Waiting for summer

The week has passed quickly again but we have done very little. Monday we attended a fund raising function in a nearby restaurant and on Wednesday we were invited to give a talk to a local ladies group about life in a motor home. It was a little daunting, stood in front of 60 or so ladies with no idea of what they wanted to hear. We began explaining the reasons why we took early retirement and chose this lifestyle of ours and very quickly we felt fairly comfortable. Before we new it, it was time to finish off, the comments that we subsequently received were very encouraging and rewarding.

On Wednesday afternoon we were going to move to a nearby CL but decided against it for a while longer, so here we are, still sat on the drive at the house and beginning to feel that summer is never going to arrive again.

Back to the Midlands

We stayed at Chirk on Saturday in readiness for the car boot sale held there on Sunday, we like it there it has become a bit of a social event. First we met with Steve and Hiedi, friends that we made on our way round Wales several years ago. They too, live in a motor home and have a very similar outlook to our own. Then we met Hayden (one of lifes real characters) and Margaret who live in Treaddur Bay and also own a motor home. We did not spend much money there, despite our best efforts. I did however, manage to acquire a nice, as new fly rod for a fiver. It couldn't have gone to a better home, it will probably never now the struggle of landing a sizeable fish. After a good days bargain hunting we decided to head back to the house, we have a few things to sort out over the next few weeks.

Sunshine in Shropshire

Yesterday the wanderlust got the better of us, around 1400 hours we decided that it was time for a move. We packed a few things away, including half of a driftwood rain forest and headed up the coast towards Caernarfon. Here we did a little food shopping before making our way to Llanberis. We were going to stay there for the night, but some inconsiderate so and so had decided that the car park needed to be widened by 2ft and so 100yards of the car park had to be closed in order to complete this major improvement to the facility. We hung around until 1800 hours and drove up the Llanberis Pass through Capel Curig and on to Betws y coed. We found a suitable place to park but for some reason couldn't settle, so it was off again, to Oswestry. We are on a CL (certified location) that is only 150 yards from an A5 traffic island. We have been here before, it is convenient for the town.

At 2130 hours nearby voices attracted my attention, in the adjacent lane a man and young lady were trying to coax a sick Citroen into life. The battery was flat, I got my jump leads out and connected both of their cars together. I told the girl to try it now. She seemed completely bewildered and asked me what she had to do....... Any way it started. They thanked me and were each about to depart in their respective cars when the Citroen stopped again. We went through the procedure a second time, this time I noticed that there was no "Vee" belt attached to the alternator. I questioned the lady about it. She didn't know what I was on about but said that the engine gave a bang and made some other funny noises about 3 days ago, and that it had not run right since, also there was a red light on her dash board which she thought was something to do with the battery. She asked me if that was what was wrong with it then, it's a good job that I didn't say "No,Shit in the carb" or heaven knows what she would have done. After a further hour of attempting to get this lady mobile she said that she was in the RAC and perhaps she should give them a call. I must confess I was now beginning to think that she was like the lights on her car, not too bright. This amazing "emergency service" said that being a lone female they would give her priority and be with her in 75 minutes. Maybe, they came from Caernarfon too. So she left the car and went off to the pub, I went to bed.

This morning the car was gone. Today I have done little, just watched the world go by. The traffic never stops, it is like having a ring side seat at the "Wackey Races" and the venue being the "Magic Roundabout". Between us and the roundabout is large pasture staging a feature length episode of "Watership Down" and a full dress rehearsal of "Emerdale Farm" taking place behind us, complete with Molly Sugden who sold me half a dozen fresh eggs, thank heaven the phone rang when it did or she would still be chatting come the next bank holiday. It is quite amazing how a place so rural can be so busy. We like it though and at three pounds per night it is hardly expensive.

Vagabonds or crabs

The last week has raced by, leaving me in a bit of a daze. The site that we are on here at Criccieth got quite busy but has now become deserted, I have to say, I like it like this. On Friday, my brother Ian came in his motor home, on Saturday morning our daughter Sarah came with her two daughters and stayed overnight. On Saturday evening Ian's friend Maria came to join in the fun. It was great to see Sarah and the girls, I think that they all enjoyed themselves, it is just a shame that the weather was not a little warmer for them. Sunday saw Sarah head off back to home.

I have been trying my hand at a little fly fishing for trout, needless to say, I have been no more successful at that than any other form of fishing. I must say however, that I have really enjoyed it. I have no idea what I am doing but it feels good none the less.

Monday saw heavy rain and we went for a drive with Ian and Maria, we headed for Abersoch. Well I can honestly say that I have no idea what everyone raves about. It is overpriced and overcrowded, I doubt that we will be in any hurry to return. From there we drove to Portmerion, another disappointment, at £7:50 per person to enter the village they can go and whistle, I never liked "The Prisoner" anyway. By 1500hrs Maria could stand the rain no more and departed, 1700hrs Ian followed, 1800hrs Pat's brother Anthony arrived with his new girlfriend Sharron after getting lost and stuck in the mud in some field en route. 1930hrs and they too were off, leaving us now alone on an empty site.

Today, Pat and I walked the mile to the beach where we were on the look out for sea glass and driftwood. We want the sea glass to make some jewellery and the driftwood is an idea that I have to add another dimension to our occasional craft stalls. This is where the fun began. The beach was completely deserted, thank heaven, because Pat and I must have looked like a couple of crabs mooching around the beach and rummaging in the shingle. I found the first piece of glass, which turned out to be the only piece. We moved our attention to the driftwood, we had several carrier bags for our haul and soon had filled two of them. I really wanted to find some Ivy, it looks so intricate the way it has wrapped its way around a host. Well we trudged along the beach for about a mile stuffing more and more into our now bulging bags as we went, then I saw it. A half of a tree, complete with a six foot twisted shroud of Ivy. "I am having that" I said. The only thing was, that the tree was "Y" shaped and the Ivy was all around it. I wanted to keep it's full length, so out came the pruning saw with eight inch blade to cut through a tree trunk of nine inches or so. I took time to study where to cut, so that I could slip it from inside the strangulation hold of our quarry without causing any damage. Two hours later, the tree fell in two and between us we removed the two pieces leaving our prize in tact. It is a lovely piece of wood, more than two inches thick in places. All we had to do then was carry our salvage back the two miles to the truck. We must have looked like a couple of refugees, carrying all of our possessions in carrier bags with a huge bundle of firewood that was taller than I, on my back. Any way, we made it OK. Upon our return I set about washing our rather large haul in the river and scrubbing away any sand and dirt. Whilst back in a crab like posture standing in 9 inches of fast flowing water, two Hawk trainer jets flew over head at about 200ft, I nearly shit myself and stood up a little too quickly, looked up, went all dizzy and almost did the weeks washing at the same time. I used the Ivy as a crutch and avoided a cold dip. I am now thoroughly knackered, but I bet I go to sleep smiling.