Friday 14th October to Saturday 22nd
October
Friday 14th October
Having sorted out the odds and ends
concerning our stay here, and after taking Alex around the marina and along the
towpath, we repaired to Shiralee and settled in for the day.
Later in the day, having finally sorted out
the Microsoft Money programme for Wifey, I then removed same from the VAIO. Not
that we’re likely to get anything for it if we try to sell it, but we really
don’t need that programme and the accompanying details left on it.
And then, sometime later in the evening, I
received a strange phone call, purporting to be from a company calling itself
The Credit Investigation Department, or some such nonsense. To be honest, the
person on the other end of the line, was broadly Pakistani or Indian and I had
trouble understanding what he was on about. In frustration, I asked him to
speak more clearly and, when I finally understood what he was saying, I said,
“I haven’t a clue as to who you are, or what you want from me. Goodbye”, and I
put the phone down. He didn’t call back.
Once again, out came the laptop, this time to
check up on this company and, no surprises here, it was a scam. You have been
warned.
Today, assuming Dave is able to give me a
lift, we’ll be collecting the car from Crick Garage.
Incidentally, as with most marinas these
days, security is very important, so we were obliged to purchase an electronic
fob for the main gate. All internal gates also have entry codes, and all are
different, but the main gate has its own electronic fobs for cars to come and
go.
Saturday 15th October
Our second day at MB, although not a complete
disaster, could have been better.
Dave picked us up at about 9.30 am and drove
us over to Crick to collect the car. After a quick chat with Malcolm and Chris,
we set of for the village Post Office and Co-op and, after coming out of the
C0-op, I noticed a cardboard box on the back seat. In it were some rather fine
cups and, since they weren’t ours, we decided to take them back to the garage.
Unfortunately, the back door wouldn’t close and so Sheila had to sit in the
back and hold it closed, while I drove back to the garage. Chris soon corrected
the problem with some WD40 and we were soon on our way again.
Now, when we left Crick at the end of April,
Malcolm asked if it would be OK for him to use the car, just for short runs
here and there. No problem there. In fact, better to be used than stand around
and have a flat battery and tyres when we returned.
Well, I can safely say that the car hadn’t
been used much. How do I know this? Well, the time and date were both wrong,
pointing to a flat battery at some point. Also, having taken a reading of the
mileage done before we left, it hadn’t moved by much when I picked it up.
Still, it started first time and we got to MB
without problems.
What almost turned into a disaster, is what
happened later in the evening. Sheila was almost ready to dish up dinner, and
as is his usual wont, Alex was hovering nearby. In fact, he was hovering behind
me. He was so close to me that, as I turned around, I tripped on him and
scraped my arm against the wooden cooker surround.
Under normal circumstances this might not
have been too much of a problem. However, with these blood patches under the
skin of my arms, it proved to be a problem indeed. Because, that scrape took
off the top of a few of those patches, with the result that I bled like a stuck
pig. And, it wouldn’t stop.
So, after much faffing about and holding a
damp cloth to the offending areas of my arm, we sat down to dinner, with me
giving Alex some nasty stares. I think he got the message. He’s forgiven now,
of course.
Being unable to stop the slowly weeping
blood, Wifey dug into our medical cupboard and emerged with some lint and crepe
bandage, which, after slathering my arm with antiseptic cream, she wrapped
around my arm and all was well. At least, all was well until this morning, when
the bandage had slipped, so Wifey had to get out of bed and help re-do the
bandage. All is well again, at least until later, when I should be able to
remove the bandage and lint and expose the wounds to the air. Hopefully, even
if I have to dab at them occasionally, they’ll eventually dry out and should be
OK until Monday, when we’ll be signing up with the local GP practice.
As for the marina? Well, we have two close
neighbours and that’s a different scenario to Crick, where live aboard boaters
usually have empty boats beside them. The neighbour to our left is a car
mechanic. How useful is that? On the other side, we don’t know. But I’m sure
we’ll find out eventually.
Sunday 16th October
We had a pretty good day yesterday and
started it with a walk up to the village. From the moorings outside the marina,
this is about a mile but, from our boat; which is moored just outside the main
office; we have to walk around the perimeter before we reach the towpath, so
the distance is considerable more. However, on a dry day, this walk is rather
pleasant and takes in the, now defunct, golf course and the turning to the
country park. It’s mostly uphill, which is fine, because coming back is mostly
downhill.
My rather nasty and angry looking wounds
have, for the most part, dried up now. Goodness knows what the local GP will
think of the mess though.
Today we’ll probably drive over to Shackerstone
at lunchtime, for our usual tipple and snacks. By canal it’s about three miles
but, from the marina, much less, I think.
The marina also sells newspapers on Saturday
and Sunday mornings, so there’s no need to walk into the village for these. Unfortunately,
the one thing the village lacks, is a decent car park, so it’s best to walk
there, unless it raining or snowing, in which case, parking in one of the many
side streets is probably best.
Monday 17th October
We took a couple of good walks yesterday, but
didn’t bother with our usual Sunday lunchtime drink. I think the fall that
caused my blood patches to open up, also banged me up in the tummy area,
because I really didn’t fancy food or drink. Although we had our usual boiled
eggs and toast for breakfast, we just snacked for the rest of the day.
Off to the local medical practice to sign in
and make an appointment to see about these blood patches. Other than that, we
have no plans for going out.
Tuesday 18th October
We booked ourselves into the local surgery
yesterday morning and I made an appointment for later in the afternoon. After
checking out the nasty looking blood patches on my arm, the doctor told me
that, regardless of the adverse cosmetic appearance of those patches, I must
continue taking the pills that cause them with their side effects. So, it looks
like I’m stuck with them. Keep taking the pills, he said, or should that be
pils? Ho, ho.
This morning we’ve had some pretty heavy
rain, so we might have to drive up to the village for the paper. Other than
that, a pretty easy day beckons.
Thursday 20th October
Another long walk into the village yesterday,
and all the better for it. I have to say, I do find it a bit daunting at first,
simply because it’s quite a long walk around the marina, before we hit the road
to the village. But, I do feel refreshed by the time we get back.
Other than that walk, life goes on quietly
and gently. We don’t even get any traffic noise here, so it’s very peaceful.
Today, Wifey has an appointment with the
hairdresser, so I’ll run her up there in the car. She might want to walk back,
or she might ask me to wait. Either way is ok by me.
On Saturday, I’ll be going down to Harlow to
stay with Alan. On the way back, on Sunday morning, assuming I hear from my
daughter, Teresa, that it’s ok to do so, I’ll divert to her place. She has a
few problems with her house and mobile phones, which I’m hoping to help her
with. But she’s also unable to get into her laptop, because she’s forgotten her
password. I’ve downloaded a programme that should rectify that problem.
So, if I’m unable to visit her on Sunday,
she’ll still have problems with all three items.
Saturday 22nd October
Well, it’s off to Harlow this morning. I was
hoping to call in on Les and Dave, but it seems they’re still away on holiday.
My daughter is busy Sunday, so a visit to her on my way back home is now out.
No doubt I’ll get there eventually. However, I will still take the necessary
software with me, just in case she phones and says it’s ok to visit after all.
Meanwhile, I’m still searching for another
car. Taking all things into consideration, it looks like a Jaguar X Type.
Whilst I also fancy the Mercedes C Class, I’m afraid the fuel consumption is a
wee bit too high, especially considering the fact that they are diesel engines.
Also, for the price I am able to pay, I can buy a much newer Jag than I can a
Merc.
My search goes on.
So, happy days are here again. Winter is
almost upon us and we’ll be stuck in a marina for the next six months. We’ve
watched this place being built over the past couple of years. Each time we’ve
passed, or moored up outside, a bit more has been done. It’s not complete yet,
because there’s still quite a lot of groundwork still being done. But the
pontoons are almost full now, so it’s become quite popular. Our neighbours, on
both sides, seem to be permanent residents and go out to work. Both are quite
friendly too, so we’ve made the right choice of marina.
And, I think, that’s about it for this, my
first blog from Bosworth Marina.
Take care folks and enjoy your weekend.
Dave, Sheila and Alex.
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