Tuesday 3 January 2012

More travellers tales

Actually, I forgot to mention that before we left Son's home town, we  popped into the town centre (again) to see if the antiques place was open. it wasn't, but we did browse the home store and I bought some cut price crackers and replaced a dish which was cracked. I also forgot to mention that I bought the Christmas episode of Downton and watched it one evening, so now am up to date.
On Friday we packed again, smaller cases this time, and headed off to take Grandma back to her home on the South East coast. We arrived at the services quite late for lunch, and as we entered it seemed as if the world and his wife were travelling either home after Christmas or away for New Year. We lunched in Costa, again, not much choice as the ravening hoards had obviously been in. Then we shopped in the small M&S for food for the evening meal, bananas, milk and other things that husband can't seem to live without when we go away. We had a fairly good run and arrived at Mum in Law's bungalow at around 4 pm.
We gathered up all of her post, put the heating on, and made ourselves comfortable. As I unpacked I realised that I had intended to go back to packing more stuff, but had in fact forgotten, and had no spare trousers or tights for church on Sunday. I helped Mum in Law with the partially ready meal, then afterwards felt like veging out. I checked the TV pages, and found that New Tricks was on. Good! just the sort of untaxing stuff I needed. Before Christmas I had been genuinely bone weary tired, and although I can't sleep well in strange beds, I was feeling less like death warmed up and a bit more human. Obviously having nothing at all to do over Christmas had helped.
We had a very slow start on Saturday morning, husband put the TV on. Fatal! We watched an episode of Poirot, then an old Frost, both of which we have on DVD. It was getting very near lunchtime when we were actually going out, and Mum in law decided to go to the shop in the village instead of coming with us.we headed off to Hastings for a change. I located M&S, bought tights, and we looked in a few other shops. There was a temporary ice rink in the square, and we suddenly realised that they had a machine pumping out snowflakes, the weather was very mild so it was a bit surreal. We found our way to the sea front, and then the little lane full of small shops and cafes which leads away from the seafront. we stopped for lunch in one of the small cafes, then afterwards continued up the lane and into the road which is the start of old Hastings. This is the area where  Foyle's war was filmed, and we spent a happy time browsing the old antique/junk shops which proliferate there. I found an oval tablecloth, seemingly unused and as they are hard to come by asked the price. At £2.80 it was a bargain, and good enough for Nat to smear yoghurt on. At sometime on Saturday I sat on the sofa, realised there was card there, moved it and discovered it was Son in Law's Birthday card. The one that Mum in Law couldn't understand why he hadn't received.
The evening was spent reading papers attempting a crossword, and running Father in law's old computer to check all was well, and I used it for facebook. I also managed to log on to certain parts of the Weightwatchers website that I can't access from out home computer, and managed at last to register my weight loss. We also caught the 10 o'clock news on TV.
I was in bed before midnight, fuddy duddy that I am, drifting off to sleep, when my phone began to vibrate. A new year message from my niece, then the fireworks began, not too many, it is the Costa Geriatrica after all. The last lot started at 12.20 am, but were soon over. On Sunday we were up before Mum in law. She rushed around , getting ready, and husband drove her to her 9.30 am service. Soon she came back, the service had been altered to 10.30! She walked round there the second time, and we left for the 11 am service at the church we attend when down there.
It was communion at the end of the service, but we had to leave as I had booked a table at the Eastbourne Hydro for 1 pm, to save Mum in Law having to cook for us. The weather was foul, the car parks full, but we managed to find a space on the road. The restaurant was not quite as full as last time we were there 3 years ago, that time there were 8 of us. Since Father in Law died we no longer congregate there as a family at New Year.  Mum in Law wouldn't be able to cope as well these days.
It was a lovely meal, we all had a different starter, and all settled on the roast beef. I had to leave some of my enormous Yorkshire pud, and wondered whether I had room for pudding, but in the end I gave in to the pear upside down cake with raspberry sauce and ice cream. Mum in Law had the same, but with custard, and husband had a sundae. Oh well 2 more days before weigh in! 2 days to redeem myself.
Once back at the bungalow we resisted the urge to doze, packed up at about 4 pm, packed the car, and set off for home. I hope Mum in Law doesn't miss us too much, she has had so much company for the last 2 weeks.We had a shorter stop at the services for a drink, and made it home a at around 7.40 pm. The weather had improved slightly on the way home, less driving rain, but it was pretty obvious that we had had some here. originally we planed to stay till Monday as it was a bank Holiday, but I thought husband needed a day to recover from all the driving before returning to work.
Well that just about brings me up to date, so I will wish all my blog readers a Happy New Year, may you know God's blessings in your life.
PS later than I intended sharing this, was going to upload some old pics of old Hastings from my mobile, but can't quite work out how

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