Le Weekend

It took ages to pack up the cars on Friday morning even though I had sorted all the stuff the day before and it was all ready to go. Phil didn’t want to leave the caravan without watching the recording of Celebrity BB and I guess it was almost half ten by the time we got to the GP flat.  Better late than never I suppose but it also took ages to get all our stuff up the stairs and unpacked.  When it was all done we went to Harriet’s flat to retrieve some more of our bits and bobs from her loft.  There is still tons of stuff up there and once we get a spare morning we are going to go over and have a proper sort out as there is stuff that can to the charity shops or otherwise we can eBay it.

After the loft we went to Asda where we did a quick shop and had a bite to eat.  And then it was back to the GP flat to wait in for the washing machine delivery.  While Phil was waiting in for Argos to deliver and for the Vac Doctor to pick up the Dyson and take it away for a service, I went to Wolverton to drop off my Acer with the PC Fix man.  The washing machine turned up about 4 o’clock.  Phil put it in the airing cupboard but when I went to inspect, I pointed out that there wasn’t an electric socket so he couldn’t plumb it in.  The electricians should have done this and we hadn’t noticed that they hadn’t.  Phil used the shower for the first time and it was a bit of a disaster.  Our new, very expensive shower screen doesn’t do the job and all the water went over the new door and wall.  I got busy waxing the oak doors with linseed oil.  It was all going well until the tin slipped out of my hand and went all over the bathroom floor. Oh dear. Phil helped me clear it up and fortunately there was enough in the tin to finish off the rest of the doors.  I had planned to have a soak in the bath because I hadn’t had a bath in ages but the time ran away with me and so only enough time for a quick change and to apply a layer of make-up before picking up Sue.

We had booked a table at the Thai Modern restaurant www.thaimodern.co.uk at the city centre but Sue hadn’t seen the GP flat for ages so we decided to stop off for an inspection and a glass of Cava.  With glasses full of bubbles we toasted our first night at the GP flat after 2 hard months of hard graft and also the completion on Sue’s new house.  She’s not moving but has bought a house for her son Matt and his family to rent.  Phil and I hadn’t been to the Thai Modern in ages and Sue had never been before.   When we used to go to The Modern, we went for the buffet but now they only do the buffet on a Sunday.  The restaurant was busy but not over packed and we had a lovely evening.  After deliberating we asked for the set menu to share between the three of us and this was no problem.  The food was good, as was the service, and we all said that we would go back if only to sample the Sunday buffet.   The taxi dropped off us first and then went to Newport to drop off Sue so it wasn’t a late night.

I was up early on Saturday morning and was in Sainsbury’s at half past seven.   That is the beauty of being in MK in that the supermarkets are only a 10 minute drive away.  I had done my shop, brought toilet rolls from Lidl’s and was back home before half past eight.  Phil was still in bed but he got up when I got home.  We had crumpets and fresh fruit for breakfast and then it was time to start our day.  The first job of the day was to go to B&Q to buy a TV wall mount that swivels and also Phil wanted to get some plasterboard fittings.     We had the delivery of the IKEA wardrobes in the afternoon so we just had time to drive over to Broughton to see Sue’s new house.  When we arrived Matt was busy putting up new fittings and Sue was glossing the stair rail. I was a bit concerned that she was might overdue it but she assured me she’d stop if she felt tired.  The new house is lovely and it has a nice feel to it. I am certain that once Matt moves in his furniture, it will soon feel like home.

We had quiche with new potatoes and salad for lunch.  Harriet came round to see the flat and I took her to The Giffard for hamburger and chips as she didn’t fancy cheese and onion quiche.  As it was such a hot day, after lunch, Harriet wanted to sunbathe in the garden but we have a very overgrown tree at the back of our fence which takes away all of the sunlight so the garden was totally in shade.  I am going to have to get on to the council to see if I can get this chopped down.  I also need to see if I can get them to take down the timber structure at the back of us because not only is it unstable but also, it means that I can’t clean my windows.  But this is not high on the priority list and is a job for another day.  It will all get done but it is just a matter of time

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Ikea didn’t deliver the new wardrobe until nearly 3pm which was a shame really because Phil wasn’t really in the mood to erect them.  He’d already worn himself out getting the wiring down in the attic for the washing machine which was a hot and sweaty job.   But he managed to get the main structure of the wardrobes done before calling it a day.  He had a shower and settled himself to watch the highlights of the Grand Prix qualifying.  I didn’t feel that I achieved much on Saturday.  I did get my soak in the bath which was nice and then it was the X-Factor and an early night for me.

On Sunday I left Phil to assemble the wardrobes and popped over to see Sue.  I took her a Sunday paper and went to check if she needed any shopping or needed any jobs doing but she was fine so we had a nice cup of tea and a girlfriend chat instead.  And what a lovely morning, just what a shame we spent the whole day cooped up in the bedroom assembling the wardrobe.  I say we, but it was Phil mostly, I just helped with the odd screw and the doors.  I did roast chicken for lunch but it was too hot for a proper roast dinner so I just did salad with new potatoes, and very nice it was too.  

The IKEA Pax Anstad high white gloss unit were a real nightmare. Phil started at 11am and aside from stopping for lunch, it was nearly 5pm by the time he put his tools away.  The Pax wardrobe looks good and I am pleased with way it sits in the room BUT it was a real bugger to assemble and the hanging space isn’t wide enough.  The only way you can hang stuff up is by putting the hangers at a slant. I wouldn’t buy these wardrobes again.  Another problem that we had with the Pax, was that when we went to put the shelves in the wardrobe they were too wide so it’s back to Ikea again this morning. 

Our first weekend at the GP flat was a success. Friday night with Susie Sue at the Thai Modern, Saturday the sun shone and we had a relaxed evening.  Sunday was long and frustrating but at least Phil got to watch the highlights of the Monaco Grand Prix.   I am really pleased with the way that the GP flat has turned out.  It does feel a little cluttered in the lounge because we have so much stuff but the light from the 3 windows compensates for that.  I think that we will be very happy living here, and I for one, definitely won’t miss the daily 52 mile round trip to and fro from Northampton. 

Our next project will be the caravans.  Now that we have moved the bulk of our belongings from our caravan it is so bare and only has the basic essentials.  We need to re-gig stuff from the caravan next door and also get the rest of the stuff out of the storage unit.  After much debate, we have decided that we will keep both of the caravans on at least for next year.  The plan is that we will move into the caravan next door (no 1) and the keep the caravan that we are currently in (no 3) so that friends and family can stay.  We also want to try and rent it out next season so that we can cover some, if not all, of our costs.  Now that the flat is almost done, it will be interesting to see how much time we spend here and how much time we spend at Overstone.