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!

Scotland Trip – Day 3 – The Climb Up Ben Nevis

Woke up fairly early and, typically, the weather had taken a turn for the worse — low cloud cover, rain, and generally gloomy skies. Not exactly the ideal conditions for tackling Ben Nevis, but there we were.

Had breakfast, packed up our gear, and drove the 8 miles into Fort William to find parking. Arrived around 9.30am, but the visitor centre car park was absolutely rammed — no chance of getting in. Luckily, just 100 metres down the road, we found a farmer’s field offering cheaper parking. Perfect result!

Waterproofs on, bags packed, and before starting the climb we popped into the visitor centre for a quick look around and grabbed a souvenir fridge magnet. Then we were off.

The trail was busy, which wasn’t surprising as it was the Bank Holiday — people everywhere, from all over the world, all sorts of nationalities and backgrounds. It was actually really interesting to see.

Thankfully, the rain eased off quite quickly, and before long we were too hot and started shedding layers as we continued the climb. But wow… it was hard work. I really struggled right from the start. Tash was much better, but she stuck with me, matching my super-slow pace — the exact same “Kilimanjaro pace” I adopted back then. I just couldn’t go any quicker, and I know exactly why: zero training. My fault entirely.

We stopped loads of times, not to eat, just to rest and catch our breath. The mountain felt relentless — the path just kept going, disappearing steeply into the clouds above us. And with the low visibility up there, it felt endless. This was our third peak in our “three peaks” adventures, and once again the weather had stitched us up. I’ll be honest — I was fed up and doing a fair bit of moaning and groaning on the way up.

After a 4.5-hour slog, we finally reached the summit. There was a 30-minute wait just to take the classic summit photo — completely pointless but, of course, we queued and got it anyway. Then it was time to start the long descent.

The journey down took about 3 hours, partly because the weather finally improved a little. The clouds parted here and there, and for the first time we got glimpses of the stunning views we’d been missing — absolutely breathtaking. It was a bittersweet reminder of “what could have been” if the weather had been kinder.

Once at the bottom, we headed straight to the Inn at the Foot of Ben Nevis for a well-earned drink — went down a treat. Then we drove back to the campsite, absolutely shattered but happy to be done.

Tash sorted dinner, we both cracked open a drink, and we just sat outside overlooking the loch as the sun slowly set. The aches were kicking in, but it was peaceful, calm, and a really lovely evening to unwind after such a big day.

A good day overall — glad I did it, proud to have ticked off Ben Nevis, but once again my lack of preparation left me struggling and, honestly, a little embarrassed. 

When will I EVER learn?!

Scotland Trip – Day 2

The alarm went off at 5:50am after a pretty rough night’s sleep, so getting going was a bit of a struggle. Finally managed to get up around 6:20am, skipped breakfast and coffee, packed up, dropped some money in the honesty box, and hit the road again.

Stopped at Loch Lomond around 8:00am, which was absolutely stunning. We parked right by the water and worked from the van with the most beautiful view imaginable. Had a lovely FaceTime chat with Jack and Jodie, who are still out in Sri Lanka. Great to catch up — they’re having an amazing time and seem so happy together.

By lunchtime, we were back on the move, making our way to the next campsite. The drive around Loch Lomond and into the Highlands was just breathtaking — towering, rugged mountains, crystal-clear water, and huge sweeping views. A few times we both said it felt like we were in Canada. I really wanted to stop more often, but we were on a bit of a schedule to get back online for work. At least we’ll be coming home the same way, so we can make up for it then.

Arrived at the campsite, which was right on the water’s edge overlooking Loch Linnhe — we’d paid a little extra for the front-row spot, and it was absolutely worth it. Got everything set up quickly and jumped back online for a couple of hours. The MiFi worked brilliantly — lightning-fast speeds, both of us working without a single issue.

Wrapped up work on time — no way I was doing any overtime tonight — and Tash made a great spag bol for dinner. Afterwards, we headed out for a short walk to a nearby waterfall, taking in the amazing views across the Loch in the evening sunshine.

Then we wandered down to the Corran Ferry and crossed over the water, which was fun. On the other side, we stopped at a little brewery for a quick drink — it was buzzing and had a great atmosphere. After that, we made our way back to the ferry (watching the time carefully as the last one back was at 9:20pm!) and stopped off at the Inn by the ferry for one last drink before heading back to the campsite.

Ended the night relaxing by the Loch, soaking up the peace and quiet, and mentally preparing for tomorrow’s big challenge: Ben Nevis.

Honestly, I’m nervous… I’ve done zero training. Wish me luck!

Scotland Trip – Day 1

Finished work and hit the road for Scotland – a proper road trip ahead of us! It’s a long old drive, so we decided to break it up with an overnight stop at an Aire in Gretna Green.

The journey took just over six hours, including a stop at Tebay Services – honestly, hands down the best services we’ve ever been to. Proper farm shop vibes, amazing coffee, and possibly the best sausage roll I’ve ever had. Definitely sets a new standard for motorway stops!

The drive itself was fine overall, but Birmingham traffic was an absolute nightmare – added at least an hour to our journey. Eventually, we rolled into Gretna around 10:15pm, found our spot, got the van sorted, and tried to settle in for the night.

For some reason, I had this irrational fear that we might get burgled, so I double-checked the locks… and then, of course, the van alarm went off! That didn’t help - winding the neighbours up!

To make things worse, high-speed trains thundered past nearly all night, I was freezing, and I had a string of bad dreams. 

Safe to say, sleep wasn’t great at all – not the most restful start to the trip!

Bournemouth Trip

Kids slept well, and I was up at 6:45am to get things moving. Got breakfast sorted, walked the dog, and then the troops arrived—Mum, Charlotte, Zoe, and Tiff's three kids

We loaded up two cars and set off for Bournemouth, six kids under nine between us. The drive was fine until I spotted a speed van in a layby far too late—doing 80mph at the time. Bugger. Hopefully I got away with it, but we’ll see.

The roads were busy, no surprise with the hot weather forecast. Seemed like half the country had the same idea of heading to the coast. We went to Durley Chine, our usual spot, and after two laps of the road next to the car park we somehow managed to get a space in a perfect location. Very fortunate indeed.

We set up on the beach and settled in for the day. I had my Jaws t-shirt on—the one Tucks sent over—which at least amused me, even if no one else noticed. The kids were good overall, just the odd moment of squabbling but mostly happy, running between the sand and the sea.

The day had a proper holiday feel—sun shining, gentle breeze, and the endless people-watching that a British beach day always delivers. I had a nap at one point, went for a swim, and just enjoyed the laid-back rhythm of the day. We had a decent picnic, and later we treated everyone to dinner—chicken and chips or burgers all round.

Before we knew it, it was 6:30pm and time to pack up. The festival trolley once again proved to be worth its weight in gold—makes shifting all the gear from car to beach so much easier. That is, unless you forget to take the brake off, Charlotte!

The drive back was slow—just sheer volume of traffic—but we made it to Bicester in about two and a half hours and dropped Tiff’s kids off. They’d all had a great time, which made the effort worthwhile.

Back home, we got a few bits sorted before heading to bed. It’s been a long day, and it didn’t really feel like a Sunday at all. Can’t believe I’ve got work tomorrow. Still, nice to have the kids for the day—they were good company.

Golf and busy day hosting Vic's kids

Up bright and early for a 7:30am tee-off with Holdy. On the way, I slowed down to chat with Paul Creed outside his house—he happened to be speaking with Holdy at the time, so it turned into a quick roadside catch-up.

Got to the course and was met with a nice surprise: our third player was none other than Jason Caffel. Haven’t seen him in ages, and it was brilliant to have him join us. He hasn’t played in a while, but you wouldn’t have known it—he was annoyingly good, beating both Wayne and me with ease. Most of his shots were laser-accurate while we were busy losing balls left, right… and certainly not centre!

It was a cracking match and great to catch up with Caffa. We really don’t see enough of him, so I hope this wasn’t just a one-off and he becomes a regular again.

We broke tradition and stopped at the Tandem in Kennington on the way back for a fry-up breakfast and a couple of beers. Very nice indeed. Then it was homeward bound, but not before an urgent petrol stop—the mileage counter had been run right down to zero. Bit too close for comfort, but I made it (again).

When I got home, Tash was out having brunch with Kerry, Sharon, and Zoe, so I had the place to myself. Parked myself in the garden with a beer, enjoyed the sunshine, and even nodded off for a bit.

The afternoon was productive—finally sorted the screws for the Event Shelter, so that’s one job ticked off. Tash picked up Vic’s kids and then went to visit Little Liam and Georgia, who’ve just got a new dog. A bit later, they all turned up here for food before we headed out to Bampton for Rhia’s 40th birthday party. Stayed just over an hour, enough to wish her well and for Tash to catch up with her old work colleagues—she seemed genuinely happy to see us.

Back home, got the kids ready for bed. I read Cat in the Hat, which wasn’t quite enough to tire Olivia out, but Tash was sleeping in Jack’s room with all of them so that was fine. I watched a bit of TV before calling it a night myself—early start tomorrow with quite a crowd heading to Bournemouth.

Lewis & Emily Baby Shower

So after we'd got back from dropping the kids off home having been at Standlake for the weekend we quickly got ourselves sorted and Mum arrived and Zoe and we set off to Manchester. Charlotte and Miles went from Nottingham and Jack and Jodie went in his car and got Nanny on the way.

Traffic was pretty bad on the M6 and it got closed sending us on a diversion - we were supposed to be there by 1.00pm to set up the Event Shelter and that, but it was actually 2.30pm we arrived - nightmare!

They'd done really well and had made a great effort to set up food and games and guessing details and giving advice for parenting etc - it was really nice and chilled. There was Emily's family there and friends from work etc, a decent crowd, I was pleased for them both, they were proud with respect to the imminent arrival and the work on the house.

The work isn't finished but it's close to being so only a few more days we reckon - things like the kitchen tops and such like. It does look really good already, they've done so well. It's going to be a good house for them.

The afternoon was really nice, spoke to a few people including Emily's parents and then slowly people made their way home. We got them to open some of the presents that had been bought as it's nice for people to see the presents they'd bought being opened and appreciated - that was nice.

Time flew by and it was soon 6.30pm so we said our goodbyes to anyone left and got back on the road - thankfully the issues we'd experienced earlier had been cleared and the run back to Oxford was smoother - still quite busy though. 

A good day, a long one and we're tired from the weekend but it has to be done and we will catch up our sleep soon enough!

One thing we thought was that even though Emily only has a month left she didn't look "big enough" to drop in 4 weeks time - we will see soon enough!

Standlake Camping Weekend & A Farewell to the Festival Tent

We set off early for the campsite at Standlake and lucked out with a fantastic pitch — right near the clubhouse and, best of all, overlooking the lake. Couldn’t have asked for a better view.

Tash and Tiff’s kids arrived soon after. It was their first time there and, before they’d even stepped fully out of the car, they were asking if they could come again! They helped me sort a few bits, but I still had a couple of hours’ work to get through. So I retreated to the clubhouse with my MiFi — love that flexibility — and got stuck in. Worked like a charm.

By the time Nik, Gaz, Danny, Vic, the kids, Paul, and Pauline rolled in, it was 4:30pm and I could finally clock off. A few drinks later, I was in full relax mode. We wandered around the lake, had our pre-cooked dinner, and ended up back in the clubhouse with more beers and even a disco to round things off.

Odd moment later on — around 8:30pm, they all suddenly said “See you tomorrow” and headed off to their caravans. Tash popped round to see them later and found them eating and drinking together. She was upset; their uncle had died and it felt like they didn’t want to spend that evening with us. I was disappointed too, but not quite as bothered as she was.

That night, the kids stayed in the van with Tash while I slept in the festival tent. Not the greatest night’s sleep — mattress wasn’t pumped up enough and it was chilly.

Up early the next day, we had breakfast before heading into Standlake with the others. The road was busy (and not ideal for walking) and it turned out to be a longer trek than expected. Found a nice pub, though, and — strangely — sat inside despite the sunny weather. It wasn’t busy, but the service was painfully slow. Thankfully, when the food eventually arrived, it was worth the wait.

Back at the campsite, we made our way to the usual spot by the lakes for swimming, inflatables, and splashing around. Stayed for quite a while before heading back for dinner and another evening in the clubhouse. The girls got a bit tipsy — the weather was too nice not to. Didn’t see much of Gaz; he popped in for one drink and then disappeared back to his tent. Live music carried on until about 10:30pm, then we had a slightly questionable “health and safety” walk around the lake in the dark.

Elwood wanted to try sleeping in the tent that night, so he joined me while the girls stayed in the van. Much better sleep this time.

We were up early again — on a deadline to get to Manchester for Lewis and Emily’s baby shower. I started packing up straight away. After breakfast, we hit the road, but not before saying goodbye to the festival tent. It had served us brilliantly over the years, but this trip was its last. Ripped and beyond repair, it had to be binned. Definitely going to replace it — it’s the perfect spare room on trips like this.

Dropped the kids at Paul’s in Bicester on the way. They were worn out but absolutely loved it and are keen to go again. Nice to see Paul too — he’s in a lovely part of town.

Got home, barely had time to breathe before we were back on the road again… but that’s for the next entry.

Latitude 2025

So, this is added after attending Latitude this year - what an fantastic weekend, did so very much in such a short space of time.

On Wednesday we finished work and got John and Pauline, packed the van - very full - and then set off for Southwold by about 5.00pm. Traffic wasn't too bad and we were making good progress and even stopped for a Maccy D's!

Arrived at the grounds around 9.15pm and it was busy then but we had a good spot, spread ourselves out and unpacked and got sorted, all good. Then had a few beers and off to bed.

Next day wasn't the best weather but I did a fry up and then the skies opened, it wasn't torrential but just persistent rain. We still went to Southwold as planned but had to do it by taxi because the bus service wasn't running. Walked around for a bit and I got two t-shirts from the Vantastic shop which was good and then we had a couple of beers in the Nelson, John almost got us on a brewery tour but there wasn't time so we set off for the Harbour Inn as recommended by mum.

Got there, bit of a long walk and a couple of wee-stops and had more drinks and some food. Traffic wasn't good but managed to sort another taxi that was a lot more money and when we got close it was clear the traffic wasn't moving and why he was reluctant to get us. No problem, we jumped out and walked half a mile to the entrance past all the frustrated drivers in the queue - it just wasn't moving! Found out later that it was taking 4-6 hours to get in because of the rain and mud concerns - terrible.

Just made our decision to miss the traffic and get in on Wednesday all the more sensible!

The field was filling up and we went for a walk to the main gates for the festival and walked around - exactly the same set up as last year to be fair. Watched a bit of music and a bit of comedy, nothing major though as it all starts tomorrow. Had a few more drinks and then back for the evening.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were just a whirlwind of music, drink and food. We were quite sensible with the drink, especially Saturday evening because that was the "big one"

But Friday was great - Scouting for Girls, "Stop Making Sense", Basement Jaxx, Feeder and Sting and then Club de Fromage. Really enjoyed it and I got to see what I wanted to see - got to the front for Stop Making Sense and Feeder so I was happy with that. Saturday in afternoon we saw Example, Clean Bandit, Kaiser Chiefs and then FatBoySlim - he did a 2 hour slot and it was relentless - absolutely brilliant - I was shattered. Very busy and got a bit heated sometimes because of getting pissed off with people pushing past you - but just had to block them out!

After all that time stood up on Saturday we were exhausted and just wanted to go back to bed, I found it had to walk if I am honest, I'd overdone it dancing and bouncing!!

Sunday was more subdued with the music but not the alcohol, we went for it bigtime and all got quite drunk! Alison Moyet was good and so were snow Patrol and it was good wandering around the woods to see what was on. There was also the Women's Euro Cup final - England v Spain and they had a big screen with it on and thousands were on the hillside watching - great spectacle that was and then they went and won it on penalties which was the icing on the cake!

Monday morning we were all hanging a bit, got sorted and took everything down and I drove us home - Maccy D's on the way back - Tash throwing up of course!

Got home and sorted - washing on and unpacked etc etc

A really brilliant weekend and I think we plan to do it again next year, we really should do because it's the 20th Anniversary so hopefully they'll pull out all the stops and get the big guns in but then, they will find it hard to beat Fat Boy Slim, he really was excellent and it was nice hearing people buzzing about it and not realising what he was like because it was the first time they'd seen him - shows how lucky we are for the times that we've seen him.

Buzzing still!

Such a great weekend

I've done a post about Father's Day - but the weekend itself was brilliant too

Thursday night we had Mum over for dinner - just the four of us, that was nice and enjoyable as usual

Friday night we did a BBQ, I went and got Simon from Headington, Sue came over as did Zoe and Niamh - it was a lovely evening. Lots of reminiscing, food was good and the drink was flowing! After everyone left around 10.00pm, Tash and I stayed up later and relaxed and carried on drinking - making the most of the lovely evening weather.

Saturday we went out to Birmingham and met with Lewis and Emily and looked at baby things in Mamas and Papas - fuck me it's expensive! Such a rip off, over £1,000 for a pram - mad. We didn't get one but we did offer to contribute £700.00 which I think is incredibly generous...I hope they agree.

Had a Nando's - which again I felt was under-whelming - and then over to Ikea which was fun as always and we bought some bits and pieces. Said our goodbyes, it was a nice time spent with them, and then Tash drove us home as I was knackered and wanted to sleep - which I did.

Got home and sorted and ready and Jack ran us down to the Cowley Road and we met up with the Millars and Holdens in the Cowley Retreat and then went for a meal in Antep Kitchen - that was excellent and really good food.

Had a few drinks and then went to The Library for a few more, Jason and Sharon had Kate pick them up and we stayed on for another two drinks before getting our own taxis home.

Back here in Wolvercote I went into the DSB and Tash came for a bit and I had the taste for it and stayed on for a YouTube night. I got absolutely wasted, stayed up until it was light in the morning, I don't remember much else to be honest - but who cares, I had a great time!!

I'll suffer for it no doubt, not because Tash will be funny with me, she won't be, just my body and health suffering...

Father's Day

Okay, so I completely and 100% overdid it last night!!

I don't think I went to bed until 6.00am - absolutely steaming drunk.

Ah well!

Went to bed and was back up again about 10.30am, Charlotte came round and spent the day and I was given presents, chuffed to bits to get a Tacchini top, it was a navy blue one that feels snug but we decided it was better that way instead of getting one a bit bigger - just need to do some more sit-ups! I will still request the white track top for birthday or Xmas though. I posted about it on Facebook and got a lot of love for it - I think a lot of lads were of the same opinion that it's a great retro present.

The day was relaxed and lazy, partly because I was dying! Actually I am exaggerating, I was okay, just tired and probably still drunk, I wasn't feeling sick though.

We walked down to The Perch, me, Jack, Charl and Tash, and had a drink and some food - it was hot today (it is going to be all week). It was nice spending time together and I had a nice time.

Walked back and relaxed further, did a couple of jobs but nothing too strenuous.

That was it really, watched some TV in the evening and went to bed around 10.00pm - knackered of course.

Well I had a good day so that was the main thing!! 

So pleased with my Tacchini top.

Royal Albert Hall with Ministry of Sound

Busy day today!

Didn't rush to get out of bed, we're still struggling a bit with being back and being tired all the time, really a bit odd. Tash had things she wanted to do in the day and left me to my own devices.

I left around 8.30am and went to golf and was so surprised to see the place empty, I had a feeling there was an email saying it was closed but that was for a different date I later established. Anyway, wasn't going to complain and got going. Gradually a few other players appeared but it seemed so strange fro a Saturday morning for it to be empty.

Went round okay, lost a few balls to the water but found a few too. Tried different things with my swing, didn't make much difference with my driving - need to organise golf lessons for sure!

Finished about 11.30am and felt a bit guilty that I should go over to the gender reveal for Tiffany and Aeron so went straight to Bicester (it was being held at Sue's of course) and walked in and surprised them at midday as I was an hour early!! I set the BBQ up and running and pottered around. 

Aeron turned up and wasn't too pleased with the BBQ running and its location so we moved a few things around and he took control so I left him to it. Gradually everyone turned up and it was a full house, including Aeron's kids and uncle (and partner) which was nice.

Had the food which was good and then the reveal which was the cutting of a cake to see what colour sponge it was - bit of an anti-climax because the kids cutting it were in the way! But they enjoyed themselves.

Tidied up and then left as busy evening ahead.

Fed ad walked Bess and then around 5.30pm John and Pauline arrived and I drove us to London, we were hoping to have a picnic in Hyde Park but the weather was against us so after I'd parked up near Edgeware Road we found a pub and had a couple of drinks - so nice to be in the centre of London and soaking up the atmosphere. It started raining so we go an Uber to the Royal Albert Hall but the traffic close by was packed so we jumped out and walked through the park.

Got to the Hall and big queues so went in and we were up in the Gods as high up as you can get. But it was good because there was loads of dancing space and we managed to find a place where we could look over the balcony and see the stage (just about).

The concert was Ministry of Sound dance anthems played by an orchestra - exactly like Pete Tong and the Heritage orchestra and many songs were repeated funnily enough. However, that didn't distract, it was brilliant and we had a great time, so, so good. It was fine not having had a drink too (well, x3 all night). The show didn't start until 9.45pm so finished around 11.15pm and we then walked net to Hyde Park and back to Edgeware Road to get a kebab and we ended up in a shop sat down to eat.

That was good food and then we got the car and drove home - Tash and Pauline fast asleep in minutes!

Decent drive home, I was tired, but it was fine and we got home at 2.00am - said our farewells and off to bed.

A busy, long day but well worth it - the concert was brilliant.

However, I did feel that the Heritage Orchestra just edge it!!  

Cinque Terre - Day 6

Our last day today, and for once, no hiking was involved - just pure, guilt-free beachside relaxation.

We did a bit of packing first thing, then popped out for coffee and pastries to get us going before catching the train to Monterosso. Even though we hadn’t seen a ticket inspector in days, we decided not to push our luck this time and actually bought tickets. Sensible for once.

Set ourselves up on the beach and just relaxed. Spent time sorting photo albums for social media, listening to music, dozing in the sun, and occasionally heading into the sea to cool off. It really was the break we needed after the week’s exertions.

It does make me smile seeing the steady stream of travellers arriving at the beach - rucksacks on backs, hiking boots still on, dragging their suitcases across the sand. Most of them town-hopping their way along the coast. We definitely feel like we’ve done it the better way: one base, and day trips out. Much less hassle and more time to soak it all in.

Lunch was focaccia again - couldn’t resist. Same as half the town, judging by the 30-minute queue, but it was worth it (again).

By 6:00pm we were back on the move. We rushed to the train and risked skipping the ticket again. We then got on the wrong train and went flying past our stop! Quickly jumped off at the next one and changed trains to go back again, managing to avoid inspectors once more. All in all, the fare-dodging has saved us about £40, but it’s been stressful enough to call it quits now!

Back at the apartment we had a beer while we showered, changed, and finished packing. Reality was beginning to set in - home tomorrow.

In the evening, we wandered down into town. It was unusually quiet, and we found a peaceful restaurant where we had lasagne and a bottle of wine. After that we headed to the square for a couple of drinks, sitting outside and just watching the world go by in that slow Italian way.

Just as we were about to call it a night, we bumped into Marco again - and the American couple we’d met earlier in the week. One thing led to another and before we knew it, we were all in a bar drinking and chatting, joined later by another American couple. It was such a fun way to finish the trip - unplanned, loud, and full of laughter.

We probably had one too many, because we ended up staggering back home around 3:00am. Not ideal with a 6:15am alarm looming, but to be honest, we wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

It’s been such a great week together - beautiful scenery, good food, a few unexpected moments, and just the two of us doing what we do best. 

Loved every bit of it and would recommend going there to most people - as they don't have to hike all the time like we did.

Cinque Terre - Day 5

Woke up feeling fresh and so much better than the past few days. Had coffee and biscuits on the veranda, soaking in the view over the bay. Peaceful and calm - just the two of us and that little hum of morning life below.

Headed to Pirate Café for breakfast, which lived up to its reputation. It’s recommended all over the internet so, unsurprisingly, it was packed, but the food was delicious and definitely worth the wait.

Afterwards, we had a little wander around Vernazza. It’s a small town, so there’s only so far you can go before you loop back to where you started. But the little back alleys are fun to explore - tight lanes with laundry overhead, random doorways, hidden corners… you know the type.

Back in the main square, Tash finally gave in to temptation and tried on a few dresses we’d walked past all week. She ended up treating herself to one and looked great in it. We then went down to the beach for a short rest after sorting our train tickets for later. Spent about 45 minutes relaxing and people-watching before heading back up to shower and get ready.

Then came a bit of drama at the train station - Tash realised she couldn’t find her phone and immediately assumed it had been stolen. Panic mode set in. We checked Find My Phone and saw it pinging at the apartment, so I legged it back through town as fast as we could. Thankfully, it was just sat there on the side where she’d left it. Heart rate finally returned to normal!

Caught the train to Manarola - just nine minutes down the line, though a quick €20 gone. We wandered through the town and made our way up to Nessun Dorma, the restaurant perched above the bay. We’d booked onto a pesto-making class and when we arrived, we were handed aprons and led to our table… along with about 60 others! The whole place had been turned into one big terrace classroom.

The class was brilliant - hands-on, informal, lots of laughs - and the pesto we made was genuinely delicious. The setting, the sun, the views, the atmosphere… it all came together. Coincidentally, the American couple from Marco’s bar the other night were sat behind us, and she kept popping over for a chat and photos. She was loving it too.

Afterwards, we were served a selection of antipasti and a carafe of wine. Music kicked in, there was some spontaneous dancing and general partying - such a great vibe. The two hours flew by.

Afterwards, we wandered around the corner and found a quiet spot near the water’s edge. I sat and caught up on my diary while Tash swam, then sunbathed to dry off. It was a real pinch-yourself kind of moment relaxing with the locals as no one else would think to go around the coastal path that far.

Later in the afternoon we set off for Riomaggiore, walking the high pass. It was only meant to be an hour, but more than half of that was uphill. As usual, sweat pouring off me, but the views from up there were something else again.

We arrived in Riomaggiore and walked around for a bit. Tash couldn’t even remember the town from earlier in the holiday - back when we first passed through on our 5 hour hike and she was deep in hangover territory! We made our way to the water again, then stopped in a bar for a quick drink before grabbing a takeaway pizza and a bottle of Prosecco.

We clambered over the rocks in the harbour to find a spot in the full sun for the sunset. Found a good ledge to balance our plastic glasses and bottle and sat back to enjoy the evening. As the sun started to drop, more and more people arrived with the same idea - although most were just carrying bottles of beer. We easily could’ve cracked open a second bottle but, for once, decided to show a bit of restraint.

The sunset was beautiful. When it was over, we made our way to the station and saw we had a 25-minute wait, so grabbed a beer at a little café nearby. We risked not buying tickets for the return - figured there wouldn’t be a conductor doing rounds on a Sunday night train at 9:30pm. We were right. €20 saved!

Back at the apartment, we finished off the last of the beers we’d bought earlier in the trip and played cards on the veranda.

Honestly, a really fantastic day - one of the best. Full of variety, laughs, little dramas, great food, new faces, and postcard-perfect views. Very memorable.

Cinque Terre - Day 4

This morning was a bit of a struggle. I wasn’t as hungover as Tash had been the other day, but definitely felt heavy-headed and slow to get going. Still, we got ourselves up and moving—today’s plan was another walk, this time to Corniglia. Picked up some focaccia for breakfast (can’t go wrong with that here), then set off.

Not far in, we reached a checkpoint and for a moment thought we’d taken the wrong trail. But all was good, and we began the climb up to the high path. And up. And up. It was relentless - over two hours of steady uphill hiking. I found it pretty tough going. I was drenched in sweat within minutes, but one thing that helped was the peace and quiet. Hardly anyone else on the trail, just us and the mountains. The views, as ever, were spectacular - same sweeping coastline, same glittering sea, but it never gets boring to stop and look.

Eventually we reached the top, the highest point in the area at 600 metres. From there, the trail led us through forest paths, and we started to come across more people and even a few mountain bikers. The descent down to Corniglia was no walk in the park either - really hard on the knees and thighs, and we found out it was busier because the lower trail to Manarola was closed due to a landslide.

Corniglia itself was packed. Tourists everywhere, and not a whole lot to do as it’s perched high on the cliffs without beach access or to the sea. We found a spot to sit down and had some food and a drink in the shade we could find, which helped, but I still wasn’t feeling great. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a hangover - felt more like heatstroke, or at least something close to it. I was flagging badly.

Tash was keen to walk on to Manarola, and normally I’d have been up for it, but the thought of climbing back up that path we’d just descended honestly made me want to cry. So instead we walked down what felt like a never-ending staircase to the train station.

Took the train back to Vernazza, stopped for an ice cream on the way through town, and then straight down to the beach for a dip in the sea. I was still overheating and not myself, so we went back to the apartment where I took a cold shower and crashed for a 90-minute nap. Absolute lifesaver.

In the evening, there was a restaurant right next to our apartment that we’d reserved a table for 7:00pm, and had a beautiful meal overlooking the bay. A lovely setting, decent fish, good wine, and I was feeling much more human again after the rest.

Afterwards, we wandered into town for the sunset and had a gentle stroll around the shops. No drinks tonight—we just headed back to the apartment and sat out on the veranda playing crib until about 10:30pm. An early night by our standards, but definitely needed.

Today was harder than expected. It was only a 3.5-hour walk, but the heat and that constant climbing took it out of me. Hoping for a bit more energy tomorrow.

Cinque Terre - Day 3

Slept really well last night, though we were both stirred around 5:00am by the sound of the trains rumbling through town. Managed to drift back off until 8:30am, which felt like a luxury. We had tea, coffee, and croissants out on the veranda, looking out over the rooftops of Vernazza. The view was brilliant and the morning sun already warm - such a great way to start the day.

At one point, a farmer trundled past us on what can only be described as a mini monorail—a proper little hillside contraption. Only in Italy.

We packed up our bits and set off intending to walk the coastal trail to Monterosso, only to discover it’s one-way during the mornings… in the opposite direction. So, plan B: back to the train station and hopped on a quick train there instead. It worked out just fine.

Monterosso was buzzing - a proper seaside resort feel with sunbeds and umbrellas lining the beach in neat rows. We strolled along the promenade, taking it all in, and eventually found a section of beach that us mere mortals could use without paying a small fortune. It was lovely just to lie back and do absolutely nothing for a bit.

The sun was fierce, so we dipped into the sea a few times. It was freezing. Not the kind of gentle ease-yourself-in kind of cold—the full “brace yourself and dive in” kind. But refreshing, and definitely needed.

Lunchtime came, and I grabbed a couple of focaccia from a nearby place. Delicious. Apparently focaccia is the thing to eat here, and I can see why. Will definitely be sampling a few more varieties while we’re around.

Typing this next bit mid-afternoon as we were getting ready to walk back to Vernazza. We were aiming to leave around 3:00pm for the 2–3 hour hike. Tried to find the high route but couldn’t, so ended up paying for the main coastal trail instead.

It was packed. Lots of people heading towards us, which on those narrow paths meant constantly stopping to let others pass. We got stuck behind a slow group for a bit, but eventually got ahead and found our stride. We definitely prefer the quieter high trails where it’s just us and the views - but this route still delivered. Challenging enough, and we made good time.

First thing we did on arrival? Beers. Sat by the quay and drank them in minutes - so we marched straight back up the hill for round two.

Back at the apartment, we showered and got ready for the evening. Cracked open another beer on the veranda, music playing, sun dipping - one of those perfect little moments. Later we headed into town again for food. I went for fish and chips, Tash had calamari and chips, and we sat with a beer watching the sun set into the sea. Bliss.

Afterwards, we stopped by a small bar I’d had my eye on all day, and it didn’t disappoint. Tash ordered a couple of cocktails made to her liking while we chatted to three Austrian women and then an Irish family. I must admit, I got a bit tipsy by the end - okay, more than a bit - but it was a great end to a full day.

We eventually wandered home and crashed straight into bed. Another long one in the legs. To be honest, I didn’t expect these hikes to be quite as tough as they’ve been. Makes me feel a little guilty I didn’t research them more thoroughly. 

But still—no regrets.

Cinque Terre - Day 2

We were awake early, though neither of us exactly sprang out of bed. Tash was nursing a hangover and I had a bit of a heavy head myself—not too bad, just enough to remind us of the night before. We packed up our things and checked out, then left our bags on the quay by the boat ticket office, fingers crossed they’d still be there later.

We popped into the supermarket to stock up on supplies before catching the boat. It turned up on time and the crossing to the next town took about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the sway of the boat didn’t sit well with Tash’s hangover, and she ended up being sick—poor thing.

Once we arrived at Riomaggiore, we had a little wander around the town to get our bearings, then set off on the hiking trail. The start was brutal—very steep and pretty hard-going. We were both sweating like mad within minutes, me more so as per usual. A small church gave us a good excuse to pause, then we carried on. The trail evened out into more manageable ups and downs, and while still challenging, it wasn’t as punishing as that first climb.

I had a few comments on my Lord of the Rings t-shirt from fellow hikers, which was a nice little boost. We made regular stops for food, drink, and to take in the incredible views of the coastline—absolutely stunning. It took us around five hours in total. It was tough going, but rewarding, and the terrain reminded me a lot of other recent hikes we've done. Familiar, but still a test.

When we got back to Porto Venere, we were relieved to find our bags exactly where we’d left them. From there, we jumped straight onto the boat to Vernazza, where we’ll be staying for the next four nights. We met our host, Elena and found the place easily—tucked away from the main hustle of town, which suits us perfectly. Lovely little setting.

We settled in for a bit—Tash sunbathed and read, and I just flopped out and wasted a bit of time scrolling on my phone. Then we got ourselves ready for our 7:00pm dinner reservation. It was a close call - the restaurant looked closed at first, but thankfully they let us in. Turned out a reservation was essential. The food was great, but we didn’t get a prime spot to enjoy the sunset, which was a bit of a shame.

We did, however, meet a really friendly couple from Denmark and had a good chat with them between courses. After dinner, we headed down to the quay and grabbed a couple of drinks just in time to catch the sunset properly from there. Vernazza is a gorgeous place - we were both really happy with it.

We had a little explore around the town afterwards, soaking up the atmosphere, then grabbed a couple of beers to take back to the apartment. We ended the day sitting on our veranda, sipping our drinks and relaxing under the evening sky. Brilliant day. Absolutely shattered.

Cinque Terre - Day 1

We were up at 4:00am and out of the house by 4:30, heading to Heathrow in the dark. Thankfully, the car drop-off was smooth and security was no hassle at all. As usual, we managed to grab some breakfast before the flight—something comforting about that little ritual.

There was a slight delay taking off, but the pilot made up the time in the air and we landed pretty much on schedule. Tash had done her homework on how to get from the airport, which made things a lot easier. We took the Metro to Pisa train station, then managed to get tickets for the train to La Spezia. There was a moment of mild panic when our first train option was fully booked, but we sorted it in the end.

While waiting, we tucked into pizza and beer in a local place overlooking the road and traffic - and of course, posted about it on Facebook! The train journey to La Spezia was just over an hour. We were both so tired that we ended up dozing rather than admiring the Italian countryside, but the rest was much needed.

At La Spezia, we got our bus tickets to Porto Venere. There was a bit of confusion about which stop we needed, but it all worked out. Porto Venere itself was absolutely beautiful. We found our accommodation easily enough, and our host Fabio—a lovely old man—was very welcoming. We saw him a few times wandering about the village, always with a smile.

After getting ourselves sorted, we headed out for a wander. The village was bustling with tourists at first, but then the coaches left and it felt like the place emptied in minutes. We explored the winding paths and found the little church perched on the cliffs, with stunning views over the sea—just breath-taking.

Back in town, we stopped at a local bar for a couple of beers, soaking up the relaxed atmosphere. Then we found the restaurant that Fabio had recommended. It was completely empty when we arrived, and still empty when we left—but the food was excellent. Stuffed mussels to start, which were really good, followed by tuna that was even better. A lovely bottle of wine completed the meal, and we were both really happy with our choice.

We finished the evening with a few more drinks at another bar before heading to bed. It’s been a great first day—so good to be here, and even nicer to be just the two of us. We really do enjoy our own company.

My thoughts after the Manchester Marathon - a reflection

This was my Dictaphone recording that was then transcribed by AI - not bad!

Okay, so these are my thoughts on the Manchester Marathon, a couple of days later. So I'm quite split, to be honest, between wanting to feel proud about having completed it, but also disappointment and embarrassment that it took me seven hours. 

And I just, in my mind, feel that I failed quite miserably, to be honest. That failure is 100% my own fault for not having the discipline and the mental capacity, I suppose, to do the training plan that everybody else did. I was too flippant, too casual, too lazy, even. That showed, because whilst everybody else managed to do it in 4 or 5 hours, I was one of the last people on the course. And it's just, it's not good. Clearly, I didn't learn from the 100 mile bike ride, as it was the same thing, I just didn't put in the hours, 

I didn't appreciate the task at hand. So that's two things that I don't think I can be particularly proud of. People will say otherwise and say, oh, well, at least you finished. But, I dunno, I don't feel proud and I don't feel happy about it. If I could, I'd probably sign up and do it again in six weeks time, just to prove that I could do it in less than six hours. But it has made me think. 

So that's my own personal feelings about my performance. But my pride and happiness is in the fact that Natasha, Lewis, Charlotte, Jack, and obviously other friends, Pauline, et cetera, did so very, very well and got the reward that they deserved for all of their months and months of hard work and training. And to think of us as a family of five, that do clearly have a competitive nature, but can say that we all just got on with it and just have done and completed a marathon together, is really pleasing. And that's where my pride is

So what now? I So the reason for this reflection, I guess, is to try to recapture this feeling of disappointment, frustration anger, for when I have a new challenge, I take it seriously and put the hours and the dedication in that is required. I did it for Kilimanjaro. So I have proven that I can do it but I guess my heart wasn't really in this. I don't like running and I guess that showed and I've been rewarded so to speak accordingly i.e. not really rewarded at all. my temptation is to sign up for a half marathon and put the time in for that so that I can complete that in a reasonable time whether that's Oxford or somewhere else but a half marathon quite obviously is less challenging than a full marathon and more achievable which would be a lot of fun. 

Hopefully I will get out and still continue to run the miles and keep the level of fitness that I have built up to. It has been a success in that respect that my fitness level has improved. Now I don't know if my body shape has changed much but I do feel better about myself from a health and fitness perspective.  

That's the intention but that might just be my anger speaking. I mean I have found it hard enough to go out and do runs with the marathon looming so with no particular target in mind what is going to motivate me to get out the door and run. So I'll do updates. I'll do reminders. I'll do whatever and just see what happens but I do have to change my mindset so that I'm better disciplined probably in general in my life not just when we have a challenge ahead of us. 

Well that's my whining over for now. So as I say I need to have this reflection. I need to reflect, address the elephant in the room, so to speak.

And I need to stop making negative comments when people say well done. Stop, putting down the achievement, because I did it, albeit, not to my satisfaction. And just one last thing it was very, very hot. It was very hard. It was brutal running out there and so many people on Twitter and social media just said they flagged and died. 

It was so hard and to be fair the cramp that I experienced at mile eight onwards and just having to keep stopping, it was hard. I can remember it now, it's just so so desperately hard. 

Not sure I'd do a marathon again

Manchester Marathon - Race Day (and night!)

So, marathon day today. 

What we've all been training and waiting for is finally here. 

Didn't have a particularly good night's sleep, nervousness and bed was comfy, just not the pillow, but can't complain. But we've woken up to a really nice sunny morning and I suspect it's going to get hotter. So, we got ourselves sorted, packed the van and I even went out to the van and cooked porridge for mine and Natasha's breakfast at 7.00am. So, we had fuel ready to go, checked in with everybody else and everyone was fine. Wished Jack luck because he was obviously starting a lot earlier than us. And then jumped in the van, it was about half past eight and incredibly, the run into Manchester along our route was no traffic whatsoever. So, a half our drive was only 20 minutes. We found our parking garage and that was really safe and secure and that was a really good find. With Charlotte and Miles we then parked and as we walked out, Gigi and Ev walked past. So, there was all that excitement in seeing them.

We then walked a bit aimlessly around Piccadilly not sure where to go. But lots of people clearly for the marathon were going in the right direction. And we found the tram stop within Piccadilly station. And as you would imagine, pretty busy. But we got on the first tram that came and off we went towards Old Trafford it was. And it got busier and busier and the stops, they were not letting people on at one point. It was just so crowded, but we had our banana. We had our pasta. 

Then at one point you looked out the window and you could see where the marathon had started and we were going parallel to all these people running, it made it all a bit real all of a sudden there are 36,000 people running the marathon and then you get about 130,000 people watching and supporting so you can imagine how busy it is. We managed to connect with Lewis and we all milled around the staging area whilst groups were called out to go to their starting areas. We said our goodbyes to our supporters and walked through, took some photos and had last minute toilet breaks - which then as they called us through it was a long walked to the starting area - nerves all around! We were in good time and needed to wait there for about 20 minutes.

The groups went off, Pauline Bampton was in the one ahead of u, and like I say, we were pink, and yeah, slowly the time ticked down, and then at 11 o'clock, a bit of smoke and a bit of fire, a countdown, and we were off. 

Goodness me, it was fucking hard. So, very quickly, I was way behind everybody, I set my slow pace, and they sorted their pace, but it was so crowded, and the people cheering and shouting, so I turned my headphones off just to take it all in, it was great. But I did notice that I don't think I actually ran past anybody. They all just went past me, which is fair enough.

And yeah, so very quickly I was just on my own, so to speak, you know, in terms of not having friends, but having lots of people around me. And I then settled down for the long haul. The problem was that it was incredibly hot. I don't know what the temperature was, but it was easily in the 20s. And as we found out afterwards, it just affected so many people, insofar as not being able to continue, stopping and walking, but mostly not meeting their expectations of time to complete it (including Jack!). All of their times were just so much lower, as in higher, sorry. Because... It was just so exhausting.

So, what was my race like? I struggled. I got to about 8 miles, I think, and had to stop. And then, once I'd done that, it was just stop, start, stop, start, all the time. I just had no energy. I had cramp in my right calf. And...Yeah, it was just... from 8 miles, so, 18 miles left to get through.

I was just a bit pathetic, really. I didn't think I'd walk as much as I did. And, in hindsight, it's all my own fault. I didn't do the work. I didn't put the time in. I didn't put the miles in. I didn't put the hours in. And it showed. I got exactly what I deserved. But, that's a different post for another day. What I did enjoy was all the people waving, and cheering, and partying, and drinking, and dishing out sweets, dishing out drinks. Even many people had their hosepipes connected and on, so they were just spraying everybody as you ran past. Again, it was just so hot, you didn't mind. You were soon dry again.

At a couple of points, I did see John, Miles & Zoe. And then we saw Miles and Kate Miller near the end, about, what was that, about mile 18. So that was nice. And then, I got there, and you kept seeing notifications on the phone. Saying who's made it, who's there, where is it. where's everybody. And, slowly, my time just kept increasing. I knew before I started I wasn't going to do five hours. Then I realised I wasn't going to do five and a half. And in fact, I think I was at 20 miles at five and a half hours. So, it was another hour and a bit. 90 minutes, thinking, oh no. And, so persevered. And then, the last two miles came into play.

And, yeah, the last mile and a half, all the family and everybody was all at a barrier. But behind me, the sweeper truck was looming. I did stop and do a selfie with the family. Which was funny. And then I carried on. And eventually got to the home straight. That was about 400 metres. By now, we're talking seven hours. And six o'clock at night. And, the crowds were sparse. To put it mildly. But, what do you expect. And I was running down. Well, I wouldn't say running. But, trying to, then I had both legs cramping. Cramping on me. 

I heard the man on the tannoy say something like. "Come on everybody. Cheer the last few runners in". And, it just made me feel a bit shit really. But, I crossed the line. And, thankfully, I get a time. I got a medal. I got a finishing t-shirt. I think if I'd been another 15 or 20 minutes longer then I might not have got those. So, that was fortunate to say the least. I went through the various merchandise and freebies that they hand out. But, I just wanted to get out. And, at the end of it all was everybody. And, we all hugged and said congratulations. And, took celebratory photographs. And, everything like that. And, yeah, it was a great feeling. But, most importantly was as a family, we've done it. This is being recorded a couple of days later. And, I don't feel I can say that I ran the marathon. But, I can say that I "completed" the marathon. So, I'll stick with that. That'll do me. And, in future. It'll be forgotten. And, it was just a t-shirt and a medal that I've got.

But, yeah, really good. Really, really proud of everybody. And, everyone did so well. Jack, 4 hours something. I think it's 4 hours 15.

Lewis and Mum were 5 hours 20 and 35. Charlotte was, I think, 4 hours 15 or something. I'm not sure off the top of my head now. And, I was 7. Goodness me.

Marathon Day Night

So, this is a continuation of the marathon day, in case the file was too big. So, we took photos and knowing we had a table or a booth booked at Albert Schloss at 7.45pm, we got an Uber and went back to our car park, got our things and booked into our Travelodge hotel. That was on Piccadilly Square, right in the centre. Brilliant location.

I think everybody would have been perfectly happy not to go out again. But it was booked and we had to make the most of the celebration, the adrenaline and just reflect on the feat that we had achieved. So, we persevered and met downstairs, made our way to Deansgate. Great location, love it there. John and Pauline were ahead of us and had our booth set up. And then we ordered alcohol, which we've not really had for a long time. Well, not much of anyway! Looking forward to that..

In saying that, it took a while for the first pint to go down. After that I was okay, I had three, but it was, it was hard, so tired. And then Gigi and Ev and all their friends arrived. They were in the booth next to us. There was a great atmosphere, there was a good band, very loud. And you just looked around and including ourselves, there were people in their finisher t-shirt, or with a medal around their neck. Because, in fact, lots of places in Manchester would give you a free drink or free food or whatever if you had your marathon medal. We didn't find any, but it was just nice to walk past people and say, "well done, excellent, enjoy it". So yeah, that was good. We then all had a meal. Very quickly, it was like 10pm. I knew I had work tomorrow, and some other people had work. In fact, Lewis and Emily didn't even come, at one point we all looked at each other and just said, should we just go home? And that's what we did. Made our way back to the hotel. After saying our goodbyes and off to bed for a well-deserved sleep.

What a day, what an experience. It was something else. Thinking about it now, I did really enjoy it. But I'm sure my face and my features and my demeanour would suggest that I didn't enjoy it that much.

And I'm proud of everybody.

The Day before the Marathon

Okay, so this is the day before the marathon.

Just got things sorted and ready really. We collected Zoe, then took Bess to Victoria and Danny's because they were looking after her for the weekend, and then we went to Bicester Garden Centre because it was Ralph's fourth birthday. That was nice, we stayed there for 30 or 40 minutes whilst they all played in the kids play area and we had a coffee etc and everybody wished us luck and then we left that and got on the road. I drove whilst Tash and Zoe chatted and ate and quite quickly we got to Knutsford, although we did have to pass Lewis's house in Holmes Chapel because of delays on the motorway, but that's exactly what happens with him is their town is used as a quick route through, but we parked up and funnily enough where we were going to park, there was a circus or... a fair setting up and I just didn't feel comfortable with everything in the van, with the gypsies around, completely irrational, but I moved it and we then met everybody at Piccolino Italian restaurant and made a bit of a fuss for Natasha's birthday, dragging this out again. But it was nice, so there was me, Natasha, Zoe, Miles and Charlotte, Lewis and Emily and Jack and Jodie and obviously everybody had pasta. 

Lewis had a beer and then non-runners had beers had alcohol. Fair play to them, but yeah, the rest of us were quite disciplined. After the meal, we all made our way back to Lewis's house and had a coffee and those that haven't been there had a tour of the house It was just nice, nice and relaxed and then after about an hour or so we made our way back on the road again just to the north of Manchester and we were actually in a Travel Lodge on the M62

At first glance you thought oh shit. What have we done? but actually once we were in the room, it was very quiet We had a room with Zoe and it was fine. We got sorted and Charlotte and Miles had a friend in the Travel Lodge on the eastbound side on the other side of the M62 and we met them in the local pub for a drink, which none of us had any alcohol again but that was nice and then that was it, more pasta.

We're all quite tired really, so it's bed at 10.00pm - excited and nervous about tomorrow 

God knows how that's gonna go

Camping for the weekend - Devon

So we had a nice morning, bit of breakfast and jump in the hot tub as it had been left on all weekend so had to make use of it.

Then got a few things sorted in the morning and it felt like Emily was trying to move things along so that they could make their way back to Manchester so we went to the cafe on the A40 near Eynsham (really quirky place) to get coffees and then off to the Bluebell woods for a quick walk around there.

Then it was back to the cars by about 1.00pm and then we all went off our different ways, Mum home, Lewis and Emily up North and us down to Devon.

We went past Burford and joined the M5 that way - the road and traffic down to Devon was fine and we were soon arriving and Tim and Chrissie's house where we received our usual warm welcome - lovely to see them and catch up. After about an hour or so we then jumped in the cars and drove to their local beach/cove that they really like, walked through a smugglers tunnel and then across the beach and then off to another beach (Shaldon) which is their favourite and is separated us from Teignmouth on the other side of the estuary and we had a pint in the FBI pub (The Ferry Boat Inn) which was lively and they told us tales of what it's like there in the summer - can imagine it's very popular.

As part of our chats we found out that Tim is performing with his band at Lattitude this summer - so we'll have to try and see him there, but it would also be good to get down to Shaldon beach etc too. Perhaps we'll do so on a tour that we keep saying we'll do!

Once that was done we walked back to our cars and said farewells and then we set off for our campsite that was about 30 mins away. Stopped for a burger first and then found the campsite hidden away, got there about 8.00pm but very nice and we got sorted.

Walked Bess and didn't take long to get ourselves into Camping mode and all settled in. I got the Mifi out and tested it, ended up using it all weekend as it was super fast and better than the phone connection - really pleased with it.

Sunday we had breakfast and then set off on a hike for Broadsands beach, nice little place and then walked the coastal path towards Paignton, caught sight of the steam train and was on the bridge when it went past smothering us in it's smoke - that was call - good video. 

The coastal path was nice and lots of travellers there too, carried Bess up some of the steeper steps - bless her! Went past a few other beaches and eventually got to Paignton, had coffee and our sandwiches which Tash had made. Felt like we'd walked ages and I started checking Uber - would have cost £5 to get home - was tempted! Anyway, walked through Paignton - proper seaside place - chavvy! Then we made our way back to the campsite - wasn't so bad, worked out at about 12 miles in the end.

I got chicken curry on the go and we had a nice dinner and then sorted out the bed and watched a film in the van - Life List, proper chick-flick but I did enjoy it even though we could tell all the things that were going to happen. We then watched a couple more episodes of Prison Break - getting close to the end of the first season at long last - it's been a slog!

Anyway, lights out about 11.15pm

Decent nights sleep, bit of breakfast and then packing things away. Campsite said it was fine to leave the van for a bit as we went for a walk and that was a good idea - went to Stoke Gabriel - more of a town than village - such a great find too. Down by the River Dart and we had coffee and then made our way back across farmer's fields and then set off. 

What should have been about 3 hour drive took well over 4.5hrs - as predicted the traffic was very busy and not enjoyable. Anyway, got home in the end, but tired. Tash unloaded everything and I went to sleep for an hour with the intention of running but I couldn't be bothered. So had dinner and sorted a few things out at home and then watched TV and went to bed.

A long but very enjoyable and packed weekend.

We have loads coming up too so will be very, very busy indeed!

Lewis is 30! And they're having a boy!

Where has time gone? Lewis turned 30 this weekend, he was down in Oxford on Thursday but was going to be back in Manchester on his actual birthday on the Monday which was a shame that he wasn't spending it with his family down here - but there we go!

So normal Thursday here for work etc and then they arrived about 5.30pm so they had a good run down - took Bess for a walk and caught up with things.

They announced that they're having a baby boy and did know about it some time ago but had kept it quiet.

Lovely to know and very exciting - Tash handed over the presents we'd got for the baby but now we know we can get boy things now!

We then had dinner and a nice evening.

Friday morning was Easter Friday so no work for us, I went out for a run - only for an hour and when I got back Charl was over and they were all waiting to open presents and have breakfast. Once that was done we then went in the hot-tub and then got ready and went out to Bicester as we had an hour booked to play Padel. We were pretty useless but Jack was fine and it was a bit frustrating as there were no quality rallies or anything, just messing about - but it was nice.

Back home and we got ready for evening meal and then got Mum and went to Beaconsfield where we had a nice booked at The Crazy Bear there. Tash got some champagne ordered and then we walked down the road a bit as we were in the Snug in the Thai restaurant and were treated to a 10 course taster meal. That was go good and really enjoyable. No rush and loads of food - a great evening.

We paid (£750.00) but that was fine as it would have been that much had we had a party or something so we didn't accept any money from people trying to pay us.

Along with the 30 year savings account Tash has been running and gave to Lewis (£5.6k) I think he's had a pretty decent celebration - although I do wonder how "appreciated" it actually is - there's never much coming from either of them, that's a lot of money to hand over. I don't know.

Anyway, it's done - hope they do appreciate it.

Back home and everyone tired and ready for bed. 

A lovely birthday and decent day today, a shame they're going back up North tomorrow for other birthdays (not Lewis's) so he's not around on the day in question and we are not invited up there either. It's going to be interesting (or very hard) when the baby arrived to determine how welcome and comfortable we feel going up there - just hope we're invited! 

Run and Mifi

Normal day at work - although we're being monitored even more now on timesheets so I am being very anal in keeping tabs on literally everything I am doing and recording it - see how long this lasts for!

At the weekend I ordered a mifi for the van (and an EE Data sim card) so that we could have internet on the go anywhere and not have to rely on hot-spotting my phone in the hope that it'll be a good connection and I can work remotely in the van.

Both arrived today and it didn't take too long to set up and test and the results are amazing. Admittedly I think we're in a good location here in Wolvercote but still, using the sim as the data connection on my laptop worked so well and quickly. I am excited to try and book some time away now!

This week and next we're supposed to be "tapering down" our runs and loading up on carbs, it means less running after doing the 20 miler, and to be fair my legs have been feeling good so I went out today and quite comfortably ran 3.5 miles - just as a loosener really.

Can't say that I am looking forward to the marathon but I will be glad to get it out of the way, I think that will the right fuel that weekend I should be able to complete it, albeit with a fair amount of walking but I can live with that. Just hope I make under 6 hours.

Jack's Birthday weekend

Jack was 24 this weekend - how old is that??

Jodie was down all weekend which was really nice and made it special for him.

Tash and I went out for a meal on Friday night with Clare and Greg, we met at The Store and went in their rooftop bar for a drink (non-alcoholic for me!) and then went to Quod for a great meal. Felt a bit awkward not having a decent drink but I was disciplined and kept to only a glass of wine. We did got for a pint next door at my suggestion and it was a really nice evening.

Even though we started around 5.00pm we still didn't get home until after 11.00pm.

Saturday was Jack's birthday, he went out for a run and then we got up and going, he didn't know what we were doing.

Stopped at Jeremy Clarkson's pub (Jack, Jodie, Tash, Me, Charl and Miles) - 10.55am and people were queued at the door for 11.00am opening! We explored and sat out in the sunshine of the garden and had tea and pasty which was so good. 

We then told Jack what we were doing and we had a bit of time to kill (Jack was hungry too!) so we stopped in Burford, that was very busy, and then carried on our way to North Leach for our "Scenic Sauna". Great little set up and location with loads to do there but we were there for the sauna and were not disappointed - other than it would have been good to be there for an hour longer - 55 mins was just a bit quick.

We relaxed and used the sauna and the cold plunge pools - I wimped out on those - the wind was cold enough for me! But fair play to all the others - they went for it! When our time was up we had coffee and cake and it was nice and relaxing.

After a bit it was time to go home - Jack and Jodie were going out in the evening for a meal (and a few of his friends were surprising him) and I had this long run I needed to do.

So we went back home and I slept for 40 mins and had a bit to it (not enough!) and then I set off for my 20 mile run. I originally was planning to do the Ring Road but as it was 5.00pm I thought I didn't want to do a part of it in the dark so I decided on 3.5 laps of the Wolvercote/Cutteslowe/St Giles triangle.

I did okay for the first 8-10 miles but it was hard and then it only got harder still. I didn't have enough water or gels and I'd not eaten enough food in the day so I was lacking energy. Charl and Miles drove past and so did big Thommo and tooted. I slowed down of course and soon I was struggling with 14 min miles, at 18 I tried to throw up, retching the lot but I had nothing to give. Tash then turned up and I was jogging at her walking pace so I think just walked and then by First Turn Jack drove past going home to get changed and stopped and I had to get a lift home - 19.67miles! Big let down!!

I keep telling myself that with proper prep and food/fuelling I will do a lot better so we'll see. I did get a few niggles and stopped a couple of times to stretch or wee, but that was only a couple of mins in total so not bad.

Bath at home for 45mins and then bed - didn't sleep a wink though!

Sunday I was up and okay to be honest, Jack went out for a run and we pottered around and then Tash walked Bess to Summertown but Jodie's not in good shape with her leg so I drove her there and we met with Jack in one of the coffee shops which was nice and relaxed. 

Back home we got all the food ready for his "party" with the family all coming round from 2.00pm onwards, sadly the rain spoilt it a bit and we were inside and out - more outside in the end so that was good. I did have a few bottles of Corona (about 4) but for 7 weeks now I've drunk very little alcohol!

Party went well and it was great having people over and we had a nice time and slowly they all left.

Didn't really do anything in the evening when it was just the four of us left, started watching a film but I was wiped out so went to bed about 9.30pm.

A good weekend - only two weeks now until this marathon

What is interesting though is that it is completely dominating all our conversations - literally 100%! I'll be glad when we have something different to talk about. We're talking about the accommodation, where to see people, what food, what driving, what to do afterwards, what runs we have left...and so on!  

Mothers Day weekend

So it was Mother's Day this weekend and we certainly went to town to spoil Tash! Of course it was a weekend for a start - not just Mothering Sunday.. :-)

So Friday Charlotte came over after work and got things sorted because her and Miles had told Tash they were doing dinner, in fact we were all doing dinner, she had bought loads of ingredients so that we could make our own sushi rolls etc. 

That was a nice start to the evening and she got things sorted, especially the sticky rice, and when Miles arrived we got going. We watched a couple of videos and then had a go ourselves. Great fun, and we were pretty good a it after a couple of goes. Had an experiment with a view ideas but all in all we kept making great tasting rolls of rice and getting full up on them. 

Had some chocolate pudding at the end but such a good idea and it was so healthy. Really enjoyed doing it. Pottered around for a bit but it was late so they left and off to bed.

Next morning Tash did a run and then we got sorted and went over to Charlotte and Miles again and they drove over to Leamington Spa where we met up with the boys around midday. We chose there because Charl and Miles were going to go to a friend's engagement party but they decided not to so that meant we had more time together which was nice.

Met Lewis and Jack and then wandered around Leamington to a coffee shop and then a record shop afterwards but it was nice just catching up and chatting. Back to the car and collected our picnics and then found a place in the park next to the river, unfortunately it turned a bit cold as the sun went in and people wanted to move on. But we had loads of nice food and treats and played some games.

Went for more of a walk around Leamington but to warm up we went to another bar and had a coffee - no alcohol again.

All went well and then we called it a day and went our separate ways. 

Back home I had a snooze and then went out running and did 13 miles which was hard work because I think I'd not eaten properly, only the rubbish in the picnic.

Back home I was wiped out.

Next day was Mothers Day and it was nice and we went out for a walk in the morning over to Blenheim as we had the kids and then back home and Tash did Sunday roast for us all.

A really nice weekend

  

Louise O'Hara has died

Very sad news to announce - at the weekend when playing golf with Wayne and Julio they said that Lou was in Helen House and it was just a matter of time. Tash and I messaged Marko with our love and feelings and then Wayne told me on Sunday when he was at football that she'd died.

Marko then posted on Facebook yesterday and as you could imagine for such a popular couple the messages have been flooding in.

Lou was around when we played football for Thame and was obviously friends with all the girlfriends at the time there. She was lovely and bubbly person that coped with terrible kids at school in Blackbird Leys but it didn't phase her. 

She's been very ill for a long, long time - over 5 years with this cancer and it's been expected that she would die almost any time but she kept fighting and hanging on, but the lads said at the weekend that she'd had enough and just wanted to go - sadly her wish came true

A very sad and sobering moment for us all

Bless her - we really liked her.

Longest run in my life!

Busy day with work meant that I couldn't get out in the morning or lunchtime so in the evening I packed up on time and after delaying tactics I had no option other than to go out for my evening run. I had a route in my head planned and wanted to match everyone else for running 16 miles at the weekend which I obviously didn't do.

It was quite a jump up from my usual run and Tash was suggesting that I only did 13 miles as per the half marathon. 

Anyway, off I went through Wytham and town etc and for whatever reason I felt okay and did it at a decent pace. Not sure if it was food, drink, getting fitter, decent music or change of scenery but I was happily pounding along and getting through the miles. 

As I came up the Marston Ferry Road I had a decision to make but in my head I just felt I had to do the full 16 miles - last two miles I was very slow and was hurting but I did it! Took me 3hr and 40mins which is a bloody long time but I didn't stop even once so I was delighted about that.

Got home and felt sick and tired. Laid in the bath for 30 mins and then bed - I knew I'd likely not sleep well and that was correct - shit night's sleep. Could hear my body not happy with me but I survived without cramp or anything and could walk okay in the morning - starting to stiffen up about midday though truth be told!

So that's the longest (time and distance) that I've ever run. On top of that there's another 10 miles so that's about 2hrs 15mins - goodness. Only about 5 weeks away so I need to get more of these runs in - same again Saturday! 

Travel up to Lewis and Emily's new home

Not a great night's sleep but it was okay, and I took Bess for a walk in the morning after having quite a nice relaxing coffee and toast in the sun on the patio - going to be a lovely day today.

Checked in with Sue and was able to drop Bess off early and then set out from her house around 9.45am with x2 Belgian buns from Coop and it was a two hour drive - very uneventful but enjoyable at the same time.

Their town is right on the junction so only 1.5 miles off the M6 so that was handy.

Took them some goodies that Tash had sorted and had a tour of the house and listened to their ideas - all very exciting and it's great that they have savings and profit so will be able to do a lot of the things that they have in their mind. Going to be a lot of work but they have decent rates from builders and designers up there so that makes one hell of a difference.

We did some moving of heavy items out to the garage - they've got so much space and the guy before them was very clearly a competent carpenter that's for sure. Lewis and I then went back to his old house and collected a load of plants that couldn't fit in the van on Friday and we popped into the large Go Outdoors up there and I tried on some zip off trousers but they weren't what I wanted.

Showed them how to use the wall-paper stripper and then we went to the local pub and I treated them to lunch and drinks. Back to theirs and then at 5.00pm I set off to come home. Took a bit longer as there was a lot of traffic but got to Sue's in 2 hours had a chat with her and then came home.

Went out for a walk to get my steps up and then watched a it of TV and had an early night - a long but enjoyable day. Really pleased for them.

The day after the baby announcement!

Was a bit of a slow riser this morning as it was after midnight when we got home and to bed, Flanners had arrived but forgot something and had to return to Bicester, I got up and started breakfast and Zoe and Niamh came over - scrambled eggs all round. 

They were obviously excited and the day followed the same pattern of people hearing the news and asking all the questions and screaming and crying. Good fun.

After breakfast and chatting with Brian we then went over to Sue's so they could share the news with her, Nikki was there with Danny and Vics kids and Sue had been shopping for lunch and everyone was pleased and excited with the news, then Katie turned up with her kids and then Tiff too - seems the word had got out!

It was a nice afternoon and then Lewis and Emily needed to leave for a meal with her family so they were on the road at about 1.30pm so in good time, and that signalled for everyone else to leave. Tash and I stayed and tidied up and did jobs where possible and we too left about 3.30pm. 

Needed to do some jobs in the garden but I then noticed that Charl still had my hedge trimmer so I went and got that and was pleased to learn that Miles had refitted the wire that we've all cut through once or twice in the past - like having a new tool!

Thanked them and was pleased to learn that their evening and then afternoon tea today had been a success.

Back home Tash and I worked in the garden and then when too dark came in for dinner (gammon with pineapple that was good) and then spent nearly two hours on her work's Wordpress site trying to sort ordering in a webpage, it was driving me nuts and it did defeat me - pissed off about that.

We then watched a couple of episodes of the Traitors - we're completely hooked on it, I love it.

Then early night to bed - what a weekend that has been. Still can't quite believe it!