Golf & A Quiet Sunday

Up very early this morning and at the course for 7.00am, which gave me time to warm up properly — and it definitely helped.

There were six of us playing and I was paired with Lawrence, who I already knew, and Kevin Briggs, who I recognised straight away as a very decent golfer.

The first nine holes were brilliant — I shot 41 for 23 points and was really happy with that. Unfortunately, I couldn’t maintain the same standard and dropped off on the back nine with 48 shots and just 15 points. That left me with a total of 38, which I wasn’t convinced would be enough to win this month. Still, it did bring my handicap down (from 23 to 22.2) so I’ll take that as a win.

Back home, Tash was still in one of her grumpy moods, so I just left her to it and got on with the jobs that needed doing — painted the new doorway and skirting, cleared the driveway, and ticked off a few other chores.

Dinner was eaten in near silence, followed by both of us sat on our iPhones, not much in the way of conversation. I read for a bit before heading to bed and was asleep by about 9.45pm.

A nice weekend overall, and really pleased with how the golf went, shows that some of the practise I've been doing has paid off. Still a bit erratic and definitely room for improvement. Really surprised myself in that I have only posted 6 cards so far this year - that's so disappointing.

Family Visit to see Frankie

Got ourselves sorted early — Tash cooked a roast before heading off to yoga, while I got on with a few chores so that we’d be ready to leave as soon as Mum and Jodie arrived.

Unfortunately, traffic delays held them up and we didn’t get away until 10.50am. After picking up Charlotte, we ended up being sent all around the countryside by the sat nav, wasting even more time. Coupled with the awful traffic on the M6, it meant we didn’t reach Lewis and Emily’s until 2.00pm — about an hour later than I’d hoped. Bit of a shame really.

Still, once we arrived it was lovely. Jack was there too, so it was a full house, and of course there were lots of hugs and cuddles with Frankie. He was brilliant — needed a couple of feeds and then just slept in the arms of whoever was holding him. Such a content little baby.

He’s got a touch of jaundice, but nothing to worry about — a perfectly healthy boy. There were a few presents handed out, all sweet little baby things. Mum’s knitted blanket was especially impressive.

The afternoon was really relaxed, Frankie being passed around everyone without complaint. We all enjoyed the roast dinner Tash had prepared earlier — it went down really well.

That said, Tash was stroppy with me all day, and again on the way home, because I spoke down to her in the car when she was criticising me. All a bit childish and unnecessary really, but it did put a slight dampener on things.

We wrapped up around 6.30pm, said our goodbyes, and headed home. The return journey was a dream compared to the morning — just 2 hours 15 minutes. Makes you realise we need to travel either early mornings or evenings to avoid the chaos and get some consistency in journey times.

Once home, Miles picked up Charlotte, Jodie headed off, and Tash disappeared to do her own thing. I just put the TV on and scrolled through my phone.

Overall, a really nice day — great to see everyone together again and, most of all, lovely to spend more time with baby Frankie.

Meeting Our New Grandson

As expected, it was a terrible night’s sleep – my mind was racing, worrying about the baby and the secrecy around the messages we’d been getting. The morning didn’t bring much relief either. We’d been messaging Lewis but weren’t getting any replies, which only fuelled the anxiety.

Charlotte did manage to speak with him around 7.30am and he said he’d call us shortly… but of course, he didn’t. By then, all sorts of thoughts and concerns were spinning around in our heads.

Despite that, I got myself sorted and set up for work. As always, the van made it easy – no problem getting logged in and catching up.

Finally, Lewis rang about 11.30am and we arranged to meet him at his house, just 10 minutes away. Big hugs all round when we arrived. We then followed him to Sainsbury’s to grab a meal deal before heading to the hospital.

They had their own room now and Emily appeared really well. And then came the moment we’d been waiting for – meeting Frankie. Of course, he was tiny, but everything about him seemed in proportion and healthy. In that instant, all the worries and concerns we’d been carrying melted away.

There were plenty of photos and cuddles, and we stayed about 45 minutes, listening to the story of the birth – how quickly it all happened, that there was no time for pain relief, the cord around his neck, and yet how well Emily had come through it. We left them to rest but planned to return later before heading home.

In the meantime, we went to a nearby retail park – I set up to work from the van while Tash did more shopping.

We returned around 3.00pm and spent another 30–45 minutes with them. They’d decided they were going home, so we helped carry some clothes and bits to the car. After more hugs, photos and goodbyes, we got back on the road.

I sat in the back working while Tash drove, but I have to admit I soon felt awful. After about 90 minutes I had to shut the laptop and sleep – I felt dreadful. We made decent time getting home, had dinner, and then I went out to the office to catch up on more work. The end of summer term rush is definitely showing with the sheer number of emails and tickets coming in.

It was an early(ish) night for us. Not even a fraction of the exhaustion that Lewis and Emily must have been through, but we were knackered all the same.

And now, we’re grandparents. We have a grandson. It’s such a strange and wonderful feeling to realise that our son – once so tiny himself – is now a father with his own child. And what’s more, I feel an instant attachment to Frankie that’s different to other babies – an immediate closeness.

I wonder what life will bring him.

We're Grandparents!!

So that's it then, we're officially old, Lewis and Emily have had the baby today - Frankie Ray - born at 3.29pm. 

Bit of a whirlwind today, Lewis sent a few updates advising how things were going and Emily being taken to the Maternity Ward and then not much else until we received the message on WhatsApp

Then radio-silence!

We were all asking questions etc and were getting nothing from Lewis - it was very worrying indeed.

The time dragged on and still nothing - by now Tash and I were in the van travelling up there and sorted a campsite nearby and were likely to get there about 8.00pm when Lewis finally called (hadn't answered messages) and we caught up but he sounded incredibly emotional (even upset) - obviously it's understandable to be emotional but it was hard to get anything out of him

We said we were 15 mins away, we'd guessed the correct hospital they were at, but he said they were too tired and would prefer it if we didn't come in today.

That felt like quite a hammer blow truth be told, I could take it but we all know what Tash is like and how utterly desperate she'd be to see them and cuddle the baby

It was really disappointing and an anti-climax and also didn't do much to reduce our concerns - but of course, we were not going to try and over-rule him, so the next roundabout I did a full 180 and came back the other way to go and find out campsite.

It worked out the site was less than 10 mins from Holmes Chapel and was a good find. We chose our own pitch, bit of a slope so needed to use my ramp and then we got sorted out. 

Didn't really eat once in the van - just reflected on the day and the events following Frankie's birth and read or looked at our phones.

Can't hide the fact that we're concerned, the lack of updates and comms - hardly any response to Tash's messages was bordering on rude in my opinion, it didn't make sense and was concerning as to whether there were more serious issues with Frankie or Emily's health.

Not even sure if we're going to be able to visit tomorrow - can't see we'll have a good night's sleep but it's so exciting and we're all thrilled to have the new arrival

So Tash will be Nanny, and I will be Grampy.

Fucking hell!!

Hangovers each and night at Clare and Greg's

Woke up with a serious hangover — no surprises there! Tash was throwing up and feeling properly rough, and I suspect I was still drunk rather than just hungover, considering I didn’t stop drinking until about 4.30am. I did switch to a non-alcoholic lager and a Coke right at the very end in the faint hope of sobering up a bit and saving myself for Saturday morning. Might’ve worked… just about.

We didn’t actually get out of bed until after 10.00am, and even then it was only because Oscar came round to look at the plumbing. He wasn’t here long, though, so we headed straight back to bed trying to sleep it off — finally surfacing again around midday. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I had a morning like that!

Eventually dragged ourselves up and drove over to Sue’s. Tash pretty much slept the whole way and then collapsed on her sofa when we got there, while Nathan was laughing at the state of us. We cracked on with tidying up Sue’s garage, which was a good job well done, and then headed back home — straight into bed again for another couple of hours to recharge. Definitely needed it as we had an evening out planned and were both running on fumes.

The extra rest worked wonders, and by the time we got up and ready we were in better shape. Unsurprisingly, Tash volunteered to drive — she couldn’t even look at alcohol — and we made our way over to Clare and Greg’s. We were running a little late and everyone else was already there when we arrived, about 10 of us in total, most of whom we’d met before when we went to Royal Ascot with them.

Started with drinks and nibbles before moving into the dining room for a really lovely Greek-style meal — proper good food. Spent most of the evening chatting with Miles and we both agreed we need to finally sort out a game of golf soon.

It turned into a really relaxed, civil evening — plenty of chat and laughs, and by this point you’d never have known we’d been out the night before. Everyone seemed to call it a night around 10.30pm, all standing up at once, so we said our thanks and goodbyes and headed home. Straight back to bed when we got in — no complaints there!

Hosting BBQ Night

A normal day at work, though definitely getting busier now as people are coming back from their holidays and the schools will soon be starting again.

We were hosting tonight — Tash had invited Cathy and Anna over, along with their partners, Steve and John. The plan was a BBQ, but of course, it was absolutely pouring down with rain for most of the afternoon. I was out there in the wet trying to get everything sorted, but luckily the rain eventually eased off, and we managed to spend the whole evening outside as planned.

Everyone arrived around 6:00pm and the atmosphere was lovely — plenty of drinks, chatting, and laughter. I get on really well with Steve, but I haven’t spent much time around John before. What became very noticeable, though, was just how much he takes over conversations. He has a habit of sharing his wisdom and opinions at full volume and pretty much bulldozing through whatever anyone else is saying.

It did get a bit irritating at times, especially when I was trying to chat with Steve in the bar about music and a few other things, but eventually, we just rolled with it and didn’t let it spoil the night.

I was on BBQ duty, and I think I did a decent job — the food went down well, everyone seemed happy, and the evening flowed along nicely. Before we knew it, it was 10:30pm, and people started heading off.

Once everyone had gone, Tash and I curled up on the outside sofa, listened to music, and had a few more drinks together. After tidying up a bit, Tash headed to bed — but I… didn’t!

I stayed out in the bar, playing music — switching between vinyl and my phone — and just carried on drinking into the early hours. No laptop, no work, just music and a good buzz. Ended up staying up until around 5:30am, finally dragging myself upstairs and collapsing into bed at about 6:00am.

A very good night — one of those evenings where everything just flowed. I’ll definitely pay for it tomorrow, but it was worth it.

Scotland Trip – Day 5 / Bank Holiday Monday

Didn’t sleep brilliantly — calves still aching and my mind was overactive. Annoying, but I know I’ll catch up soon enough. Got up, cleaned out the van, and got everything sorted. The weather was decent, which made things a bit easier.

Showered, shaved, and got myself looking smart for our lunch in Manchester. We hit the road around 10:00am and had a fairly straightforward drive down, though it was noticeably busier than Scotland — such a contrast.

Parked up in Spinningfields, grabbed a coffee, and sat in the sun near The Ivy before heading to 20 Stories for lunch. This was a Christmas voucher from Jodie, and it absolutely didn’t disappoint. Three-course set menu with plenty of choice — the food was fantastic. The weather was glorious too, so we had a couple of drinks and soaked up the atmosphere.

It got busier as the afternoon went on, but it was still relaxed and enjoyable. After finishing our meal, we sat out in the open area to enjoy the last of our drinks, took a few more photos, then headed back to the car.

The drive home wasn’t quite so smooth — traffic was heavy and we were redirected away from the M6, which took us through Holmes Chapel. Bit of a shame, as Lewis and Emily had already left for Centre Parcs with her family; would’ve been nice to pop in otherwise. Eventually re-joined the M6 and just accepted the sheer volume of traffic. Makes you realise how crowded England feels compared to the Highlands!

Got home and unpacked everything before a quick turnaround. Mum was happy with Bess and decided to keep her another night — a definite win! We rounded off the evening with a couple of drinks, cheese and biscuits, and a game of crib outside. Perfect way to finish.

What a brilliant few days — Scotland and the Highlands really left a mark. Already looking forward to going back before too long.

This trip also means we’ve pretty much covered the length and breadth of Britain this year — Cornwall to Scotland, Wales to Southwold, and plenty in between. The van’s done us proud!