Not the moon landings, not the film or book but Number 2 Son back in the UK for a couple of weeks.To say we've been looking forward to it is an understatement!
Tara was there to pick up Alec, & Kathy to get Laura. First off a family dinner with Gary & Ellie, Olly & Laura & Ella & Julian at ours. Alec and Laura have really been pulled from pillar to post as so many people wanted to see them, of the many high spots with them was a BBQ we'd arranged , had about 20 friends and family round and with the weather so glorious it went very well. Massively over catered but what the hell, also got some beautiful ale from Tring Brewery. 'Side pocket for a toad' a delicious brew, chilled nicely and at 3.6% a good quaffable beer, though not many people seemed to drink it, it did all go though! The day went really well and nobody seemed in a hurry to leave. How many extra bottles of Prosecco Laura, Eilish & Laura bought & drank I really don't know! Luckily for everyone Olly took over the BBQing, he reckon I was mullering the chicken legs, have to say he did a great job! It was really really lovely to see everyone, and Alec & Laura mingled, after all everyone was there to see them! Much hilarity when Laura tried (and eventually succeeded) in getting a group photo of us all after a few takes with first Ellie then Beren missing from the shot. Got there in the end though, the results are absolutely cracking!
We hadn't seen as much of Laura as we'd hoped as her Mum had all her brood in one place for the first time in quite a while & took them away for a week, this did mean we saw abit more of Alec I think. I know A&L appreciated our efforts & our goodbyes at the end of the evening when they went off were quite emotional. I've never been very good at this stiff upper lip nonsense, in fact I'm not sure it was ever a healthy thing anyway,nevertheless we'd all had a brilliant day.
We also had a very nice walk with Alec from the Ashridge Monument down into Aldbury for a pub lunch in The Greyhound, they could cater for gluten intolerance and also allowed dogs in. Shows how hot its been as the village pond was bone dry, someone had placed 3 rubber ducks in it as the real ones are elsewhere!
Did what had become bit of a Christmas tradition with Gary, Alec & Olly, namely a trip to the RAF Museum in Hendon. It's had a re launch with it being 100 years since the formation of the RAF though we all thought it wasn't as good as the former layout. There's alot more interactive things to play on, (you can fly a drone but can't bomb anything! PC gone mad again maybe?) but it was a great trip, we returned home, picked up Tara & Ida and went for excellent lunch at The Bell in Studham.
Ellie joined us later as we were going to the cinema, an outdoor cinema in Priory Gardens. They were showing the 1986 film Labyrinth that starred David Bowie & also all the Jim Henson creations in a fantasy film. An odd choice you may think, but its a film the boys liked when they were little. Viewing it again about 25 years on the film seemed rather slow, though there was alot of people there to watch it too, and not many of them were children! Decanted to The Victoria after & met Alec & Laura's friend Kelly & her family who all seemed really nice, we spent awhile there and went home
Lost track of the order of these events, not that it is integral to the blog. Alec had told us he's missed a proper English brekky, so we picked up Ella & Julian one morning and went down to the Halfway House for a good feed....though I forgot to order sausage for mine! Another evening, T was feeling a ropey when Alec invited me to join him & Big Man for a beer at The Victoria, it was an excellent evening & good to get to know BM alittle better, he really is a top man.
Our final evening with Alec came all too quickly we had pizza's at home then went down to The Highwayman.
Got them both to Heathrow for their flight back to Oz, the bag check took ages and an added complication was the fact that the system had Alec & Laura still in Australia! Once that was sorted, & it took a time, it was time for them to go airside. More emotional goodbyes. I didn't say much, I just couldn't. Then they were off.
On route back after dropping Kathy off we decided on dinner at the Farmers Boy. One of Tara 's friends sent her a heartfelt message about the unconditional love of parents and it was better than I could ever encapsulate in words.
Unfortunately for them Alec & Laura had a two hour delay at Heathrow which threw out all their connecting flights so what was a 36 hour trip turned into 45 hours! Can't tell you how much we enjoyed seeing Alec and Laura, the time went all too fast. They won't be home anytime soon so we really will have to sort out going to see them.
Tara was there to pick up Alec, & Kathy to get Laura. First off a family dinner with Gary & Ellie, Olly & Laura & Ella & Julian at ours. Alec and Laura have really been pulled from pillar to post as so many people wanted to see them, of the many high spots with them was a BBQ we'd arranged , had about 20 friends and family round and with the weather so glorious it went very well. Massively over catered but what the hell, also got some beautiful ale from Tring Brewery. 'Side pocket for a toad' a delicious brew, chilled nicely and at 3.6% a good quaffable beer, though not many people seemed to drink it, it did all go though! The day went really well and nobody seemed in a hurry to leave. How many extra bottles of Prosecco Laura, Eilish & Laura bought & drank I really don't know! Luckily for everyone Olly took over the BBQing, he reckon I was mullering the chicken legs, have to say he did a great job! It was really really lovely to see everyone, and Alec & Laura mingled, after all everyone was there to see them! Much hilarity when Laura tried (and eventually succeeded) in getting a group photo of us all after a few takes with first Ellie then Beren missing from the shot. Got there in the end though, the results are absolutely cracking!
We hadn't seen as much of Laura as we'd hoped as her Mum had all her brood in one place for the first time in quite a while & took them away for a week, this did mean we saw abit more of Alec I think. I know A&L appreciated our efforts & our goodbyes at the end of the evening when they went off were quite emotional. I've never been very good at this stiff upper lip nonsense, in fact I'm not sure it was ever a healthy thing anyway,nevertheless we'd all had a brilliant day.
We also had a very nice walk with Alec from the Ashridge Monument down into Aldbury for a pub lunch in The Greyhound, they could cater for gluten intolerance and also allowed dogs in. Shows how hot its been as the village pond was bone dry, someone had placed 3 rubber ducks in it as the real ones are elsewhere!
Ellie joined us later as we were going to the cinema, an outdoor cinema in Priory Gardens. They were showing the 1986 film Labyrinth that starred David Bowie & also all the Jim Henson creations in a fantasy film. An odd choice you may think, but its a film the boys liked when they were little. Viewing it again about 25 years on the film seemed rather slow, though there was alot of people there to watch it too, and not many of them were children! Decanted to The Victoria after & met Alec & Laura's friend Kelly & her family who all seemed really nice, we spent awhile there and went home
Lost track of the order of these events, not that it is integral to the blog. Alec had told us he's missed a proper English brekky, so we picked up Ella & Julian one morning and went down to the Halfway House for a good feed....though I forgot to order sausage for mine! Another evening, T was feeling a ropey when Alec invited me to join him & Big Man for a beer at The Victoria, it was an excellent evening & good to get to know BM alittle better, he really is a top man.
Our final evening with Alec came all too quickly we had pizza's at home then went down to The Highwayman.
Got them both to Heathrow for their flight back to Oz, the bag check took ages and an added complication was the fact that the system had Alec & Laura still in Australia! Once that was sorted, & it took a time, it was time for them to go airside. More emotional goodbyes. I didn't say much, I just couldn't. Then they were off.
On route back after dropping Kathy off we decided on dinner at the Farmers Boy. One of Tara 's friends sent her a heartfelt message about the unconditional love of parents and it was better than I could ever encapsulate in words.
Unfortunately for them Alec & Laura had a two hour delay at Heathrow which threw out all their connecting flights so what was a 36 hour trip turned into 45 hours! Can't tell you how much we enjoyed seeing Alec and Laura, the time went all too fast. They won't be home anytime soon so we really will have to sort out going to see them.
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