Sea View Cottage

2012-01-16T13:58:00.000+01:00

Happy 2012 to everyone. xx

Lovely weather......

2011-04-19T11:57:00.000+02:00

It is a lovely day on the south coast of England. The birds are singing and the fish are jumping.
I am going to mow the lawn and tend my borders.

Hello

2011-04-14T13:44:00.000+02:00

Hello all out there. I have been bad and not kept this blog up to date. As Summer is nearly here and I like to share our adventures, I will be posting more often. All is well by the sea, lovely in fact. Hope there is someone out there to read this.................

Time rushes on.........

2010-07-15T16:12:00.000+02:00

Next week we are going to collect the boys from France. They are coming for their summer holiday. That's very scary, as it seems like yesterday that they were here for their last summer holiday. Man where does time go? Everything else is well, still trying to find something to do. Lots of ideas, just got to get something off the drawing board and bring life to the idea. That's the hard part. Hope all is well in your worlds and that you are enjoying the summer sun.

Well.......

2010-05-25T12:28:00.000+02:00

Is there anyone there? It has been a very long time since I was here. I think my comments have gone away.

Home with a smile........

2009-12-17T14:55:00.000+01:00

Well we are home, with the spousal visa. The appointment lasted no more than twenty minutes.We had all the papers in place so it was a breeze. Just for information, you are not allowed to take guns or cross bows into the Public Enquiry office.

Here we go again......

2009-12-14T13:02:00.002+01:00

Wendy and I are getting together another pile of papers to proffer to the Border Agency. We have to travel all the way up to Birmingham for this pleasure, and pay £660. I hope this will be an end of all this form filling, and that we can get on with life and settle. The good part is that by paying the extra we get an answer on the day.

It will be wonderful that Wendy can come and go through passport control without any worries that there will be a problem, something I have always taken for granted.

Fingers crossed and spare a thought for us at 9.10am Wednesday 16th........ thanks.

Homage.........

2009-11-14T14:45:00.003+01:00

The following is a homage to Sally. Seen on the beach this very morn.

Stormy weather.......

2009-11-14T14:41:00.000+01:00

Here, as in lots of places we are in the throws of a major storm. Wendy and I have just returned from a walk on the beach. The sea is magnificent when she is angry. Our walk was quite short as the wind was blowing us over. Good to be back indoors, Wendy's watching Sex in the City on dvd. I will have to find something else to do.....

It has finally happened..........

2009-10-30T10:08:00.002+01:00

We have finally got married. After all the bru ha ha we stood up in Eastbourne Register office and said our vows. It took around ten minutes. We had a nice little bash at home for my family and some wonderful blog friends that came down from London. The weather was fantastic so we could use the garden.

Who would have thought that when I started reading Wendy's blog those few years ago she would end up being my wife........ o that sounds strange, I have a wife. She is upstairs feeling a little fragile must have been a dodgy sausage roll.

Lovely......

2009-10-27T10:51:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was lovely. Up nice and early 4.45am. Hurried beans on toast and into the car and off to Gatwick airport. I checked in online so straight through security and onto the plane.

The same old flight and routine at Basel. I went to collect my hire car and was told that it was on the other side, that being Switzerland. It seems that my booking agent (Wendy) had made a mistake on the form and I had to cross over the border. This is not as hard as it would seem, it means going up some stairs and through a door. The man at the desk was very helpful apart from telling me that I could not go to France in the car, then when I said ' Do I have to go back and book it there' he said 'Yes'. Then he proceeded to offer me a Golf or Passat. I said that I was going to cancel it and book it in France and he said 'Why?'. 'Because I cannot go to France in it, and I need to' I said. 'Who told you that?' he asked. You did, no I did not he said. My head was hurting at this point, so I can go to France in it?. You can go anywhere you want, so long as you bring it back.

Paperwork complete I got the bus into Basel, and had a coffee and a walk around, I took the little ferry across the Rhine just for a laugh which was nice.

Then back to the airport to collect the car and find my way back into France. Last time Wendy and I tried to do this we ended up in what looked like the meat packing district of Basel,lost. I had the sat nav with me and this made the whole process mush easier. Before I knew it I was at Auchan in Belfort. I had promised to get our French neighbour some tins of Cassoulet as she loves it. Only two tins in stock, so with those onboard I headed off to collect the boys.

We left the house and started on the way back to the airport. We would have to cross the border again, as we were slowing down a border guard waved us down. I put the window down and he started talking in French. I asked Nathan to talk with him and after a while heard Nathan say 'Le Cassoulet' the guards face was a picture as he waved us through. When I looked in the rear view mirror he was shaking his head as he talked with his colleague. I asked Nathan what he had said 'He asked if we had anything apart from clothes onboard, so I told him about the Cassoulet'.

I laughed till I cried, international stew smugglers.

The plane was delayed by forty minutes, Wendy was at Gatwick to collect us. Another 19 hour day logged up. Going back next Wednesday, bring it.

The start of a wild week......

2009-10-25T17:32:00.001+01:00

Well it's here at last, the week of the wedding. We had a last minute hitch with yet another missing piece of paper from France. That has arrived, 150€ for a letter from a lawyer. Robbers.

I am off tomorrow on the 8.15am flight from Gatwick to fetch the boys back. Some shopping on Tuesday and Wednesday, then getting married at 2.30 on Thursday.

It has taken an age to get here, but we are so glad that we will finally be married.

Here we go.............

How times change......

2009-10-10T12:03:00.002+02:00

First of all many thanks for your good wishes about the wedding. I can't get into my comments to answer, I forget the password, must be age.

I watched a docudrama on BBC3 called 'Micro Men' it was about Sir Clive Sinclair and how he lead the way in home computers before anyone else. I forgot that he made the first calculator and the first digital watch. And the first small screen TV. What a guy. It was a good account of the conflict that took place between him and Acorn computers which was started by a former employee, they went on to win the BBC contract for home computers. Alexander Armstrong did a wonderful job of playing Sir Clive, while Martin Freeman proved yet again that he can play any role, as long as it's Martin Freeman. But I am off course. What was amazing was the actual machines that were being sold. I remember having a Sinclair Spectrum and having to plug it into a TV and hook up a cassette machine to load the programs. And then fighting to get anything to work.

How things have changed it such a short time. This morning I was laying in bed looking at a square in Narbonne France through a camera that I was controlling by my Iphone. Zooming in to see people having coffee in a cafe in the south of France. And then looking at guys loading luggage onto a plane at Stuttgart airport. We owe those pioneers of computers alot.

His latest invention is a folding bike see it here.

I'am getting married in the morning......

2009-10-03T12:10:00.002+02:00

Well not in the morning, but on October 29th. At last everything is in place for us to tie the knot. We have booked Eastbourne Register office as it's easier to get to than Brighton. It is in fact much nicer. We are getting married in The Mayor's Parlour. Swanky or what ?

I will go and collect he boys so they can be at the wedding, the good thing is that Wendy can come back with us now she has a multi entry visa.

Then the next round of forms to get another visa. O well we must enjoy our day,it's taken a long time to get here.

Going home.......

2009-09-16T12:53:00.000+02:00

We are heading home tomorrow, a day early. We were sitting here last night watching French tv when Wendy just said " I want to go home". So we changed the ferry booking and we leave the house at 10am in the morning.

On a purely selfish level, I am more than pleased as it means fish and chips on Friday night, then Johnny Ross. Small things, small minds etc..................

Alligator Bay.........

2009-09-15T17:08:00.002+02:00

Today we went to Alligator Bay, it's just near Mont St Michel. What a great visit. There are lots of turtles and lizards at the start. They lead the way into the snake house. I was a little worried that it would be like other reptile house that I had visited that were smelly and dirty. This one was very very clean and well laid out. They had a very novel way of getting up close to the snakes. You crawl under the case in a tunnel and pop your head up in a glass case. Being so close to a big snake is quite weird, after only seeing them on them tele before.

Then we went on to see the main attraction, the alligators. They did not disappoint, they are masses of them.

Well worth a visit.

Rubbish.... The Bourne Deception.

2009-09-14T19:29:00.002+02:00

I bought a book on the ferry. I love the Bourne trilogy, and when I saw this I got quite excited.
It was not until I was back in my seat that I noticed it is written by some bloke called Eric Van Lustbader. I read it anyway. It's just a pile of complex crap. How can it have Robert Ludlum's name on the front in great big letters. He's dead, does not even know that this has been published. It's like saying 'Picasso's new blue period by Bert Postletwaite of Bradford. Crap.

Moving.......

2009-09-13T16:35:00.009+02:00

Today we went to the American cemetry which is just down the road from our house. There are 4410 men buried there. It is looked after by the American goverment. There is not a blade of grass out of place. Each cross bears the name, regiment, place of birth and date of death. The second grave that I looked at freaked me out slightly because of the name on the cross.

My Dad's name was John Cook and mine is Martin as you know. What are the chances of finding this ?

When you stand there and look at all the crosses and think that all these men had parents, brothers, sisters, wives. Now they are laying in a foreign land alone.

We found one grave of a man who died on this very day, sixty five years ago. Someone had visited his grave and placed flowers on it.

You cannot help but feel humble amongst so many heros.

Relaxing........

2009-09-13T11:05:00.004+02:00

The last couple of days we have been relaxed for the first time in months. Waiting on the visa has been a royal pain up the bum. But that is now over and we can move on. At last. We thought that we would go somewhere nice. Wendy has wanted to visit Dinan for a long time, there is a shop there she wanted to see. So off we set. It's in Brittany, about fifty minutes drive from our house.

When we arrived. We got lost, that naughty sat nav, or is it me not listening to what she says? Wendy would say the latter. We did find the parking in the end, after going around tha same roundabout three times. It was lunchtime so we had a very nice meal, before starting off into the old town. The vibe of the town is quite fantastic, like London, Brighton and Pezenas all rolled into one. The shops sell beautiful fabrics and objects, and the fashion shops have great stock.

There was one shop that Wendy wanted to visit so we headed off there. It is a tiny shop that sells buttons and trimmings called Fleur de Lin et Bouton d'or. Wendy was in heaven, as I walked up and down and up and down the street outside. The lady that owns the shop speaks wonderful English, and even had a little joke with me. Buttons and ribbons were bought and there were smiles all round.

This was posted up in a shop window. Wow.

We noticed that there was a river, on a map of the town, so we had a walk down a very steep hill to have a look. There we saw that there was a boat trip along the river showing historic sites. I really wanted to go, so Wendy gave in and we hopped onboard. It was lovely to sit and listen to the man tell us about all the history. After a while he realised that we were the only English speaking people onboard so he came and sat behind us and gave our own personal guide.

We have often talked about having a second home in France, and where it would be. Should it be up near the boys around Colmar or down south near Montpellier ?. Well we have both decided that it will be here in Dinan. It is about seven hours from Sussex and just the most amazing place. So we will be back.

Errr

2009-09-10T14:23:00.002+02:00

YES!.

Tomorrow......

2009-09-09T16:31:00.004+02:00

This morning I plugged the phone in to charge, as it had run down yesterday. It made the little beep to let you know that it was happy and having a feed. After about two minutes the sound went to let us know that a text had arrived. Wendy rushed across and picked it up, "Don't get excited Wendy,it will only be from Virgin trying to sell us something" I said. How wrong I was. It was from the visa dept, telling Wendy that her papers are ready for collection. There is no indication to whether she has been granted the wedding visa, or not. She searched on the web site with her tracking number, all it says is 'Papers ready for collection'.

So today we have been to the station in Granville, booked two tickets for Paris tomorrow to go and get the papers and see what the position is. Tense is not the word. If the visa is in the passport, we can leave for home. Which in someways is lovely, but we have rented the house for two months. We have been here six days. But hey ho must no grumble, that's if the answer is the one we want.

Who knows in the next couple of weeks we may be at Brighton Registry office booking a wedding. That's where the real fun will start. Fingers crossed. Paris here we come.

Wine.

2009-09-09T10:31:00.003+02:00

Well we had our first bottle from our 15 euro half box last night. It was ok, but we have had better. It's a little weak and does have a bitter finish. But then for 3 odd euros a bottle what did we expect ?. We will finish the other five bottles.

When we arrived the people who own the house left us a bottle of wine to welcome us. Chateau Malesan 2007. We opened it on the first night and we both enjoyed it immensely. Rich and smooth with a silky finish. Nice people leaving us such a fine wine. The next day we were shopping in SuperU and I saw it on the shelf. It was priced at 3€90. It has now gone up to 4€, but we will be taking home a few cases to Bexhill. They have it in Carrefour also, so if in France beat a path there and try a bottle (or two ).

Bargain ?.

2009-09-08T15:14:00.004+02:00

This morning on our travels we found a huge Carrefour supermarket. They are having a wine festival. Wendy and I quite like having a glass of wine with supper, so we bought a half case.

It cost 15€ 90. We have not tried it yet, but wine in a wooden case?, it's got to be good, right ?.

Mont St Michel.

2009-09-07T20:06:00.002+02:00

Today we went to Mont St Michel. The guide books do not do it justice. It rises out of the sand in front of you as you arrive in the car park. Once within the walls, you are faced with shops and restaurants lining tiny alleyways. We decided to have a quick lunch in one called "La Vielle Auberge". There was a terrace with views of the sea (in our case sand,as the tide was out). We chose two local pancakes and two beers. There was some shock on my part as the beer was 8€50 for a 50cl glass. This was domestic beer, 1664. How they can warrant charging this amount beats me. Anyway the food arrived, luke warm. But as we were both quite hungry,it was woofed down. Then after paying we left, Wendy on noticing a French couple viewing the menu told them in perfect French " I would not eat here, it's over priced, and not worth it" That's my Wendy. After our nosh we started the walk up the steps to the abbey. As it was quite hot, we were both puffing by the time we reached the ticket office. Once in the abbey everything else melts away. The atmosphere is magical and the views quite wonderful. A great afternoon out.

Just wish we could have waited around for the tide to come in, but I don't think Saaby would have enjoyed being covered in salt water.... This is a picture of me showing signs of good French living already, more chins than a Chinese phonebook........

Normandy..........

2009-09-05T20:28:00.003+02:00

Well we are ensconced in our rented house in Normandy. Wendy has handed her application ( the size of a small town's phone book ) in for the wedding visa and now we just have to wait.

Every cloud has a silver lining. Today we went to visit the Bayeux tapestry. I had studied it while at school as a project, I even got presented a book about it for my efforts. To see it close up was a real treat. Seventy metres long and every stitch tells a part of the story. We thought that maybe some of the men in the scenes may have walked through our garden in Bexhill, before the shed was there and the fences.

Then we headed for Omaha beach. I had always wanted to visit to see where those brave boys ran up the beach under such heavy fire. There is a wonderful museum that has many objects found on the beach. They have a collection of shaving cream tubes, and I wondered how many of the men who used them to have a shave in England before they left had lived. Humbling is not the word. 34.000 men landed on the 6th June. Amazing.

So we have more visits planned - hopefully they will have to be cut short as we hope to hear good news about Wendy's visa. We can always come back to see our new friends the cows that live almost in our back garden. Love Normandy.

Soft landing for the horse.............

2009-07-20T20:51:00.002+02:00

Bit like our house........

2009-07-17T12:10:00.003+02:00

About time.......

2009-07-12T10:17:00.003+02:00

Link

Off we go again.......

2009-07-08T10:50:00.000+02:00

We are going to have to move back to France for a couple of months. Wendy has to get a visa so that we can get married. This has to be done abroad. So we will drive the boys back to Belfort and then drive back across France to Normandy and hang out a little. It will be nice to be there again, but it is a giant pain up the bum. Two months away from our new home.

O well at the end of it we can get married and start a business and have some fun.

That's if the civl servants get their fingers out.

Post....

2009-06-29T10:09:00.001+02:00

Have not been keeping my eye on the ball of late. We have been quite hectic. I had a big family reunion in Eastbourne and we had a flow of cousins and aunts and uncles staying. It has been nice. BBQ's in the garden and catching up on family events. There have one or two dramas, but what happens on tour, stays on tour.

We spend a fair amount of time at the beach, I have lost count of the amount of times that I have said to Wendy " I can't believe that we live here". I think that she will hit me if I say it again.

The boys will be here at the end of July. I am really looking forward to that. We are getting them a couple of inflatable boats and all the other stuff that they will need for the beach. I would think that will include a waterproof cover for the

Nintendo DS !.

As to work, we have had a couple of good ideas for companies, but we are caught out by Wendy's status. She can't work until we are married and that is a whole other story.

Hope all is well in your worlds.

Mind Games....... Freud

2009-06-11T11:26:00.004+02:00

Link

McDonald's sign Piccadilly Circus.....

2009-06-09T11:51:00.000+02:00

Simple, but so clever. From the people at Leo Burnett.

Cool.........

2009-05-25T12:55:00.000+02:00

Stairs for 'Fat boy Coke'. Escalator for 'Diet Coke'. Clever advertising.

Old ways.....

2009-05-07T15:32:00.003+02:00

Sorting through some old papers I came across a notice that used to be pinned up in the shop that I worked in. It reads :

Our customer is the most important visitor to our premises.

They are not dependent on us, we are on them.

They are not an interpretation of our work, they are the purpose of it.

They are not an outsider of our business, they are part of it.

We are not doing them a favour by serving them, they are doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.

I think it would not be a bad thing to have this pinned up in a few shops I go to.

In a way sad.......

2009-05-07T12:23:00.000+02:00

On Monday we headed off to Hastings to see The Wonderful Woo as it was "Jack in the Green" day. We decided to let the train take the strain. On the way to the station we came upon this, someone's collection of porn that had been stolen and scattered for the world to see. Sad in a way. The day was great, lots of wine and Polish bread. And for me, about 25.000 motorcycles.

Changes.....

2009-04-19T18:25:00.001+02:00

O dear, the post did not go up... nothing interesting. I did it on my phone, trying to be all 21st century. Anyway, I took my Mum back up to Fulham (she had been down to stay for a week).

The sun was out and all the pubs were spilling out on to the pavement, all the blokes in Gingham shirts and shorts and signet rings, the girls with sunglasses in their hair. The pub that my family used for about seventy five years in now a gastropub, the Princes go there for a nibble. My Grandad used to say "If someone came in and pissed up the bar, you would think they were the decorators". Times change. I got Mum settled and thought that I would take a drive up King's Road. If there is anything I miss,it is this road. Pretty girls,classic cars and cool shops. Past Harrod's and back over Wandsworth Bridge and home. A glass of cider in the garden with a pork pie. Both bought from the excellent shop at Middle Farm. As I have said before 'Nice to be home'.

Sky.......

2009-04-17T12:51:00.000+02:00

I just called Sky to upgrade to HD. They told me that it will happen it about three months. What a way to run a business. The chap said I was lucky, because last year people had to wait for six months. Way to go Rupert, way to go.

Democracy........

2009-04-08T14:37:00.004+02:00

It has come to my mind how strange it is that we are involved in a war to bring democracy to Iraq, while at home we seem to be slipping into a police state. We are not allowed to demonstrate within a mile of parliament. And when there is a protest march those in attendance are photographed and kept in one place, hemmed in by police and not allowed to move for about eight hours. No toilets, no drink or food. And if you had the temerity to photograph the police they took your camera under the 'Anti terrorism act'. Saddam would have been proud. What next, the army opening fire on the unruly mob?. United Kingdom 2009........ what will the 2012 Olympics be like ?.

Advertising......

2009-04-06T10:15:00.000+02:00

The codfish lays ten thousand eggs,
The homely hen lays one.
The codfish never cackles
To tell you what she's done.
And so we scorn the codfish,
While the humble hen we prize,
Which only goes to show you
That it pays to advertise.

Anonymous.

Bikers.......

2009-04-02T18:52:00.002+02:00

We went out today and bought Wendy a bike. A ride to the beach was in order. So we both puffed our way to Cooden and had a lay down on the pebbles and watched the waves lap on the shore.

Then back home to collapse and have a cup of tea. I had a very nice Eccles cake.

Check this out, it's unreal........

2009-03-30T12:13:00.001+02:00

Early....

2009-03-29T13:16:00.002+02:00

Got up at 5am to watch the Melbourne Grand Prix only to find out that the television listings had not taken into account that the clocks went forward. So watched a really interesting debate on the EU. I am having a laugh. What a load of people who play with themselves.

Then the Grand Prix. Jensen on pole, what was going on there ?. A new car developed in three weeks by the genuis that is Ross Brawn. 1st and 2nd on the grid. And that is how the race finished. Jensen Button won. Last year he could not finish a race. So Honda are not all that they are cracked up to be. I like Mr Button, he is a stayer. He did not know back in November if he would have a drive at all, now he is in the best car. Fantastic.

Best flight attendant in the world ?.

2009-03-27T11:49:00.001+01:00

I wish easyjet would do it like this........

So true........

2009-03-24T07:00:00.002+01:00

A sign that someone made and put on the window of the Gatwick Express. Some people are too clever.

My new favourite song.....

2009-03-14T13:48:00.000+01:00

Great article.....

2009-03-13T11:39:00.002+01:00

I read this great article by Jeff Randall. It starts, What's the difference between Bernard Madoff and Gordon Brown? Answer: one has drained fortunes from gullible victims, plundering their income and savings to create an illusion of prosperity. The other is going to jail.

Read it in full here.

Bowling.......

2009-03-03T12:21:00.004+01:00

We went bowling yesterday. It was fun. We played with the rails down, so it was the boys first real game. they did well. While we were playing Wendy asked me "Do you think the lane is flat, because all the balls seem to go into the left gutter". That, I think is why I love her so much.

And before I forget. I went to get fish and chips on Friday night. As I was waiting for my order, a man came in a said to the chap ' Saveloy and chips, and I must look at the menu'.He did for a while and then said ' Two small sausages and chips'. The chap taking the order shouted out,' One sav and chips and two small cod and chips'. The guys face dropped and he shouted out 'SORRY ?.'

I grabbed my change and ran for the door, and burst out laughing. I have been laughing on and off ever since. I guess you had to be there...........

What France again ?.

2009-02-24T18:03:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I went to collect the boys. As most of you will know this means flying to France for the day and then flying back in the evening. Last time I did this I felt quite rough, so I stayed in the airport. The idea of doing this again bought me out in cold sweats. So yesterday I got the bus into Basel. It was great to be back there again, but of course not as nice as when Wendy was with me last time. I decided to visit the zoo. It is the only zoo in the world that is in the centre of a city. I found myself in the queue at the ticket office. I had drawn 50CHf from the cash machine and this was in one note. I handed it to the lady and said 'One please' she gave me the ticket and some change. I picked it up and left the line. When I looked she had given me chnage of a twenty. I pushed back in and asked for the rest of my money. She seemed quite shocked, I thought that she would think about it and give me my change. No they did a compleate audit of the till and told me to return after I had looked at the animals. So off I went. They have a wonderful collection. Here so pictures, they were taken on my phone so they are not great.

And the last one was some wolves eating a shop lifter that had been caught in the town.
I returned to the ticket office, and the lady was very sorry and handed my money back to me. I told her 'no one gets one over on a cockney boy'. (Joking - but I did think it).

Anyway after that I wandered to Starbucks and made my way to the old town. There are some very funky shops in Basel, both clothes and interiors. After about four hours I made my way back to the airport. With an hour or so to fill I watched In Bruges on my phone. What a cracking film. Colin Farrell is fantastic in it. I was laughing out loud in the Swiss zector, getting some very funny looks. The boys arrived, we checked in, got the plane, landed and we were back indoors eighteen and a half hours after I had left. And I am going back next week. Perhaps I will go back to the zoo with a hundred..........

Paris....Part II

2009-02-24T17:27:00.008+01:00

We spent the afternoon wandering around the shops. It was warm and sunny, and the streets were full of people shopping. Wendy found a great pair of boots in a shop called Eden Shoes. The sale's assistant asked " Are they for a young girl ?'. ..... she got them anyway.
We fancied a coffee, so I typed 'Starbucks' into my iphone and it guided us to one in a lovely arcade,now that is progress. I thought that it would be nice to go and see the Mona Lisa as the last time I saw her was about thirty years ago (shit that's frightening). So off we set for the Louvre. She was as impressive as ever, I think she has worn better than me. On the way out Wendy spotted this lady and said she looks as if she is saying 'Are these your pants on the floor ?. Do you think that I should pick them up ?.'We walked back to the station and on the way found a great bookshop, it sells American and English books. Expensive, but very nice.The train got us back in no time, and after resting our feet we decided to go out for dinner. We chose Leon, Wendy had some sort of Belgian stew and I went for some mussels and frites, we both had rather too much Belgian beer...... a great restaurant if you see one, jump in.

Springtime in Paris..........

2009-02-21T12:10:00.005+01:00

I had to pop over to Paris for a meeting on Thursday morning, so we decided to make a little holiday out of it and drive. We caught the ferry from Newhaven, as it's closer to us than Dover. The downside is that it takes 4 hours to get across. It was a nice boat and very clean. The food was as you would expect, expensive.

We set the sat nav for our hotel, a Premier Class on the outskirts of the city and set off. It was great to be back in France. We were both shouting out 'Auchan, InterMarche' as we were driving along.

The check in at the hotel was painless, they really are great value. 50€ per night for a room with bathroom that is 15 minutes by train from the centre of Paris. I don't think that you would find that in London.

Thursday the meeting went very well and was over by 10.40 so we had the day to explore and eat and drink.....

We visited the Eiffel Tower. We wanted to go up, but it is half term and the queues went on for miles, so instead I had a hot dog and Wendy had a waffle. I took a touristy picture of her at the base of the tower.

I will do this is two parts, as I am crap at setting out and have a few more pictures.....

What about my board ?.

2009-02-09T11:10:00.002+01:00

Click here to see what happened what happens when Hitler's board does not arrive on time.

O Yes.........

2009-02-09T10:46:00.002+01:00

The television arrived yesterday. I was quite looking forward to an afternoon of fiddling and pressing buttons. A pot of coffee had been made for the afternoon's work. The stand was assembled and put in place. The television was unpacked, there was a rather larger instruction book. This is always a good sign for some fun to come. I plugged it in and switched it on. A message came on the screen "Tune the TV ?". I pushed the stated button and it started doing it's stuff. After about four minutes a message came up "Save" again the button was pushed. Then a sign appeared " Enjoy viewing". And that was it, nothing more to do. So I just went and got a mug of coffee and watched Country File.........progress.

Affairs...........

2009-02-05T18:28:00.000+01:00

The 1st Affair

A married man was having an affair
with his secretary.

One day they went to her place
and made love all afternoon.

Exhausted, they fell asleep
and woke up at 8 PM.

The man hurriedly dressed
and told his lover to take his shoes
outside and rub them in the grass and dirt.

He put on his shoes and drove home.

'Where have you been?' his wife demanded.

'I can't lie to you,' he replied,

'I'm having an affair with my secretary.
We had sex all afternoon.'

She looked down at his shoes and said:

'You lying bastard!
You've been playing golf!'

The 2nd Affair

A middle-aged couple had two beautiful daughter s
but always talked abo ut having a son.

They decided to try one last time
for the son they always wanted.

The wife got pregnant
and delivered a healthy baby boy.

The joyful father ru shed to the nursery
to see his new son.

He was horrified at the ugliest child
he had ever seen.

He told his wife: 'There's no way I can
be the father of this baby.
Look at the two beautiful daughters I fathered!
Have you been fooling around behind my back?'

The wife smiled sweetly and replied:
'No, not this time!'

The 3rd Affair

A mortician was working late one night.

He examined the body of Mr. S chwartz,
about to be cremated,
and made a startling discovery.
Schwartz had the largest private part
he had ever seen!

'I'm sorry Mr. Schwartz,' the mortician
commented, 'I can't allow you to be cremated
with such an impressive private20part.
It must be saved for posterity..'

So, he removed it,
stuffed it into his briefcase,
and took it home.

'I have something to show
you won't believ e,' he said to his wife
opening his briefcase.

'My God!' the wife exclaimed,
'Schwartz is dead!'

The 4th Affair

A woman was in bed with her lover
when she heard her husband
opening the front door.

'Hurry,' she said, 'stand in the corner.'

She rubbed baby oil all over him,
then dusted him with talcum powder.

'Don't move until I tell you,'
she said. 'Pretend you're a statue..'

'What's this?' the husband inquired
as he entered the room.

'Oh it's a statue,' she replied.
'The Smiths bought one and I liked it
so I got one for us, too.'

No more was said,&n bsp;
not even when they went to bed.

Around 2 AM the husband got up,
went to the kitchen and returned
with a sandwich and a beer.

'Here,' he said to the statue, have this.
I stood like that for two days at the Smiths
and nobody offered me a damned thing.'

The 5th Affair

A man walked into a cafe,
went to the bar and ordered a beer.

'Certainly, Sir, that'll be one cent.
'One Cent?' the man exclaimed.

He glanced at the menu and asked:
'How much for a nice juicy steak
and a bottle of wine?'

'A nickel,' the barman replied.

'A nickel?' exclaimed the man.
'Where's the guy who owns this place?'

The bartender replied:
'Upstairs, with my wife.'

The man asked: 'What's he doing upstairs
with your wife?

The bartender replied:
'The same thing I'm doing
to his business down here.'

The 6th Affair

Jake was dying. His wife sat at the bedside.

He looked up and said weakly:
'I have something I must confess.'

'There's no need to, 'his wife replied...

'No,' he insisted,
'I want to die in peace.
I slept with your sister, your best friend,
her best friend, and your mother!'

'I know,' she replied.
'Now just rest and let the poison work

Madness Part Ten

2009-02-04T21:36:00.002+01:00

I have just found out that driving examiners now wear high visibility jackets. They walk from the test centre to the car, get in, do the test and then walk back to the test centre. This country has really gone quite mad..........

A first..............

2009-02-02T18:12:00.003+01:00

Today Wendy and I did something that neither of us had done before. We went on the beach when it was covered in snow. And I can tell you here and now it is wonderful, so quiet as the waves lap up on the shore.And here is a picture of our station. It has no ticket office, no waiting room, in fact there is nothing except two platforms. Hopefully we will picking some bloggers up from there one day when they come and stay by the sea.

First night........

2009-02-01T17:50:00.004+01:00

Last night was our first night in our new house. We were very sad to leave our rental in the harbour. It was great standing at he window watching all the boats go in and out. But all good things come to an end, and as I said to Wendy, we are moving to a lovely house by the sea. So last night we broke open a bottle of Champagne. It was one of a case that I was given as a present about four years ago. I did not know what I had been given until I looked it up on the web. It sells for about £200 a bottle, so I have been careful when I drink it !.And this afternoon we went for a walk to the sea, it took us about twelve minutes, which is cool. We paid a visit to the De La Warr Pavilion to see a new sound exhibit. Then on the way home it started to snow.......

Lovely day......

2009-01-24T20:22:00.005+01:00

We have had a lovely day. We went to Brighton to see a bed and have a wander around the Lanes. The bed was rejected as there was too much damage, it was a deal, half price. But we both agreed that we could not live with it. But all was not lost as they had another bed that was nicer and a rather lovely dining table.

After that was out of the way we headed into town, parked the car and made our way to the Lanes. The shops here never fail to draw you to their windows looking at all the rings and for me the watches. I have spotted a nice watch that is expensive, but I was convincing myself that it is a bargain. We went back three times to have a look at it. We had a light but tasty lunch at the Love fit cafe in Brighton Square.

Finally we went to Comet to try and put an end to my television dilemma. And I can report that it is at an end. We had a good assistant that ran us through all the various sets (are they still called that ?) and we have settled on a Samsung 40" series 8. The picture is quite unbelievable, we watched some rugby and it was as if you could touch the players. So that is sorted. I am sure everyone was waiting with bated breath........

On the way home we stopped at Waitrose to buy some wine that I had seen on Saturday Breakfast on BBC1 this morning. We were hunting around the wine section, looking through all the whites. There was a security guard standing there watching us. He looked at us and said "Are you looking for the wine off the tele this morning ?". Following with "It's all gone, we were sold out by 11 o'clock, more in on Tuesday". So you know where we will be on Tuesday.

Sad day...........

2009-01-23T18:08:00.007+01:00

It was a sad day yesterday. Back in March 2007 I posted about a friend of mine who had been diagnosed with MND. Well yesterday it was his funeral. The chapel was packed, and he had a guard of honour from the London Fire Brigade. He will be much missed. A lovely man.

Meanwhile, something faintly spooky has happened.

About three years ago I was having a look on eBay for things to do with Bexhill on Sea. I bought a note about a film being shown at the De La Warr pavillon in the war. It was a film about how to treat bomb casualties.

The letter was typed by someone who lived in the house that is at the bottom of our new garden.

What are the chances of that ?

What's driving Wendy mad ?.

2009-01-15T19:26:00.002+01:00

This...........All my books.

Catch up.......

2009-01-15T10:19:00.003+01:00

Time really does fly. I have been busy getting all my stuff out of storage. I had forgotten just how many boxes I had. The storage charges had gone through the roof, so I had to get them out as soon as possible. While we we were walking to Asda through the harbour, I noticed a van with the slogan on the side ' Vanman - no job too small from £15 per hour'. I noted the number and on my return to the flat called him. I explained what I wanted to do and when I would like to do it, and if he would be available. His answer ? ' Could you call me back later as I have not got my diary with me ?'. I asked if my number had come up on his phone, 'yes' he said. Then can you call me back when you have looked at your diary ?. 'I would rather you call me back' was his reply. I did not call him back. I rented a van and did it myself, with of course the help of Wendy.

In a previous post I mentioned that we had been to Rye and bought some beds. They were due to be delivered on the following Monday at 10am. We got ready and were on our way to the house to meet the chap. My phone rang and the bed chap asks if he can now deliver at 4.30pm as it has snowed and he has more things to do in between now and 4.30. I was shocked to say the very least. I told him not to bother coming at all. He was quite shocked that I did not roll over and say 'yes please come, we will rearrange our day around you, and give you a cheque for thousands of pounds and a cup of tea'. My new years resolution is not to take crap from people selling me something. If they screw up, the deal is off. They need me more than I need them.

At the end of the call he just kept saying 'so you don't want me to come over ?'. I don't think that it had happened to him before. Anyway we went and bought a bed from a large chain. They said they would call with a time slot on the day, they did, and they arrived right in the middle of their stated time. Perfect.

And we have ordered a great sofa from DFS. We never thought that we would, as we are so bored with their tv ad. But they did a fantastic deal on a very classic sofa, chair and stool, with two sets of covers. It will arrive in five weeks. next the tv..............and broadband.

Sofa so good.........

2009-01-05T18:46:00.007+01:00

We went out looking for a sofa today. Did we find some wonders. I cannot think that they can sell many of these. Here is a selection for your perusal.......They did sell the last one.

Where ?.

2009-01-03T12:16:00.005+01:00

Where did that go?. The time flew by. The boys seemed to have fun and enjoy an English Christmas. We decided to take them to Toys R Us in Hove so they could chose three things that they would like and then we would nip back in and get one of their selection. As it worked out all three were bought, so that was a bigger surprise. While there I went into Comet to look at plasma televisions, and as I was walking down the aisle bumped into an old friend that I used to buy things from in a past life. Small world. He insisted that he was going to text me that very morning........

The boys went back to France on the 29th. That meant another 4.45am start for all of us. Both Wendy and myself have had the bug this Christmas, so getting out of a snug bed was even more unbearable. I went back with them and spent the day sleeping in Basel airport. I would have gone into town, but it was minus three and I felt rough. So just nine hours snoozing and walking around the environs of Basel airport.

The house move is coming along. Yesterday we went out and bought two new beds, ours and one for the guest room. My research continues into plasmas. I think we will be getting a 40" Samsung, does anyone know if these are ok ?.

Anyway enough whittering...... Happy happy new year to you all.

Try this for a laugh http://www.aksalser.com/game.htm

Happy...

2008-12-25T11:18:00.002+01:00

I doubt that anyone will read this, as it's already Christmas day. But I will say it anyway. We hope that you all have a wonderful time and a healthy and happy new year........ and that the world gets it's shit together.

We are in...........

2008-12-19T14:23:00.002+01:00

We collected the keys to the house this morning. We drove there and opened the front door. We were very happy. The people had left the house in perfect order. The boys ran around opening cupboards and drawers. I made my way up the garden to the green house and shed area. I feel this will be a place that I will be spending some time in the future. It has always been a dream to have a shed, this one is rather posh as it has a tiled roof. And the green house is fantastic, we both plan to grow vegetables from seed. watch out Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The future looks quite nice......

Thursday........

2008-12-16T13:55:00.002+01:00

We should complete on the house on Thursday at noon. I will be in France to collect the boys and bring them back for Christmas. So Friday we will all go and sit on the floor of our new home and have fish and chips before going off to see the panto. I told Wendy she would live the high life.

A bit of luck.........

2008-12-08T21:14:00.002+01:00

We went to the 'Holly Fair' on Saturday. It was held in the village hall that we go to the farmers market in. There was mulled wine and mince pies. A tombola, I won a bottle of lemon juice(?).

There was quite a crowd. I bought a strip of raffle tickets for a pound and we hung around until the numbers were called. I let Wendy hold them as I never win at raffles. It paid off. We won four tickets to the pantomime Peter Pan at The White Rock in Hastings. They are for the night after the boys arrive for Christmas. What a splendid piece of luck.

Great band.......

2008-12-05T12:06:00.001+01:00

A friend of mine is the drummer in this band, rather good I think........

Life in the..........

2008-12-04T10:29:00.000+01:00

Life in the Australian Army...

Text of a letter from a kid from Eromanga to Mum and Dad. (For Those of you not in the know, Eromanga is a small town, west of Quilpie in the far south west of Queensland )

Dear Mum & Dad,

I am well. Hope youse are too. Tell me big brothers Doug and Phil that the Army is better than workin' on the farm - tell them to get in bloody quick
smart before the jobs are all gone! I wuz a bit slow in settling down at first, because ya don't hafta get outta bed until 6am. But I like sleeping in now, cuz all ya gotta do before brekky is make ya bed and shine ya boots and clean ya uniform. No bloody cows to milk, no calves to feed, no feed to stack - nothin'!! Ya haz gotta shower though, but its not so bad, coz there's lotsa hot water and even a light to see what ya doing!

At brekky ya get cereal, fruit and eggs but there's no kangaroo steaks or possum stew like wot Mum makes. You don't get fed again until noon and by
that time all the city boys are buggered because we've been on a 'route march' - geez its only just like walking to the windmill in the back paddock!!

This one will kill me brothers Doug and Phil with laughter. I keep getting medals for shootin' - dunno why. The bullseye is as big as a bloody possum's bum and it don't move and it's not firing back at ya like the Johnsons did when our big scrubber bull got into their prize cows before the Ekka last year! All ya gotta do is make yourself comfortable and hit the target - it's a piece of piss!! You don't even load your own cartridges they comes in little boxes and ya don't have to steady yourself against the rollbar of the roo shooting truck when you reload!

Sometimes ya gotta wrestle with the city boys and I gotta be real careful coz they break easy - it's not like fighting with Doug and Phil and Jack and Boori and Steve and Muzza all at once like we do at home after the muster.
Turns out I'm not a bad boxer either and it looks like I'm the best the platoon's got, and I've only been beaten by this one bloke from the Engineers - he's 6 foot 5 and 15 stone and three pick handles across the shoulders and as ya know I'm only 5 foot 7 and eight stone wringin' wet,but I fought him till the other blokes carried me off to the boozer.

I can't complain about the Army - tell the boys to get in quick before word gets around how bloody good it is.

Your loving daughter,

Sheila

A cool little guy..........

2008-11-29T20:13:00.001+01:00

Nice....

2008-11-29T11:36:00.006+01:00

Yesterday morning we went to a farmer's market in Brede. It is held in the village hall and there are various stalls that sell a nice range of things, from fresh baked bread to fudge. It has such a nice vibe, there is a hatch where tea and cake is sold from. We had a lovely cup of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge. Then the vicar turned up to have a look around and a chat. The whole thing was very English. We bought some home made sausage rolls and a very nice quiche.

Then we dropped into MFI a furniture store that has gone bust. We had been in the previous week and had seen a nice kitchen that we thought would be nice in the new house. Now they are selling everything off at a third of the price. We thought hard about taking a chance of buying the display kitchen, but as we seem to be no nearer getting into the house ( lawyers obtain sexual gratification by their own hands ) we have no where to put it. It is mad though the way people were coming into the shop buying items and ripping them out and putting them into a van and driving off, leaving piles of plaster and hanging skirting boards in the display.

Get em young........

2008-11-19T18:59:00.002+01:00

I was in the shopping centre today and I noticed this. Get it into their minds when they are young.
It costs a pound and the picture is shitty. If only they were that quality in the real machine.

Wow away so long.......

2008-11-18T14:49:00.003+01:00

I have not done a post for ages. Not that this a great loss to the world, but I thought that I would have a go at 'getting one out' as they say.

The purchase of the house moves on at a pace. I should be signing the contracts and fixing an exchange date by the end of this week. I have gone through some shaky times thinking 'Is this the right house, did we do it too quickly ?'. Wendy always puts me right and my Mum Loves it so that's that. I went up to London last week, and it was very strange to be up on top of a 22 going up King's Road. I knew I was back in London when I saw Theo Paphitis in his car as I came out of the station. He is on Dragon's Den incase you don't know who he is. He also owns Ryman's the stationers. His number plate is R4MAN. Then from the bus I saw Eric Clapton eating noodles for lunch. The restaurant is just around the corner from his house in Chelsea.I went into the West End, and saw the great Christmas decorations in Carnaby Street.

My journey took me to my old job, and it was so weird to be there and not be involved anymore. Everyone was lovely and took me around showing me all the changes. Then to Victoria to get the train back to Eastbourne. So cool to get off the train and drive along the coast and see the lights all reflected on the sea. I do miss London, but I like to call this home now.

Now that's what I call marketing..........

2008-11-07T19:14:00.003+01:00

We have just been shopping in Asda. I was looking for some wine and I noticed that someone from the shop had hung a display and dispenser for Nurofen. Good marketing.

Where Martin is torn between Switzerland and France

2008-11-04T17:48:00.003+01:00

Martin is in Switzerland. Or, perhaps, in France. I (Wendy) am cozily ensconced in a corner of the sofa in our sitting room in Eastbourne, overlooking the marina, watching the boats entering and leaving the harbour, having just had what could quite arguably be one of the most ridiculously bizarre phone calls ever.

It went like this:

Hello? (That was Martin)

Yep? (That was me)

I was just wondering....should I have a beer in Switzerland, or in France?

I could hear he was walking - and he gave a running commentary of his whereabouts as well.

Now I'm passing the Swiss side of the bar....now I'm passing under the arch...aha...now I am in France...

....Perhaps I should have something to eat before I fly? Let's see...what's a poo-lay foomay croo-dee-tay? Smoked chicken and veggies?

Yes.

It looks a bit manky. (He sounded rather dubious)

Like chopped vomit, huh! (I know only too well those awful French attempts at sandwiches - nothing like M&S).

Maybe I should have "zshaamboh and emaantul"?

And so on...

The thing that strikes me as impossibly weird is that Basle airport was, for about 4 years, MY stamping ground. I spent hours and hours there, waiting for flights, en route to the UK to see friends and boyfriends, including Martin.

And now, there he is himself, waiting to board a flight back home after safely delivering MY children back to their father.

How crazy that he then popped into Auchan, MY old supermarket, the one he first read about on my blog, more than 18 months ago...and wandered the aisles on his own, as I sat here in England and chatted to him on the phone as he shopped.

And soon it will be I who drives to Gatwick to pick him up. Not the other way round.

How peculiar is life!

And how naughty to hijack a blog in the owner's absence.

Easy Jet again......

2008-11-04T06:03:00.002+01:00

The boys go back to France this morning, flight is at 8.20am. We leave for Gatwick at 5.30. The things we do for cheap air fares............

London......

2008-11-03T12:36:00.004+01:00

Our trip to London went well. Apart from the fact that we dashed to Cooden Beach Station only to find out that the train was cancelled and we had a forty minute wait. The train arrived and instead of a straight through journey we had to change, so we got to London too late for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We made our way instead to The Science Museum in South Kensington. Man, the queues, they went around the block. Half term, one of the things that I have never had to think of before. Well another plan bites the dust. We had met up with my Mum, so she could met the boys and we decided to go and have a coffee and then wander around Harrod's. This seemed to be a success all around, but pangs of hunger were showing. On to the tube and a short ride to Leicester Square and out and around the corner to Ed's Easy Diner for a fantastic hamburger, the service was slow, but well worth the wait.After lunch we headed off for Hamley's, this I can say without fear of contradiction was a success. We melted in the crowds of people on every floor. Such fun. As a little treat while we were in town I went to The Apple Store to have a look at the new range of MacBooks......how cool are they ?. Ice cold. I told Wendy that this should be top of my Christmas gift list.

We said good bye to my Mum, who was looking a little tired and started to walk to The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, this was closed so off for a hot drink in Pret a Manger.

A short bus ride on an 11 to Victoria saw us start the wait for the train back. As we were on cheap day returns we could not travel before 7.45. The regulgar price of the tickets worked out at over £150...........it cost me £69 pound to fly to Basle and bring the boys back.

Anyway the train was packed, we managed to all get seats dotted around. Wendy was lucky enough to sit opposite a vicar with a huge penis that was laying down his leg. I wondered why she would laugh every time I looked at her.

Finally we were back at Cooden and in the car on the way home. A long day, but fun.

People............

2008-11-01T19:03:00.002+01:00

Someone called the duty officer at Granada Television and made the following comment about Coronation Street......

"The car involved in Liam's death was K851VNC. I have passed this on to Greater Manchester Police. The driver was the same person who stole Kevin WEBSTER's breakdown truck who was paid off by Tony GORDON. Hope this helps."

Perhaps, they need to get out more?.

And....

2008-10-31T13:27:00.000+01:00

Brand and Ross placed on Sachs offenders register..........

Three months out of work........

2008-10-31T13:07:00.002+01:00

The modern world........

2008-10-29T20:53:00.002+01:00

Today I called O2 about upgrading my phone. I got through to a nice chap, we did all the security checks. He then asked me what I wanted from my new handset, I said that I wanted to use it more for the internet. He told me that, most phones will connect to the internet, indeed he spent ages on the internet himself. I replied, yes but you must have a great deal with o2 as you work for them. O no he said, I am with Orange, they are much better..................

I ended up going into Eastbourne and getting an iphone, and it is wonderful. Everything I thought it would be and more. We are off to London in the morning, by train. Changing the guard and Hamley's. Science museum and Harrod's. Busy, busy.

Up with the Lark.......

2008-10-26T15:43:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow we will be getting up very early. Wendy is driving me to Gatwick Airport to catch the 8.20 to Basle. I will wait there and meet the boys at 3.00pm and get a plane back with them to Luton.

Then a train to Brighton, where Wendy will meet us. It will be a long day, but worth it, to show the boys all the thrills that on offer here. A visit to Hamley's is on the schedule..............

Bexhill-on-Sea

2008-10-25T12:30:00.003+02:00

I have just found this quote written by Paul Theroux from his book 'Kingdom by the Sea' 1983.

I have not shown it to Wendy yet.

And there was the De La Warr Pavilion, where on the various decks and verandas, the very old people sat in chairs with blankets in their laps staring out to sea, like people on a cruise, resting between meals. They drank tea, rattling their china cups on the trembling saucers...

If Bexhill-on-Sea was a resume of one English class, the De La Warr Pavilion - moored there on the seafront like an ocean liner - was a resume of Bexhill-on-Sea...

It seemed clear to me that once an English person had reached Bexhill-on-Sea he had no intention of going any further. This was, so to speak, the edge of the cliff.

*****

2008-10-21T18:33:00.001+02:00

Last voyage.......

2008-10-21T13:56:00.003+02:00

We have just seen the most odd sight. I was standing outside on the balcony with a mug of tea, when below came a convoy of boats. On the deck of the first one was a coffin draped in the Union flag. It was on a sort of chute, ready to be tipped off into the depths of the sea. The first thing that struck me was, wow they must have had to fill out reams of forms to get permission to do that.

I would think that it was an old fisherman or a very keen sailor. I will do some research and find out who they were. I did notice that as the coffin passed various men who were wearing head wear, none of them removed them. I was always told as a boy, to remove my hat and dip my head.
Something I still do today. Soon I will be raising my "Irish" when a dead body passes my way.

For lunch I had a rocket, tomato and bacon sandwich. It was nice. I then remembered that I had a packet of mozzarella in the fridge, now that really would have been a sandwich. Perhaps tomorrow................

Three parrots......

2008-10-20T19:50:00.001+02:00

Three parrots are for sale.
They cost £100, £200 and £15.
A woman asks "Why is that parrot so cheap?"
The shopkeeper replies, "because it used to
live in a brothel."
The woman thinks its funny and buys the parrot.
When she gets home the parrot says,
"F**k me a new brothel!"
The woman laughs.
Her two daughters come home, the parrot says
"F**k me new prossies!" The girls laugh.
The husband come home and the parrot says
"F**k me Keith i haven't seen you for weeks".

Me and my big mouth........

2008-10-20T12:03:00.006+02:00

We were walking around the supermarket on Saturday afternoon, and I said to Wendy 'Tomorrow I will make us a nice roast'. It seemed a good idea. My plan was to get up on Sunday morning and walk around the marina to the shop, buy the stuff and come back and cook.

What happened was that I woke up, turned over and went back to sleep, lost in the warmth of the duvet. So the plan changed. We jumped in the car and headed off for Beachy Head to the pub. We had seen the food the last time we were there when we dropped in, after a walk, for a drink.

Wendy went to nab a table as I joined the horde of people waiting to order food. I remembered a piece of advice that my Dad gave me, he always said to find an empty part of the bar and stand there with your money in the air. It worked. The bloke finished attending to some girls and looked at me, I quickly said ' Pint of Spitfire and a diet Coke please'. He just started to get the order. 'Anything else' he said, 'Yes, two turkey roasts' I said. He popped the order into the till and gave me a wooden spoon. If looks could kill. It is a dog eat dog world.

The food came and was very nice - pig in a blanket, stuffing, turkey, Yorkshire pud, baby carrots and lovely roast potatoes. An apple and plum crumble. All washed down with a couple pints of very well kept Spitfire. What a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Then home for a snooze on the sofa while Wendy read her daily book. She can and does read a book a day if she has the time. It takes me a week to do the same.

Blades......

2008-10-18T13:40:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I went rollerblading along the seafront. It all went well. I did not fall over and remembered how to stop. The problem was this morning, my bum muscles ache and my legs are quite wobbly. Still I think that if I can keep it up it will be a good form of exercise.

Tonight we are going along the coast to see the bonfire parade in Hastings. It is a fantastic parade that lasts around two hours. At the end they light a huge bonfire on the beach. I will have a pint and a pie as darling Wendy is driving home. It should be a wonderful evening.

Great idea.

2008-10-17T12:05:00.001+02:00

Try this search engine to block out the recession..

What's that noise ?.

2008-10-17T09:49:00.004+02:00

We went to see the play last night. It was very good. We knew that we were in a theatre in Eastbourne because when the play started and the audience went quite all you could hear was the whistle of hearing aids. And to end on a little rant. When we booked for the farce, we did it on the interweb. I noticed that there was a £2 handling charge. So this time I said to Wendy that we would go into the box office and buy them directly when we were in town. So yesterday we made our way there and I bought the tickets and the girl said 'There is a charge of £1.50 if you use a debit card'. I asked if they charge to take a cheque, and she replied 'no'. So, if you give them a piece of paper, that they have to enter into a paying in book, get to the bank, queue and then get back to work it is free. But paying and getting the money transfered into your account while sitting in the little box, costs £1.50. Madness...............

It was.............

2008-10-12T13:35:00.003+02:00

The show last night was as funny as I hoped it would be. Wendy found it quite hard to follow, I think that you have to be raised with this form of humour in order to get it. It was a nice way to spend an evening. Next week there is a murder mystery, we are booking up for that..............

Things........

2008-10-11T11:54:00.003+02:00

Are progressing on the house front. The people we are buying from are waiting for the people whose house they are buying to make their minds up by Monday. We have booked a full survey for next week, then all being well we should be on the final run the week after next.

I walked into Eastbourne yesterday. It is about three miles each way. You can walk from the marina along the sea front right into the town. The weather was fantastic, the tide was going out and the seagulls were singing as they dive bombed each other. While I was in town I noticed that tonight is the last night of a run of the farce 'One for the pot'. I thought that it would be nice for Wendy to see a traditional English seaside event, so we have booked tickets and will be hopefully laughing our selves silly around 8.30 this evening. Will let you know...........

Wow................

2008-10-04T19:52:00.002+02:00

The offer was accepted. There was a complicated conversation with the estate agent, but I think that the outcome was that we should be able to engage solicitors in the next couple of days.

Here we go............

Maybe...........

2008-10-04T10:48:00.002+02:00

We are going to have a second look at a house this morning. With a view to making an offer. It is five minutes from the beach, has a big back garden and a little porch. We will let you know what happens................

Things that I have missed............

2008-09-29T19:14:00.004+02:00

Well, we are settling in. We have, as I said, been shopping. I ran to the pork pie and sausage roll section, loading the basket. Then some Branston pickle and a two litre bottle of full fat milk. When we got home we had a pork pie with pickle..........now that was nice.

This morning we went into Eastbourne and something else that we have missed raised it's head - looking around bookshops. What a wonderful feeling, seeing row after row of books, all in English.

We have also got proper internet, via BT. It is a service for the yacht owners in the marina. It's great, no cables, just WiFi into the flat and it costs around £40 a month, which is not bad for a one-off short contract.

We have a busy day tomorrow, viewing houses. We start at 10am and so far go through to 1pm, seeing a house every 30 min There are some very nice ones that have all been reduced. I must admit I have some butterflies in my tummy, but we think that it will be fun. We will let you know what happens. I am sure that you are on tenterhooks, waiting for the outcome................... Must go now as there is a large G&T waiting, and then sausages and mash.

We have arrived...........

2008-09-27T18:39:00.002+02:00

We have arrived in Pevensey. Tired but all in one piece. We have free broadband thanks to someone called Mark. God bless him. The view from the balcony is magic. We have had our first G&T watching the yachts come in from the sea. Magic.

The down side is we went shopping at Asda. I thought there was a credit crunch, the place was like a zoo. People falling over baskets and trolleys that are filled to the brim.

We are going out for a walk now, to check on the restaurants that are on the marina's edge.

So if anyone fancies a couple of days by the sea, just let us know.................

So near, yet so far..........

2008-09-26T22:50:00.002+02:00

We made it to Boulounge. An uninteresting drive apart from a stop at a brocante on the way. If you look at a map we are at the same level as Pevensey where are going to stay. So that makes us about 22 miles away. But having to take roads means we are in fact 120 miles.

Boat tomorrow at 11.30. Later............

So far, so good........

2008-09-25T21:45:00.002+02:00

We left the house at 11.38 this morning. We drove for five and a half hours on the A75. Now we are in Bourges. Tomorrow another 500k's and then the night in Boulogne sur Mer !. We live in the fast lane.........

Well........

2008-09-24T13:13:00.002+02:00

Today is our final day in Poujol sur Orb. We have cleaned through and packed most of our stuff, which does seem to have grown over our stay. Our hearts are heavy, and Wendy has pulled her back. Happy days. This will be the last post from here as we are heading into Beziers to return the internet box back to Orange.

If there is internet at the hotels we will check in on all our blog friends, if not we have to wait until we get to a Starbucks in England, as there is no internet in the flat. And no way to get it. That will be a blow. The guy who we are renting off says that the guy downstairs has WiFi, and we may be able to jump on that. Fingers crossed. See you soon. Here we go again..................

What a busy time..........

2008-09-20T15:33:00.005+02:00

We have had quite a busy week. Last weekend we went to collect Wendy's car from Bill. That was a fun weekend, and it was nice that Wendy had some one to talk to apart from me. On the way home Wendy stopped after a toll and said that there was a high pitched whining noise coming from somewhere on the car. I drove it for a while and there was indeed a very strange noise coming from somewhere. It would go away when you pressed hard on the brake pedal. Being the mechanic that I am I deduced that it was something to do with the brakes.

We got home, by taking our time and enjoying the views. On the Monday morning we took it into the Citroen garage in Lamalou. We waited for a while, watching the head mechanic have a hizzy fit and kick doors open and closed. Our good luck was with us, as he was the one who would look after us. Wendy explained the best she could what the problem was, he nodded and smiled asked a few questions and said he would look at it. We waited for a while, but decided that we would go for a coffee and come back later. We returned about an hour later and he told us that the front left disc had worn out and the brake pads were seized up. They needed replacing at a cost of €281. I was expecting this, in fact I was expecting as would happen in England, both front discs needing replacing. We said to go ahead with thoughts of waiting until Thursday or Friday to collect the car. Wendy asked when can we collect the car ?. Six o'clock he said. And true to his word we arrived at five to six and the car was ready for collection. Superb service.We took the car first to the jet wash and then the proper car wash. We bought some wax and Wendy waxed the whole car. It looked great. Then yesterday we got up at 5.30 and set off for Montpellier to meet up with Wendy's ex who had travelled down from Belfort on the sleeper train to take the car back. He is buying it as we will have no need for her in England. So she is back where she started in Belfort. Which is a nice thing. We are cleaning and packing up as it is our last week here. We are both sad, but at the same time excited. This time next week we will be in the apartment overlooking the marina. Then who knows what is down the line ?. Some more fun we hope..........

Midget archaeologists find skeleton........

2008-09-19T17:10:00.001+02:00