Thank you

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments (I won't have time to reply to each one personally) My mum had been so ill for the past 2 months so I am pleased that she is no longer suffering but it is still very sad to know that she has now gone forever. Friends were very caring and I got many offers for company last night but I actually was happy to have a quiet night by myself just reflecting and grieving.

Today I was kept so busy with emails, phone calls, texts and whatsapps - it was a very good distraction. One friend sent flowers and another brought some around, everyone has been very kind. I also spent hours trying to book flights back to South Africa for her funeral (the internet kept dropping off!). She requested to be cremated so the family decided we would gather for the memorial service which will be held when we can all get together, so we are waiting for Gavin to get back from his sailing trip. 

I spent ages looking at flights and trying to find accommodation only to have all my plans changed when I got an upsetting email from Gavin to say they have had to abandon the sailing race as one of their crew is ill and they need to get him to an airport. So they are now sailing to the Cape Verde islands to drop him off and then returning to the start at Las Palmas. Gavin is gutted, to say the least - his lifelong dream has been shattered. But it means he will be coming home sooner than expected and we are flying out to South Africa also sooner than expected, on the 8th December.

I took a break from the computer today to walk Murdoch in the woods - here he is crunching through the leaves.