December 25th 2020 - Merry Christmas - don't forget to fill the car up...

Thought for the day :"Seven Swans to rule them all, Six Geese to find them, Five Rings to bring them all and in the Pear Tree bind them."

 

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS
Office of National Statistics  

(no daily update today) 

So - we decorated a bit - not a lot - but enough...

a few cards

A Christmas Poinsettia

and some strange creatures

a lazy biker Santa on the windowsill 

Mr Lobster and a Cuddly Toy

A few more cards

Did Santa Call?

Checking the road outside

Some Fairy Lights

A few decorations and a tree

not many lights this year

Just a little tree this year

The Stairs

All lit up

Susie by the fire..

And a few more....

Well - we made an effort...

And so did Cwm Aur - I like this idea - may use it next year - we have a few spare tyres.

And so to today's short story of calamity..

Yesterday was an ideal day to fill the car up with diesel, it should have been done on the last trip to Llanelli but, well, I forgot! So doing the Santa run could have been an opportunity - after all we went to Brynhoffnant to the petrol station / store. We took them some mulled wine as a "Thank You". Didn't want to spoil the trip with shopping so I had got food in CK's in Newcastle Emlyn before our Santa Trip. So I looked at the counter and it said that I had 72 miles left .. That was enough for a shut down Christmas...

So, this morning I headed off to Llanybydder for Vic... and the counter showed 42!! That was not so good.

After collecting him and the return journey we were down to 17 miles - not enough for a round trip to take hmi home.  Having checked that our immediate neighbours did not have any diesel in a can, an finding that Tesco in Cardigan was 11 miles away - it would be the only place locally with 24 hour pay at pump - it is after all Christmas Day!

So, after Christmas dinner - I set off to Cardigan watching the counter go down quickly !!  faster that the milometer would suggest was correct! And with fingers crossed I crossed into Tesco's with 5 miles left on the counter.

There were bollards across the garage - power on and "Pay at Pump" signs everywhere. Maybe the bollards were for social distancing?  Checked the pump and put the card in - "Pay cashier after filling" the screen said...  tried the pump - locked into place...  A bit of a blow...

Back up the road to Penparc where there was a garage - stopped there on the way to Cardigan but worth a second try - no pay at pump! So I park up and call the RAC - or rather the Nissan Assist line which is the link to RAC. Got through fairly quickly considering it is Christmas Day and after an embarrassed explanation of why I was int he predicament I was - I explained to the lass that we were in darkest Wales - I think she realised when she could not pronounce any of the places I mentioned. The A487 confused her!

However - we established that likely wait time would be 5-6 hours. 

This proves a problem with Vic in the house and needing to return to his flat - preferably by the time it gets dark - and it is now 3 o'clock...

Call to other neighbour shows that he also has no diesel - only petrol but also offers to lend his car...

That is two neighbours offering use of their vehicles !! Johnny is the best option as he can drive down to Ffynnon Wen and Susie and Vic can get in and pick me up at the garage and then go to Llanybydder....   and so it is decided - and Susie come to pick me up...

Meanwhile, a family had walked past with a dog about half an hour before and were heading back - so I opened the window and as they came past wished them a Merry Christmas.

"Chilling out?" was asked - I said no and explained my predicament...

 Which was good - because he said that he owned the garage and that he would be open the next morning at 9am.

I asked if I could leave the car there and try to get a lift and sort things out ...  and that I was waiting for my wife with a borrowed car , and a father in law who had to get back to his assisted living ....
and the long and short was that he said he lived around the corner and that he would open up and let me fill up!!!

And that is what he did... Susie arrived and I transferred Vic and took him home and Susie returned Johnny's car - and all is well that ends well ..

But I have just written a glowing review on their google links ... and think I will be heading back there with a bottle of Mead tomorrow - or the next day....

A strange Christmas - but we seem to be surrounded by really good people ....

Christmas is a time of hope and helping people - not just getting presents .. which we seem to have skipped mainly today... Susie got me a new Owain Glyndwr Flag to replace the tattered battle scarred one flying - but it can wait until the spring....

I have to get her an apricot tree - but they are not in the nursery yet ....  So she has to make do with a Poinsettia and a Terry's Chocolate Orange.

Managed a quick video link with Bunnie and Scarlett and a phone call to Nan ..

That is the family links sorted ...

Sending love to Chrissie and Paul - Chrissie will read this blog later and pass the news onto Paul...

And so we are sitting down to watch Ice Age 2 - the melting or something like that ...  

Oh - Brexit was sorted yesterday ... 2000 lorries stuck in Kent 

just a week to go to 2021 - by the way - that was when Mad Max was set as a film...
(probably not true but there is so much fake news that I may as well add this as it is a common meme) 

Oh! Third Christmas  Shut-down Serenade out...

Opened a bottle of Red

Cheers !