Another run of structured chaos has drawn to a close and both Clare and I are back in residence at The Cottage! The week ended with a heavy load of admin, presentations and equipment sorting, while making the most of the long evening for some ‘activities’ in the great outdoors.
Friday was a ‘shirt and tie’ affair, as I joined some of the finest Outdoor Educators in North Wales, for some presentations - and even had to give a short speech myself!
As the evening party was all full swing after presentations, I bid my farewells before the end, in order to get a little sleep before the 5:30am start for the journey down to the English countryside lanes of Loddington.
Clare arrived safely back from India on Saturday night and joined us at Fort Martin after making an earlier than expected train from Heathrow, thanks to the perks of Business Class travel (and even managed to get a free upgrade to the trains first class carriage!).
Sunday was the quintessential English country weekend, with church, strolls, gardening and cricket on the green!
And afternoon cream tea and Prosecco! Why not?!
After a solid session in the gardens at Fort Martin, my other duties involved a little road trip around Northamptonshire with Dad to get to his physio session.
We even made time for a little bird watching at Pitsford Causeway.
Clare took on the drive back to Wales on Monday afternoon, as I promptly fell into a deep sleep soon after setting off! Back at The Cottage, we collapsed into the house feeling disoriented and exhausted! Before getting into bed, we went out for a breath of fresh air in the stunning evening light.
As the sun was setting, a storm passed overhead.
I stayed outside to watch the colours and light change. It was absolutely magical. I got completely soaked during the 30min light show, but a strong rainbow had me compelled to stop and stare.
The clouds and colours kept changing as the mountains were enveloped in the rain.
Then as the clouds passed over, the striking blue sky returned with crystal clarity.
Totally amazing to witness.
It felt like the end of a busy run of things and the start of a more relaxed few days ahead. Ordinarily, we’d be rushing off on our summer travels, but this year we both agreed that we should take a week or so to rest and re-group!
After stripping out of my wet clothes, I was pretty much asleep before my head hit the pillow…
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