We have had more neighbourly adventures.
This one was a lovely one.
One of our temporary holiday neighbours dropped in to see us and chat and stayed for ages. We both liked him very much. He is an Irish gypsy, and has been renovating a caravan, so as I am sure you can guess, we had a great deal to discuss.
He showed us some pictures of his caravan, and we were absolutely overwhelmed, it was utterly brilliant, with shelves and shelves of the most stunning Royal Doulton Old Imari plate, fragile and beautiful. We could not work out how they manage to hold it stable when they are travelling, but did not think to ask at the time, so Mark said he would catch up with him tomorrow and get him to explain.
We were in agreement that we would like to spend our old age travelling in our respective vans, he told us how his family had finished up in a house when some wicked council bulldozed their campsite years ago, but he longed to be on the road again, and I agreed wholeheartedly. Mark laughed when he had gone, and said that there must be a lot more Irish gypsy in me than anybody is prepared to own up to, because we had a very, very lot in common.
Mark’s family are farmers. They are not seized with the longing to wander off and camp by roadsides and sit by campfires whilst everybody drives past and grumbles about them.
The sun is still shining here, which has made hanging about chatting to neighbours a happy way to pass an evening. I do hope Andy Burnham passes some laws saying that we do not have to keep trying to stop Global Warming, because I am enjoying it very much indeed. It is a long time since I have been warm enough for the whole of every day. I have found that now my hands are warm all the time I can no longer lift hot things out of the microwave without a towel, and I have to hop about and swear like everybody else.
It has been very splendid to have a holiday. I can’t even say that I am missing the dogs. Every now and again we hear some brainless idiot barking its head off in the distance, and feel very pleased and smug that it is somebody else’s problem. It is nice to have occasional cat visitors but no responsibility, and we have been gadding about visiting relatives and ambling around the shops.
We visited my mother last night, and had fish and chips. I have eaten so much whilst I have been here, almost all of it fried except the chocolate, I am going to be very rotund by the time we go home. Fortunately Mark will be going offshore in a week, so I will have a chance to starve myself back into my trousers.
I am going to cut this short again, because Mark has just appeared from the shower, and bedtime has arrived.
Last day of the holiday tomorrow.
