Ryder Cup Weekend

What a great weekend that was! Really enjoyed it.

Friday I had the Ryder Cup golf playing on my other laptop from 12.30pm whilst I was working - it was so engaging and great to watch. The ability of the players was phenomenal. Europe got a decent lead.

Finished work a bit late so I was caught up and Tash came home for dinner and then from 5.30pm I was back in the office on my laptop watching the second session and again Europe dominated. I didn't move an inch the whole time and it didn't finish until 11.30pm!!

Went to bed knowing I had an early start.

Up bright and early, well less bright now as it's dark in the mornings until 6.45am - and I felt a bit groggy, not from drink as I didn't drink last night but just weary.

Got sorted and then went off to Radley, Wayne turned up the same time as me, 7.00am and we got practising. Jon Hawkins and Robbie Barresi made up the foursome and Robbie and I got pair together which was perhaps a little unfair as we have high handicaps and boy, did we make use of them!

We destroyed Wayne and Hawks, absolutely smashed them winning holes left, right and centre - completing the win on the 13th! £5.00 in the pocket as a result.. :-)

Finished the round, I was completing all the holes so that I could put in a card and I ended up with a round of 90 so I was very pleased with that. Spoiler alert - it brought my handicap down to 20.8 which I am delighted with and is the lowest I've ever been - need to keep going though I want to be in the teens before the New Year.

Went home and did some chores in between trying to sneak in the office and watch the Ryder cup again - Foursome and Fourballs - but Tash was onto me and I had to work instead! It was productive so that was good, ticked items off a very long list.

We then went out into town to do some shopping for my birthday, went into Uniglo and found a pair of trousers I liked but they were too long and they didn't have my size online but what is brilliant about their system is that they do an alteration service and I was able to get them taken up for free - really impressive.

I then said to Tash I really wanted a big knitted jumper and we went across the road to Superdry and exactly what I wanted was there on the front table - couldn't believe it, tried it on and loved it - so bought that as well - that's my birthday presents from Tash sorted.

We then pottered around for a bit before going to Pizza Express for a meal and then over to The Crown for another drink afterwards. Really nice to spend some time like that and then made our way home. Watched a bit of TV but I was more invested in the golf on the iPhone. Then to bed. 

Jobs got done in the morning so that I could watch the golf from midday, it was only when I checked my phone that I saw the golf didn't start until 5.00pm!! Anyway, cracked on with everything on the list and did well. Then went over to Sue's and sorted her BBQ that Aaron had put together completely incorrectly, Sue was pleased that’s now sorted for her.

As planned we then made our way over to Vic's pub (The Abingdon Arms - Beckley) for Sunday roast. It was really busy in there but we got a place sorted and had a really good meal - and to top it off we didn't have to pay as Vic had told them we were on our way over so that was a great bonus, mind you - we still ended up giving a £35 tip...

Dropped Sue off and then made our way back home and I said "goodbye" to Tash for the rest of the evening and I just sat at my laptop watching the golf.

What was expected to be an absolutely hammering for the US turned into an incredibly exciting and nerve-wracking evening as they fought back and took the fight to Europe. It was incredibly tense and you really worried that they would turn over the deficit - each of the games were making it to the 18th hole and it was only by about the 8th pairing that we got the points we needed to retain the trophy through Shane Lowry, and then Tyrrell Hatton got the point for Europe to eventually win 15–13, that was close. I stayed watching until the end and the presentation of the trophy and the celebrations and about midnight called it a (long) day.

I really enjoyed that, such a great weekend's golf and so exciting and amazing how good these players are.

It's back in 2 years and in Ireland, I'll have to put it in the diary for Tash so I can watch all of it next time!

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Reflections:

• A fantastic mix of golf, work, and life admin – and probably the most exciting Ryder Cup I’ve watched.

• I’m really pleased with how my golf is coming along – shooting 90 and getting my handicap down to 20.8 felt huge. A proper milestone.

• Loved having time out with Tash – birthday presents sorted, nice meal, and quality time.

• The Ryder Cup finale was tense, almost painful to watch at times, but such a thrill when Europe finally clinched it.

Win of the Weekend:
Europe retaining the Ryder Cup and me hitting my lowest ever handicap – a weekend of golf wins all round.

Golf, Work and Charlotte’s Birthday Meal

Up early this morning and set off to Radley for a round of golf. The American chap was there before me, of course, and I started on the 4th again so I wasn’t stuck behind him. I didn’t play as well as I have been recently – no warm-up meant I was stiff going round. A bit of a wake-up call not to get complacent after a few good rounds. Playing again Saturday morning, so hopefully I’ll get back into the groove and post another solid score for the third week running.

Managed 9 holes before 8.00am and then set up in the clubhouse like usual to work. It was really busy with a Seniors’ match on, but I had a good chat with Dave Gubbins. He said he’d sold his campervan – a shame to hear, but I suspect they never fully took to the camping life. Stayed until about 11.00am, then made my way home and cracked on with work for the rest of the day without a break. It’s relentless at the moment.

Worked right through until the end of the day without a break, then got sorted for Charlotte’s birthday meal. She won’t be around at the weekend as she and Miles are "supposed to be" going to Ibiza for a few days. I say ‘supposed to be’ because Tash told me Miles has been having doubts about flying. That’s really worried me – Charlotte was so excited about it, and I just hope he doesn’t let her down. We’ll know soon enough, I guess.

Mum came over and Tash had made a shepherd’s pie, which was lovely. A really nice evening overall – Charlotte was happy with her presents and it felt good to celebrate together. We finished up around 9.00pm, tidied up, and were in bed by 10.00pm. A good day in many ways, though spoiled a little when Tash told me about Miles’s message just before bed.

Reflection:
The day had a nice balance – golf, a solid day’s work, and family time. But I can’t help worrying about Charlotte’s trip. It’s hard to switch off when you want the people you love to be happy, and things feel a bit uncertain.

Win of the Day:
A lovely family meal where Charlotte felt celebrated and appreciated – exactly what a birthday should be.

Cycleathon and Giving Blood

I knew it was going to be a full-on day, so I was up early and working at my desk by 7.15am to try and get a head start. Thought I’d got caught up, but that turned out to be a false flag as the morning went mental. One of our very needy customers had a launch and it went tits up.

Kept calmand worked through things, but had a prior commitment as today was “Fitness Day” at the gym. They were running a “Cycleathon” where, over 16 hours, people cycled for 30 minutes each. Tash went on first and did her stint well, getting to 17.7km. I was up next and managed 18.5km – could have done more, but started on the wrong setting which was frustrating. Not bad though.

From there I went straight to the JR as I was giving blood – my 60th donation. Wanted to take a photo but, typically, my phone was dead. All done and dusted, then back home to play catch-up with work. It was a bit of a shit show, to be blunt, but I stayed late (after dinner) and managed to get on top of things, though tomorrow will no doubt be mad again.

It’s hard work at the moment, and with Daniel leaving in a week or so it’s going to be even tougher, especially as we don’t yet have a replacement for him.

In the evening I finally sorted out WhatsApp and my photos after walking Bess. My phone storage had been full and I didn’t want to just delete 10 years of pictures from the Dark Side chat. It’s taken a couple of days, but I’ve worked it out now – a painful exercise, but at least it’s done.

Watched a bit of TV to round off the night, then off to bed.

Reflection:
A proper graft of a day – work chaos, fitness challenge, and giving blood all rolled into one. At least I got through it all and even ticked off a long-standing phone admin job. Just need to brace for the pressure that’s coming at work.

A decent weekend

Friday:
Charlotte and Miles came over after work. We had a few drinks, a nice dinner, and made use of the hot-tub. It was a relaxed evening and great to catch up with them.

Didn’t have a late night as I wanted to be fresh for golf in the morning.

Saturday:
Up bright and early with a 5.45am alarm, had breakfast, got sorted, and was at the golf club by 7.00am to warm up. There were 6 of us split into two groups of three, but Jon Hawkins had to drop out after three shots, leaving me and Julio to go around. We did well and it was enjoyable.

Caught up with Wayne and Carl later as Robbie also retired hurt, so we made up a fourball. I was the best player on the back nine, which was pleasing, and I finished with a score of 88 – bringing my handicap down to 21.4. Definitely moving in the right direction.

Got a load of jobs done on the way back home and then cracked on with more tasks like painting the skirting and door frame again. Managed to watch the England Ladies Rugby semi-final against France – they won, which was pleasing.

The day went quickly. We went for a quick walk around Shotover, then back for the hot-tub, and later watched Conclave, which Tash has been going on about for ages. It was okay, but after an hour I looked over and she was snoring away, so I stopped it and watched MOTD instead. Went to bed around midnight, having eaten a whole bar of Fruit and Nut chocolate… greedy pig!

Sunday:
Got up later than planned, got sorted, and went to Sue’s as we were taking her to Lewis and Emily’s to meet Frankie. The journey wasn’t too bad.

Charlotte and Miles arrived around 2.30pm, about an hour after us. It was nice catching up and seeing Frankie – he slept most of the first couple of hours, but we still had cuddles with him. Charlotte’s birthday is next week but she’ll be in Ibiza with Miles, so there were some presents given, and we had a nice lasagne dinner and Cuthbert cake – felt a bit sick afterwards!

Frankie woke up and was passed around again – he’s lovely.

By 6.00pm it was time to make a move. We said our goodbyes and hit the road. The traffic was kind to us again, and we made good time, getting back to Sue’s at about 8.15pm to drop her off and pick up Bess, who’d been looked after with Bella by Brendan – very good of him.

Came home, sorted things for the week, walked Bess, and then it was too late to watch TV or anything, so just went to bed.

Reflection:
A really enjoyable but tiring weekend. Good balance of family time, jobs done, and some progress on the golf front. Very pleased that practice is paying off and showing in my scores.

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!!