Into April...........random notes from my diary

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 I wish I could remember who mentioned this book on their blog, but thanks to whoever it was I've just hugely enjoyed this first novel by a new Author.

Here's what it says on Amazon
"England,1976.
Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands.
And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will find much more than they imagined…"
Behind each door on The Avenue is another secret, most have been hidden for  nearly10 years and some secrets are not pleasant.
A really good read, a kind of mystery but also about being ten years old during that long hot summer. 

We've been here for nearly two weeks and everything was jogging along until Cols latest blood tests which showed very low platelets then he started to run a temperature so he is back in hospital for a few days until they can sort things out.  So I'm getting plenty of practice driving through the traffic of Ipswich. After all the years of country living without endless roundabouts,traffic lights and busy junctions, I'm now getting moaned at for being in the wrong gear/lane and Col says I'm ruining the gear box on the Tucson which was already a bit dodgy. He had been thinking about changing to a Ford Kuga when the house sale money is sorted until his brother told him about a friend who had to use You-Tube to find the oil filter which then took three hours to change due to being hidden away and under other bits.............. so maybe not a Kuga after all.

We rang a local company to get a cat flap fitted in the bottom half of the double glazed kitchen door. We are going to have the glass replaced by a plastic coated metal panel instead of glass, it won't make any difference to light in the kitchen and it's a bit cheaper. When the man came to measure up Col recognised him as someone who had stayed on the campsite, the son-in-law of one of the regulars  - Isn't it funny what a small world we live in!

I've cycled to Asda a couple of times, it's easy- peasy as there is a cycle path up beside the main road and a proper push button crossing because it's part of one of the national cycle routes. I measured it on Mapometer website and it's just a fraction over a mile, so not really energetic but every little helps. I'm now planning my route to the nearest car boot sale!

We've filled in the forms to register at the local doctors which is literally just round the corner and walking back on Thursday I got soaked by a hailstorm which was preceded by three big claps of thunder and followed by rain - strange weather. The forecast is for a bit warmer for the weekend, I hope they are right because there is some tidying to do in the garden so I bought new secateurs as all our gardening stuff is still on the trailer in a barn at a friends. Col is not sure when we can fetch it - depends on how he feels next weekend and who we can get to help. Thanks to our son calling in on Thursday afternoon we've now cleared a bit of space in the garage for workshop stuff and the gardening bits we need. I still think Col is being over optimistic about what we have room for.

Which reminds me of the most annoying thing here........... The Fridge, it's bad enough having an under counter fridge after my old tall one - but it's ridiculously tiny and stupidly it has an ice box - which isn't needed because we have a small freezer in the kitchen and the chest freezer in the garage, 6 steps from the back door. We bought the fridge with the house but it's driving me nuts, so I think I shall fork out for a larder fridge, without icebox so an extra shelf to use.

That's it for now, thanks for comments on the last post
Back soon
Sue