Catching up

What a lot has happened since the last blog! J has spent a lot of time with his Dad and they both came home last weekend. I picked Madeline and Ben up from the airport early on Saturday morning and it was hugs and tears all around! They both had different ways of dealing with the inevitable jet-lag but I am not sure who won that one! A trip to Asda and an evening meal at The Pheasant on Saturday evening finished off the day and Dad seemed to enjoy it all. Sunday was clear and bright and we set off for Martin Mere to feed a few ducks.
B & M took quite a few photos (!!) and we all enjoyed the sunshine and ducks. I hope I am adding a photo from each collection to save arguments! We then headed to the Owd Barn for toasted cheese sandwiches and back home to view the photos! We played board games and laughed a lot with a few sad moments in between. Dad and I went to get Grandma’s photo printed out and to buy a frame on Monday and had a quick look round the new stands at Aintree. J had an interview on Tuesday and I went to work so the young ones kept Dad amused at the Ice Cream Parlour in Maghull, I suspect it wasn’t quite what Madeline is used to!! M & B cooked for us on Tuesday evening and J and Dad set off back to Hadleigh on Wed with Ben and Madeline who were dropped off at Mandy’s. I popped into work and went to the gym in the afternoon. Mel and I set off for Peterborough at about 1 pm on Thursday and finally arrived at midnight due to gales and road closures. I think that is all we need to say although I am thinking of writing a novel about our epic journey!! We all headed for Hadleigh on Friday for Mum’s funeral at Ipswich crematorium. It was amazing to see so many people and although a very sad occasion it was good to see so many friends and relations. J stayed on with Dad and the rest of us headed back to Peterborough. Mel, I, Ben and Madeline drove back on Saturday and J arrived just after us from Hadleigh. An early start to the airport on Sunday and having seen the lambkins safely off to the departure lounge, we went for a 4 mile walk around Dunham Massey. It was certainly cold but very pleasant and we saw lots of deer in the park, some of whom were trying to rub off their old antlers.
We waited to see if a set would just fall off nearby but unfortunately they didn’t. Disappointed we headed for the café for sandwiches and hot drinks. Everything seems to be back to normal now and everyone is at work today, I do not have to be in Southport until 10 am so thought I would just catch up before I set out for the day. We still have the internment to come but a chapter in our lives has ended and we all look forward to the next one, what ever that may be. With flights already booked for 9 April, San Francisco should be the next great adventure!!