333. Rent

Rohrbach, Germany

AP at work.
Lovely weather for sitting outside.

Excerpt from the AP's
dairy. Didn't think to read it.

Recovery day at camp after the big outing yesterday. My Mum, the AP, caught up on her dairy and I (or should the be "me"?) the blog. The AP sticks in interesting tickets and photos as she goes which is very good. A blog has its advantages, it forces me to sort my photos, the pressure is on to take photos, lets a wide variety of people follow our adventures and mainly, reminds me what we have done and will do so into the future. The children have not read this blog as I don't want it to colour their experience, this blog is the trip from my perspective. I have stopped writing my blog at the end of the day and attempting to get to bed by midnight so that might see more of the morning, my late Dad would spin in his urn, missed the best part of the day was frequently his morning greeting growing up on the farm. A big change from last year in the UK when I rose at five forty each morning. Fyfe is also keeping a dairy. Audrey kept a diary for a couple of months but set out at such a high standard, full descriptions with beautiful drawings, that it all ended up in tears when Mary (Mary and Stuff) appeared on the scene and she wanted to spend the time with Mary. I am writing this on the sixteenth, with three days to catch up and haven't been this behind since I was in NZ so feeling the pressure also.

Gaming

Today Audrey spent the entire day industriously labouring away on a project and at the end of the day produced a board game which we all played. It is very good with questions and riddles to sort the wheat from the chaff. I am chaff, the AP wheat with an early victory and a smug look while the rest of us trailed in her wake.

Ripping in two directions

When Fyfe and I dismantled the awning prior to arriving here there was an ominous ripping sound and the roof of our awning was rent in two. It has now had a year in the sun and has completely lost its integrity, a bit like me. To persue a warranty, Jeff Bowen Awnings, 1 Peacock Hall Cottages Little Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk (love the English addresses) say we have to return it to them which is obviously completely impractical. Have just phoned them and got a very good hearing (I am not on the warpath) and they are going to enquire if there is somewhere local we might go to have it repaired. Interestingly, it is the cream panels that have failed in the UV, not the dark grey panels. We put the cheap blue plastic tarpaulin over the roof which doesn't look great but did keep todays rain out. The awnings ropes have all failed also but that is not an issue.