Damp Devon and other things

I started to write this post in early July, but never finished it!  This is a bit of a catch up!

24th - 30th June 2022

Instow, Devon 

Monty went to stay with friends on the Thursday and Chris and I set off for Devon on the Friday only to find that the M5 was similar to the M25 in places - ie stationary. We did, however arrive safely to find that the cottage we had booked for the week did have, as we had hoped, a fantastic view of the sea (well tidal estuary to be more precise).  

The day after we arrived and the only bit of blue sky all week!

The cottage was just a few yards from Marine Parade.  Everything was spotless and the fixtures and fittings were of a very high standard and I would not hesitate to recommend it as a holiday home.  The Old Stables, Instow We did, however, have a few issues due to the layout and the fact that the stairs were open on one side - that does not work well with arthritic knees!  Downstairs was a double bedroom with a 4'6" bed and an ensuite with a huge walk in shower.  We chose to put all our 'stuff' in that room and use that shower, just sleeping upstairs in the 6 foot bed.  The kitchen and dining room were downstairs and the living room was upstairs which made the most of the view, but made taking tea/wine/G&T etc up and down not as easy as we would like it to be.

We did like Instow - it is small and probably to be avoided in the school holidays, but just right in June,  We had parking at the cottage which is essential.  There is a public car park, but it is not very large.  There are a few pubs - we did not eat out, so I cannot say what they are like.  The deli on Marine Parade is just wonderful with excellent coffee and light snacks.

It was wonderful to have a break, but we could have done with slightly better weather.  I had visions of sitting on the little veranda with a cuppa or G&T, but the reality was that I did sit out there, but only once and then for about 5 minutes just to say I had!

Post the holiday, I had my second cataract operation and oh my goodness, what a difference. Colours are amazing and I can do most things without glasses.  I need off the peg reading glasses (I have two pairs - one upstairs in my craft room and one downstairs in the kitchen), but they are only needed for very small print.  The only downside is that the cupboards in the en suite that were white have yellowed - something I did not notice before plus I can see small amounts of dirt lurking in cracks and crevices that I have not noticed for years!  

The summer seemed to whizz by with nothing of much of note apart from a huge effort on our part and with some help from our daughter to tidy the garage and get rid of things we will never be able to use again.  We have solar panels on order and we need space in the garage for the battery, so a good clear out was essential.  The panels were due in October, but are stuck somewhere, so there will be a delay.  As long as they are in place by the spring all will be well.  We also had a great weekend in Bedford for the Bedford River Festival where we spent our time with Sue and Ken on Cleddau and a fair bit of time with Pip and Mike from Oleanna. 

On 2 September we (the two of us, our daughter, her husband and two sons) all went up to our son's in Derby to join them and our DiL's family to wish our granddaughter a very happy 19th Birthday and to wish her well as she starts the next chapter of her life at Aberdeen University to study Conservation Biology.  Her parents took her up the following weekend.  They left after the Queen's cortege had gone through Aberdeen on its way to Edinburgh, which meant they had to go via the Cairngorms - scenic, but slow going.  They then discovered the M6 was shut due to road works, so had to head back across county to join the A1.  What should have taken 7 hours, took 10, but they made it safely which is all that matters.  Molly has settled well and is enjoying life.  

Last Friday (23 Sep) we were due to go to mid Wales for a 2 week holiday, but it was not to be.  Chris woke on Thursday feeling really poorly.  He suffers from COPD and has had a couple of flare ups in the past.  He has an emergency pack of steroids and antibiotics which usually do the trick, however, before he could take anything he collapsed.  For the first time in my life I had to call 999.  You hear so many horror stories of waiting for hours and then ambulances queuing outside the hospital for yet more hours.  Well we were very lucky, the ambulance arrived in 15-20 mins (I lost track of time, but it was quick). The paramedics were wonderful and stabilised Chris and then whisked him off in the ambulance.  There was no wait when they got there - straight in and was seen immediately.  He was admitted to a ward around 7pm and only came home yesterday.  I am glad to say that he is much better.  It was frightening for both of us, but we are so grateful for the care he got from the moment I called 999 to the moment I picked him up yesterday.  We are both just so grateful that if it had to happen, it happened whilst we were at home and not in Wales as the Health Service there is in dire straits.  Chris' cousin's son broke his pelvis playing rugby in October 2021 and he was left lying on a rugby pitch for 6 hours with no pain relief before an ambulance got to him.  

We will plod on with life and I will pop in every now and then - November is a month with a few interesting things planned, so watch this space.  For now, we are taking life easy and allowing Chris time to fully recuperate.