The end of last month we popped into Hereford on our way to Brecon to see Brian & Glenis. It was great to catch up with them as we had not seen them for a while. It was nice to see them both looking well and still enjoying life at The Millpond. The site has a nice feeling and the new owners have done a lot of work since were worked there. It was nice to go into Hereford again and walk along the river Wye. We had brunch in Ascari’s on West Street which serve great value for money food and the coffee is great also.
It was great to be at Brecon again and after setting up we walked along the canal for a coffee and to get some provisions. Shaun & Billie are coming round for a catch up and Paella tonight plus a few glasses of vino!
The trailer was handed over to Shaun & Billie and we had another day in Brecon before saying our goodbyes.
So here we are now, back in Oxford for a while and into a nice little routine.
Unfortunately Angela didn’t get the first job but not to worry because a week later she has been given a job in a great location that is easily accessible by car, pushbike (summertime maybe!) and public transport.
I am now busy at my Mum’s most days sorting all of the things that came out of the trailer and the loft items from our last house!
It has now been over seven years that we have been in our van so it is unlikely that we will be needing these items again. Neither of us have the urge to live in a house at the moment. I think that we both love the freedom that this way of life gives you.
Our routine at the moment has been me dropping Angela off at work then picking my Mum up and taking her to the swimming pool. Bless her, she is 76 and swims five times a week. I then go back to Mum’s and sort through our items that are going to be sold at Car Boot Sales, Gumtree or ebay. For those of you that have used any of these for selling will know the challenges they create. Some things have gone smoothly others are a pain. Fortunately I have time on my side to be able to get this done. It has been a learning curve and some mistakes have been made. An example being selling an item for £3.20 with £2.80 for postage only to find out that an item over 2Kg’s will cost you £12.80 
It would have been cheaper for me to have driven to Cambridge to hand deliver it. I now have a set of scales to double check everything before working out the postage cost
We have been wanting to sort these things out for ages but we never really had the time so I am making the most of it.
It is great having evenings and weekends off again to do as we please. I have been running a bit again but have developed a problem with my second metatarsal head! I have been told to rest it for a month. Angela is realizing how active she was before getting this new job which is sat at a desk all day. Because of this we have decided to go for nice walks at the weekends and she may start walking home from work occasionally.
Early this month I had an Army reunion in Solihull. Myself and some of my old comrades have a Whatsapp group which has been great for sharing memories (stories and photos) and also good for a bit a banter. Two of the group live overseas, one in Canada and one in New Zealand. From an idea a while back and after a lot of planning (Thanks to everyone but mainly Paul G) the stars all aligned and the group came together. We all served together in Minden during the 80’s and we all agree that there is a special bond between us. For those of you that have served will understand what I am talking about. What a great weekend we had and must do it again sometime.
Some of us met up last month but it was not a happy occasion. Simon Mildren was another comrade from Minden who was due to attend this reunion but sadly passed away.
One evening we had a great night at the New Theatre in Oxford where we went to see one of our folk hero’s Christy Moore. He was very good and funny and has a big following. In December we will be going to see our favourite folk roots acoustic duo Show of Hands.
Due to campsite rules towards the end of October we had to move to another site. My Mum told me about a new campsite sign a friend of hers noticed so I went out for a look one day and spoke to the owners. It was perfect for us as it was a site that only allowed five units on, it was rural, in beautiful location, right on the edge of the city and has a bus stop outside the main entrance. Result! I booked us in for the maximum stay (28 days).
Once settled in the routine continued with Angela working and me sorting things to sell with the odd trip to the post office with my nicely wrapped parcels that had sold.
Being back in Oxford has also been good to see old friends and it was great to spend a lovely evening at Billy & Emma’s. Emma cooked us a great meal and it was great to see Frank & Sherry who were also invited.
We had a trip into London via the Oxford Tube to see Angela’s brother Brian. It was great seeing him as it had been a while due to his work commitments. He is looking really well. I am always happy seeing Angela with her brother as they don’t get to see each other often but it is obvious that they are close.
