Tuesday 28th February 2017

Bargains – Marks and Spencer Discount Code | 50% off | marksandspencer.com & This Is The Last Stop For A Debenhams Plus Discount Code & How To Use An Allbeauty Discount Code To Save Money & Hobbycraft Discount Code | 50% off | hobbycraft.co.uk & Ribble Cycles Discount Code | 10% off | Ribble Cycles Discount & Dorothy Perkins Voucher Code | 60% off | dorothyperkins.com

A nice walk with the sun shining even though it was colder.

Mal now has his first student teacher for his teaching teachers, which is online so he has been spending a while online investigating. He then went to the allotment while I did the cleaning, lots of mud and dog hairs!

Thought for the Day – “Treat everyone with politeness even those who are rude to you, not because they are nice but because YOU are!”

Monday 27th February 2017

Bargains – Zooplus Coupon Code and Zooplus Discount Code Availability & Whittards Voucher Codes | 10% off | whittard.co.uk & Check Out Just Go Holidays Special Offers For Coach Holidays & Glasses Direct Discount Code | 50% off | glassesdirect.co.uk & Bargain Crazy Discount Code | 90% off | bargaincrazy.com & Mankind Discount Code | mankind.co.uk

A wet and windy day, probably just as well I was volunteering at Demelza! Another good day even though we were £20 short of our target. We do our best when we are there to boost the sales! Amongst other things I bought a brand new water filter for £4 and a gardening book for Mal with all sorts of tips we hadn’t heard of before. That was a huge book and only £1.50!

The ‘Monday crew’ really get on so well together and we have a good laugh with Jack, the assistant manager.

It still astounds me that some people come in and think it is fine to ask for price reductions. I wouldn’t have the cheek in a charity shop!

Thought for the Day – ” There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve; the fear of failure.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Sunday 26th February 2017

Bargains – Park Holidays UK – Waterside Holiday Park in Devon & MandMDirect Discount Code | 85% off | mandmdirect.com & Hertz Discount Code | 20% off & Cheap All Inclusive Holidays | mercury-direct.co.uk & Cheap City Breaks Europe | 2 Nights Hotel & Flights | £139.50pp & Dorothy Perkins Voucher Code | 60% off | dorothyperkins.com

We had a lovely walk along Minnis Bay, even though there were black clouds overhead. Ellie had fun swimming with a black spaniel.

Mal and I spent quite a long time then designing the photo books for Scarlet and Jack’s birthdays. It takes longer than you’d think.

We then watched a good game from Spurs. A 4-0 win. That was followed by the Man U game when they won the EFL cup.

Thought for the Day – “Let every moment be what it’s going to be.What’s meant to be will come your way. What’s not will fall away.” ~ Mandy Hale

Saturday 25th February 2017

Bargains – This Is The Last Stop For A Debenhams Plus Discount Code & How To Use An Allbeauty Discount Code To Save Money & You Will Find The Best Dickies Promo Code Here & Maplin Voucher | £10 off | maplin.co.uk & Look Fantastic Promo Code | 15% off | lookfantastic.com & QHotels | up to 40% off | from £23.50pppn | qhotels.co.uk

We took Ellie out and she had so much fun as we met up with Jo and Stu and their dogs, so the dogs went mad running around together. They really are the nicest people and said they would always look after Ellie if ever we were stuck for someone to look after her. They have a business, Mantra, mostly online now and go backwards and forwards to India to renew their stock.

After the walk Mal and I went into Deal for a walk along the sea front and then a never ending filter coffee in the Sir Norman Wisdom. I’m always impressed in there by the size and cleanliness of the Ladies (seeing as it is a Wetherspoons, this is one of their better establishments!)

Back home and we watched the Hammers game.

Thought for the Day – “Watch the sunrise at least once a year, put a lot of marshmallows in your hot chocolate, lie on your back and look at the starts, never buy a coffee table you can’t put your feet on, never pass up a chance to jump on a trampoline, don’t overlook life’s small joys while searching for the big ones.” ~ H Jackson Brown Jr

Friday 24th February 2017

Bargains – This Is Where To Find The Best Fifty Plus Sale Items & Boots Discount Codes | 50% off | boots.com & Wilko.com Discount Code | Free Delivery | 50% off & Argos Kitchen Electrical Sale | 50% off | argos.co.uk & Valid Travelodge Discount Code or Travelodge Voucher Codes & La Redoute Discount Code | 40% off | laredoute.co.uk

BT have decided to up our monthly payments for internet etc, so Mal bargained with them to get a much improved package which is cheaper. All well and good UNTIL you have notification that your bill is still going up! Mal went on to ‘live chat’, obviously some minion who didn’t want to get involved at all. In the end she phoned, told Mal to disconnect live chat and hold the line and he would be transferred to the ‘correct’ department. The line then went dead. Mal then called back and waited in the queue. Eventually someone answered and told Mal they were still going to take the £12 extra even though a new contract had been negotiated. A very lengthy discussion ensued with an extremely rude incorrectly named ‘customer service operative’. They refused to put Mal through to a supervisor, they also refused to transfer him to  accounts or cancellations!! Mal is very calm in these situations and also knows his rights in business law BUT this all takes so long. I frequently wonder how others manage who are not as knowledgeable. Do they just pay the extra £12 a month, 7 days after a new contract being negotiated?

Mal phoned back and spoke to a really nice man who sorted everything out, agreed with him they were in the wrong and apologised. The whole of this took an hour and 45 minutes. I don’t see anything improving following Brexit as we will then lose a lot of the EU safety nets.

No it isn’t better in north Cyprus. David wanted his large TV dish taking down from the roof as it is no longer of any use. He called the people who installed it. Yes, we will come and do it….£500!! You can imagine David’s answer. He then asked the local scrap man. “Of course I will remove it for you and take it away, no charge!”

We did get out for our walk eventually and a lovely day it was too and the wind had dropped completely.

I went out to buy some fish for dinner and as well as that M&S had their £10 dinner for 2. A large rotisserie chicken, asparagus, creme brulee and a bottle of wine!! Too nice to resist and such good value. I know I shouldn’t have the desert but I’ll have to have less fattening things tomorrow!

Just as I arrived back home Mal had a call from the agency and the college want him to go in for the day next Wednesday. The reason is because they have Offsted and a very difficult Business Studies class. He has agreed to go in but to me that sounds a bit like cheating isn’t it?!

I was out doing more gardening in the sun. Ellie came out with me and lay sunbathing!

By late afternoon our £12 had been refunded by BT and also our new box arrived too.

Thought for the Day – “Life has a way of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Thursday 23rd February 2017

Bargains – How To Use An Allbeauty Discount Code To Save Money & Find My Past Free Trial | 50% off & This Is How To Make Great Savings With These Eurocamp Offers & Love Theatre London | Let It Be Theatre Tickets & Dorothy Perkins Voucher Code | 60% off | dorothyperkins.com & Premier Man Discount Code | 50% off | premierman.com

Hopefully Storm Doris will not be too bad in the south east. We walked Ellie and she loved the wind in her ears but it was blowing a lot across the fields. We noticed this very pretty caravan has just appeared at the grange. He also has a vast selection of steam engines.

The news this morning is to modify your tumble drier OR don’t use it, check if you have one that should be modified. We were told that it would take 6 months for someone to come out and so we checked with our insurance and they managed to send someone to modify it within the week!

I decided to make Scarlet and Jack a photo book each as part of their birthday presents and it took me all morning sorting photos.

Mal has been swatting up as he will be teaching teachers (online), maybe only a couple but he finds it easy. He is a person who loves to learn so he feels whatever he does is never wasted. There is such a shortage of teachers and they now receive a bursary £30+K whilst they are training and then when they apply for a post, they will be paid less. That doesn’t make any sense at all to me! Am I missing something?!!

I always find it difficult to know what to buy Mal for presents and as he has always been ‘into’ memory techniques, one of his Christmas presents was ‘Moonwalking with Einstein’. He loves it and has now learnt ALL the kings and queens of England and many other things in a short space of time.

Thought for the Day – “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things and only the wise can see them.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Wednesday 22nd February 2017

Bargains – Marks and Spencer Discount Code | 50% off | marksandspencer.com & Snapfish Promo Code | Snapfish Offers & Valueflora Discount Code | 10% off | valueflora.com & The Best Charles Wilson Clothing Discount Code Yet! & Photobox Offer Code | 50% off | photobox.co.uk & Marks and Spencer Sale Offers | 50% off | marksandspencer.com

A nice breezy day and I think it made the horses and Ellie enjoy the wind in their ears!

We both went out to do some gardening, front  garden, in the afternoon. Mal started clearing the pathway to the front door. It has been buried since before we moved in!
For those in north Cyprus and interested, the Tulip Festival/Lale Festivali in Tepebași is on 18th and 19th March…..

“Tepebaşı(Yorgoz) Tulip Festival which is being held on 18th and 19th March and is organised by the Tepebaşı Culture, Art and Environment Protection Association (Tepder). The event will start at 10am on the 18th March and finish at 6pm on the 19th.”

In the evening we went to the Kent Uni to listen to Fairport Convention on their “@50” tour. Really good as always, in spite of the passing years. Who’d have thought it all these years later?! They may have changed their line up over the years and also lost people like Sandy Denny and Swarb but still beautiful music. We are seriously considering going to their Cropredy Festival this year. We always intend to go and something always seems to come up.

Tonight they had Sally Barker as their guest and excellent she was too, evidently the runner up on The Voice.

At the end of the night Debs brought them a “50” cake on stage!

Thought for the Day – “Better to be crazy and happy than normal and bitter.” ~ Paulo Coelho