Archives for 2016 | On The Island

Saturday, January 23rd, 2016Saturday, January 23rd, 2016

Saturday 23rd January 2016

A much warmer day with the sun out as we walked by the river in Sandwich. We saw the heron again. He always seems to be sitting there waiting for fish.

Ellie was almost all the way back to the car, by the quay when she decided to go and paddle in the mud, not too deep thankfully. We met a couple with a Spanish Water dog who said they kept her on the lead for the very same reason……well, that’s no fun is it?!

If we are in Sandwich, there are not a great deal of shops but I often pop into the Co op as I did this morning to buy a newspaper. I didn’t buy it but I was amazed at their “frozen dinner” offer. 4 Large Harry Ramsden Cod, Oven chips, peas,Aunt Bressie’s Jam Roly Poly and 900ml of Carte D’Or ice cream………….all for £5 , We didn’t get bargains like that in Cyprus !

Later the postman arrived with my Big Garden Birdwatch pack. It has come quite quickly. It is run by the RSPB and is for next weekend, contact the website for your free pack…http://www.rspb.org.uk/ . It only takes an hour to complete a questionnaire next weekend. So, we’ll see who comes to our bird feeder and garden next weekend. We are certain we have a hibernating hedgehog in our compost heap because Ellie has been very interested. Also recently we have seen three badgers locally that have been hit by cars.

An excellent Spurs game! Not quite so good for Hammers.

Thought for the Day – “Never be ashamed of how you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that comes to you, and to follow a path that makes you happy.” ~ Demi Lovato

Friday, January 22nd, 2016Saturday, January 23rd, 2016

Friday 22nd January 2016

We went to Minnis Bay. There was a cold wind but it makes no difference to Ellie she runs all over the place including in the sea and finds so many friends to play with!

We spent most of the day sorting things out, mainly the huge shed which we have tended to dump things in there over Christmas so it was time to get it straight! We even managed to throw some things away.

Thought for the Day – “A person who feels appreciated will always do more than is expected. “

Thursday, January 21st, 2016Thursday, January 21st, 2016

Thursday 21st January 2016

Another cold morning but at least it was dry. Ellie doesn’t mind the cold and ice at all but she does like a snuggle in her blanket when we get back.

Mal went to the allotment again in the afternoon.

Thought for the Day – “Set an example. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are” ~ don Miguel Ruiz

Wednesday, January 20th, 2016Wednesday, January 20th, 2016

Wednesday 20th January 2016

Another cold morning but nice and fresh with no rain. Ellie was quite surprised when she saw puddles that had frozen solid. We didn’t have much planned for this week and so decided to use one of our Groupon vouchers we have accumulated. We tend to buy them if they are local and we haven’t tried that establishment before. This time it was The Orb in Margate which has had excellent reviews.

We walked in, having previously booked and Mal ordered two drinks. Of course he had a real ale and took a sip and pulled a face and then had to tell the landlord that it tasted like vinegar. He gave him a replacement of a different beer. That didn’t bode well to start, Mal knows his beers! But I have to say from then on, it was excellent. We paid £18 for the voucher which was two courses for two people. Both our main courses were £17.95 each and that was without dessert! The food was so delicious. I had local cod fillet with Thai herbs, fennel and sweet potato and Mal had the Lamb plate, three variations of lamb.

I am sure we will go back there. The landlady is a Greek Cypriot and wants to retire back in Cyprus, so we had a long chat to her.

We also spoke to the chef as we were leaving, he seemed quite shy but obviously has a passion for food.

We stopped at the new Wilko on the way back and Mal bought a lot (potatoes etc) for his allotment and we also bought a new cream microwave as ours is getting rusty inside.

In the evening we watched the Spurs game, yes they are through to the next round. I believe it is Colchester next.

Thought for the Day – “As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need and what we need to leave behind. Sometimes walking away is a step forward,” ~ Zahid Abas

Tuesday, January 19th, 2016Wednesday, January 20th, 2016

Tuesday 19th January 2016

We were out quite early, a nice crisp frosty morning so we walked over the fields around the house. Most of the paths were frozen in spite of the sun coming up.

I think we will have to go out a bit later tomorrow as Ellie’s ‘feathers’ had become wet and frozen!! A good thing she has a double coat.

I went into Ramsgate as there is a new Haberdashers shop opened up. There used to be a very good one but it closed down about 4 years ago, so the new one is a welcome addition. All the things you used to be able to buy in Woolworths!

Mal went to his allotment in the afternoon for an hours working on it. The communal tap had burst and was spilling out everywhere. He said had he been on the parish council he would have taken responsibility for it but they didn’t want him (after saying he was just what they needed!) so instead he has sent them an email as he has no idea any more who is in charge of the allotments.

Thought for the Day – “You can’t always wait for the perfect moment. Sometimes you must dare to do it because life is too short to regret and wonder what could have been.”

Monday, January 18th, 2016Tuesday, January 19th, 2016

Monday 18th January 2016

Bargains – Zooplus Coupon Code | 70% off | zooplus.co.uk & How To Avoid The Wait For A Kwik Fit MOT Offer Code &Simply Supplements Offer Code plus up to 75% off & Brantano Voucher Code | 50% off | brantano.co.uk &Cheap Printer Cartridges, Toners and Inks | printerinks.com & Mankind Discount Code | mankind.co.uk

I understand today is ‘Blue Monday’. Who on earth makes up these ridiculous ideas, especially as this is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. Well, I have no wish to be miserable! Out for a nice long walk in Sandwich. I suppose Ellie jumping through the fields full of teasels is better then her diving in the river….if you can spot her!

After all the rain, this is the first time Mal had been to his allotment for quite a while. The rabbits have been well fed! Yes, the parish council said they will put new fencing up???!!! Also the pak choi has bolted because of the warmth.

A member of the parish council came round in the afternoon to ask if we would join the events committee for the Village Hall. We declined!

Thought for the Day – “Go for long walks. Indulge in great conversations. Pay attention to the moment. Count your blessings. Let go for a little while and just be and breathe.”

Sunday, January 17th, 2016Monday, January 18th, 2016

Sunday 17th January 2016

With all this warmer weather the birds in the garden look very well fed. We have thrushes, that’s good as they have been saying their numbers are in decline.

One of our favourite places to stay is PowderMills Hotel in Battle and they now have a ‘less than half price offer’ on Travelzoo, which of course we have purchased. The grounds are really lovely and it is very dog friendly. They only charge £10 for a dog and they have their own springers who wander around the hotel too. The offer is still open if anyone else is interested.

Mal has the dates for his standardisation for OCR in Coventry. Last year I went with him and we stayed in Chesford Grange in Kenilworth. It has a lot of woods in their grounds, ideal for dog walking and so I took Ellie. They charged £15 for a dog for the entire three night stay last May. This year they are asking £20 PER NIGHT!! I find that a ridiculous price hike and written to their head office. Of course they haven’t bothered to reply so we won’t be staying there.

We are still discovering interesting dog walks and today was to Kearsney Abbey Park. We hadn’t been there before . There is a wooded side where you can let dogs run free and the other side of the lake you are asked to keep them on leads as there is a lot of waterfowl roaming, which Ellie was very interested in! There is also a cafe in the park, so after our walk we sat and had a coffee. A huge mug of lovely coffee for £1.60!!!!