Blah de blah

I’ve been a bit slack with my posts recently. It’s been busy, here’s a brief update as to what’s been going on this month so far.

It’s late February and I’m conscious that I haven’t posted anything this month, and that does play slightly on my OCD, as I like to see each month ticked off on the archive page.

It’s a me thing really, it frustrates me that I haven’t been posting regularly recently, but there have been a few things that have kept me occupied elsewhere, probably too boring to write about, but in the interest of maintaining a monthly contribution to my archive, I’m going to tell you what’s been going on anyway.

Feel free to move on at this stage, if you have more important things to do such as washing your hair or counting the hair follicles on your other half’s head.

The overriding elephant in the room here has been the aftermath of the house move. We’ve only moved about 12 miles out into a more rural area, away from the noise and pollution of the city of Leicester, the difference in noise and pollution is instantly noticeable in that we can sleep uninterrupted by wailing sirens, boy racers and inconsiderate road users, my intake of asthma stopping medications has reduced considerably, and occasionally we have to speak up just to check that our ears are still working as the noise levels are almost zero. It’s lovely.

So for what has been the last three weeks now we have been unpacking immense quantities of cardboard boxes and realising we didn’t pack as well as we could. We’ve found a lot of stuff that we have been looking for, stashed away in boxes that they shouldn’t have been in, for example a box of biscuit crackers in with the bedding of bedroom number two, obviously just thrown in at the last moment to occupy a space. We’ve now found most of what we require and are now only left with a number of suitcases of clothing awaiting new storage.

So much cardboard

We are fortunate to have a garage as extra storage and this has been where the mass of cardboard is stored. It’s taken to the local tip for recycling, and when I breathe a sigh of relief that I now have my garage space back and available, another batch of boxes arrives and I lose the storage space again. At the moment it seems like a never ending cycle, but I know we have broken the back of it all and the recycling visits are starting to dwindle and hopefully before long they will stop completely. Fingers crossed 🤞

It’s a new house so fortunately decorating is not something we have to worry about just yet, thank heavens.

My workspace, that the wife has kindly allocated me, is situated within the second bedroom and is more than sufficient for my needs. However as the priority is getting the rest of the house up to the required standards of the foreperson (My Wife) unfortunately my area has to take a step back for the moment, and I doubt it will be anytime real soon where I am in a place to resume my hobbies and interests. Although I am still purchasing items to repair, I now have in excess of 21 projects in draft that need attending to.

In our old house we had quite a bit of furniture that we had to downsize on. A lot of these items went to charities, and earlier last week the last piece of furniture, a 3 seat sofa had to be transported to the south coast, Ramsgate, in Kent to my niece. The wife and I decided we would take this our self and use it as an excuse to get away for a few days to see the family.

Sofa loaded into a people carrier

We hired a suitable vehicle, loaded it up and then hit the road for the 4 hr drive down to Kent.

Sofa, in place in my nieces house, with the wife posing behind

The journey was a success and the sofa is in place being used at my nieces house in Ramsgate. Whilst here I couldn’t resist going along to the Hornby/Scalextric/ Airfix museum in Margate (The wonder works) to relive some of my childhood memories.

Another 4hr trip back to the East Midlands as we had some wardrobes being delivered from that large Swedish furniture company that needed construction (And yet more Cardboard 🤦‍♂️)

Wardrobes built and installed.

Then we had another six boxes of blinds arrive, the garage is now overflowing with cardboard once again.

Blinds now in place

It’s fair to say that we are almost there and settled now. Just a few bags to find homes for and then maybe I may be able to get my space finally finished and ready to use, and get all my gear out of storage a couple of miles away.

On top of this my shift pattern has changed at work meaning now that I am on continuous 12 hr shifts. It’s long days and nights, but I do get to spend more time at home now due to the way the new system works, believe it or not.

So that’s what I’ve been up to, pretty much for the last three weeks, and hopefully a somewhat normal return to service will occur as soon as the demands of the house and my wife, bless her, start to dwindle and normal day to day living returns to our household.

Stay safe, and may peace and comfort be with you all.

Thanks for passing by. It’s very much appreciated.

Are we there yet?

The ongoing saga of a house sale chain, that has collapsed three times in the last six months. Will it be fourth time lucky?

The ongoing saga of selling a house in the Uk.

As I’ve stated in previous posts, the house has been on sale since March 2025, and sold in August of that same year. It has so far sold 3 times and the chain has also collapsed 3 times due to factors further down the chain including, job redundancy, poor credit with potential purchasers, and not having any funds available in the first place.

Sold or not?

Now I can understand the redundancy reason, no one wants to lose their job, and the added pressure of taking on a mortgage when your cash flow has been stopped is not an ideal or practical situation to be in. Fully understandable.

The other excuses though are totally at the door step of our highly incompetent and totally useless estate agents, “Leicestershires finest”. As has also been previously documented their incompetence knows no bounds and I’m not going to waste anymore time on them here.

My wife and I, have been in a position of suspended animation since the property first sold. We seem to be the last to be told anything, and when you have solicitors contacting you to ask what is going on, you then have to take a deep breath and ask them, “What are we paying you for?”. My wife, bless her, is the catalyst that keeps this old jalopy of an engine ticking over, she is the one chasing, pestering and prompting two sets of solicitors and an estate agent to talk to each other. How she hasn’t become a dependent alcoholic due to their collective incompetence I will never know. I just thank god she is there to do it, as my approach normally includes x-rated expletives and accusations that would never get us very far. That’s why she’s asking me to sit out of things for the while. I guess I’ll be back in the frame when monies are being discussed and apportioned.

So. As stated the third collapse came and went and we were very reluctant to go into number four, as this meant having hoards of individuals mooching around the house and starting the process all over again. The only certainty throughout this process is that the new build we are purchasing was not ready yet, so they were happy for us to continue the search for a relevant purchaser.

Hey ho, the house went back up on sale for the fourth time on a Tuesday, we had five viewings on the Wednesday and four offers came in on the Thursday, it was sold on Friday. Sale to sold in four days! Wow that’s quick. We had plans in place as this was the last time it was being listed and that’s a certainty, if this sale collapsed again then we would look at investing in some big upgrades such as extra rooms, and would just stay put. As I’ve said our neighbours are ok 👌 it’s just the roads around us are getting busier and busier and a little of the attraction has now gone. Add to that, some of the owners have rented their properties to quite questionable residents, and turned one house into a House of multiple occupation where you have so many comings and goings that you don’t really know who lives there anymore, security of the area has taken a nose dive, and the resulting litter issue of people who just don’t really care about their local community is becoming an issue. Beyond that it’s all ok 👌

Sale number four has been very testing on both our mental states. We can’t, and refuse to get excited as we have been through the same situation three times before and still have the scars. I’ve never seen two people sitting so firmly on the fence, dreading any calls from the agents as in the past they have only ever called for bad news. The purchasers mortgage company sent a surveyor, and all was fine. The seller then wanted an in depth survey as they are first time buyers and you can’t blame them for that, he came and was crawling over every inch of our property for almost four hours, taking in every measurement, photo and reading he could possibly obtain. This was just prior to Christmas 2025, we had no decorations out as we couldn’t be bothered, we were not confident of the results even though the surveyor was very nice and complimentary of our house.

Then silence for over two weeks.

We had jumped through every hoop and over every wall we’d been asked to, we were drained and still no communication from any of the solicitors until we get a letter through with a few random questions and another form that needed filling. I have already filled in close to 147 other forms for sale and purchase prior to this one, so another one wouldn’t hurt, it was just what seemed like another obstacle being thrown at us. Our confidence now was at an all time low.

Then the solicitors of the company we are buying from came back asking if we had heard anything further? God, don’t you lot talk to each other?

The house was nearing completion and obviously they were looking forward to their payday, I handed control back to my wife who in her role as an unqualified solicitor made suggestions on what they should do next.

All of a sudden things have kicked up a gear after we spoke to our solicitor, who didn’t even know her assistant had sent out questions to us. (This was a face palm moment for me). She then replied to us with this simple email below:

Are we there yet?

Well, it seems as if all parties have now finally started talking! I still cannot get excited as it could still all collapse at this very late stage until we all officially sign contracts, but this is the furthest we have ever come since August of last year.

I will not be posting this whinging update, until that distant but also so close finish post has been reached. We don’t have a home, we have an ever emptying shell at the moment, full of boxes and cases and so much of our stuff is now away in storage in anticipation of the day we may well move out. The stresses and strains we have endured over the last 6 months have been immense, I would not recommend this process to anyone, and I’m confident in saying I will never take part in such an activity again. That’s it. This will be our final move if it ever occurs.

See, I’m still pessimistic of it ever completing even after they have said we are due to complete in what is now just 12 days time. Will it happen? If this post goes beyond this paragraph then it’s safe to say it has finally occurred.

And it has!

Well, Weds 28 Jan after yet another week of jumping hurdles and climbing walls we finally had our last few interrogation emails from the buyers solicitors and we then received the notification that Contracts had been exchanged, the point of no return where the financial penalties are high if anyone decides to withdraw. It finally looks as if it’s actually going to happen. However, that nagging doubt still exists and I guess that’s just because I’m being super defensive due to the battle scars we’ve accumulated over this period of buying and selling.

We have less than 24hrs to finish clearing this place, wow, we’ve got a lot to do, so I must be getting on. I’ll let you know what occurs in the meantime.

Moved

We did it. We are now safely ensconced on the outskirts of Leicestershires “Pork Pie and Stilton cheese” haven, that is Melton Mowbray. The moving guys were superb and even the Estate agents and legal teams were extremely co-operative, I suspect due to the fact they were all in for a very good payday.

We have a house full of boxes that will now have to be sorted through, my first priority was to get the beds in place, and I have to thank my Nephew and his girlfriend who just happened to be passing by for their assistance. I now have a room to utilise as my hobby/work space and that will take shape over the coming months.

So it’s been an extremely long and stressful journey but it came right in the end. My only recommendation would be that if you are purchasing in the UK, and considering buying, just dig your heals in for a long journey. Be the dog that wags its tail, not the opposite as these financial types will walk all over you if you let them.

Have a good day.

Desperately seeking Dolly

I’m parked in a local park. I’m waiting for my wife who has a hair appointment, and I’m now looking for Dolly.

That last day. Me and Alf in this very carpark

Who’s Dolly?

Dolly is a puppy, she would be 18 months old now and when I last saw her it was on the 16th August 2024. The day our Alf lost his battle with his illness and went to sleep. Is there a cure for a broken heart 💔

We took a little walk into the park that day and he just sat at the entrance, nothing left in the tank, when an 11 month old bundle of fluff bounced up to him and wanted to play. He let her sniff around but he didn’t stir from his staring out into the fields where he once used to bound around just like Dolly.

Nothing in the tank, just so tired

I spoke with Dollys owners and told them what was happening that day, Dolly did not want to leave him, she knew something.

It was a sad and at the same time wonderful thing to see, as one life was ending and an exciting new one was just beginning.

I often pop back here in the hope that I will see Dolly again, even my wife encourages me to do so. I just want to say thank you to her and her owners, it was a beautiful moment when they both met but so tragically cut short. They would have been great friends as Alf loved everyone and didn’t have a bad bone in his body.

And if her owners allow, I want to give her a big cuddle. Another beautiful little soul.

Until then I’m still desperately seeking Dolly.

Peace.

Day four – Reykjavik

Today will be consumed by just the one activity, we are heading down to the south coast of the island, somewhere we have never visited before. So today will be Black beaches, Volcanoes, Glaciers and Waterfalls. We’ve been looking forward to this one.

On our way we passed the volcano Nick named by those who struggle with the Icelandic language as E15. Why E15? Well it began with the letter “E” and has 15 other letters after it that’s why! Its proper name is Eyjafjallajökull, you will know of it, as it was the one the erupted in 2010 causing all the disruption to European airspace as its massive cloud blanketed Europe. It looked so serene from the bus as we passed by on our journey south.


Eyjafjallajökull from the route one road

Leaving early from the city centre we were heading out on Route 1, the island circular road that encompasses the island, we will be heading south for approx 2.5hrs towards Reynisfjara beach just outside the town of Vik.

From this point on I’m going to post some pictures as written text does not do these places justice.

Reynisfjara beach

Reynisfjara beach
Strong seas at the black beach
Rock formations on the black beach

And this video at the black beach sums it all up. It was shot in normal full colour mode but all you can see is black and white, maybe the odd colourful coat or two on passing tourists.

Full colour, but black and white

After some time at the beach just drinking in its mystical majesty and getting some fantastic pictures we moved on to the town of Vik, about 20 minutes away to have some lunch. A very pleasant Lamb Stroganoff later we moved on to our next point of interest.

Sólheimajökull Glacier

Sólheimajökull glacier is a perfect example of how global warming is effecting the last remaining glaciers in Iceland, that are retreating year on year at quite an alarming rate. However, it is a beautiful site, what is left. They say that within 150 years there will be no remaining Glaciers on this island.

Sólheimajökull glacier
Glacier ice pack
Panorama capturing the glacier decline. Only a few years ago this entire lake was solid glacial ice, now the only remaining glacier can be seen on the far right.

From here we went on to visit our first of two waterfalls we would be seeing today and this first one has always been one I have wanted to visit.

Skógafoss falls

Skogafoss falls are purely wonderful. With a four hundred plus step climb up to its top you can look down onto the river as it makes its descent to the ground below. It is a magical and most beautiful site surrounded by volcanoes and lush green land. (As the snow has all gone)

Skogafoss waterfall time lapse
Volcano
Long climb up the side
Skogafoss waterfall standard shot

From here we moved on to our second waterfall and last point on today’s trip. This waterfall has a uniquely individual twist to it, you can actually walk behind it if the weather is good enough, and today it was fine. Just be prepared to get wet as it’s a constant mist of water all the way around.

Seljandfoss waterfall

Seljandfoss waterfall is unique. Come take a walk around it.

Seljandfoss
Slow mo picture
Behind the falls
And out the other side.

It’s been a day of pure majesty and scenes of some of natures finest displays of grandeur and beauty. We haven’t even began to scratch the surface of some of the places we can visit here, there is so much more to see and do. And I’m certainly hoping we are back here again soon as we are both still very much in love with this island.

I won’t be posting a day 5 post as that will be a day of recovery from all the walking, some packing and dinner at the Hard Rock Reykjavik. All pretty boring stuff. I will however do a little recap post with some other pictures when we arrive back in the Uk. So thanks for looking in, it’s always appreciated. Back to boring old fixing stuff next week.

Stay safe, peace to all 🙏

Day three – Reykjavik

Anyone who’s been to this part of the world has probably been on the golden circle tour, which is a great introduction to what this area has to offer.

However we are not, as we’ve been here before and done that, so the next couple of days will be spent doing variations of that trip to our own agenda. Today was one of those days. We’ve spent the morning after breakfast browsing the area. I always look for an item to take home that will remind me of our visit and today I think I have found the item I would like. It’s a piece of art on glass painted by a superb glass artist named Ella Rosinkrans. Ella is one of only a few glass artists on the island and has been designing and creating these art forms for about the last 25 yrs. it also helps living near the Eyjafjallajökull volcano as all the black portions of her art contain ash from this volcano that caused so much disruption back in 2010 when its eruption closed airspace over Europe for a number of weeks.

Anyway I will be purchasing one of her items as a memento of this visit. We will be back to her studio on day 5 to collect it.

Whilst browsing the shops we came across this one. the shop name loosely translates as “The Golden Cat” it hadn’t opened yet, however patiently waiting at the door for opening time was….a black cat.

The cat patiently waiting for the shop to open

We then popped around to the original Reykjavik cathedral just down by the old government building.

As with a lot of Reykjavik this cathedral had a big connection to Denmark. it was built by the Danish king at the time, built for the people around a time of great hardship as a place where they could all congregate for safety.

We then moved on to our next activity.

The Blue lagoon here in Iceland is on the to do list for many. Based near the town of Grindavik the scene of recent volcanic activity, this is a geo thermal spa where the water is pumped from the local power station. The area has been subject to emergency closures and is still under such an order due to the unpredictability of the seismic activity in the area. We’ve visited before so this year we have decided to try another lagoon closer to the city centre. We have found one just 15min drive out side of Reykjavik called the Sky Lagoon.

Sky Laggon Reykjavik (Picture Skylagoon)

Only opened in recent years this is a custom built lagoon / Spa where the order of the day is to take in the Skjól bathing ritual a seven stage experience that relaxes and invigorates you inside and out. I was sceptical but I must admit it’s a worthwhile experience although the cold sessions were quite horrendous seeing the outside temperature was -6. As I said it was a worthwhile experience.

Lovely hot water.
Sauna view

The day finished with us all feeling refreshed, we then headed back to the city where we convened at a bar for some dinner. One of our party is a football fan whose team were playing and fortunately they won so the day came to a pleasant happy ending.

Twister cocktail

The Twister cocktail was a nice way to finish the evening, I believe it consisted of Rum. Peach schnapps and other bits. Oh, and an ice lolly on the top. Good stuff!

Have a great day.

Day two – Reykjavik

Well we are actually on day three but I’m writing this in past tense. I’m struggling to find the time to be honest, we’ve kept ourselves very busy.

Day two has been a quieter day, it’s Sunday and we had a late night last night, so today we are relaxing as we have a couple of busy days ahead. The plan today was just to saunter around, stay local and chill, and that is quite easy when wind chill is taking temperatures down to minus eight degrees Celsius.

So we did chill we went to a local museum/exhibition centre called Perlan

Perlan is an all exhibition of all that has made Iceland, its natural wonders, its wildlife and its people. It’s a fantastic place to spend a few hours learning something of the history of this island. It’s an immersive exhibition with a number of shows about auroras, volcanoes and glaciers, it also looks into global warming and the issues of protecting this fragile environment. There is also a 100mtr ice tunnel at minus 15 degrees that replicates an ice tunnel found in a glacier. The 360 degrees view from the observation deck are superb.

And another thing, the Icelanders love their signage, no messing about, straight to the point they say what they mean. Here are two examples, one is found on a sealed off door to a shop, the other is in a bar.

And here is the one in the pub. No messing.

We get the message

So we finished the night at a new bar called Skor that we found, based on darts where you play different games. You hire the board in a way similar to how you hire a lane in ten pin bowling. This was a nice way to finish the day.

After that we wandered back to our hotel, look what came out to greet us for the second night on the trot.

Two nights on the trot. We have been blessed.

And what a way to finish the night. Two nights in a row, we were truly blessed.

Happy day all.

Day one – Reykjavik

This is our third visit to Iceland and today has been a long one due to us travelling for the most part of it. However I’d like to share these little snippets with you.

Last night was special we witnessed the Aurora Borealis right over our heads in the centre of the city. Quite a spectacular show. Aurora Borealis – Northern lights, Iceland

We also did a few touristy things and here is some of what we saw and did.

A bicycle for four
Some fantastic paintings
The old parliament buildings looking out towards the mountains. Looks so different without the snow that normally adorns the area

We popped in a local bar to watch a game of football and to grab something to eat and drink. The beer – local IPA was nice, the brand name was questionable though 😂

And I don’t mean Carlsberg 😂

And did you know what the third most popular tourist attraction in Reykjavik is? it’s probably not what you think but it is, the Icelandic Phallological Museum otherwise known as the museum of the Penis. Stay with me now…it’s quite an experience.

The museum is a collection of “Penis’s” from animals around the globe and every mammal on the island is represented. It all stems from the curators fascination with the form from an early age and this collection was formed as a result. That said there are also “representative” examples of creatures from folklore such as “Trolls”. Just have a look at the link I posted above to find out more yourself.

However the cafeteria and bar area is quite something itself with tee shirts, gifts and food a plenty all in keeping with the subject of the museum.

The food and drink is of a very good standard, the surprising fact is that a massive 60% of all visitors are female. That is the very hing that strikes you as you walk in, just how many women work there and are also there as visitors. You do hear an awful lot of laughing and it is all mostly tongue in cheek fun. A day out. It’s worth popping your head in the door and having a visit though. I’ll save pictures of the exhibits for another day, as waking up to a barrage of penis pictures doesn’t feature high on everyone’s daily agenda.

Have a great day and peace to you all.

Journal – Post nine

It’s been 5 days since my last post in the journal. It continues to be a lonely old week as the wife is still away at our friend’s house. Health wise she is now getting the attention that she needed, a care plan is in place and her support network is now better than it ever was. Fingers crossed it’s all looking positive with the occasional wobble.

Living apart for a short while really makes you appreciate what you have, it also brings a dose of reality as you experience what some people have no control over, makes you think.

Just one more shift at work and I can drive down to see them both on Friday morning, I’m really excited about that.

Been a strange week at work, a lady threw herself under a train as a train was passing through at 90mph, the call went up for our response and the controller informed us we had one under a train. However that train passed over her, and she got up after it had passed and climbed back on the platform. I have never seen anything like it, the amount of equipment that hangs under these trains would normally rip you to pieces. How the heck she survived this and lived to tell the tale is a mystery to me. Needless to say we breathed a sigh of relief as we were not going to be needed to collect what was left of her. I believe she is resident at a local mental health unit, we have far too many of these issues on our route with those that are seriously unwell. It’s getting worse.

(Amended 31/10 unfortunately the same lady was successful in her attempt to end her life today. I feel sorry for my colleagues and I who were heavily involved, we didn’t need to be brought into this issue but we unfortunately were. She got what she wished for. I hope she has found peace)

I’ve purchased a few items to repair this week, all items that will be going on the site in the coming weeks. I have about a dozen draft posts awaiting completion, most of them are still awaiting parts before I can finish them off. I’ve also brought myself a new Multimeter, the previous one (good though it was) has been giving some spurious readings of late, so I thought it was time for an upgrade. Should be a game changer for me as there’s a multitude of other tests this one is capable of that the older one wasn’t.

Enjoy Halloween if that’s your thing, Here in the East Midlands it’s Diwali being celebrated this week so if that’s your thing – Happy Diwali – Stay safe. Be happy.

Journal – Post eight

It’s probably been about a week since my last entry in the journal. My wife is still down south with our friend who is unwell, she has seen the doctor and it now appears she has started the road to recovery. My wife suspects she will be there another week as they have a return visit with medical staff next Thursday and she wants to be there to ensure she has support and that everything is well prior to her leaving. We are meeting friends in London for dinner on Friday so once I finish work on Thursday night it will be a few hours sleep prior to me heading south to pick her up, take her for a hair appointment and then on to our hotel, then out to dinner. To say I’m looking forward to this is an understatement.

We don’t have a big house but it has seemed massive these past few days. This is the first time my wife has been away and left me totally alone. I normally have Alf here to keep me occupied but he has gone, and the whole house now seems so empty. You notice creaks and clunks you weren’t aware of before, the mind plays some cruel tricks at times.

I’ve been to the local hospice and handed over the lovely items our friend down south donated, and they were over the moon. I think they will make some good money from those items. It’s a good feeling to walk out of these places knowing that you are helping people who genuinely are at a time in their lives when they need it the most.

Work has been busy, the autumn effect is in full force and we are fighting to keep the train lines safe and moving. It doesn’t help with thieves stealing large amounts of cable rendering safety systems useless. They put their lives as well as others at risk, and it inconveniences everyone. Well I guess it at least keeps me in a job.

I’ve purchased a couple of items to repair, and these will be going on the site shortly.

Until episode nine, be at peace, and be happy.

Journal – Post seven

It’s been a busy few days, so replying to WordPresses daily prompts hasn’t been high on the agenda, even though i was tempted by a few but just didn’t have the time. Since we got back from London it’s pretty much been all work, the weather as per usual has been awful and it’s all been about removing trees, cows and trespassers from the lines throughout the East Midlands.

We’ve been to look at some new houses. We’re not looking at leaving the county, we are just looking at moving about 12 miles or so into the countryside as the city is getting busier and noisier. I know it goes against a post i made a week or two ago when i stated that i had fantastic neighbours, that remains true, but when health and welfare and progression of ailments are moving faster than you do, these options have to be taken into consideration. It’s not for definite yet, but as each day passes another reason to up sticks and move on presents itself. I don’t suspect anything will progress until the middle of next year but who knows.

Today i had to take an unplanned trip back to London as our friend has taken a bit of a turn and i have had to get my wife back down there to keep an eye on her. I’ve had to come back home as I have work commitments, I’m suspecting she will be down there a week or so, we will miss each other immensely but sometimes there are more important concerns, and at this moment our friend needs us and we will be there for her. The journey back was interesting, just look at this idiot that doesn’t know how to use a wing mirror on the M25 Motorway! I’ve muted the audio as I wasn’t very complimentary.

Just an idiot on the M25

It’s strange being at home on your own, I’ve always been used to having my four legged side kick – Alfie, at my side whenever the wife has been out or away. Today is a first for me as i have neither and its hit me, it’s another one of those awful “first time” reminders you get whenever you lose a loved one. We think we’ve been having little reminders and visitations now, please don’t judge us, we are not crackers but little things have happened that just make us smile. There are probably very reasonable explanations but we don’t want that, and we like what we hear and see. It’s comforting, and in a world of utter misery you have to grab whatever bit of joy you can lay your hands on. Here’s a picture of the boys in the week, and for a brief moment the sun was in such a position to position a rainbow effect above them. This was a special and lovely moment for us.

For a moment…a rainbow

I’ve purchased a number of random ridiculous items to repair and these will be posted as articles over the coming weeks.

So for the moment we are up to date. There are a lot of calls going on between here and London, along with a lot of thoughts and prayers as well.

Stay safe, and check up on your older neighbours and family. They are a stubborn and proud generation and hate to ask for help. Be one step ahead and offer it without them asking.

Peace.