Month: January 2013

Bargains – Mamas and Papas Buggy £60 & WHSmith Clearance Offers & Circulon Chef Pan £26.40 & Valentines Gift, Oxford River Trip for 2 £24

I went for a walk in the morning, a bit muddy over the fields but at least no more snow came down.

Mal is having problems with work from schools not arriving obviously because schools are being shut down during the snowy weather. Thankfully no snow again today.

I just had to share this picture……

 

Thought for the Day – “Saving just one dog won’t change the world but it will change the world for that one dog.” (Taken from Labrador Retriever Rescue)

Bargains – Table top Air Hockey £16.20 & Kobo Mini Ereader £49.99 & Buyagift 20% off everything & Baby bouncer £16

Mal did some of his work and then we walked to Westwood and even managed to buy some birthday presents for people in the UK for when we are back in Cyprus.

We were lucky enough to spot a lapwing in the fields on the way up there. He looked pretty well fed considering the weather.

Thought for the Day – “Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.” ~ Doug Coupland

Bargains – North Cyprus Holiday 3 wks £329 & Snow Boogie Air Thunder Sledge £19.80 & 3 in 1 Robot kit £14.99 & Valentines – dozen red roses  £16

I heard from Rhys and poor Josie was ill last night and they got in touch with NHS Direct and she ended up being ambulanced to hospital where they gave her steroids  for severe croup. They said she would have to go by ambulance in case she stopped breathing. Always something to worry you with kids. She is OK now.  Schools in Cardiff were open yesterday but shut again today because of more snow.

The sun was out here in Thanet, so maybe our snow will go away…until the next lot! The sun stayed out for quite a while so I went for a walk to Westwood while Mal worked.

In the evening we watched “The Impossible”, a good film if you haven’t seen it.

 

 

Thought for the Day – “Appreciate every little beautiful moment in every day of your life. Give it a try and you’ll see the world from another perspective.”  ~ Thea Kristine May

Bargains – 50% off Eden Project Tickets & 1,000 National Express £1 tickets & Russell Hobbs 3 tier food steamer £19.99 & Click clack sofa bed £125

I can’t believe the chaos across the country compared to how the rest of Europe cope in far more snow and lower temperatures. Heathrow airport has been a disaster and it seems the head of Gatwick has even complained about it. So many cancelled flights at Heathrow.

Mal did some of his exam work and there was no way I was going to trudge through the snow, we had plenty of food in so no need. I spoke to Torin and before he went to work he drove up to the salt store at the top of the road so he could clear the paths for the old people only to discover that others had taken it all for their drives! He was not happy.

The snow outside our cravan is still there, it is not going away and it looks as though there is more in the sky.

 

Thought for the day – “Every sunrise is priceless and you can experience the richness that life holds only when you live life to the full instead of just being an onlooker.” ~Stephen Richards

Bargains – Walnut Storage Box £20 & National Express 2 for 1 Senior coach card & Black Food Mixer £19.99 & Stainless Steel Fruit Zester £1.50

Another snowy day but Rhys came and collected us from the hotel and another lovely day with them. Lou cooked us a huge delicious Sunday roast. We all sat and watched the football. Mal had been watching the trains on the internet for our journey back. He did this on the way there and we discovered they were still cancelling even though they were not saying so on the internet.

Lou ran us to the station and we left not really knowing whether we would get back to Margate! The train from Cardiff was fine and on time.  During the journey Mal kept checking the trains and we couldn’t decide whether to go to St Pancras or change our plans and head for Victoria. As we arrived in London, very little information anywhere. We then decided to stick to St Pancras. Even their notices didn’t tell us what was going on. Eventually we discovered that there was a train to Ashford but “severe delays” anywhere past Ashford owing to a broken down/frozen train! Who knows, I don’t think anyone did. We did discover that because of the broken down train, trains and drivers were all in the wrong place. We decided to get the Ashford train and hope for the best. If all else failed we would find an Ashford hotel.

The same lack of information at Ashford but there was a train on the platform but we all stood there freezing! I have to say, they did their best to crack ice and snow off the train and finally we set off for Ramsgate. They did warn us they would be travelling “not at normal speed”. We didn’t really care as long as we arrived back some time. We came out of the station at Ramsgate (having called to book a taxi) and a lot of snow, far more than in Cardiff or was it that Cardiff roads had been cleared quicker. It seemed none of the roads had been cleared. Our taxi took another half an hour as they were so busy because no buses had been running.

We finally arrived back at a quarter to one in the morning! The snow hadn’t been cleared around the caravan park either so we had to trudge through the snow and carry our cases. At least we managed it!

 

Thought for the Day – “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” ~ Lin Yutang

 

Bargains – 15% off Gift Ideas  for 2 & 2 night all inclusive Hotel Breaks £79 & Skullcandy earbuds £4.99 & Good Grips Salt Mill £6.30

Rhys came and collected us from our hotel and back to their house. We spent a lovely day playing games, sticking and making things with the kids. Lou was at work all day. In the afternoon Mal caught the train to go and see Steve who is still in hospital in Gloucester and deliver his 60th Birthday present and their Ruby wedding present. Thankfully the trains were running OK and Rhys collected him from the station on his return. Steve is improving thankfully.

 

Thought for the Day – “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” ~ Margaret Mead

Bargains – BHS Free Delivery & Valentines Heart Bracelet & Valentines reduced price hotel breaks & Computer desk £29

We were up early and had train tickets booked to go to Cardiff. Looking at the news and weather, South Wales was on red  weather alert (snow). Should we go or not? Rhys contacted us and said trains were being cancelled and a lot of snow was falling. In the end it was a bit of a challenge, to see how far we could get! We decided that we would try to get to London and re-assess it when we  arrived there. At St Pancras the snow was quite heavy. On to Paddington only to find our train had been cancelled. Of course in true rail style, the enquiry desk was empty and the board gave us no clues at all as to whether we would get to our destination.

Finally after standing there for half an hour, there was a train to Swansea,stopping at Cardiff Central. Of course the train was busy because another had been cancelled.

We had a good journey with a lovely lady named Bami sitting with us, so the journey went by really quickly. There was rather a lot of camaraderie because of the snow. Imagine our surprise when we came out of Cardiff station and the snow wasn’t up to our knees! Rhys was kind enough to come out and pick us up, back to their house and he cooked us all dinner.

A lovely snowman in their garden.

 

Thought for the Day – “Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon and the deeper in sinks into the mind.” ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge