Next Slide Please

 We had a fairly quiet day. It was bright, warm, and sunny and we just pottered about. The Silver Vixen adjusted a new dress and the Gorse Fox got through some admin. The real focus for the day was the evening.

Trevor & Jane and arranged, for the Gorse Fox's birthday, dinner and tickets to see Sandi Toksvig's latest show. The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox put out our finery and pottered up through the countryside to Guildford. Parking up we transferred various items between the cars an then headed off to Zizzi's for dinner.

Zizzi's is always reliable, and we were quickly seated even though we were 30 minutes earlier than booked. We sat and chatted as the drinks and started were served. The Silver Vixen skipped the starters but the Gorse Fox had "Pork and Wild Garlic Meatballs" which were delicious. J&T both had "Mozzarella Arancini". There was bit of a wait for the main dish but we were not disappointed when the Silver Vixen got her "Seared Salmon", the Gorse Fox and Jane got "Chicken Milanese" and Trevor got the meatballs that Gorse Fox had enjoyed as a starter. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal then wandered back over the road to the theatre.

We had a table reserved in the restaurant at G-Live sat down for a drink without have to fight our way to the bar. As the time approached, we took our seats and settled down to enjoy a couple of hours in the company of Sandi Toksvig.

She burst onto the stage and regaled us with what had kept her busy during lockdown. Suffice it to say that she had not been idle - making podcasts, doing voice overs, and wandering down some of the stranger alleys of literature that you can find when pursuing the Internet. It was very, very funny.

There was an interval, halfway through, and we returned to our table in the restaurant where our drinks and ice creams were waiting for us. (Very civilised)

The second half included more personal anecdotes, a quiz, and an open Q&A. Again, it was very funny and she had the whole audience in the palm of her (albeit tiny) hand.

When it was all over we stood in the car park chatting until the rush had died down. Saying out goodbyes we set off in different directions. We had a very good run home and were back in about an hour. It was a thoroughly lovely evening.

Lots more stuff

 We had Ellie with us overnight. This was no problem as she slept through until 7:00 and the Gorse Fox was already up. We were expecting the landscapers at 7:30 so he was on the go as soon as he woke.

The landscapers didn't have a huge amount to do, but we did want one plant with deep roots removed and three Acres transplanted from their pots into the ground. As our soil is thick clay, it was easier to get them to do it than for us to struggle. They dug huge holes and replaced the clay with a mixture of compost and good topsoil. It only took them a few hours, but it now looks much better, and hopefully the Acers (after the shock of the transplantation) will thrive.

We also had a visit from the MD of Berkeley Homes. He he had already been to our neighbour and she had briefed him on her problem with the mirrored doors. The Gorse Fox then explained our problem (which turned out to be the same). He took pictures of the failed components and resolved to contact their new supplier this afternoon and get back to us early next week. The Gorse Fox was delighted when we got and email from hi late in the afternoon. It identifies the exact replacement parts that we need (and have been seeking for years), gives costings, and the contact. That will be on next week's agenda.

Just stuff

 Thursday started with the traditional delivery from Ocado. This was followed by the Sainsbury's top-up and then a trip across to the Chemist to collect a prescription. The Gorse Fox had planned to put the dishwasher on the clean cycle while we were out, but it was having none of it, resorting to its double-bleep and sulk.

The accounts were next on the agenda and while doing them, the Gorse Fox received a message from a neighbour regarding his query, several weeks ago, regarding the smart thermostats. We chatted, and it became clear that he had solved the problem by using a different make from that the Gorse Fox had investigated. A little bit of further research, and watching a couple of YouTub videos and it seems as if we have a solution. The Gorse Fox ordered the starter kit and will fit it in one room as an experiment.

He also received a call regarding the bathroom mirror. The hinges for this failed several years ago and the mirror now sits in the Gorse Fox's study. It appears that the MD of Berkeleys Homes (Southern) is visiting a neighbour with a similar problem tomorrow. After a bit of a chat she resolved to send him in our direction after they have spoken. We might finally have a solution on the horizon.

We did supper for Urban-Cub, Ellie, and Darren this evening and Darren had arranged for his tame electrician to come along and finish the work on the switch for the rill. It only took a few minutes, but it is nice to have the rill working again.

Full day

 It was an uncharacteristically busy day. The Silver Vixen had Pilates in Angmering, for the first time in ages and the Gorse Fox had football in Worthing. We set off for our respective trips at much the same time.

Football was somewhat unbalanced, as usual when Jack chooses the teams. We were under the cosh from the get go and by half time were 5-2 down (and they had had a couple of goals disallowed). It was hard work, but we did seem to stem the flow in the second half.

Back home, showered, and fed the Gorse Fox waited for Darren and for the dishwasher engineer. Darren turned up first and proceeded to spend most of the afternoon running new armoured cable from the garage to the rill plug. It was hard work as the cable was so stiff. He eventually go it all in place and wired it up (without fitting the cover on the power socket). The rill burst into life. Brilliant. Then it was a matter of closing up the plug socket. That's where it started to cause problems. There just was not sufficient space in the pattress to accommodate all of the wires and close it up. As soon as we tried, the fuse blew. Several attempts were made to solve the problem. Several attempts failed. He called a friend. He is a qualified sparky so be able to sort it out when he calls.

The dishwasher engineer called. It goes without saying that the dishwasher worked perfectly when the Gorse Fox tried to demonstrate the problem. He decided to check everything and concluded that it was probably the micro sensor on the door. He readjusted position and balance of the unit and went through several test runs. They all worked. We must conclude that was the problem. He revealed that the insurance company that the Gorse Fox had inadvertently spoken to yesterday just called him. For this service they charge an extra £50, then they uplift the price of any parts that are needed... examples he quoted were a £15 valve being charged at £68, and £60 part being charged at £160. "Go Assist" have now been deleted from our list of contacts.

First World Problems

 Our dishwasher has gone on strike. When we load it and ask it, politely, to wash and dry some dishes it just bleeps twice and ignores us. We have put up with this impertinence for 24 hours, but enough is enough. The Gorse Fox called a contact from Checkatrade. After taking all the details, it became clear that they were an insurance company acting as a clearing house. They went off to get some quotes and came back with just two. The first was the price that Siemens themselves would charge. The second was £50 cheaper. Sounded promising but it was only as we moved through to the next stage that it became clear that this price was contingent on us taking out an insurance policy for twelve months. The Gorse Fox declined. He hates it when people try to trick you into something you don't want. Full price was paid, and engineer is scheduled for tomorrow.

In preparation for laying the new cable for the rill, the Gorse Fox has cleared the corner of the garage. Darren won't be able to help until tomorrow, but a start has been made.

An hour or so was consumed working on filing some recent photos. These needed to be processed so that the correct date was embedded along with the locations. These had been stripped out because the photos had been sent via social media. It is so time consuming, but it is important that the photo library is as accurate as possible.

Summoned

 We have two mirrored door for the. cabinet in the bathroom. These are abut 1m x 750mm each and weight quite a lot (being glass). The hinges on one failed a few years ago and we have tried, on and off, ever since to replace them. Facebook revealed that another neighbour is having a similar problem, and various suggestion were made. The Gorse Fox spent much of the morning pouring through hardware catalogues, looking for suitable fixings. Feeling boss-eyed at the end of the exercise, he was not convinced that any of the items would actually work. 

Another exercise this morning was measuring an alternative cable run for the rill pump's power source. It was a lot further than he expected by the time he had allowed for hiding the cable safely. He sent a message to Darren and hopefully we will make a start on it tomorrow.

We had some lunch and as the Gorse Fox was tidying away the phone rang. "Grandpa, can I go to the park?" came the question. At that point Urban-Cub intervened to explain that Ellie wanted grandpa to take her to the park... He had been summoned.

Flattered, he immediately agreed. So it was that we spent the next hour at two of the play parks on the development. At the second one, Ellie bumped into a class mate and had great fun running around with him.

Easter Sunday

 It is Easter Sunday. It is a day to celebrate peace and reconciliation. It is a day on which the troubles in Ukraine are a completely anachronism. A day on which all all civilised people should strive for peace.

Our day was focused on family. Cousteau-Cub and the Coventry Hobbit were coming for lunch, as was Urban-Cub, her friend Darren, and Ellie. The Gorse Fox had prepared a huge topside of beef in a dry rub overnight and after browning it in oil, he roasted it gently at 120C for nearly 4 hours. It was a triumph, though he feels that 110C for a tad longer would have worked better. He also prepared some roast potatoes in their own dusting of garlic powder, salt, and paprika. Both dishes turned out to be a great success.

During the afternoon we, that is the Gorse Fox, the Coventry Hobbit, and Urban-Cub's friend Darren. tried top feed the cable through the conduit. We failed. In fact, we failed spectacularly. Plan B has been arranged. The Gorse Fox will provide Darren with dome new measurements and we will run a new cable route.

Just in case

Just in case you didn't understand the last blog entry... cousins Tim, Simon, and Chris were the brothers of cousin Mark, who sadly passed away a few years ago. 

The rest of of today has been spent doing this and that. To start with the Gorse Fox began the process of pulling cable through the underground conduit. This is proving to be harder than expected. As a result he has stopped and hopes that with help from the Coventry Hobbit and Urban-Cub's friend Darren, we may be able to complete the process tomorrow.

Much of the rest of the day was spent wandering through the branches of the family tree and filling in further details and providing further evidence for the events in the lives of random ancestors. Again, there were no startling discoveries or major breakthroughs, but there was slow and steady progress. And to his dear cousins, who have also tried to develop a tree, he would advise that they apply some simple logic to their assertions. Very few people manage to have children several years subsequent their death (which you have recorded).

Marx Brothers

 The Gorse Fox had the usual cousins' call this morning. Tim, the youngest, had sent us all some false glasses and noses to wear on the basis that this call was like a club and "I wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would accept me as a member"

The Gorse Fox entered into the spirit of things with a backdrop from "A Night at the Opera" and pointed out that Tim, Chis, and Simon were, indeed, Mark's Brothers.

Strictly

 It has been a glorious day. The sun has shone all day and what clouds there are are settled against distant horizons.

The morning was spent doing some admin and then the Gorse Fox joined the Silver Vixen in the garden. As she pottered he cleared all the leaf detritus from the rill. Hopefully we can get that running again very soon.

The afternoon was spent on the family tree. There was no specific item of research in mind, just a chance to examine some of the hints that Ancestry have sent. This didn't result in any breakthroughs, but it did fill in a few gaps and identify a few new ancillary people (i.e. not direct ancestors).

We had an early dinner. the Silver Vixen has just left to collect Cousteau-Cub. They are going across to Worthing to see Giovanni Pernice, from Strictly Come Dancing, in his one man show. We have had the tickets since pre-Covid, but the show kept getting moved. The day has finally arrived and they are off for the evening.

Just Cruising

Well, actually not cruising until at least next year.

We had a quiet day with the usual delivery from Ocado. Then, with the family coming for Easter Sunday, we had a big top-up to do at Sainsbury's. The store seemed overrun with people who were totally oblivious to whatever was going on around them. The Gorse Fox did an about turn in several aisles and went the other way as zombies blocked the aisle as they shuffled back and forth and chatted to each other, and elderly ladies scolded their husbands for one reason or another. Clearly, they had unlocked the cemetery gates a bit earlier than usual today.

With some recent concern regarding availability of fuel, the Gorse Fox was pleased to see a very short queue on the garage forecourt. We needed fuel, so joined the queue. It didn't take too long and we managed to fill the tank.

The rest of the day has been quiet.

Out and about

 

With both of us Covid-clear and nice weather forecast, today seemed like a good day to go out and have a bit of a stretch.

Late morning we drove across to Upper Beeding with a view to a wander around Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens. It has been many years since the Gorse Fox was last there and the place has changed hands a couple of times in between. Fortunately, the current owners have restored the gardens, improved the pathways, and installed a new sculpture trail. After a coffee and blueberry muffin we headed out into the gardens, snaking our way down to the lakes.

The car park had looked quite full but despite that, the gardens seems empty. We passed the odd family here and there (with the children following a treasure hunt which would culminate in an Easter egg), and there were a few couples but there didn't seem like enough people to warrant the quantity of cars.

We made our way along the paths to the ribbon of lakes, crossing at one of the damns that separate them. Here and there there were further sculptures - some quite bizarre and others very beautiful.

The sun was playing hide and seek. Sometimes the cloud cover completely washed out the blue, others times the sun shone strongly and cast brilliant blue reflections.

We sat for a while and took in the view, marvelling at the tranquility and the mirror-like quality of the still water. It was one of those spots where you could easily linger for an hour or two.

A buggy silently pulled up behind us. It provides transport for people with mobility issues and calls at this spot every 30 minutes. We were in no hurry and could take our time wandering back out of the valley. We watched him drive off.

We discussed our next stop. The Camelia Walk was past its best, so we didn't bother. The Bluebell Bank seemed to be empty - maybe they are doing maintenance. We headed to the Rock Garden.

The Gorse Fox loves a good rock garden. This was a good rock garden, being very well established and having lots of paths leading up through the various features. We wandered back and forth, looking at the garden from different vantage points. It was lovely.

Eventually, we had seen what we wanted. Our "Stream of Consciousness" was enhanced and our should uplifted. It was time to go back to car and home.

(The Gorse Fox was amused by the sign written across the front of a motorhome parked near our car "Adventure before Dementia" - it seemed somehow appropriate).

Finally

 Well that's a relief. The Silver Vixen is finally testing negative for Covid. A degree or normality can resume. We both have residual coughs, but nothing too troublesome.

The Gorse Fox decided that, as his calves were as tight as violin strings, he wouldn't chance football today (and the roster is full for tomorrow).

The morning was spent on a number of admin tasks. Nothing too onerous, and certainly nothing interesting, but just stuff that had to be done. On a side issue though, the Notes app on the Apple devices, good as it is, would be so much better if is supported more formatting options or some for of markdown or scripting.

After lunch the Gorse Fox returned to family tree. He picked an ancestor at random and started to search for any new information. Sure enough, he found her baptismal certificate (in Latin) and several Census entries, leading eventually to her death at the age of 84. It has got him thinking about his great grandmother. The story was that she was a governess for a while, possible working in Belgium. This is a train of research is worth revisiting to see if any documentary evidence can be found. 

Booking

 The day has been filled with lots of bitty things. A bit of this, a bit of that.

We had accumulated, as a result of Ellie's Birthday, a huge collection of cardboard boxes. It was time for the Gorse Fox to set about them with a sharp knife and reduce them to cardboard sheets that could fit in the recycling bin. This took a while and was interrupted by an ongoing conversation, over messenger, with an old college friend. He will be in this area tomorrow and Wednesday - but with the Silver Vixen still testing positive we had to call a rain check on meeting up.

The Gorse Fox also spent time looking for some options for a separate getaway later in the year. We concluded, in the end, that the Summer was a non-starter - we just couldn't make the dates work with the Cattery and with Ellie's summer holiday. The Gorse Fox moved on to the Silver Vixen's birthday. This is far enough in the future that we should be able to sort out the logistics. The Gorse Fox has several options in mind, but the one he was leaning towards expects the full payment up front. That is not going to happen, so we will reconsider the options. We can always fall back on Sidmouth, but the Gorse Fox had fancied the New Forest for a change.

Studs up

 The Gorse Fox returned to a degree of normality. We had football scheduled. He went early, to ensure a parking spot, but there was no need as few other games were scheduled today.

We had a full 5-a-side turnout. The Gorse Fox started on the Orange team, but swapped to Yellow at half-time to try and even things up a bit. The first half had been a bit of a parade for the Oranges and we went in 12-5 ahead (including a goal and several assists from the Gorse Fox). Post-Covid he was finding that he was quite breathless, so had to pace himself and covered only a fraction of the distance that he normally would.

The second half didn’t really even up as well as he had hoped. Though he provided five or six direct assists and forced several saves from their goalkeeper, our goalie rolled the ball directly to the opposition on no less than 6 occasion - each of them resulting in a goal. Heavens knows what the final score was... but yellow definitely lost!

We have just had the first official notification from P&O regarding the rescheduled cruise in 2023. They started by rubbing in the fact that it’s only 75 weeks to go!

We have also heard from the owners of the Airbnb in Falmouth… so we are on the countdown for that.

Starting Again

 After this morning's cousins' call the Gorse Fox settled down to find an alternative for the cruise. After all, we already have the cattery booked and they have very little accommodation for other times in the summer. The keyboard glowed hot as the Gorse Fox compared hotels in Jersey and in Cornwall. Then he wondered about AIRBnB and scanned through hundreds of properties in Jersey, on the Isle of Wight, and in Cornwall. It took all morning, but eventually we decided on an Airbnb in Falmouth - right on the Quay. It looks very nice and it is right in the heart of the town, so everything is in a couple of minutes walk. We now have something to which we can look forward, again.

As for the cancelled cruise - the refund for the pre-booked excursions has been confirmed and we are just waiting too hear about the cruise fare refund. We have (or should we say, Trevor has) rebooked the cruise for September 2023... with the original itinerary and the same cabins we had originally picked. 

74 days and RESET

 The Gorse Fox has spent much of today looking at potential holidays in Jersey. The cruise, in June, is fixed - so now it is a matter of finding a break around our Wedding Anniversary.nThere seems to be a wide selection  available. The first decisions was to ignore airports and go by ferry. This will mean a quick trip across to Poole, then a 4 hour ferry journey. Then we have the flexibility to travel as we please while on the Island. Bit by bit, the Gorse Fox narrowed it down. He now has a shortlist of 4 hotels. What he doesn't have is fixed dates. This is dependent on the availability of the cat whisperer at the Cattery, and the Gorse Fox is awaiting some dates from him.

It was mid afternoon that the bombshell arrived. P&O have just cancelled our cruise. The countdown has just be stopped. They are redeploying staff across the fleet to cover for Covid sickness, and Arcadia is effectively mothballed until August.

To say that we are cheesed off would be an understatement. This cruise was originally booked in January 2020. It was originally postponed by Covid and now has been postponed again. Discussing this with J&T (who were also on the cruise) we decided to roll it forward. Trevor made the calls and we are now booked on the same cruise in September 2023. P&O are not endearing themselves to the Gorse Fox.

Now we must decide what, if anything, we will do this June in place of the cruise. There's always Cornwall or Devon but we have made no decisions as yet.

Normality

 For the Gorse Fox it has been a return to normality. For the Silver Vixen, still testing positive, not so much as she is still isolating.

We had our usual Ocado delivery this morning and then the Gorse Fox went to Sainsbury's for the top-up. It was nice to wander around without deliberately moving away from other people. There wasn't a huge amount to get, so he was soon home... unpacked and drinking tea.

As soon as the tea was slurped, the Gorse Fox returned to SpecSavers to collect his sunglasses. They have adjusted the frames to fit properly and the Gorse Fox is very pleased with them. They are an immensely restful colour and the polarisation eliminates any glare. Excellent.

This afternoon the Gorse Fox has been looking at possible holidays for 2023. It will be our 50th Wedding Anniversary and we should celebrate in style. The trouble is that we have no idea where to go, at present. The Gorse Fox suspects this will be an ongoing project for a while.

Day 8

 We were up early. Urban-Cub had to get across to Southampton, so Ellie was dropped off just after 7:00. The Silver Vixen was all masked-up while helping Ellie get ready for school. The Gorse Fox, similarly, was masked when he took her to school.

During the morning he took a lateral flow test. At last he is showing negative, so has obviously shaken it off. He must admit that with the exception of a a couple of days, it really hasn't been too much of a problem. The Silver Vixen is still testing positive and has a few more symptoms than the Gorse Fox. She's not too bad, though, and is getting as much rest as possible.

The Gorse Fox collected Ellie after school and we held on to her until Urban-Cub got back from her meeting.

Day 7

The Gorse Fox has not done a test today. He is planning to test again tomorrow. Other than a bit of a cough, he feels fine. The Silver Vixen is still in the grips of Covid and was invited to join a trial of some new treatments. The Gorse Fox suspects that by the time she gets the details and the drugs, she will be over it. For now, however, she has lots of aches, and a slight ringing in the ears, as well as various other discomforts. Her sore throat has gone.

As we are trying to isolate, there is little to report. The Gorse Fox did double-mask for a quick trip to Sainsbury's. The place was deserted, so he is confident that he did no harm. That was, probably, the most exciting thing of the day. 

Not that we are counting, but only 78 days until our cruise!