Pets are family too.

Coming up to Bonfire Night lots of families are looking forward to fireworks displays, whether at home or organised events. For those with kids it's a festive time and enjoyable evenings are had by many.
But I wish people would spare a thought for the thousands of animals that are scared by the flashes and bangs that are twice as loud for them than us humans. Every year pet owners everywhere are preparing to somehow placate their animals while the noises and lights go on for what seems an interminable time. And it wouldn't be bad if it was just the one night.  But there are those that either set them off days before the event, or ave some left over so continue it for the next few days. It all adds to the stress our animals endure.
There was a video doing the rounds on Facebook recently of a greyhound-type dog literally lying on the floor shaking uncontrollably  and nothing the owner did could calm it down. It was heartbreaking to watch but shows the extent of how these things affect them.
Often you will hear people say "Oh it's just a dog". No it's so NOT just a dog. It's our family member, that waits for us to come home after we go shopping or to work and greets us like we've been away for ever. It's the one that gives us unconditional love day in, day out without expectations. It's our fur-baby, our friend and our companion.
I read a story recently about a family that had to have their pet euthanised due to old age. Their young son was with them to say goodbye at the time, but he wasn't phased by the passing of the family pet at all. He stated he knew why pets don't live as long as we do. Simply put he said we were all put on this earth to learn how to love one another. It takes humans a long time to learn, but dogs know how to love straight away which is why they don't stay as long.
I can totally understand this kid's thinking.
So go out and enjoy your firework display, have a great time. But please don't drag it out days before or afterwards. Spare a thought for our animal family members.

Too Much Life Happens.

Well, since we moved back to Lincolnshire seems like I've forgotten about so many things I started!
Obviously we are well settled in now.

My company managed to find me a new project to work on and that has taken up so much time, learning new procedures, systems, disease states etc., and now we are told that THIS project is also coming to a close early next year.  I think I may be a jinx!

Coupled with this, I have had some IT issues. I suppose I should really bite the bullet and splash out on  brand new system, but I keep going for re-furbished items. I've worked my way through 2 Apple iMacs, and have now gone back to a Windows 10 PC, mainly due to the price.

Moving back here has been good for the family. The grandkids visit us regularly, and I've taken the 2 boys out to some Aviation Museums. I am sure I must have bored the pants of them with tales from my RAF days and knowledge of the aircraft we have seen, but they are polite kids and seemed to enjoy themselves. I know I did!

The only drawback with moving back here is we still have another daughter back in Cornwall. She has been there about 7 years now, and it was visiting her that made us fall in love with Cornwall in the first place. SO now we don't see her as often as we would like, although she doesn't have any children for us to miss as well.

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of writing.  I have 2 fiction novels on the go, as well as still trying to get some magazine articles published. I need to give it more of my attention and hopefully I have given myself a swift kick up  the derriere by swapping all my links to writing websites to the new PC.
Fingers crossed I will get back here more often.

Well, that went quick!

I think I blinked and missed a year!
To be fair to me, it ws taken up with exploring our new surroundings in Cornwall. But I have to report it hasn't lasted as long as we thought it would.  The pull of the heartstrings for the Grandchildren was too great and we have had to move back to the flatlands of South Lincolnshire to be near them again. I do miss the scenery in the beautiful countryside of Cornwall, but it was no good with only one of us happy down there. My good lady missed our eldest daughter and the grandkids so much she wasn't settling well and ended up visiting them nearly every 6 weeks and that wasn't what we wanted for US!
So we moved back at the end of October and it feels like we never left.  Everywhere is so familiar and it does feel right to be back here again. And of course the grandchildren are over the moon that we're back!
So with Christmas fast approaching we are expecting a wonderful time, and it is really grand to see my wife actually looking forward to it again, because this time of year she becomes such a big kid herself!
For myself, it is a bitter sweet time as we have just found out that the project I work on will close next year.This means I must hope for a new project to be taken on by the company I work for so that I can be re-deployed. It will bring to the end my involvement for the last 5 years working with, probably, the best team I've known since my RAF days. We all get on so well, its a delight to actually be at work with them.
But every cloud so they say, and this could be the proverbial boot up the backside I need to get my writing back on track. I managed one article while I was down south because I was always "too busy" seeing the sights or basically just procrastinating! Now I am back 'oop North where things are so familiar I can spend the time writing, researching, making contacts again and generally making sure I have an alternative career if the nursing one goes pear shaped.
So watch this space, people.  There may be more to come in the near future!

Duchy of Cornwall.

Well, the move finally happened, which, in part, is why I have not written for so long!

The actual day of the move was a nightmare with the removal men. Because it was such a distance  (over 300 miles) they deviced it would be done over a couple of days, But they wanted to charge more for a weekend drop so we decided they could do it on the Monday. In the event it arrived late Tuesday afternoon. And then there was only 2 members of staff to unload a Pantechnicon and a whole house load of furntiture.

In the end we were in safe and sound and then the hard work began. The new place wasn't as clean as it could have been and we spent the weekend before the furniture arrived, cleaning it. Then we started on the patio as that needed de-cluttering as it had been left to get overgrown. We managed to get it looking like a home within the week I was off luckily. We have done several more adjustments to the place since, but nothing that stopped us being comfortable. Just getting it the way we wanted and making it our own.

We've been out and about a bit, but work has taken a great deal of time as well. We've turned the second bedroom into my office, along with a bed settee for when we have the inevitable visitors!

All our animals (3 dogs and 2 cats) have settled well, and seemed to love the walks up the hills and on the beaches. There are lots of dog owners in the village so it hasn't taken us long to make new acquaintaces.  There was also a joint venture with the neighbours as the local pub ( less than 50 metres away!) had applied to turn their garden itno a Beer one. This would have impinged on ours and others privacy and created unwanted noise. The local Coincil had turned it down but the Brewery appealed. Glad to say they lost so no Beer Garden.

My wife is finding it hard to settle as we have left our eldest daughter and 3 grandchildren behind in Lincolnshire. We miss them greatly but I have my work to be able to throw myself into. Dawn doesn't have that at present, though she is looking to do some volunteering to get her out a bit. Dawn and Paula (the eldest) were often going out and about together. They only lived about 10 minutes away from us so it was easy for them to meet up. It has only been 5 months so weknow it will take time, but fingers are crossed that it gets easier for her.

Photography-wise, Cornwall is an ideal place. Whether it be landscape or seascape, people or pets, aircraft or ships the Duchy gives you plenty of subjects.  Really spoilt for choice. Haven't managed to have anything else published at present, as not had chance to work properly on anything. But now we're more settled I can get back into the swing of things.

I shall keep you informed.
BFN
Paul

Too Long

I didn't realise it had been so long since I had written here. A few things have changed since I last wrote.
Firstly, job-wise. End of last year was a big upheaval for the project I work on. Emphasis was changing from support in the community to remote support by telephone. We were cut from a team of 12 down to 5 field-based nurses with an increase of telephone Support Line advisers. I was one of those at risk of being made redundant or having to fight a colleague to keep my field-based position. It was evident that anyone who stayed field-based would have their territory increased, meaning more driving, longer hours, etc. I volunteered to switch to the telephone side of it and was successful. Because of our Head Office being in Reading, most of the Support Line members operate from home using a telephone system linked to our Head Office servers. What a brilliant idea!  Now my daily commute entails walking from the lounge to my home office with a cup of tea in my hand!
Four months into the job and I have to say it was a good move.

House-wise, we are still in Lincolnshire at present but that's only because the wheels of solicitors' carriages move at a snails pace! We have sold our house and acquired one in Cornwall, near St. Austell. We can't wait to get down there, but sadly we have to because of the legal side of the transaction.  But at least we are on our way.

I have had another article published in This England, Spring edition, about one of our local landmarks here, Grimsthorpe Castle. I have also had a commission from Airgun Shooter magazine to chronicle my return to Air Rifle Shooting. Since the age of 13, I have been shooting guns of one sort another and recently have become re-interested in the sport.  I am doing a series of articles that have taken me right from finding out about the guns available these days (been about 25 years since I last used one!) to actually joining a club and entering competitions. It's been a very enjoyable journey and there will be a possibility of me being a regular contributor to the magazine in the future.

Sadly, due to health problems, I have had to curtail my two-wheeled escapades. Old bones and joints don't sit well with cold weather and heavy bikes any more, so the Thunderbird I loved so much has gone to a new home where she will get more use than I was giving her. It was a hell of a wrench after over 40 years of riding.

So that's all caught up now. I will try not to leave it so long next time.

What A Feeling!

Last week I had my first article published since deciding to take Freelancing seriously.  It has taken a little time and perseverance, but it's now out there.
The feeling you get when you see your name in print is awesome, no other word for it.  You're filled with a mixture of excitement and pride.  It gives you the lift you need to continue working towards your dream.  Well, it has for me anyway.

I've known it was going to be published in this issue, but waiting for it has been nail-biting.  What if they decide to cut it? What if they have a different newsy article they want to put in and take mine out? Will it actually look any good?
All these thoughts go through your head, and when the time arrives you breath a sigh of relief to see it there. The pride comes from knowing the editor was happy enough to put your words in their magazine, and that there will be a fair few others reading those words that took you so long to research.  I also know I have another one being published in the Spring, in a quarterly magazine.

The excitement comes from being able to add the clip to your website, so you have something to show to other possible clients to prove that you CAN write , and that other editors think you can too.

So it was Christmas (2015) come early for me, and the promise of a good looking 2016 awaits.  Coupled with all this is the move to a new full-time job, that enables me to work from home. This means I can also spend time on more writing and marketing. Prior to this I spent a lot of time on the road, covering 75,000 miles in 3 years!

Interest in a new hobby has opened the doors to further prospects in the writing field that I am following up. I have always been interested in shooting from a young teenager and managed to do a lot while in the Air Cadets, following on into the RAF, but since leaving the Forces I haven't had much opportunity. So looking through the magazine racks one day I saw couple of Air Rifle magazines. These were soon purchased and I am now hooked! A lot has changed since I last used one, and I am very keen to follow this through. And hopefully it will lead to further articles.
I'm a big believer in fate and things happen for a reason, so let's see where this all leads.

Watch this Space!

The Joy of Holiday Ownership

Joy or Hassle? While there are a lot of things you have to be prepared to provide for a holiday home, especially if you are sub-letting it out in holiday season, it has to be joy.

We are happy owners of a 2-bedroomed static caravan on a park 5 miles from Newquay, in Cornwall. We have owned it for a year, had 4 holidays down there, and have ended up making a small profit. We didn't buy the 'van to actually make money. We would have been just as happy if the ground rent had been covered for next season, which it has.

Yes, there are charges for various things:- electric, gas, minor repairs or call outs, cleaning, etc. But all these are taken into account at the end of the year when it is balanced with the income from the sub-lets. So basicaally we have had 4 holidays for nothing and ended up with money our pockets. Result!

The park we are on, Travella Park, is a nice quiet site. There is a heated outdoor swimming pool , a games and TV room, cafe, small pet area (with resident European Eagle Owl) and launderette. But no big club room, or amusement arcade so it really is a lot quieter than the bigger camps. It also has two large well-stocked fishing lakes available for the anglers who visit.

The staff are really friendly and very helpful. The management is superb and you are kept abreast of everything that needs to be done. There are even “Owner events” which are, surprisingly, just for hoiday home owners. The holiday season is from March to October, but owners can still use their homes up to the end of December. January and February it is closed to all but staff, for maintenance.

Cornwall is a fantastic county to visit. Wherever you stay you are only half-hour from a beach. There is so much history that attractions are everywhere. Weather is a bit more temperate than the rest of the UK, but if the wind blows you know about it!

It really is an ideal place to have a holiday home, be it lodge, cottage or caravan. You can be certain of it being let out for several weeks each season, because it is so popular with holiday makers.

If anyone was thinking of buying a holiday home, I'd thoroughly recommend it. We had a lot of doubts. Hw much would the ground rent be? Would we get enough to cover it? What about the upkeep? The sales staff, for us, were excellent. Told us everything, answered all our questions and we have had no surprises sprung on us throughout the year.

Go on, go for it! You will be glad you did!