After a 3-week trip abroad, Niki and I have now returned home down under. Having left quite unwillingly in the first place when Tess was quite ill, and taken into hospital, we were thankful to be able to leave in the knowledge she’d be in the care of The Best Mum In The World, Mieke, and John. The hospital staff has been equally dedicated to nursing Tess back to better health and I’m convinced she was in the best place, under close medical care. I can only hope that our frequent phone calls, texts and cards have helped somewhat to allay the lack of our physical presence, even though I do realize it’s a meagre replacement for the real thing. Now we’re back, we’re happy to care Tess back into full recovery together and be there for all involved.
Despite all, the trip away, which became more ill-timed as events unfolded, my love was able to spend time with her parents Peter and Ann. Due to many meetings I had they didn't see much of me, but both Niki and I very much appreciated their kind hospitality in Polebrook and the what seemed like endless car rides to airports and stations. Our trip has also served its purpose in terms of our livelihood. Many of the meetings we had, either in the UK with Garnet’s publishers and distributors, Holland (with the publishers of Realtime (Malmberg), and Real English (Thiememeulenhoff), or China (with the publishers of our grammar course, FLTRP, and the publishers of a new project in the pipeline, Qingdao Publishing Group), could simply not have been done online with the same result.
The weather on our return has been warm: spring slowly moving into summer. The land has greened up, the horses look healthy. The grass is long, so Yarrow has been thoroughly enjoying mowing and, while Niki was meeting deadlines on Saturday, I weeded several overgrown garden patches and the Dazza patch. Many flowers, such as the Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, are out colourfully and smelling strongly.
In the meantime we have been advised that Niki’s goods and chattels have safely arrived in Australia, and are in the hands of Quarantine at the moment for a final check before delivery. Having said that, no news at all from the visa people… 18 December will be 12 months… Surely, we should be hearing something sometime soon…
Sunday morning, we find ourselves at a sunny Channon market, sitting in the sun while Yarrow works in the popcorn stall and Tess is out with her friend Bonnie who was allowed to come visit. Niki is reading the paper. And I’ve just finished reading another of Zafon’s fascinating books, The Midnight Palace.
And now, Sunday night, as I am about to enter into an online meeting simultaneously with people in the UK, Germany and India, the spring rains come lashing down - thunder and lightning accompanying it, the evening skies rumbling with discontent...
And now, Sunday night, as I am about to enter into an online meeting simultaneously with people in the UK, Germany and India, the spring rains come lashing down - thunder and lightning accompanying it, the evening skies rumbling with discontent...
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