Dear Family and Friends, April 21
Lucia and I had a good laugh strolling through the local shopping mall yesterday (Sunday) at colourful message writ large in the window of a shop that was allegedly closing for business. “CLOSING DOWN SALE. New stock arriving daily.”
It’s indicative of one of the more interesting facets of the economy and shopping here in the UK – there’s always a sale on somewhere on some dubious pretext. “MID SEASON SALE” screamed the notices at Austin Reed, one of Leamington Spa’s more upmarket clothing retailers. What season would that be then (given that it’s only April)? Not that I’m complaining; I bought the most beautiful charcoal coloured overcoat for an absolute song. Coats and jackets are a bit of a priority at the moment given that I don’t have many. Lucia tried many times to cajole me into buying more coats and jackets as we were preparing to leave Cape Town, but I kept insisting that I had enough and that we didn’t need to be throwing money around. Well, um, yes. Er, sorry Lucia. If any of you are thinking of relocating to the UK, you’re going to need a stock of coats and jackets.
We’re gradually settling in and sorting ourselves out. By Wednesday last week, while Lucia was away on a training course, I had finally found everything that needed to be found, and had either filed it, placed it somewhere in the house, or stored it in boxes in the garage. There are LOTS of boxes in the garage full of books, files, pictures, curtains and other bits and bobs. There are also a number of suitcases storing some of Lucia’s summer clothes just waiting for the season to arrive. I believe summer is going on July 17 this year. It’s a Thursday.
I have also ordered SkyTV (satellite TV) which is supposed to be installed on Wednesday morning. I’ve bought a new amplifier and speakers to replace our old mini HiFi, so we have mostly got ourselves sorted out for home entertainment. My adsl (internet) line is also finally behaving properly. I had been having some considerable problem with the BT modem which kept dropping the adsl signal and with which the Indian call centre seemed unable to help me. It was at Maplins – which is about the only electronics and computer store with halfway knowledgeable staff – that a young student suggested that I should try plugging the modem directly into a wall jack rather than plugging it in at the end of an phone line extension cord. That seemed to do the trick. I have since discovered how easy it is to download movies from the Internet (don’t tell) and have several lined up for Lucia and I to watch. I have also tried out the services of Amazon in the UK, buying a book and a CD online. The CD arrived in a day and the book in two; I was seriously impressed.
The next task is to tackle the garden to make it presentable and liveable. It’s a bit overwhelming because I don’t really know what to do. The soil is different, the grass is different and the previous tenants didn’t really look after it, so it’s a bit of a mess. Those who know what my lawn looked like in Cape Town will know how important grass is to me. This may call for drastic action. We received a flyer in the letter box over the weekend advertising the services of a grass expert for “very reasonable” prices. I think I’ll give them a call later.
We haven’t really done much else other than visiting the zoo. I’ll be glad when they have finished serving their sentence for being born South African; it’s just another five weeks until we can bring them home. It’s a 70km round trip to visit them and I’m getting a bit tired of it now. That said, I’ve had the easy task compared to Lucia who is working long hours in a tough job with many challenges and problems. She is, however, I think slowly gaining command of her position. Spare a thought for her if you can.
We walked into Leamington along the river both yesterday and last Sunday. Last Sunday we were attracted into town by a French street market for which the town father’s had blocked off the entire main street. And I really do mean French – all the stall holders were from France as evidenced by the registration plates on their cars and trailers, not to mention their accents, of course. The only thing we bought was a pricey but disappointing sugar and lemon crepe. They have better and cheaper at Corleone, my favourite Italian coffee shop in the heart of Leamington. Yesterday we walked into Leamington under gray, miserable skies with the intention of having breakfast at a brasserie we have noticed which seems to be very popular. We went early to make sure we would get a table only to discover that they open late on a Sunday. So we went to Corleone instead where the waiters are beginning to give me the smile of greeting reserved for regulars. There we fell into conversation with an Australian couple with their toddler at the next table. Husband Ben is a new lecturer in some science filed at Warwick University and wife Caireen is looking for a job that would pay more than childcare would cost. Lucia suggested Caireen email her CV to her.
This coming weekend we’re looking forward to going to Dover with Johan and Linda.
As ever
Love, light & peace
Llewellyn
