Did You Miss Us?

Did you miss us? Or not notice we'd actually gone anywhere. I didn't really want to tell you beforehand that our house would be empty for a week. Not that anyone can get in our house right now, the warped front door is defeating us too.

Yes we've been away on holiday for a week, we rented a lovely cottage (actually a splendid barn conversion) in Cheshire for the week. That gave us a chance to relax and also due to the proximity with Manchester see my family.

It was fabulous to see my sister and her two children. Being so far away from my sister is the hardest thing - no the only hard thing - about living so far from where I grew up. My sister is an amazingly wonderful person and I miss her so much.

Our holiday didn't start brilliantly though. Both wifey and I are currently blighted by a chest infection. And while we're on the mend, two weeks after this all started we still feel rather rough.

So the early days of our holiday were spent blowing into tissues and feeling sorry for ourselves. Thankfully our two gorgeous children were having the time of their lives and their cheerfulness really made the holiday for us. We discovered as parents that our children rarely misbehave, in fact when we get wound up with them it's because we are in a hurry and have put something ahead of them.

Spending a holiday so close to where I grew up was rather odd. Especially when we took the children to places I had visited as a child. So viewing the aircraft taking off at Manchester Airport or walking by the weir at Styal Mill was a strange experience.

This was very much a taking it easy holiday, partly because we aren't well and partly because we needed it. I've been working very hard recently both in terms of my day job and as a parent. Wifey has had it even tougher with the miscarriage, then the new pregnancy and lots of hard work. She really needed a holiday.

No rest for the wicked though, we've an extremely busy week ahead of us and I do worry about her. I'm hardly going to see her as she'll be working hours she's not even usually awake. So I can't do my hubbandly duty in looking after her. I just hope when she returns to us she's going to be well. That's all I want for Christmas, for my beloved wife to return safe to us after this gruelling week. Meanwhile I'll also have a hard week worrying about her, working, being a parent.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though. This is our last Christmas like this. And thankfully the twins are too young to ask questions like "why won't Jesus let mummy come home for Christmas". Next year we'll be together and a family of five. Isn't that exciting? Seeing our seven-month old niece last week made me realise how much the twins have grown up and how much I'm looking forward to having a baby in the family again.

Next Christmas is certainly going to be a very exciting one as we'll be settled into our new life in Dorset, all together. I'm already imagining cooking a big dinner for family, go to church together, decorating a tree and all that stuff families should do at Christmas.

Right now though my priority is looking after myself and my family. Our daughter had a rough night last night and I seem to be having a relapse too this morning. It's all going to be pretty miserable if we're ill over the whole period. And I'm worried about wifey - though I can't say more than that for reasons I'm sure you'll understand.

This bug we've got really is a bugger. Have you had it? It starts like a cold, spends much of its time wandering between flu and upper-respiration infection and each time you think it's gone it comes back with another punch or two. It's yucky.

Still it could all be worse...at least the bloody awful Strictly Come Dancing has finally finished.