Now that’s what I call a busy time between trips – star date 2023011
Ranging from more medical checks to Grape Picking, from a weekend away in Cambridge to several theatre trips and from very strict diet to an electric bike.
Medically it took four separate consultants to get through to my thick skull that perhaps losing some weight would really help me in many ways. As I write this, I have lost 2 ½ stone and already feel so much better for it. It is challenging but I know it needs to happen. There is still a long way to go followed by a lifestyle change and regular monitoring. It was nobody’s fault but my own that I put on weight. Nobody was force feeding me or making me eat poorly. It must be case of mind over matter and determination on my part.
My knee problems which are apparently inoperable are currently just about bearable with the weight loss or maybe because I have just about learnt to live with the pain for the time being.
This leads me to the electric bike which was a very accidental and surprise purchase. One of the consultants had told me that a static bike could be good for my knee provided I used it without any resistance on the pedals. I found one retailing for £300 being sold for £20 on Facebook Marketplace. When I collected it, I found the lady was also selling a less than 12 months old electric bike for well under half price. After a discussion at home with Karen about it we decided it could be good for both of us and decided to put in an even lower offer which was accepted. It is a revelation. I had never ridden one before and so it was with some trepidation I tried it after getting it home. Why anyone would choose to ride anything different is now beyond me. Going up hills or any distance is now a pleasure.
I had the final checks and scans following my stomach problem in the summer which did not find any root cause for the problem but did as a by-product find that I apparently have gallstones. I don’t believe at this stage that there is any routine procedure needed to deal with this unless they prove to be very problematic.
Grape picking was hard work but fun on a lovely late summer day. It came about after we joined with 3 other couples in leasing a row of grapes at Winbirri Winery at Surlingham. We hope our harvest will reap around 100 bottles to be divided between us. As part of the lease, we had to commit to a day grape picking. The time soon passed whilst in the company of the others and we had much fun in doing so.
Our weekend away in Cambridge was for our 41st wedding anniversary. Personally, I think one of us deserved a medal at the very least. One of the reasons we went was there was a great offer on through the Q-Hotel chain. Our very nice neighbours at No 18 told me about it. What we hadn’t expected though was that they booked the very same hotel on the very same night until they were seated at the next table for dinner in the Hotel restaurant. We tried hiding under the table but they saw us!
Anyhow we enjoyed our walking tour around the colleges of Cambridge and then our visit to Anglesey Abbey the following day.
Our theatre trips included seeing 2.22 (a modern-day ghost story which was very good) and Rosie Jones (who was surprising good). At the cinema I have seen ‘A Haunting in Venice’ and ‘The Creator’ (the first was fine and the second meh…)
We also had the pleasure of the Heritage open days. There were 9 separate events which we got to, some of which were fascinating like ‘The Briton Arms’ on Elm Hill. Others less so like The City Club in Colegate.
It was whilst being shown around The Briton Arms that I received a call from the Financial Ombudsman advising me that I had won my claim against American Express and that they would awarding me compensation for the ‘loss’ I had incurred through their IT error. He said that it was one of the most interesting and challenging cases he had to deal with for years. It doesn’t pay to mess with a retired person with time who knows their rights and that they have been wronged. The saga had been going on since January.
After a quiet start, Karen has had lots of choice of schools wanting her to work and has kept herself busy in-between assisting me with decorating Neil’s old room. The flipping walls took 6 coats to cover up the old green colour and do not get me started on the building of the tall new cupboards which eventually had to done in situ with the help of Graham.
I cannot let this update go by without mentioning the football, although perhaps the least said the better. At the start of every season, I am always supremely optimistic and this year was no exception. On paper I thought we had made some inspired signings without breaking the bank. We started like a train but since losing the two main strikers have derailed badly. I am usually one of the last to lose faith with the manager but I am afraid my faith has now almost been extinguished. The players simply do not see to be capable of playing the way he sets them up. I do think it will end badly but desperately hope to be proved wrong.
Then there has been our heating issue. What started as having no heating ended with 2 weeks later with no hot water either and then no running water for 20 hours, due to the complete incompetence of the Homeserve contracted engineers. In the end I told them I would not allow their people into our house again and got our old plumber into resolve all the problems which he did. I am now pursuing full recover of his bill from Homeserve along with compensation for the stress and inconvenience.
I think the time has made me appreciate even more is that its not money, material things or trips that really matter. It is the time we get to spend with family and friends. We are very fortunate to have been blessed with such a great family and some lovely good new and old friends. It is the time we get to spend altogether which counts the most.
I always look forward to going to Florida and especially this trip. Neil will be joining us in a few days and it will lovely spending time with him again. Whilst I have now got used to him not being at home, I still miss him being around much of the time. I am pleased and proud though that he is now well set up on his own.
However, the trip would have been even better if Barry & Ellie were coming along as well. That is me being selfish though. They have their own lives to lead and their own dreams, aspirations and travel plans. They have already had their holidays this year. I am just grateful for the trips we have done with them and the fact they haven’t ruled out coming along with us again sometime in the near future. There cannot be said for all parents and their children.
Nevertheless, we shall really miss them this time.
And so, onto this trip. Using our accumulated lots of reward points and free upgrade vouchers, we have managed to book Virgin Upper Class and for the first time ever will be turning left on the plane. We have been very much looking forward to this, although I have told Karen not to get used to doing so. Our flight is at 11.05am and normally we would have travelled down to Heathrow on the day for that time but decided we wanted to be there in good time to make as much advantage as possible of the Upper-Class lounge and booked the Thistle Hotel at Heathrow for the night (using an offer and some credit I had – of course).
Therefore, once the plumber had left and I had managed to take Barry’s phone for a repair (in the end it wasn’t a lens that was broken just a cover and so the repair man didn’t charge) we hit the road via Sprowston. This was so that Karen could get her haircut as it was the only appointment she could get before we went away. Quite why she goes all the way to Sprowston for a haircut is still beyond me but I went and filled up with petrol whilst waiting for her.
The journey was easy and traffic comparatively light as we finally headed towards Heathrow at 6pm. At 8.40pm we were at Sunny’s house where we would leave the car. He then drove us to the Thistle Hotel for the night.
The room was small, but clean and safe. We watched the 10pm news before settling down for the night.
It’s Tampa Time!!! (If you have been to a match at Carrow Road in the past few years you will be familiar with that phrase).
