Gearing up

Well - if the truth be told last year I just ran out of steam at the end of the year which didn't end until the beginning of November down in caravan land. So apologies to all my regular readers

(thats you Mike by the way) for the abruptness of the column but it is on its way back.

So here we are again at the beginning of a whole new caravan year - we've already had a text from Clive and Jane who are down the owners club getting their year started. Amanda, Bethan and I have already made our first journey down West in February. A lovely bright winters day when we spent a few hours having Sunday dinner in the Welly and walking around the beach. Quite suprizingly for this time of the year Newquay was pretty much full - we were really lucky to get in for Sunday dinner as the pub was full within an hour of us arriving - it was a really nice day - but as always its not quite the same when you can't stay - but we're nearly there again.

So whats changed for this year then? - well Moira and Allan our long time neighbours have moved on to new pastures, although still in the park, Bronwyn being a young lady now (her words) won't be with us every weekend, work for me is getting longer by the week so I can't see

the Friday night experience starting for quite some time now and Jonathan is having real trouble with his back so my guess is the Caerphilly Brains won't be frequent visitors at all this year but you never know.

Whats been going on since last year? - Well lots really - Bronwyns learning to drive, has her own car and a new boyfriend - Niahl whos a nice young man with a car - a bonus for Bronwyn but he is a Cardiff Blues fan so you can't have everything. Bethan is back learning the piano and taking

her exams again becoming the foremost muscian in the house and me and Amanda are a few months older and a few pounds heavier (well ok a bit more than a few pounds in my case). Christmas was the most hectic we've ever had and the shocking weather over December meant it was the first time since the kids were born I wasn't able to get any outside lights up on the house.

New Years Eve this year was in Ann and Johns house which was an Elvis and get drunk night which was a cracker and we've had the worst snows in the valleys for years. In my case the

worst nightmare trip home from work also as I pulled out of Newport at 11am only for the windscreen wipers to pack in leaving a 4 hour drive home in Blizzard conditions - just as well we could only go 10 miles an hour the whole way I suppose. Anyway on the upside - both Thursday and Friday Amanda, Bethan and I had early finishes and a walk through the snow up to the Cross for a few pints and something to eat.