March!

Betty kisses!

Blink and 3 weeks have sped by - just like that! The good news is that it's a) beginning to feel like Spring (well, some of the time), and b) that means we are nearly through year end at work which is a blessed relief - that last couple of weeks have been pretty intense. 

Although it's been busy, we have a good few weeks, including a lovely weekend where Glenn and I managed to get away on our own for the first time in 2 years - amazing! We only went to a cottage in Devon for 2 nights but the cottage was really nicely arranged and we settled in very quickly. We did have to adjust a bit t the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere - us and sheep - but Glenn had Wi-Fi and the rugby and I had plenty of time to walk so we were both happy. Kerrie and Elsie came and stayed with the kids so they had a great time also, with lots of time to realise that a young baby might look like fun but it's a lot of hard work! Betty and Doug went to Mum and Dad's. They survived (Mum and Dad that is) but I think we are all in agreement that we need to find a better option for when we go to France in the summer.  Surprise surprise 5 dogs including 3 youngsters in any house is at least 2 dogs more than is necessary!

Glenn has been busy in and around the house and we now have a fab new roof for our hot tub which looks brilliant and makes it a very cosy space to enjoy. It's a definite improvement from when we first put it in and there was nothing between the hot tub and the road - a little more exposure than we wanted... now it is completely protected from the weather and passers by, and from the neighbours should they chose to be looking.

Last weekend we gave the kids the day off school (first Saturday of the term - bad parents) so that Glenn and Izzy could go motorbiking and Abi and I could move Nula from Paddocks to Netherclay. This required an operation of military precision, and took all day. Its only a 15 minute journey between the two yards but the time to clear and pack up, then unload took an age. That said, she's now happily in her new stable and its less than a 10 min drive and on the way home if I'm coming from the train, rather than 20 mins in the wrong direction. 

So while we are all settled, the world has gone mad again with Russia's invasion of the Ukraine. WE stand appalled as we see beautiful cities and peaceful families being bombed out of their homes and away from their loved ones. Families are being torn apart and to date 1.5m people have been displaced, becoming refugees fleeing their country. It's so hard to understand and even harder to explain to the kids why one man would want to do this, and moreover is able to do this. We can only hope for a swift conclusion but the general view is that it will takes months of negotiations rather than weeks, and will likely tip the world back into a recession due to the impact of energy prices on everything from heating to manufacturing to food production. As if we didn't have enough on our plate recovering from Covid and getting our heads around the challenges of climate change. It makes me so sad.

So we watch with baited breath while recognising how lucky we are. I also lost a dear colleague and friend to a tragic accident a fortnight ago. It has reminded me to live every moment and cherish what I have - you never know what is around the corner. 

Doug in a box