My lost summer

Where or where has the summer gone?   Where has my life gone for the last few months for that matter?  A few weeks ago I stumbled around the city centre and was alarmed to see the range of autumn clothing collection; clothes and boots and all sorts, I felt in a bit of a time warp because I kind of felt that I was still waiting on summer coming.  Of course, forever the optimist, I am still hoping for an Indian summer but with the autumn like feeling mornings already upon us, the likelihood of that happening is slim.  And believe me I know.  When you live in a caravan, you feel the elements and the fact that we have to put on the oil filled radiators in September is a sure sign. 

I feel that I have missed out on 2012 full stop.  With moving Phil’s mum and dad at the end of January and sorting out their maintenance issues and with the Aunt Daphne fraud followed by the GP Flat refurbishment, the year has just disappeared in a blink.  I wonder whether it will be like this forever, will I ever get back into my gym routine or get time to think and plan without always being on the run. For gods sake I don’t even work full time and yet time is always of the essence and there is never enough of the stuff.  Sometimes I think I wish my life away. I do write a list every morning, I practically micro manage every minute of my day with a ‘to do’ list but still, it seems never ending.  

Take this summer school holidays; there were 2 friends that I wanted to catch up and now they are back at school.  One was Vanessa, who works in a school and the other was Emma that has 2 children at the local school and lives only seconds from the flat.  But has it happened?  No and that is sad.  There is always something more important or more pressing that means that I can’t visit. This has to change and hopefully I can catch up with them soon.  BUT it won’t be next week as there is too much already scheduled. Such is life.

I shouldn’t moan too much because this week hasn’t been too tedious or too tiresome.  Phil left early on Tuesday morning to go to Melton Mowbray to finish off his mum and dad’s loft hatch and I stayed home alone in the caravan. I gave both caravans a thorough clean and moved around the furniture in our lounge.   I sorted out all the junk in the wooden trunk box and moved this into the office, which I have to say, took some doing.  The morning soon went and I had only just finished my jobs when Jane phoned on the mobile to say that she was lost on the park.  She wasn’t too far from our little cul-de-sac and I soon found her and brought her back to our plot.

I have known Jane for almost 30 years but because of commitments we only get to see each a couple of times a year so this visit was much overdue. Jane loved the caravans and she hadn’t been her long when we got the diaries out and provisionally booked a date for Jane & Ian to come over and stay.  I took Jane to the Worlds End for lunch as Phil & I had only been once before and I wanted to give it another try.  When I went with Phil we found the food disappointing and very expensive but on Tuesday I was impressed. I was a little worried as there only 2 other tables occupied but we had the special lunch menu, £9.99 and the food was very good.  As the sun was shining we decided to have coffee back at the caravan underneath the gazebo.  It would have been a perfect afternoon had I not had a blonde moment and realised I had thrown the remote control to the telly in the rubbish bins.  Jane was still here when Phil returned from Melton so whilst they were catching up, I took a patio chair and the BBQ tongs and went to sift through the bins.  Eventually I found my bag of rubbish which thankfully had the remote in but it was not a pleasant job.  Phil would have killed me if I hadn’t found it.  Sometimes I think he loves the telly, his remote and his iPhone4 more than me!

Remote found and a domestic avoided, after Jane left we sat outside discussing projects until the sun went down.  Last week we decided that we would move into the caravan next door but after much debate, we have decided to stay put and rent out the caravan next door because as it stands at the moment, it is fully equipped and ready to go.  Although next door has a bigger lounge and an en-suite, our caravan is already set up for our way of living.  We don’t need a second bedroom and it suits us to use this space as an office.  That’s the plan for the moment anyway, whether we will change our minds, goodness only knows.

It was back to MK on Wednesday in both cars and a bag packed because we were staying the night.  I went to Sue’s for a cuppa and then went to meet Phil at the GP flat.  We decided that the oak table didn’t really fit in the GP flat so it was agreed that we would buy a cheap table and chairs from IKEA.  I had already seen a table that I’d had my eye on; it was a desk rather than a proper table but it was high white gloss and perfect for the flat.  Phil & I couldn’t agree on chairs but in the end we went for plastic black with an aluminium frames.  Cheap and cheerful.  Whilst we were in IKEA we also picked up a swivel chair for the desk.  We lugged our goods back to the flat and poor Phil had the job of dismantling the oak table and reassembling the new table and chairs.  The Vac Doctor brought back the newly serviced Dyson and then it was back to Sue’s for our usual Wednesday night stay. 

Of course we could have stayed at the GP flat but Phil was driving and I was cooking supper so we decided it would probably easier if we stayed at Sue’s for one last night.  Supper was easy, salmon with mash, vegetables from Phil’s mum’s garden and it was a easy evening watching the soaps.  We were up reasonably early and after breakfast we went to the GP flat to load up the table and chairs and the telly plus a few other bits and pieces.  It is very confusing and I forget which stuff is where.  Cars loaded up, it was then back to Sue’s house so Phil could hang a new electric heater in the conservatory.  And then it was back to Overstone to unload the table and reassemble it. 

Georgina is back from university and we had arranged for her to come over with her new boyfriend who she was keen for us to meet.  Phil said anytime after midday but it was almost 2pm by the time they turned up.  We took Georgina and James to The Mandarin at Weston Favell which as young people, we thought they might like.  It was nice but we hadn’t realised that the restaurant closed at 3pm so the buffet was a bit rushed.  Phil & I liked the new boyfriend, he seemed like a really nice lad and he comes from Nuneaton which is not that far away from Northampton.   I don’t know what James thought about us living in a caravan but fair play to him for having the balls to come over and meet Dad and the wicked step mum. 

I had hoped that things would calm down by this weekend but alas it’s not to be.  We received an email from the agent to say the tenants are checking out of the OB flat today. I was aware that they were not renewing their tenancy but I hadn’t realised it was this week.  We only refurbished this flat in March so normally it wouldn’t be too much of an issue but apparently we have water leaking into the flat below which means that the bath is leaking again.  This means without a doubt that the bath is going to have to come out once again.  Phil is meeting Adam the agent and the neighbour downstairs at 10am this morning.  I will go and inspect this afternoon to see what cleaning and decorating needs to be done. As the tenants have only been in 6 months, I am hoping it is just cosmetic stuff but with 15 years of rental experience, I don’t have high expectations.

Today has already been hectic; I got up early and was in Tesco’s at Weston Favell at half past six.  I needed to get in supplies because we have step-dad John and his partner arriving for a weekend stay.  John is leaving next week to go to La Manga for a 6 month stay in his newly acquired caravan so this will be our last chance to say goodbye.  I haven’t checked the weather forecast but although I can see some blue in the sky, I can also see many clouds and it is blowing a gale.  Hey ho, what will be, will be and we will have to make the most of things.  I can’t control the weather so why stress about it.