Let me see if I can still put together a post. Seems ages since I have set to but here goes.

Back in Hove, Actually

The story of Hove, Actually was a part of our first blog from Hove last year (It’s Hove, actually). Or as we read on a seafront takeaway Shacks by the Shore… “Hove Sh’actually” , which are a part of the very upmarket Rockwater.

We are returning to the house we looked after last straight after lockdown last summer. We had a lot of will it go ahead moments as the homeowners, who are Swedish nationals, were flying off to there summer home in Sweden.

After sharing a meal in the garden on arrival, we had an anxious wait the next morning to see if all would go smoothly for them at the airport. The news has been so full of last minute glitches for travellers having the correct documentation proving that they can fly. All went well so we could start to relax and enjoy stability for a few weeks.

The house is very spacious and apart from the usual things of keeping the house and garden neat and tidy we have a large amount of indoor and outdoor plants to water but the biggest change this year is that we are looking after two cats. They have been flaked out most of the time in the heat but stroll around keeping an eye on us with the occasional few minutes on my lap when the mood takes them.

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What a difference a year makes

After only a few days we can see such a difference to how Hove felt when we arrived last year. No security on the supermarket doors, coffee shops and non essential shops open, people sitting on the beach and in the park. It felt a bit of a ghost town last year in comparison.

We hope to repeat some of our great walks up on the South Downs this year and, of course, a dip in the sea at every opportunity. One of the lovely things about this house is the photographs in the bedroom of the road and bridge over the railway line at the end of the road which were taken in the early 1900s. Apart from the dress and lack of cars the street would not look a lot different in a black and white photo taken today.

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Accident Prone

I have also taken to keeping a more protective eye on Jonno too. He seems to be going through a bit of a accident prone period of his life. Some of these issues couldn’t be avoided, such as the kidney stones and infected insect bite. Slipping over in the shower was the first mishap, followed by a deep thorn cut whilst tramping through some woods. I don’t really understand yesterday’s misadventure though.

For some reason he thought he was only about 4ft tall and walked under a very mature rose bush. This resulted in lots of blood. Once it had eased up he announced that he thought there was something under the skin. Tweezers at the ready I found a large thorn lodged in his scalp. Hopefully that is all for now but I was pleased to see that he put his trainers on to mow the grass this morning. Crazily he usually does this barefoot!

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Glamping with a difference

My usual departure from Jon at this time of year is to go glamping with some girlfriends for 4 or 5 days to an eco-site in Hertfordshire. After 9 years of fun and frolics in the woods and a cyclone experience last year, we decided to upgrade to proper beds, a roof, electricity and a flushing toilet.

We have a whole week this year and being totally organised my fellow-glampees have booked some cultural visits. In the main, we like nothing better than spending time together with drinks, snacks and the obligatory games of cards, Sequence and a new addition this year Bananagrams. Spoons, a game a little like musical chairs but staying “in” by grabbing a spoon, was banned about two years ago due to violent behaviour.

I am sure there will be things we miss about our eco-glamp – the wood fired hot tub for a start but time for a new location and new memories to go with it. No doubt there will be plenty of blog material but also plenty of things that can never be repeated.

So I will wrap Jonno in bubble wrap and crash helmet and leave a very full first aid kit. Eeek!

15/07 – 24/07/2021

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