From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

kayannie

Enjoy your break - you all deserve one after all your hard work. Particularly in the heat!

KA x

Cheery_Daff

Fantastic job greying! Very impressed with you all (especially you!)

Have a lovely holiday x

Humdinger1

"We're all going on a summer holiday ". Hope you'll be channeling Cliff Richard and having a fab time @Greying_Pilgrim! Love Humdinger xx

Greying_Pilgrim

Thank you for all your good wishes. We're back 😁I would have liked to have done a visit or something today, but it probably would have put us back home too late for LG's club, and as they've only just started, we thought we better make the effort to get back.

CherryFudge - that is a good idea about the EA's pics for 'before', as it looked completely different with the conifer etc. The 'before' (last week) pictures don't really capture the 'telly-tubbyness' of the ground, but the 'after' (at the mo) does make it look better/different, and as a green patch, it "should" look even better.

Our trip was ok. There were some negatives, and some positives, and i learnt some things about 'catering when travelling'. We set off on Friday, and expected the weather to be cooler and cloudier, but it wasn't. We parked up at our destination in full sun 🫤Which went up to 29 degrees by noon. Without perfect knowledge of the town, there was no way that I could tell if a different carpark would offer more shade options. I'd selected several options, but long stay seemed to charge the same as short stay (for the first 4 hrs), and then the long stay option immediately went up to 12 hours - there was nothing in between. We parked up, and went to the museum, but I can't say as I fully enjoyed it, as I was worried about the boot contents 'cooking'. We'd taken our picnic lunch, and on the advice of the staff at the museum, went to a park on the edge of a navigable river. The world and their spouse had had the same idea. But we were able to find a shady spot by the bandstand steps, and munched our lunch. It was really hotting up by that time, and whilst we could have sucked up the car park charge 'loss', we couldn't go into the PI room until 3pm, and had no idea where else to go that could guarantee shade. We did discover a community park - I do wish the museum staff had suggested it, as it was much, much quieter, there was far more shade, and the community volunteers were working very hard to keep it going for the community, against the loom of the local council. We ventured onto the high street again, and took in a few chazzers, but there was nothing doing. In the end, we returned to the car - which was like an oven, and went off to find the PI. When we went in the room, it was roasting. No air conditioning and a lousy fan that did nothing but shift the hot air around. I was incredibly lucky, that I had thought to grab a woollen blanket, from home, at the last minute (bear with), and had put it over the cool bags in the car. I was amazed that it had protected the bags, and the pizza and pasta that I'd prepared for tea was still cold - although in the room, it certainly de-frosted within 2 seconds flat 😕 We all slept badly. The room temperature never fell below 28 degrees, the bathroom was even warmer, and it was like being in an oven. It was horrible.

Whoever it was that suggested freezing milk to take, thank you. I took a frozen pint, and by Sunday morning, it was still very cold with frozen bits in it. It enabled LG to (safely) have cereal for breakfast and we used the rest to make flasks. The stuff for sandwiches had just about stayed safely cold, I'd purposely put it in the bottom of the cool bag with the biggest iceblocks, and they were still partially frozen. But making our lunch in the room was an awful experience, it was just TOO hot, and stuff was melting/drying out as I was preparing it. LG did moan a little (🙄) later on at lunchtime that the baps were dry, but they were being a bit over-fussy, as the baps were perfectly edible. We left to go to our event, and got there just after they had opened. We found a shaded carpark space (last time we went, parking was in a field, and shade wasn't available), and spent 5 hrs or so looking around. Again, the weather forecast was wrong, and the sun shone strongly, which was a shame - as the event was outside, and the largest section had zero shade. Still, we saw lots, had a ride on a little train around the site (which we'd not done before), saw some lovely gardens, and ate our picnic in the shade. For a range of reasons, we might never go to that location again (or may be back in August, who knows), so I'm glad we went, it's a bit expensive, but DH - in particular - got alot out of it, so 👍

We then travelled back up to the next PI - despite the sat-navs best efforts to take us via 3 counties 🙄We were soooooo relieved to walk into the room which had air conditioning (it's a newer build)…….. and then noticed there was a major problem, so we had to troop back to reception and ask to be moved. To be fair, the staff were honest about why the mistake had happened and sorted us out with a new room - still with air conditioning 😁 I had thought about the advice on here - was it Blackcats?? - suggesting using the savings from the cancelled room to treat ourselves to a takeout tea, and when we'd settled in, I started goggling for takeaways…… the most obvious (chips) was only available from one place which appeared to be closed. I had seen an indian takeaway with good reviews, but their menu seemed to indicate a very small vegetarian menu, the website was really bizarre. So in the end, we walked across to the garage, which DH had mentioned had a little supermarket attached (we had stopped in the PI at Easter, and filled up at the garage then). So LG and I chose some bagels, cream cheese, a punnet that had 4 falafels and some hummus - don't ask me if I didn't wince whilst paying 😬but with some other bits and pieces I had brought, from home, we had tea, with only £6 spent at the garage - so £2 a head. It was too hot for cup-soup, which was what I had got for an emergency meal.

This morning I popped over to the nearest MrT's for some milk, so that LG could have cereal again and to use in our thermo s cups.

So I've learnt; to invest in some more 'chunky' ice blocks. A wool blanket provides good insulation from heat - and for sure saved our food from spoiling. The car got so hot, I'm not sure I would have wanted to leave a powered coolbox working, plus it would have struggled given the high ambient outside temperature to keep things cool. I need to have a re-think about the whole coolbox thing. I think PI rooms without air-conditioning need to be avoided like the plague in warmer weather - the fans are ineffective, and to have paid c.£150 for one nights of poor sleep and uncomfortableness is just not on. The added shame of this, is that having visited the town (for the first time), we found some really interesting things and I for sure would like to return - mind you, both PI's in that location were subject to mediocre reviews for a variety of reasons, so we'd have to find some other accommodation.

The garden fairies have not finished off the garden whilst we were away ☹️ It is cloudy and raining here. Back to normal tomorrow, school and work ☹️Not sure whether club will be on for LG as it's an outside gig. Not even thought about tea, but we did have cheese salad baps for lunch so we'll not starve in the short-term.

Greying X

beanielou

Glad you enjoyed your adventures even in the heat.

Greying_Pilgrim

Club was, indeed, cancelled. The rain is set in now.

We had sausage, "wedges" and beans for tea. Not very imaginative, but filled a tum, you know.

If only we'd been able to get a stage or two on with the lawn levelling. It would have been seeded now and benefitting from the rain 🫤 Now we're on metered water, I'm not looking forward to keeping it moist.

Ha! PI asked for my thoughts about our stay in the first hotel. I was honest. If they can't be bothered to update their premises - retro fit or knockdown and start again, then I can't be bothered to grade them any higher than I did. Comfiness ain't just about a type of mattress.

I want to download our pictures from our trip and then I think I may head to bed. The weather has meant I haven't slept well in a while, and although last night I did sleep well - I don't think I've caught up yet.

Ta for popping by. Greying X

Cherryfudge

What a shame about the PI experience. We've had a couple that weren't up to scratch as well, though to be fair the mattresses have never let us down. You are on to a good thing with the woollen blanket - that's what I use as a bed cover when it's too hot to sleep. We Brits think of wool as keeping us warm, but in fact it's a great insulator so it helps keep cool as well.

Jellytotts

We had a naff PI experience last week too - air con but would only go down to 19 degrees but was so inefficient it didn’t get the room lower than 24. Bath handle nearly came off in my hand and the sink squirted every which way apart from down.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Cherryfudge, we've only been to one?…… PI with a shonky mattress I think. It was literally like that one in the advert where the road roller goes over it, but it didn't hold up so good. Where folk had been rolling out of bed had just completely lost its 'boing'. PI pay 'Sir Len' to make a bit deal about how beds in the PI rooms aid a good night's sleep. But imho, there are many factors that make a stay good, bad or indifferent.

I really don't know why the bathroom was such a temperature differential - the room was hot enough, but the bathroom, euk! I did wonder if at one point we were above the kitchen of the attached pub (we weren't), it was that hot. And another thing has occurred to me - the lighting in the room was awful. There was one main ceiling light as you stepped in the door, and no other ceiling lights (there was one in the bathroom), there was one dim table lamp, and bedside lamps and that was it. The second PI room had inset spotlights in the main body of the room. Maybe the place is too much of a cash-cow to shut down and revamp. I noticed that someone in the reviews had picked up on the fact the hotel picture must have been taken years ago, as it didn't look as bright and inviting now 🤨

I'm going to try to stay out of the supermarkets today. We are getting low on bits and bobs, but it is only the 2nd June, and I've already spent some of my June grocery budget. I can see the month will run away with me if I start spending willy-nilly. I want to try to get back into the rhythm of a regular shopping day.

DH has paid his car tax, but my MOT is due, so the car maintenance budget will take a hit.

I've got the issue at the mo of trying to do catch up with holiday clothes and gardening workwear, but the washing lines have been taken down in the garden 🫤Not too sure of the work around that one in the short term, as the ground is wet, and treading on it at the moment will result in boots getting heavy very quickly. If we don't get the forecast downpours today, I'll try and get DH to rig something back up, even one line would be helpful.

Right, best shift-a-tail-feather. Even though the holidays have whizzed, I've really got out of routine - although I am thanking my past self for getting all the uniform/workwear laundered the minute the clothes got cast off on the last working/school days 😁

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82019632#Comment_82019632

Our second PI air con wouldn't go lower than 19 degrees on the wall-unit, but the room felt more fridge-like, certainly when compared to the roasting oven we'd stopped in the night before. Thinking about it, the second hotel had air con and duvets still on the bed, the first hotel had no air con and they hadn't even bothered with duvets, there was just a bottom sheet and a top sheet - clearly no-one (not even my "feels the cold 365 days of the year" husband, needed a duvet to sleep in that room). And whilst the rooms do get alot of use - and I'm sure not all guests are as thoughtful and careful as MSE'rs - I don't think maintenance is high up on PI's list of priorities - hence why I think their focus on the beds being the b all and end all is false advertising. I've come to the conclusion I prefer self-catering (although we've had issues with the accommodation there too), and I'm very glad that I don't have to travel for business/work. I realise I wouldn't have the 'ouchy' of paying the bill, but I would eg get no sleep prior to my important meeting either 🫤

To be fair, we've had more good stays than bad in PI's, although I think the hospitality environment is changing so much, I'm not sure if that will continue to hold true. I do always try to say when somewhere is nice/staff have been helpful/welcoming etc. But presumably that falls on stony ground as much as vents about no air con, black mould and non flushing loos does.

Greying X