Sunday 30th September 2012

Bargains – North Cyprus Holiday with 3rd week free & Spend £70 at Boots and get £10 off! & The Works free delivery

Tris and Violet are in Margate this weekend, so we thought it would be a good idea to have Sunday lunch in the club house. We also asked Dominic and his new girlfriend to join us. Yesterday Mal went to the office to get the number you have to ring to book and the guy in there said it was fine to ring and book today. So, Mal did, today and their reply was we should have called yesterday, she didn’t say they were fully booked and Mal said if it was a matter of meat, two or three were  vegetarian. She replied we have nothing for vegetarians and he was told to ring earlier next time. Well, we have always seen things in there for vegetarians and her attitude stank  and so Mal replied “There won’t be a next time” and ended the call. Their loss not ours. We’ll go somewhere where they want our custom and when the clubhouse is really quiet in the winter months, we won’t be going in!!

We collected Tris and Violet from Broadstairs and went to Margate sea front sands where Violet wanted to go swimming in the sea. We managed to persuade her not to! We then went to The Mechanical Elephant and met up with Dom and Gemma and had some very average lunch but then most places were booked.

We then took Violet and Tris back to the caravan because Violet still wanted to go swimming. Just as we were walking to the indoor pool we saw Darren (the owners son) who said they were doing a back wash so  the pool was closed. Erm, no it is open until 5.00pm! Having been let down by not having lunch at the site, I think Darren took one look at Mal’s face and opened the pool up for us! Violet loved it. Goodness we don’t pay all this money to them not to be able to use the pool when it is advertised to be open!

Tris and Violet then caught the train back home to London. Gemma and Dom had told us about a folk club held in Broadstairs the last Sunday of the month, which of course today was. It is in the Albion Bookshop, yes, actually in the bookshop but they bring in barrels of real ale and very strong cider, the rest is free. Being old folky fans, we decided to go along. Strange venue and strange time. It started at 5.00pm and ended at 9.30! Anyway, we decided to go and met up with Gemma and Dom there and it was very good.

 

Thought for the Day – “All music is folk music. I aint never heard a horse sing a song.” ~ Louis Armstrong

Saturday 29th September 2012

Bargains – BHS Mid Season Sale & Cath Kidston 2013 Diary for  £5.76 plus free delivery. This is a lovely diary, mine has just been delivered!

Cyprus Today has now gone up to FOUR lira!! There’s never much newsworthy in it anyway, so 4 lira is too much!

Scarlet and Jack didn’t wake up very early, I guess we really wore them out yesterday. Torin had to work and late morning we drove back to the caravan in the sunshine!

Early evening we watchedthe Man U v Spurs game, an excellent one!

Torin and Scarlet

 

Thought for the Day – ” Maxim for life: You get treated in life the way you teach people to treat you. ” ~ Wayne Dyer

Friday 28th September 2012

Bargains – Debenhams Half Price Sale & 4 China Mugs for £5

We went to Wrest Park for the day with Scarlet and Jack. We spent about two hours to start with in the children’s play area with Scarlet going on the zip wire. Quite funny as Grandad and Jack went to look at all the plants! It did rain for a very short time and that was when we went into the House. We walked for miles around the grounds and through the woods. It’s a lovely place, another of our English Heritage, so about another £35 we saved!

I don’t know about the kids being exhausted after all that walking but Mal and I were!!

Scarlet loved the hire car we have, mainly because it is red but it is a retro Fiat 500 with cream interior and even a cream leather steering wheel. As Torin remarked, they are just a fashion accessory!

 

Thought for the Day – “Do you know why children are so full of energy? Because they suck it out of their grandparents.” ~ Gene Perret

Thursday 27th September 2012

Bargains – Buy 45p paper today to get £5 off  £35 spend at Aldi! & Tasting Experience for two – £20 (a great Christmas present!) One day only (today) 20% off selected Women’s wear at Marks and Spencer.

We drove up to Biggleswade to stay with Torin, Scarlet and Jack.

Thought for the DayYou cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday 26th September 2012

Bargains – 25% off everything at Brantano today (shoes, bags accessories) & The Works 15% off & Kobo Glo Ereader £99.99

We had a lot of rain during the night and a storm which woke us up with the rain beating on the caravan roof. Still, it was sunny by the time we got up.

We went into Canterbury for the day. I had forgotten how difficult it is to park in Canterbury, having worked there for years but I then had my own parking spot. The shops are full of winter woollies and Christmas things but we did manage to find two sun hats for me to take back to North Cyprus.

We had lunch in a ‘new to us’ restaurant just along from the Cathedral. It’s called Canteen and is an amazing place, everything is made fresh and so much choice of what you want and the extras added, it takes an age to choose but our lunch was delicious. I had Oriental Crayfish salad, delicious. If you are ever in Canterbury, give it a try! The view from the loo is a good one of the Cathedral!

We were going to St Augustine’s Abbey with our English Heritage pass but this time of year it is only open weekends.

On the way back we stopped at M&S just up the road to collect the bargains I had ordered and then on to Asda to collect a new microwave for the caravan that had been delivered there. It’s a great system, order the baragins and then collect them in store so no delivery costs.

Scarlet and Jack came on the web cam in the evening.

 

Thought for the DayLike gravity, karma is so basic we often don’t even notice it. ~ Sakyong Mipham

Tuesday 25th September 2012

Bargains – Masterchef Cookbook only £6 & Tumble Dryer £97. & one day only, today 25% off selected Homeware at M&S

I forgot to say, we rang everyone in Cardiff last night and they are all well and River told us all about the High Achievers evening he was invited to. Clever boy! Lou and Sol went with him. Obviously Rhys couldn’t go as he had to look after the rest of the family but Lou said it was very good and she was so proud of River. It seems that Sol wanted to go as well as there was a buffet….just like his Grandad!!

Well, the main reason we returned to the UK quickly was following  an internet diagnosis by nephew in law “doc” re a lump on my forehead and as I have said many times, I have little faith in Medics in North Cyprus who in our experience want money, money, money! The trouble is there may be a lot of good doctors but how do you differentiate? At least in the UK if things go wrong, you have a complaints procedure.

So, I saw a doctor in the morning who confirmed my nephews diagnosis, and now we wait and see! I know  one thing I now have to buy an “old ladies” gardening hat !!!!

Monday 24th September 2012

Bargains – Smallest, lightest Kindle now £69 & North Cyprus 3 week holiday £299 & £37 Russell Hobbs 2000watt vacuum cleaner  

We were up very early and Chris very kindly ran us to Ercan to where we caught the 7.45 am flight. I have to say in spite of the extortianate price, because we booked late, Atlas Jet are very good. The seats are much more comfortable and more leg room. Also drinks and food is included in the ticket price(unlike Pegasus!) It has the regulation stop in Istanbul but you stay on the plane (unlike Turkish Airlines, where you have to get off and go to the transit lounge.)

We landed at Stansted a bit early and welcomed by torrential rain! That makes a change! The road where the caravan park is was also flooded.

Mal suggested as we had little food here that we went to Toby Carvery. The one just up the road at Westwood, which is by all accounts THE most popular one in the country. Now where do you get food like this in North Cyprus for £5?! I think as usual, Mal may have overdone the ‘helping himself’ to vegetables!

 

Thought for the Day A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.  ~ Rachel Carson