I think the South America trip took more out of us than we first realised. That said, I wouldn’t have changed a single thing, apart from perhaps the flight delay back to the UK.
On our first weekend back, we all met Seb and Ally for lunch in the lovely village of Colston Bassett, as they were keen to share some news. Afterwards, Seb and I took Arlo for a run around the nearby fields.
Rachel really hadn’t been feeling herself and, barely a week after returning, I found myself sitting with her in A&E, where it turned out she had a UTI that had somehow spread to her kidneys. I didn’t even know that was possible. Thankfully, after a week of strong antibiotics, she was more or less back to full speed, which was just as well, as her team were meeting down south and it gave me the opportunity to catch up with Christien, friends and my brother.
As has become somewhat customary when we are in that part of the country, we stayed at Easthampstead Park Hotel. It is peaceful, set within lovely grounds, and nicely central for everyone we wanted to see.
First up was brunch and plenty of “lad talk” with Paul, Steve, and Jeff at the Wellington Farm Shop, something I always try to do when we are back in the area. Then came long walks around the grounds and coffee with Andy and my brother.
Unfortunately, it then became my turn to enter sickbay, and the timing could not have been worse. We had arranged a family weekend away in the Cotswolds, something I always look forward to, but I had to miss this one and stay behind to ride out whatever had got hold of me.
The others had a great time though, and the weather held out for them too.
I’m not entirely sure what it was, but I was under its spell for a good three weeks.
Once I was finally back to full health, we were out exploring old stately houses and the English countryside again, helped by some fabulous weather that seemed to last throughout our stay. Aside from the health setbacks, it turned out to be a really enjoyable stay.
I’ve also really enjoyed spending time with my mum and getting to know her again. It’s interesting that we probably spend the most time with our parents when we are children, yet the relationship you have with them later in life feels entirely different. Well, it does for me.
The book I’ve been trying to write for the last few years is finally beginning to take shape after countless false starts, although it still feels some way from being finished.
Dream Chasers 