Year: 2009

Mal and I were up early and went to our local Comet to return my new camera. They agreed there was something seriously wrong with it and refunded our money, so I will have to continue using Mals as I wasn’t going to buy one in a hurry.

We packed up and drove to Biggleswade to see the twins. It started raining in the afternoon and carried on all night. The twins are lovely and so good but Scarlet didn’t like Mal to start with and her bottom lip kept going every time she looked at him but she was fine by the time we left.   We had a take away in the evening and stayed at Torin’s the night as it is close to Stansted.

A second day sorting out the caravan. It was so hot in there.  In the evening we went to Toby Carvery with Shirley and Steve. When we had finished we drove into Broadstairs. The following week was Broadstairs Folk week but we went into the Tartar Frigate where they had folk on and then watched the firework display on the beach. It was such a lovely evening, we could have been in Cyprus! People were having barbecues on the beach. Broadstairs has a connection with Charles Dickens as he visited it regularly and there is a Dickens Museum there.

I used my new camera during the evening and some of the pictures were awful and when we returned to the caravan discovered that it was making an awful grinding noise. Obviously a serious fault. It will have to go back.

We had given ourselves two days to clean the caravan. Mal is always working when he stays here and I am rarely here so it really needed a good clean. I started by taking all the net curtains down and washing them. We dumped loads of rubbish. As I was cleaning of course I was dusting and was then shocked when I looked again and even more dirt was on the surfaces than when I first started. We then realised that the combine harvester was gathering in the wheat in the field opposite and everything was covered with all the dust. The one day we decide to clean and the air was full of dust. In fact it was getting in our eyes and everywhere so we had to shut the doors and windows and it was so hot.

I also went to Tesco to buy some blueberries and cream as we have never seen them in Cyprus.

We watched ‘No Place Like Home’ on ITV in which Marion and Alan Stuart chose whether to stay in North Cyprus (in our village) or to go back to the UK. At the end of the programme, which was recorded about a year ago, because of Alan’s health, they voted to leave and return to the UK but they are still in Malatya!  Our Muhtar would be very surprised to know that he starred in the programme.

In the evening we listened to the bingo being called out in the club house….no we didn’t join them.

We left Marion and Bryan’s and called into Lakeside on the way back. We went to Ikea to see if they still had some wind breaks for us to take back to Cyprus but sadly they had sold out.  We then went to Comet to buy a new Pentax camera as my last camera broke and I had been borrowing Mal’s. The nice salesman explained to us why buying products on the internet was cheaper – apparently it’s because they are foreign imports not meant for UK use. Mal managed to get a £5 reduction and when we unpacked the box on the way back home we discovered the instruction manual was only in Japanese.

I gave Mal back his broken camera and he immediately fixed it!

A quiet night in the caravan.

Sunday 2nd August   It was the boys last morning so we had a big fry up and packed their cases ready for them to spend two weeks with their mother. Poor River didn’t want to leave us, so they said they would put on sad faces for the photo.

Sad faces before they left.  Mal and I cleared up the caravan after the boys had gone… we will miss them too.

We then drove over to see Marion and Bryan. Val and Bob had been there for the weekend. As soon as we arrived the men disappeared to the pub. When they returned we all had dinner together.

The boys wanted to go to the shops in the morning to spend all their winnings from grandad’s games and money that they earnt from doing jobs. Tariq (the saver) bought a new pair of football boots. So, in the afternoon we had to go back to Quex Park so that they could play football again.   We stayed there for quite a while and also watched the display of the eagle Owl and looked at the other birds they keep there. There was a Barn Owl and every time I tried to take a picture it flew at me. In the evening the boys watched their last film of the holiday.

Sunday 1st March 2009
Mal and I went off to Bev and Gary’s as Bev made me a lovely card for the twins and one from them and also a gift. She is kind and they are lovely. She left spaces for their names but they are not telling! My photos don’t do them justice!

Monday 2nd March 2009
We were up at 4.00 am for me to go to Ercan. Jill came round to collect me and stayed and had a cup of coffee with me at the airport. I travelled with Pegasus. No complaints! We arrived at Stansted on time and it was SUNNY! I collected the hire car. A very strange set up. If you book with Easy car (which seems to be one of the cheapest), Avis act as their agents, so you collect the car from Avis and the car is an Avis car but cheaper than Avis prices!     Unusually my case was about third off and so it didn’t take long until I was at Karen and Torin’s.   We sat and chatted all evening, I guess Karen will be glad when the twins come out tomorrow!   

Tuesday 3rd March 2009 – TWINS DAY!!  
I was awake at 4.00 am….still on Cyprus time!  Karen and Torin went off to the hospital at 7.30.

Scarlet and Jack arrived at 9.45 by c-section. Scarlet -6 pounds 6 ounces and Jack 7 pounds 3 ounces. Wow, what a size! Mum and babies are doing well. Congratulations Karen and Torin.
What an exciting day!!  Two more miracles and thankfully they are both healthy.

Wednesday 4th March 2009 – TWINS DAY +1!!  
Torin went to the hospital in the morning (dad’s only). I went to the shops and also took the dogs out. Brodie is now the size of a small donkey and VERY strong. It also takes a lot to ‘pooper scoop’ with him! The twins are presently lying on a muslin sheet which Torin will bring home before the twins come so that Brodie and Boo get used to their smell.

Thursday 5th March 2009 – TWINS DAY +2!!  
Torin went off to ‘dads only’ morning visiting at the hospital and after walking the dogs, I drove to Letchworth as I had to find an ‘Abbey National’. Half the branches seem to have closed down. I worked in Letchworth years ago and goodness how it has changed.

I went for the afternoon visiting and then back and again with Torin in the evening. Jack’s eye is looking a bit better.

Friday 6th March 2009 – TWINS DAY +3!!  
Oh dear, still on Cyprus time I was awake at 5 am again.   I took the dogs out (Torin had morning visiting). Brodie is so big now but well behaved although you can see people crossing the road when they see him! In spite of the difference in size, Brodie and Boo play really well together.      

Saturday 7th March 2009 – TWINS DAY +4!!  
Karen was due to come home with the twins but ended up staying in, a bit of a problem with feeding. So, Torin went for dad’s morning visiting and I went shopping.   Torin came home and I went off for afternoon visiting. Karen looked a lot improved and the twins also seem to be settling a lot more.

Sunday 8th March 2009 – TWINS DAY +5!!  
Twins home coming day! Torin went to collect Karen and the twins from the hospital. It was a rainy and windy day otherwise I would have wrapped them up and taken them for a walk. The first half hour was dog’s introduction to the twins. They were so good. They kept sniffing them and checking on them every time they moved. Boo licked both their heads, they will have to get used to that!           Jack spent about an hour in the afternoon, just lying awake bless him.

Monday 9th March 2009
The next feed was 4 in the morning so I had another knock on the door. Again, they feed, changed and back to sleep again.   I got up about 6 and made a cup of tea and finished packing my case. I gave Scarlet a last feed and sadly then had to leave for the airport. My last photo of them for a while.     Karen’s mum was taking over from me and so I headed for Stansted. Mal told me the plane was late leaving Stansted and we left ¾ hour late. I have never had such a fast journey to Ercan. It took exactly 5 hours and that was with landing in Istanbul, half the plane getting off and a lot more getting on. Well done Pegasus!   Jill collected me from the airport and I was back home in no time. Very pleased to see Mal! Of course Rosie went mad as usual, sniffing the case to see how many pig’s ears I had bought her.

Monday 10th March 2009
Mal took Rosie for her early morning walk and also gave me breakfast in bed. I was a bit tired!

I spent the rest of the day unpacking and sorting clothes out, washing and ironing.

I also checked on ticket sales for our SOS Project Fundraiser for our Pakistani Night on 21st March. Tickets are still available and it promises to be a good night.