Words aren't always so easy!

Would you like the good news or the bad news first? as I'm the author you don't really have any option but it seemed a good way to start this post. On Friday, when I was completely lost for words, I merely posted a picture without a title of the most beautiful flowers that I have growing here at the moment.

I'd like to say we've all been there and got that phone call, maybe I should put it in inverted commas, "that phone call" the one where you know what the person is going to say before they've said it. The tone of voice tends to give it away but also a seventh sense as to what is about to be delivered to you. Sometimes you even know before you've answered the phone what's about to happen and that little voice inside your head is trying to convince you that if you don't answer the phone, the pending news hasn't actually happened. When I talk to people about my family they tend to be surprised that so many of us are so close and we still regularly get together and party through into the night talking about the good old times and the path that life is taking us on now. My granny, the subject of "that phone call" was an amazing woman. Was, being the key word in that sentence which probably gives away the detail of "that phone call". As kids we were regularly threatened with granulating, the description my parent gave to spending every weekend and holiday on the farm with my grand parents for granny training. This could easily be miss-interpreted as child abuse but in reality we had the time of our lives. Yes we had to work, and work hard, but we learnt so much about life and the fact that if you want something you have to go out and get it. As I write about this I'm thinking of my cousins, all of whom went through the same experience and all of whom have grown up to be driven, motivated individuals aiming to get the best possible foundation to life that they can and, to coin a phrase from the Do-jo when I was learning Karate, "Striving for the perfection of character."

Life on the farm as kids was brilliant. Once you get over the fact that the goats had been deep littered for 4 months and in the morning you'd be mucking them out, it was the spawn for a "work hard play hard attitude" that had stayed with me throughout life. When the work was done it was off to the pool for a dip or down to the chalk pit to build another aerial runway or rope bridge or swing in a tree. Some things that we learnt are already being past on to the my kids now. One of the key ones being that firstly, dinner is served at the table and you don't start until everyone has their food and a toast has been made.

The good news bit, which I'd hope granny would be proud of, is that today we got our hay baled and into the hay loft. This year was a bumper crop, as we'd expected, and I'm very grateful to my friends here who helped me load/unload the trailer and get the job done in super quick time. My shoulder, which was on the mend, may have been put back a bit on the road to recovery but what's got to be done has to be done.

I loved my granny very much and am so glad we got to see you earlier this month.

Spring has finally sort of sprung.

Well a few days of sun have finally got the flowers coming out left, right, and centre. Everything is about 4 weeks behind where it usually is but we'll give the flowers their due as, unlike the veg, the late frost have not caused any major damage. It also looks like we may have a few apples, pears and plums this year although the cooking apple tree is looking decidedly fruitless due to the late frost wiping out all the blossom.

We're getting excited about our pending trip to Denmark in just over 3 weeks. The drive will be quite taxing, but the opportunity to catch up with the family and celebrate a belated wedding should be great. I'm also looking forward to the chance to out fish Josh after his mammoth effort when we went last time.

All else is pretty quiet here. I'm still taking things easy as my shoulder isn't quite back to fighting strength yet but I'm sure it won't take long.

A Break From The Kids

For the first time in an awfully long time Jane and I managed to escape from the kids for a weekend. My mum kindly child sat, as they don't like being called babies any more, while we headed back over the channel to catch up with some friends and family. First stop was Portland to see NicNack. Who'd have believed that the trip from Portsmouth to Portland would take 2 and a half hours. An instant reminder to one of the reasons we left the UK in the first place. Traffic, traffic and more traffic. It was 2007 when we last saw Nicola so the girls had plenty to chat about whilst I filled my time fixing taps and replacing the silicone in the shower. We went out for steak dinner in Weymouth and it was served properly blue just how I like it, a rare feat for a UK restaurant.

An early start Saturday saw us roll into Datchet just after 9am and first stop of the morning was Grandma Jennies. Fed and watered we then headed round the bend to visit the old man who appears to be becoming more acquisitive every time we come over. I'm starting to think that the skip outside Alexs house should maybe have been outside his. My adopted brother is still alive and has now mastered the art of indoor flying. Hopefully one day he will get his own home in the garden but for the foreseeable future I think he will remain a house duck.

Outside on the road there was plenty of comings and goings as Grandma Mo and co were moving house in preparation for the big build. Rob was having a bit of a sort out in the shed and I have finally got my hands on one of the 3 huge Belgian glasses from 2005 when we did the triple. I'm hoping to reunite it with the other 2 this year, one of which is in the states and the other I believe is at Richings Park still.

Saturday night was party night as we celebrated Walshys big seventy in style. 110 peeps turned up for a fabulous evening including a great guitarist/singer who kept us all well entertained. Met up with loads of friends we hadn't seen since moving to France as well as a few from the more distant past when I used to work in Maidenhead.

Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel bright and early and made a beeline for Westfarm. A quick walk around to see the baby foals, donkeys and chickens as well as a look in the chalk pit to reminisce of some great times as a kid. We then had brunch with Granny, thank you for the pancakes Mellanie, before heading off to the ferry to come home to our little piece of paradise.

This morning we shipped my mum back to the UK, not for long though, and I have got on and planted a cherry tree that mum and dad bought for us. Thank you peeps and sorry to those of you whom we missed this time around. Jane will be back over in August some time so maybe you'll see her then.