Our new home has arrived at last

Well that was a busy few days, On Tuesday I travelled to London Paddington on a Great Western train (first class) and what a great service, free newspapers and refreshments all the way with posh leather seats arriving dead on time. Now I could get used to this kind of pampering. But then came the big come down, travelling on London's run down and dirty underground across town to Liverpool Street station. I just made it with only three minuets to spare. I boarded a National Express train (which should be renamed to National Disgrace.) This firms1st class was more like a cattle truck, broken and dirty seats no free news papers or refreshments, everything looked shabby and worn out and it ran twenty minutes late to Norwich which caused me to miss my connection to Lowestoft.
The next train was a typical sprinter very basic and packed, Trevor contacted me on my mobile to get off the stop before Lowestoft at Oulton Broad North as the town was very busy and like clockwork he was there to meet me, he then drove me to my hotel for the night the Tramway Hotel.

tramways hotel

tramways hotel

The Tramway Hotel is a typical Pub B&B the room which unfortunately was on the first floor at the front and overlooking to a very busy main road, so traffic noise was a problem. The room although clean was reminiscent of a Bulgarian hotel room that I once visited with worn out and torn carpets, barley enough room to swing a cat and a cheap five channel analogue TV with just as cheap bedroom furniture. The room had its own shower cubicle but the WC was a shared closet on the landing.
That night I decided to have some fish and chips at a locale establishment called 'MR Chips famous fish and chips' just across the road, half the meal went into a bin as I have never eaten fish and chips that you had to chase around your plate through layers of fat and grease, it was appalling.
The saving grace was the Breakfast in the Tramways Hotel the following day which was first class.
Trev met me that morning, me feeling bleary eyed through lack of sleep and in a rush to get the purchase of the RV finalised.
Thankfully the financial side went without a hitch, but we were delayed an hour on our departure which meant it became one mad rush at the very end of our journey to get the RV into the security compound by 6.00 that evening.
Three of us made the journey back to Port Talbot, Trev with his friend Kevin and myself. Trev took the first driving stint and helped me to familiarize myself with the controls and then at Oxford Services I took over and drove through to Monmouth. By then I was getting tired through lack of sleep and Trev took over for the last part into Port Talbot and we made the compound at 6.15 just as they were closing.
Trev and Kev stayed overnight at the Bagel Brook Premier Inn and departed this morning in a small camper that he purchased from a guy he'd contacted in Swansea the previous night.
So our new home is covered from top to toe in grime and road salt and needing a good clean down but we found out during the journey that our Escape pod (as Kay has christened the RV) with it's Chevy V8.1 engine can really motor when it needs to.


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Waiting for the weather to ease...

Well one day less day to go and we're still keeping our fingers crossed for next week, that the weather will hold fair, but according to forecasts its due to get cold again Typical!
We managed another walk yesterday this time up the Afan Valley following the Afan trail. It was decidedly dodgy and in places the ice was just sheets of glass stretching right across the walk ways. Descending then climbing back up the valley to the Afan resource centre was extremely testing. I think we should have taken crampons and ice picks
The birds were amazing one Robin even bounced around our feet as though asking to be fed, only the dedicated walkers were out on the trail, as without proper footwear and clothing it could be quite dangerous.
Below are some of the photos we took, a welcome break of warm Welsh-cakes and a cup of tea was our reward for venturing out.

A Long drop

Afan Trail

Deep Frosts

Bridge over the Afan to the Centre

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Getting Closer

Only one week to go to collect the RV, some things have started to come through that I've ordered like the Big Pitch Guide and awaiting the Snooper Ventura GPS unit designed for motor homes.
More paperwork completed and phone calls made to alter our details, its amazing how many places have to be informed of your change of circumstances.
One person I need to give special thanks to is Gavin our Son-in-law he's been an absolute gem, he helped us move the heavy items out of our home, offered his car when ours was in dock and has even put up with my snoring.
We are now settled in with Gav and Kristina and have met some of the neighbours and we have even had chance to take a few good walks around the village and the valley.
For those who don't know the area I've added some more photos below.

Gav & Kris's house end of terrace

Up the valley to the Aqueduct

Viaduct path

The Viaduct

old railway

End of Path at Efail Fach

Old Chapel

Efail Fach

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The borrowers!!!!!!!!

What a weekend that was!

Saturday and Sunday was all rush and panic working from eight in the morning till eight at night and finally cleaning and vacating the house late last night.

We visited our neighbours delivering Christmas cards and saying our farewells in temperatures lower than Greenland. It was tinged with some sadness at saying goodbye to people we have know for thirty two years, but new horizons beckon and we hope that the young couple moving in today will have as many happy years as we've had.

We've cleared the old homestead of all our belongings and sneaked everything into my daughter’s house in Pontrhydyfen, where we have been given our own Granny flat on the bottom floor (hence we’ve now become the borrowers that live down stairs).

Our daughter and son-in-law arrived back home to two very inebriated new lodgers snugly seated in front of the TV stuffing our faces with bacon butty's and an empty bottle of Rioja that was gratefully donated by a neighbour on our departure.

  

We awoke this morning to temperatures as low as -5c, and then defrosted the car to go and hand over the keys to the estate agent, followed by last minuet shopping and hearty full English at a local garden centre. We called in to our civic centre to notify them of our new address to settle up any council Tax and complete the Electoral Roll forms. We then collected more forms to inform other departments of change of details (here we go its form filling time). We walked off the full English this afternoon by taking pictures of our new abode of Pontrhydyfen in all its winter glory.

Now it’s keeping our fingers crossed that the weather starts to get better for when I have to go and collect the RV.


Click on photo for a lager image.....

Our daughters house

The old Aquaduct

On the left above is our daughters house, its seen pine end on, its to the right of the telegraph pole in the photo. On the right is the old Aqueduct from which the next pictures were taken.
Below left: the house on the right hand side middle of picture is the house where Richard Burton was born

Pontrhydyfen

Looking up the Afan Valley

Pontrhydyfen Grave yard

Kay on the Aqueduct

The grave yard is where Elizabeth Taylor wants herself and Richard Burton to be buried on her death that's if Dicky Burton's widow agrees. 

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House.......GONE

Well we've done it, we've done our last Car boot on Sunday and boy was it cold. What didn't sell went to the heart foundation and the local recycling plant the following day. Monday lunchtime signed the documents transferring ownership of the house over to the new owners.




Tuesday took the caravan into storage then spent the rest of the day sorting out the documentation needed to inform of change of address.
This morning loaded some clothes and things into the car and dropped them off at our daughters, we will probably be doing that a lot up to Friday.
We've arranged to move the big items out this Saturday (local white van man) and Sunday we will do some final tidying up of the house ready for the new owners to move into on Monday the 6th of December.

So all in all things are coming together and we are on the move, we are praying that this weather will break as Little Switzerland as the locals call Pontrhydyfen can be a dicey place to drive in icy conditions.
For those not familiar with this small Welsh village its famous son's and daughters are Richard Burton, Ivor Immanuel, Geraint Griffiths, and Rebecca Evans and of course our daughter Kristina.
(Have to keep her sweet, she's my new landlady for the next two months)

I was asked if we are planning a farewell party for friends and neighbours, (Tho' I've a sneaking suspicion the neighbours have a load of flags ready to hoist in the street the day I leave.)

I've informed that if we do have a fare well party I'll ask that no presents are purchased as we'll have no where to store them, but if they want to contribute to the fuel costs the more they donate the further away they can send us.

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Days to go

Well come Sunday it will be our last Car Boot, so what doesn't sell then will either be given to a charity shop or dumped. I think  a sign on the car stating MAKE ME AN OFFER, ALL THINGS TO GO should generate some action.



The rail tickets are booked for my trip to collect the RV and with the good help of Trevor we will be heading our new home back to South Wales in twenty days time.
Next week will be clear everything out week, we'll be organising stuff to go to my daughters, chasing documents and notifying people of our change of address.
Telephone and TV to be disconnected, gas and electric companies to be notified of our departure, thank god Kay has a written list of all those we need to inform even then we seem to find another person or company we need to notify.

Looking at the weather I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all will go to plan, trust us to have the worst winter weather for 17 years and its come at the time we least want it.
Its just our luck, we travelled to Austria for Christmas one year and guess what? it was the first winter that it hadn't snowed for 39 years!

We are looking forward to the day (hopefully at the end of January or beginning of February) that we can start the engine and head out on our big adventure.

The work and planning we have had to do to get to this stage has been daunting, the ups and downs, the waiting and frustration.
It has been surprising what reaction we've had from people when we've informed them of our plans to sell up everything and head out travelling to see more of the world. They have reacted with 'I wish we could do that' or 'its something we would love to do' or have wanted to do.
Its a dream for some, but if you want it you have to go out and grab it, life's to short to just keep wishing or dreaming, we all dream of winning the lottery but unless you buy a ticket there's no chance.
I just hope that all goes to plan and soon we will be on the road and visiting all the places we have dreamed of going to.

Off into the sunset.

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Hooray...........At last!!!!!!!

At long last the phone call came through. So the waiting is finally over and we will be out of the House and handing over the keys by Monday the 6th of December.
Yesterday we had a call from the estate agent informing us that the young couple have their mortgage in writing (at long last) and that we will be signing on the dotted line a week on Monday.
Why the wait? unfortunately the lady at the solicitors is away on holiday next week and she wants to be the one to put the paperwork through.......
Well that works out as no problem for us as we can't move now anyway until a week this coming Friday as our daughter is away up in Scotland on tour and they will only be available to help us over the weekend of the 3rd to 5th of December.
(You see we need the young ones to help beds and sofas as they are heavy.)
The first thing I did was to ring Trevor with the good news.

Today we cleared out the last things to go for the car boot sales, the delay means we can now make the last two car boot sales of the year, that's tomorrow and next Sunday, Can't say I'm not sorry to finish with those, even though they've helped the old coffers quite well.

We are moving the last of our goods into storage and getting the caravan ready to go into a storage compound in the next two weeks so theirs no time to waste.
Once we are ensconced at our daughters the next step will be to notify all the relevant authorities and institutions of our change of address.

There are a load of things to organise prior to our departing out on the road before February now as we are one month behind our original schedule.





We have to sell the Caravan although its the wrong time of year really, but I've had some enquiries. Sell the 4X4, then purchase a trailer and a Toyota IQ.
Organise the RV Insurance, Road Tax and the like and book up with Signature for the rear air assist units to be fitted.

Well that,s for later

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