Friday, 23 January 2009

Sorry to have put you through those last couple of posts.  If they were half as painful to read as they were to live out, I'm sure you're feeling bruised and battered even still.

In which case, let me anoint you with Ecinacia (good for bruises for those unfamiliar with hippie help serums).

So I wrote the last post from the bar that Sunny stopped outside.  I say 'stopped' because I no longer look at it like Sunny conked out there. I now see that it was just a way of communicating intent. Sunny wanted me to know that by getting involved in this relationship, I've opened myself up to unforeseen adventures.

Spotted Cow - the fire


Spotted Cow - the next morning



So after my pub grub and a few pints of ale I was feeling slightly rejuvenated in one sense, but utterly spent in another.  I was desperate to get my head down and sleep.  I looked at my watch and it was only 8pm.  I simply couldn't sit in the bar any longer, at least not without falling asleep at the table, when they undoubtedly would have kicked me out thinking I was pissed.  I decided to go out for a walk and see how cold it was, being that I had no blankets and not very thick clothes on.  I was told there was a Manor house just around the corner, so I set off towards it with the idea that if it was too cold outside I'd try to get a room there for the night, and if it wasn't too freezing then I'd head back to the Spotted Cow and swiftly drink a couple of ales and a whiskey then conk out in old Sunny.

I set off walking, and the ales did the trick in that I didn't really notice the cold at first.  I was no more than 200 yards down the road when it became apparent that it was going to be a truly Baltic night by anyone's standards.  I started having visions of sleeping in the van, getting over fine but then waking with a start, covered in frozen buggers at 5am with nothing to do but roam the streets for 4 hours until the garage opened.... not ideal after the couple of days I'd just had.  Just as that horrendous vision was beginning to settle into my psyche as the most likely outcome, I stumbled on the Manor.  If the red light of the battery dying was like the Eye of Sauron, then this beautifully lit Manor lodge was like that blinding scene where Gandalf the Grey returns as Gandalf the White... hope, when you least expect it.

I haggled the receptionist down as much as possible but I actually would have paid anything at this stage had she not budged. Thankfully she was very gracious and give me a good price and a good room, seeing how near to beaten I was.

The room was perfect.  It had a bath deep enough to drown in standing up.  The first thing I did was run a piping hot bath, complete with bubbles and drifting into a blissful oblivion.  I stayed there until my body resembled an anaemic raisin, the I folded myself up amongst the feather pillows, under a heavy duvet and had thee single most wonderful sleep!!

The Bath



The next morning I woke up to a much higher class of Full English that made me so happy I thought I might shed a tear.

The Full English



I made short work of it, then went back up for another bath.  I wanted to make the most of my time there, ya know.

The Empty English


So here it is.  Sunny is about to be reborn via MOT...it's running smoothly, the work is straight forward, the price is good...

 the mother's a bit sore but very happy!