A summer get together in Yorkshire.

We typically meet as a family somewhere in the middle of the country, but with Seb and Ally recently completing their house build and all of the Watsons also in town, Little Fenton in North Yorkshire was the perfect rendezvous. Rachel had spent most of the week at Christien’s in Wokingham, while Mum and I split the week between there and Huntingdon. The plan had been for Mum and I to drive up, but unfortunately, she picked up a virus, so I traveled up alone, while Rachel and Christien made their way up together. Funnily enough, we both literally pulled into Seb’s driveway from different directions at the same time.

After a good catch-up, we took Arlo and Aura for a nice long walk. Aura spent the first half of her life as a house cat in their apartment, never leaving the flat, but since moving she’s always out and even tags along on Arlo’s walks—a cat with an amazing life! Arlo has endless amounts of energy and is always great fun to be around. I’m convinced he’s got a set of springs in his legs as he bounces through the long grass.

Saturday night, we all went out to a fantastic Italian restaurant and then finished off the evening with some night golf. Christien is the golfer among us but was still beaten by his mum, though he took it well.

Sunday, after a quick trip to the garden center, was the day of the big family barbecue, with a real feast put on by Seb and Ally. Although we don’t see the Watsons as often as we’d like, when we get together, it’s always great fun catching up. We had a wonderful evening.

The following day, we headed down to Chris & Lesley’s for a sauna, ice bath and brunch. They’ve been spending quite a bit of time in Sweden these past couple of years and have really embraced the culture. Apparently, wherever you go in Sweden, you’ll always find a sauna, even on some of the remotest islands. Fun fact: Sweden has over 267,000 islands, more than any other country in the world.

Monday was spent helping out the guys in the dental practice, putting together furniture after the refurbishment. On Tuesday, after Rachel had some dental work done, we said our goodbyes and set off back to Hartford.