28th June 2011

The moment Sarah finished her exams, she hopped on a train to Nottingham to stay with Lee.

On Friday, I took Nan back to Thurcroft, and on the way home, detoured via Cotgrave to collect Sarah. When I arrived, Lee and his family were just returning from lunch, so I passed the time chatting with their dog in the back garden. It was my first meeting with Lee’s parents, and we got on well, though I didn’t linger, as I was due to babysit for Charlotte later. Sarah was already packed and ready to go.

Back at Willow Bank, Charlotte was waiting with her little ones. Sue had just got in from a full day at school and was making tea. Charlotte slipped next door for a session of Crystal Therapy with Doreen, while Sarah and I kept the boys entertained. Suraj was in Newark at a friend’s redundancy party and wasn’t expected until late, and Charlotte was heading out for a night on the town. Ellis was asleep and Lucas nearly so, when Suraj arrived at 11 pm, closely followed by Charlotte. The boys, however, woke during the journey home and were in no hurry to resume their slumber.

Saturday saw Sue and me heading to Launde Abbey for a Harborough Council guided walk. The abbey is an Elizabethan manor house, extensively modified, built on the site of an Augustinian priory, Launde Priory. The original priory was founded before 1125 (in 1119, according to a modern inscription in the reception hall). The forecast promised rain, but we got lucky. Our 5.5-mile route wound through rolling Leicestershire countryside and passed through several fields of horses we were informed were destined for the French meat market, not the most cheerful sight. After coffee in the Abbey café, a friendly receptionist offered us an impromptu tour of the recently completed £2.5 million renovation. The work was impressive, faithful to its history with many period features restored, and the abbey’s past guests have included both nobility and important bishops.

That evening, we went to Harborough Theatre’s Film Club to watch Paul, a road-trip comedy about two Brits and an alien.

Meanwhile, Jamie sold his car, only £100 less than what he’d paid for it two years earlier. Not bad going. I may have inadvisedly warned the young new owner that it was “seriously fast.” Probably not the best parting advice for an excitable youth.

By Sunday, Jamie had replaced it with a diesel Peugeot bought for £400. A friend drove him to Coventry to collect it, and the plan is for it to be a cheap runabout until he can afford something better. Sue promptly stashed the leftover cash from the sale in our safe, possibly more secure than Jamie’s bank account.

Sunday was hot enough to warrant a family BBQ. I joined Lucas and Sarah in the pool to cool off, while Ellis looked on with the jealous determination of someone plotting a toddler takeover. Jamie and Harley dropped by briefly before heading off to collect the new Peugeot. Afterwards, with bellies full and the heat still pressing down, everyone found shady corners of the garden for a post-lunch doze. My siesta was cut short when Peter, an old friend from New Zealand, rang to ask if I was watching the Junior Rugby World Cup Final at the Angel. I rubbed my eyes, abandoned my deckchair, and went to see England lose to New Zealand.

Miscellaneous notes from the week:

• The allotments are weed-free once again.

• I’ve pruned the grapes, keeping only the biggest bunches so the vines can focus on growing them to prize-winning proportions.

• Sue visited the Welland Park allotment for the first time and picked raspberries and blackcurrants, while I harvested a row of broad beans from Douglas Drive. We shelled and froze them together later.

• I’ve begun trimming the towering Leylandii hedges around the garden. There are two varieties, one smelling of liquorice, the other of lemons, but both release an irritating chemical that leaves my skin itchy, my throat dry, and my eyes stinging. It’s a job I approach with all the enthusiasm of a man volunteering for dental work.