While
rarely used as a noun, I quite like the idea of a strong determination to achieve something (so says the Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).
It’s the “something” bit that I like. Yes,
ambiguous, but I am looking at resolve on a more holistic level. I would like
to simply show a strong determination
when I want to achieve something, whatever that something may be. Is that quite
enough?
Well, enough said about the R word. OK,
let’s talk about how I need to find the strong determination NOT to turn around
and spend another three weeks on the Isle of Wight instead of in London while
the house is slowly, gently, determinedly
being put back into a liveable space. The slow and gentle bit belongs to the
electrician, previously referred to here as Sparky, who at giving an estimate
of five days is, I do believe, days shy of his fifth week. If you’ll pardon the
pun, I do see the light at the end of the . . . well, not tunnel but certainly
hallway. To be fair, there have been modifications (Tim thought he told him
about the socket for the extractor fan, and there was a misunderstanding about
what was meant by re-wiring) as well as unexpected issues (the burglar alarm
doesn’t seem to want to play along with the rest of the wiring) and minor
mishaps (who expected the ceiling in the hallway to crumble when Sparky started
to work there?) . . . and it now appears as though all sockets are in place and
we have wonderful new lights and outlets in several rooms.
So we can see the dust and dirt more
distinctly.
Truly, it is coming along. We came back from our stay on the IOW knowing that
there would be plaster and all other kinds of dust and dirt on every surface;
we decided we would take at least one day of the weekend to make the place
habitable—after all, it was time to return to London to work. It was a funny
sight at the end of the day Saturday—I was covered in white and Tim was covered
in black: me from the hoovering (that’s vacuuming for my non-British readers)
and dusting top to bottom and at close range two sets of stairs, me and Henry
(the name on the industrial hoover) working hard to pick up bits of ceiling,
walls, and a sizeable layer of white dust. Tim wound up sporting a rather
hilarious black face after pulling down the remains of the ceiling that started
its descent when the electrician went to adjust some wires.
The messiest of the work is probably
done—there will be sawing for the new wood floors this week, but the walls are
up (or down) and the builders are aware that we are back to living in London so
they will, I think, be less apt to leave dozens of tea mugs in the sink and
make a minor mess of the loo as the wifey is back in town, and we girls care
about those things. And my prediction is that we will be able to host a St
Patrick’s Day luncheon, where all kitchen units will be in place, all walls
will be painted, all floors down and all lights up, and Tim will be preparing
his feast from the other side of the
kitchen where the oven has shifted and the gas pipe properly re-attached to the
cooker.
You must be wondering, then, what I’ve been
doing with three weeks off and not in London? Well, relaxing in Cowes, of
course, for some part of it. In fact we had a lovely Christmas Day, beginning
with a midday gathering with friends at a local pub—apparently a tradition
there—followed by a joint effort of making a fantastic dinner for two that
included pheasants. I would say that the meat, slow cooked in a pot with
vegetables, was even better as leftovers. (Happy to share the recipe for my
non-vegetarian friends!)
Before my time away from work began I asked
Tim if, as a consolation for not going someplace warm for two weeks as we usually
do while we spend money on immigration and house re-furbing, that we go to a
proper pub that has a lovely fire and spend an overnight stay in a city we’d
never been. Always aiming to please he found a pleasant coaching inn somewhere
between Salisbury and Stonehenge and we had two lovely days exploring the
cathedral and the surrounding area, including the ancient monument. We also had
one of the best Indian meals we have had in a while in Amesbury called Tandoori
Nights, walking briskly through torrents of rain and wind along the high street
to find the place warm, dry, and very crowded. In the morning having slept in
we missed breakfast but found a lovely café that offered us eggs on toast and a
delightful cuppa. It was good to be away, and fit the request perfectly.
Stonehenge was a bonus, and while we both found it a bit Disney-esque (there is
now a slow-moving vehicle that transports you to the site where you can get
near-ish to the formation) I was happy to see it in person.
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| Kissing the odd animal at the Black Boy pub! |
We also day-tripped over to Winchester,
which is a short ferry + train journey from Cowes, to meet with a friend and
have some dinner. We did a minor pub crawl, having started at the Number 5 to
warm up with a cappuccino and then walked along the canal to The Black Boy for a drink and then
further along to the Wyckeham
Arms—the latter is a 1755 coaching inn that the great Admiral Nelson
fancied on his way to Portsmouth. What a treat it was to walk through lovely
Winchester with the river—I think the Itchen—for company along the path and to
have a lovely meal with Tim’s fellow sailor and recent boat owner Dominic.
We were also delighted to have Tim’s mum
join us after Christmas to ring in the New Year—we all managed to stay up and
sip champagne while watching the London fireworks on Tim’s new toy, a tablet
computer with I must say a very sharp, clear picture. We also took a drive to
lovely Yarmouth, with lunch at The George
Hotel which has a fantastic view of the Solent (and the ferries coming back
and forth from Lymington). The hotel is slightly posh, but not in an
over-the-top way that would make me feel underdressed in jeans and a nice
blouse—cloth napkins, nice service, small-ish portions, and all very civilized.
I think we all enjoyed our meals. The oysters were a big hit with Tim’s mum!
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| The old church in Godshill. |
In another outing we traveled to Godshill,
where beautiful thatched cottages dot the landscape and there is a medieval 14th
century church that is said to be the most photographed in all of England.
There is a famous mural of Christ, crucified on a flowering lily, adorning one
of the walls as well.
But most days we idled at home, reading the
paper, making dinner, occasionally going to the Island Sailing Club, and there
was even a game or two of Scrabble played that I recall!
All in all it was nice to have a three-week
respite from commuting and work and the upside-down world of the house in
London. Three days into the work week I’m a bit tired at the end of each day,
but it has meant having glorious nights of deep sleep and, for some reason, odd
dreams (eg David Cameron visiting on the Isle of Wight walking with a cane)!
Happy 2014, dear friends. And for my
American readers, bundle up!
