Snowdrops are often called Candlemas Bells because they boom around Candlemas - 2nd February on the church calendar! This year, the overdue snowdrops clumps only began to blossom and create carpets beneath trees well into March. As for the daffodils, they too were crippled by the coldest winter in thirty years and at vernal equinox - the traditional first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere – March 21st, many villages were hyper-ventilating over the absence of yellow and gold fields for their annual daffodil festivals! Amazingly, Otto brought me the first bunch to come out of the garden that very day although they were to take another couple of days before bursting into bloom. Besides, the glorious early spring weather we were blessed with for our closing month of March in the UK, we had a few highlights particularly our son Keith’s arrival from South Africa.
An absolute pleasure! Parents, sister, brother-in-law, nephews and niece revelled in walking the Blow Wells with Keith. Keith’s filming business unexpectedly required him to slot in meetings with the BBC in Bristol. Despite his tight March schedule, he followed this up with a train ride across the width of the country to give us a marvellous weekend together. Otto had made selection in his school swimming team despite it being out of his age group and we were all there to cheer him on in his first gala, North Lincolnshire Inter Schools no less, that Saturday night. After attending many school swimming events in both Africa and Australia, Lea found it quite extraordinary to see many children, unable to do a racing dive at that level – and simply push away from the pool wall. Otto held his own in the relays, swimming beautifully and to cap off the weekend he finished his Sunday football league game as ‘man of the match’.
Goalie Otto in action!
It’s a rare treat to enjoy seemingly normal family time together considering we are a far flung ‘nuclear’ bunch that go years without seeing each other. Even in the early hours of Monday morning when Daniel and Justine drove Keith to London in time for his Heathrow departure, more often a place of emotional stress for us all, we were able to bid farewell knowing we’d all be back together in a matter of weeks for the long awaited BFR – Begg Family Reunion.
Lea and friend, Jan Slesser, had a weekly date at Moat Farm’s swimming pool. Here, they caught up on the week while they swam relaxed and steady lengths talking nineteen to the dozen, followed by lunch. On occasion, they added a Seniors Morning film to the equation.
Jan & Lea completed their swim with an irregular sauna! A glass of chilled tonic water to cope with the heat and the door being thrown open every few minutes as the goldfish... sorry, girls gasped for cold air!
With the advent of spring and our last weekend with the Ramsden family, we babysat the children while Daniel celebrated his 40th Birthday with a series of dinners with mates. Despite late nights and packing for Thailand Justine also managed to spring a surprise gathering of her girl friends and Jan Slesser out at the Moat farm pool on the Sunday evening to say goodbye to Lea where despite the strain of approaching departures, the ladies all thoroughly enjoyed time out together.
Before we knew, the day had arrived for our family to pull out of the drive on their first leg to Thailand, leaving us behind in a hollow home, all too aware that our days at Westfield Farm were numbered. Never mind that we’d be meeting up with them in just less than two weeks! Squaring up the house in readiness for the family’s return in a month’s time proved a distraction while socialising with friends in the evenings eased the emptiness of a last week.
How quickly a life can be folded up and put away into the loft until an unknown next time... Christine, Dan’s Mum took us to the Cleethorpes bus stop on the last day of March and we boarded the coach to London, where we spent a few days with Carmen. A dinner/ Show special to the musical “Blood Brothers”; the Natural History Museum’s newly opened Darwin Centre and catching the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition just before it ended added to the pleasures of our last UK days before flying out on Easter Sunday bound for Australia via Thailand.
Before we knew, the day had arrived for our family to pull out of the drive on their first leg to Thailand, leaving us behind in a hollow home, all too aware that our days at Westfield Farm were numbered. Never mind that we’d be meeting up with them in just less than two weeks! Squaring up the house in readiness for the family’s return in a month’s time proved a distraction while socialising with friends in the evenings eased the emptiness of a last week.
How quickly a life can be folded up and put away into the loft until an unknown next time... Christine, Dan’s Mum took us to the Cleethorpes bus stop on the last day of March and we boarded the coach to London, where we spent a few days with Carmen. A dinner/ Show special to the musical “Blood Brothers”; the Natural History Museum’s newly opened Darwin Centre and catching the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition just before it ended added to the pleasures of our last UK days before flying out on Easter Sunday bound for Australia via Thailand.
