The weekend came and went, a wonderful sunny evening gave way to a Boozy fire Pit session with the boys, Dr S (the Blog’s regular Bottomist) turned up from Wales and we ended staying up until 4am, or there abouts, cashing in the hours in the absence of Mrs T who was away at her Mum’s place. Consequently I woke up about 10am on Saturday morning, which I think I was doing in some sort of subliminal Student Sympathy with my daughter who left for Manchester Uni last Sunday. The undeniable difference is my 32 years I have over her, and despite a vast amount of mucking about experience and a degree in bad behaviour, guess what, I cant do it as well any more.

However  a full English and a 5 mile Dog Walk, as I roamed the lanes and fields of WR6 like some sort of Rural refugee in search of a Pub to settle in and some Beer Boots to slip into. Fortunately I’ve got a nose for such things and by 6pm myself and Dr S were back in the saddle, chugging down bottles of Bathams and cooking soul food over the induction hob. Such is the pattern of my weekends, I love being here, and not going too far away if I can possible help it, but such things sometimes cannot be avoided, and I suspect we’ll be to’ing and fro’ing hither and thither before long.

Its strange to not have my daughter here. After dropping her off on the Sunday she couldn’t wait to see us off back down the M6, so she could get on with her new life. Which I hadn’t realised until the Monday evening really could actually be a new life; she may never live here, in Clifton upon Teme, again. Sure she’ll visit, and i’m positive she’ll want us to keep her room ready for her, but it saddened me to think that her pretty face may be absent from the oever evolving family picture frame. Its great that our youngest is still here, with his cheeky manner and friendly way, but something is definitely missing. On the positive side I feel that the house is less stressed, and I definitely feel more relaxed. Weird, and guilt inducing, that I should feel that way, but what can I do, I have to face the facts, I’m a involuntary callous bastard, efforts to cease this underlying subliminal behaviour are proving to be totally ineffective so i guess I’ll have to Enjoy the silence as someone with a better singing voice than I once said, or sang really.