Well here I am on a Tuesday evening, just drawing breath after a busy period. The week after Robbie’s 21st party here started quietly enough, on the Thursday Ellie went off on a school trip to France. She had to be at school for an early start… that was my job. She was excited about going, and it was an overnight trip as well. Friday evening Nikki picked her up from the school, very tired. Tricia and I were at the Williams’s on a curry night. Over the weekend Tricia was out at the athletics county champs, where she had some athletes competing. Nikki went down to Weymouth for her friend Serita’s birthday. Tuesday a week ago, was the day Kevin came to stay. He lives in near Frieburg, in south west Germany, near the Swiss border…. Kevin is Nikki’s boyfriend and he has just spent a week with us. They have been dating / going out, or whatever the expression is these days since December, but this was our first sighting of him. Nikki met him on bobsleigh tour. Since the end of the season she has been out to see him a few times, but this was his first visit here.

Friday I picked up the Northampton uni team, Robbie, Jordan and Weronika. Tricia was catering for a wedding over the weekend and she was paying them to help. Nikki produced around 150 puddings on the Friday, ably assisted by Kevin. Rob, Jordan and Weronika got working on the salads. Tricia had already spent most of the week cooking, and preparing items. We did all enjoy sitting out in the sun in the garden in the evening to have fish’n’chips from the Winslow chippie. Marvellous. Even Kevin enjoyed the fish’n’chips.

The wedding was for the local vicar’s daughter. On the Saturday Nikki had to go to Bath for Bobsleigh testing, I drove her and Kevin to Bicester railway station, and they took the train down. On the way home I had to stop via Tesco’s, then caught up with Tricia and the crowd back at home, who were putting the final preps to the food. About 1:30pm they all disappeared up to the Vicarage… I them hoovered and cleaned the kitchen and downstairs, etc. Tricia and the crew were back at 7pm, I fed them with pizza’s, before they went back up for the evening do… I then drove to Bicester and picked Nikki and Kevin up. On my return I started cleaning the devastation of the first dirty plates, cutlery etc…. At about 10:30 pm they all returned, very tired and with boxes and boxes of plates, bowls etc etc…. At about midnight we all gave in and went to bed. I was up at 6:30 am on Sunday morning (I always wake early), and started work again… it took till 11am before we had all got on top of the work. I then cooked brunch for 8, and we sat in the garden again laughing and joking. Very enjoyable… and in fact I felt I could fall asleep… but there was work to do, and then about 2pm I drove Rob, Jordan and Weronika back to Northampton. We had been invited to a bbq down in Thatcham on Sunday evening…. but Tricia and I were shattered. So Nikki and Kevin went, taking Ellie with them.

On Monday Nikki took Kevin into London… amongst the highlights was a tour of Wembley. I picked them up in Aylesbury about 9:30pm.. then this morning at 5 got up and took them to Gatwick. Nikki is out in Germany / Switzerland for the next month training and spending time with Kevin… I dropped them off at about 6:40am. Here they are at the airport. Kevin’s English was very good, and he was able to particiapte fully in conversations, and share a joke or two.

Then it was back home. A shower and shave, and worked till 12:30 when it was off to the school where I was chairing a panel. Back home and worked till 6, when I then cut the back lawn. Tricia has stripped beds, cleaned everything and hoovered everything and the house is back to normal. We had tea in the garden, and now just relaxing. Ellie is out at Guides, so it is quite quiet! The work week is busy, and I have some more governor duties on Thursday. But nothing in the evenings

A minor point, we had to buy a new vacuum cleaner…. Tricia selected a Dyson. Very good it is to.