Up early and off to Gatwick to catch our Turkish Airlines flight back to North Cyprus. We took our car back to Green Motion, that was easy and the flight was good too. I have to say again far better than Pegasus. The air crew smile and are helpful!
David was waiting for us at Ercan airport and he had already settled Ellie back in at home for us. Of course she went mad when she saw us. It had been raining at some time so at least the plants were watered.
We were at B&Q at 7.15am and the nice assistant there had left the leaf blower vac out for us. Another job done. Some of the roads were flooded as we had heavy rain during the night. Back to more emptying boxes.
The rain continued so Mal couldn’t play with his new toy to remove the leaves from the back garden.
We went for dinner over at Lou and Rhys’s as they thought we would be too busy to cook. Yes we were, trying to sort the last few things out and pack ready for the flight in the morning! A lovely dinner.
Off to Dunelm AGAIN!!! I see the staff all running and hiding when we walk in and we are on first name terms now. So, they can’t get me what I want so I have been told that I can choose any voiles for nothing and also have a Gift card fro £30. So, I chose some voiles, any old voiles just to cover the windows while we are gone. Not as thick as the ones I wanted but I can’t bear to think about them any longer. Next time back I will probably replace them.
We went into Homebase to buy a rake as we have leaves dropping all over the lawn and of course all our tools are in Cyprus. £25 for a rake??!! Mal then decided we would try B&Q and discovered that you can buy an electric leaf blower/vac for £37. We asked one of the assistants and she told us that one was being reduced to half price tomorrow, making it £25 and she would put one by for us even though they were not supposed to. Nice girl. So, we have to be there at 8am tomorrow.
Next thing to think about, I had ordered 3 Scalibor collars, one each for Ellie, Jekka and Loppi. We ordered them from Pet Supermarket and even paid premium delivery to ensure they arrived on time. They had not arrived, should have done days ago! We phoned them and guess what? They don’t even have them in stock but have taken my money and hadn’t even told me even though we paid for premium delivery. I have to say I did stand in the living room this time and scream!! We then had to get some from Pets at Home but we phoned them first and they had very limited stock and so put them on one side for us and we went straight up to collect them.
Talking of the girls, Ellie is having fun on her holiday with Jekka and Loppi.
Ellie and Loppi
More unpacking for us. Getting a little fed up with this now!
We cleaned out the last of the caravan and gave the keys to the new site owners who have bought it from us. We then discovered we could have got more money selling it privately. Never mind. We also had quite a large metal shed that we couldn’t fit in the car, so we have left it with John (who runs the clubhouse there) who is going to sell it for us and put the money in the Macmillan charity box in the bar. That is the end of our days at Bradgate.
Back to Dunelm and guess what, the delivery hadn’t arrived. Sam phoned us later when it did and of course, not the voile we want but she said we can go and choose any other voiles and also have £30 gift token. Well, I have already tried different voiles and didn’t like any of them! This doesn’t solve anything as I have nothing at my windows. Grrrr!!
We also managed to shop for Ollie’s birthday present. It was 4pm by the time we got back home, another day disappeared. I feel so tired but we will be back in the sun very soon.
Tariq has been cutting their very high hedge….
In the evening we went to see One Night of Queen at the Winter Gardens, Margate. Because I bought tickets as soon as they were released, again we had middle of the front row. Tonight, not to our advantage as one of the speakers was right in front of us……It’s a good few years since we have come out of a concert deaf! But we were all up dancing again. We do miss live shows in Cyprus.
My sister phoned in the morning. I sat on the sofa to take the call, happened to look out of the front window and couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a fault going across the entire width of one of the new voiles! We had arranged to visit Pauline and Chris which we did but had to cut the visit short to return once again to Dunelm. By now I have a fist full of receipts from them and as I am sick of repeating this sorry saga again, we asked for Sam (head of Curtains or some such title). She came out and agreed yes, there was a major fault in one of them. Luckily I had taken both voiles with me. She went and found a replacement for the faulty one and guess what? It was a different colour white!!! I told her that I want some sort of compensation as each time this is their fault not mine.
She now had to ask the Manager. She came out and bless her, put her arm around me as I think she thought I was going to cry, well I was pretty near to it. (What do they say about moving, one of the most stressful times and we haven’t even finished emptying the caravan out yet!) So, they are hoping a matching pair will arrive tomorrow, their only delivery day. She told me to choose any at all and Mal said get the most expensive but I didn’t like them. I now have a refund for the third lot I have returned and IF I am lucky enough that a matching pair arrive tomorrow, I can have them for nothing.I think I have spent more than that in diesel but I would just like some voiles up at the window. And yes, I have thought of going elsewhere but I haven’t the time to go to Canterbury and all the old local curtain shops have closed down! I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined covering the front window would be so difficult.
In the afternoon Lou and I went to The Crescent Victoria Hotel, Margate for afternoon tea. It was a Travelzoo Offer and as Mal wasn’t that bothered, he said to go with Lou as she had never been for afternoon tea. It’s a newly refurbished hotel along the sea front, right opposite The Winter Gardens. We discovered that the bar and restaurant were in the basement, so down we went. Yes, it may be on the sea front but you couldn’t see it in the basement! We weren’t given a choice of teas, they forgot to give us the glasses of Prosseco, they gave us the cakes first and we had to ask for the sandwiches! Then there was no butter with the scones. It was all very amateurish for a “high class hotel”. The place lacked any sort of atmosphere. Still at least Lou and I had a good giggle.
Lou
By the time I arrived home, the plumber was there as the upstairs cistern had broken. He has now replaced all the insides of it.
Look what I saw in our garden. Sitting on our shed.
We have now seen squirrels, thrushes, robins and pigeons. The pigeons seem to live in our trees.
I was waiting at Dunelm at 9.00am with the voiles that I had shortened and they were a different shade. The girl agreed that they didn’t match although in theory they should. So after all the time I took shortening them, she said I could have my money back. I couldn’t even be bothered to look at another voile…..another day. What a waste of time, including two trips back to Dunelm.
Back home again and I cooked a beef roast for Lou and Rhys as it was his day off. That was a nice lunch together.
It was really getting to me having no voiles in the front window, so I decided to go back to Dunlem. This time I chose white voiles, quite plain which meant no complications with shade or pattern or anything else also quite thick so no one could see through. I hung them as soon as I arrived home, so the windows were covered. They are about 2 inches too long BUT I decided they will just drape on the window sill for now as I was sick of shortening things I had to take back. At least now the windows were covered.
Well, what can you say, the Cyprus Talks have collapsed again! No surprise there then.
In the evening Mal and I went to see The Lindisfarne Story at the Theatre Royal and very good it was too. I dread to think how many years it is since I saw them last. Just a shame that events like this are so poorly attended in Margate.
I think autumn began! The temperature dropped! Mal went over to the caravan to do some more packing and Lou and Rhys came round for a coffee and bought me a honey pomelo. They said they were going to buy flowers but we will be gone very soon and so they would be a bit of a waste.
My Honey Pomelo
I finished hemming the second voile for the living room front window. I can’t believe it, after having one that was damaged when I opened the pack and had to return it,now I have these up, one is a different shade to the other! I give up.
I did more sorting out from all the boxes. A good thing that we have a shed and a garage!
