How things change

As a child, I can remember being astonished when we returned from a holiday and my parents sighed, saying, "Isn't it lovely to be home again!" I thought it was anything but lovely. I would have much preferred to be still playing in the sand, or swimming in the sea, or walking in the country.

That was then. This is now. And now I'm sighing with relief and saying, "Isn't it lovely to be home again!"

We had a great time in Lanzarote with our good friends, G&T, covering most of the island during our time there. The Grand Tour was a brilliant day out, taking us to the geo-thermal fire mountains in the National Park, the stunningly beautiful Jamios Del Agua cave area, the valley of palms, and the camel safari. And no, I did not ride a camel, merely took pictures of others.

We managed a lot of walking during the fortnight, so it really has been a kind of final rehabilitation for Ian, who has now signed up to play golf later this month.

Our youngest daughter (the one who lives in Belgium) was in residence upon our return home, so the homecoming was doubly welcome, and we had a fairly big family party last Saturday, which was exhausting but good.

Now the preparations are well in hand for Easter. I took a service on Sunday morning, have a service on Maundy Thursday evening (but playing golf in the morning) and have two services on Easter Day. Oh, and another family get-together on Saturday.

All in all, a great time, terrific to be home, but kind of looking forward to a return to normality.

P.S. A bit of good news - I should receive copies of my second volume of Children's Stories any day now - thank you, Tim.