Moving on

Cherryfudge

We got all the important things done before we left. Lunch was mackerel with baked potatoes, peas and roasted veg followed by rice pudding which used up pudding rice and almond milk. We were supposed to give A and H the other milk but they'd gone out so it went to the neighbours along with some yogurt and cucumber. I've no idea if they like those things but it would be a shame to throw them out. Oddly, some way into our journey we stopped at services and I was debating whether to get a coffee so I opened my Costalot app and there was a code for a free cold drink. It was only valid till the end of today so I used it straight away. I gave away some drinks and got a free one.

The drive from the North East to Stranraer was very good with clear roads and some superb views, and the guest house is very nice with a wonderful outlook. We had an evening wander along the beach, watching the sun set and taking lots of photos. I've not spent anything but DH probably has. 

rtandon27

@Cherryfudge - have a lovely holibob!

Sun_Addict

Have a fantastic holiday 😎

redofromstart

Hope you have a lovely break

Watty1

Have a lovely hols. Love the synergy of giving away drinks and getting a free one.

Cherryfudge

Thank you all for the holiday wishes! We liked Stranraer - at breakfast we got chatting to a couple who are doing a 200+ mile walk where the tour company takes their luggage and lets them do the walking. They have wonderful weather for it. We had a look round the town yesterday and lunch at a chippie, then did a little bit of grocery shopping rather than pay ferry prices for food. We also found the charity shops are the cheapest ever, though some of that was due to sales to clear stock.

There's a beach which we had mostly to ourselves: us and gulls. Lots of shells, especially oysters, and I had fun collecting together local pottery fragments, though I managed not to bring any away (don't need them)! Looking round the town we were struck by the sheer number of early deaths commemorated in the church yard: very high infant mortality in the nineteenth century, which I know was the case but when you see families losing multiple children in infancy, it strikes home. Also, many, many young adults died. Some of those will have been deaths at sea, but not many are listed as such.

The ferry was delayed by half an hour but it was nice sitting out on deck for a while before the sea breeze hit and we retreated to the café. All very calm and uneventful on the crossing - we have the perfect weather for a holiday.

Finding our Airbnb wasn't straightforward but after some windy lanes and a phone call we got here and it's really well appointed and with a sea view. Out the back are the magnificent Mountains of Mourne: DH went for a walk this morning and says the gorse is lovely. Today we plan to walk into Newcastle - about 25 minutes apparently - to get groceries and enjoy the countryside on the way.

Expenditure (yesterday)
Clothing £2.45 + 49p + 99p = £3.95
Books £1.25
Housekeeping £8.54
(Holiday) Coffee £2.50
(Holiday) Lunch £20.44

in_need_of_direction

given that  you are Newcastle direction, if you fancy an indulgence, Mourne Seafood in Dundrum is worth a visit

in_need_of_direction

Oh, you also need to visit mauds for icecream

Cherryfudge

I've looked them both up @in_need_of_direction - thank you! The ice cream one is quite nearby and the puddings there sound scrumptious as well as the ice cream. The seafood one is shut for the first part of the week, but we are nearly through that now - though Friday may be a possibility.

I had a quiet morning, a bit of mental rest while DH went on a walk in the forest just behind the place where we're staying. I think part of me was afraid of trying the shower as DH said he couldn't get a decent temperature out of it! Anyway, I played on the computer for a while so when DH came back, I was still in pyjamas. I braved the shower and suddenly remembered that to get it hotter, I could reduce the background instruction from hot to eco (so it's not being asked for too much) but at the same time ask it to do warmer water. It worked and I got a nice shower! Small victory.  

Late in the morning we walked down through the woods to the town and got some shopping. The most incredibly helpful assistant in L1dl noticed I have a 'foreign' version of the app and changed it temporarily so I could take advantage of local offers, which was very thoughtful. I need to remember to get her to change it back before we go home, or work out how to do it myself.

We also found tourist information and picked up some maps and leaflets. Following our family tradition, in which each person got to choose the activity for a day when on holiday, DH has chosen Dublin and I've chosen an Irish Linen centre. We're only on a short break so we won't be able to do justice to much more but DH has walked 25,000 steps today and I've done 15,000, so that must count for something!

We had a late lunch then a rest (the hill is steep, especially with shopping!) then DH went to find a church that an ancestor of his had belonged to. I could have gone along but decided to relax and listen to some music then do a bit of journaling towards my course. The journaling revealed it's not just the course and my health (in terms of recovery from the virus and general tiredness) that are suffering from me not having enough time. The Wednesday job ticks on okay when my clients don't show up (!) but I don't know how I'm going to fit in all the background work that comes with active cases.

I also did a bit of work on a timeline which my mentor has encouraged, and which is giving me some insights into myself - and one of the books I picked up at a charity shop the other day is also giving me useful encouragement because the author did a somewhat similar exercise and his thoughts were helpful in giving me ideas of how I could approach it.

We had tuna pasta for dinner, watched 'Who do you think you are' then had an evening walk along the edge of the forest. Lots of gorse and bluebells, and a lofty view of the sea. We can just see the Isle of Man when it's clear.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £16.74
Rail tickets (holiday) £44 approx.

Cherryfudge

A bit of an odd day: DH did his morning walk and I had my morning relax before lunch (and a bit more journaling for my course as I realised another thing that's needing to be sorted). Then as we were driving to my choice of activity, DH got a phone call to say he needs to have his bloods taken again as a reading is very low. He's had odd readings before which have stabilised or gone right, but they have advised him to stop his medication until this one has been investigated further. The thing is, he feels it if he misses a dose, let alone stopping completely. He's decided to take the lower dose over the next few days as he needs to be fit enough to drive, and there are no symptoms of the other thing that he's aware of, unless you count getting tired. Tricky one but within a few days we'll be back in range of his next blood test and the right specialists to advise on the medication.

In some ways it's a bit like my brain scarring: we don't know how long either has been there, though in DH's case the numbers are lower than when previously measured, whereas mine was only picked up for the first time.

Anyway, we spent the afternoon at the linen museum, which was fascinating for both of us: DH because he's the historian and me because it's social history and fabric-related. I spent some time talking with the very knowledgeable woman who was sitting at a spinning wheel, then with the weavers, and we both had a go at weaving. That was impressive as DH never does things like that but got the hang of it at once!

We then looked at a VE Day Anniversary exhibition including some Pathe films we hadn't seen before, then it was time to go home and make another tuna pasta to use up ingredients and save buying surplus spinach.

Expenditure:
Diesel - £35.25 - it's a lot cheaper here.
e-book £1.99
Housekeeping £16.74 (cash).