Author: Maggie Daniel

Not such a bright day. A short walk for Ellie first thing, I think we wore her out yesterday. Then we headed for the Garlic Farm to replenish our supplies of garlic pickle. That has gone up 25p a jar since our last visit!

And they even have Garlic Beer!

From there we went on to the  Donkey Sanctuary. Ellie loves the donkeys.

On the way back we stopped in Shanklin and for the second time this trip, went to my favourite shop, Crafty Days. Michelle the owner is a really lovely lady and  has really great craft items for sale. Sadly she has a problem with her shop front, some is collapsing and she has been waiting for the workmen to arrive and she also has the council on her back as it was unsafe for a while. Meanwhile she is trying to run her business. What a mess. I really feel for her.

When back in the lodge, we discovered we had no internet yet again (now two and a half days). This should be included in our deal. Mal contacted reception and the receptionist who claimed to be the manager was actually quite rude to him so he then phoned Hoseasons complaints. Didn’t get very far but at least “Rob” was civil. Although you book through Hoseasons, it is owned by Darwin Estates. confusing. Mal made sure he knew we would be making a complaint with Resolva.

 

 

 

Another lovely sunny day. We drove into Ryde but sadly all the shops I wanted to go to are shut on Mondays! But the shops we did go into they all offered Ellie treats until she just didn’t want to move and when I found I was bribing her to come out of them, we moved on to Quarr Abbey where we had some lunch.

We went into the art gallery there and also the shop and bought some garlic pickle, desperate for it and yes we will be going to the garlic farm another day!

On the terrace for the rest of the day and Mal cooked a roast.

 

We had breakfast watching all the birds coming on to the terrace and then a red squirrel arrived!

A nice sunny day and so we drove into Shanklin. Ellie had fun on the beach.

We then went into The Steamer for lunch. Sad to say their fish chowder wasn’t as good as usual but Mal had a nice shredded beef and Guiness pie. It was so nice though sitting outside overlooking the beach.

Then back home and Mal said we should watch Spurs rather than Hammers. Not much difference they both lost. Spurs an appalling game.

 

We left home and had a couple of stops on the way to the ferry, mainly because of horrendous traffic jams and also a lot of Police blue lighting down the middle of the road. No idea what that was all about!

When we arrived at the port they let us on the earlier ferry..last car on!  There were a lot of dogs up on deck, some quite nasty, growling and barking!

Of course it is a very short and expensive crossing! We drove straight to Woodside Bay. We were two hours early but they gave us the key.  We unpacked the car and then walked through the wood and on to the beach. I think Ellie would go on her own, she knows it so well.

It was nice to be back, listening to the birds and watching the red squirrels.

Ellie even had her own pack in the lodge!

A rope was included in it!

I had a Sainsburys delivery which arrived at 5pm. All sorted.

Mal walked Ellie while I waited in for the windscreen man.

Yes, he arrived at 9am. Thank goodness all done BUT he broke the side cover (A pillar trim) and they are out of stock, so will order another. He said it doesn’t affect it, just looks bad!

I did start organising some things to go to the Isle of Wight the following day.

We walked Ellie in Minster fields .

I have been “out of it” for so long, we discovered that we had vouchers for Foliage from Christmas presents that run out of date at the end of the month. Mal tried to book a table , left messages for them to call us nothing! So we went along expecting lunch and they have changed everything! Nothing we fancied at all on the menu. Mal explained if they answered their phones etc etc. They could see he was getting agitated  and so offered us to book for afternoon tea and they would extend the voucher so that we can go in April. Sorted.

Instead we went to a new Turkish restaurant just along the road. Not what we had planned but while in Broadstairs……..

It is a nice restaurant, Zeti, with lovely owners and a remarkable two course lunch menu for £13.99. Mal’s Albanian liver starter was huge.

Of course Mal had to have Efes to go with it.

Mal had heard that Asda are very good at prescription glasses and said he checked there was an optician in the Westwood one so we called on the way back home as he has a new prescription…..no idea where he got his information but they only have opticians in Canterbury Asda!!

Then on the way home a stone hit my windscreen and cracked it…I guess that was the third thing in the day!! When home, on to the insurance company who transferred to the windscreen people, yes they could do it in a couple of days!! No way we are going away early on Saturday morning. So, another battle with them.  They have now agreed to come tomorrow! Fingers crossed.

I don’t think I would stress quite so much if I felt 100%! But certainly getting there.

Of course we had to watch The Apprentice as it was from the Isle of Wight (now on iplayer!)

Another lovely day so a walk around Wingham orchards and a stop at the farm shop on the way home to buy some of their delicious Jazz apples.

I had an appointment at the dentist for my new replacement  teeth to try on, a long process. That dentist is in Canterbury and driving around Canterbury it was eerily quiet on the roads. The place is usually packed with students from the two unis and all the colleges but obviously because of the meningitis outbreak they are not around. I have never seen Canterbury so quiet. If the unis are on holiday then it is always full of foreign students. It really was quite spooky.

Spurs won their Champions game in the evening but sadly now out on aggregate.