Winter 2020/21

We were hoping to visit Fleur during the winter months and take time to visit the local area in the van.

The Welsh First Minister had other ideas and locked down Wales in October.  On a Tuesday he announced his plans, so on Wednesday we scrambled to Conwy to put Fleur to bed for the winter, take down the sails and remove anything that was likely to go mouldy, or suffer during a prolonged period.  Things like leaving the cupboard doors open, leaving the curtains hanging free, moving stored items into the open, leaving the fridge open, taking home all perishables and anything edible.  Hoping we don’t forget anything.

Our neighbours Kevin and Shelley on ‘Dakota’ were kind enough to send us pictures periodically and another owner took videos.  We didn’t see her again until Mid April.

Much more importantly we haven’t seen our growing family in Ireland, which had a new addition in February.  Beautiful Amelia, joined her sister Evie, Laura and Damien.  Thank goodness for technology to help stay connected.  We miss them so much.

We filled the winter with lots of walking, with several individual friends then more as rules permitted.

I did an online embroidery course with Liz, Kay and Leslie, through Lancashire Adult Learning.  We learned so much from our tutor Shamim and importantly it gave us something to do between lessons, which was invaluable.

As usual we tried to help where we could, the repair shop continued and a new cooker meant more baking.  

But it was the chance to volunteer for the local vaccination centre, at our Health Centre, organised by the local Rotary Clubs, which makes us most proud and more importantly most humble.  Our first shift was on the 15th Jan and our last weekly shift was on the 13th of May.  The week our Health Centre decided they had delivered to the majority of the community and needed to re-start normal operations.  Jenni and Bill from Rotary deserve special mention for their organisational abilities and dogged determination to succeed.  I always say ‘No such thing as a selfless act’.  It gave us a date in the diary, and such joy, to be a small part of a great team effort.

Some of the Rotary and volunteers on the last day at the Health Centre.

The work continues at the pop-up venues.