Monday, February 19, 2007
Where I've Been, What I've Done, etc. etc. etc.
As you know, it's a long tome since I've been on here, that's because a lot of things have happened and work got busier. It's still busy and creative blogging has taken a back seat, not that I was particularly creative in the first place. But Hey ho, that's another story, or something. Anyway, what's been happening in the Coffdrop household, well it seems like a lot at times, but then it doesn't, the major events are as follows:
Just before my last post we booked a holiday in Kalkan, Turkey with a company called Tapestry Holidays, we got the holiday at an absolute bargain price; because we paid everything up front we got a discount of 45% and were delighted with our luck, it was something to look forward too after the next big event that took place in mid August, and this was the big one, it was the Wedding of my step-son.
In the run up to the wedding the weather had been awful and we were expecting a day of dampness, but when the big day hit, the weather was fine and it went off with a bang. The afternoon reception and the evening bash were both held in the same hotel so one merged into the other. Both events were great as they should have been for the money that was splashed out on them. I think we and the Brides parents were the last to go to bed at around 3am on the Sunday morning. I think everyone enjoyed the do and everyone behaved, though there were a fair few ill looking faces the next morning, mine wasn't one of them surprisingly. Looking back it was one of the best days of our lives a complete success. The honeymooners departed on a two week holiday in Cyprus in a 5* hotel, courtesy of our deep pockets.
Three days after the wedding we got a call from the people who recommended Tapestry holidays to us, informing us that Tapestry had gone bust and our holiday had gone down the pan. Thankfully the were ATOL backed so enquiries confirmed that we'd get our money back, but we were informed it might take a long time. So I quickly filled in a claim form and got it off in the post in the hope that the money would be returned a little bit quicker. As it turned out it took two months for the money to be refunded and it came just before a hastily rearranged one week holiday in Makrigialos, Crete. That turned out to be a great holiday, in a quiet village with not many Brit's around. The weather was a bit up and down, but it was late in the season, October, and was to be expected.
We came back from holiday and learned some quicker than expected news, we were going to be Grandparents, am I really that old? To be honest it was only early days, something like 6 weeks after conception, so whilst exciting experience has taught us that this should be tempered with caution.
As November dawned, the company we booked our Crete Holiday with, sent us their Turkish brochures and they had take over the Tapestry hotel that we had booked and failed to get to. So we booked for Kalkan in September this year, but in a different hotel. We were the first to book and got the choice of dates and rooms, We got the Penthouse suite with private roof terrace of a hotel with it's own cliffside position and rock bathing platforms. Set away from the main town, it looks brilliant.
December came and our daughter-in-law had her first scans, the future grandchild, turned out to be two, she's having twins. It wasn't as big a surprise as you would imagine as Mrs C is a twin and my daughter-in-law is a twin. Had my step-son actually been mine it could have been worse as my mother is a twin too. I don't think they know just how much their life is going to change. Second scans earlier this month show that all the organs are developing properly and the two twenty week old foetuses are each the same size as a normal foetus at that age. They have some slowing down to do, or we'll be in for troublesome births. :-)
Finally: we got a letter from the travel agent last week, due to the owner of the hotel booking a week for regular guests and not telling anyone, the second week of our holiday this year has been double booked and the hotel owner will not back down. I think we're are fated on this one. The upshot of this is that the owner of the hotel will put us up in his other hotel for the second week, which happens to be the one we were booked into last year, he's giving us a deluxe suite with jacuzzi and a free treatment each in the spa at no extra cost to us. I've also stipulated a few more conditions, like they pay for the transfers, I will not be moved until a room is ready. We know people who have stayed in both hotels and they say we're getting a good deal. Oh, I've got the agreements in writing too, so providing nothing else happens I'm pretty happy about the whole thing.
Now if I could just find a way of reducing the amount of work I have to do at the office..........
Just before my last post we booked a holiday in Kalkan, Turkey with a company called Tapestry Holidays, we got the holiday at an absolute bargain price; because we paid everything up front we got a discount of 45% and were delighted with our luck, it was something to look forward too after the next big event that took place in mid August, and this was the big one, it was the Wedding of my step-son.
In the run up to the wedding the weather had been awful and we were expecting a day of dampness, but when the big day hit, the weather was fine and it went off with a bang. The afternoon reception and the evening bash were both held in the same hotel so one merged into the other. Both events were great as they should have been for the money that was splashed out on them. I think we and the Brides parents were the last to go to bed at around 3am on the Sunday morning. I think everyone enjoyed the do and everyone behaved, though there were a fair few ill looking faces the next morning, mine wasn't one of them surprisingly. Looking back it was one of the best days of our lives a complete success. The honeymooners departed on a two week holiday in Cyprus in a 5* hotel, courtesy of our deep pockets.
Three days after the wedding we got a call from the people who recommended Tapestry holidays to us, informing us that Tapestry had gone bust and our holiday had gone down the pan. Thankfully the were ATOL backed so enquiries confirmed that we'd get our money back, but we were informed it might take a long time. So I quickly filled in a claim form and got it off in the post in the hope that the money would be returned a little bit quicker. As it turned out it took two months for the money to be refunded and it came just before a hastily rearranged one week holiday in Makrigialos, Crete. That turned out to be a great holiday, in a quiet village with not many Brit's around. The weather was a bit up and down, but it was late in the season, October, and was to be expected.
We came back from holiday and learned some quicker than expected news, we were going to be Grandparents, am I really that old? To be honest it was only early days, something like 6 weeks after conception, so whilst exciting experience has taught us that this should be tempered with caution.
As November dawned, the company we booked our Crete Holiday with, sent us their Turkish brochures and they had take over the Tapestry hotel that we had booked and failed to get to. So we booked for Kalkan in September this year, but in a different hotel. We were the first to book and got the choice of dates and rooms, We got the Penthouse suite with private roof terrace of a hotel with it's own cliffside position and rock bathing platforms. Set away from the main town, it looks brilliant.
December came and our daughter-in-law had her first scans, the future grandchild, turned out to be two, she's having twins. It wasn't as big a surprise as you would imagine as Mrs C is a twin and my daughter-in-law is a twin. Had my step-son actually been mine it could have been worse as my mother is a twin too. I don't think they know just how much their life is going to change. Second scans earlier this month show that all the organs are developing properly and the two twenty week old foetuses are each the same size as a normal foetus at that age. They have some slowing down to do, or we'll be in for troublesome births. :-)
Finally: we got a letter from the travel agent last week, due to the owner of the hotel booking a week for regular guests and not telling anyone, the second week of our holiday this year has been double booked and the hotel owner will not back down. I think we're are fated on this one. The upshot of this is that the owner of the hotel will put us up in his other hotel for the second week, which happens to be the one we were booked into last year, he's giving us a deluxe suite with jacuzzi and a free treatment each in the spa at no extra cost to us. I've also stipulated a few more conditions, like they pay for the transfers, I will not be moved until a room is ready. We know people who have stayed in both hotels and they say we're getting a good deal. Oh, I've got the agreements in writing too, so providing nothing else happens I'm pretty happy about the whole thing.
Now if I could just find a way of reducing the amount of work I have to do at the office..........
