Delaying Tactics

The alarm roused us at 5.30am and by the time Robbie emerged from the shower I had the car packed and I thought we were ready to hit the road – we weren't!  Still in a state of undress, Robbie decided that this was the moment to catalogue his Hornby magazines. I must be mellowing because instead of wanting to harm him I smiled indulgently at him sitting in the middle of the lounge floor like an eccentric garden gnome surrounded by magazines. I took the time to check through my packing list once more to make absolutely sure that we had not forgotten anything. 

Eventually we were ready to go but Robbie demanded a diversion via Mc Donalds to pick up some breakfast for him (I would rather starve than face that first thing in the morning). Finally we were on the road when Robbie startled me by shouting out to express his pleasure about something.  I was confused because we were nowhere near the railway line so he couldn't have seen a train, apparently his whoop of joy was because his sausage egg and cheese bagel had been constructed in the correct order. Oh well whatever floats his boat.

Despite Robbie’s delaying tactics we were early enough to get a good run and soon after 11am we were in Walcott. It was a beautiful day and we had a lovely relaxed lunch at the Beach Café in Mundesley, looking out across the beach. After all that had happened in the last week or so it was hard to believe that we are finally here with two whole weeks of freedom stretching ahead of us. We drove back to Walcott and set about unpacking. At last everything was put away, we were both exhausted and we had a very early night.

Storms batter South West coast as 'monsoon' weather hits Britain - The Telegraph

My younger daughter had spent weeks planning a long weekend in Cornwall with her brother and a friend from university. She really isn't the camping type, but they had arranged to spend the first couple of nights 'under canvas' before moving to more civilised surroundings for the remainder of their stay. She is a confident driver and she has made the journey a couple of times before, but I'm her mum and I can't help worrying especially as she planned to make the journey during the night - and that was before I saw the weather forecast!

"Strong winds, possibly up to gale force, are expected from the afternoon onwards in south-west England particularly Devon and Cornwall," forecaster Mark Seltzer from the Met Office.

When I saw the warnings from the Met Office yesterday I was seriously worried, I wouldn't have enjoyed driving to Cornwall in those conditions and I really wanted her to postpone her journey until the morning.

"Winds will increase this afternoon in Devon and Cornwall and there could be gusts of 60 to 65mph, or even 70mph on exposed coasts and headlands......"

My daughter is as stubborn and determined as her mother and she wasn't going let a little matter of the weather spoil her plans. She is also half Cornish and the call of the sea is very strong - it took her dad years to adapt to living so far from the sea. So soon after midnight they set off on their journey - and I began to worry! I had made sure that they were as well prepared as possible, but I was still worried. It was a very long night but thankfully they got to Padstow in time for breakfast. My daughter said that the journey had been very wet and very windy, so it was a challenging driving experience.

I really wish that they could have had better weather, it sounds as if they had a nice day despite the rain and according to my daughter the sun came out later on. Padstow holds so many happy memories for our family and it is nice to be there whatever the weather. However camping is a different story, I doubt my daughter would have enjoyed it even in perfect summer weather. She wrote on facebook that "Camping is most certainly not for me" and she went on to inform the world that she will be sleeping in the car tonight! Perhaps she will appreciate the comforts of home after this. I hope they stay safe and have a lovely day tomorrow.

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant - Robert Louis Stevenson

I love Saturdays, there is nothing better than the luxury of time. Going to bed on a Friday evening knowing that you don't have to set the alarm clock. Then waking up on a Saturday morning knowing that you can lay there and listen to the radio if you want to, or you can take a long lazy bath without anyone telling you to hurry up. Perhaps most important of all from my point of view is having time to enjoy a cup of tea without the need to rush, in fact I can enjoy two cups of tea if the mood takes me!


It was such a relief to have a more or less dry day on Saturday, it gave us a chance to consider the garden. I use the word consider rather than a more active word because I rendered myself incapable of anything more active. Robbie whispered the magic words into my ear and I gave in to temptation. The words in question were 'full English' - Robbie's speciality. I couldn't resist, it was more brunch than breakfast by the time we got around to eating and by then I was hungry. I ate too much because it was too nice to leave and after that I felt so full that I thought I would never be able to move again. So we spent time planning our next moves in the rather than actually doing the deed.  

We decided that the back fence needed urgent attention. I wanted something to grow up the fence that would look more attractive than the fence and would deter anyone who may be tempted to climb the fence. So we went out to choose some plants to grow along the fence. Robbie spotted a very pretty fuchsia, which while beautiful was not what I had in mind at all. We settled on Pyracantha it has several things to recommend it, it will add some colour to the garden in winter and if anyone tries to climb over that they will probably end up on hospital, it has thorns as long as spears! We bought some more potting compost too. We need to replace the soil in the tubs in the front garden, they have been washed out and waterlogged for so long that we need a fresh start. I think I will leave that job for a little while until I am certain that it has stopped raining.

A Reluctant Farewell

I was awake very early on Saturday morning, I had to get up early but I woke even earlier. I went over and looked out of the window and saw the first silvery light of the sun rising over the sea. In the garden the bats were circling and I watched fascinated, I had never seen them flying in the early morning before. All too soon I had to drag myself away and attend to the pressing matters of real life. Before long I was washed and dressed and getting on with packing all the luggage into the car and cleaning and tidying the bungalow. Robbie took a few minutes to walk along the coast path to the shop to buy a paper and he took a lovely early morning photo of the beach.

Finally everything was packed into the cars and the cleaning was done. Robbie and I left mum and David and set off for Mundesley for a much loved breakfast at the beach cafe. We made a brief stop at the shop for Robbie and as I sat in the car looking at the sea I noticed that the gulls sitting on the groynes, they looked almost as if they were sitting in formation.

As I looked at all the familiar sights of Mundesley I couldn't help wondering when we would be back and how many things will have changed by then. After a delicious breakfast we returned to the car and drove back past Stow Mill, then Bacton and on through Walcott, we passed the shop, the bungalows and the beautiful church. Then on passed the turn to Happisburgh and a final glimpse of the lighthouse. Further on towards Stalham passed the now harvested fields and the familiar village signs. A series of reluctant farewells, then on to the wider and faster roads that would lead us home. 


We had a good journey traffic wise, but for me there was a feeling of sadness. We seemed to be leaving the summer behind us and heading back to face the worries and uncertainties of real life. There is one good thing about getting home, I love my own bed! 

Norfolk Here We Come - Again!

Robbie set the alarm on his Blackberry to the time that he wanted to wake up, so at a stupidly early time the alarm went off. For a small phone it makes a very loud noise, it could wake the dead, but it doesn't wake Robbie - apparently that's my job!  The alarm went off and sleeping beayty didn't flinch, I shouted at him to turn it off and he said yes but did nothing. I yelled louder, this time he obeyed and turned the alarm off, but he didn't wake up! This process was repeated ever 5 minutes until 5.20 by which time I was ready to kill. I made dark threats about the fate of his Blackberry and he woke up sufficiently to turn the alarm off completly before pulling the covers over his head and going back to sleep. I went off and had my bath and got on with my morning routine before trying to wake him again, but after a series of insults (from him) he finally got up and waddled off to the bathroom to have a shower. 


By some miracle we were ready to leave the house at 8.20 and after a quick detour for fuel and to buy Robbie some breakfast we were on the road just before 9am. heading for Norfolk. This time we were going to collect some of my mum's luggage to make her journey home a little easier on Saturday. Traffic was fairly heavy but we made good time and we were at the bungalow just after 11.30. It was so nice to be close to the sea again, to look our across the beach and to listen to the rythum of the waves, to me it seems like the heartbeat of the earth.


My mum and stepfather took us for lunch in Mundesley, it was very nice, lamb shank with vegetables and yorkshire pudding. Afterwards we took my mum shopping in North Walsham while David (my step father) relaxed back at the bungalow. As we set off for North Walsham a butterfly fluttered across the windscreen of the car and then it fluttered alongside the passenger window until we reached the end of the lane. Then as we travelled along the very pretty country road to North Walsham Robbie noticed that we had a stowaway, a grasshopper was travelling on the windscreen wiper. Foolish as it may seem I had vague worries about it not being able to get back to it's correct habitat, but by the time we reached North Walsham my attention had been taken up with other things. 


We spent a happy couple of hours in North Walsham, Robbie bought some railway magazines and a couple of prints of old railway posters but I had more practical matters in mind, I bought some oven cleaner! As we drove back Robbie made a series of excited squeals and pointed out of the window. Usually this signals that he has seen a train, but as there was no railway line nearby I realised that it must be something else. He wasn't pointing out of the window he was pointing at the window, the grasshopper was hitching a lift back on the passenger window! I think it bailed out at almost the same spot that we picked it up!


Robbie had a bit of a sulk because I was unable to stop at exactly the spot he requested to enable him to  take a photo of a tractor in an adjoining field. He got over it eventually and it was such a nice day that we were able to go and sit in the garden with a cup of tea, or in Robbie's case a cup of coffee. Later on we went for a walk on the beach and I found a lovely 'wishing stone', if only it really could make my wishes come true.


We sat outside and watched the bats flying around the garden for a while, but then Robbie decided to go and have a shower because he was too hot. I went in and chatted to my mum, then after an hour or so we realised that Robbie was 'missing in action', he hadn't made it to the shower he was sprawled across the bed fast asleep. He didn't surface again, so when I went to bed I had to wake him up and ask him to move so that he wasn't blocking the entire bed. He answered me, but when I asked him to move he lifted his legs in the air, peddled vigorously and then resumed his original position. It took consiberal effort to shift him but eventually he went off to have a wash and get ready for bed. I stood at the window looking out at the moon on the sea and wishing that I could hang on to the precious times that sometimes seem so fleeting.

Soon Robbie was fast asleep again. I snuggled under the duvet, but it was a long time before I fell asleep. I lay there listening to the sounds of the sea and remembering the many happy times and a few sad ones spent here. This little bit of Norfolk will always hold a special place in my heart.

Unbelieveable!

Just when I think I understand Robbie he does something totally weird and it leaves me feeling that I will never really see the world through his eyes. Yesterday as we were relaxing on the train, he announced that he'd had to make a serious complaint and he was very annoyed that he hadn't had a reply yet. I thought that he was perhaps talking about a railway safety issue or something like that but I was wrong. His complaint was about McDonalds in Birmingham, apparently they are not building their sausage and egg bagels to the correct specification! It wouldn't bother me a jot because I don't like McDonalds food, but apparently Robbie has provided them with a list of times and dates when he was sold incorrectly built breakfast bagels! Surely he must have more important things to worry about, in fact surely he could find better things to spend his money on!

Back to Norfolk

My mum and step father (David) had asked us to go back to Norfolk for an overnight stay on Friday to help them with the packing and to bring their larger items of luggage home. David is feeling very frail at the moment because he has kidney cancer and he is a awaiting an operation to remove his kidney, so things that he used to do easily now leave him feeling totally exhausted. We were pleased to be able to help, so late on Friday afternoon we drove back to Walcott. As well as packing and loading the car we found time to take an evening walk by the sea, it was lovely, there is something so special about that place.

We were up early the next morning, to get the final cleaning and packing done, before long the car was packed, and Robbie and I took one last walk by the sea. The beach has changed so much in the last couple of weeks and some of the bungalows already have their shutters up ready for the winter. I wish I could turn back time to keep the summer and have our fortnight in Walcott ahead of us again. Reluctantly we said farewell to the bungalow and drove away from Walcott - but we only went as far as Mundesley. We parked the car and walked down to the beach to sit in the sunshine looking out at the sea and just enjoying being together. Then we went for breakfast at the cafe before heading home.

Lost

I had a very early start on Wednesday morning, I couldn't sleep and dispite my very best efforts I couldn't wake Robbie up either, so I got up at 6am and watched the sun rise over the sea. I had a relaxing couple of hours enjoying the sunshine while playing with Robbie's netbook - I am so glad he confessed because I have really enjoyed playing with it! There was still no movement fom the bedroom by 8.30am so I crept back to bed, determined to wake Robbie up, but I failed dismally, I must have fallen asleep because it was Robbie who woke me with a nice cup of tea just before 9am.

We had a lovely unhurried morning. Robbie made a cooked breakfast and we took things so steadily that by the time we got around to our after breakfast walk along the beach it was lunchtime. It was so nice on the beach, I was busy taking photos and paddling in the sea while Robbie strolled along the tide line doing his best to keep his feet (and his red converse trainers) dry. We walked a long way and by the time we got back we were both ready for a nice cup of tea, but panic set in as I reached the back gate and realised that I had lost my phone on the beach. We rushed back and retrace our steeps but even after a careful search we couldn't find the phone. It wasn't really the value of the phone that bothered me, and it only contained my pay as you go 'holiday' sim card, but I was sorry to lose it because there were a few special texts on it.

Hours later the loss of the phone was still troubling me and I decided to go and have one last look for the phone. It was small and grey and it would blend perfectly with the pebbles on the beach especially if it was face down. The tide was further in by now so it was hard to be sure about where I had walked and I decided to hust wander along the beach. Amazingly I had only gone a short distance when I spotted the phone on the sand, it was still working perfectly. I am so pleased that I decided to go back because if I had left it much longer the tide would have covered that strech of sand and the phone would have been washed away.

Confession Time

Yesterday Robbie rang me at about 8.30am, he usually phones at around that time. He said that he was in London and he wanted to say hello before dashing off to his meeting in Cambridge. I asked him how long his journey to Cambridge would take in total, it was an innocent enough question but t elicited some interesting confessions from Robbie. First came the rather sheepish question "What, including breakfast and meeting friends?" He had been to visit his old friends at Euston, and apparently his three Weetabix wasn't sufficient to sustain him until lunch so he had to have a second breakfast! Then came the confession, he made me get up in the middle of the night and miss the end of my dream because he wanted to go on a Voyager! He could have travelled over an hour later but the lure of the diesel apparently justified the early start! In an attempt to distract me he told me what we could have for breakfast when we go on a Pendolino. That man, if he isn't thinking about trains he is thinking about food!!

Time to Ourselves

Saturday was a rather special day. Robbie had to be up early to go to an appointment, so I had to be up early to take him, but he took me out to breakfast afterwards to make up for it. We had the rest of the morning to ourselves, it is really special to just be able to chill for a while because we spend most of our time rushing from one thing to the next. In the afternoon we went to my mum's house for an early birthday celebration. It was a day early but my aunt and uncle had their diamond wedding party on Sunday so Robbie had his birthday tea early. It was a really nice gentle sort of day

University Visit

Robbie survived the day without his dongle! When I spoke to him this morning he was still in bed enjoying a cup of coffee. The visit to the university does not start until later so Robbie has plans for breakfast at one of his favourite places, in fact the whole trip seems to be planned around food and trains - no change there then! I hope Laura gets on OK at the university today, she has her heart set on going to Plymouth so I hope the course lives up to her expectations. Sam and I are enjoying the peace and quiet, it is amazing how quiet the house is without Robbie and Laura!

Suspicious Behaviour

When I got home yesterday evening I thought Robbie must have been abducted by aliens and a complete stranger left in his place. Not only was he watching Pride and Prejudice, he was obviously enjoying it. That may not sound very strange, but Robbie doesn't usually bother with things like that, after all there are no trains in Pride and Prejudice! There was other uncharacteristic behaviour too, he was so attentive that I became suspicious and asked him what he had done wrong. It was at that point that the old Robbie became evident again, he began to talk about one of his favourite subjects – food! He told me yet again about the lovely breakfast he had on Sunday, then he began to tell me about all the people he was with, it made my head hurt. I wasn't sure if he was outlining a sub plot from EastEnders or even detailing a school reading scheme, each generation of family members seemed to begin with the same letter – could this be a real life version of Janet and John? It was all too much for me and I plodded off to bed.

This morning it didn't take long to get into my bad books. I woke him up on time but apparently he fell asleep downstairs and he ended up running late, he then moaned at me for making him late. Just before he left he announced that he was going out for a meal tonight, he claimed I knew that but I didn't, he mentioned a while ago that he was going out with some people from his train but he didn't say when. I think it is really weird, why would you want to go out with people that you travel on the same train with? The only thing they have in common is shared suffering and a deep dislike of Network Rail. Oh well, I expect he will do as he likes, but if he eats anything smelly he can sleep on the sofa!

Talking to the Wall!

Robbie is still talking about the lovely breakfast he had on Sunday. If he thinks I am going to spoil him like that he can think again – but if he wants to cook for me I wouldn't object! He said that the people he was with couldn't understand what he was saying, it doesn't surprise me, my mum still struggles to know what he is saying. Everyone thinks it's funny because Robbie talks enthusiasticly and very fast, after about two paragraphs worth my mum will look at me and ask what he said - I can usually sum the whole lot up in one sentence!

I wish Robbie would accept that he is not superman, I have written about it before but he really has to recognise his limits preferably before he falls over. When he got home on Sunday he'd obviously had a great time on the rail tour but he was struggling to walk and he had a lot of pain in his legs. The said that his legs felt as if they didn't belong to him, I can't imagine them belonging to anyone else, they are like him – unique, but if he wants them to keep working he needs to treat them with a little more respect and at least rest them for an hour or two on a long journey like that. I tried to tell him that but I may as well talk to the wall!!

He is off to the North today, to York I think, needless to say it involved an early start and I expect he will be late home too. By the time I get to see him in the evening he is so tired that he nods of mid sentence, but at least I can look forward to the weekend, I may be able to have a whole conversation with him!

Getting There

Friday passed in a blur of activity, we were packing and preparing for our holiday and it all seems to take so much more time than you anticipate. We took Meg to the kennels after lunch, it is not the nearest but it has a very good reputation and Meg seems to like it there, she loves ball games and as long as they play with her she will be happy. The cats are staying at home, Emily will look after them at the weekends and grandma (my mum) will be in charge during the week. Fortunately Dave's eye is better now so he will not need any more medication, that is just as well because he is not the most grateful patient and I don't want mum or Emily to be scratched to bits.

By 7pm the car was packed and the house was more or less acceptable, after a quick meal I retired to bed so that I would be well rested for our early start. The alarm woke me at 2am, bed seemed very attractive but I forced myself to get going, it took drastic measures to drag Robbie from his bed, but after a shower and 3 Weetabix he was a little more human. It always takes longer to do those last few jobs than you expect, and Robbie kept us all waiting, but by about 3.50am we were on our way. Robbie promised to stay awake to talk to me, but he was snoozing before we had left Northamptonshire!

With three slumbering passengers and only a talking book to keep me company I had a quiet drive towards Oxford and then down to the M4. I wanted to make the most of the early start so I drove on until the second services on the M4 before making a comfort stop, they all moaned when I woke them up and turfed them out of the car. After a quick visit to the facilities and a walk around in the cool morning air I felt sufficiently refreshed and awake to continue. Sleeping Beauty was nodding again before we had rejoined the motorway but it was a good drive, I didn't see any road works or traffic cones at Bristol (there is a first time for everything) the M5 would have been better without the multitude of caravans, but there were no delays and before long we had passed Exeter and headed into Cornwall on the A30. At last I could turn off towards Camelford, Wadebridge and the Atlantic Highway, I love that bit of the journey. By 9am we were parked by the quayside in Padstow enjoying a very welcome hot chocolate, for me this is the best place in the world.
We spent the day in Padstow exploring the shops, enjoying lunch at our favourite restaurant and watching all the activity around the harbour. We booked into the caravan at 3pm and by 5.30pm the luggage that had taken almost a week to gather together and pack was unpacked and put away and I could finally relax and enjoy the amazing view across the bay. I will add some photos later.

It is hardly surprising that I was exhausted, but I stayed awake long enough to see Graham Norton's continuing search for a Nancy and then the beginning of the Eurovision Song Contest. I don't usually watch Eurovision, but I really like Andy Abrahams and I wanted to see the British entry. Thankfully it was very near the beginning and after watching several more increasingly bizarre entries I retreated to the bedroom and the relative sanity of Radio 4! That was the last I remember until I was awoken this morning by a yell from the en suite – Robbie had burned his bum on the heated towel rail!

The Wanderer Returns

On Sunday morning I didn't get an early call from Robbie, in fact I didn't get a call at all. In the end I sent him a text and shortly afterwards he phoned, it was clear that he had only just woken up, he wasn't making a lot of sense and breakfast seemed to be the only thing on his mind, so I left him to it and got on with my day.

I had to take Emily back to university and the first challenge was to cram everything into the car, then after a quick trip to the supermarket so that she could stock up we headed off to Leicester. On arrival the first test was to find a parking space sufficiently close to Emily's accommodation, having achieved that goal we then had to carry all her stuff up to her flat on the third floor. They have a lift, but most of the stuff was really heavy and by the time we had emptied the car I had to be revived with a nice cup of tea before heading home again.

Robbie got back in the afternoon and he talked non stop about his weekend, he'd had a brilliant time and he wanted to share every single detail of it with me. He was very impressed with the catering company and he described everything from the food they provided to the T-shirts they wore, he even sent me the link to the company website - typical of Robbie to be impressed by food! Part of the appeal of the rail tours is the route they take and apparently some people chose a tour just because they haven't travelled on that particular section of a line before. Robbie started to tell me every detail of the outward route and he was very disappointed when I told him that I already knew because I had looked on the website. He showed me pictures of the tour that had already been posted on YouTube and he was appalled when I said that Class 20's were not very pretty. With the air of exaggerated patients he explained in great detail that it was the sound that was so special and he then played several clips from the internet to prove his point! I have a feeling he will still be talking about his weekend for days.

Gravy Train Catering Spitfire Rail Tours

This morning we were slightly later than planned and Robbie was delayed further by another 'Incredible Hulk' episode. He tore the sleeve of a third shirt within a week! Twice may be considered a coincidence, but three times is stretching credibility. I suspect he has been plotting to justify buying new shirts, well, if he can't cope with long sleeves he will just have to put up with short sleeves!