Back in the UK

We are now back in England, staying with Clare, John and Jessica. On arriving from Bangkok, we had one night at Clare's before hurrying on to New Walton in Lincolnshire to see David's Mother, who is seriously ill after a series of heart attacks. We were joined there by his four brothers and three sisters, who had flown in from Zimbabwe and South Africa, plus seven grandchildren - one from Australia, one from New Zealand and the others from here. It was an amazing effort from the family and is the first time the Coughlan siblings have been together since Kevin and Shayna's wedding in Zimbabwe in 2004! Full marks to Margy and Bernard for managing everything so well and fitting everyone into their home - and still staying calm! With all the excitement, David's mother rallied somewhat and was able to enjoy all the attention as all seventeen of us raced backwards and forwards to the hospital in Hull to where she had been transferred! She does, however, remain very ill.
Now back in Hockering I am trying to get fit. I am power-walking to the newsagents and back to collect the newspaper in the mornings and I have set aside some time in the day to use Clare's 'Lateral Thigh Trainer' - a sort of stair-walker that swings from side to side - at the same time using 4kg dumb-bells. I think 4 kg is a little too heavy for me as the weight of them keeps making me fall off! I think I will have to buy some lighter ones.
We still haven't made any long-term plans and have decided to take each day as it comes - for the moment - although we are toying with the idea of going to see Suzi in Australia some time soon. I will keep you posted!