** HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016! **

(Dorothy only did that to get the first exclamation mark in. Allan will get the last one in again!!)

2016...................

Friday

Firstly, we wish all of our family and friends a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

After clearing up all the mess in the school hall from the previous evening, decorations taken down and washing up done, at 12 noon the Chairman thanked the visitors for coming and thanked her committee for all of their hard work in making our time in Steyning so special.

Some of the Club members and visitors have left today but those that remained could enjoy a Whist Drive in the afternoon.
There followed a wind down evening where we had a table quiz and an interval where any food left over from the New Year Dinner was provided as a buffet. Our Quiz Team of 6 consisted of us, Margaret & Bob W and Jeanette & Graham M. We surprised ourselves by doing quite well since most other teams were of eight or more. At the end of the evening we said our farewells and hoped to all meet up again soon and most definitely at the end of the year!

Saturday

This morning we left Steyning to go to Arundel. We need a quiet weekend to charge up the leisure battery without current going to the auxiliary battery. This will then prove that the device that is meant to trickle power between the two is not working correctly and needs to be fixed. Hopefully this will be rectified on Monday when we see the installers.

We found out that our Nectar Card, a store fidelity card, is offering £2.50 if you purchase fuel at a BP garage so we stopped along the way at the Crossbush services for Allan to buy some fuel on his card and he put in £5 worth of diesel for £2.50. It all helps. Dorothy will be using her Nectar card on Monday. Also on the card is the chance to win £500 so we entered for that as well, as that would be a really nice start to the year.

We parked at Arundel and started to charge up the batteries. The weather is rain and more rain. During the evening as we have the generator running we settled down to watch a movie "First Knight" starring Sean Connery, Richard Gere and Julia Ormond. A nice relaxing evening after all the recent festivities.

Sunday

Still raining and without any sign of it stopping. We put the generator out again for some more power. This is a very quiet road in Arundel but in the early afternoon we noticed that the occasional traffic is splashing us. A large puddle has developed on the other side of the road and as they are moving over to the middle of the road to avoid it they are coming closer to us. For safety, to avoid this and any car aqua planeing on the wet road, we moved along the road closer to the town of Arundel where at that moment there were no puddles.

The rain did not cease all day and so we remained in Arundel for another night, watching the ducks swim in the flooded fields. Another film (Hearts in Atlantis) rounded off the evening, although Allan fell asleep through most of it! Dorothy enjoyed it and had most of the snacks to herself tonight!! Diets definitely begin now!

 

Now, coming back to the question raised on the 14th December Blog, between Nanny and Grandad and all the possibilities in between; whether Allan should be a Grandad, male nanny or something else completely different, it was put to us during the New Year by our very good friend Sheila L. that a nanny is a PAID position and has no responsibility or concern for the future of the child. So, Allan is now definitely GRANDDAD and is so very happy and proud to be so.

Allan's father Arthur Martin, born in 1897, never saw a Grandchild. His father William Martin, born in 1860, never saw a Grandchild. His father George Martin, born in 1818, never saw a Grandchild and his father Thomas Martin, born in 1771, never saw a Grandchild. And Thomas Martin's father Richard Martin also never saw a Grandchild. This means that Allan has broken the family legend and so must be SIMPLY THE BEST.

There are many events in a man's life that make him happy. Leaving School, Employment, Engagement, Marriage, Family, Retirement, Grandchild. That's a lot of HAPPY - or is it that he sucks Wurthers Originals (if you remember the advert "Now I am the Grandad")

 

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