Scoot, scoot!

Yesterday we went and bought second hand scooters from the Hereford Motorcycle Shop. The public transportation system to and from the Farm is not great--there are buses every hour, but taking them is terribly expensive. It's 3 pounds each for return fare, which is really absurd. Assuming that we only took the bus to and from town 5 days per week (and remained secluded on the farm for the whole weekend?!), it's 120 pounds per month! That's like $250! Insane!
So, a 1988 and a 1996 Honda to the rescue--Mike's is blue and mine is red. They'll do, for now. I'll have to get a car for work eventually, but I'm hoping that I can make the first couple of months on 2 wheels to save both cash and planet earth.
We're waiting for our bicycles to be completed--they have a bicycle recycling store near to where our bed and breakfast was. For around 50gbp each, you can pick out a bike and they rebuild and refurb it for you. It's a not-for-profit service that's run by the Council (I'm pretty sure) that's like a sheltered workshop/employment opportunity for people with barriers to employment. Anyway, it's a better option than purchasing all new bikes. The only disadvantage is the wait of approximately a week. I'm totally psyched about getting them, though--there are secondary roads that are beautiful for riding on and that also give you some beautiful views of the valley and beyond. I must upload some pics of the road that we take our scooters on to get into Hereford--it's picturesque.
As for work, Mike's still sending out applications and such. I have a meeting with the Council this Friday that will hopefully get me a start date some time soon.
We were talking about our situation last night, and came to the conclusion that while it isn't ideal, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. I guess it's all about perspective--for some people, waiting a few weeks to start work would be absolutely devastating. For us, it's uncomfortable and an inconvenience. So, in my head I keep telling myself to quit bitching and get on with it. This time has given us a chance to get to know the town reasonably well, and has given us a chance to chill with each other, which is a luxury not often afforded! To be honest, it's also given me a chance to do some serious catch up on my fiction reading. Basically, in conclusion--I need to get ahold of myself, take a look around, and remember to be grateful for what we DO have versus what's not in a neat and tiny package! So, I will keep telling that to myself and my crap attitude.
As another plus, Erika and Lester are coming over from Dublin this weekend. So, we get to spend 3 days with them, which is totally awesome as we haven't seen Erika since the end of August and Lester since November(?).
I hope that everyone is well and that things are good. We do have a mailing address now, for those that are interested:
Middle Flat
Upper Lyde Farm, Upper Lyde
Herefordshire
ENGLAND
HR4 8AE
Love and hugs and kisses!
(From a considerably humbled Meredith)