Thursday morning - The Last Full Day

Sad, isn't it?  

Morning, everyone.  It's a wet old start to Thursday and my internet connection is dire.  It keeps dropping and then coming back.  Most annoying.  One of the very few things Center Parcs does not do well!

Yesterday was great.  It started damp but the sun came out after a while and it was quite mild too.  We had a casual morning - Beth was quite weary so Al and I wandered around the village centre for a while, looking in the shops.  I found a few things for our Girls' Chat Santa which was good, and there's a decoration I want to go back and take a second look at.  No fridge magnets, as far as I could see.  Odd - they used to be drowning in them in past years.

In the afternoon, we had booked the electric boats.

There's all sorts of boats for hire - pedaloes, catamaran canoes, electric boats . . .

We love the electric boats because they just glide silently along and are pretty easy to steer too.  I filmed some video clips on my mobile and when back at the lodge, I found out how to upload them.  Yay, me!!

There's a longer one but I need to ask Beth and Alex for permission first so you might not see that one.  Here's a couple of shorter clips and when I get home I'll find out how to stitch them together.  I did know - I've forgotten!

After that was over, we headed straight to the pool and had a lovely swim.

Come the evening, we went to Huck's for dinner and made absolute pigs of ourselves.  It was delish!

(Photos on my foody blog, link down the side somewhere!!)

Today is the last full day.  We plan to take the morning easy - I will probably pack most of my stuff - and then, after a leftovers mark 1 meal, we're out for a swim and then ten pin bowling.

The evening is chilling back at the lodge with a fire and leftovers mark 2 for dinner, after which we really won't have much left.

And tomorrow it's all over.  Sad.

How has your week gone.  Really well, I hope.  Take care and have a great day.  xx

Wednesday morning, 16-10-24, and a lodge tour. Photo heavy alert!

 Good morning.  As usual, I have been up since stupid o'clock and it's still dark and very quiet.  I do love my mornings.

I tried to video a tour of the lodge but it was total pants so it's photos!

Our designated parking place.  Because it is an adapted lodge, there's parking at the front rather than having to take the cars back to the car park and drive around for ages trying to find a slot that has something close by to help you remember where it is (it's an awfully big car park!).

I wasn't sure if I could park there and asked a nearby cleaning lady who said basically 'no idea but give it a go and see'

Yesterday morning there were 'please move your car' signs on both.  Obviously that wasn't right because it was designated parking and Beth should have been OK, it was my car we weren't sure about so we went to the office to check and, as always, they were super-helpful.  Yes, it was fine for us both.  After a long day, the staff have to go all round 'mopping up' cars that hadn't been returned to the car park, it was dark, they were tired, and they probably didn't see the sign saying it was a designated slot.  She took our lodge number and said she would sort it out - and she did.

It will be so good on the last day not to have to trundle off to collect the cars in order to pack.

The path to our lodge - it's the furthest away and on the right lodge.

In through the front door and directly left, there's the excellent wet room.  It's really spacious with a good shower.

Next to the wet room is a useful little space where Beth parks the Tiger.

The sitting room areas, one way . . .

. . . and the other.  Very comfy chairs.  I'm standing just in front of the fireplace to take this photo.

The kitchen area is more roomy than the usual kitchen at CP which is pretty much a galley.  It is a good size for a wheelchair and you can see a lower working surface if needed.

And - for the first time - there's empty cupboard space for one's food, etc.  It always bugs me how these self catering places don't have an empty cupboard for food - neither of the cottages in Southwold had space and I've not known CP lodges to either - until this one.

A small bathroom with a big bath that takes for ever to fill!

We don't bother.

And my bedroom.  It is the adapted one so very roomy.

My bed is the one you can see a bit of at the front.  The other is the all singing, all dancing bed that goes up, down, sits you up, lies you down - one wonders if it would make the morning coffee for you if you asked it to!!

It didn't seem 'right' to use that bed.

This is the back.  You can just see the patio that has table and chairs plus a bbq stand for those single-use barbies.

Walk down that little path and you get to . . .

. . . this.  On a dull day it looks a bit boring but when the sun shines I am sure it is beautiful.

We haven't seen as much of the muntjacs as last year but the water fowl come a-tapping on the window every morning - Canadian geese, pigeons, of course, snipe I think), the usual ducks . . .

Lots of squirrels too.

You're not supposed to feed them but, obviously, people do judging by their behaviour . . . 

We have decided that if we come back again (and I bet we will), it's worth the extra fee to request this lodge again.  Close to the centre, roomy, comfortable and no issues with Beth's wheelchair.  And that parking . . .

So this is our home for a few days.  Lucky us.

Have a great day, everyone.  xx

Tuesday morning, 15-10-24

Morning, everyone.

I think that for the next four days, the blog will be posted in the mornings because the evenings will look like . . .

this . . .

and/or this.

It's different in the evening when there are others around and the mornings are going to be my quiet space time as both Beth and Alex are later risers and I am definitely not.

So . . . back to yesterday morning.

The living room looked a right tip with everything to put in the car scattered around.  I nearly took a photo but I remembered I'd packed the camera so you'll just have to imagine it.

I managed to get to circuits and I'm really glad I did because 

1.  it was N's last week because her job has changed and she can no longer come and

2.  it was really good.  Short, sharp bursts of activity, twenty seconds and move on.  Great because in just twenty seconds you can really go for it without starting to feel it too much.

The weather, sadly, was shocking.  Pouring with rain.  I decided I really did not want to get there early and have to wander in the rain so I left in time to get there by around two which is when we could get into the lodge.

A great drive up.  A few short hold ups because of road repairs but nothing worse, no heavy traffic, even through Bury St Edmunds, and I got there at about ten to two.  And the sun was shining.  Yay!

I joined the queue to get to the check in point and, lo and behold, two behind me in the queue was a car I recognised!  What are the chances of two cars on the same booking, travelling different routes, getting there absolutely together.  So Beth and Alex followed me from car park to lodge; I thought we'd need to go all round the village one way system to get to the lodge but the very helpful check in lady gave me directions to get straight there so I didn't get lost this time (I did last year).

Because of Beth and her tiger (wheelchair), we had an adapted lodge and we're very impressed.  I'm sure it isn't perfect but it works for us.  
I'll do a lodge tour tomorrow when I've taken some photos or, if you're very unlucky, a video, probably as botched as the one I tried to make yesterday.   

We had agreed to pack our swimming stuff ready to grab and go so as soon as we'd unpacked and sorted out the food bags, off we went to the pool.

It was, as always, absolutely lovely!

Apologies for the clunky bits in the photo below.  I edited out some faces that were recognisable and some of the background also disappeared.  For example, the bottom of one of the cabana posts wasn't really broken and the floating barrier was complete, honest!

After swimming, we came back and settled in for a cosy evening.

A really  quick video clip - and it should open, I hope.  Please let me know if it doesn't.  

It moved on to the photos at the top!!  A good evening.

One of the bedrooms is adapted and I had that one for no particular reason really.  One of the single beds was an adapted bed with all mod cons while the one I am using is just a bed.  Very comfortable it is too!  I have slept like a log after a combination of a circuits class, a swim and plenty of steps.  We won't mention the wine, OK?

And now it's a new day.  The skies look rather overcast but the ground is dry so we will just have to see . . .
Have a lovely day, everyone.  xx

Sunday evening, 13-10-24

Evening, all.  It feels right chilly as I type this but I'm tired and will be off to bed soon so no point turning up the heating really.  It does seem to be getting significantly chillier now, doesn't it?  It will be so nice to light the log burner in our lodge tomorrow evening.

Today has been busy but pretty much everything is now done and ready with just a few things to finish off tomorrow.  I popped round to Beth's this afternoon and now her cases are in my boot.  There's very little room in her car because of all the space the wheelchair and hoist takes up.

I've just checked the route (although I do know it by now, really) and my case, etc, is all downstairs by the front door.

I'll keep up these posts as much as ever I can but don't worry if one doesn't appear.  It will be because we're out and about.

Good night, everyone.  Have you had a pleasant weekend?  I do hope so.  Sleep well and keep nice and warm.  xx

Saturday evening, 12-10-24 - a lovely day

Good evening, everyone.

Today didn't have the best start ever, what with oversleeping and not having time to do my usual Facebook stuff and so on, but it wasn't a disaster, life went on, surprisingly!

The coach left nice and early and the journey there was great with no hold ups whatsoever.  I've never been to Alexandra Palace and was hugely impressed by the views over London.  This one came out quite well, despite the mistiness and lack of sun

The Show was great.  So well organised with plenty of places to sit, to get food, enough loos (impressive), and marshals who were friendly and helpful.

We got there early so it wasn't crowded at first but an hour later the place was heaving.  There was a great atmosphere, everyone was smiley and seemed happy and it was just lovely to be surrounded by fabric, yarn and all sorts of textile crafting.  Loads of people were wearing things they had  made themselves and some were seriously impressive.

The first thing as we walked in was a display of some stunningly fantastic quilts.  I took a few photos, of course.  

Once in the main hall, there was so much to see and do that I started by buying a guide and a coffee and deciding what to do/see as well as finally deciding on what I wanted to look for.
I was after another project, some good stitch markers (the ones I have keep falling off), some crochet hooks with comfortable handles, some little embroidery scissors and some ideas for Christmas presents.

This is the project I have chosen - the photo is from the relevant site because I didn't get a decent photo and it isn't what I had had in mind but when I saw it, I was just 'wow'.

It's called Persian Tiles Marrakesh crochet blanket and the kit includes the patterns and all the yarn needed.

It's actually  based on a granny square in part with fancy bits added.  There's two versions; the same stitches in both but one has a more complicated colourway that the other - guess which I'm doing.  😉 

I'm not going to start it yet because I'm in the middle of the Christmas one, but that lasts for six weeks, two of which have now passed, so I reckon this will be a December/January project.

I was sorely tempted by this one which was stunning in real life but it was more expensive.  I may end up getting it anyway but not yet, not this year.

This was a kit (no, I didn't) and I took photos all round because I think I can make it at home - granny squares are trending at the moment.

I bought various shades of purple and made two squares while watching Strictly!

There was a sort of catwalk affair with some demos etc.  This lady was showing some basic crochet skills plus a few techniques that might be useful.  I tried her version of a magic ring but I prefer my way.  However, she showed a neat way to decrease and also how to make loops that are fixed and won't pull out - I haven't tried that yet but must have a go while it is still in my mind.

She showcased a book of patterns.  If it had been cats, I'd have bought it but it wasn't, it was dogs

I picked up a few free patterns and bought one and I found most of what I was looking for.

They are very cute though.

Here's my final hoard (plus some little embroidery scissors which were still in my bag when I took the photo).  The purple yarns are in a neat box that is just perfect to keep things tidy and I will get great use from it.  The greens and gold are for Christmas things - I already have red so didn't get any.  There's the Persian Tiles kit in the middle with some new hooks, fabric clips and markers and I picked up a shedload of web addresses, etc, too.
I could have spent an awful lot more so I'm very happy with what I did get.  I think I've turned into my mother - I kept thinking 'But what will I actually DO with it?', just like she used to say to me.

The journey home was not quite as good but could have been loads worse.  The most annoying thing was that the junction off the M25 and onto the A12 was closed so the coach had to go a longer way round which added around another twenty minutes or so but not to worry, we were still back before six.

I am beginning to flake out now so I will love you and leave you and get myself up to bed pronto.  It's been a really lovely day and if Jan and Ray run another one next year, it'll be a case of 'behind me in the queue'.  I might also book a workshop in advance.  All the best ones were booked by the time we arrived.

Have any of you been to this show in past years?

Sleep well, everyone, and sweet dreams . . .  xx

Saturday morning. 12-10-24: a very quick one.

 Morning, everyone.  I really did intend posting last night but I was so very tired that I fell asleep in my chair, woke at around eight, went up to bed before nine, fell asleep and didn't wake until six thirty this morning.  Annoying because I'm out for the day but not to worry!  I'm ready now and have a bit of time to post this.

It's the knit and stitch show at the Alexandra Palace, somewhere I have never been so it's going to be great fun.  I have allocated myself some pocket money so goodness knows what I will come back with . . .  Yes, I have fold up bags in my backpack!  

Time to go.  Have a lovely day, everyone.  See you soon.  xx

Thursday evening, 10-10-24

 Good evening, everyone.

This is what the BBC said about the weather round here today when I checked this morning.

I think someone got this a teensy bit wrong, don't you?

Judging by comments all over Facebook, it was all over the country,m these hurricane force winds that magically missed Mid Essex - wasn't that lucky!!!

OK, so - today.

You know the feeling when you think you have loads of things to get done?  I felt like that today so did myself and Little List and worked through it and you know what?  It really wasn't that bad.

I did two loads of washing which is currently draped all over everywhere - I must fold them and sort them out before I stop for the evening.
I finished doing Jen's farewell gift for Slimming World tomorrow, wrote a nice little message from us all and got some flowers to give to her alongside another gift.
I did my personal card and little 'thank you' gift so that's all ready too.
I decided what I am going to make for the taster table at said group and got what I needed.
I had a lovely chat with Chris.
In town, I looked for bras, was disappointed by M&S (they had loads more online) so now I've got the new size sorted (see line below) I will order some.
I finished up in John Lewis where the girl was so helpful and I ended up knowing what my size is now and also paying what feels like an exorbitant amount for one bra (but it's a good one!) - the others I get will be cheaper.
I came home, put the bins away again, had lunch, folded any washing that had dried and then I could sit down so I did and got on with the Christmas project.

And that was my day.  Phew.
Good night, everyone.  Sleep well and sweet dreams.  xx