On the move again, loads of washing, floor moppi, a last walk down the canal with April before we drop her at the kennel for the night and by 1.15pm we are on the road.
Less than 2 hours to our next house in Maesbury (Shropshire). After a stop off in Telford for dinner supplies we arrive at The Wood bang on schedule at 3.30pm. We discover our hosts enjoying an after lunch game of cards and we are shown around and given loads of information about the house and its' history by Charles and Sally.
The house has been in the family since 1787, unfortunately a good deal of (expensive) renovations would be required to make it comfortable. While we were warned about the clutter, the reality is quite astonishing and it is going to take some work to put things in order.
Charles and Sally head off soon afterwards and we are left to contemplate. First things first, I get down to tidying the kitchen bench and some daughter Ros has been at work before me. Doesn't bear contemplating what we would have been faced with otherwise.
An hour or 2 later I am set to whack the ready meals in the over, feeling grateful that we don't have to cook from scratch tonight. We distract the kids with Spiderman on the telly and it is nwearly 10 before they head upstairs to bed, with us following not long after.
Monday 9th January
Well the beds are comfortable and warm so we wake to a drizzly morning ready to attack.
A quick coffee and then Aaron is set to work trying to clear some floor space in the laundry and I start on the living area, making enough room for us to find sitting space and live in relative comfort as well as massive amounts of sweeping, vacuuming and wiping of surfaces. By lunchtime we have made some excellent inroads and both rooms are habitable. The kids spend the morning running around with Sammy the patterdale terrier and playing on the giant slide out in the wood. Lunch has been well and truly earned so after showers we drive into Oswestry and (being too late for a true pub lunch) enjoy a very nice meal and drink at the local Wetherspoons. Suitably refreshed we do a quick supermarket stop and head home again.
Tuesday 10th
Spent the day pottering around the house, taking a walk through the woods and surrounding fields and doing a bit of light tidying and setting the kids up with bikes.
Wednesday 11th
Family outing to Oswestry this afternoon for a grocery shop.
Thursday 12th
Unexpected sunshine this morning, so after a late start and a visit from some friendly neighbours who are out for a cycle, we set off to give Sammy an outing before the weather turns this afternoon.
Doesn't take long for us to get lost as the footpath signs point us across the field, only to offer no indication of where to go when you reach a cross point. We trek valiantly on through the mud and the drizzle which begins and eventually, after losing Sammy in pursuit of a rabbit we find our way home again, wet but refreshed and ready for a hot lunch.
Aidan spends a good part of the afternoon checking the forecast radar and waiting for the snow to arrive, which it doesn't.
Friday 13th
Woke to blustery winds roaring through the chimney and some light snow lying on the ground, after capturing the first of the light snowfall just after 11pm last night.
Kids were keen for more snow and the sun was intermittently shining we too a late morning drive to Llangollen to see if there was much lying around. Plenty of snow on the hills beyond Oswestry while the snow began to drift inestry and still lying in the fields, but just a thin layer. At Llangollen we braved the icy wind and walked up the canal towards the falls, making the odd snowball along the way from the small drifts still lying about here and there. By the time we got back into town there was some sleet coming in and we bought some chips and bread rolls and had chip butties in the car while the snow started to drift in.
Late afternoon I took Holly across the field to meet the neighbours who have a 9 year old daughter and we set up a meeting for Sunday.
Saturday 14th January
Rugby day and despite forecast cold and wet by 9am it is looking promisingly sunny. Aaron takes the kids across to Oswestry to pick up a parcel and drops me and Sammy at the canal for a walk. Pleasantly maintained and dry tow path but not the most inspiring scenery. It is pretty warm walking along in the sun though and very pleasant to be out. By 12.30 it is getting a bit chilly again though and once home again we pack up and drive to Shrewsbury School for the game.
Drop Aaron at school and we walk across the river into the town, stopping over the bridge for a play at the playground. Shrewsbury is a perfect town of half timbered facades and quaint shops. We walk through the market hall which has 1/2 a dozen asian food stalls selling dumplings and thai dishes, something we haven't come across before in the UK. We will definitely be making a return visit for a proper look around. At 4pm we return to the school and head across to the dining hall where the customary after match curry is on. Nice plate of lamb curry and rice (yay, no dinner to cook!) before we head home.
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| Charles Darwin |
Aaron has another game to day in Whitchurch, but we stay home. The neighbours come over after lunch with the kids, Lydia and Zac and the kids have a great time on the slide, then playing in the forest before they all wander off to see Lydia's horse. By 4pm they hae not returned, so I wander across the field to make sure they are not overstaying their welcome. Everyone seems to be getting on well, so hopefully Holly has friend to play with for a few weeks.
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| Sammy |
Tuesday 17th January
day at home, weeding the path,, walking Sammy round the roads and trying out the air rifle aiming for a tin over on the bridge. Holly missed her first shot, then hit 9 in a row. Aidan took some time to master it, but once we worked out that he needs to use his right eye, got some good shots.
Wednesday 18th January
Time for an outing, drove to Chirk, parked at the Poachers and enjoyed a 10km walk along the canal.
Thursday 19th January
finished my self imposed task of pulling grass out of the pavers and found the first snowdrops peeping through
Friday 20th January
Today we visited Powis castle near Welshpool, home of the eldest son of Clive of India, in the freezing cold. Begun in the 1300's, it now more closely resembles an ancestral home than a castle. One of the guides kindly showed us through a door outside the beautifully lined rooms where the original stone walls of the castle are still visible. Also a little hatch in the floor which shows the original stone staircase that would have been used the the 12th century knights, now neatly hidden beneath the floor. While the castle was open, much of the furnishings and decorative items were covered in dust cloths for the annual winter cleaning. In the evening we went around to the neighbours, Jane and Mike's for a drink and to meet some other friendly locals. Very pleasant and a new friend and penpal for Holly.
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| following the salt spreader |
Saturday 21st January
early sun breaking through encouraged us to head out and go up to the golf course at Llanymynech where there are some spectactular views across the Shropshire valley, but by the time we go there the sun had disappeared and the fog had thickened. Followed a scout group going caving and got a bit lost on the golf course for a while, crossing the border back and forth to Wales several times before giving up and taking a walk along the remains of the Montgomery canal at Llanymynech.
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| put in England, drive in Wales |
Sunday 22nd January
snow morning
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