Normal sort of Sunday really - Golf & Chores

Up bright and early with a bit of a heavy head. I had plans to jump in the hot tub to shake it off, but time disappeared quickly and before I knew it, it was 7.15am and I was out the door for golf.

Just Robbie and me today – most of the others had played yesterday in the Central 7’s and didn’t make it through. The weather was decent enough but pretty windy, which made things tricky. We both had very mixed rounds – some good shots, some poor ones – and ended up in the mid-90s. Not where we want to be really, both aiming for sub-90, but that’s golf… always room for improvement.

Stopped to pick up some grout on the way home, and when I got back my new power tool from Amazon had arrived. Got it set up straight away and used it to remove the grout in the shower – and it was brilliant. Genuinely one of those purchases where you’re immediately glad you bought it. Cleared out the areas I needed, had to reset a couple of tiles that came loose, and then re-grouted the whole section. It’s come up really well, so fingers crossed that sorts the leak through the kitchen ceiling.

Tash then had a list of jobs for me over at Zoe’s – tried to fix the curtain pole in the kitchen but couldn’t do much as it came without the proper fixings (no wonder it was in the sale!). Did manage to sort the washing line and the solar lights though, so not a wasted trip.

Back home and finally got into the hot tub – first time using it despite it being on all weekend. Stayed in a bit longer to make the most of it, which was well needed.

We then had dinner with Jack and watched another episode of The Penguin – really enjoying it. Still no sign of Batman, which is actually a good thing – it’s working well as a darker, grounded gangster story.

Pretty tired by this point, so off to bed around 9.45pm. Another busy week ahead, but a really good (and full-on) weekend overall.

End of Day Summary:
A productive and varied day – steady golf, satisfying DIY wins, and useful jobs ticked off. Finished nicely with the hot tub and a good evening in.

Jack's Birthday Celebrations Meal - beginning with a long morning hike

I was a bit nervous about today if I’m honest – we were meeting Maysie for a hike and, knowing how fit he is, I wasn’t entirely confident about keeping up.

We were up and sorted by about 6.30am, met at McDonald’s in Benson, and then drove a few miles to The Makers Space on the way to Nettlebed. Parked up, got ourselves ready, and set off – in the rain, unfortunately, but we had the gear for it.

Straight away we were walking through rapeseed fields, unbelievably bright yellow – really striking, just a shame the weather didn’t allow for any decent photos.

Steve led the route, one he knew well, and thankfully it was a really manageable pace. It turned into a very enjoyable hike. He’s such an engaging bloke – full of stories and proper enthusiasm for life and experiences. Very inspiring really. He’s done so much, most of it pretty extreme – mountain running, Tough Mudders, that sort of thing. Sounds brilliant… but definitely outside our comfort zone!

It was great to catch up, and I was quietly pleased to be able to keep up with him. I’m sure he dialled it back a bit for us, but if that’s the sort of pace we’ll be doing on the Alps hike, then that’s reassuring. In total it was about 8.75 miles and took us around 2 hours 45 minutes.

Afterwards, we headed into the café where we’d parked – it was absolutely packed by then. Managed to squeeze onto a shared table with other walkers and cyclists, clearly a very popular spot. Said our goodbyes and agreed to sort another walk soon, maybe morning or evening.

Back home, and it was straight into Jack’s birthday celebrations.

We got sorted and then Jodie arrived, and we all headed over to Scenic Saunas in Northleach – same place we went last year for his birthday. Started with tea/coffee (and a cheeky pint for me), then Charl and Miles arrived and we had our hour in the sauna. The lady running it was lovely but incredibly chatty, so the hour absolutely flew by.

Back home again – Charl and Miles went off to his family, and I went to pick up Sue while Mum came over. We had some drinks and nibbles before heading out to The Trout for our 7.00pm booking. Really nice evening – good food, good drinks, and just a great atmosphere all round, Jack even had a glass of red wine (small) and puddings were also ordered. Stayed until about 9.30pm, then Jack drove both Mums home while Tash and I walked back.

Once home, we ended up at the dining table, having a few more drinks and mindlessly scrolling for a bit before Jack and Jodie got back. Then we all sat chatting for ages – one of those easy, wide-ranging conversations putting the world to rights. Really good.

Eventually, it crept up to midnight, and we called it a day. Hopefully Jodie’s fine – she’s in the middle of mocks so probably shouldn’t have had more than one drink, but she knows her limits and I’m sure she’ll be absolutely fine.

A long, full-on day – but a really good one from start to finish.

End of Day Summary:
A brilliant mix of challenge and celebration – a rewarding hike, great company, and a lovely birthday evening for Jack. Long day, but thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.

Astonishing news from work

So this is super odd, we had an email come round from Jason this week advising us that we'd see something in the news about one of our previous colleagues, Dave, and what he did wasn't anything to do with EdCo and when we heard about it he was removed but it'll be in the public domain now. 

So of course that made us very curious and a quick Google Search returned results that he'd been charged with producing indecent images of children and was trying to organise a meeting with a 12 year old girl - absolutely astonishing news!

So he had category A images, which on checking with ChatGPT, said these are the worst and should be an immediate custodial sentence.

It has taken a while to sink in, it really has. It's someone we've worked with for 20+ years and it's the worst thing you can think of, murder always seems less! I felt partly vindicated that I've always called him the "C" word - seems I judged correctly.

Sentencing should be 11th May so we'll see what happens - everyone just wants him to experience prioson time, I am not convinced he'll get it - but as you can imagine it sent shockwaves around the company for those I spoke to.

Sick

Easter Monday - Lewis Hosting

Slept fairly well, although woke up a few times with an aching body and feeling cold. Flicked the diesel heater on a couple of times — it’s brilliant, makes things so much more comfortable. Didn’t properly wake up until about 8.30am.

Made porridge, which was a mistake… tasted awful without sugar or honey. Noted that down immediately for the van inventory list — lesson learned.

Got the van sorted. Tash wanted to go for a walk, but we needed to be at Lewis’s for just after 11.00am and it’s a 2hr 25min drive, so we skipped it and hit the road instead.

Traffic wasn’t great — volume and a few incidents slowed things down — so we didn’t arrive until about 12.30pm, which wasn’t ideal.

One funny moment though: sitting in traffic, a bloke tooted at me and started pointing at his t-shirt. Took me a second to realise it was the same “Evolution” design that I’ve got in the campervan window. He was absolutely buzzing about it. VW people… we’re a strange bunch.

Got to Lewis’s and Jack, Charlotte and Miles were already there. Frankie was asleep — for ages it felt like — so we had a good catch-up before he woke up and immediately became the centre of attention.

They’d cooked a roast chicken which was really good, and afterwards we went for a short walk to the park where things got oddly competitive on the outdoor gym equipment. Standard.

Back home, Tash organised an Easter egg hunt, and we also had a look at the garage conversion — now plastered and looking really smart. They should be really pleased with it. Exciting to see it coming together.

The rest of the afternoon revolved around Frankie. He’s properly on the move now — pulling himself along the floor, which surprised us all. Really cool to see, and he clearly knows he’s cracking it too.

Around 5.00pm Charlotte, Miles and Jack headed off, but we stayed a bit longer which was nice, especially as we’re back again in the morning anyway.

Then we made our way to the campsite — Welltrough Farm — the same one we stayed at when Frankie was born. Only about five miles away, so perfect: close enough to be handy, but not intruding.

Got set up, although needed to borrow a proper ramp from a friendly caravanner as the slope was too much for my blocks. His were massive — not something I’d buy — but they did the job perfectly. Definitely something to think about.

Water still not working, which is annoying. Will have to get CamperKing to sort that. Electric hookup all fine though.

We then went for a long walk around the farm — really lovely setting and a great sunset to finish it off. About an hour or so, very enjoyable, although my legs were still aching if I’m honest. Felt more tiring than it probably should have done — and it was only about 7k steps.

Back at the van, wasted a bit of time on phones, then watched the last three episodes of Last One Laughing. It was alright… not sure they’ll get another series out of it, but we’ll see.

Finished around 10.30pm and turned in. Thankfully not as cold as the previous night, so no need for the heater, which made for a better sleep. Still struggling with the blankets though — never quite enough coverage, and Tash either steals them or they fall off. Another thing for the van checklist.

Been a really good couple of days — thoroughly enjoyed it.

---

End of Day Summary

A proper campervan day — small frustrations, simple pleasures, family time and fresh air. Great to see everyone, especially Frankie on the move, and a peaceful evening to round it off. A really enjoyable little break.

Easter Sunday – Helvellyn Hike

Alarm went at 4.00am, showered and shaved, then got Tash up and sorted and we were on the road by 4.35am – not bad at all, only five minutes later than planned… and a lot earlier than Tash had expected! She hadn’t quite clocked the time but it worked in her favour as she managed to sleep most of the way while I listened to my Orphan X book – number three, Hellbent – which I finally finished this week. Four hours of that on the drive was perfect.

We’d been a bit concerned about the weather with Storm Dave hitting over the weekend, but decided to go for it anyway and just be sensible.

After about 4.5 hours we arrived in Glenridding, at the base of Helvellyn in the Lake District. It was a bit rainy, so I took the chance to grab a quick 20-minute snooze. Also picked up a fridge magnet for the van from the souvenir shop, just in case it was shut later. Then we set off.

I’d downloaded a route from Komoot, which we tried to follow, but fairly quickly we went off track and ended up tackling what can only be described as a near-vertical scramble. Definitely not a standard hiking route! It was tough going for nearly an hour – steep, exposed, and not particularly enjoyable. Tash wasn’t impressed (understatement), especially with the weather closing in, but we made it to the top.

At that point we were hit with even stronger winds and hail – not ideal. But after pushing on a bit further we eventually came across a proper path with other hikers casually strolling along… which confirmed we’d taken a completely wrong route up!

From there things improved. On a proper trail, progress was much easier and the weather began to lift on and off. The views were spectacular, especially with patches of snow still on the higher ground. Striding Edge, however, looked pretty intimidating in those conditions, so when we reached the fork we made the sensible call to leave that for another day and took the safer middle path.

Even so, the final push to the summit still involved some scrambling over rocks, and this part was arguably more nerve-wracking with the drops and the wind. At the top, the wind was brutal – easily 50–60mph. I didn’t even want to get my phone out in case it disappeared! We grabbed a few quick photos as there was actually a view (rare!) and then made a swift decision to head back down.

The descent wasn’t as bad as expected, and we settled into the long hike back to the car. Stopped a couple of times for food and to take in the views, and also spotted a much more sensible route we’ll use next time. Whoever created that Komoot route needs to have a word with themselves…

All in all, it was about a 7-hour hike. Back at the car park, I persuaded Tash that a pub stop was essential – and that pint was absolutely spot on. Then we drove about 30 minutes to Keswick and treated ourselves to fish and chips, which we ate at the campsite overlooking the lake – a great little spot.

After getting set up, we went for another walk (as if we hadn’t done enough already!) and then settled into the van for the evening. Got the MiFi going and watched a few episodes of Last One Laughing. It was okay – still enjoyable, but not as strong as the first series, a bit forced in places.

By about 10.00pm we were done. A very long, tiring day – and definitely ready for bed.

End of Day Summary:
A challenging but rewarding day – tough conditions, a dodgy route choice, and some proper scrambling, but incredible views and a real sense of achievement. Finished perfectly with a pint, fish and chips, and a peaceful evening by the lake.

Mother's Day

Woke up with a bit of a heavy head this morning – thankfully nothing too serious. It was Mother’s Day, so did the usual bits to try and make it special for Tash… whether I succeeded is another matter, but there were plenty of messages coming through for her which was nice.

We started with tea and coffee in bed, then headed out for our usual walk up to Wytham Woods – bang on an hour again, we’re very consistent with that now. Back home, we got breakfast going and started prepping the Sunday roast for later. Jack wasn’t too impressed that Tash had already made a start as he wanted to do it himself – he had to settle for scrambled eggs instead!

We were back in time to receive Theo, Ralph & Olivia as we were looking after them for the day. To be fair to them, they were really good – much less arguing than usual, which made everything a lot easier.

We bundled them into the car and headed to McDonald’s for some lunch, then on to Millet’s Garden Centre where we met Charlotte and Mum. Jack was with us too. It was pretty cold there, but we did the usual wander around, grabbed drinks and cookies, and the kids went on the funfair rides which they loved.

After that, we all came back to ours, got the fire going and sat down to the roast – which was excellent as always. Nathan turned up briefly and was his usual whirlwind self!

Danny picked the kids up around 5.00pm, and we had a bit more of a catch-up before everyone gradually headed off. Once the house was clear, we tidied up and settled down to watch the next episode of Paradise, which is going really well.

We also watched the Louis Theroux documentary on the “manosphere” – quite a tough watch. Some of those blokes are absolute idiots, to be honest. It did make me pause a bit as a few of the “motivational” phrases sounded similar to things I’ve heard Jack say – not the nasty stuff, but the general tone. Hopefully just surface-level and nothing more.

That led into a bit of a “discussion” between Tash and Jack, which I quietly removed myself from and headed to bed!

End of another really good, full weekend – and Tash seemed happy (and a little bit tipsy by the end!).

End of Day Summary:
A busy but enjoyable Mother’s Day – family time, well-behaved kids, a great roast, and a relaxed evening. Slightly thought-provoking end to the night, but overall a warm and successful day.

Visit to Lewis & Family

Tash woke up in a terrible state this morning — a proper hangover. At least an hour spent either being sick downstairs or lying on the sofa trying to recover. I wasn’t exactly bursting with energy myself — heavy head, low battery — but nowhere near as rough as she was, thankfully.

We had to get moving though as Zoe was due at 9.30am, which she was, and then we set off for Crewe. Tash slept (or attempted to) most of the journey and, mercifully, wasn’t sick again. By the time we arrived just before midday she’d rallied enough to pass as “normal”.

The drive up was relentless — constant rain the entire way. Hard enough in decent conditions, let alone with a fuzzy head.

Frankie, as ever, was brilliant. He has this lovely way of quietly observing everything with a little sideways smirk, like he’s taking it all in and judging us gently. He got plenty of attention of course.

I helped Lewis in the garden removing an old satellite dish — more physical effort than I’d ideally have chosen given the circumstances, but satisfying to get it sorted. Lewis and Emily then headed off to Mowgli Street Food for a meal together — a rare and well-earned bit of time without Frankie.

The rain eased slightly so we walked into Holmes Chapel and had a look around the Artisan Market. It wasn’t especially impressive, but it got us some fresh air. Picked up a few cookies and bits for later and stopped at a café we’ve been to before. I’d been craving a bacon sandwich all morning and finally got one — absolutely hit the spot. Tash managed to eat too, which felt like progress.

Back at the house we watched more of the Winter Olympics, which has been surprisingly gripping. GB picked up two gold medals today — Mixed Snowboard Cross and Mixed Skeleton — genuinely exciting and history-making stuff.

Lewis and Emily returned later, relaxed and happy after their meal. Pizza in the evening, Olympics on in the background, easy family time. After the Mixed Skeleton final we said our goodbyes and set off home.

The drive back was dry at least, but dark motorway driving when you’re tired is always a bit draining. Still, it was a good run and we were home just before 9.00pm. Zoe headed straight off, Airbnb guests arrived shortly after, and we squeezed in the final episode of Steal. Thankfully it had an intelligent ending — always a relief.

Bed by 10.30pm.

---

End of Day Summary

A hangover start but a strong recovery. Wet roads, bacon sandwiches, garden jobs, family time and Olympic golds. Exhausting but worthwhile — another full chapter in what’s been an absolutely relentless weekend.