Winter Wonders...

So … it seems like ages since I wrote something here. In fact, it is ages since I wrote.

Partly this is because we went travelling and spent time in South Africa (visiting friends & family) and then also in Turkey, where we worked on our tans (a faint blush in my case … almost black in my wife’s), ate too much and spent time at the pool or on the boat in the magnificent Turkish Bay.

The boats known locally as a `Gulet’ are almost floating hotels … food, drink, sleep if you want, dive in & swim in the sea if you want ….  It was, as you can imagine, a real chore and deeply difficult to endure.

Well, leaving and coming home was, at any rate…!

And then I was immediately requested to take up the role I had only just finished, as the guy who they had appointed was needed on an urgent `mission’, so would I mind terribly holding the fort for him.

Not really, said I, as long as we bump-up the day-rate and resolve some of the concerning issues……  Consequently I have been a tad busy since then.

And then there was the whole issue of the house.  We had it on the market you see.

We sold it and had an offer accepted on a lovely penthouse apartment in Ascot.  With a roof garden for my wife, so she still has plants to grow - and for me so I still get to listen to the birds and watch the trees…!

At which point we discovered a small sliver of land on our property that didn’t appear on the original deeds.  Cue multiple lawyers, management committees, the Council, Land Registry and any number of other hangers-on.

I have no wish to denigrate the honourable legal profession, but let’s just say it has taken an awful long time for everyone to sign a legal document, that everyone all agreed was correct and necessary to begin with.

God knows what must happen when someone disagrees….!

To cut a long story short though, we have formally exchanged contracts today. YAHOO…!  And we move into our new home in December, just in time to celebrate Christmas as we start another new chapter.

And all of this as Jack Frost starts to make his annual appearance and the Winter season fastens its grip on our lives. 

I’m hoping for a bit of snow this Christmas – the trees in the new garden are immense and will look fabulous groaning under the weight of layers of crisp, white snow. 

And we’ll have a little roof garden to feed the Robin, who follows us around and sings to me whenever I’m outside.

To my wife, who has managed this legal torture garden … Well Done and Thank You.  You are a wonderful, special, talented lady. 


With spectacularly good taste, by the way…!

To our friends and family who are looking forward to visiting us in Ascot - and that includes you Janet, with your Ascot Bucket List, Brenda, for your next trip, the McNaughties, who have been on this journey with us for years already (and not forgetting joining us in Turkey), my Mum, the children in all your guises ... and many, many others..



.... we’re looking forward to seeing you!