Well, hush my mouth!

Should have known better than to talk about the summery weather! Woke up later this morning to misty dampness which has now turned to rain in earnest and the forecast for the next few days is more of the same! Doh!!

Spring? It feels like summer now!

Well, getting the boiler up and running was the trigger and now we've enjoyed nearly three weeks of glorious warm sunny weather. The garden is blossoming, the mountain sides are greening up and it's beautiful!

Unfortunately, David has had a viral infection which gave him a wretched cough and he has been very frustrated and miserable at how low it has laid him, especially when outdoor jobs were beckoning. I'm pleased to say he is now much better and we're both enjoying being out in the garden.

We have just been granted one of the £500 boiler scrappage vouchers which we can use against the cost of a new grade A boiler. (The old boiler is a Grade G!) SWALEC are offering a further £400 off so that's a massive saving. Although we intend to use solar water heating and a wood burning stove for our main heating sources, we decided it was sensible to maintain a gas system alongside as a backup. And in case you're wondering why we bothered to get the old one working - it had to be a working boiler to qualify for scrappage!

David has also found a Model Boat Club down here. We went to an Exhibition at Bridgend three weekends ago, and two "local" clubs were there, so he introduced himself. One club in particular gave him a very warm invitation to visit, and he has now spent two Saturdays sailing his models with them and has been made very welcome. Mark Jennings, one of the members, took this brilliant photo of David's "Irishman II" on the water at Bryn Bach Park.

There are not many clubs in Wales so D has to travel 30 miles to get there, which is the downside, but worth it in the end. There is another club nearer to us and he has yet to visit them - first impressions at the exhibition were not so favourable but it's worth a second look.

My crafting friends here are turning out to be ladies who lunch: any excuse for a meal out - birthdays, non-birthdays, "we haven't been out for a while" days!! We do still manage to get some crafting done in between. They are a very friendly and lively group, and excellent crafters. I settled in very quickly and really feel part of the gang now.

There have been a couple of viewings of our house at Linton, but no news yet of a prospective purchaser.

A red Letter Day!

Yesterday was a Red Letter Day - we finally got hot water in our taps and radiators! B L I S S !! I nearly ran two bowls full this morning just because I could (but being a good girl, I didn't!)

April update

David and the dogs finally returned to Godrergraig on 21 January in time for my 60th birthday celebrations a week later. We kept it low key – just a birthday tea with the close family – but I was overwhelmed by the number of cards I received, and many of them beautifully hand made by my crafty friends in Wales and in Derbyshire. My new Welsh friends also took me out to lunch and bought me a birthday cake!

Actually getting my hands on my pension(s) was a saga in itself – so many forms to fill in and proofs of name and age to supply, including a solicitor’s endorsement of my birth and marriage certificates. But in the end they agreed to pay me, thank goodness!

I also had an unexpected windfall pension from the West Midlands Local Government Pension Fund, from the days when I worked at Walsall Library, back in the 1970’s. When I left there, I withdrew (I thought) all my superann contributions (used to refit the kitchen in our first house!) but apparently “they” always keep some money back and now they were offering me a pension – the princely sum of £16 a year! I wrote back and politely asked if I might have the money as a lump sum Trivial Payment, but the request was refused! So every year on 25 March, when the pension is paid, we shall raise a glass to the idiocy of bureaucracy – or at least for as long as £16 will buy us a drink!

In the middle of February, we went back to Linton for a week to prepare the house for the market. It was a busy time, hardly a holiday, dealing with agents and HIPS inspectors, as well as spring cleaning and de-cluttering the house. We also fitted in dental appointments and eye tests. The house was finally launched onto an unsuspecting market on 1 March. So far no news.

But we managed to squeeze in some time with friends too. I went to my Kaleidoscope Craft Club and got a very warm welcome. And I also met up with my friend Lynne for the first time in three years. We met for coffee at 11 am, talked through lunch and finally parted at 3.30 pm! It was great to catch up after all this time and we’ve promised not to leave it so long before we do it again.

Easter has just come and gone in a blur. We had a duvet weekend. It was the first time we’ve really STOPPED since we bought this house over twelve months ago, and we hadn’t realised how tired we were, especially having battled through such a long cold winter with minimal comforts. We’re now looking forward to warmer weather when we can turn our attention outdoors again and begin to make full use of the garden and the greenhouses.

It’s officially Spring now so it should be getting warmer, but some days it just doesn’t feel like it! However, the evenings are lighter, the trees and shrubs are showing a green haze promising new leaves, and the pond is full (and I do mean FULL!) of frog spawn, so maybe balmy days are just around the corner.