November - Visit to Amanda and Devon QP weekend
I popped over to Majorca for a few days at the beginning of the month - flew out on my birthday. I had a voucher from booking.com so I treated myself to a night at a hotel in Gatwick with an early flight the next day. Lee and Emma came to stay for the week to look after Suki (and Mike!!). Sam met me at the airport and took me to the apartment - and I then had a few hours to myself to shower and settle in before kids came in from school with Sam and Amanda came in from work. We all went out for a lovely meal at Meson Son Ferrer - I had a fabulous fillet steak, and a calypso coffee to finish. We had a lovely few days - the weather was a bit mixed but generally sunny. Amanda had taken a couple of days off work. We took the kids to cafes with free soft play areas - just had to buy a drink. We also had a lovely day at the Aquarium in Palma - as well as enjoying the exhibits there was a nice playground for the kids while we had lunch, and a soft play area at the end where we could sit for a while.
On the Sunday we had planned to walk to El Toro, the next village along about a mile away, to get a roast lunch at a restaurant run by one of Amanda's friends. However the weather was bad in the morning, wet and windy, so we drove - which was just as well as he turned us away because we hadn't booked. We would have had to walk back again! We drove back to Son Ferrer and walked round to Meson, who were very busy (and surly) and unable to accommodate us. So it was back to the car and we drove to another restaurant in Palmanova - where we found all Amanda's friends having lunch but once again they were fully booked and turned us away. So we went back to the apartment and had delicious warm ham and cheese baguette ring and tortilla. The weather improved in the afternoon so we went for a walk and ended up at a field of donkeys - where we fed them with pods from the trees (on the advice of a lady who turned up with a large bag of pods for them).
Amanda and I spent every evening drinking wine and watching The Crown on Netflix - I got completely hooked. We also enjoyed some of Amanda's special large pink gin and tonics - stuffed with frozen summer fruits.
Meanwhile Suki was having a wonderful time back at home with her friends - Lee and Emma made good use of the backpack to take her out and about with them!
I was back for a day and then went down to Devon, meeting up with Jay for lunch at The Smithy on the way. It was a Thursday, so Mike was at work and I was able to get a nice early start. It was nice to have the place to myself again, and I had a happy time moving things around the way I like them and generally pottering about. I defrosted the freezer and put the garden furniture away in the shed for the winter. I moved the fig tree into the sun lounge for the winter as it had lost all its leaves. I decided to try the 9.30 service at PPT - on the basis that I shouldn't knock it without trying it! I could see the appeal for families, and while it certainly wasn't to my taste there was an informal atmosphere of enjoyment. It was typical that in this warm cosy atmosphere Graham should decide to deliver a hard hitting sermon against abortion!
Suki wasn't interested in walking much (and I had forgotten to bring the backpack with me). I met Jackie for a walk in Parke and left Suki at home - again felt very weird, and I did quite a bit of walking into town for various bits and pieces.
On the handbell front we failed to ring a QP of 3xspliced Royal again, and failed to get the peal of Ipswich, however we did ring a QP, and then later a peal, of Kent Major which was Liz's first ever peal.
Mike came down on the Thursday prior to what is now the annual QP weekend with Clare, Bjørn , Dave and Louise. We went to handbells tune ringing at Moretonhampstead in the evening, picking up the mother of Bob's son's girlfriend on the way, which made them up to 10 so we could ring the more interesting and challenging music.
Mike went off to ring QPs the next day, and I drove over to Newton Abbot in the evening to meet them at an Indian Restaurant - in torrential rain! It rained heavily all day and a lot of the roads were flooded. Clare and Bjørn had their car written off at lunchtime so had spent the afternoon getting it sorted out. Various people had been drafted in at the last minute to replace them, including the local at Bishopsteignton (Roger Avery) who hadn't realised it was going to be a QP and wondered when the touch was going to finish - but was very chuffed at the end. He even wrote about the experience in the Branch newsletter.
They all went out to ring more QPs the next day, and came back with a chinese takeaway. It was a very enjoyable weekend and all the QPs were scored. Mike struggled with some of the stiff ropes - and this led to a request that there should be another one in the summer when the weather is better and drier. So there will be another one in June 2020. Still it was one of the reasons for keeping the house on and it is nice that there are a nice group of ringers who are keen to come
At the end of the ringing on Sunday we were invited to Piglet Cottage (Peter's place) for roast beef supper - Mike went straight there with Peter and I had to find my way over there in the dark along flooded roads! It was a bit of a nightmare but I found it eventually. It is in the middle of nowhere - really remote although there are a couple of other dwellings and the owner's house in the same area. We came back a much better way with Mike navigating.
In other news ...
I used my bike a few times to cycle to Barnes and Chiswick practices and my confidence increased a bit - I'm now on the biggest wheel at the front and travelling a little faster! Got in quite a few cross stitch days and finished another "section" of the Bayeux Tapestry (each section being about one-twelfth of the whole chart).
Had supper with Pru and Caroline - and James joined us. It was very pretty and Christmassy in Hays Galleria and there was live music.
Did a wet and muddy walk with Maryanne from Whiteleaf Hill. I took a walking pole this time and was very glad of it in places although it put a lot of strain on my wrists.
Messiah rehearsals started - Mike had a place in the concert and had paid his £40 but I didn't have a place however I was allowed to go to the rehearsals just for the fun of singing it, and I made a donation of £20 for the privilege which was much appreciated.
I made a good start on Christmas stuff - and got parcels off to Elvira and Jayne in India.
On the Sunday we had planned to walk to El Toro, the next village along about a mile away, to get a roast lunch at a restaurant run by one of Amanda's friends. However the weather was bad in the morning, wet and windy, so we drove - which was just as well as he turned us away because we hadn't booked. We would have had to walk back again! We drove back to Son Ferrer and walked round to Meson, who were very busy (and surly) and unable to accommodate us. So it was back to the car and we drove to another restaurant in Palmanova - where we found all Amanda's friends having lunch but once again they were fully booked and turned us away. So we went back to the apartment and had delicious warm ham and cheese baguette ring and tortilla. The weather improved in the afternoon so we went for a walk and ended up at a field of donkeys - where we fed them with pods from the trees (on the advice of a lady who turned up with a large bag of pods for them).
Amanda and I spent every evening drinking wine and watching The Crown on Netflix - I got completely hooked. We also enjoyed some of Amanda's special large pink gin and tonics - stuffed with frozen summer fruits.
Meanwhile Suki was having a wonderful time back at home with her friends - Lee and Emma made good use of the backpack to take her out and about with them!
I was back for a day and then went down to Devon, meeting up with Jay for lunch at The Smithy on the way. It was a Thursday, so Mike was at work and I was able to get a nice early start. It was nice to have the place to myself again, and I had a happy time moving things around the way I like them and generally pottering about. I defrosted the freezer and put the garden furniture away in the shed for the winter. I moved the fig tree into the sun lounge for the winter as it had lost all its leaves. I decided to try the 9.30 service at PPT - on the basis that I shouldn't knock it without trying it! I could see the appeal for families, and while it certainly wasn't to my taste there was an informal atmosphere of enjoyment. It was typical that in this warm cosy atmosphere Graham should decide to deliver a hard hitting sermon against abortion!
Suki wasn't interested in walking much (and I had forgotten to bring the backpack with me). I met Jackie for a walk in Parke and left Suki at home - again felt very weird, and I did quite a bit of walking into town for various bits and pieces.
On the handbell front we failed to ring a QP of 3xspliced Royal again, and failed to get the peal of Ipswich, however we did ring a QP, and then later a peal, of Kent Major which was Liz's first ever peal.
Mike came down on the Thursday prior to what is now the annual QP weekend with Clare, Bjørn , Dave and Louise. We went to handbells tune ringing at Moretonhampstead in the evening, picking up the mother of Bob's son's girlfriend on the way, which made them up to 10 so we could ring the more interesting and challenging music.
Mike went off to ring QPs the next day, and I drove over to Newton Abbot in the evening to meet them at an Indian Restaurant - in torrential rain! It rained heavily all day and a lot of the roads were flooded. Clare and Bjørn had their car written off at lunchtime so had spent the afternoon getting it sorted out. Various people had been drafted in at the last minute to replace them, including the local at Bishopsteignton (Roger Avery) who hadn't realised it was going to be a QP and wondered when the touch was going to finish - but was very chuffed at the end. He even wrote about the experience in the Branch newsletter.
They all went out to ring more QPs the next day, and came back with a chinese takeaway. It was a very enjoyable weekend and all the QPs were scored. Mike struggled with some of the stiff ropes - and this led to a request that there should be another one in the summer when the weather is better and drier. So there will be another one in June 2020. Still it was one of the reasons for keeping the house on and it is nice that there are a nice group of ringers who are keen to come
At the end of the ringing on Sunday we were invited to Piglet Cottage (Peter's place) for roast beef supper - Mike went straight there with Peter and I had to find my way over there in the dark along flooded roads! It was a bit of a nightmare but I found it eventually. It is in the middle of nowhere - really remote although there are a couple of other dwellings and the owner's house in the same area. We came back a much better way with Mike navigating.
In other news ...
I used my bike a few times to cycle to Barnes and Chiswick practices and my confidence increased a bit - I'm now on the biggest wheel at the front and travelling a little faster! Got in quite a few cross stitch days and finished another "section" of the Bayeux Tapestry (each section being about one-twelfth of the whole chart).
Had supper with Pru and Caroline - and James joined us. It was very pretty and Christmassy in Hays Galleria and there was live music.
Did a wet and muddy walk with Maryanne from Whiteleaf Hill. I took a walking pole this time and was very glad of it in places although it put a lot of strain on my wrists.
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| 6.4 m. 3:08 hours |
I made a good start on Christmas stuff - and got parcels off to Elvira and Jayne in India.
