How much?!

I’m bored with politics. It seems to me that our electorate are more interested in going to war with France than they are concerned with the competence and integrity of our current cabinet. It doesn’t help that we have no effective opposition, but to call the Hartlepool by-election as a win for ‘change’, when the current government has been in power for 11 years is a little difficult to stomach. I suppose I shouldn’t care as long as someone’s paying my (and your) pension. What’s interesting is that I am not naturally left of centre. I actually think the Cameron/Clegg alliance was good and, as long as it’s fairly applied, I have nothing against austerity; we all have to live within our means. However, I have found that I am becoming more and more focused on social justice and equality, and if that makes me a Marxist, then so be it. Anyhow, I have temporarily given up on it all. Johnson looks unstoppable at the moment … I’ll live with it until they call me up to back fill a depleted Army to go and fight the French. I might get my white feather out at that point.

Phew.

It’s raining today and that’s playing havoc with my sinuses. So don’t ask me to be generous about anything. Apart from Henry, of course. C’s been out and helped the country’s balance of payments by investing in baby clothes and accessories. And we bought a car seat from Halfords yesterday. I couldn’t fit it for love nor money … and then C tried and we got no further. She was all for me going back into the shop and asking one of the teenagers who work there for assistance. No way. Well, we sorted it eventually. It was incredibly simple in the end, but at one point I though our seat belts weren’t long enough … or Henry might by a misshaped baby. Anyhow, it’s sorted.

I swore a lot

And good news and bad news about Doris’s long work list. I have fixed the loo. In the end it was much easier than I thought it would be. Taking it apart was straightforward and both of the devices which might have been broken (vacuum valve and return valve – £24 and £45) were fine once I played with them. I cleaned everything, put it back together again and it’s all sorted. Fab. Campernet (our wifi booster) has been more problematic. I thought I might have fixed it, and the system does pick up all of the available local wifis, but the signal qualities are really poor. And I have no idea why. So I have ordered a new antenna system (£16.99) which has just arrived. I’ll let you know.

sorted … very pleased with myself

The biggest issue is the satellite system. It’s 10 years old. I’ve fixed it once and serviced it regularly. But it is a complex system – it self seeks and then the knobby bit at the end (a quad LNB) skews on its own axis to get the best signal. It was/is the best on the market … which comes at a price: £2300 fitted. I could buy a reconditioned unit and replace like with like, but even that’s £1200. Well, we have bitten the bullet. We will have a new system fitted when we’re next travelling. In the meantime I’m cutting down on custard creams and bourbons.

the dish arm shouldn’t be pointing in that direction …

I still have a long list of jobs, but those are the biggies. The money doesn’t bother me. Doris is fab and I don’t have any other expensive hobbies (nor does C, apart from baby clothes). So we both agree it will be money well spent. I have started following a few more folk on Instagram who are fulltiming in Europe. And they’re managing … covid and all. One Irish guy is driving around Spain in an old Hymer – a similar model to ours, but older still. Fabulous. We know only too well that it’s not all glamour and there are complexities and issues – like, what happens if you get unwell? But, his/their posts make me smile and help keep my pecker up.

Bex and Henry arrive in Friday. That’s going to be fab, for sure. And tiring. And, we know at some point, a little exasperating as Bex, like all of us, has her ways. But, we couldn’t be looking forward to it more.

calm before the storm

In the meantime, stay safe everyone. Please. (And sorry for the political rants – and, for the record, my calf has twanged again. Ho hum.)