So, we are now six weeks into our new life with Hattie and all is good ….. well mostly anyway !

It would be incredibly dull if everything had gone smoothly so just to help mix things up we managed to break the oven door… how, I don’t know but I think that there was a very key point when it was coming in between Keith and his dinner ….. and I am afraid Keith won.  Needless to say that was four weeks ago and we haven’t been able to use the oven since which is a massive shame as we were really getting used to it being so much better than the last one.  Since then we also managed to break out little manual hand mixer (better known as the Hummus machine!) through too much pulling …. but Lakeland replaced it for free as it had a 3 yr guarantee… quite impressive!

After our last blog we ventured up to Thirsk in North Yorkshire to get our gas bottles switched for an Alugas system, enabling us to fill up with LPG at petrol stations…less stress and cheaper than standard bottles if you are in it for the long run.  Autogas 2000 did a great job, with a smile whilst introducing us to a great little pub round the corner where the burgers are towers and the fish are whales….. we will be back if we are passing by!

On the way back south we couldn’t help but stop off at Melbourne again which is beginning to feel like a second home now, not only is it a beautiful location but the butchers is great and we were running low on Black Bomber Cheddar!!

We were heading south again as Keith’s sister and brother in law were very kindly hosting a bar-b-q / FA Cup Final afternoon which coincided with a big event in Windsor…. not quite sure what that could have been, but it meant that we couldn’t stay at the farm and had to find alternative accommodation.  It was great though, as we were introduced to the Hurley Riverside campsite which is half way between Marlow and Henley costing £15 per night for a grass pitch with electricity.  The site itself was a lot larger than we are used to with quite a few static homes but the location was stunning, right on the Thames with a path taking you into Marlow in one direction and Henley, the other…. lots of lovely walking and running routes!  Needless to say the weather was fantastic, the BBQ was lovely, the football went the way Keith wanted it to and what we saw of the wedding wasn’t too bad either….. just a shame that the oven didn’t see the weekend out …. at least the Stuffed Chicken with Wedges went down well when we finally extracted them!

We have now moved back to the farm and have been sitting comfortably, sorting out different bits of work for Hattie which has given us time to catch up with quite a few friends – trying out a good selection of Gin in a new bar in Maidenhead … including a rather nice Earl Grey one (I can’t stand Earl Grey Tea …. so was pleasantly surprised) as well as a Rhubarb one that wasn’t to be knocked either!  We have also been cooking lots to get used to how everything works…. (obviously not in the oven) so I have added a few of the favorite recipes as follows:- Chocolate Mousse Cake, Apricot Crumble, BBQ Baked Beans, Belgian Fridge Cake and Baked Bean Mince.  We have also been cooked for alot over the last few weeks …. Pizzas (yep left over Birthday Pizza… N+R – I am not going to let you forget it (only joking, it was delicious!!), BBQ’s, Curries, and Full on Roasts….  sorry Carly, I think it’s time for you to cook us some Yorkshire puddings as I have eaten what can only be described as the best puds I have ever tasted this week (thank you J!) ……. not to forget a particularly random (and lovely) Vodka (Gold Wasser) and Asparagus tasting session last Sunday afternoon …..its been a busy couple of weeks!

Getting back to Hattie, we have now had a play with her music system and its great – she is a proper party bus!!  Sub woofers and surround sound, better than most home systems, we just have to be careful not to park to close to our neighbours now!!

Just to make sure it works properly, Keith has also put the TV and satellite dish up a couple of times …. unsurprisingly to watch football – the dish seems bigger than the last one, a proper lightning attraction!

Now we are preparing for the first set of the awaited works…. solar panels, hopefully fixing the oven and a few other bits.  So, tomorrow we set off down towards Portsmouth so we can get her into the workshop bright and early on Monday morning – bring on independent living again!