Mr F becomes Mr NSF

I have been informed that the mint shower gel has to go as it causes tingly tezzies. Sigh – will grab a boring one when we’re out shopping today. I would have thought the odd tingling in the tezzies would be rather desirable but apparently not.

I’ve been threatening to buy Mr Fluffy the hair removal device, the ‘NoNo’, to rid him of his unsightly upper-lip hair but he has gone and had his hair and beard cut  so he is now Mr Not-so-Fluffy and I have to think of a different Christmas present. There is a plethora of men’s barbers around Southbourne but we managed to find the one who looked the most drunk and most dirty. On entering his establishment we were shocked to see a very red-faced, bulbous-nosed chap emerging from the back. By the time we noticed the mounds of hair on the floor it was too late to retreat so Mr F took a seat and prepared to be shorn. I was ushered into the back to watch tele and read tabloids (which I declined) whilst being surrounded by football paraphernalia and empty champagne bottles.

The new look Mr Not So Fluffy

The cut ended up being pretty good for £8.00 although I did have to snip quite a bit of beardage away that the barber had missed.

We’re currently in a field surrounded by diggers and tractors near Bournemouth Airport so Mr NSF is in heaven. We may only be here for a short while as things are moving along on the house front. Watch this space.

Ten Things We Like About Dorset

It’s been a week or more of very little wifi at Sandy Balls then in a field near Walkford so apologies for the lack of bloggage.

Loving the New Forest Horses

We are discovering the gorgeousness of Dorset so I thought I’d put a list of things we like about it so far:

1. There are public toilets everywhere which are both free and open, a far cry from the dire situation in Cornwall where, if you do manage to find a public loo, you have to fork out 20p or thereabouts to ‘have a slash’.

2. Like Cornwall, it is pretty dog friendly and Hugo has been welcomed into most cafes, restaurants and shops. He’s been treated to many a dog biscuit which he fussily declines unless I give it to him or Graham pretends to eat it first.

3. The beaches have real sand and the stony ones are littered with hag stones. Graham particularly loves the sound of the waves on the shingle which reminds him of his youth in Hampshire.

Hagstones at Hengitsbury

4. People smile and chat even if they don’t now you, particularly dog walkers. Everyone we speak to says how friendly everyone is and how much they enjoy living in the area.

5. There is a library one block from the house we are looking at buying and it is still open…

6. The many restaurants and cafes we have discovered thus far have great food, have interesting setups (e.g., a knitting cafe, a cycling cafe, an ancient hippie doing Italian food cafe), and let dogs in, especially in Southbourne. The service is efficient and friendly so far.

7. The New forest is stunningly beautiful in a different way to the stunning beauty of Cornwall. We saw a kingfisher by the river at Sandy Balls three days in a row. It’s flatter then the rugged coastline in Boscastle so it’s easier to go for long walks (unless you’re Graham because he doesn’t mind hills).

Kingfisher River

8. We enjoy deer spotting as we drive along the roads. This may prove dangerous if they decide to wizz out in front of the car but so far so good.

9. We can choose between river and beach when we take Hugo for a walk. He loves both but I think he secretly prefers the sand between his toes.

10. There is a plethora of historic sites, bronze age settlements, NT properties, and interesting cities within a short distance of our target area. We’ve spent a few days at Old Sarum near Salisbury, a weekend at Winchester and its Christmas market, visited Mottisfont and Hinton Ampner, and cartwheeled along the beach from Chewton Bunny to Highcliffe Castle’s Christmas fair. (We didn’t really cartwheel but we would have if our ancient bodies would have been up for it.)

Our househunting is near its end and we hope to be able to announce our new abode shortly. Until it’s all signed I won’t go into details in case it all falls through.