“It’s been a while, nearly two months since I posted an update. Rach has been busy with team meetings, so we spent the first couple of weeks in September at my brother’s, which is close to her office. This gave me the opportunity to catch up with Steve, Paul, and Barry a few times at the lake for some skiing and playful banter, always good fun and fortunately, I have a great chiropractor who puts things back in place after I’ve broken them. Christien lives close, so we got to see him between his tennis and golf commitments for dinner on a few nights. It’s great to see him enjoying life.
We took the opportunity to go for a long walk around Virginia Water, something we’d often do when we were younger. It’s a wonderful two mile walk around a lake, which sits on the southern point of Windsor Great Park and on the way back I stopped at Royal Holloway College, one of my favourite buildings in the UK.
Sadly, Rachel’s mum passed away, which wasn’t completely unexpected, as she had been suffering in the late stages of dementia. Although it was a relief to see her suffering end, nothing really prepares you for the finality of it all. She was an incredible woman and touched many lives, mine included. Always on hand for sound advice and insight, she was responsible for the fourteen years I ended up spending in the casino industry. The service and placing the ashes into the family plot were both touching and a celebration of her life.We were also blessed with some Whitstable sunshine on that day.
We have spent most of our time back in the UK with my parents, as my father hasn’t been well and has spent the last month in the hospital. So, my mum and I have been at the hospital every day, and when not there, we’ve been setting up the equipment needed for his pending return and putting a long-term care plan in place, as my mother has opted to care for him at home. Like Rachel’s father was, my mum is completely exhausted from it all, so we’ve tried to give her some respite and have everything sorted before we set sail again.
With all that’s been going on here in Hartford, we’ve still managed to have some lovely walks. We snuck out for lunch with Jon and Jo in Cambridge.
After 5 weeks in hospital my dad’s on his way home, so we’ve booked our next destination and this time we’re heading a little further afield.
Dream Chasers 