A busy week just closed, with the health impacts highlighted first.

The cold which plagued me at the end of the previous week was mostly behind me, with the tiredness starting to dissipate on the Sunday. That set me up for a better start to the week, and allowed me to make a trip to the southwest. The combination of the long journey, sleeping in a strange bed and sitting on uncomfortable chairs, knocked on for the rest of the week. To be expected now, but the alternative is to sit at home and do nothing; not something either Sandra or I are contemplating at the moment, so it is a case of pushing on through. Back pain is the main issue and something as simple on an uncomfortable chair, can present notable issues for me.

Monday and Tuesday was a trip to my close friend Kevin and his wife Alex. A friend of 25+ years, it was our (Colin and I) second trip to their home in the south of England. We managed to have a restaurant catch up the night before the main visit on the Tuesday. Colin very kindly done the driving (thanks) and it was a nice day and a half of four history freaks discussing history of all sorts, plus just catching up. Excellent company in stunning surroundings and another opportunity to spend time with good and very trusted friends.

Dan had his birthday during the week and we joined him for a meal to celebrate. Whilst none of us like the thought of getting older, I have always been of the opinion that each of those yearly milestones should be marked accordingly; many people do not get that luxury. A chinese take-away, followed by the obligatory home-baked cake, was the order of the evening.

Sandra and I booked a weekend away at the stunning Amberley Castle in West Sussex, initially for 2 nights. However, on the back of my cold-like illness, we both felt that one night would be enough and use Sunday as a recharge day for both us, at home. As it turned out, Sandra developed my cold just before we left, so the fact that we reduced it to one night, was a sensible one. We went through Petworth on day one, a very nice old village, then moved onto the Amberley area for the evening. The castle dates from the 11th century and has seen no less than four English monarchs spend time there; a stunning location to stay in. We enjoyed a meal in a local pub, recommended to us by one of the shop owners in Petworth. Saturday was when we moved on to Arundel and spent time going around the various antique and others shops there, as well as having a superb lunch. Overall, a nice couple of days enjoying time together, whilst touring through the English countryside; good food and scenery aided the experience.  

We have had great weather most of the week and that aided all of those trips and being out and about. The week was rounded off with a short jaunt on my scooter, in and around Folkestone; another chance to get out and soak up the weather and countryside.

I had some good news on the book front too, but watch this space for updates on that.

Another busy week, enjoying various aspects of life, against the backdrop of the summer weather.

I hope the ongoing updates remain of interest to you all.

Regards

Peter