Doing jobs and missing sleep ....

Friday 27^th Sept

I like to think of Friday as my day off. A difficult concept to grasp perhaps, for someone who doesn’t actually have a job. But given the regular things I do every week, Friday is the one day I’ve got nothing regular on. So how did today get to be so busy?

I don’t know if it was the autumn sunshine but I felt like I should get on with things. So it was I painted the bathroom ceiling, for starters. Followed by window cleaning, a visit to the butchers and various other little jobs. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I enjoyed them, but I did feel a sense of satisfaction at getting them out of the way. The one problem it did throw up was the realisation of all the other jobs, which need doing around the house.

Looking out of the back windows I know the time has come to tidy up the garden for the winter. That means cutting back bushes, trees and hedges, and then weeding, plus grass cutting. I think that can wait until tomorrow, when I can get Mrs P to join in. Of course it will also necessitate a trip to the council tip, which I certainly don’t want to do at the weekend. Unless I have a desire to spend at least half-an-hour queuing; which I don’t.

The eldest drives herself to work for the first time this evening, comes home and changes, and then drives to a party. So it is that Mrs P and I are lying awake in bed at midnight, waiting for her to come in. I know this is the fate of many parents of teenagers today, but just because you’ve got something in common with lots of other people it doesn’t mean you have to like it. She comes in not long after midnight, happy and cheerful, and we get a chance for some sleep. I fear this is only the start.

Yours needing a nap.

Jay

Mucky mirrors and the spectre of Fifa 14 ...

A beautiful day means a pleasant walk to and from the library for me. In summary of my morning in the library, it was “all quiet on the IT front”, but at least it meant I had a chance to do the weekend’s crossword. The folk’s house still looks like a bomb has hit it, as the new kitchen construction continues, but at least the electrician has identified and rectified what caused Tuesday’s electricity failure.

I spend the afternoon cleaning, ironing and vacuuming. As a house husband of some standing this is becoming a little like second nature to me. The biggest challenges I have, are the built-in mirrored wardrobes we all have in our bedrooms. To be honest it’s the girls that cause the problem. Creams and spray marks, added to seemingly hundreds of finger prints mean I spend a disproportionate amount of time polishing mirrors. How is it the youngest has no marks on his, but the eldest and Mrs P make a right mess of theirs?  

The youngest as usual spends time on the computer and his Xbox this evening. In fact he runs both at the same time. It must be some sort of teenage multi-tasking. He logs off early this evening but I fear this may be the calm before the storm. Fifa 14 is launched tomorrow, and he has pre-ordered his copy, along with his mates. This means we may see little of him for the next week or two. Depending on levels of homework, which always takes priority, we may need to ration his time online, which I can see, being very unpopular.

Yours keeping it clean.

Jay

Wednesday 25th Sept

I wake up and yesterdays’ insect bite is still irritating me. I have an enormous desire to scratch it, but I know that way lays possible infection. I get zero support from the family at breakfast who just tell me to “man-up”. I would but it is irritating, and I so want to scratch it. I spend most of the day in my “It ain’t half hot mum“ shorts again, not a picture of sartorial elegance.

After the days ironing, which I must say I think I’m actually getting quicker at, and as there have been less complaints recently, I might even be getting better at too, it’s time for tea. Mrs P made chilli last night and so I only have to boil some rice, and heat up the chilli, nice and easy. I’ve taken to mixing my chilli with dollops of sour cream and crushing in tortilla chips, delicious. So nice in fact, that I go for a second bowl, and there’s the problem. I’ve overeaten. What should be a pleasure becomes a pain, in this case a stomach pain. Echoes of Christmas Dinner syndrome. On the bright side, it takes my mind off my insect bite.

Mrs P and the youngest go out to watch a football match, and the eldest goes to visit her friend in hospital, leaving me in on my own for part of the evening. This is definitely not normal. I’m used to being on my own during the day, but not in the evening. No reason they should be any different, maybe it’s just the dark outside, but it doesn’t feel right. Not helped by the fact we have 100 television channels, and nothing worth watching on any of them.

Yours philosophical as ever.

Jay

Tuesday 24th Sept

I manage to get out of the door on time this morning, having got everyone’s breakfast on the table and cleaned up afterwards. The teenagers are off to school and Mrs P has gone to work. My walk to and from the library is very enjoyable, though I’m wondering how long I’ll be able to continue before I’ll need to wear a coat. On the way back I stop by the folk’s house, where the new kitchen installation is in full swing. The builders managed to damage a water pipe and cut off all water to upstairs for a few days, on top of which most of the wiring needs changing out. So the job is beginning to assume a life of its own, which the folks are not particularly happy about.

I’ve been bitten. At least that’s what it looks like. Having got through the summer unscathed, some parasite has now sucked into the back of my knee, and half my leg hurts. Throbbing, aching, rubbing. Once home I dig out an old pair of shorts to wear, so as not to inflame the bite. I look like something out of “It ain’t half hot mum.”

In the evening we all go round to the outlaws to say our farewells to Mrs P’s auntie, how is heading home to the USA tomorrow. Whilst there the old fella calls me to say they’ve lost all electricity in the house, and could I come and take a look? Talk about the blind, leading the blind. So I drop the family at home and go round. They have had a new fuse box fitted today and something must have shorted, or broken. After flicking various levers up and down in the dark, I manage to restore most of the power to the house. A victory, and one for which they are both grateful. I even surprised myself.

Yours thinking of charging for call-outs.

Jay

Monday 23rd Sept

It’s Monday morning and so Mrs P and I are pushing a supermarket trolley around the shop. Well I’m pushing as Mrs P selects what we need, and I try to resist impulse purchases. We’re in a bit later this morning, and so it’s a bit busier, but on the plus side the bakery has some cakes out to taste, and so my elevenses consist of free mini chocolate donuts today. Yummy.

I help Mrs P with her cleaning, following her obediently around the house with the vacuum. I think maybe I’m getting inured to housework; can’t say I enjoy it but I get on with it. Mrs P appreciates the help, and we are finished in time to go for a walk before the kids get home. We walk up the road and through the woods. The local woods are a dog walker’s paradise, and we find ourselves shifting quickly as Labradors and assorted other breeds rush past us chasing balls. At the far end we can look down on a building project we’ve been following. There is a house that has been gutted and is being rebuilt, but two rather interesting outbuildings, possible work studios have been built, and what looks like a sauna in the front garden. We are not being nosy neighbours, just curious.

The kids arrive home looking tired after a day at school. I think it might be not getting enough sleep at the weekend is the problem, but they are of an age now where I can’t switch off their bedroom lights unfortunately. We are though slowly pulling back on the youngest’s use of the Xbox, so hopefully that might help.

Yours enjoying the unseasonably mild weather.

Jay

Friday 20th Sept

I start the day by cleaning the bathroom; well I figure it can only get better from here on. Having then done all the bits and pieces around the house I’ve been avoiding, I get to the thing that I’ve really been avoiding. Well for the past 5 months at least. My tax return. Yes, and to be honest I don’t know why HMRC want one from a house husband either. It’s not as though I work for a living. Rightly or wrongly I always feel slightly nervous at this time, even though it’s always above board. You just never know with the tax man. As it happens I get halfway through completing it online, and then I realise Mrs P has some information I require. So I save what I’ve done and put it aside until next week.

I open the cupboard for a snack and am astounded at the variety of cakes and biscuits we have in. 4 types of biscuits, 5 types of chocolate biscuits, two cakes and some muffins. It’s not as if we have people around. They are all for us. I must have a word with Mrs P, as I can see a way to cut the shopping budget. Though I expect she’ll just answer back that they were all on offer. It may well be an argument I can’t win, but I’ll give it a go.

In the evening we are invited into the neighbours for dinner. The food and company are as ever excellent. The only downside is that we are taking the eldest to look at Warwick University tomorrow, and so I cannot imbibe in the red wine. Well a couple of small glasses with dinner, and Mrs P ensures that is all I have. Oh and I lost the biscuit/cake argument as well.

Yours still sober.

Jay

Thursday 19th Sept

Well the BBC misled me about the weather again this morning. Forecast for fine weather, so I don’t take a coat as I walk to the library, and what do you know? Here comes the rain and I’m wet. Still as I do like walking in the rain, it’s quite a pleasant walk. The library is busy enough this morning but I manage to finish reading most of the weekend’s papers. I have not yet succumbed to the modern onslaught of getting your news online. Call me old fashioned but I like a physical newspaper. I also think it exposes me to more and varied information. If I looked at online newspapers, I might only click on the main news headlines and sport sections, so missing a lot of the stuff I read by turning pages in the traditional newspaper.

I stop by the folks house for a cuppa, and they are emptying the kitchen, because they are having a new one fitted starting tomorrow. This is causing small amounts of stress, but as I remind them in less than a week it’ll be done, and in the scheme of things it’s not that long.

I spend the afternoon cleaning, vacuuming and then ironing in front of the baseball on TV. I’m starting to worry what I’ll watch with my ironing when the season finishes next month.

In the evening I go to the season ending meeting of the local umpires association. Like all of these types of meetings, it’s the same people bringing up the same issues, and rehashing the same ground again and again. Scoring pedantic points, off each other. So boring at times. I think I’ll give the monthly meetings a miss through the winter. If people want to attract new members to clubs and associations, they sometimes need to look at the old members first.

Yours looking towards a change in the weather.

Jay

Wednesday 18th Sept

The rain stops before I set off on the paper round, and so I enjoy a pleasant walk. I do stop to chat to one lady who tells me she is recovering from five broken ribs, sustained on holiday. She was away with her family, and whilst going downstairs early one morning, trying to be quiet, so as not to wake people, she fell. Why is it you try to do something nice, to show some thought for other people, and it backfires?

After a very nice plate of pasta for lunch, I decide I really should make some effort to start to tidy the garden. It’s been a good few months since I did any weeding, so I start with that. After filling four bucket loads with weeds I’ve pulled out by hand, I think to myself that I’ve probably left this a bit long. I think some pruning is going to be required before I put the gardening to bed for the winter, but that will have to wait for a couple of weeks.

After some ironing, and making what is fast becoming my trademark risotto for tea – it’s actually the only thing I really make, the rest is just heating up - Mrs P the eldest and I take an evening stroll. The youngest being on his xbox again doesn’t join us. I spend the rest of the evening streaming football on the computer. This involves a lot of clicking off adverts, and trying to find a picture you can see properly, that doesn’t keep freezing. I eventually find something acceptable, and my team win (just), so a double-whammy for me.

Yours lacking green fingers.

Jay

Tuesday 17th Sept

In a handy quirk of timing, just as the internet access fails at the library this morning, I have to pop next doors to get my blood taking at the doctors’ surgery. As I’m sat with my arm outstretched, awaiting the “you may feel a sharp scratch” comment, I’m discussing how much easier it is these days. They just pop the needle in and pop on a vacuum pod, and out the blood goes. Gone are the days of the phlebotomist pulling on a giant syringe, to drag the blood out of you. Progress there then, although the nurses weren’t convinced that having everything online today helped them. They seemed of the view it just created more work for them. Phlebotomy science 1 IT Technology 0.

I get a very welcome call in the afternoon from the supermarket I queried a penalty notice parking charge with yesterday (see 16^th Sept). The good news is the £40 charge has been waived. Sighs of relief in the Perry household; I just hope the eldest learns a lesson from this episode.

For the first time in a few months the weather beats my attempts to get the washing dry, and so I have to use the tumble dryer, before I can get on with the ironing. More signs that autumn is here, and when you twin it with the likelihood we will have to put the heating on sooner rather than later, the bills are going to be going up.

I spend the evening at a school Governors meeting. Mr Gove’s changes may or may not be for the best in the long run, but the onset of so many changes at once, the not least of which are the changes in funding, can make it seem difficult to plan long term. As we will be having a General Election in the next 18 months who knows what else will be introduced, to encourage voters. Being a school Governor is a worthwhile and rewarding role, but I wish we could spend less time on processes and reports to government, and more time focusing on the kids and their education.

Yours enjoying the good things.

Jay

Monday 16th Sept

After pushing a trolley around the supermarket for Mrs P, I’m off running errands this morning. The big one is a visit to another local supermarket that offers a Park and ride service to the local hospital. The eldest parked there recently, but the Park and Ride wasn’t working, and so she walked up to the hospital to visit her friend. It’s fair to stay she stayed for a while, and she eventually left the car park over eight hours later. There is unfortunately a three hour parking limit. The penalty notice duly arrive in the post last week. £40 if you pay within 14 days. So it was on bended knee I approached the desk to argue our case. The staff were very understanding, and did point out if you registered your number with them you could get extended parking. Nice to know, but a bit late in this case. The car parking is outsourced and so they agreed to email and plead on our behalf to have the fine waived. Here’s hoping. The reality is whilst the eldest has learnt to drive; where to park the car and for how long, is not something you get taught. These things you learn with experience, and this could be an expensive first lesson.

In the evening I go out to play football in the wind and the rain. Twenty blokes nearing middle-age, who would rather be out in the elements, than slouched on the sofa. When I return, slightly drenched, Mrs P has succumbed to the autumn and put on the heating. It is nice and warm inside, but does it truly signal the end of summer?

I recently downloaded a library book onto Mrs P’s Nexus tablet, and tonight I start to read it in bed. It’s easy to use, doesn’t strain my eyes, and after one and a half pages I’m sound asleep. A good result could be just what I need.

Yours wrapping up warm.

Jay

Friday 13th Sept

Another day, another road trip. Nottingham today and I’m chauffeuring the eldest and a friend of hers. We are making good time until we get within 5 miles and the traffic grinds to a halt. This as it turns out is a portent of things to come later in the day. For now though the sat-nav finds me an alternative route and we arrive in plenty of time.

After sitting through a subject overview with the eldest, I leave the girls to look around and go for a wander. The sun is out and it makes the campus look inviting. England at its best. I end up back at the car with a coffee, reading my book in the sun, a pleasant way to pass an hour. I am however frequently interrupted by the exasperated shouts of people who can’t remember where they parked, and are walking up and down row after row, trying to find their cars. How difficult is it to remember where you parked the car? I mean if your kid wants to go to University you’d hope they could help, but no; the teenagers’ legendary sense of direction is in evidence.

On the way home the Friday(13^th) afternoon traffic strikes. First of all on every dual carriage way it appears one lorry doing 60mph is trying to overtake one doing 59mph, causing typical tailbacks. There is then a large slow moving vehicle blocking the road. This is followed by queues to get on the M6, and so I decide to turn around and go up to the next junction, meaning I run into school traffic, and more jams. At the next M6 junction there are more queues to get on the motorway, and so I decide to go cross-country. This leads to interminable delays, one after another, as lots of other people seem to have had the same idea. It reminds me why I’m glad not to have to drive for a living. I used to do a lot of miles around the country, and it’s something I really don’t miss. We eventually get home safe and sound, which is the important thing. A two hour journey having taken three and a half.

Yours admiring the countryside from a stationary car in a long queue.

Jay

Thursday 12th Sept

A pleasant walk to the library this morning, although I have no idea how I manage to be late. After Mrs P and the kids go out, I somehow manage to fail to get myself out on time. It’s a mystery.

I pop out at my tea break to pick up the belts I left at the Cobblers (see Tuesday 10^th), and they’re ready. I’m pleased with the job, and it’s at the agreed price. A good service experience, hurrah. On the way home I stop at the chemists to collect a prescription I dropped in on Tuesday. It takes a while for them to find it; I’m then asked if I can wait a minute to have a word with the pharmacist. I agree but have to wait some time longer than the promised minute. During this time I notice one of the items is not as requested but a different version. When eventually the chemist appears for a pointless talk, I point this out. She apologises but I am once again disappointed by poor customer service. I wouldn’t mind quite so much, if I wasn’t trying them only because my local chemist has been so poor for service this last three months. Is there a decent chemist around here I wonder?

I get the cleaning and ironing done in the afternoon, and then get the tea made. Proper house husbandry. I sit thinking it’s nice we can all sit down for meals together. I look around the table and think how lucky I am, with the things that really matter in life. Rubbish customer service is just an annoyance, and at the end of the day you always have alternatives.

Yours in touch with reality.

Jay

 

 

Wednesday 11th Sept

I turn the TV on early this morning, not something I usually do in the mornings, but I want to check the weather today. Its paper round day and rain is in the air. As a rule I put little faith in weather forecasts, as in my experience more often than not they are wrong. This morning the BBC says the rain will stay off until late morning, so why is it spitting outside at 8am this morning? However it’s not cold and so off I go, and yes it does rain on me, but not heavily. In fact the rain forecast to come in late morning does not arrive until late afternoon. Who’d have guessed, another not 100% correct forecast?

Whilst I’m out I pick up a couple of things we’d ordered, one over the phone and one online. Both are ready, both are easily accessible, and both are good customer experiences for me. There may yet be hope for the British retailer.

The eldest is off to the cinema after tea and takes Mrs P’s car. The film starts at 6pm, and she picks up her friend at 5:50pm, the cinema is 10 minutes away. The film is finished by 8:30pm, so why does it take her until 10pm to get home? On a weekday school night as well. I know she’s almost an adult, but it’s dark, it’s raining, and she forgets to text to let us know she got there ok. What are Mrs P and me to do but worry. We are parents after all. As usual she comes through the door with not a care in the world, having had a good time. Oh to be young again.

Yours considering turning on the heating.

Jay

Tuesday 10th Sept

I have a couple of belts that need shortening, and a watch back that needs putting back on. To put you in the picture the eldest brought the belts back from Morocco for Mrs P and I, and they appear to be one-size-fits-all, at least if you are a lot bigger than we are. So they need the ends taking off, shaping and a few extra holes putting in. The watch back I removed myself to replace the battery, and because it’s water resistant and the fit is tight I can’t get it back on. So it is I take them to the local cobbler/key cutter/leather worker/engraver. A young lad puts my watch back on in about 5 seconds, at no cost, and the belts will be ready on Thursday at a cost of about £5. Great value and great service, if it works.

I spend the afternoon pulling out kitchen appliances to clean behind them and doing ironing, under instructions from Mrs P. Whilst ironing I flick through the On-Demand TV service, and find the Borgia’s series 1 and 2 to watch. I think my daytime TV watching is sorted for the rest of the month.

In the evening I go out driving with the eldest. In an attempt to improve her sense of direction in the local area, I ask her to take me to one of her friends houses, and leave her to it. Then to some other locations she knows. We arrive in a roundabout way at each destination, so hopefully it helped her. In fact I learnt a new route to one place, more luck than judgement, but where there’s a will there’s a way.

Yours being chauffeured the long way round.

Jay

Monday 9th Sept

I decide to tackle the family email account today. The inbox has been slowly filling up and now numbers near to 500 messages. Given that I delete a fair amount as I go, I feel that a bit of housecleaning won’t go amiss. So it is I spend the majority of the morning creating folders, moving messages and deleting the ones Mrs P now doesn’t need. A fairly therapeutic exercise I have to say. Now can I turn my attention to the other five email accounts I have!

Mrs P and I go to the supermarket after lunch. Our usual time being 9am Monday morning, when it is usually quiet, we are somewhat surprised how at busy it is. Most people in there seem to be of retirement age and so are probably stocking up after their weekends frivolities. For the second week running there are not enough tills open, and when the call goes out for trained cashiers, the rush of employees is distinctly underwhelming. In fact it is non-existent. I feel like I can officially announce the death of customer service in our supermarket.

We are currently seeing if we can make it to October without putting the heating on, like many other households I suspect. So it is we are digging out extra jumpers and wrapping up warm. In an effort to warm up further, I take myself out to play football in the evening, which I expect will be the only sweating I do this week. I continue to be amazed how blokes of 40 years plus, can get so annoyed over a friendly game of football, I think some of them have forgotten you’re there to enjoy yourself.

Yours already missing the warmth of summer.

Jay

Friday 6th Sept

I must really be getting back into the house husband role now, because I quite happily get stuck into the cleaning this morning. That is with one eye on the weather, because I’ve got washing out. How domesticated do I sound? Mrs P would probably say not at all, as I left a load of washing in the machine all day on Wednesday, oops. The rains on, no it’s off, it’s spitting, now it’s off again. About lunchtime I finally give up and put it in the tumble dryer.

I spend the afternoon considering a business opportunity and looking things up online. I suspect there is only so long I can get away with this behaviour, before Mrs P will expect me to actually do something. When the youngest gets home we watch some sport (NFL American Football), we taped last night, which missed the last hour of the game! Why can’t the entertainment systems have the intelligence to know when a programme is running over and tape it all? Maybe that’s a new business idea for me. Though I expect there must be some equipment out there that already does that. If there isn’t, maybe it’s just too difficult to do. Or maybe the Perry family are just living in the past, technologically speaking at least.

Yours still looking for the next big thing.

Jay

Thursday 5th Sept

As the teenagers went back to school yesterday; so I went back to volunteering IT support at the library yesterday, after taking some time away, while the kids were on their school holidays. A number of the regular faces were in, but interestingly some weren’t. In fact one guy in particular I’ve not seen for about 3 months, and I do wonder if all is well with him. It’s strange how you sometimes build relationships in life, where you least expect them.

A pit-stop at the folks for a cup of tea on the way home, leads to instructions on watering plants next week. They are off to Greece for a week in the sun; nice work if you can get it, and possibly something to look forward to, when Mrs P and I get to a certain age. Though, maybe the world will have changed by then.  

The afternoon brings gardening, cooking and giving the ironing a body swerve. Then the eldest comes home to tell me, her and 14 friends are trying to find a convenient week to all go on holiday together next summer, and when were we planning to go away. Help! Holidays are not a conversation we usually have for another five or six months in this house. I’ve gone from dreaming of being able to go to Greece at a moment’s notice, to being expected to commit to a family holiday, time and destination in eleven months time. It’s not happening, the eldest will just have to wait. After all we are the parents, she is the child. Well for another 4 months anyway, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Yours not in the holiday spirit.

Jay

Wednesday 4th Sept

And the teenagers are back at school. The house husband is back in residence, and the sun is still shining. After waving off Mrs P and the teenagers, the house is suddenly quiet. After six weeks of having other people around, I do miss the company.

However, it’s Wednesday and so there are papers to deliver. It’s a sunny day and so a t-shirt and shorts are the order of the day. How long that will last I don’t know. I meet a chap I know and we pass 10 minutes chatting amiably. The rest of the time I listen to the radio. I walk around with ear plugs in resembling some kind of yoof, and increasing my chances of being run over as you can’t always hear the traffic. That’s the thing I wonder about with electric cars. If you can’t hear them coming, people are going to step out into the road without looking, thinking nothings coming, and bang! It’s odd what the mind wanders to when you have the time.

Mrs P and the eldest are out to see Cabaret at the theatre this evening, and so the youngest and I get the chance to watch some baseball. There is a danger of it becoming addictive, although the American obsession with statistics in sport is not something I like, and frankly something of a turn-off. It gets away from that Corinthian ideal, but then again I suppose that’s professional sport for you.

Yours looking back fondly.

Jay

Tuesday 3rd Sept

So low-cost airlines, an interesting modern phenomenon. Good when they work well, fraught with pitfalls when they don’t. I booked the family to fly with Easyjet from Liverpool John Lennon airport to Amsterdam for c£250, which we thought was really good value for four people. Though we did book in January, for August departures, to get that price.

Now the first challenge once you’ve actually decided which flights you want, as they are all invariably priced differently, is to decide what you don’t want. All the extra price options. Choose your seating, insurance, meals, car parking, priority boarding, luggage in the hold, the list goes on.

Having said no to every additional extra, you then get to print your boarding card. As we had booked early we couldn’t get them until nearer the flight, but were reminded by email nearer the time to do this, and when we did we had four seats together. So why pay for priority seating, given our flight was only one hour? To be fair to Easyjet their booking system is more user friendly than Ryanair’s, in my experience.

We took only hand luggage and it was plenty. Once again not keen to pay £25 per case. It makes me wonder why we take so much when we go on a package holiday. “You’ve got the allowance, so use it” mentality. The plane was smart, the staff were friendly, and apart from the inevitable delays each way, we’d certainly do it again.

If you avoid the additional extras and the plane goes where you want to go, low-cost airlines certainly work; as long as you make sure they are low-cost for you.

Yours sitting at the back.

Jay

Monday 2nd Sept

Well the Perry family enjoyed a family break in Amsterdam last week. The sun shone, the canal waters glistened, the coffee flowed and the food was good. I have to say the Amsterdammers are a very friendly and welcoming bunch, and the way that cyclists appear to have right of way, makes for a very pleasant traffic experience. The Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam’s major museum), has just re-opened after ten years being redesigned. It would have been opened sooner, but the cycling lobby objected to the closing of a cycle path, and so the redesigned building now has a cycle path running through the middle of it. At a cost of many millions, and well over a year’s delay. Can you imagine such a thing in Britain? No. Me neither.

Everything abroad is not better than at home, but there are lessons to be learned. The Perry family would definitely recommend Amsterdam for a break. It also gives you the opportunity for travel on a low-cost airline, of which more tomorrow.

Yours with a travel broadened mind.

Jay