11th August 2016

Although spring seemed unable to make up its mind about what to do, ultimately deciding to do very little, the summer has turned out to be far more decisive (so far).

The cold and wet start to the growing season, though frustratingly late, seemed to invigorate the fruit and vegetable allotments. When the warmth finally arrived towards the end of June, everything sprang to life in earnest. Annoyingly, however, the staggered sowing of bean plants was a failure, with all of them maturing at the same time despite being sown three weeks apart! Even so, Sue and I have been kept busy picking, podding, bottling, freezing, and eating whatever we haven’t already given away.

The pool enjoyed a couple of weeks of intensive use by family and friends during a particularly hot and sultry spell in mid-July. It’s always satisfying to have a proper reason to pour in the chemicals and hoover up the debris from the bottom, rather than doing it in the usual spirit of wishful thinking, hoping for a hotter, drier tomorrow.

Despite yet another dismal and lacklustre performance from the England football team (thankfully, I’m half-Welsh), we seem to be on a bit of a roll in rugby and cricket. Down under, England dispatched the Aussies in all three tests, and Sri Lanka found too many sticky wickets, ultimately biting the dust. Meanwhile, the Olympics are ongoing, and Team GB is doing us proud.

We could learn a lot from our sporting heroes in Rio. After the Scots wisely voted to remain in the UK and the nation later chose to leave Europe, our leaders and Parliamentary representatives dismally revealed their detachment, lack of integrity, and self-interest as they turned on one another, disregarding the principles of a democratic society. It’s equally disheartening that this attitude seems to have seeped into wider society, where the ‘miserabilists’ have chosen to erode democracy further by hurling abuse and threatening to ‘take their ball home’ rather than engaging in meaningful debate.

Not all Brexiteers are demented, racist Northern pensioners; perhaps there is another point of view. That is what democracy used to be about. Perhaps if our Parliamentary representatives hadn’t been so focused on lining their pockets and funding frivolities like their ‘Duck Houses’ at the expense of their constituents, they might have recognised the growing concerns expressed by the public and addressed them a decade ago.

On a lighter note, Sue and I have developed a bit of a habit of visiting the cinema whenever we get the chance. Most weeks, you’ll find us at either the cinema club in Market Harborough or the Odeon in Kettering. The Odeon is particularly good value, offering coffee and biscuits with the film for just £3. Harborough is pricier, but it does have a bar. Some of the more enjoyable films we’ve seen recently include ‘Eddie the Eagle’, ‘Eye in the Sky’, and ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’.

On the 15th of June, Sue and I travelled to Caergwrle with Charlotte and Sarah to visit Nan’s bench at the castle. Our trip coincided with Wales playing England in Euro 2016. We stayed at a nearby hotel, but we watched the game at Aunty Josie’s house after first visiting Aunty Doreen. That evening, we enjoyed a Thai meal at the Bridge Inn in Caergwrle. The following day, we spent some time wandering and shopping in Wrexham before heading back to Harborough.

On the 22nd of June, I spent the day working with Charlotte at one of her clients’ homes. The lady, who is unable to stand due to being an invalid, and her husband needed help getting their garden in order. Despite working in a light drizzle for most of the day, we managed to complete the task right on schedule. It was such a pleasure to spend the day with my eldest daughter; she works incredibly hard and is not easy to keep up with!

On the 26th of July, Sue and I took a drive up to Derbyshire. Along the way, we stopped at the Denby Pottery Works, though, thankfully, we managed to resist buying anything! When we arrived, a brass band competition was in full swing, and I couldn’t help thinking how much Nan would have enjoyed it. After browsing some of the exhibits, we continued our journey and checked into the Makeney Hall Hotel.

Once we’d dropped off our cases in the room, we set off on a beautiful walk to Belper and back, taking in the stunning surroundings. That evening, we enjoyed an exceptional meal at the hotel. I can’t recommend this place highly enough; it was a real treat!

The following morning, I opted for the longer but more scenic driving route through the Peak District to Manchester and Uncle Stan’s. He was in surprisingly good health and, as always, sharp as a new pin, though, for once, he let us do some of the talking! We spent a pleasant four hours catching up before heading back into the Peak District.

Our hotel for the next two nights was the Waterfront Lodge Hotel in Brighouse. It was raining when we arrived, but after checking in, we took a short walk around the small town before enjoying our evening meal at Prego, the hotel’s restaurant. The Italian fare was excellent, though our evening was dampened somewhat by England’s humiliating loss at soccer to Iceland, which we watched in the hotel bar afterwards.

The following day, we travelled to Haworth to visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. We explored the museum in its entirety, taking in all the rooms and reading every information board before browsing the gift shop. Later, we wandered down the steep, cobbled street to the park at the bottom of the hill. I’d imagine little has changed since the days of Charlotte, Anne, Emily, and Branwell.

On our way back, we stopped at the Black Bull for refreshments in Branwell’s honour. We also discovered the start of Charlotte’s favourite walk to the waterfalls and decided to follow it. About an hour later, we arrived at a picturesque spot, though the waterfall itself wasn’t among the most spectacular we’ve seen. As if to remind us who was in charge, a sudden heavy shower had us scurrying back along the track with raincoats and umbrellas at the ready.

Returning to the village, we spent some time shopping before heading back to our hotel in Brighouse.

That evening, we discovered a pleasant Chinese restaurant where we enjoyed dinner before retiring for the night. The following morning, after breakfast, we spent three hours on a lovely walk along the canal and river, taking in the peaceful surroundings. We then returned to the town’s market, where we picked up a few northern bargains before embarking on the long drive back to Harborough.

July got off to a painful start for Sarah, unfortunately. She suffered from an infected wisdom tooth that eventually required an operation to remove. The extraction was postponed once, which prolonged her discomfort by an extra week. Around the same time, I extracted a couple of old fence panels from the boundary along the alleyway and replaced them with some very pricey new ones, an equally painful experience, I’d say!

On the 6th of July, we hosted relatives, Andrew and Sue from Harbury, who were visiting us for the afternoon. Over the years, we’ve visited them a few times, so they were returning the favour. We provided a buffet lunch and had a pleasant chat before they headed back home.

The next day, I attempted to use my bus pass for the very first time. Peter kindly agreed to accompany me to Leicester and show me the ropes. However, on both the outbound and return journeys, the ticket machine wasn’t working, and the driver simply waved me aboard. We made the most of the day, wandering around Abbey Park, which was made unexpectedly fascinating by the police investigation of a murder that had occurred the previous night. It was intriguing to watch their activities as we enjoyed our picnic. Later, we returned to the bus station via the river and canal, passing the Motte of Leicester Castle and the Jewry Wall Museum along the way.

The following week, Peter and I travelled to Leicester again, but this time we walked along the canal to Great Glen, a satisfying 13-mile trek, before catching the bus back to Harborough.

The week after, I again had Mia with me, and the three of us took the bus to Great Glen. On what turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far, we walked the 13.5-mile route back to Harborough. Poor Mia struggled in the heat, and if Sarah hadn’t packed her a ‘wet towel,’ we might have ended up calling a taxi for the dog!

Mia and I have made a regular habit of walking to Foxton for refreshments and lunch, and it has become customary for Peter to join us. Last week, we were also joined by Jim and his two dogs, Harby and Shelby. It was a lovely, warm day, and Mia thoroughly enjoyed the canine company. Jim, however, has arthritis in both knees, and although he soldiered on without complaint, I suspect he was feeling it by the end of the walk.

On the 11th of July, we went to Joules to see the local rock band, East-West and enjoy a barbecue. It was an excellent evening, with great music and a lively atmosphere. The following morning, the band’s guitarist kindly brought me a copy of their live double CD. I must admit, it’s very impressive. I’ve been enjoying it ever since.

On the 13th, the grandsons Ellis and Lucas had their sports day. Unfortunately, it was one of those ‘non-competitive’ events where it’s hard to know what’s going on, and the talented children never really get to see how good they are, as there’s no opportunity to compete. I decided not to attend, and Sue reported back that it was just as I’d feared.

On the 24th, Sue and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with lunch and live music at Joules.

On the 29th, I helped Charlotte with one of her clients again. This time, we had to take down a very large holly tree. Armed with my chainsaw, we managed to accomplish the task in three hours. It was hard work, and although Charlotte wasn’t feeling her best, she pushed through and we completed the job.

On the 30th, we had Mia stay the night while Lee and Sarah went to a fireworks display at Stanford Hall. The following day, we had Nigel visit, one of Sue’s relatives who had been doing some historical research into the family. He wanted to meet with Sue and swap notes. He stayed for about an hour. Afterwards, as it was Ellis’s birthday, we headed to Stanwick Lakes, where we met up with the Rothwells, Sarah and Lee. We enjoyed a walk and had a picnic before returning to Charlotte’s to continue the birthday celebrations with cake.

With the start of the school summer holidays, Sue and I have been looking after the boys while Charlotte works. There are quite a few activities already planned for them by Charlotte, so our main task has been to take them to their various appointments. However, one day, Lucas joined Mia and me on one of our walks, and to my surprise, he managed the 9-mile route without a single complaint! I suspect he slept well that night.

Jamie appears to have parted ways with Harley, and this time, it seems to be permanent. He spent three days at Santa Pod last week, and we looked after his house rabbit in the meantime. I made her a little run in the back garden, which she seemed to enjoy. Jamie and I are off to Canada in September, and we’ve begun planning our route. However, since it’s towards the end of the season, many of the campsites don’t accept reservations, and it’s all first-come, first-served. It looks like we’ll be winging it when we get there!

Next week, Sue and I are off to Ilfracombe with the Rothwells, and afterwards, we plan to visit Philippa, although Paul will be away at a concert. She has started her radiotherapy treatment, and it seems to be going well.