On Holiday at Number 27 - Time to Relax

So far, though we'd had a great time, being at home together and being very productive, there hadn't been much chill out time, to say the least.  It was time to change that, otherwise Martin would be going back to work absolutely worn out.

Day 5 - Wednesday
We definitely needed a bit of an easier day today and the plan was to spend it at home doing nothing too strenuous.

We had a slow start and a wander down the canal to place the last of our caches.  Then it was straight back home for uploading them all for review.  We just have to sit back now and wait for them to be published.  Fingers crossed there are no problems.

Whilst the day carried on pretty slowly, which was just what we needed we did manage to make a start on replacing the front gate, which has been in desperate need for ages.  We managed to remove the old gate and posts and get the new posts cut to size and ready for installation.  That was enough for one day.



I then decided I'd bite the bullet and have a crack at trimming the box balls in the front garden.  To say I was a bit nervous is an understatement.  I thought I'd do them lopsided and have to keep taking more off to level them up, ending up with barely anything left.  You get the picture.

Anyway, things didn't go so bad and both now look very nice and trim.

That was about it for Wednesday.  Nice chilled out day, at home, in the sunshine.  Picky tea to look forward to.  What more could you want?




Day 6 - Thursday
The highlight of Thursday had to be lunch out at The Old School House.  We had booked ourselves in for a Holiday treat.  We didn't even have to pay for it.  It was on Martin's company as a reward for being 'Employee of the Month' for dropping everything at last minute to go and work in London for two long weekends.

Whilst I think he thinks it's a bit 'uncool' to be 'Employee of the Month', it was a nice treat.

After a lazy morning for me, while Martin gave the car it's first clean, we headed off for lunch in bright sunshine.

We had lunch, accompanied by a few very nice glasses of very fruity Pimms for me, sat outside on the patio overlooking the open countryside.  It was a warm, bright sunny day, it really felt like we were on holiday.

Tip for anyone local wanting to eat there, you can get 25% discount for booking online.

They also do posh afternoon teas, which I quite fancy giving a go at some point.

Ideally we would have liked an afternoon nap as we were both feeling a bit sleepy after lunch but we headed into Burton on Trent to pick up some paint for he guest bedroom and to check out a brewing shop, where Martin stocked up on wine making kits.

Finally we got home and were able to get comfy and chill out for the evening.

Day 7 - Friday
Friday was a bit on an uneventful day, with shopping and sourcing bricks and slabs for our latest garden project on the agenda.

We also had to make a return visit to two of our caches along the canal.  They had all been reviewed and we had been informed that these two were too close to other caches so we needed to move them.

Day 8 - Saturday
We had more bright sunshine on Saturday, we have been so lucky with the weather this week.

We had to nip out to get a few bits and pieces and we decided to get BBQ food, just in case the weather held all day.  We could always freeze it if we didn't use it.

It was time for a big tidy up.  The house was in chaos.  We'd been working on so many different projects this week and making the most of being outside that inside was looking a bit neglected and there was just stuff everywhere.  Also, no mother to come and clean this week!!

The big tidy up took ages, not so much because there was so much to do but because it was constantly interrupted.  First by bacon sandwiches, cooked on the BBQ. Then we had a read of the paper sat in the sunshine, then Martin completed his first wine siphoning.

We had a really nice relaxed day, some proper pottering, finished off with our second BBQ of the week, though this time it wasn't cooked in the rain and we did manage to eat it outside.

Day 8 - Sunday
The last day of our week's holiday at Number 27.  After a really hot night we woke to a grey, rainy day, but at least it was a bit cooler and it was definitely what the garden needed.

What would we do with the last day of our holiday?

Well, there were still a few jobs on the list, though I must admit we were feeling a bit 'all pottered out'.

We ended up having a pretty lazy last day of our holiday.  We did manage a short walk along the canal to the locks to see if we would bump into anyone doing our newly published caches, which all went live at lunchtime.  We didn't, though a couple have been done already, in the other direction!

Martin also managed to fix the new gate posts, so that job is progressing slowly but surely.

So, what do we think of our holiday at Number 27?  Well, Martin thinks he could get used to being at home full time, though he did say that if he was off for good then the pace may need to be a bit slower!  Me, I did miss going and seeing somewhere different but I was pretty chuffed with what we'd got done and, on the whole, it was really nice both being at home together.

Roll on September, when we are off down to Dartmoor for two weeks, staying in a luxury cottage - with no jobs!!