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Why do we go on holiday?

Posted on 1st August, 2023

We plan all year for our annual holiday but in my opinion the actual event rarely lives up to the expectation. I went to Paros, a pretty Greek island, with my niece and great-niece three weeks ago and to be honest although I loved being with my family, the accommodation was excellent, the food even better I couldn’t wait to get home. It was 35C and that’s just too hot for me – I think it was too hot for most people and it’s been over 40 C since we got back.

It’s taken me two weeks to get over the holiday, get back to normal, and I can now look back at that week with pleasure. I think one of the problems is that I can’t write when I’m away as I use dictation and don’t have a laptop – I gave it away – and writing is what keeps me sane. I’m now almost halfway through the second book in my second series for Boldwood and hope to hand it in at the end of this month.

When I got home my beloved cat Loki had injured his neck which required two visits, and a lot of money, to the vets because he had an abscess where he’d injured himself. I’m pleased that it’s finally gone after two lots of antibiotics but he’s been left with a large bald patch where his fur fell out. The vet said it should grow back but it doesn’t always. It seems that if hair falls out, rather than shaved off for an operation, quite often it doesn’t return. Fortunately, it’s under his chin so isn’t immediately visible.

My garden is going mad – especially the ornamental gourds which like triffids are marching across every surface and the tendrils are now 10 foot long at least. The photo is two weeks ago. They’ve smothered the beans, the strawberries and the trailing lobelia but growing vegetables and things  was a learning curve. Next year I’ll definitely grow the gourds again but won’t bother with vegetables as snails enjoyed them more than I did. I do have crop of Victoria plums and James Grieve apples – there are also two pears on my pear tree and I’ve had a handful of raspberries but they haven’t done very well either.

Next weekend is the RNA conference at Imperial College in London. I’m looking forward to that as I’ll be meeting up with people I haven’t seen for a year or more and also will be going to the V&A and Kensington Palace rather than any of the excellent workshops and talks.

Until next month

Fenella J Miller