22nd February 2018

After retiring from playing rugby, I decided I couldn’t completely walk away from the sport that had shaped so much of my life. I first dipped into coaching and then took up refereeing to stay involved. The game has given me countless memories and a camaraderie that’s hard to find elsewhere. Sharing changing rooms and muddy baths with teammates and friends has been a defining part of my life since the age of 12.

Even now, Saturdays and rugby go hand in hand, though my role has shifted to that of a spectator. Initially, I stood on the touchline with friends, exchanging humorous remarks aimed at players and referees while braving the elements. These days, with a smaller group of companions, I prefer the warmth of a lounge, a large TV, and a proper ale.

The Six Nations Tournament remains a highlight of the year for me, surpassed only by a Lions Tour or a visit from the All Blacks, when, optimistically, I think we might stand a chance against them. The Six Nations is steeped in history, having started in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship, with England securing the first title. Over time, Ireland, France, and Italy joined, creating the thrilling competition we know today, and for me, it is a must-see.

The 2018 tournament kicked off spectacularly: Wales dominated Scotland, and Ireland delivered a last-minute finish against France, embodying the resilience that defines rugby; “it’s not over till the fat lady sings.” England also had a comfortable victory over Italy. I’m already eager for the next round of matches.

Both Sue and I are recovering well after recent bouts of illness. Sue completed her first U3A ramble successfully, and I’ve returned to cycling. The wet weather in early February made for exhausting rides through sodden fields, but it felt good to push myself back toward fitness. By the second week, nightly frosts made for harder ground and easier and more enjoyable rides.

On February 4th, Jamie took his quad bike out for its first ride. Unfortunately, he ran out of petrol near Harborough train station. Too embarrassed to call me, he enlisted a friend’s help instead. When he returned the quad to the garage, he sheepishly admitted the mishap. It’s a mistake we’ve all made at some point, and I’m sure it’ll be a one-time lesson for him.

On the 6th of February, I started decorating Jamie’s bedroom in his apartment while he and Ashton were at work. The task involved stripping off the wallpaper, emulsioning the walls, and gloss-painting the skirting boards in white. It took me three days to finish, and I actually enjoyed the work. During the process, I noticed that Jamie’s rabbit, Maddy, now had company, two guinea pigs that belonged to Ashton. While Maddy enjoys free roaming the apartment, the guinea pigs are kept safely in a cage.

The next day, Sue and I went to see Goodbye Christopher Robin, a poignant film about AA Milne’s son, born to dysfunctional upper-class parents, whose life became even more challenging with the publication of the Winnie the Pooh stories. It was a sad and thought-provoking film.

That evening, wanting to escape the harsh British winter, Sue and I booked flights to Cyprus to visit Jim and Bridget, who had relocated there before Christmas. With an Arctic vortex predicted for the UK, the trip can’t come soon enough!

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Suraj have been busy converting their loft into a usable space for Ellis to enjoy his train track and, I suspect, for the boys and Suraj to have a den of their own. It took a bit over a week of hard work, but from the photos, it’s clear they did an excellent job. I’m sure both of them learned some valuable skills along the way, which will be useful for future projects.

Poor Mia had to visit the vet recently. She’d been sneezing violently, and it was clear something wasn’t quite right. The vet suspected there might be something stuck in her nose, so she had to have a little induced nap while a camera was used to check inside her nose. Thankfully, there was no blockage, but her nasal passage and throat were severely inflamed, basically, the doggy equivalent of what the rest of the family has been dealing with since Christmas. Mia’s now on antibiotics, and unfortunately, Sarah and Lee received quite a hefty bill for the procedure.

Not long ago, Pepper (Charlotte’s cat) had a similar issue, with sneezing, a runny nose, and lethargy. Charlotte jokingly blamed him for passing on the “cat flu.” So, it wasn’t too surprising when Lee started complaining of symptoms very similar to Mia’s. As they say, things come in threes, so I’m now half-expecting Maddy (Jamie’s rabbit) to develop flu symptoms next and pass them on to Jamie! It seems like a strange pattern, but maybe we are living in the Twilight Zone.

Though winter doesn’t leave much to do in the allotments, there’s always the pruning of fruit bushes and other tasks while the plants are dormant. This year, I decided to change the pruning regime for my vines. While I was on a road trip with Jamie in New Zealand last spring, I became fascinated by the stumpy pruning technique used in their vineyards. The locals cut the vines down drastically, leaving just the main stem at around 60cm and removing most of the parallel side branches. I decided to try this approach with my vines, hoping it would encourage vigorous new growth that I could train into a fan shape.

I’m cautiously optimistic that it will work, but I do wonder if I’ve just jeopardised next year’s vintage. Fortunately, the council came to my aid by depositing a huge pile of shredded autumn leaves from local parks near my allotment. Given the shock I’ve given my vines, I decided to use this gift to mulch them. I also gave the other fruit bushes the same treatment. Hopefully, the leaves will help protect the roots and give the plants a good start for the coming season.

On the 9th of February, it was Ashton’s 21st birthday. Jamie celebrated with her family, joining them for a birthday meal at Frankie and Benny’s in Northampton that evening. Very early the next morning, he and Ashton drove to Dalston Hall near Carlisle to continue the celebrations. While there, Jamie also took the opportunity to do a little PR for his business. He met one of the new members of his Binary Destroyer family and, in a generous gesture, gave him a training session on how to trade in Binary. He had even brought along a Binary Destroyer hoodie as a gift and treated him to lunch. It sounds like a productive and enjoyable trip for Jamie!

Despite the chilly weather and plenty of snow, they had a memorable time in the North East. The accommodation they stayed in was quite special, making up for the less-than-ideal conditions outside. The historical charm of Dalston Hall added to the experience, providing a cosy and unique setting to enjoy their time away, despite the snow and freezing temperatures.

Before embarking on their next adventure to the Far East, Philippa and Paul visited Uncle Stanley at the care home in Manchester. They found him in a poor mood, which made the visit somewhat of an ordeal. He is quite frustrated with his situation, and from the phone calls I make to the Home, it seems he is now always in a grumpy state. I asked if they could provide a radio for him, as he loves the news and especially politics, but they declined. I spoke to Selena and asked if she could bring his radio from home, and she promised that she would. Hopefully, it will make a difference; we’ll see. Pip and Paul began their adventure with a two-day visit to chilly Helsinki before heading on to Chiang Mai in Thailand. They plan to visit Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia, returning in May. They keep a blog as they travel, and I’m sure I’ll be following their adventures with interest.

On the 15th, our usually faithful washing machine broke. I checked the water filter and the drive belt, both of which were fine. The internet suggested that the issue might be with the motor’s brushes.

In my childhood, when containers were made of glass, you could get 6p for returning them to the retailer, and anything that was electrical or mechanical, if broken, went to the repair shop before being reluctantly discarded. There was a time I would have taken the motor out of the washing machine and replaced the brushes as necessary. However, those days are long gone. We bought a new one.

Resisting the temptation to save a few pounds online and wanting to support local business, we went local in Harborough, and it was delivered and fitted that afternoon. We replaced it with a more modern Bosch model, and much to Sue’s annoyance, EEC legislation has decreed that these machines no longer support a 50-degree wash cycle on the grounds of energy efficiency. Naturally, that’s the cycle Sue uses the most. I just hope this machine doesn’t turn out to be like another German-made, supposedly environmentally friendly contraption, like the recent issues with Volkswagen Diesel engine cars, and discover in the future I’ve paid a lot more for a device that lies about its energy efficiency. That said, I can’t complain, as the previous model served us well for so long that neither Sue nor I can remember when we bought it! If this new machine lasts as long, I’ll forgive its temperature idiosyncrasy, but I’m not sure Sue will.

The day after our purchase, Sarah was working in Northampton, so I had Mia with me. Charlotte, keen to keep the boys occupied during half-term, suggested a walk. Despite the cold, miserable weather, they headed to Harborough to join Mia and me. Sue, meanwhile, was having coffee and cake with Lynne Keane in town as we set off at 11 a.m. on what I imagined would be a short walk to Great Bowden and back along the canal.

There was a little rain on the way, but for the most part it stayed dry while we trudged under leaden skies through waterlogged fields. About halfway round, Lucas came a cropper in a particularly muddy patch and ended up coated in a fine layer of Leicestershire sludge. Not that it mattered much, we were all well splattered by then. Mia, however, was in her element.

A couple of hours and six miles later, we arrived back at Willow Bank, ready for hot drinks and pancakes (it was Shrove Tuesday, after all).

On the evening of 8 February, Sue and I were sitting in the lounge, listening to the wind howling outside and the wood spluttering in the stove as it struggled to throw out enough heat to justify feeding it yet more logs. The temperature outside had dropped well below freezing when the thought occurred to me: “Shall we go and find some sunshine?”

At that very moment, Bridget popped up on Messenger to ask how we were. “Shall we go and see Bridget and Jim?” I asked Sue (a rhetorical question, really). A few quick exchanges on social media and a short spell navigating Ryanair’s website later, and I had booked two return tickets to Paphos, Cyprus, for the following Thursday.

It was an early start for a 9:45 am flight, and the journey down to Stansted was relatively quiet, though the queue for the transfer bus from the Long Stay Car Park was long, and we had to wait for a second bus to arrive before we could board. The flight departed on time, and four hours later, slightly overdressed, we made our way through security. Jim and Bridget were both waiting for us in Arrivals. They had recently acquired a Honda 4×4 CR-V (Cyprus Retirement Vehicle) since relocating to Argaka on the northern Cypriot coast, and that soon whisked us along the steep, winding, and somewhat illogically speed-regulated roads towards our accommodation for the week.

 

Jim and Bridget have a lovely house, beautifully situated above the beach in Argaka, offering splendid panoramic views on three sides. There’s a pool too, and the temperature was in the low twenties, so we were already feeling much better. After being greeted enthusiastically by their dogs, Harby and Shoby, we unpacked in our en-suite bedroom before being given a tour of the house and grounds. They had already installed a wood pellet burner in the lounge and made several changes to the outside foliage. Jim was in the process of replacing large sections of wood chips with white stone chips, definitely a much better option when you have two dogs.

Apart from a spectacular thunderstorm one evening, we enjoyed excellent weather during our week of rest and relaxation and managed to explore much of the local area, with Jim happily chauffeuring us to a number of nearby attractions.

One outing took us to Aphrodite’s Bath. Sue and I had been there many years ago when Charlotte was young, and I’d visited less than a year ago with Jim while we were viewing properties for their new life in Cyprus. This time, however, there was a little added drama. On our way back from the small pool that continues to lure tourists in search of a brush with Greek mythology, Sue spotted a handbag draped over a wooden bench beside the path. Inside were a purse and personal belongings. From the dog waste bags tucked inside, it was clear the owner was a dog-walker, and her bank card revealed she was an Englishwoman living in Cyprus.

We first tried to return it via a bank branch in Polis, but they showed no interest. So we went on to the police station, where we had more success. After a short wait at reception, a couple of officers appeared, took down the details, and I left my mobile number as a contact. About an hour later, the handbag’s owner rang to thank us.

It seems the Cypriot police are trustworthy enough, though perhaps a little too enthusiastic when it comes to catching speeding drivers under their rather unreasonable and illogical limits.

On Tuesday, I had the chance to take the wheel of the Honda, driving Bridget and Sue into Paphos Town. The main purpose was to collect a display cabinet they had purchased, but we managed to combine it with a little sightseeing, including a visit to the Harbour Fort. We rounded off the trip with an excellent lunch overlooking the harbour, its pretty boats bobbing gently in the water.

Meanwhile, Jim had stoically stayed behind, choosing to spend his day spreading two tonnes of white stone chippings around the pool while we busied ourselves with more ‘cerebral’ pursuits.

Although we ate all but two of our meals out, in a succession of excellent and often scenic restaurants, the standout was Sunday lunch at the Farmyard in the mountain village of Kathikas. Perched high above the surrounding countryside, it served a superb carvery that left us all rolling back to the car, contentedly replete.

Cypriot restaurants invariably provide excellent salads, but when it comes to meat, they serve it in positively heroic quantities. Finishing most traditional Greek meat dishes is no small feat, though, on this occasion, we just about managed it.

Although Jim and Bridget had only been living there a short while, every restaurant and bar we visited (and there were quite a few) welcomed them warmly. Whether by local Cypriots or fellow ex-pats they had already come to know, they were invariably drawn into easy, familiar banter. It struck me that they are very well-suited to their new life.

We took Harby and Shoby out for several walks during the week, and even Sue grew very fond of them. They are lovely dogs, obedient, affectionate, and always eager for cuddles and a bit of ear-fondling from anyone willing to oblige.

Harby is beginning to take on the air of an elder statesman, no longer bouncing about as he once did, leaving the boisterous antics to the younger Shoby. Both coped well enough with the February temperatures, but I suspect they might struggle when June and July arrive, especially Harby, who, unlike Shoby, seems to have an aversion to water of any depth.

On the day before we flew back to the UK freezer, Bridget drove us out to the Akamas Peninsula to join her walking group. Around twenty members gathered at a picnic site at the end of a narrow, twisting track deep in the peninsula. Quite how everyone managed to find such a remote starting point remains a mystery, but somehow they did.

The walk itself was delightful, steep in places, but rewarded with spectacular views. At the halfway point, we paused to explore some ancient magnesium mine tunnels and took a short rest before completing the circular route back to the cars. Most of the group then set off for lunch at a nearby restaurant, but we returned to Argaka, as we were heading out again that evening for a special meal to celebrate Bridget and Jim’s wedding anniversary.

Meanwhile, Jim was once again the hero of the day, having stayed behind to press on with his gravel-spreading task. Much as before, he looked thoroughly exhausted when we arrived home for a light salad lunch.

The anniversary dinner was held at the Santa Barbara restaurant, just a hundred metres down the road by the beach. We gave it the full works, though with a 3 a.m. departure looming, we dined at 5.30 p.m. and were tucked up in bed by nine. Still, we marked the occasion in style, with full stomachs and a cocktail or two.

Our early-morning drive to the airport took place beneath a brilliant starlit sky, lightning flickering now and then over a not-so-distant Turkey. Whether it was a natural display or (tongue firmly in cheek) the Turkish Air Force letting off a few rounds, it was a dramatic send-off. We encountered few other vehicles on our “bombing run”, and after saying our goodbyes outside Departures, we began the journey back to Blighty.

The weather forecast for next week promises a return to Arctic temperatures, but fortunately, on the 1st of March, we fly to Thessaloniki, Greece, for a week. Fingers crossed the cold won’t reach that far south.

While we’ve been away, Stanley caught a chest infection. The doctor prescribed antibiotics, and he’s much better now. Even better, he’s been persuaded out of bed and has started sitting in the lounge again.

Charlotte has begun her gardening work and already has a full diary of jobs lined up.

This weekend, Charlotte, Suraj, Sarah, Lee, and Jamie are heading to Grantham for a Murder Mystery dinner. Sadly, Ashton has been ill all week and won’t be joining them.

Jamie has launched his new website for Binary Destroyer, and his new automatic trading platform (T.A.D.) is now up and running.

As for me, I broke a tooth while in Cyprus and, like a hero, endured the discomfort until returning to the UK, where it was finally treated with a new filling.