Just a quick note from Paddy, of "English Retreats" who is enjoying summer life at his new lodge home in Chichester

I've been here for a whole month, with my wife, Merrial. We settled in very easily. So nice to have a NEW place for a change. Everything works! Still can't believe the room in these lodges. The living area is massive, 20 feet x 20 feet. Pace that out and you will see what I mean. It has been a great boon to move straight in to somewhere that is fully furnished, with carpets throughout and good quality curtains at every window. Merrial thinks that the fully fitted kitchen is a great asset. There is plenty of storage space in the cupboards and the fridge/freezer is a good size.

This year, we decided to drive to England. We had a car stuffed full of bits and pieces for our new home, plus a few cases of wine. We set off for Santander, with our pet Yorkshire terrier. She stayed in a kennel (with 24 hour access) whilst we were on the ferry and within half an hour of arriving at Portsmouth, we were at our new Lodge. It has been handy to have the car with us and we look forward to a leisurely drive back through France to Spain with a less cluttered car! We have a raised, gated deck around 2 sides of our Lodge. There is plenty of secure space for our little dog to patrol and guard! She has become a firm favourite with all the neighbours, who have been most welcoming. Dogs on leads are welcome at all the Parks.

The first two weeks were taken up with establishing our new home. Although there is a space in the kitchen for installing a washer/dryer, we decided to save that for possible future installation of a dishwasher. We went for a utility unit, sited at the rear of the Lodge. Plumbing and electricity connections were very easy to access and within days, we were using our new facility. We ordered a burglar alarm system from the sales office and that was fitted speedily, too. We bought a wide screen TV for the lounge and the installer was able to effect a rock solid fixing when he attached the support bracket to the wall. I found that hanging a few pictures on the walls was simple. I just screwed in hooks and screws directly. No messy drilling or rawlplugs were needed.

At my computer desk in the lounge I use a T-mobile dongle to access the internet. It costs £15 per month, which is pretty fair. It means that I don't have to start thinking about contracts, annual payments, etc. Just arrive, plug the dongle into the laptop and away you go. When you have exhausted your credit, take your card to a local shop/supermarket checkout and buy more - Really simple. I bought a half moon edging spade from a local car boot sale for £3 and used it where the patio stones meet the lawn. It makes a sharp line and for 5 minutes work every couple of weeks during the growing season, it improves the look of the garden. That's all the gardening that I have had to do. The maintenance fee covers the cutting of the grass, which is done weekly.

After the first couple of weeks, we started exploring the area. Chichester is the most delightful city, with the cathedral right in the centre. Next week, we are attending a concert there, should be wonderfully atmospheric. Merrial loves the local shops. She didn't realise how much she missed them in Spain. We are fortunate to have nearly all of the big chains represented in the area, but there are loads of small independents, plus a great selection of street side cafes in the city centre.

Admittedly, we can't buy wine at Spanish prices, but we can buy a steak meal AND a pint of bitter for just £6 at our local Wetherspoon's pub!

We're living close to our 2 daughters and their families, so we have spent some quality time with them, either on days out at the beach or messing about in the swimming pool at our Park, here at Lakeside. At the weekend, we attended the wedding of a widowed pal down in Cornwall. It was great to see him again. Merrial and I thought that we probably would not have made the effort to attend the wedding if we hadn't bought the Lodge. One of Merrial's old college friends lived close to where we were staying for the wedding and we popped in to stay with her for a couple of days.

We visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the following day, we drove to Penzance and took the ferry to the Isles of Scilly, where we were amazed to find that the same shrubs, Palms and trees that we have in our Spanish garden, were flourishing on the Isle of Tresco. It was great to renew acquaintance with both these friends and now that we have a base in England, we hope to see a lot more of them.

We hope to see more of the area in the next couple of weeks. I forgot to mention that we went racing for the day at Glorious Goodwood and tonight we are going on a boat along the Chichester Canal with a jazz band on board. Merrial might well be enjoying the shops, but I am loving the smashing country pubs with their real ale. Here at Chichester, we are virtually on an island, surrounded by 12  fishing lakes. I've bought an annual fishing licence to fish in West Sussex for £27 from the Post Office and I look forward to drowning a few maggots, soon. There are monster carp to 50lbs. in some of these lakes. Don't know how I would get on with one of those!

Starting this week, quite a few of the people who booked a free inspection trip, will arrive. They are staying at various Parks from Suffolk to Devon and we hope that some of them will come and see us at our home at Lakeside, Chichester.

May I just remind you all about the super deal which is available:

When you have read the brochure from Parkholidaysuk and selected one of the 20+ Parks which interests you, phone Sophie on 0044 (0)1424 751185 to book an inspection visit. This can be for 3 days at a weekend or 4 days during the week and is completely FREE.

When you have confirmed the details of your stay, you will need to sort out and pay for your own travel arrangements. Hopefully, you will enjoy your stay and join the community of owners. If so you will have £500 taken off your purchase price, which should cover your travel expenses.

Also, because you arrange the inspection trip through English Retreats, sole Spanish agents, you will be entitled to a further £500 discount voucher which can be used as a credit against your final invoice. To obtain this voucher, contact Paddy at English Retreats on (0034) 680 395 043

This email has been sent to everybody who attended the presentation meeting at the Asturias Restaurant in Spain and left an email address. It is intended just as a log of our first summer on a Park home. If you would rather not receive any further bulletins, please drop us an email and let us know.

We hope that you, too, are having a great time in Spain and surviving those extreme temperatures

Best Wishes,

Paddy and Merrial

ENGLISH RETREATS

Stop press:

Mrs. G from Murcia has been for an inspection trip. She bought a caravan here at Lakeside, Chichester

Mr. and Mrs. G. from Los Dolses have bought a superb, top of the range lodge, also here at Lakeside. This will be equipped to their specifications and sited in an area near one of the lakes.

Mr. and Mrs. C will visit Beauport Park near St. Leonards-on-sea, next week. This is a terrific park, set within 200 acres of natural woodland.

Mr. and Mrs. S, from La Marina will spend some time having a look around Steeple Bay, Southminster. This park is near their family and it is right on the coast, with its own boat ramp.

Note: When you come on your inspection trip, all you need to bring are some towels. Everything else, including the sheets, is laid on for you. Come and have a good look around. We promise that you will not be subjected to high pressure selling. We consider our parks to be communities and we hope to welcome you as our latest members.