On The Road Again

Once again internet is dire, so this post is late. 

We finally left our friends Pete and Kath in peace on July 22 after more than 3 months. We could hear the champagne corks popping as the back wheels crossed the cattle grid. (Actually, they were walking in the Alps at the time, but I’m sure they were glad to get home and find an empty house.)

Caernarvon Castle

Our first stop was Porthmadog, still in Wales (we loved the weather so much), so we could do our last steam train trip to Caernarvon on the Welsh Highland Railway. Of course we wandered around the Norman castle and found a lovely pub for lunch.

We had thought that we would spend some time in Ireland visiting friends, but honestly we just couldn’t stand anymore of this terrible summer. I need some sun and warm weather, we need some summer before it’s over.  I think I’m suffering from S.A.D.

Next stop was Shrewsbury, chosen for the fact that it was on the way to where we needed to be to have some more work done the new (old!) motorhome. What a surprise find this town was, really lovely with loads of Tudor architecture. This is where I did my first bike ride since the accident. I was really nervous and made Lawrence ride my bike first to make sure it was going to behave. I made it to the shops and back without mishap. It’s amazing what you’ll do to buy wine.

Pretty shrewsbury

Whilst the van was having some bits done – including a smart new trailer for Mojo, we spent 3 days in Oxford with Hilary and Alun and then back to Spratton in Northamptonshire with Stephanie and Mark.

Our introduction to Oxford was a Chilean wine tasting in the Great Hall at Oriel College – simply wonderful! Oxford is a real architectural feast for the eyes – everywhere you look is another stunning college, church, tower, pub…  We also popped over to lovely Bury St Edmund’s for a day to catch up with Lawrence’s sister Helen who was staying with a friend there.

Lawrence, Helen and Karen in
Bury St Edmunds

We left UK shores on August 3, ferried to Calais and drove south. Spent one night in Normandy and made it to Brittany the next day. We are now in the beautiful (post-war rebuilt) walled city of St Malo. I finally feel like we are back in Europe and have restarted what was rudely interrupted than 4 months ago.

The ankle is OK but still swollen, stiff and numb. I can walk for more than an hour but am a bit slow and need to rest often. Frankly I’m sick to death of it!

We new home is slowly coming together. There is not as much storage space as the Mog, which was very well designed to maximise space. We accumulated too much stuff as I kept finding places to put things. Lawrence even found a hidey hole under the wardrobe that we didn’t know about!!! Could have bought more sherry. The new bus is packed to the gunnels and we sent quite a few things to the charity stores in Conwy. No more shopping!!!

St Malo

Off to Jersey tomorrow to stay with our friend Sam’s Mum.

Life in the Fast Lane

I’ve started swimming as part of my rehabilitation and have finally graduated to the fast lane. When I started a few weeks ago I was doing old ladies swimming in the slow lane, which was a bit Infradig for me. I can do about 1 kilometre now and it no longer feels as though I have a lump of wood on the end of my leg.

I’ve had 8 physio sessions, which have really helped with getting some movement in my ankle. I am walking mostly unaided albeit with a distinct limp, listing to starboard.  I’ve also had the final check up with my surgeon who is happy with everything – good news.

Last weekend we left Pete and Kath in peace for a bit and went to stay with Liz and Paul in Stratford Upon Avon. What a beautiful area, picture postcard villages and quaint pubs, rolling green fields and babbling brooks. It rained (of course) but we managed to do quite a few churches - Saxon, Norman, Gothic, Victorian, all with a tale to tell through their architectural changes.

Chocolate Box Houses

Adorable thatched cottage

One of many churches visited

We are sorting out our new home gradually. We now have new LPG gas tank for cooking, and solar panels are being fitted. We have fridge that can hold a reasonable amount of wine bottles. Bookshelves are going in next week and a new trailer for Mojo will be fitted in late July. We should be on the road next week.

Peter and Kath are off to the Alps next week and we have promised to be gone before they get back. Then again, we feel really at home here (apart from the weather), so maybe we’ll just change the locks.

Coughton House near Stratford

The Walking Wounded

I’m a free woman – the bondage of my cast has been ripped away and I can see my leg!! It was not a pretty sight, but a good soak in the bath got rid of the dead skin, dried blood, Betadine, and scabs!! Sorry about the gory details, but I like to share.

Going, going, gone...

Anyway I am now sporting the world’s largest and ugliest boot, and it’s grey. Who wears grey footwear???

The good thing about this piece of fashion disaster is that I can take it off and shower standing up. This is a breakthrough on my road to normality. No more clunking Lawrence with my cast in bed. Sleeping with an unfettered leg is a joy.

Where are the Fashion Police when you need them??

I can also hobble around without crutches, but took them to the pub last night for our celebration dinner. They are good for the sympathy value, and give me a sense of security.

So many people stop me to ask what has happened to my leg, out of kindness, but always tell me about some distant relative who broke their ankle, or a personal story of their own broken bones. When comes to how many pins, screws, plates etc, I trump them every time. “11 screws” I boast, no contest, I win every time.

The physio starts next week, this is where the real pain and work begin. Not looking forward to it, but has to be done. I should be dancing on the tables again in about 4 weeks, but I think my kickboxing days are over.

Wish me luck.

Send gin...

Highland Fling

We’ve just spent 10 days in Scotland, a real Cook’s tour.

We left Wales great excitement as I was allowed to put weight on my right foot for the first time in 9 weeks. I now have an ugly blue shoe strapped onto my cast. I asked for something in red leather but just got a strange look from the nurse.

We spent the first night with Helen, Lawrence’s sister in Glasgow. After a lovely evening catching up we set off for Stronian in the west. We drove through the hauntingly beautiful Glencoe Pass and past Ben Nevis, which I had walked up 22 years ago – not to be repeated this time for obvious reasons.

Kilcamb Lodge

We stayed the night at Kilcamb Lodge, a lovely country house hotel overlooking a loch. The 5 course dinner was a real treat as was the very hearty Scottish breakfast next morning, meant for walkers and climbers, not sedentary lame folk.

From there we headed to Dingwall just north of Inverness. Lawrence’s friend from school, Maggie, lives in town and we stayed with a friend of hers, Iain, who lives out of town in a fabulous converted stables. Both Iain and Maggie were great fun looked after us very well, and of course we ate too much great local food and drank a wee bit too much vino.

What a sight!!

I finally got to race around in a Gopher (electric scooter for old ladies). It needed a turbo charger but was great fun burning around the battlefields of Culloden. Perhaps if the Jacobites had these they might have defeated the nasty English.

Lawrence the Jacobite re-enacts the Battle of Culloden

We left the wonderful hospitality of Iain and Maggie and headed north. Firstly to Dunnet Head, which is the northern most point of mainland Britain (not John O’ Groats as lauded by tourists). From there we could almost touch the Orkney Isles, quite a spectacular site.

Dunnet Head and the NW Coast

As I can’t walk much, it became a driving holiday. We followed the stunning west coast of the Highlands to the Isle of Skye with the Cuillin Hills beckoning. 

I fell in love with the Cuillins in 1990 and have wanted to go back for some time. It was so frustrating not being able to walk in these wonderful mountains. Last time I was here I was reported as a missing person but luckily found in one piece at the pub!

Skye really turned on some great weather for us, with sea looking like a milky blue pond reflecting the lovely sky. It is still a truly breathtaking place.

The Cuillin Hills

Our last night was spent in Glasgow again, this time with Andy and Susan. Another lovely meal and fun night to end our jaunt, before heading down the M6 and back to Wales. Pete & Kath hadn’t moved house in our absence thankfully. You know when your house guests have stayed too long - they start inviting their own guests. Jen from Sydney is coming to stay with us next weekend, we'll out number our hosts, the takeover is almost complete.

Hopefully on Wednesday I'll be getting rid of this cast and get my walking boot - watch this space...

What’s That Golden Orb in the Sky??

“What can it be?” we cried as we squinted in the unfamiliar light. “Could it be the sun – remember that from Spain?”

Yes, the sun has come out in Wales. It’s extremely exciting, and the locals are baring their translucent white legs in fear that this week might be all they get of summer. Yesterday it reached 28 degrees – unheard of in this part of the world in May. Kath is almost melting in the heat, which is hilarious to an Australian. This time last week we had a maximum of 11 degrees.

Barbecuing in the evening - what a treat!

 So we’ve been out and about. I can get around a lot better now and we’ve been to Anglesey for lunch, taken the Festiniog Steam Train to Portmadog, and taken a train ride up Snowdon, the highest peak around here. Of course we've also been in ducking into pubs to have pint in the sun, there are a lot of very cute pubs around here. I feel it's our duty to visit them all. Lawrence is trying to drink his body weight in beer whilst we are in the UK. It’s been quite a week.

Snowdonia National Park

Festionog Steam Train

I’ve also starting pulling out the tatty stuff from the new home (still nameless).  I’ve ripped out curtains, thrown out nasty cushions, an old pot, the ancient satellite TV equipment, the fridge!!! Well Lawrence and Pete threw out the fridge. We needed a new fridge as the old one was the smallest fridge in the world. One couldn’t fit wine AND tonic in it, let alone food.

This coming Wednesday I get my walking cast and we are heading off to Scotland (driving, not walking) to visit Lawrence’s sister in Glasgow and friend Maggie in Dingwall (just north of Inverness).

That’s all from us, must get outside to top up my vitamin D levels whilst I can.

The View from the Front Garden