The big move

I've spent most of the last few weeks packing, chucking stuff out, selling things and giving things away. It all seems like a dream now however because I'm finally in Wales and did my first day today at the Centre for Alternative Technology, or CAT as it's known by locals.

It might sound silly but I do really feel like I'm in Wales. It's not just the roadsigns because you just don't really notice them after a while. It could just be because it's rained almost constantly since I crossed the border. I'm living in a house that is halfway up a hillside, on farmland about 4 miles out of Machynlleth. It's beautiful and windy and surrounded by fields. My landlady and her daughter both speak Welsh and have already taught me a few things. I don't think I'm going to have the time to try and learn much Welsh while I'm here, I do love the sound of it though.

My first day was pretty good. I learned how to operate the funicular railway, changed a strip light, and stoked a boiler. Expect more of this kind of talk in the future! :)

I won't go into it now because I'm not really over the trauma but I've had some really bad problems with Sidney over the last few weeks, which culminated in a distressed RAC call at 3pm on Friday (as in, the day before I was supposed to be driving from one side of the country to the other in it). He was a very very very nice man and managed to fix the car with impressive speed - I'm guessing he gets paid per job completed. One thing I learned from the experience is that having a crap car is a great way to meet men. Not only men, but manly, chivalrous men, that like to help a lady in distress. Just before the RAC call, Sidney stalled on the Coldham's Lane roundabout, on the inside lane, and I was pushed to safety by two lovely and pretty foxy men who were only too happy to help me. Then whilst trying to work out the problem (turned out the petrol gauge was wrong, and I had no petrol. I filled him up and drove off whooping and cheering but then slowed to a halt again, which was when I called the RAC. I managed to not burst into tears this time though) and was helped by one of the foxiest men I have ever seen who had apparently had a mini a few years before. The RAC man wasn't bad either.