2017
Well, that's almost a year gone by, and I haven't been slightly tempted to write down my thoughts.
Things are changing though, we've had an offer for our house, and solicitors have now been instructed for about 2 months.
We've also had our offer accepted for a ground floor flat/apartment in the town of Irthlingborough.
So, all things crossed, our new life should start in the next month, or so.
More funds for the holiday pot!
Fishing
My last expedition was on the 15th March to the middle Trent!
I've was not tempted to fish the stillwaters down in the valley during the close, and so it would appear my mojo has left me, all sorts of excuses not to go, mainly the marketing of the house leaving us in a state of limbo.
We'll see how it goes, but if anybody knows the Irthlingborough/Wellingborough area, they will know the possibilities are huge. The rivers Nene and Ouse being close by, with even Adams Mill is looking like it may be worth a return visit after many years away.
There's plenty of stillwater too, right on the doorstep.
One thing for certain, this is my last year as a Barbel Society member.
I may well tell my readers about it, nothing to be bitter about, just
from my point of view the organisation is treading the wrong path.
Travelling
We did not loose the mojo for getting away though.
January started with us having 6 weeks self catering in an apartment in sun at Benalmadena, Southern Spain.
March found us celebrating my birthday at The Crab & Boar in Chieveley for a couple of nights. This included a day at Newbury races where I got the better of the bookies.
Very good, despite the fact that the landlord had done a runner leaving his staff, unbeknownst to them, in charge.
April gave us a special long weekend in Dubrovnik, flying out of Humberside on a 50 seater jet after a champagne breakfast and enough wine during the flight to keep us all going.
A lovely city for the early May bank holiday weekend.
Loads of food and drink and meeting like minded people.
One couple we met, and have kept contact with,were definitely of a like mind to us, but younger.
We've since been out with them for dinner in Cleethorpes and hopefully will again before we move away.
In June we had a week in the Old Manor Cottage, Halford, on the banks of the Warwickshire Stour.
I took the rods, but they didn't leave the car for our entire stay.
An excellent cottage with all mod cons in good riverside gardens to rest in and play tennis if you felt energetic!
July found us having a night at The Bull, Stony Stratford, where we celebrated the life of a young, old friend and colleague, Nalini, taken from us at the age of 50 by Lupus!
A good few of the old Abbey National friends were also there, so reminiscences were the subject of long conversations into the night.
The remainder of the year had been somewhat put on hold for house viewing appointments, and visiting various locations around the country for our new home.
That was until October, we did a last minute booking of guided train journey's around Switzerland to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary and Pauline's birthday on the 6th.
This entailed, starting our train journey's at Newark, into St Pancras, via Paris and Strasbourg, to the small town, our base, of Tiefencastel.
We spent 8 days, and in total 26 separate train journeys, around the Swiss Alps including into Italy and Liechtenstein.
To say we needed another holiday, is an understatement....knackered.
We will try and book another warm winter break for January to March, once contracts are exchanged.
Pauline fancies somewhere in the Canary Islands. She really doesn't like the dank, dark winters of home.
She has however, lined us up for a river cruise in Cambodia and Vietnam for our next wedding anniversary!
The future ?
We shall see, I may well keep my readers up to date with my
Experiences
Some of this and some of that......and maybe some fishing.
