Greetings from Trinidad

What a busy time we’ve had since the last blog! Our Ford Focus Estate was sold a few hours before we were to attend the River Wyre Yacht Club laying up supper in Cleveleys, near Blackpool, which is about 40 miles from our house in Wrightington. We owe Dave (Yosser) Hughes a big thank you for the lift to and from the supper. We had a great time meeting up with our yacht club friends, eating a lovely supper and dancing the night away. We were honoured to be presented with the Wardley’s Trophy. Thank you RWYC.

Ellie's Christening at St Felix's Church, Rendlesham

The day before we moved house the M6 was closed both ways, which resulted in our van being in Morecambe instead of Wigan. Consequently, we started packing up three hours later than planned. After a few hours of frantic activity, it became clear that we were not going to fit everything in the van and we would have to make two trips to Suffolk. We shared the driving and made it to Suffolk in about 5 hours. The next day we unpacked the contents of the van into our shipping container in Em and Ben’s garden, made a packed lunch and set off for Lancashire. Jeremy packed and secured the rest of our stuff while I did the final bits of cleaning in the house. It was strange standing in our empty house which had been home for nearly 34 years. I was surprised how little emotion I felt. It’s not the bricks and mortar that make a home, is it? It’s the people who share the house with you and the familiar items around you that make a house a home. Without them it’s just an empty shell.

                                                                                

Christening Cake. The sailing boat and horse represent the interests of the parents. 

This time we were not so lucky with the traffic and were soon in a traffic jam only 15 minutes from home. We stopped for an evening meal in a pub just off the A14 and arrived in Suffolk about 10.30pm. Throughout all this I’d had a heavy cold followed by a respiratory infection and was taking antibiotics. “Try to rest,” the doctor had said. The next day we unpacked the rest of our stuff and returned the van to the depot in Ipswich, swapping it for a white Hyundai hire car. I fell asleep in the passenger seat on the drive back to Woodbridge. We had two days left before Ellie’s Christening.

Lifesaving fan installed in Sal Darago

While Emily, Ben and Jeremy prepared the house for 50 guests, I drove to Gatwick to pick up my Mum and my sister, Pat, who had flown in from the Isle of Man. The Christening went off very well with an informal family service in church followed by a buffet lunch at Whispering Pines (Em and Ben’s house). It was good to see Jeremy’s brothers and their wives along with many Deacon family members. Four generations were represented as my Mum celebrated the Christening of her sixth great grandchild.

Flaking paint had to be removed from the decks

So, did we rest in the week that followed before our flight to Trinidad? No, we went house hunting and managed to view three properties, putting an offer in on one in Eyke, which has since had an offer made by someone else. This has been accepted by the seller.

Jeremy at work on Sal Darago's bottom

Our journey to Trinidad began at 3.15am as we drove to Gatwick, left our hire car at the depot and checked in for our Virgin Atlantic flight to Tobago, with a touch down at St Lucia. A brief Caribbean Airways flight took us to Trinidad where our taxi driver was waiting. After 23 hours of travelling we entered our air conditioned apartment at Power Boats yard.

Our home in Trinidad

Sal Darago was basically sound but had not weathered as well as last time. Some water had got into the bilges and steamed the insides of the boat causing paint to flake off in some lockers, rust on the engine and cooker and some corrosion on some portholes. Outside the deck paint was flaking off under the dirt and dust. She looked very much in need of TLC. After four nights in the apartment, we moved into SD and were saved from collapsing from heat exhaustion by the loan of a fan from Jesse James, Members Only maxi taxi trips and tours. Power Boats had no fans left to hire, but were able to loan us an extension cable. Each day we are up just before 6am, work until midday, sleep until 3.00pm, then work until 6pm. The temperature varies from 31C in the day to 25C at night with high humidity. Mosquitos bite your bare flesh and no see ums jump up and bite your ankles as you walk across the yard. Paradise indeed!

Sale Agreed

Mum with her Blackburn friends

My Mum and my sister, Pat, stayed with us for five days recently. We borrowed a bed from our neighbours, Ruth and Frank, offered our two easy chairs to our relatives and made do with dining room chairs for ourselves.

Kathy, Pat and Mum

 We’d had three viewings of the house and one family wanted to view for a second time, whilst our visitors were with us. Strict instructions were issued to our guests to leave their rooms tidy and I was to take them out at least an hour before the second viewing took place. Jeremy must have worked like a madman doing the last bits of cleaning and it was all worth it, because a few days later an offer was made.

Aunty Elsie, cousins Frank and John, Pat and Mum

 A tense few days followed, during which Mum and Pat returned to the Isle of Man and we went up to the Lake District to meet with sailing friends, Chris and John from Sara II and Liz and Graham from Ellida.

Kathy out with ex Health and Social Care colleagues

Kathy out with ex Dyslexia Support and Skills for Life Colleagues

 We declined the first offer, which fell a long way short of our asking price, and waited in suspense for a phone call. Another offer was made; we declined again. Another few days of waiting and wondering passed. Finally, we agreed a price and the house was sold subject to contract.

 

Above Derwentwater, Kathy, Chris and John

Liz and Kathy alongside Wast Water

 Our removal plans are well underway. We have hired a large van (again) and intend to do a one way trip this time. Our car is also under offer and might be sold next week, so it’s a good job we still have our bikes! It’s all starting to look rather final and I can’t help feeling the same mixture of excitement, anticipation and fear that precedes the crossing of an ocean. Let’s hope for fair winds!

Guess who?

Life after Decorating

The finished lounge

The house is finished. Every room has been rubbed down, repainted or wallpapered. Most of the rooms have new flooring and we are worn out. No worries; we had a holiday to look forward to and a chance to relax. But first, we engaged Alan Batt, a high street estate, agent to advertise and sell our property. The photographer and measurer came round the day before we left for the Island of Mull, Scotland; we approved the brochure by email the first week we were away and we had our first two viewings the weekend after we returned home. You can view our house on www.rightmove.co.uk or www.alanbatt.co.uk. Just type Wrightington in the search box.

Gaynor and Mum at Port St Mary Golf Club

I escaped the final days of decorating by going to sea again. Both my sisters were going away on holiday, so I sailed on the fast catamaran from Liverpool and spent 8 days with my Mum. Although, not quite so tropical as my previous visit, the weather was good and I was able to see my niece, Gaynor, and my nephew, Ryan. He was decorating!! Is there no escape?

Mum and I sitting on Dad's memorial bench

Emily, Ben, Ellie and Tess came for a one night stopover on their way from Suffolk to Scotland. Our granddaughter is growing  fast and giving us gorgeous, big smiles. A week later, we were on our way to Mull, via Yorkshire. Jeremy’s brother, Ritchie (now recovered from salmonella poisoning) and his wife, Catherine (feeling much better with a pacemaker fitted) provided a huge steak BBQ for 19 people. It was great to meet up with Gavin and Eileen again, three of our nephews and their wives and 7 great nephews and nieces.

Hal, Catherine, Jamie, Ritchie, Patrick, Ruth, Juliette, Michelle, Sam, Ewan, Tom, Alice, Sylvie, Daniel, Anna

Jeremy, Ellie and Emily walking coast to coast on Mull

Erin, Jeremy, Ellie, Emily and Simon near Aros lower falls, Mull

Erin, Simon, Jeremy, Emily and Ellie in the forest near Loch an Torr, Mull

In the last few days we have emptied our loft of all our storage boxes and transferred them to the garage. We have hired a van for the weekend and hope to move all the stuff we’re not using to our container in Suffolk. Once again, we are whacked!

House 4 Sale

Our new bathroom

The decorating continues! Rooms completed so far include: back double bedroom, hall, landing, stairs, upstairs cloakroom, dining/family room, kitchen, bathroom. Outside, the front door has been rubbed down and repainted, ridge tiles and slates secured on the roof and front garden tidied. New carpets have been laid in the dining room, hall, landing and stairs. New vinyl flooring has been put in the upstairs cloakroom, kitchen, conservatory and bathroom. Not bad for just over 2 months’ work. Currently in progress is the lounge (stripped to the bare walls and waiting for a plasterer) and the back single bedroom (rubbed down by me and ceiling being painted by Jeremy as I write.) We’ve put our own” for sale” sign up in the garden and so far,  we’ve had one viewing and one enquiry.

Fiddling on the roof

So, what else have we been up to? I’ve been to sea again. I’ve crossed the Irish Sea on board the Isle of Man fast sea cat and spent a week visiting my Mum, sisters, nieces, nephews and great nephews. The weather was Caribbean-like and I wore shorts most of the time. Everyone was well and it was great to catch up with them.

The revamped kitchen with new vinyl flooring

 We had a long weekend at Jeremy’s brother’s house in Cleadon. Gavin and Eileen fed us until we were bursting and took us to the Sunderland International Airshow, where we spent the afternoon in the sunshine, on the beach, watching the amazing aerobatics of the Red Arrows and many other aircraft. There were 12 of us at first including 2 nieces and 6 great nieces/nephews; then there were 13, closely followed by 15 as another nephew and great nephew joined us having cycled from St Bees on the west coast of England to Sunderland on the east coast. It was quite a family reunuion and called for ice creams all round.

 

Sunderland International Air Show

We were pleased to hear that Jeremy’s other brother, Ritchie, is making a good recovery after being in hospital in Berlin with renal failure, due to contracting salmonella strain D whilst on holiday in Poland. Never mind Delhi belly and all the nasties in hot countries. It looks like you have to be careful in Europe.

We’ve been able to see friends in the north east and I’ve had lunch with one of my ex-colleagues in Lancashire. It was great seeing  Ros, Andy, Moyra and Lynda.

Gavin, Kathy, Jeremy and marvellous cyclist - Tom.

Nathan, Joseph, Martha and Laura at Cleadon Tower

Last weekend Emily and Ellie made a marathon 7 hour car journey from Suffolk to be with us for the weekend. Simon and Erin came down from Edinburgh and it was lovely to have our own family in our family house once again. The last time we were all here was probably in 2007 or 2008. It was open house all weekend. Friends dropped in on both days. On Sunday afternoon there were 10 people in our front room, most of them seated on chairs we’d bought from a local charity shop. The lump on Ellie’s neck has disappeared all by itself, so huge sighs of relief all round.

Emily, Simon, Eleanor and Erin at Ivy Cottages.

Taking a break from decorating today, we decided to go to our local chandlery and buy some items for Sal Darago only to find it closed down 18 months ago. Ok, we thought, we’ll go to the caravan place. That had closed down too. Well, how about going to that pub by the canal for lunch. Guess what? It had closed as well. So, we had a walk along the towpath and returned home for lunch.

The dining room.

Enjoy the rest of the summer wherever you are and please keep in touch.