Tuesday 30th September 2014

Bargains – Debenhams Flowers | Free Delivery Discount Code The Toy Shop Discount Code | 50% off | thetoyshop.comZooplus Coupon Code | 70% off | zooplus.co.uk Gift Ideas for Two | giftideasfortwo.com Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit | ecigarettedirect.co.uk & Screwfix Promo Link | up to 50% off | screwfix.com

4.30am is really too early to be up and doing! Still on Cyprus time. Unfortunately we are not doing well with the internet we are using and may have to get the full package as we keep losing it. We are using Mal’s phone as a modem.

More shopping and we found a great shop in Broadstairs High Street called Second Chance. A lovely lady called Heather owns it. Her son does all the work on the furniture at the warehouse where they have masses of furniture. So, we bought a dresser and then round to the warehouse where we bought a cane settee and two cane chairs (not on our list!) and a chest of drawers. I am sure we will be going back there, lovely people. They are delivering on Thursday! I am afraid I don’t like Ikea type furniture and at the moment don’t have the time to invest on spending thousands on furniture in a hurry!

BUT in the afternoon, after a walk along Deal Beach and then the High Street we discovered a lovely shop with furniture in. The shop is called Beaches. It was flat pack but good quality flat pack or we could pay £30 each item for them to be built. We bought a chest of drawers and two new bedside cabinets. He said he couldn’t deliver until next week, fine we would leave it. Miraculously he found some stock and said he would be at our house at 9 tomorrow morning! That’s more like it! I was very tempted by a huge arm chair that was £900 but resisted!

From there we went to the Blazing Donkey in Ham for the night. Another deal I had bought , bed, breakfast and 3 course dinner for £62. We have been there a few times before so we know it is excellent food. But we could have done without it this time as we are so busy but we didn’t know that when we booked up! It gave us a rest! Excellent food as always and quite a lot of wine.

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Monday 29th September 2014

Bargains – Boots Discount Code | 50% off | boots.com Homebase Discount Code | 20% off | homebase.co.uk Hobbycraft Discount Code | 15% off | hobbycraft.co.uk & Marks and Spencer Discount Code | 70% off | marksandspencer.com The Hut Discount Code | 20% off | thehut.com Boots Discount Codes | 50% off | boots.com

A long day, shopping mostly for things we couldn’t find! We did manage to buy 2 chairs in Birchington, having trawled around both Margate and Ramsgate. We bought some delicious apples in Waitrose, ‘Estivale’. That’s one thing about the UK, they know their apples! We did buy some net curtains, more bedding for the new bed and a new fleece blanket for Ellie!

A tiring day.

We are not quite sure what to make of the “lawn” here. It really hasn’t been seeded properly and they haven’t killed the weeds first…..another time! However it does look as though we have some resident birds in the trees at the back of the garden. That’s good.

Part of our back garden
Part of our back garden
Lawn?!
Lawn?!

Sunday 28th September 2014

Bargains – Boots Discount Code | 50% off | boots.com Homebase Discount Code | 20% off | homebase.co.uk Hobbycraft Discount Code | 15% off | hobbycraft.co.uk & Marks and Spencer Discount Code | 70% off | marksandspencer.com The Hut Discount Code | 20% off | thehut.com Boots Discount Codes | 50% off | boots.com

Wow, we slept well. The house is so peaceful. Lou popped round in the morning and then we went to have some brunch at Decks. After that on to Dreams to try and buy a bed for the spare room. We wanted a King Size but hadn’t a clue beyond that. We went to the right place. We were served by the Manager, we were in there for about two hours, were given a drink and his advice was excellent. We ended up with a discounted price, a free 10 year guarantee and a free mattress cover because he said “he liked us”!! It is going to be delivered on Wednesday!

More shops to get a few things for the kitchen and bathroom by which time we had enough and went home. I have to say the weather was unusually warm for the end of September!

In the evening we went to the Theatre Royal in Margate to see Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick.  Both have been in Fairport Convention and we were trying to think just how many years ago it was when we first saw them, too many to think about! We’ve seen them many times over the years. I have never seen such a brilliant fiddle player as Dave Swarbrick, especially playing Byker Hill.

Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick
Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick

Saturday 27th September 2014

Bargains – Amazon Local Deals and Amazon Local Vouchers Monsoon Voucher Code | 70% off | monsoon.co.ukPetsPyjamas Discount Code | petspyjamas.com Dorothy Perkins Voucher Code | 15% off | dorothyperkins.com Bargain Crazy Discount Code | 90% off | bargaincrazy.com Go Outdoors Voucher Code | gooutdoors.co.uk

Ozzy arrived on time with the taxi. He is highly recommended, a good driver, reasonable prices and reliable. What more can you ask for? We flew Turkish Airlines this time to Gatwick. What can I say, we had meals and in flight entertainment all included in the price and very obliging staff . It did make us wonder why we ever fly with Pegasus. You pay for your meals, there is no in flight entertainment and the staff are always quite rude. So many people have said that to me.

We arrived at Gatwick and went to collect our hire. The one I was supposed to have , someone hadn’t returned, so we ended up with a Kia Sportage.

The owners of the caravan park have now left and things have changed so much as a large company have bought them out.  Not for the better sad to say, so we now have a house!!  Lou and Rhys collected the keys before we arrived and managed to get masses out of the caravan for us. In fact they cleaned absolutely everything out of the kitchen even the washing machine, fridge and freezer! They must have worked so hard. As soon as we arrived, they started helping us unpack and move things to where they should be. We have to buy new sofas and a new bed for one of the spare bedrooms. Meanwhile they have lent us one of their sofas.

By about 6pm  we had all had enough and so went back to their house where Tariq had been finishing off a roast for us all.

By the time we went to bed, we were so tired having not slept for about 36 hours. But thanks to Lou, Rhys and Sol,   we had a bed made up and everything in the kitchen!

 

Friday 26th September 2014

Bargains – Select Fashion Voucher Code | 20% off | selectfashion.co.uk Jack Wolfskin Coats UK Sale | 40% off & Presents for Men Discount Code | 30% off | presentsformen.co.uk Halfords Voucher Codes | 70% off | halfords.comMillet Sports Discount | 50% off | milletsports.co.uk Blacks Voucher Code | 10% off | blacks.co.uk

We were up early , when it was still dark. Finally we decided to start our walk in the dark and took a torch with us! Well, we met even more dog walkers than usual.  Ellie had a good run as soon as the sun started coming up.

We have heard some really lovely bird song the last few days and wondered what it was. We have now discovered it is European Bee eaters. Beautiful birds with a lovely song. I think they are just passing through.

Late afternoon we took Ellie to David and Kenny’s for her holiday! She was very excited. I had an email later on saying she had settled into their routine straight away. She likes being on her holidays with Jekka and Loppi.

We have a ridiculously timed flight to pop back to the UK. 0430am. We thought we would be able to have a bit of a sleep but we didn’t. So, we just packed and waited for the taxi.

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Thought for the Day – “Happiness is not in our circumstances but in ourselves. It is not something we see, like a rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire. Happiness is something we are.” ~ John B Sheerin

Thursday 25th September 2014

Bargains – Allbeauty Discount Code | 60% off | allbeauty.com Flying Flowers Discount Code | flyingflowers.co.ukGlasses Direct Discount Code | 50% off | glassesdirect.co.uk Tesco Discount Codes | £15 off | tesco.comMarks and Spencer Discount Code | 70% off | marksandspencer.com Laura Ashley Sale | 50% off | lauraashley.com

Yesterday I phoned Marcello, my hairdresser in the UK to make an appointment for when I am back. I have used him for years and he can cut straight fringes, colour my hair correctly and all sorts of things that they seem to mess up here!  I am pleased to see what he is doing next Monday and Tuesday, days his salon is usually shut, raising money for the Hospice. Well done Marcello. He really is a lovely man with a generous heart. If you are around the Thanet area (West Cliff Road, Ramsgate) and need a hair cut, go in and see him. He is a terrific hairdresser. The photo is of him, I believe this was with the post he received after appearing on Come Dine with Me. The picture in the background is his beautiful wife Yaice.

Marcello
Marcello

Gardening and then we had to go and buy some Eukenuba for Ellie. Garfields ran out last week, so we have been holding on as he gives us a discount. He still didn’t have any today, so we had to go to the Professor who charged us full price!

It was very breezy in the evening with bougainvillea blowing everywhere and Ellie chasing it around the pool! Looks as though the pool will need cleaning again.

I had a very short phone conversation with Rhys who still has hardly any voice, so I told him to save it and we will continue “whatsapp”. Poor thing, this is about 4 and a half weeks now with no voice.

Thought for the Day – “Take time to do what makes your soul happy.”

Wednesday 24th September 2014

Bargains – Love Theatre Promotional Code | 70% off | lovetheatre.com Gordon Ramsay Restaurant London | Savoy Grill | £85 for 2 La Redoute Discount Code | 70% off | laredoute.co.uk Bargain Crazy Discount Code | 90% off | bargaincrazy.com British Airways Deals | britishairways.com Flowers and Chocolates | 40% off | Free Delivery | valueflora.com

Down to the beach. It is the first morning in a long while that the sun wasn’t that lovely orange colour. Ellie decided she would see just how dirty and smelly she could get rolling in the seaweed that had been washed into the shore.

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We went out to lunch at Green Heights. It is so peaceful there and we had a really nice meal.
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Thought for the Day – “”The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the same name you call God – if they call God at all. I may not dance your dances or speak your language. But be a blessing to somebody. That’s what I think”. ~ Maya Angelou