Mid-October 2008

Sadly, during the week, Suraj’s father passed away in Coventry Hospital. Suraj stayed at his side until the very end, a difficult and emotional time for the whole family.

An understandably exhausted Suraj, along with Charlotte and Lucas, arrived to stay with us on Wednesday. We looked after Lucas the following day while they attended the funeral in Coventry. They remained with us until Saturday, when they travelled down to London for a long day of farewells with extended family and friends. It was close to midnight by the time they finally returned to Market Harborough, and unsurprisingly, they all slept soundly until noon on Sunday. After a quiet and reflective family lunch, they headed back to Newark.

Meanwhile, Jamie had been in London all week, working on set construction for an exhibition. He’d been looking forward to it for some time, and judging by the look on his face when he arrived home late Friday night, it had lived up to expectations. Possibly a bit too much.

Despite a niggling ligament issue in my knee, Monday saw me back on the golf course for the first time in over a decade. To my amazement (and faint pride), I managed to complete 18 holes in 97 strokes, including two birdies. Not quite ready for the senior tour, but not bad for someone more used to pruning vines than pitching wedges.

Flushed with sporting success, I took on a far less genteel challenge the following day: felling and logging a large, rotten sycamore by the river. Armed with my trusty chainsaw (and no shortage of misplaced confidence), I got the job done. The knee, however, was less impressed with this bout of lumberjack enthusiasm.

On Saturday, I refereed a match at Stamford School. The standard of rugby was excellent, and though the game was fast-paced, I managed to keep up, just about. My knee had plenty to say on the drive home, and most of it was impolite. Still, it was worth it.

Finally, on Friday, I took Sarah up to north Leicestershire for her Air Cadets weekend camp. She was brimming with excitement in the car, all wide-eyed anticipation and last-minute packing panic. I only hope the weather’s kind, and that they’ve packed enough socks. (Or at least one torch that actually works.)

It’s been a week full of emotion, exertion, and no small amount of Ibuprofen, but as ever, family life marches on.