lizblog

Just the one bit of gear ….

….. and here it is.

When the iPhone first appeared I knew I would like it, love it even. I hesitated to get one because I knew it had the potential to become an obsession. I didn't quite grasp how much it would change my interaction with technology.

People who know me well, know that my computer was rarely off and always to hand. Once I got a laptop it went away for the weekend with me, it went on holiday with me …. then I got an iPhone. It's amazing. I can do email, internet, Facebook, blogging and play games. I can take reasonable quality photos, even videos. I can view Word documents and PDFs. I can find out where I am and read a map of where I want to go. It plays music, TV programmes, stories, Youtube videos. It has my diary, my contacts, I can even ring people up! The list goes on.

I can go days without wanting or needing to put my computer on …. now that is amazing.

Scary … my youngest is now 29!

We had a lovely meal out at El Gato Negro in Rippenden. All the children gathered to celebrate, it's not often e manage that these days. Ruth and Matt drove up from Birmingham and Ed and Laura drove down from Kendal and we all enjoyed good tapas with other friends of Louise. I'd even got round to making a birthday cake! Louise relaxed with a bottle of wine and friends …...

Remarkably Matt managed to get a decent picture of Ed and me. Now that doesn't often happen.

I could have put pictures of Laura and Ruth, but they might have killed me …. next time maybe …… Sorry Matt, you were next to a bad picture of Ruth!!

Singing in the rain …. or was that digging

A wet time was had by all this morning in Ed and Laura's allotment. It was just drizzling when we arrived, but the weather gradually worsened until it was pretty much pouring down when we left 3 hours later. The challenge was to weed the beds and cover them with black weed suppressant fabric. We managed two beds. Sadly someone had pinched all the cabbages apart from a couple of weedy little ones. Very sad. They've had rather a lot of stuff stolen: Courgettes and cherries, then the mice ate the peas. So crap when folks put in all the work and get the seedling etc and others just have no respect for other people's property.

I was very glad of my waterproof and wells. I did however get pretty dirty, far worse than either Ed or Laura, not quite are how!

This afternoon we went to Barton Grange, a very big Garden Centre come farm shop near Lancaster. I bought two Denby pasta dishes for £4 each, bargain and another special thing which I can't speak about, but I have been looking for for a long time.

Stackpole

So …. we began our walk to Stackpole, up onto the cliff tops. Suddenly the sky turned grey, the wind got up and, yes you guessed, it began to rain. First small drops in the wind, then more seriously. At this point we made the call that we were nearer to Bosherton than the car and carried on. We had coats, but not proper waterproofs, they were of course in the cottage as we'd set off in bright sunshine. I really should have learnt by now not to trust the British weather. Still, part of the way was under the trees beside the lakes and in half an hour or so we were ensconced in the small cafe enjoying tea and scones (with cream and jam of course). The sun began to peep from behind the clouds and a rainbow seemed to speak of better weather to come. How wrong could we be!

We left the shelter of the cafe and set out around the edge of the lakes on our 2 mile walk back to Stackpole Quay. The lakes looked quite pretty, water quite still and the clouds and trees reflected beautifully.

Then it happened. The rain began. Not gentle, wind-blown rain, but the real stuff that just comes straight down with no apology and a fierce determination to wet everything through. And it did.

The path, the trees, me ….. and most definitely, Louise.

Still, after a while the rain abated and we continued on. The lakes must be wonderful in the summer. Even at the end of October we saw lots of birds: swans, ducks and even a heron perched on the bridge. Sadly it didn't let us get close enough to get a decent picture. We crossed the last of the lakes via the eight arched bridge and made our weary, damp way back across the fields.
  

Barafundle Beach

Well, we awoke this morning to bright sunlight, very pleasant. The perfect day for an outing to Stackpole Quay, Barafundle Bay and the Bosherton Lily Ponds.
We parked at Stackpole Quay and walked the half mile to Barafundle Bay. The bay is said to have been voted the most beautiful beach in the UK. Not sure I'd agree with that, but it is pretty and totally unspoilt.

Stackpole Quay … the smallest quay in the UK. The tide was out so we didn't get the full effect. Lovely view though.

Overlooking the bay …. the path down to the bay … and Louise surveying the unspoilt loveliness in the sun.
We sat on the beach for a while …. no coats …. enjoying the sun and the quiet. As it seemed to be a sunny day we decided to embark on the 5 mile round walk over the cliff tops to Bosherton Lily Ponds ……

South Wales

Well, here we are in rainy South Wales. The scenery is supposed to be beautiful, sadly, it's so rainy andcloudy that we've not seen any of it. It was sunny the day we drove down, but, although there were a few fine intervals yesterday, since Sunday evening it's done nothing but rain and blow.

So, today we decided to go to Tenby. The drive there was slightly scary as there were quite a few flooded bits on the road. It was like going through a series of fords though you'd no idea how deep they were until you were actually driving through them.

Tenby is a bit Tobermorey like, with painted houses clustering round the bay.

Another highlight was seeing the old Life Boat Station, nowtransformed into a house which featured on Grand Designs.

After this we visited the Tudor Merchant's House, a NT property, which was small but interesting.

Tudor toilet and cooking range.

Now we're back home with the wood burner lit listening to the rain which is coming out of the sky in very large lumps at the moment! Glad we're inside in the warm. Hoping that tomorrow brings some brighter weather.

Insurance ….

As you know, my house was burgled in April and electrical goods and my jewellery box stolen. Of course I rang the police and my insurance company to let them know. The police were very efficient, but no leads were found. My insurance company, Aviva, were very good with the electrical items, settling up quickly and taking note of my needs and requests. When it came to the jewellery it was a different story … and here my saga begins.

Aviva deal with claims though a company called iVal. They were very efficient to begin with, ringing me up and getting me to list and then describe all thestolen items, not easy when they want dimensions and details for every item. They even sent a nice man round to value some of the more unusual pieces. Still, it was done, I tried my best, even finding photos of a couple of things. One piece in particular was an Edwardian pendant left to me by an Aunt. Here it is.

The jewellery was duly valued and iVal let me know the valuation figure they had worked out. No problem there either. However, they then began to insist that they "replace" my jewellery by giving me a card for Goldsmiths, a High Street jeweller. I pointed out that all my jewellery was pre 1930s, much of it older than that and as such it couldn't be replaced at a store like Goldsmiths who don't even deal in second hand jewellery. As a minor concession, after a quite heated discussion, the rep agreed that they could let me have £1000 in cash and the rest on the card. She also threatened me that if I didn't agree to their terms, they settlement figure would be substantially reduced. I was already upset following the burglary and so just agreed. Once I'd got over the phone call, I realised that I'd allowed them to browbeat me into accepting something I didn't want and rang them back to say that I would visit Goldsmiths as a gesture of trying to fit in with their requirements, but I was far from happy and if what they were able to offer me was unsuitable, I would expect them to provide some different options.

Now comes the amazing part of my story. In August, whilst in Birmingham with my daughter Ruth, I decided to have a ring valued … there were a few things that didn't get stolen … and we happened to pass Fellows Auction House and decided, on spec, to call in with the ring. They gave us the valuation and the Catalogue of July's jewellery auction to look through to give us an idea of what they sold. Imagine my amazement when, turning over a page, I saw a pendant identical to mine. It was such a shock. When I compared it to the photo, it was identical in every feature. I emailed Fellows and asked them what the likelihood was of there being an identical pendant of this era, explaining that I'd had a pendant identical stolen. How amazing that we just happened to walk past Fellows, that they gave us that particular catalogue ….. coincidence? God does work in mysterious way sometimes.

They put me in touch with one of their associates, a man called Geoff. He told me that in all likelihood the pendant was mine and that I should contact my insurers and the police. He also said that, although the pendant had been bought, the retailer who'd bought it hadn't sold it and it would be held pending enquiries. He asked me how I was getting on with the claim and when I told him about iVal and their attitude towards me he told me a few very useful facts I was unaware of:

• If insurers are unable to replace items stolen on a like for like basis you may be entitled to request the full monetary value
• The insurer is unlikely to get away with applying the preferred supplier discounts available to them on new goods if your items were second hand or antique
• They are bound by the Treating Customers Fairly Code of Practice
• You may request to deal direct with the insurer if you feel you are getting nowhere with their representatives instructed under delegated authority

Armed with this information, I went back to Aviva who informed me that iVal had told them the insurance claim was settled! I was shocked and told them the full story, emphasising that I felt I hadn't been treated fairly and saying that I no longer wished to have any dealings with iVal. Initially, they tried to make me continue dealing with iVal who offered me a discounted cash settlement, like 2/3 of the initial valuation. they also told me that Goldsmiths had made jewellery for me …. I had asked them to give me quotations and sample opals which they had failed to do ….

At this point, I wrote a stiff letter to Aviva pointing out the rights listed above and threatening to make an official complaint to the insurance ombudsman. Aviva couldn't have been more apologetic! But even so they still tried to give me the discounted cash settlement …. However, bolstered by my new knowledge, I emailed them, reminding them of their legal obligations regarding second hand jewellery. I received a prompt reply apologising for the misunderstanding and offering me the full amount. They also gave me £100 in compensation for all the hassle.

So … take note … if you are ever in the unfortunate position of being burgled and having to make an insurance claim, find out your rights and stick to your guns. These companies take full advantage of your emotional fragility and your lack of knowledge.

What a difference that visit to Fellows made. Thank you to Fellows and to Geoff who offered me some helpful guidance and supported me through the dealings with iVal and Aviva. The police enquiries are ongoing, but it's quite exciting too that I might finally be able to buy back my pendant too.

The last of the produce ……

… just about. After posting so much about my front garden, I feel the need to point out that my back garden has been growing quite a few tasty things. I've had one crop of potatoes, beans, tomatoes, beetroot, lettuce, radishes, carrots, spinach, leeks, raspberries, strawberries, a few peas, and some broccoli that has not brocced … it's just a mass of leaves. Inside I have peppers and cucumbers. I've learnt a lot, planted some rhubarb and hope to grow more next year.

The garden is beginning to take shape

Well ….. I dug the garden over and there it stayed for a while. The rain helped to break up the hard soil as did my garden rake. Next I buried some large stones to give the beds some outline and also to provide perching places for me when I am weeding. Next a visit to good friends and garden centres for a selection of plants and bulbs. It's not finished yet, but it's well on the way.

My home …..

I've been fortunate to have been to some beautiful parts of the world. Because of the memories associated with places it's often difficult to say which are the favourites. When I think of favourite places I think of the crisp coldness of the air in northern Finland in Winter, the whiteness and crunchiness of the snow, the air so clean and fresh you could feel it doing you good. I remember the sleepy olive groves in the south of France where the constant sound of cicadas and crickets lull you in the heat. I picture myself once again in the sea of the distant Isle of Tiree, where the white sand beaches and clear water sparkle in the sunlight. Lastly I think I would choose the cliffs and secret coves of Cornwall, the deep lanes and wild flowers, the tiny villages and harbours.

But, until I lived away from my home for a few years, I never appreciated just how beautiful it is, or how much I belong here. I took Asher for a walk this morning. The air was washed clean as it rained last night. The view over the town from the top of the hill was sparkling …… so varied. Distant moors with their purple jacket of heather, rolling hills and wooded valleys, even the town with its chimneys and rows of houses and factories made a good part of the vista.

The blackberries were ripening, the dog was dashing around going on the walk 4 times longer than mine. The woods were cool with dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves. I am so happy to live where I do …. it has a bit of everything ….. except the sea.

Asher surveying her kingdom the dog in the dappled sunlight

Steps created by the oak tree roots ripe blackberries