My Life That Happened In… #10 Part 1
Episode #09
… July 2024
Monday 1st
Finally, I took my car in to get the front wheels balanced. I have also noticed for a while. The paint on my door is slowly coming off. The only thing I can think of is someone has smacked it with their door. But someone I spoke to at Wheel Traders suggested a man who could help. I have his number. We will see what happens next.
Expensive purchase
I was still pursuing the MAD (Mandibular Advancement Device) and waiting for my next meeting with my dentist. I was advised to upgrade my toothbrush. So, being the idiot I am. I went and purchased an electric toothbrush. But not just for me but for the missus as well. I can’t believe I spent so much. Don’t get me wrong, they are very nice toothbrushes. But the price is mad. Who wants to connect their phone with their brush? Bluetooth my brush stats report. Anyone?
But I have them now, today is the day, I started to use them. It doesn’t feel that weird. I thought it would be a little bit painful getting used to it. But everything seems fine for now.
Wednesday 3rd
My new books have arrived—more for my to-be-read collection. One day, I will catch up.
Saturday 6th
It has finally happened! Our holiday is booked. We have to wait to go now. We are setting sail on the 21st of July.
Monday 8th
My mouth tasted like crap. I had to go to the Dentist to have my mouth cast for my new mouth guard from Somnewell. My dentist tried two different materials to get a decent mould.
On the first attempt. I gagged as the cast was in too long. My tongue didn’t like it. Well, that’s what was claimed. The second time I was okay. The moulds will be sent off to start the building of my MAD. The next appointment will be at the end of August.
Whatever those moulding materials were made of left a bad taste in my mouth. So much so that I had to raid my sweet box in my glove box.
Wednesday 16th
First day of my annual holiday. In my search to find, a cheaper shopping experience. Because I was no longer getting the discount from my previous job, we headed to Aldi. Fair enough they didn’t have everything I wanted. I did try to substitute items I would normally buy. But I did find some new things that were cheaper.
We both needed to leave the house because we weren’t feeling well. Some fresh air normally helps, but my eye strain. Didn’t get much better. As I had to concentrate when driving.
I also made it better for the missus as I promised we could go to Smiths Garden Centre to look around. Of course, she didn’t leave empty-handed, I spotted a rare family member to B, the Black Rose plant we found in St. Ives, Cornwall. And of course, the wife found a couple more.
Wednesday 17th
I achieved a goal with my Goodreads account. I have gone and exceeded, a total of 20 books to read in a year. Let’s see how far I can go.
Friday 19th
Some new toys arrived today. I wanted something for work. Everyone during the night shift. They are allowed to listen to whatever makes them happy when working. So I decided I would get something cheap and didn’t care about getting damaged. So I chose these:
Starting from the left we have a Bluetooth speaker, called the Jobsite Wearable Speaker WS-1. I was looking at a Dewalt and one other but the prices were ridiculous. This one from Aliexpress is around a tenner, which is a price I am happy with and the speaker works well, after testing it out. It has a sports clip and a magnet so you can either, stick it on a metal wall or on your clothing.
Next in line is the Ruizu X52 mp3 player with Bluetooth. I bought this because it looked similar to an old MP3 player from Sandisk I used to have. This version has 8 GB inside but can also be added to by a micro SD card. It has a sports clip on the back.
Here’s a better look at them:
And Some More
The next MP3 Player in the lineup has no brand name. But for some reason, I bought the version without Bluetooth. Maybe because it has a speaker, it doesn’t sound too bad for what you are paying for. I can use this if the WS-1 speaker stops working. It also has a clip so I don’t have to worry about putting it in my pocket.
One more thing: it is not a touch screen. There are buttons on both sides which are fairly intuitive. The screen interface reminds me of the old Nokia phones before the smartphone took over.
The last one is another unbranded MP3 player with Bluetooth. This looked a bit of fun so I added it to the list. The interface seems to be slightly better than the Ruizu. But the other has a better-looking OS. Even though both are pretty much the same, This one has 32 GB memory and a slot to expand to 128 GB.
All come with a charging cable, micro or USB-C. And except for the speaker they all come with wired earphones.
Sunday 21st
Today’s the day. We are going away on holiday and we don’t feel like it. The past few days have been spent wondering if we can be bothered, and to be honest. We can’t. We both are suffering from a bit of depression. But that’s more of a reason to go.
So we loaded Pumpkin up and even with my driving anxiety. Off we went.
Summer Holiday
Our destination is Herne Bay in Kent. But we have hired an Airbnb in Whitstable. The place is called Elmwood Lodge. A small, long converted shed in a back garden. And it is nice. They have done a lovely job. It has more than we need. We bought a lot of stuff with us due to our experiences with B’n’Bs and hotels: food and drink, extra towels and whatever else we could think of for our comfort. But this place has dealt with most of it. We are happy.
I even got a box of shortbread. How did they know I love shortbread?
We have a private side entrance into the back garden. Even the TV comes with an Amazon stick. Also free Netflix.
The only downside is we are next to a train line. But that only reminds me of, when I used to visit, my Nan in Beacontree. There is also the fridge. It sounds like someone is mildly breathing while snoring. It is somewhat relaxing and annoying.
The plan was to set up shop and then go to the beach. So the wife watched Gorden Ramsey’s prison cook show and I read my book.
I have a feeling, our hosts are introverts, which I can get behind. The only interaction I have had with them, in the real world, is to ask where I can park and even that felt a little bit awkward.
Monday 22nd
We woke up early. Not the greatest of sleep but… Oh well! I did screw up a little. What I thought was a night light is the Wi-Fi router. So, that was awkward, trying to get help from our hosts.
Our host insists on talking to us through the messaging service on Booking.com. And we do not mind that at all. Introverts unite! But stay away from me.
After a long while of getting ready and complaining about my slow computer. Which I am using to write this blog. This old girl needs an upgrade. I will see what I can do when I get home… Anyway…
We eventually left, in Pumpkin and headed out to our first day out to Herne Bay Beach.
Parking
Today was dark and cloudy and we thought it would rain enough to drown the world into submission. But nothing happened. After parking, we had a long walk, along the seafront and see what was there. Four hours later, cost £12.40.
To be honest Herne Bay felt tired. Fair enough they are trying. It’s nearly peak holiday season and it’s quiet. Me and the wife we like that. But that cannot be good for business.
Herne Bay is proud of its history as they have placed items of interest along the seafront for visitors to enjoy.
Eventually, we found the pier and had a look around. There are some rides for the kids. Many food vendors and some local sellers in beach huts. It is a small pier compared to others. And they have tried to cram in as much as possible.
Leaving the pier we walked to an area I knew the missus always enjoyed, the amusement arcades. We picked out one of the arcades and set to work. The wife on the crane “grabbers”, and myself on the ticket machines. We spent a little time in there and ended up with a couple of plush toys, a keyring, some sort of, robot thing and a few sweets.
We continued a bit further down the road and I found a shop, where I could buy a keyring of Herne Bay and the wife picked up a mug and some sweets.
We’re Walking
The wife needed to speak to a pharmacist for some advice and we found a place for some help. Afterwards, we continued our journey by finding some shops, a street, back from the beach. We spent our time, looking at what was on offer until we found a shop the wife saw online. It is an antique emporium type of shop. They were selling nick-nacks and other timeless things, that have some value to someone. The shop smelt musty, from old things that had been stored away for a while. The shop also has a basement level but be careful of the stairs as they are steep.
Moving on, we stopped at boots, which looked like they get robbed, a lot, with all the barriers. But they were shutting for lunch.
It was going to happen as it always seems to. The wife found some plant shops. We returned to the plant shop after visiting the Beano Cafe.
I am wondering if DC Thompson knows about this. They are the people who own the rights. The food is, basic cafe food, so it was okay, nothing special. We needed something to eat and the wife needed the toilet. I missed the chance to go to the one in Folkstone. So, I kind of hoped I could experience something here. Nope. It’s just a cafe with some Beano stuff here and there.
Also, they only accept cash. Just in case you go and visit. If you don’t have any cash, there are a couple of banks less than a minute up the road.
Plant Family
So anyway, the wife ended up buying a couple of new friends. They are sitting and waiting to go home with us.
Eventually, we made it back to the Airbnb and we went about relaxing for the rest of the day. I wrote my blogs and read. The wife watched Alan Carrs Changing Ends. She seems to be enjoying it so far that she is already on season 2.
Tuesday 23rd
It is raining this morning. We had a rough night but we are okay. I have no idea what we are going to do today with the rain but we will make do.
The rain, came to an end, around 9 am, and then the sun decided to pop out.
A long while later, we headed out. Finding a parking space, we walked over to Whitstable Harbour. The first thing that hits you is the smell of the local food, being cooked in their huts and restaurants. It felt a little bit busier than yesterday. But the area is more compact.
Having a look around, we slowly made our way along the beachfront. I even managed to record, some sounds, for my ASMR/white noise videos. It was nice and we walked along taking pictures.
Walking along the beach, we got to the point where we wanted to look around the high street. The wife, of course, spotted not one but two plant shops. So we now have more plants that need to go home with us.
The wife fell in love with this shop. So much so, that I had to nearly drag her away or she would have bankrupted herself.
Food
I was getting hungry, which led to us finding a community cafe, hiding away in an old, church/ school building. After looking at the chalkboard menu I decided to have a couple of bacon and egg sandwiches. The man behind the counter advised me that the sandwiches were rather large and whether I was sure I could eat two. Challenge accepted. They were no problem. I was expecting proper door-stop slices but they were nothing more than old-style extra-large slices. The eggs were nice and runny.
Finishing them before the wife had finished, her jacket potato covered with beans, cheese and coleslaw. We tried out some canned drinks of Rhubarb, elderflower and apple. They were bad. But the missus liked the elderflower.
After eating our fill, we returned to the high street and slowly walked around to the car. We popped into a few shops that caught our eyes. We found a music shop, and I bought a CD. The wife wanted to buy some Cradle of Filth merch, but sadly, there was none.
I spotted the tourist shop where I could purchase the usual keyring and magnet set. But no magnet this time. The wife did find a mushroom light she wanted to place with her plants.
After returning to the Airbnb, we relaxed for the rest of the evening.
See you in part 2!
