I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. I got up, finished packing my bags and after breakfast went to the pharmacy to get the clot busting medication I failed to collect last night. Fortunately I didn't feel as bad as I thought I might, and dozed in my armchair until Ann arrived to hand over the keys and maps to take us to their Croft Court holiday apartment in Tenby where we'll be spending the next two weeks. She drove us to the station for the 12.51 train. We took the lift from the car park down to the station entrance, only to learn that the train departs from Platform Zero, right next to the car park, so we had to get back in the lift and make our way through a tide of passengers leaving the train we were about to board. The train itself is one of a new fleet of Swiss Stadler FLIRT 756 tri-mode electric metro trains, being introduced to the South Wales rail network by Transport for Wales.
These trains are equipped to run on lines not yet electrified, using battery or diesel power and look smart in bright red and pale grey livery. The rolling stock interior gives them a European feel to them with bright video screens displaying journey info, with slightly over-loud announcements in Welsh and English. It seems a bit strange to me, sitting on a train of this design and not hearing French, German or Spanish. The two and three quarter hour journey runs along the coast for half the journey. The leaves are out, as is the May blossom and views of the shoreline and tidal rivers glinting in the afternoon sun are wonderful. The train was full with uni students going home for the weekend I think. Ann gave us the number of a taxi firm, but making contact by mobile phone, even when attached to TFW wi-fi wasn't successful, so we dragged our cases along on the twenty minute walk from Tenby station to the Croft Court apartments overlooking the harbour, called 'Sandy Reach' except that the road along North Beach is flanked by tall trees, and we're staying at first floor level, with a lawn outside the lounge window. It's a sun trap with a resident blackbird foraging for worms and insects.
After depositing our cases and emptying our rucksacks, I added our various digital devices to the house wi-fi network, then we walked to Tesco's in the main street to stock up on basic food supplies. It was very crowded. For months I've had difficulty shopping in supermarkets with so much movement and visual stimulus causing my slow brain to feel overwhelmed. I made a shopping list but didn't need to use it, I found everything I needed from memory except Ryvita (none in stock, I was told). We both had heavy rucksacks walking back to Croft Court. Only when I stopped to reflect on all this did I realise that on this occasion I wasn't feeling overwhelmed.
The first thing we had to do when we returned to Sandy Reach was to learn how to control the induction hob cooker. We both found its touch controls difficult to master, but eventually I boiled some potatoes and cooked a sauce with carrots, fresh coriander and cannelli beans, to go with hake fillets which Clare fried perfectly. We used sesame seed oil, which Clare bought in Tesco's - a first for both of us and different in flavour from sunflower, rape seed and olive oil.
It was dusk by the time we'd eaten supper. We didn't go out again but spent the rest of the evening relaxing settling in and starting to feel physically tired, but thankfully not overwhelmed by the varied stimuli of a day of change on the move.
Talking of change, the Senedd's First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat in yesterday's elections. Plaid Cymru is now the majority party in Wales, and across Britain, Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties have been swept aside by Reform voters. Heaven help us.
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