Since the last time I blogged we have been working hard and trying to see and do as much here as we can. We won’t go into a lot but will mention some of the places we have been. Our jobs are not difficult and we also get paid a paupers wage but it doesn’t matter since we have no travel costs really and we do 35 and 36.25 hours a week. We work 5 mins from each other and Scot drops me off at work on the way to his work so we don’t have to have 2 cars.
We joined the local golf club which has a gym and pool which keeps us sane each week as we swim most days and Scot has subscribed to spin each week which he loves (well mostly). The club is a blessing here as they also have a Jacuzzi and steam room which we use after a swim. They have a restaurant and bar which Scot frequents as often as he can get away with it 🙂
We did our 2nd stint looking after the farm and Boris which was between September and October. It was more difficult this time as one daughter floated in and out during our stay and being a teenager was not exactly a clean or neat freak so that was a test for us. Once we finished there we rented a room in a share house in a shed conversion which we call firewood farm. We leave there in two weeks time which we are looking forward to as it is very muddy outside and quite a small place. Whilst here we have spent most of our weekends away seeing the nearby countryside.
Places we have been to are Weymouth to see Mick and Michaela. I have to say if we had seen Weymouth before we settled in Horsham, we would have gone there. It is a lovely town on the waterfront with a great atmosphere. Mick and Michaela have a great place close to all the action which will no doubt be transformed as they have time. We spent a weekend at Weston Super Mare which is a lovely place near Bristol but on the waterfront. when the tide goes out from there it recedes almost as far as Wales it is the longest tidal draw that I have seen in years . On our way back from WSM we saw Stonehenge – only from the road, but it was so close and it costs far too much nowadays to go and see it, that it isn’t worth paying the price. They had a half marathon on the Sunday we were there so we spent an hour or so clapping and encouraging people. When you have had this done to you when doing a triathlon you know how much it helps so it’s nice to give back to others.
We met Ruth and Mick in Castleton in the peak district for a weekend when they were over for a short time. We were very fortunate that it had snowed just before we arrived so had our first taste of winter there. They picked us up from the train station and getting back to the accommodation was a little hairy with ice/snow on the road. We walked up into the snow in the morning to get a magical view over the surrounding area which was so lovely. In the towns nearby the Christmas lights were all just being turned on which created that magical feeling wherever you went. We went to Eyam a town that has it’s fame due to being the only place that the Black Plague got to outside of London. The people in the town isolated themselves so that it wouldn’t spread. It made it’s way to Eyam by way of fleas in a bundle of cloth taken there. It was the fleas that lived on the rats that spread the virus and not the rats themselves. We visited an amazing cave and watched a Hawk in action – quite spectacular. We really enjoyed our weekend there and it was sad to have to say goodbye when we both left.
We took a weekend trip over to Whitstable (famous for welks, oysters, mussels & cockles) where Scot believed it was a lovely place. We met Lauren there for the day which was so nice to catch up with her before she left England to travel back to NZ. We spent the day and evening walking around checking out the local area and stayed at what turned out to be an unfortunately crappy B&B in Birchington on Sea. We had mulled wine and fruit mince pies in Whitstable whilst singing Christmas carols which was really cool. On the Sunday we saw Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. Margate has definitely had it’s day and is a a bit rundown and far too expensive for what it is. Broadstairs is a very cool place that has a great beach. I imagine it to be packed in summer. This was the home of Charles Dickens once upon a time.
Our last weekend away was spent at Folkstone in Kent. We really liked it when we were there for a couple of days before heading over to France so decided to go back and have another look. This time we got the B&B right and it was amazing. We had clear skies and cool weather. Saturday night we ate at the Grand hotel which would have been a stunner in it’s day. Sitting inside, I was able to imagine it in it’s grandeur during the war days with officers and soldiers sitting inside with elegant ladies. It has a magical spot overlooking the sea up on the hillside. We found an awesome café that made the best Victoria sponge I have ever eaten! We did a bit of tour around the countryside driving home and came across a lovely village called Rye which we must get back to at some stage.
That pretty much concludes our visits to nearby locations before we left for our latest amazing holiday. Updates of that to come shortly.
