This entry is a round-up of the various things we’ve been up to in the past six weeks.  Obviously it’s not as exciting as a long trip to Mexico but we’re upbeat as we’re starting to feel as if Covid has been beaten.  Now all we have to do is sort Putin out, and, maybe, just maybe, the world can return to normal.

What do you really crave after being away for eight weeks? – a curry fix of course!  We decided to treat our friends Diane and Glyn as a thankyou for dropping us off and picking us up from Axminster station.  Glyn wouldn’t accept any petrol money so a curry night was the least we could do.  Local curry house Ragini didn’t let us down and really hit the spot.

We were also back in time to see The Grizzly, Seaton’s very own coastal run where the name says it all.  The full race is 20 miles along the coast and there is a shorter 10 mile run called The Cub.  It’s tough, very tough indeed, firstly running along the pebble beach, then through the town, across the coastal path to Branscombe via Beer and beyond, returning back to Seaton Seafront for the finish line.  Living by the coast just about anywhere in the world means hills so the route has a number of steep climbs and drops but thankfully this year it was pretty dry so no serious injuries caused by the slippery paths and no lost running shoes stuck in the boggy parts!   The weather was perfect, cool and not too breezy so we cheered off the runners at both the start and finish.  We found out a few weeks later that the event had raised over £30,000 for local charities.

We then made a quick dash to Gloucester to visit June and Anna.  Whilst we were away we heard from June that her imminent back operation had been delayed and sadly her daughter Anna had been diagnosed with the Big C and was preparing to undergo her first treatment.  Life was pretty shitty for both of them but Anna was amazing in her outlook, so positive and so cheerful.  Neil drove her to Cheltenham Hospital one day for some tests which gave him some quality time to chat about how things were affecting her family.  Radiotherapy and Chemo are  on the horizon for her which she wasn’t looking forward to but she is determined to do what it takes to see her children grow up.

Back in Seaton it was time for our first post-Covid live music event at The Gateway with The Detroit Soul Collective, a 9 piece band playing Soul, Motown and general feel good party hits.  We went along with our neighbours and it didn’t take long for us all to be up and dancing, singing and just so, so pleased to be listening to live music again after what seems like an eternity. 

We hadn’t done much exercise whilst away apart from long walks around the various sights, towns and cities.  To compensate we tried not to indulge in too much food and drink and felt pretty smug when getting back on the scales at home to find we both had actually lost a little weight.  Keen to get back into our gym routine we both booked a session on the super duper body analyser machine so we could get a good benchmark to then monitor progress.  Aaaaaarghh! The pesky machine confirmed that both of us had lost a little weight but that it was due to losing lots of hard earned heavy muscle which we had then replaced with lots more fat – oh B*ll*cks!!  We both resolved to get our fitness back asap and not to let it slip again.  Let’s see in 3 months time when we get back on the analyser again.

We are big fans of the NHS and during Covid happily took as many jabs as they wanted to squirt into our arms.  It was also time for what Cheryl refers to as ‘squash & spread’.  The routine screening for breast cancer isn’t something to look forward to but the NHS organisation and staff made it almost a pleasure.  In Devon we don’t have the massive infrastructure we were used to in Bristol and instead of a hospital or clinic, Cheryl was asked to attend a mobile screening unit in Tesco’s car park in the nearby larger town of Honiton.  It was so slick she was in and out again in less than 15 minutes and was happy to get the all clear letter just a couple of weeks later.

Another health issue that we have been meaning to look into (ha) is sorting out another side effect of getting older – deteriorating vision.   Both are suffering with poor close up vision with Neil now needing different glasses for both close and distance vision.  That means he has 2 pairs in the car, 2 pairs in living room, 2 pairs in the bedroom and readers in the kitchen, workshop, various pairs of trousers and the study.  Bloody glasses everywhere!  With the aim to become glasses free we travelled to Exeter to visit Optical Express to be assessed for lens replacement surgery.  This is a solution which has been taken up successfully by a few of our close friends.  Neil was approved and will be sliced and diced at the end of May.  Cheryl’s vision was not so bad and she failed to make the cut….ha, another good pun!

Time also to deal with the house and at the end of the month we finally got our kitchen floor re-laid in the way we had always envisaged.  This was the third attempt at getting it right following a bad material selection on our part and poor fitting.  After another disastrous fitting ‘repair’ we insisted on a new fitter and better material and pattern.  We now have a more sympathetic herringbone in oak, with a bespoke border which looks stunning and the bonus was that we had enough left over to do the utility.  The house has finally become ‘our’ house and in the layout we want – it’s no longer feels like The Miller’s house, although we still have all the before photos on a pin board in the hallway just to remind us of the many happy hours spent sanding, painting and sanding and painting ………..and sanding and painting.

Easter was spent with Alex and Freddy.  The boys are well into their surrogacy in Canada and we had another great Facetime catch up with Winter and her family in Calgary.  Winter is doing a fantastic job carrying Baby M and we were astounded by the level of technical knowledge both she and the boys have.  On top of this the boys are getting to grips with the legal situation and the logistics of planning the birth and their first weeks with baby in Canada.  We also had plenty of time for long walks, cream teas, ice creams, a film night and a very posh lunch at The Pig – thanks boys!

Next was another quick trip to Gloucester to see Lisa.  Neil’s niece was over from Oz on a surprise visit to see her family especially her sister Anna who had just got through her first very tough round of radiotherapy.  What a day!  Everyone was on form with Lisa pulling out all the stops to do the cooking and save June from hobbling around the kitchen on her sticks.  We laughed and laughed so much, it was just a great day to see June surrounded by her three daughters and their children.  It was a lot of fun.

Our Social life was now getting into full swing.  We renamed our close neighbours The Marlpit Lane Social Club and the group has been to see screenings of Kenneth Branagh’s latest film Belfast and The Duke.  Everyone brings a picnic to enjoy around a large table  with a few beers/wine and a chat before watching the main event.  Both films were excellent with genuine laugh out loud moments.  Then another live music night with Rollin Stoned, who were fantastic.  The band really got into character with great banter, costumes and fabulous performances of the best loved songs.  By the end of the night, even the few young folk who were there had joined the wrinklies who had been dancing from the start.

Many places in the UK have portable defibrillators available for public use in an emergency but training has not been deemed essential to operate them which is a bit of a concern as they deliver a powerful electric shock.  A local volunteer organisation decided to run some free training and we went along for the excellent session.  The first half was a welcome refresher of CPR which we both learned many years ago.  The second half was all about the defibrillator which comes in many different forms and although they do emit simple verbal instructions, we both felt the training session was invaluable to give us the confidence to use them effectively if we are ever called upon for help.

As we write this its become apparent that world events are continuing to influence our daily lives with no end to the war in Ukraine, fuel price increases, gas and electricity price hikes and inflation predicted to exceed 10%.  We have reflected on health issues within the family and we have resolved to work hard at our own health & fitness.  We do have a lot to look forward to, especially the arrival of grandson number 2.  We have lots of visitors booked in and events to look forward to.  We also have a new friend in the garden, who we have called Ringo.  We’re not sure if he is one of the two we spotted last year, and maybe we will be lucky enough to have him stay throughout the summer.