14th July 2025

On the morning of Thursday, 26th June, Lee brought Mia to stay with us while the rest of the family headed off on holiday to the East Coast. The following day, Jamie and Nala also arrived to stay for the weekend while he and Ruth took a short break in Luxembourg.

Tragically, after arriving at their caravan in Skegness on Friday, an accident occurred. Lee’s father’s wheelchair tipped over on a steep slope and fell onto little Alice, breaking her femur just below the knee. She was taken for an X-ray, had her leg put in plaster, and was kept in the hospital overnight.

Sarah, who was attending a course that day and travelling by train to join the family, received a call from Lee with the news. Alice was initially treated at Skegness Hospital but was later transferred to a larger facility in Boston. On Saturday, it was decided that the bone would need to be pinned, and she underwent surgery later that morning. She remained on the children’s ward overnight to recover and was discharged on Sunday.

On return, Jamie and Ruth appeared to have had a splendid time in Luxembourg. It’s not a country I’ve ever considered visiting, but judging by their photos on Facebook, it certainly looks well worth a visit.

With no rain in Harborough for nearly three months, summer temperatures have been breaking records. To ensure my crops survive, I’ve been watering both the garden and the allotment daily. The lawns have shrivelled into a brown carpet, and the June fruit drop has been considerable.

Fortunately, there’s a water trough at the end of my allotment, so filling endless watering cans isn’t too much of a chore. I do have a hosepipe, but unlike many other allotment holders, I prefer the accuracy of a watering can; it allows me to target the plants directly and avoids encouraging weed growth in the surrounding soil, which now resembles a desert.

When we moved to a water meter at Willow Bank, I installed a couple of water butts at the back of the garden room, fed from its roof. This reservoir gives me enough water to thoroughly irrigate the garden four times before it runs dry. After that, I drop a submersible pump into the River Welland, which runs alongside the driveway. The hosepipe and power cable are fed conveniently beneath the drive through a drain. While the setup only takes about ten minutes, it can take up to four hours to fill both butts, as the water must travel around 100 metres. I firmly believe that natural river water is far better for the plants than chlorinated tap water.

The saying “When it rains, it pours” is often used to describe the way misfortunes tend to arrive in clusters, and it has certainly proved true for one branch of the Palmer clan. No sooner had Alice been discharged from the hospital than, at around 1 am, Sarah was alerted to suspicious activity on her mobile phone and discovered that her eSIM had been hacked. The perpetrators attempted to access her bank accounts, changed her email password, and tried to infiltrate numerous other online accounts. To top it off, they sent her a blackmail email, having gained access to her email contacts.

Her provider, iD Mobile (a British virtual network operator using the Three network), swiftly blocked the eSIM. Sarah then began the laborious process of changing passwords, with Lee’s help, and contacting the various agencies and services she uses. It took several days for iD Mobile to reset her eSIM and restore full functionality to her phone, making everything that much easier to manage.

After Charlotte had visited the previous day, on the 1st of July, after Sue’s morning ramble with the U3A, we travelled with Mia to Newbold Verdon to visit Alice and take her a few presents. When we arrived, both Lee and Sarah were deep in the process of dealing with the aftermath of the hacking and were grateful for the distraction we provided. Alice was sitting in the lounge, her broken leg resting on a support. Archie was at the childminder’s, and when it was time for Lee to collect him, I accompanied him while Sue continued to entertain Alice.

On the way back, we noticed that Sarah’s car had a flat tyre, hopefully the third and final misfortune in this series!

Sue and I stayed and played with our patient until it was time for tea, then made our way home, proudly carrying two excellent cucumbers grown in their greenhouse. How times change when your children start providing you with homegrown produce!

On the day the rain reached Market Harborough, Sue and I set off south for Hayling Island, located just off the southern coast of England in the borough of Havant, Hampshire, east of Portsmouth. Known as a traditional seaside resort, the island boasts three Blue Flag beaches, windsurfing, an amusement park, a heritage railway, and its iconic beach huts.

We had booked a couple of nights at the Newtown House Hotel, a charming accommodation full of character, converted from an 18th-century farmhouse and still featuring original ship’s beams, oak panelling, and stone fireplaces. The journey took three and a half hours, involving heavy showers and a long detour to avoid the F1 traffic heading to Silverstone. By the time we arrived, the rain band sweeping across the country had passed through. Though still cloudy, it was dry.

Too early to check in, we enjoyed refreshments in the hotel bar before heading to the restaurant at 1 p.m. for the Sunday lunch we had booked. The three-course meal was excellent, a promising start to our stay. Entertainment was provided by a jazz band playing a medley of tunes in the garden and on the patio, which added to the relaxed atmosphere.

After our meal, we checked into Room 5, much to Sue’s delight, as it was the very room she’d hoped for after reading online reviews. After a restful afternoon, we browsed the internet for evening entertainment and discovered a song and dance show at the nearby Station Theatre. Unable to book tickets online, we decided to walk the ten minutes to the venue to try our luck in person, only to find the building closed. We wandered back to the hotel via the town centre and the amusement park, which, disappointingly, was also shut.

By 6:30 p.m., we were changed and back at the Station Theatre, successfully purchasing tickets for the 7 p.m. performance. After drinks in the bar, we were treated to a delightful show performed by a talented troupe of young dancers. It compared favourably with many of the productions we’ve seen on cruise ships over the years. We speculated that the choreographer may have had experience on the cruise lines frequenting nearby Portsmouth, which would certainly explain the high calibre of performance across a wide age range.

The next morning, before breakfast, I had a terse exchange with the occupant of the room next door, whose TV had been on throughout the night. He apologised, but then conspicuously failed to appear at breakfast, no doubt avoiding a second encounter with his disgruntled neighbour. Breakfast itself, however, was excellent.

I had planned a ramble using my GPS for the morning. Donning our boots, we set off into a warm, breezy day. Our route took us past the Station Theatre and along Sinah Road, lined with some very expensive properties. We then turned onto a narrow, overgrown path thick with nettles and thistles, before emerging onto the Shipwrights Way, part of a 46-mile trail from Alice Holt Forest to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, which follows the journey of oak used in Tudor shipbuilding.

A short way along, we diverted onto Links Lane, passing the clubhouse of Hayling Golf Club, and followed a track running along the top of the shingle bank fronting the beach. Surprisingly, the area was quiet, considering we were visiting a seaside resort in July. We assumed Hayling Island doesn’t fully come to life until the school holidays begin. Out to sea, a large fleet of yachts appeared to be competing in a regatta, while numerous large vessels lay anchored offshore, likely waiting to dock at Portsmouth or Southampton.  While using binoculars to observe the sea traffic, I dropped my sunglasses and only realised they were missing half a mile down the beach. Fortunately, upon retracing my steps, I found them nestled among the shingle where I had been standing. We continued our walk and checked out the amusement park again, still closed, before making our way back along Beach Road to the hotel.

After coffee in our room, we ventured out by car to explore the rest of the island. Our first stop was the Ferry Boat Inn, next to the small ferry port connecting Hayling Island with Eastney Point in Portsmouth. We parked up and enjoyed a drink on the pub’s veranda in the afternoon sunshine, watching ships pass by.

We then completed a full circuit of the island, stopping wherever we fancied to enjoy a view or point of interest. Unfortunately, we found that many of the beaches were fronted by large holiday parks or hotels that restricted access to non-residents, which led to some frustration. Eventually, we reached the southeastern tip at Sandy Point, where we were able to park and stroll along the promenade. The sea views were lovely, as were the seaside properties lining the coast. We paused to chat with a resident, who was meticulously deadheading his flowers, before returning to the hotel.

After a brief rest, we changed and drove back to the Ferry Boat Inn for our evening meal, to our delight, discovering that all food on Mondays was half price! Sue chose fish and chips (predictably), while I opted for a 10-oz steak. Upon our return to the hotel, Sue realised she had left her fleece at the pub, prompting a swift return journey to retrieve it, echoing my earlier sunglasses mishap. We had intended to enjoy a nightcap in the hotel bar, but the sea air had taken its toll and we retired early.

The following morning, after another excellent and filling breakfast, we checked out and began our journey home at 9 a.m. Apart from a lengthy detour due to roadworks on the outskirts of Portsmouth, the traffic flowed well, and we were back home just after noon.

An update on Alice: she had another trip to the hospital as her leg cast was causing discomfort. As the swelling had gone down, the cast had slipped and was rubbing against her ankle. When it was removed, a large amount of glitter was discovered inside, which must have added to the irritation. Much to Alice’s delight, her new cast is pink, a colour far more suited to a little girl.

On Friday, the 11th, we had an unexpected visit from Jamie and Ruth. Sadly, their hamster had been put to sleep that morning. One of its eyes had begun to bulge from its socket, and the vet suspected a tumour, one deemed inoperable. Like most of the family’s pets, the little creature was laid to rest beneath the Ginkgo Biloba tree in the garden at Willow Bank.

After the burial, Jamie and Ruth left to attend a barbecue with friends in Market Harborough. But the following morning brought yet more sorrow. Jamie discovered that Barney, their rabbit, was unwell. On closer inspection, it became distressingly clear that his rear was infested with maggots. A visit to the vet confirmed the worst: the infestation had spread internally, and the kindest option was to end his suffering.

Later that morning, Sue and I travelled to Waltham on the Wolds to join Jamie, Ruth, and her parents for what had been planned as a cheerful barbecue. Wilma, now partly covered, had been gently placed in a corner of the garden so that their remaining rabbit, along with Nala, as advised by the vet, could see that Barney had passed. It was quietly moving to watch the animals approach and comprehend the loss.

Despite the sadness, Jamie and Ruth had prepared a delicious meal. Unfortunately, the local wasps were equally appreciative and became a constant nuisance, eventually driving Ruth, Jim, and Lesley indoors to finish their food. Once the meal had ended, we sat in the garden, talking softly until I accompanied Jamie to water his allotment, with Nala at our heels.

Feeling full and a little weary, Sue and I left late in the afternoon, soon followed by Jamie and Ruth. Wrapped in a blanket, Wilma was taken to Willow Bank, where Jamie dug another resting place beneath the Ginkgo. There, he was laid to rest beside Maddy, his companion who had passed the previous year.

It was a quiet, heartbreaking couple of days for the family.

On a lighter note, Alice is refusing to let a broken leg dampen her adventurous spirit. Sarah has unearthed a rather unusual family heirloom, an ostrich egg, while Ellis has proudly earned another badge at Air Cadets. Jamie, meanwhile, played chauffeur for Lucas, driving him to his sixth form prom in his Lamborghini.

Back at home, the garden and allotment are thriving in the hot weather. The warmth has encouraged everything to grow and ripen beautifully. We’re now harvesting cucumbers, blackcurrants, beetroot, lettuce, broad beans, courgettes, and potatoes, keeping Sue and me pleasantly busy.