Lazybones

It's all too easy to become a couch potato. You get up in the morning and look out of the window and see a fine rain falling and think To hell with that. Next thing, you hardly venture out. A quick run down to the supermarket in the car. The only exercise pushing a trolley. Next time out, a walk to the bin. A bite to eat, some crap on the television and, hey presto, couch potato. Maybe the clock change tomorrow morning will signal the change that the equinox didn't.

Sunday did dawn brighter. We had a walk planned for the afternoon and kept our fingers crossed. Barbara didn't sit next to me in Church because she was dazzled by the sun. Her spectacles kept darkening! A very nice service by Margaret with references to the man of the moment, William Wilberforce. Everyone had remembered the clock change except for Claire. Poor lass, she couldn't creep in because she was on keyboards duty. Fortunately Margaret's daughter stayed instead of going to the City Hall to practice for the service there in the afternoon.

We hadn't been able to get tickets so we fell back on our original plans and invited Pauline and Alan for dinner after we'd had a walk together. They picked us up and we went and parked on St Andrews Quay and walked along the river into Hull. Bit of a pong by Mr Chu's but everything settled down and it was a very nice walk. We walked as far as the Pier along the river and then around the Marina and back along the river again. Dinner was planned for 6pm and we were back at 5.40pm.

Barbara and I cater regularly but it is our children and their spouses who we feed. I cannot remember when Pauline and Alan last ate with us so we didn't want things to go wrong. In the event, it all went swingingly and was very, very pleasant.

Today we did a bit of gardening in the morning and then I popped out to North Cave to do a bit of birdwatching and get some fresh air. If the weather stays like this, I hope to get some more soon. I added to my photo collection with the Tufted Duck here and several others. Had a pleasant chat with a guy carrying a big Canon digital and a Tamron lens. The jury is still out on whether I will ever go down that road. At present, I can still look at the birds through the telescope and then put the camera attachment on and take a few photographs of birds. If I went down the SLR route, I wouldn't be able to do that. It would mean just carrying the camera unless I got a couple of sherpas to follow me about. We were on a vacation in 2005 and one guy only had a camera and he missed out on a lot of the birds that we saw. Anyway, it's a nice enough image of the duck for my purposes.

Grumpy Old Man?

I knew it was there just waiting to come out but it caught me by surprise this lunchtime in Debenhams cafe. Barbara and I had looked at the board by the entrance and decided on the panini/pot of tea combination. First of all, there was no one around so I went and asked the young woman at the till who told me we ordered "Up there". Barbara was covering that position but no one came until we had resolved to go elsewhere. Once we'd selected and ordered, we went to pay to find we were charged for the tea. Apparently the special offers on the board only apply after 1430. I went back to check and we paid up. Bloody small print!
I'd been at the pension forum in the Station Hotel and Barbara had come in with me to do a bit of shopping. I stayed longer than I'd expected listening to the Deputy General Secretary of Nautilus UK (my union), Peter McEwen, bring us up to date on the latest actuarial valuation of the pension. Quite an alarming deficit really but, as he is recipient of the same pension, we accepted his reassurance that things were okay. However, I overstayed and Barbara was trying to get in touch when I switched on the mobile. Still we met up pretty swiftly and went to refuel. That's when I was grumpy. I tried to be nice afterwards when some more retail therapy was undertaken.
Thursday night was quiz night. Another defeat by the single point. I hadn't realised that Dan had been so depressed the week before because he hadn't contributed a single answer. This week he got several but to no avail. Maybe next week.
Braves Guild again on Friday. Three more entertainers. I admire them all. I just don't have the self confidence to stand up in front of a group of people and sing. Talking and reading I can do but I still get the collywobbles! Mind you, the world should be eternally grateful that I don't sing. I couldn't carry a tune in a bag!

Sneezing in the loft

One of the first "jobs" on Barbara's list is the loft so on Monday morning, we put the dustsheets down and up I went. Barbara is none to keen on getting on and off the ladder so she received down below. I had a mask on but I should have worn some goggles too as the dust really got to me and I was soon in a right state. However, we carried on and managed to take two loads up the tip for disposal in the various receptacles. There was a lot of packaging from various bits of equipment we have accumulated over the years plus there was stuff from years gone by. I found some letters from a voyage over 22 years ago. A bit like this, I did, and do, write some crap. There were one or two ships photographs and other ship related junk as well. I reckon there are another couple of loads to go to the tip but enough was enough and we called a halt in mid afternoon. Well I am retired..
I mention the ship photographs because another thing I have started since retirement is posting on a forum. The site is called Ships Nostalgia. I am not at all nostalgic for ships but it seemed a good place to talk to like minded people. Fantastically, I received a private message over the weekend from John a Catering Officer I sailed with several times. It was delightful to catch up with him and find out what he has been doing over the last 15 years since I last sailed with him.
The weather has been awful so we haven't ventured out much. I have taken the chance to phone my pension administrators. I reckon it could be June before I start getting anything from them but that doesn't stop me trying to shake them up. I want to get everything clear in my mind because I think I shall contact my previous employers and let them know what has happened so that they can cut a few corners when other people come up to retirement. Seems bloody silly that I have to wait until I am paid for three days at the end of this month before anything can be worked out. The administrators have to then wait to make sure the money is forthcoming before they can go ahead. I will also draw the unions attention to it at the pension forum I attend tomorrow.

Proper Mother's Day

Saturday morning was another coffee morning. We transferred venues to Cottingham Methodist Church for a Wives Group coffee morning in aid of their project, the Choma Orphans Project. I took Barbara round early and took all the books and videos in then came back and sorted out Mum's breakfast. Once Mum was ready, we went round again and had our drink and chat before loading the books and returning home. I understand they did very well at around £290.
It was a miserable day so, once we'd had lunch, I made dinner and put it in the oven then sagged. The beef casserole a la Gordon Ramsay was delicious and all the better shared with Lisa and Alan who came round for the meal and stayed for the evening.
Mother's Day dawned cold and changeable so we had a leisurely breakfast. Mum is not a Church person so we went to that other great cathedral, the shopping mall, to pass the time. As we had a dinner date with my brother Derek, we went to the York Designer Outlet and wandered around. Fortunately neither my wife and mother are shoppers so we only had a coffee and cake in Thornton's before heading down to Leeds.
Derek was still wandering around the Dales with the new lady in his life, Charlotte. Luckily, Paul our nephew, had babysat so we spent a pleasant hour catching up. Duncan was doing his homework project and Danielle was out with her horse. Derek returned around 4pm full of the venues, drinks and meals from his night away. Telephone calls soon distracted him so we were shouting for him to get ready 'cos we were starving.
Barbara drove Mum, Danni and me down to Jino's Thai Cafe in Headingley. I popped up to the pub for some carry out beer. I wish it had a website as it deserves a link. It's the Arcadia Ale and Wine Bar. Always an interesting selection of drinks and they do a carry out service. I got a couple of 2 pint packs and a couple of bottles of cider and returned just in time to beat the other 4. The meal was excellent except I didn't get what I ordered. I normally have a Thai curry but decided on a change and ordered 100 (Gratium Prik Thai with beef. Garlic, coriander & black pepper sauce, stir fried with onions & mushrooms, topped with fresh coriander) For some reason, Mum had ordered a curry and it was way too hot for her so, after one mouthful of my beef, I swapped for her chicken. Very nice tho'.
Once we'd eaten, rather chauvinistically, Paul, Derek, Charlotte and I went up to the Arcadia for a pint and Barbara returned the children and Mum to Derek's. Once we'd had the pint, we returned their also and had a cuppa and a chat. After all, Barbara and I had never met Charlotte before. She seems very nice but we didn't have time to linger. Mum needed taking home before we returned home. Fortunately, the weather was crystal clear, none of the snow storms we'd had earlier. Home at just before midnight and we zonked.

Snotty Nose (2)

Unfortunately, this time the snotty nose in question is mine. Started as a sore throat on Thursday. I still went to the pub quiz. Spreading the germs about no doubt. Bob wasn't feeling too good either. No excuses tho', we came second losing by one point. If only we could have remembered the fourth member of the Gang of Four was Roy Jenkins. Ah well, maybe next week.
I woke up with a mouth like a rugby players jockstrap. Fortunately, movement meant that everything moved around and I just had a snotty nose by the time I'd showered. I was meeting my Mum from the train at 10.34 so I caught the bus into town. Much easier than the car because we'd have had to walk further to the car park. The train was only a minute late and the bus service was up to par so we only a couple of minutes to wait.
Mum didn't want to do too much. Barbara was at Braves Guild so I made some lunch and then Mum and I went into Hessle for some bread. After that we just sagged. I asked Barbara to make tea as I was going through a sneezing phase and wanted to try to restrict the germ propogation!
Barbara and Mum wanted to see the last ever Vicar of Dibley so we watched Comic Relief. Even though we had contributed, I still felt guilty that I hadn't sent more. Maybe if the pension coughs up soon, I can send a cheque. The clips from Africa are always harrowing. For me, the highlights were the Peter Kaye/Matt Lucas/Proclaimers video and Tony Blair & Katherine Tait but it was an excellent show all round.

Ooh, eeh, ooh, ha ha, wing wang walla walla bing bang

Another babysitting service with several highlights. The title above refers to the music that accompanies the calisthenics in the playground before the morning session. We were invited to join in by the headmistress. Kirsten was a bit overwhelmed by it all and didn't join in so neither did we. Actually I'm afraid that I just couldn't keep up with the actions! Not so Rowan who seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.



He didn't enjoy his homework as much, probably because Grandad was helping him. The homework task was to research Egypt and included an obvious heartfelt plea from the teacher that they should have read the reams of printouts that are sent. It's all too easy to download stuff so we just got some photos from the web and then Rowan wrote up some short notes. So he must have read them as he wrote them! I did do a special page on the Suez Canal as I have been through there over a hundred times. I didn't allow my now dimming highly specific xenophobia towards employees of the Suez Canal Authority colour his homework either!



It was viewing evening at the swimming so Amanda went with Phil. They took Kirsten with them to try to get her used to the idea of swimming lessons. I think it's going to be hard. She reckons it's only an activity for "big girls" and she doesn't like the taste of the water. It's going to be fun.



It was such a lovely day yesterday that I spent the morning at Fairburn Ings RSPB There had been some long eared owls roosting there for about a week but they must have heard I was coming and done a bunk. I had a chat with a guy wielding a huge Sigma lens connected to a Canon digital. Made my digiscoping outfit look a bit amateurish but it is dual purpose allowing me to take photos and also watch birds. Every so often I get a shot I am pleased with. The one attached is not perfect by any means but the little birds, like this Blue Tit, are the hardest to catch on camera. Still practice makes perfect!

Early Mother's Day

After Church on Sunday, there was some debate about what we should do. A walk was deemed to be the order of the day. We rang Lisa to see if she wanted to come with us and she suggested that we went for a walk and then she would treat us to dinner. This is in lieu of a Mother's Day meal as circumstances mean that we can't arrange to get together on the actual day.

We went round and were "hotfoot" to go on the walk. Alan had just got in from a rail trip and was getting showered and changed so we sat down and chatted. We should have hung around in the hall ready to go because we didn't get out of the house until 5pm. By then, all we wanted to do was eat. We headed west towards Darleys but it was obviously packed. There was a BOGOF offer which had attracted the punters so we carried on to the Country Park on the foreshore. The place is usually packed but the diners must have all been at Darleys. We got a perfect seat overlooking the river Humber and the Humber Bridge. There was Speckled Hen on draught and the food wasn't too bad. Mind you, it is very rare to get decent carrots when out in pubs and I'm afraid these were no different.

Nothing much today. Sorted out the plug in the bathroom and took the opportunity while down at B&Q to have a look at Halfords, Comet and Currys! Several discoveries, bicycle helmets are made for people with smaller heads than me; not many boomboxes with DAB; not many set top boxes with recorders on the shelves; if we buy a new TV , may need a bigger house! The only retail therapy was some weed for the aquarium from Pets at Home.

Weathermen got it wrong again

We were up and out quite early yesterday morning as the weatherman had promised us a sunny day with mild temperatures and a 12 knot wind. None of that materialised. Barbara was up at the crack of dawn putting a load in the washing machine. It did get dry through the day so we shouldn't complain.


We did regret our choice of destination. We went up to Filey and went for a walk on the Brigg. The wind was from the SouthWest and quite biting. It wasn't really the best place to go for a walk and a spot of bird-watching. Still we did a circular walk and so were ready for our lunch. Once we'd had that, a picnic in the car overlooking Filey Bay, we headed for Top Hill Low to do a bit of serious bird watching.

As we were parking at Top Hill Low, we were told that there were some Smew on Watton Borrow Pit so that was where we headed first. I took my Nikon telescope with me in case there was a chance for some digiscoping. Hope springs eternal but the birds rarely co-operate. The Smew were quite distant so I could have done with the zoom on my Kowa scope. There was a Curlew giving itself a good shower right in front of the Smew pair so a photograph was out of the question even though it was out of range. The wind had begun to drop but Barbara had had enough and headed back to the car to read the paper. I moved on to the South Marsh Hide and had better luck with the camera. I took quite a lot of photos but the birds are in continual movement so many of them are slightly blurred. They are only for my personal enjoyment anyhow but I will post some on here now and again. The one on the left is a pair of Gadwall and on the right is an Oystercatcher. On the way back to the car park, I met up with a couple from York. We chatted about things as we called in at all the hides on the way, just in case there was something worth seeing. They gave me a few tips on this retirement lark.

The drive home was enlivened by commentary on the Hull City vs Preston match. I always take an interest in Hull City and Leeds Uniteds score. They have taken on quite a significance recently as they battle stay in the Championship. They both won yesterday and although Leeds remain on the bottom, other results meant there is further bunching at the bottom of the league.

I finally finished the book I have been reading for a while. Not much on TV again so I cracked on. A bit of a tame ending to it. I started a David Eddings book, the Elder Gods trilogy. I have gone off him recently and found that after about 50 pages I couldn't really care less what happened next so I will try something else from the growing library of books we have acquired.
Rev. David was preaching today. He continued the theme of Jonah. Brian, Andrew, Mary and Carl spoke about their experiences on the Disciple course. Sounds like just the job for me but I fear that I won't have an evening free. Apparently it will another Rev. David who does it so I'll have to keep an eye out for the venue and time.

To nap or not to nap?

Barbara and I were rather tired yesterday evening. There wasn't anything on the box and, as energy levels were low, no plans for venturing out. Barbara soon nodded off while I read a couple of magazines. Should I be napping? It's something I have never done. I am one of those people who find it hard to fall asleep anywhere but in bed. I slept relatively well when we went to bed getting about five and a half hours which is good for me. Barbara, on the other hand, was awake three times so the nap was paid for. Still her blood pressue is lower than mine so maybe now I have the opportunity, I should consider a nap.

I don't know why we were so tired, we had had a quiet day. We went to help at the Braves Guild so didn't knock ourselves out. We were late to sleep after discussing the pub quiz and Barbara's wive group meeting subject. The pub quiz went okay. Three of the Plumber's Mates were present and we were ably assisted by Dan. We managed a joint win with some we should have known going missing. The meeting was about recycling. I am toying with the idea of a wormery so I was interested. We had one a few years ago and didn't really manage it very well. I am the composting enthusiast although Barbara always saved cans, tins, papers etc. long before the council supplied the bins. We don't have too much rubbish really. The collection this week didn't take place because the pavement was up and the workmen were in place so the lorry couldn't get down and the operatives would have had to lift the bin over the non-existent pavement. Our bin was only a third full so I reckon we could get it down further if we composted household waste. Strange thing to be talking about at midnight I know but we compare notes on our nights. Maybe we should have slept then the nap question wouldn't have arisen.

Flavour of the week

Kirsten was fully recovered from her "snotty nose" when we went across and she decided that Grandad was flavour of the week. Grandma had her nose pushed out but then so did Grandad when Mummy came home. Fickle people three year olds.

Rowan was playing football again this week. There was a temporary hiccup last week. From what we can gather, there was no football practise due to some boys misbehaving the week before. It was a glorious afternoon so we went early and watched for a while. It's a short turnaround for Rowan because he goes to swimming lessons later on. So it's home and changed then fed before he is out again. Dad takes him but he likes me to go and requests my presence. How can I refuse? I get to chat to both him and Phil although, once we are in the changing rooms and Rowan is swimming, Phil and I catch up on our reading and listen to a few tracks on our MP3 players. It was worth going. Last week, he got his level 3 award and this week he came out with his level 4 award. Mum and Dad get to go to the viewing session next week. Barbara and I will wait until half term and take him to the swimming baths. Kirsten is at the stage Rowan was four years ago so we will try and lure her into the paddling area!

We arrived back to find the pavement outside had been made crossable so we were able to garage the car. The final layer of tarmac will go on later but already, the improvement is considerable.

Barbara had some money to deposit for the Choma Orphans Project which her Wives Group colleagues have given her so we decided to seek out the new branch of HSBC that has replaced all the local branches recently closed down. It's just at the back of Sainsburys on Saxon Way. We were able to figure out the cash deposit machines before the Customer Service Officers got to us. We had a chat about the various bank account options available with one of them. I find it good to talk to a human now and then as it helps sort things out in my own mind. The things I have read fall into place. Barbara was feeling a bit tender after some dental treatment so we didn't venture any further.

How to Play Canasta?

On Sunday afternoon, we had been invited up to Pauline and Alans for dinner. The plan was to go for a walk and then eat. The weather was against us. It was very wet and windy so plans were changed. Pauline got out the Canasta ste. They have had it quite some time and haven't played for a while so we learnt the rules as we went along! We teamed up, males and females. I admit to being a bit sad and always reading instructions but the booklet with the set was nigh on incomprehensible. If I'd known we were going to play, I would have consulted "The Family Book of Games" by David Pritchard. We've had it for over 20 years but it stands us in good stead whenever we consult. After an hilarious hour, researching the rules and playing three hands, the males won by default as we had the highest score by over 1400 points when the meal was ready. I came home and read the rules from our book which made it far easier than the Waddingtons booklet and found we hadn't been too far out.

On the way to Pauline and Alans, we called and saw Lisa. She had just taken delivery of series 4 of Scrubs which she loaned to me. I had passed on series 2 and 3 to her as I'd watched the DVDs and couldn't imagine watching them again for a while. Last night I took advantage of the loan and had a Scrubs night! Barbara was at the theatre with her ladies group and there wasn't anything I fancied on television so I watched eight episodes back to back. A great series that makes me laugh aloud. I may have to rethink my resolution not to buy any more series on DVD. It was the only way to watch them when I was at sea but now they are available down at t'video store (and I have all the West Wings already!) Still I enjoyed last night. Kept me off the computer tho' so catching up this morning.

The council came yesterday and started digging up the pavement. They are doing a complete replacement around the whole area and started on our stretch first. I got the car out yesterday and, after giving it a wash, parked it across the other side. Shortly afterwards, one of the workman gave us a knock and told us we'd better do that as there would be no access to our drive overnight. This morning, they have "coned off" the other side of the road so the lorries can drop the material off. Luckily Barbara is out in the car so it is parked elsewhere. Hopefully access will be sorted by the time we need to find somewhere to park! I was out in Japan for a while a couple of years ago. There is no on road parking overnight allowed out there. You cannot buy a car unless you can demonstrate that you have an off road parking place. In the larger cities this can cost nearly as much as a car. That explains the small Japanese cars. The smaller the car, the less the cost of a parking space!

Eclipse etc.

Saturday and Sunday are early mornings on the first weekend of the month. Barbara does a Coffee Morning at the Church on Saturday and we have an early morning communion and then Barbara does a prayer breakfast afterwards before the morning service. I particularly enjoy the Communion Service. It is mostly the same people and David, our minister, does a very nice service. The singing at 8.30am is sometimes a bit strained but we ignore that. Breakfast is only Weetabix and toast with Marmite, marmalade and jam but the fellowship is excellent and the prayer concerns are shared and prayed for.

Coffee morning is also an early start as we re-arrange the pews and put tables and chairs into the Church. At this time of year, we also get the heating on as soon as possible. We have several boxes of books that are donated and usually some buns for the cake stall. We don't bake them, they are given to us by Audrey our next door neighbour and also a member at the Church. She pops them in the night before and it is a real effort of will to keep our hands off them. As well as the book and cake stalls, there is a table of Fairtrade goods provided by One World Shop in Waltham Street, Hull. Bob and Jean collect the goods and usually look after the table. This month, they were both away so I kept and eye on it. Most of our clientele are trustworthy anyhow.

We were both a bit banjaxed on Saturday afternoon but took the opportunity of a nice afternoon and walked down to the video shop. Barbara has a list of films she missed at the cinema for one reason or another so we got The Devil Wears Prada and Little Miss Sunshine. Both fairly predictable in their subject matter but entertaining nevertheless. We'd just finished TDWP and were heading for bed when Phil texted me with a reminder about the eclipse. I went and got my telescope and later my camera and tried a bit of digiscoping. Not too brilliant I'm afraid. There is still some movement even with the attachments that I have. I'll get back to the digiscoping later. We didn't wait to see if the eclipse ended and went to bed at midnight. We were in plenty of time for the communion and set up the breakfast table beforehand. I did the short Bible reading during the Communion and the singing was indeed strained as numbers were a bit light. However it was very nice indeed to share Communion with those present. Barbara was on creche for the morning service so I deputised on door duty. I wasn't really needed as Ashleigh, one of the guides had everything organised. The first service of the month is a Parade and Family service. Thjis one was unusual as it was being photographed. The brownies and guides families had been asked for clearance and the stewards let everyone know as they entered the Church. In the event, it was pretty unobtrusive and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the srvice. It was based on Jonah and the whale and was very original. Lesley had organised it and it kept everyone's attention. It's great to be part of God's family.

Mateless

Will I ever get into a routine? Thursday night is pub quiz night with my associates, the Plumber's Mates. In reality, we are not very good. I don't know why but we never seem to do very well on the second half of the quiz!! This week, two of them were going on holiday the next day and the other one rang me when he was halfway to Wales to say he would be there either. There are a couple of peripatetic teams members who come and go so I rang them to say none of the rest were going.

Friday was WWDOP. For the uninitiated, that's Women's World Day of Prayer. Barbara is the secretary for the local afternoon service. WWDOP starts in the Pacific and works right the way round the world time zones. Women of every Christian denomination join together to do a similar service, this year it was written by the women of Paraguay, at specific times during the day. There are services at 2pm and 7.30pm. Barbara was at the local United Reform Church at 2pm so I went as her substitute to the Hull Braves Guild. She normally helps with lunch and so on. I have been going for the last few weeks but still have a lot to learn. There are several other helpers but another of them was missing so I was able to help get the members in and out and do some serving too. There is entertainment every week and this week was a definite star turn. It was eight members of M.I.C.E. (Men in Charitable Endeavour) singing. The members enjoy a good singalong and so do I. Over the weeks I have been going, I have wondered how come I know most of the songs especially as they are mostly pre-Sixties. I can only put it down to the Family Favourites factor. All those Sunday lunches listening to Cliff Michelmore et al when I was young must have sunk in.

However, nestling in my coat pocket as I sat listening to Underneath the Arches and Let there be Love. I'd spent the money I saved not going to the pub for the quiz on the latest album from the Kaiser Chiefs "YOURS TRULY, ANGRY MOB". I couldn't resist after listening to various tracks on various review programmes. When I found that the final track on the album was called Retirement, it was a must buy.

Snotty Nose

Just returned from No.1 sons where we are regular babysitters. Actually, babysitting is a misnomer as Rowan is nearly 8 and Kirsten nearly 4. Over the years since Rowan was born, Barbara has been involved weekly in childcare and I have put my spoke in whenever I was home. It does mean that we see them regularly but it also means that familiarity breeds a certain amount of contempt. Not on our part because we love all of them dearly but the children see us too often and we maintain discipline while Phil and Amanda are absent. That means we get a lot more of the tears and tantrums than less involved grandparents. We saw a reality show recently where some grandparents arrived for a visit after several months and the two children were full of excitement and launched themselves into grandma's arms when she arrived. We are lucky if we get an hello.

Rowan is at school and Kirsten is at nursery every day. She goes from 9 to 11.30am. This week though, she had a snotty nose. We picked her up from Amanda's mums house because she was at a party. Barbara went with her while I picked up Rowan from school. When she got back, she predicted that Kirsten would not go to nursery the next morning. So it was. Amanda was awoken by the cry " I've got a snotty nose" from Kirsten at some ridiculous hour and that was the call of the day when she cared to vocalise. Mostly it was a heartfelt moan as the mucus trickled on to her sore red upper lip. Leaving a box of tissues next to her was not an option as several rain forests would have been the poorer. One tissue, a quick dab and discard was Kirsten's idea. We could normally get two or three dabs from one tissue and apply some cream in between. I'm okay with jigsaws, playdough, drawing etc. but sympathy is not my best subject. I was despatched for some shopping and to collect Rowan to keep me out of the way!

It's always lovely to see them all and we are delighted to share with them but we are always pleased to get home for a bit of peace and quiet until next week!