It’s been a while …

So …. Where have I been eh ??? To be honest, I have not been in the mood to sit and blog. Blogs for me are for people to smile about, hear new things about the way people live, and to make you think.. “Hmmm, I’d like to do/think/wear/go/eat/never thought of that …. Not to be a sounding board for ones and troubles.

Life has been tough for a few weeks now, well, about 6 to be honest. I lost my job whilst I was stranded in Canada, and rather to stay a wait in Canada for my Visa, Mrs M and I decided to end our USA adventure, and make plans to return to England, and then finally to go to Slovakia. This was not a decision either of us wanted to make, and not easy to have Mrs M in Newport beach, and me leaving from Canada with only my honeymoon clothes, and of course my golf clubs. I stayed on for a while in Vancouver, hoping my Visa would come through I time, but it didn’t, so after a final round of golf with my great friend Cortes, I followed DBM to Northchurch.

I feel very low about a few things, the obvious of seeing Mrs M go back to our home, and me to leave her to pack all out things, memories, sell cars, sort bank accounts… the list of things to do when you leave a country for good is endless, and Mrs M has had to cope with that on her own. We obviously simply miss each other. I feel a huge empty space of not saying goodbye to friends. Leaving Jeff behind as he is now approaching a huge part of life with his trial, and his wonderful sister Penny. To not say goodbye to two other good friends, T and Cyndy… makes me very sad. To not say goodbye to our home we have put so much time into, spent the first 2 years of married bliss in. To not walk around our beloved Balboa Island, and walk the beach in the sunset for one last time …. There has been no closure, and final part. That’s a huge shame, and has put a small dent it what was a wonderful part of our lives, and was a hugely positive time, with amazing experiences, the best part being married to Mrs M and living the dream.

We haven’t had chance to sit and enjoy what was the most amazing honeymoon in Canada. I will blog about this once I have some time, and I can post some pictures (they are on the other laptop). The memories from there were incredible, the wildlife, the scenery, the occasion, and the time together was perfect. If we had known the stress that was to follow, I guess we wouldn’t have gone, spent all that money…. So, in hindsight, I am glad we didn’t know what the immediate future had in store for us.

So, I flew back, straight into the arms of a loving family. I spent 4 days away with DBM, Sister R and Sir Chili Boy and Ma on a canal barge to celebrate Mum’s 70th birthday, and a rare chance for the family to be together. The following Sunday, Ma had a small party, and it was the first time in 3 years, all four siblings had been together. It was great for Ma to have her children all together, and we had some beers and wine, and a good day was had by all. As you can see from English Mum’s blog, I had a short trip to English Towers in Ireland for her Wedding Blessing. On the way, I stopped to see a great friend in Dublin, and then had the huge lift of a family do.

To see EM, Hubby and her wonderful kids, share some time with the rest of the family from old to young was exactly what I needed, and the 3 days were full of laughs, and many beers in the pub/undertakers. Bert being the star !!! The last few days have been spent in France playing golf with my Brother, Cousin and 4 other great friends. Our 7th trip across the weather, and as always a laugh a minute, and a trip to keep my spirits high.

So, what next… well, we have had some good news, and Mrs M is finally coming home at the end of Sept. From there we will spend some time here in England, giving her some much needed rest. She has had to endure some incredible stress levels, and mentally she is exhausted, so we will have a few days to chill, see some of my family, go to my brothers for a couple of days before we start the next step of this journey of life. It has been very tough, but some huge positives come out of these situations. I have a wife who belies her age of 28, who copes with all this in her stride, knows when to have her down moments, and also when to be strong, and when to kick me up the arse when I need it.

Family as always have been there, and friends always surprise you. Thank you all…….

Slovakia calls us…