Dragged youngest son away from Henley to accompany us to Cornwall, together with eldest son though the latter was looking forward to some peace and quiet away from the noise of London. Youngest son was not so enthralled to be spending time in holiday home which holds memories of many summers of endless fun and noise, the daughters, their friends etc., with just dull old parents and big brother. However in an attempt to be a good mother I have spent many hours persuading my two daughters that it is time for them to earn some of their own money so I can hardly complain when they chose to stay home and take on some part time work. It has meant that youngest son is one to suffer as eldest son is not known for his lively ways, mostly known for his horizontal position on the sofa catching up on missed sleep! HOWEVER it is working well as sons are bonding and many outdoor activities have already been tried and more are planned leaving us parents to enjoy our own company, good books and some coastal walks.
One cloud is Husband having a bit of a moan as has just worked out that since we are only down this year for two weeks, against our normal 6 weeks, the cost of the boat, together with the increase in fuel prices, has worked out as an exorbitant amount per day making whole idea of cheap holiday in Cornwall a past memory. I have suggested that we spend time on the boat on its mooring, to maximise its use but to avoid the consumption of any fuel in an attempt to show willingness to economise.
Good news is that neighbour next door, who hates us (reasons too long to go into) greeted us with a hint of a smile, maybe she is starting to celebrate as we have the house on the market. And another unusual appearance has been the sun which has consistently shone on us since we crossed the Tamar so together with two happy spaniels we look set to enjoy a quieter but yet enjoyable relaxing break.
Have left daughters at home with long note on how to care for house as Lithuanian cleaner has returned to her homeland for one month which is another good reason to leave, taking only 2 offspring to very small cottage. Also tumble dryer decided to die on me and having spoken to manufacturer’s and discovered that one has to pay £239 over the phone which includes one year guarantee, all visits of the engineer to repair this fault and if not repairable then the said sum is refunded in full and I can purchase a new machine from them. This all happened 24 hours before I departed and to be honest I could not quite get my head around this arrangement so I put it on a list to be sorted out when I get back and vaguely suggested that the girls do not wear too many clothes – fat chance of that as at best they are two outfits per day. Still these are all problems to be dealt with when my batteries are full re-charged…………….