No ! Roof isn't going to fall in if you don't . How many times today has there been a conversation on those lines. Thing is, we neither of us has much energy at all as yet, so we should just muddle along, doing things that make for better comfort, take care of our food, cats & hens. Enough for now !
DeleteSorry, in answer to your question. : it was an infection so responded well to antibiotics.
DeleteKeep on keeping on carolyn!!
DeleteCarolyn I have ordered a tumble dryer.
ReplyDeleteOh the excitement.
I used to have one years ago but because I was cussed and I said I wanted my clothes to dry outside we never got a replacement but after last week’s mini drama I decided to order one
I only wanted a small one but there are none in stock anywhere so I have ordered a large one and I don’t know where we can put it.
I just don’t care.
Something will work out.
I will let you know if I am going to sit and watch it do its work.
Let us know.😁😁
DeleteI resisted getting any kind of a washing machine for many years then stuck to a washer and spinner ( what on earth were they called ) for many more years before I gave in and got an automatic. When I got it I watched it obsessively. My daughter used to come and see me in her lunch break and comment upon my watching routine.
ReplyDeleteI've actually had some washing on the line today. At least it gets some fresh air even if it doesn't dry.
I remember my mother referring to it as a "twin tub". Could it be that?
DeleteDid a twin tub come with those big wooden tongs to fish out the clothes? I can just about remember one in my parents kitchen in the 70s!
DeleteThat's the one! With hoses connected to the taps and the risk of wrenching your arm off at the socket if you reached for the washing before it completely stopped spinning.
DeleteAnd they were so loud! I also remember blueish hot water being pumped into the sink, boiling hot and smelling so strongly of "stuff"...
DeleteThe water was blueish Gary, because we used something called Reckitts Blue in the water, along with the detergent. It was a little muslin bag of bright blue powder that was supposed to make your whites look ‘whiter than white’
DeleteAnd after all the faff with hoses, and rinsing there was the ritual of starching.
A big bowl of boiling hot liquid starch had to be prepared to do men’s shirts, collars, ladies blouses etc so they looked pristine when worn (or stiff and scratchy more often that not).
I even starched my lab coat, I seem to remember after taking out the rubber buttons.
Wash day really was a wash DAY back then, from rolling the twin tub a cross the kitchen to connect it to the taps, to finally getting the clothes dry, ironing, folding, putting away.
The man who invented Automatic Washing Machines and Tumble Dryers deserves nothing short of a Sainthood! 😇
Lanjan, I'm very happy for you !
ReplyDeleteYou won't regret it, I promise.
The best moment is the magic of opening the door after the cycle is completed & all the lovely, clean, warm clothes, towels & bed linen are waiting to be put away ! Some ironing, of course, but less than you'd imagine.
Have fun ! Enjoy 😊🤗
I have a twin tub, and it's brilliant, especially for a small household. No programme longer than 15 minutes, complete control over length of programme, temperature of water and no of rinses. Brilliant washing results, 7 loads finished in under 2 hours, and no bending down to fish things out!
ReplyDeleteWow! Are they still available?
DeleteMy biggest gripe is the fact that manufacturers stopped making hot and cold fillings on their machines. Twice a day I have large tank of water heated up. One tank easily does necessary showers, hand washing up etc. The other just cools down! Then my automatic machine fills with cold water which could have used the hot tank as a starter for the wash.😠
Only on the internet, unfortunately. Mine's a Polar Jetstream. It has no heater, it addresses your gripe by using water straight from the tap at whatever temperature you choose. Being a top-loader, the shorter programmes make it extremely economical on electricity. and because the same water will do more than one load and the centrifugal rinsing is more efficient, it saves on water as well. No need for separate powder or loads for coloured/delicates because you can do a 1-minute wash on 'gentle' setting. I wouldn't be without it.
DeleteHow I remember the mangle in the back-yard, then followed by a twin tub. This was a luxury, and yes used the wooden tongs!!
ReplyDeleteIn my first home, I only had a "spin dryer"which was bought 2nd hand from the local paper.
I remember getting my 1st automatic machine (in the mid '80's) and I also sat on the floor watching it. 😂😂
My latest is also cold fill only, but works really well and is A+++ rated. Prefer to wait to do a big wash, so it can go outside to dry on the wash-line. It is lovely getting bedding dried "outside" as so fresh.
As a single home-owner, I can wait for a good outside drying day - and this I do.
DeleteJust spent the whole day in the kitchen preparing tons of grub for our holiday - off on Sat morning to "Tinkerbelle", the little cottage that we escape to in the Cairngorms! As I will be out of reach of t'internet for over a week I will open 2 new posts before I set out, but apologies if any stray adverts appear when I am away!
ReplyDeleteP.S. We will be VERY careful when using the car that we don't have any "incidents" with the local peacocks....
Have a wonderful time Gary, and mind the ptarmigans and mountain hares camouflaged in the snow...the peacocks ought to show up more...
ReplyDelete...puts me in mind of the Scone Palace peacocks when I visited many years ago.
I’m off to a retreat house tomorrow for the weekend, in a Jacobean house on the site of a medieval monastery. As well as the peace and quiet I really look forward to the fantastic food. No cooking for me for a couple of days. Bliss.
Ooooooh, that sounds right up my boulevard Seasider - hope you have a relaxing few days of calm serenity....
DeleteHave a great time away Gary.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing all about it. 😍
Also enjoy your retreat Seasider.
Am looking forward to hearing all about your experiences.
Hope Gavin has looked at and researched, his "wedding package" in Bali.
ReplyDeleteI say this this, as to something saw on TV this morning.
This was a couple who married abroad, to then find out on returning home to the UK, that their marriage was not legal!
Have a lovely restful time Gary and enjoy the peace and quiet (no peacocks making that awful noise)
ReplyDeleteWe are off home tomorrow but have heard that BA are re-routing our flight to avoid flying over Iraq and Iran - which we did on the way down here. So please keep your fingers crossed for us not to become part of Trump’s collateral damage! 🤭
Your trip has certainly had its moments AP! Will be glad to hear you are back in the UK .
DeleteDo hope your knee holds up as no doubt it will be stiff after all the hours of plane travel but your wheelchair will be here waiting for you 🤗 as will all bloggers.
GARY enjoy your trip sounds just wonderful!
Your breaks away sound idyllic & just the thing to set you up for the rest of the Winter, Gary & Seasider. Hope you have a lovely, dreamy peaceful time & return refreshed & revitalised ! 🙂🤗
ReplyDeleteGod speed, Archerphile and Mr A.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGary, enjoy your candle lit evenings
ReplyDeleteSeasider enjoy your retreat
Well remembered!
DeleteSafe journey Archerphile
ReplyDeleteYes indeed .
ReplyDeleteSafe and comfortable journey,Archerphile.
Hope all goes very smoothly, AP.
ReplyDeleteSafe journey AP. ✈️🤞
ReplyDeleteGG & Seasider, enjoy the peace!
Hope the journey home is all smooth sailing Archerphile!
ReplyDelete(You know what I mean! It's a plane, but...)
😂 ✈️ 🚢
DeleteThanks to all for good wishes - hope to log in tonight in jolly old Blighty!
ReplyDelete🇦🇪 🔜 🇬🇧
Looking forward to your post when home Archerphile and another travelogue, please.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the peace and tranquility Gary and return with a picture of peacocks in the snow, along with ptarmigans if possible.
I envy you Seasider. So long since I've been on a retreat. Hope it's divine !
Archerphile is hopefully having a good + safe journey home.
ReplyDeleteHow lighter the afternoons are now getting. I am noticing how much later the sun is disappearing, so curtains being closed and lights being put on, is now not as early as it was.
I just wish the mornings would get lighter earlier, as I just hate waking, and getting up, still in the dark.
There is still no sign of my latest grand-niece. She is just happy + content, where she is.
ReplyDeleteIt will happen sometime soon, but hopefully not too long now.
I will let you all know, when she decides to make her appearance.
DeleteAfter a Christmas/New Year quiet period, I am now starting to have massive "scam" 'phone calls again on my land-line.
ReplyDeleteToday the total was 9 and all have been reported, but sadly I cannot block the numbers.
It's getting frustrating, but will always report these 'phone numbers, to just try + help others.
Just a normal day where we are Miriam! despite signing up to the gov. anti_spam thingy..
DeleteMiriam & Parsley I can see the scammers are active again by the amount of calls I have on our house phone screen with a red X against them which are the calls our BT call blocker have stopped from coming through 🤗
ReplyDeleteI mostly use my mobile these days and thankfully currently that is free of the darn things 🤞
Well folks, we are back, no thanks to Mr Trump!
ReplyDeleteOur flight was diverted over Saudi Arabia, The Red Sea and Egypt due to danger in Iraq/Iran which added an hour and a half to the journey. It was the longest, most tedious, most uncomfortable flight ever! Never flying on a Boring 777 again.
Seats too narrow, no leg room for 6ft4in Mr A, passengers in front of us had their seats reclined for the entire 8 and half hour flight which meant they were about 6 inches in front of our faces all the way and our meal almost impossible to eat. Polite requests for them to be put upright, even just during the meal, were refused in a very rude manier. It was impossible to get out of my seat so I was unable to visit the loo for the entire flight
The wheelchair assistance at Dubai was exemplary, taken all the way from check-in to the plane door by a very efficient ‘pusher’.
At Heathrow it was abysmal. I had to wait for 15 mins after the entire plane was empty before a wheelchair appeared. I was then pushed a short distance to a huge, completely empty waiting area, told to sit on a chair and wait for a buggy. Half an hour later we were still waiting, no one to ask for help, completely abandoned.
So, Mr A went off in search of a wheelchair, returned with it and we tried to find our way, through miles of long corridors, down in lifts, on a train, up in lifts to reach baggage reclaim.
Then of course Mr A had to push the luggage trolly and there was still no ‘pusher’ for me......so, Mr A pushed me in the wheelchair and I hung on to the baggage trolly, pushing it in front of me and off we went like train. It must have looked hilarious, but at no time did a single member of staff come and say - Oh, let me help you, or offer to find someone to help, and we continued like that until we finally found our poor taxi driver who had been waiting for over 2 hours in arrivals!
What a pity our lovely (if painful and restricted) holiday with the family ended in such chaos! I shall almost be glad to go into hospital next week for a rest. 😴
Just noticed spell checker changed Boeing to Boring - how apt!
DeleteWelcome home Archerphile!
DeleteThat does sound like the plane ride from hell, what an absolute nightmare that must have been. And can't believe that there was no assistance at all at Heathrow. Well, actually I can - Britain isn't really the best at good hospitality & customer service!
But you're back from your adventures safe & sound! Now, get to bed & have the bloomin' best sleep you've had in ages....😴😴😴
AP - you’re back 🤗 I’ve been checking regularly and glad to know before sleep that you have (eventually)
ReplyDeletearrived home and safely!
What a draining journey for you and such appalling disabled support at the airport trust you will inform them of the extra stress this meant for you both that combined with rude and ignorant passengers around you on your flight 😡
Funnily enough I said to Mr R not long ago that no doubt you would be looking forward to getting into hospital for a rest 😏
Take care and hopefully get some sleep but expect you feel all upside down just now 😘
Good to see you safely home AP.
ReplyDeleteI did wonder if your flight might be diverted due to the current 'situation '.
I do hope you will send a report, it doesn't need to be a complaint, for they will see for themselves in your report, where they failed you in their very poor customer help.
And if you don't get redress in some form, then take your experience to a higher authority.
Have a good rest and as much sleep as you need.