All set

PD is getting anxious. You can tell. He knows we're off on our hols soon. Suddenly we're getting extra phone calls in the hope we'll go to the Pub with him more often before we go. Unfortunately for him, the fact we're going away means we have more chores to do before we go. 

So Wednesday saw us going to the travel agents to collect our travel documents, including the directions to the property we're renting. We've discovered one of Ryanair's scams. You can only print off the boarding cards 15 days before the flight. That means if you are going for a two week holiday, especially if you are going the night before as we are, & don't have access to a computer with a printer, you have to pay them £6 per card for them to do it for you. We're hoping if we try to print them the morning before we leave home we'll be able to do so. We're not in any great hurry to get down to Liverpool so we should have plenty of time If we can't, we'll have a go at persuading the hotel to let us use their computer & printer or find an Internet cafe in France.

Yesterday saw us arranging hair appointments & finding out how best to get the cash with which to buy some euros. Last time we needed some, the Fox went to the Post Office & was told he had to pay by cash. If he used a card,  even a debit card, there would be a handling charge. And, of course, he could only get £250 out in cash at a time & we wanted to take more than that. We're relieved to say this is no longer the case. And what is more the local sub-Post Office will have more than enough euros in stock so we won't have to make our usual trip into the main Post Office in town.

I've also been trying to locate a decent street map of the area around the property we will be staying. Although the directions are clear enough to the nearest big town, they seem a bit more obscure when it come to finding your way along the country lanes. I'm telling myself all will be clearer when we're actually there.

Yesterday also saw us do a food shop. We didn't buy much - mostly tinned stuff & a loaf of bread for the freezer for when we return. We did buy a little fresh veg for the intervening time, which we're eating up first. So yesterday we had some lovely fried tomatoes with Balsamic vinegar to accompany yesterday's Durham cutlets - sort of triangular shaped beef rissoles using up leftovers. Today the Fox is making a Lamb & Potato Stew with Spinach for today, using some fresh spinach & some lamb especially bought for the purpose, all cooked in Big Ears, the slow cooker. This afternoon, en route for the Pub, I'm intending to get some chicken for a chicken & green bean stir fry for tomorrow. After that the most I'm thinking of buying will be some fresh fish. In fact the Fox will probably buy the fish when he goes to the barber's as the shops are very close together.  Oh, & I suspect we will need some extra milk for our teas before we go. We will buy another bottle on the way back from Liverpool for that all important welcome home cuppa.

The weekend will see any last minute washing done. I'm hoping to get things dry in time to take them with us, though most things we have plenty of other clothes to take anyhow.

I think we're just about all set. There's Basil Bush & the seeds to put in the garden. We would like to get over to a garden centre so the potatoes can chit while we're away & be ready to go in the ground as soon as we're back. Whether we get there or not will depend if we have the time, & energy. 

And, of course, there's the Pack, always so much harder work going than returning.

And we mustn't forget to tell our neighbours. There's a bit of nerviness over health down the street after Dave's long stay in hospital. He's now home & on the mend, but we're all fearing what next will happen. We still remember how our neighbours rang the hospitals in Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Blackpool, Lancaster, when we went on holiday after the Fox had had an angiogram & we hadn't told them we were going away. They assumed he'd been rushed in for an op, or worse. We don't want that happening again.

And in the midst of all this preparation, PD wants us to take him to the Pub!