The last days of summer

When I went to the dentist today I saw this little area of wild flowers next to the car park, there were even butterflies flitting about - not for much longer, but for the moment we can enjoy these last days of summer.

The house was quiet today with Thomas back at school - he looks so grown up now that he is in 6th form and wearing a suit to school - no more school uniform. I cannot believe that he is in Year 12 and in his penultimate year of schooling. Of course here in the UK we have 14 years of schooling which is more than other parts of the world, they are more than ready to leave by the time they finish.

Gavin and his brother have had a very busy time with his mother in SA, taking her to hospital, then the cardiologist, and trying to sort out her affairs which have become muddled and in a bit of a mess over the past few months. She is very weak and frail but the cardiologist hopes that if they can get the balance of her medication correct (to stabilise her blood pressure to help her heart function) she can leave frail care and return to her own apartment, but at this point she has to stay in frail care and be fully nursed.

The Facebook link to the video that Thomas made of our holiday in Kenya did not work, so I have now put it on YouTube so that you can hopefully access it here. In the video the rhino eating carrots is Sudan, the last male of the Northern White Rhino - he is kept in a protected enclosure.

Gavin is back early tomorrow morning as he cannot miss something at work tomorrow, and then tomorrow evening we are going to Paris for the weekend - to see Luke and also to celebrate our anniversary (we went to Paris on our honeymoon all those years ago)