Putts Corner, Devon. 2nd - 11th October (9 nights)

After the trauma of the last few months we were determined to make our last trip of the year a good one. Trying to put my illness to the back of our minds we were up early to get Baby out of her cwtch and make the most of the weather and our trip down south. Unfortunately, just as we engaged the motor mover, the village idiot turned up and parked his car on the road in front of our gate. Following a bit of a wait and some verbal exchanges he drove off and we got Baby out and made our way. It did disturb us to know that the house was empty and this nutcase knew it was, but we decided that the reason we installed CCTV and pay insurance is so that we can go away with some peace of mind.

The weather was beautiful with the car registering 20 degrees for best part of the journey so we felt a certain warm glow about the holiday ahead. We arrived at Putts Corner and were set up within the hour and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting out in the sunshine relaxing. It's a long time since we had more than a 6 night break because of the restrictions of Steve's job so the fact it was Friday and we had we still had 9 days to go made a big difference to the chillax factor.

We had some lovely days out to Torquay, West Bay,Dawlish, Seaton and Beer taking full advantage of the beautiful weather.

Well that's it for this year ..Baby has had her annual service and has been winterised..the big difference this year is that she is in the back garden where we can still enjoy her company and make sure she is not having any problems with bad weather ...and if we decide to take a winter trip out we can put the heating on to warm her up before we go.

Liverpool 5th -12th Sept. ( 7 nights)

I'm not going to dwell on the hospital visit, suffice to say I have a difficult journey ahead. But as this blog is all about enjoying our time in Baby we did make the most of our time in Liverpool and did some touristy things so I have photos to share.
We stayed at Putts corner CC site and were lucky enough to get the pitch that is on the site details ..lovely views across the Dee Estuary and we were also blessed with glorious weather.
As we were quite emotional we decided that we were close enough to Gretna Green to make a day trip retracing our wedding day which included a whistle stop tour of our honeymoon in the Lake District.

We also went on the Mersey Ferry and open top bus trip .....and a visit to Liverpool wouldn't be complete without a drink in 'The Cavern'

So for all the wrong reasons our visit to Liverpool and the Wirral was one we'll always remember and for all the right reasons it's one we'll never forget.

Off to Liverpool 5th Sept.

It will be 8 weeks since our last outing, mainly down to Hubby's work commitments; but also down to some rather dramatic health issues.

6 weeks ago I had a routine (I thought) eye test. I'd had some flashing lights in my right eye for a while but I was developing some blurred vision and occasional bouts of rather acute pain. My Dr had told me to get my eyes tested when the flashing lights first started but you know what it's like you put things off. Anyway I booked an appointment at Tesco's Llansamlet where the lovely Rachel tested my eye's ..she asked me to return to have drops to dilate my pupils so she could get a better look.

Suspecting that I might have a detached retina I returned the following week .... I couldn't go sooner as I needed Steve to drive me as I was told my eyesight wouldn't be good till the drops wore off. Rachel did a long examination of my eyes then put the light back on and asked if I had anything on the next few days, I heard real concern in her voice! ..she phoned Singleton hospital to try and get me an appointment with the ophthalmologist.

Well it eventually came a couple of weeks later so off I went, with some trepidation, expecting to be told that I'd need surgery for a detached retina. Well the news I had nearly floored me ..I have a tumour in my eye and I was being referred for an urgent appointment at the Ocular Oncology dept in St Pauls Liverpool!!! I was sent to medical photography the next day for some 'staging' photos, the consultant was very honest and said he hoped the photos wouldn't show any blood supply to it. When I got home I stared into the mirror for hours trying to see what they had seen, all I could see was some bulging in the white area of my eye so thought if that's all it is there's not much to worry about.

Well I had the photos taken and was just about to stand up to leave when he turned the computer screen around to show me what he had imaged. Blimey did I have a shock, it showed the mass up clearly ..with a blood supply and seeding ( smaller tumours). I asked that Steve could come in and see the photos too, up until this point we were both in denial and were convinced they'd got it wrong. The realisation of what we'd seen hit us hard as we left the hospital and we both acknowledged that our lives had just changed for ever.

We have spend hours crying, discussing my wishes, rewriting my will, and going over and over the diagnosis. It still feels surreal that my life has changed so much in such a short space of time. I can't deny it any longer as the pain and blurred vision gets worse by the day, a fact that scares the hell out of me.

So that's the reason why we're off to Wirral Country Park CC site on the 5th Sept, I go into St Pauls on the 7th and my destiny will be in their hands. Baby will be earning her keep as a home base for the foreseeable.



...................to be continued.

Many Tears Camp-fest weekend. 10th - 12th July.

What a fab weekend we had at the Many Tears Animal Rescue's Camp-Fest ..we didn't stay at the actual camp in Bruton as there was no EHU or toilet emptying facility. Instead we stayed at Alice Street Farm CL, I don't know if I want to share the details as this was such a good site. OH Ok then!!! ..for £14 a night get you a hard standing with a large grass area between pitches, waste drain with hose to rinse, a drinking water tap and electric hookup on each pitch.Chemical disposal point. There was also a new unisex wet room with toilet and hand basin, toilet rolls and handwash are provided. It was an immaculate site and only 5 miles from the camp-fest.

Alice Street Farm CL

The only small downside was the herd of cows in the field in front of us. If you remember our trip to North Wales you'll know about the bull that tried to kill us, well when the herd of cows galloped in unison to the fence whilst we were walking the dogs you'll know that we were frightened to death.

They were friendly cows but we were still glad they didn't make it over the fence.

As we were only away for the 2 nights we didn't bother with the awning but used our new canopy. We were very impressed with the dry area it gave us outside the door to dry the dogs on the evening it rained, but it also provided the right amount of shade on the sunny evening. The bonus was the ease of packing up, it took no time at all. Steve always seems to be sleeping lol.

The camp-fest was all about the dogs that have been rescued having some fun and also about raising awareness and a few bob for the rescue.

The added bonus was the air show at Yeovilton ..we were lucky enough to witness the vulcan bomber flying low over Alice Street Farm on the Friday and lots of aircraft flew over the camp-fest on Saturday.

All together another fab weekend thanks to Baby.

Baby Comes Home.

We haven't been out in Baby for a few weeks but we have been spending a lot of time with her ..because we have brought her home.

Yes we have moved a large shed, demolished a fence, laid a hardstanding, installed an 8' wide gate and brought our Baby home to our garden. No more flitting back and fore between storage and home before going away, no more worrying about the fridge being cold enough, no rushing to empty everything out and making sure she is clean on the last day of holiday. I can now look after her properly in her new very secure home.

I'm sure you will agree that she looks very much at home now.