Our euros and kunas arrived and they make the holiday seem ever closer. I thought that the go box and the vignette came but the nice post man has taken them away which means a walk up to the post office tomorrow to pick them up. When we got to the post office it turned out it was not the go box but an adapter we had sent for. We got up early and took Suzy to Ironbridge to meet up with the guy who was going to look at Kathrein and repair her. We found the workshop fairly easily although it was well hidden in the middle of a large trading estate. We met Dave and his wife who walked round Suzy and explained what they were going to do re-assuring us that we would ... read more

Suzy is firmly staying put on the drive. She is still waiting for Wesley to come up and make Kathrein better. Alas no phone call nor e-mail today. Perhaps tomorrow or Wednesday when he says he is coming to Gloucestershire . At last our holiday seems to be coming upon us. We are counting the days down like excited children. Sion of course is getting even more eager and knows it is only 29 more sleeps until he gets away from this snowy weather and goes in search of the sun. Last year he managed to visit 13 countries on his travels and this year is looking forward to adding Bosnia to his list. He is over excited to be honest as his best friend Woolly has only 7 more sleeps until he goes on a ... read more

32 days and counting - Suzy is standing in the snow. The weather has turned nasty. It began to snow last night and we woke up this morning to a heavy covering and a grey leaden sky. The journey to work was fraught to say the least with abandoned cars littering the road making it hazardous for overtaking and difficult for the gritters and the snow ploughs to clear the way. Gwernymynydd Hill was a shambles, drivers out of their cars with shovels trying to dig their way out. Cars left in the middle of the road. In the end I got to work,turned round and came home again. This time last year March was fairly temperate with mild weather and the reservoirs empty.Drought was forecast. What a difference a year makes. The clocks change next ... read more

Railway Day - What nostalgia. Where can you start? The memories come flooding back when you were a child of the railway age. The platforms with their diamond shaped blue brick paving - the same paving my gran used for her garden paths. Milk churns waiting to be shipped from the farm to the nearest town using the train. An old fashioned ticket office brown oak panelled with small peephole window. Old fashioned green cardboard tickets and a collection of railway memorabilia. Bicycles leaned up against a wall and liveried guards, porters and engine drivers. What fun to be transported back to pre- Beeching days. Mr Beeching eat your heart out. You tried to kill off steam and the railways and just look what a legacy you left. Our first stop the buffet car capaccinos and ... read more

Suzy is sulking. She is still standing on our drive waiting for her holidays to start. 50 days and counting.......... .The sun is shining and she wants to start her 2013 adventures. Yesterday we spent time starting to get her ready for the coming season. We began by loading up the front lockers. We checked first that there was a copious selection of sweets to keep us going on our travels. Werthers Toffees, Soft Mints, Chocolate Eclairs and Licquorice Allsorts – Check . Boxes filled with smalls - Check, Boxes full of towels and T-towels- Check . We filled the water tanks with cleaner probably not enough but we used what we had .Taps switched on to run it through. Suzy likes her pipes cleaned. Jelly shoes placed in the wardrobe ready for use in the ... read more