Hello again!

My friends, hello......

I'm so, so sorry for being missing in action again, truly, but honestly, I had a very good reason and took a respectful hiatus after my father in-law took gravely ill and sadly passed away.

I felt the need to wait until after the funeral to blog again, as it didn't simply feel right whilst my husband and family, including myself were newly grieving. Plus, I really didn't have a lot to share during this time which is understandable.

The funeral was on Thursday and as funerals go, not that I have much experience of them, it did seem rather lovely, a fabulous tribute to my Father inlaw's life. Everyone did him proud and now we start learning to live without him together. I know my husband will miss him very much and the fact that he can't phone him, will really take some getting used to.

We are in our mid fifties and getting to that age were we start loosing parents. I can imagine its very difficult not having the same strong anchor, that unconditional love just there. I feel my husbands pain, he feels very guilty that he has spent so much time abroad and missed so much of these last years with his father. We all have our lives to lead and we all were very busy doing just that. There are always lost opportunities in life aren't there? Still, we are both very happy, that Eric got to live out his Spanish dream and spent many happy years living there with his wife. 80 is a good age, but yes, we would have all liked a lot more time on the clock with him.

I hadn't really seen much of my husbands family for a very long time and so amongst the grief there were long over due catch ups, mostly good. A funeral is not the best place to air ones family grievances is it? I feel strongly, that funerals are not about 'us' or any perceived family feud, but about respect for all attending and ultimately, the coming together of family and friends, focusing on the person that is no longer with us. Everything else must be put aside and also in the end, time passes and people get over themselves, we all grow up. Leave it at the door, I say.

'Wakes' are mostly, a mixed bag of laughter in remembrance and tears of pain and Eric's was no different. I was really happy to 'meet again', mothers from my teenage years, Pat, landlady, from Rose and Crown days, my misspent youth and Christine, who often played another mother to me, when I hung out with her daughters and my best friend Jeanette. Great memories revisited!

Him and I have missed the kids of our nearest growing up. This is the price we paid for galavanting all over the world with ours in tow. It is what it is. Will we change? Probably not, but I can understand that some of the family feel the loss of time spent together.

Now that the funeral is over and life is starting to return back to that all too familiar routine, he's back at his desk full time and H is on her way home for Easter. She's settled well in to her job and is ready for a break from the fast paced life of the boarding house, but this time, not as a pupil.

We will be attempting a quiet Easter, but had hoped to have the RV by now and at least be getting her interiors upgraded in readiness. The current owner took our deposit and then popped her in the garage to get the pre MOT work done and we are still waiting for the nod that's she's passed, so that we can pay up and go collect her. It's all taking longer than we expected, but we are still hopeful that she will bit fit for the road for mid April, as we are going back to France to get the French Wreck project restarted!

I'm getting back to being a little excited. Getting the new windows ordered is becoming a bit of a pain. Our chap is a tad slow with finalising the details so that we can pay up and know that they are in production. There's a lot more than the windows to do and so we've been in touch with the team and possibly need a third wheel as there's a lot to do.

With the Wreck project back in play and some much desired travelling to do, a wedding in August, this year will fly right by! Just as I want it to as that takes us to 2024 and buying our slice of French heaven (the forever home). Can't wait.

We both feel that with his Dad's passing, we were gifted a timely reminder to get things done, live our lives, love what we are doing, forgive, forget, just to do our very best each day and maybe in-between working hard, play hard too and make those dreams happen.

Gumption

D X