Kidney Bean - Wednesday 19/01/11

Had a welcome change of pace Monday. Emma was booked in for an ultrasound scan at Haverfordwest hospital. With the car insured for the day, we did our best to make the most of it and be as productive as possible. The appointment wasn't until 14:30, so we had a couple of hours of mooching in the town centre. Bought a few bits in various charity shops, then headed to the hospital. We were in and out within an hour or so, everything having gone smoothly, and came away with a picture of our kidney bean.

Next stop, top up shop at the supermarket. Kit arrived at the train station not long after and we gave him a ride home. Stopped in Clunderwen to pick up the last item - paraffin.
With the return of Kit has come a break in the weather. Sunshine and clear skies, forecast to prevail until Saturday.
It was an absolute pleasure to be back outside in glorious weather, marking out an orchard then constructing a woodshed. We didn't complete the shed as we ran out of light. And screws.
Sourced some screws from Simon D, so our job today is to finish off and perhaps even extend the woodshed. The clear skies resulted in a bitterly cold night, but as always, this had given us a beautiful crisp morning thankfully with more warm sunshine.

Andy and Janes unveiled house.

M Jones

ConfusedNoLonger.com - Tuesday 11/01/10

Returned to Lammas yesterday evening around 17:30.
Our stay with Emmas parents was prolonged due to a relay of recurring illness. If I felt better, Emma felt worse and vice versa. This happened daily, even now, although hopefully I'm recovered and Emma is fighting off the remnants.
Before we left I asked Emma to check our car insurance, as I knew it was up for renewal soon. Sooner than I thought. It had expired a month earlier than I'd anticipated, 23/12/10 to be exact. A fair few illegal and uninsured journeys had been made since then.
This presented a real issue. Our premium had effectively doubled from £460 per year to £880 odd. We couldn't afford that, not even monthly.
The silver lining of this cloud might come in my solution. Why not buy a days insurance? We rarely use the car as it is (in comparison to most) and we could stand to save £500-£1000 a year, more if you factor in fuel and wear and tear. The tricky part could be when it comes to tax it, but aside from that, it makes sense. Days we do buy insurance, we'll cram in as much as humanly possible in shopping, treats etc. Seems win-win at this moment in time.
Despite the hiccups, we're now settling back in. True to our word, we did a massive shop before leaving Stroud and its actually that which consumed most of our unpacking time.
Picked up my proof copy of A Diary Of A Warless Warrior. Noticed a typo on the rear cover and first entry. My fault for working on it when tired.
Since returning we've been greeted by rain. So much in fact, the hardstanding the caravan is sited on is partially flooded, the latrine trench is close to overflowing and the ground is saturated. The gloominess of the days hasn't helped motivation levels, nor the batteries. Have had little choice other than to remain inside and read. Extremely frustrating when there is so much I can be myself with outside.

The new cat stable...

M Jones