Saturday, its return to home day so after toast and a last minute tidy up we set off for home at about 9:30. The journey is slow and with a short comfort break we get back home at about 1:30pm. I’m a sort of “get it sorted” person so I unload the car and unpack immediately. My stuff is put away and my washing started, tomato plants watered and post sorted. I get captured by the Olympics again but not before I retrieve my spare drugs wallet and get todays full compliment into me. Over the previous week I had to space my drugs out as I had foolishly managed not to take a full weeks supply. That’s worthy of a note to self; Remember your drugs. As a treat we ordered in Indian takeaway as a final holiday meal. The evening was taken up with watching “The Trail of the Chicago Seven” and the Olympic men’s marathon, which saw an excellent example of the Olympic spirit. At the end of the marathon three men were fighting for the silver and bronze medals, the Netherland runner encouraged his Belgium training partner to come along side him when his partner was flagging and at the end in the final strides he took time to encourage him once again. It worked and they took silver and bronze. It turns out that they had both fled from Somalia in order to survive and found sanctuary in their respective new countries, which they then honoured with Olympic success. I liked that.

Sunday and my marathon viewing means I sleep in till 10 o’clock. I wake to the sound of the national anthem and find that the Brits have won more Olympic gold. Breakfast is bacon sandwich and coffee and the Olympic closing ceremony. It is an unexpectedly tricky experience. As everyone talks about a short three year Olympic cycle to Paris in three years time I am caught by the thought that I might not be here to see it, this may have been my last Olympics, bit of a downer. What I call a Dark and Tricky moment. I am lifted by face timing my youngest daughter who was full of life. I get myself ready to train as I need to get my body moving again, I need energising. I get in the garage and astride the rower, I had intended to do an average half an hour but once strapped in I decide to go for an hour at a slightly lower level. An hour later I am pleased I made the effort. My new tyre pump for the car had arrived so there was time to unpack it and have an initial play with it. Time to eat dinner and catch up on the blog. Tomorrow its time to get back to business with a CT scan to do and preparation for my first face to face meeting in over 17 months, which means a rapid flow test, a new first, lets hope its negative.

Friday and its another fun packed day of Olympics, but today they are against the background of intense thunderstorms. Thunderstorms over the sea are always more spectacular and make a good additional entertainment. We spend the morning and the afternoon just gazing and watching real fit people doing incredible things. Finally the storms abates, the Olympics ends for the day, I’ve booked travel for later in the month and done some basic admin so its time to venture out to the nearest shop to get food for the evening meal and a paper with crosswords. Its a relatively brief walk. Back at the cottage I settle down with the puzzles while my partner drifts into a late afternoon doze. I pack ready for leaving in the morning. My partner rouses and cooks our tea and we settle down again to the evenings TV. It has been a day of intense idleness and I feel no guilt knowing that I have two busy weeks ahead of me, both physically and mentally. I have changed my WhatsApp and phone directory picture to the new long haired me. I’m not yet quite at the Lucius Malfoy stage but to be honest I’d have to iron my hair to get it like his. So I am now looking for a curly haired role model.

It occurs to me that there was a wizard in the Terry Pratchett books called Rinsewind but its not the role model I quite had in mind. Perhaps I’d be better off going for hermit status and go for Diogenes as a role model. Anyway I’ve come a long way from the man with post chemo stubble and a steroid balloon face. I’m missing my pen and ink and the Shed but I guess I need to be patient for a while and stay focussed on the stuff to come, like Mondays CT scan.

Thursday and its a lazy morning watching more Olympics before getting ready to go to Amizona, the zoo just down the road from Mundesley. We drive down the back roads of the area to Cromer and out to the zoo. We park up and check in at reception. We wander the COVID one way system taking in the creatures as we go. So here are a few pictures:

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After a drink and a sandwich we discovered they did not sell marmoset cuddly toys in the gift shop, this was a blow, we drove back to the cottage and arrived as it started to rain for the first time. There was more Olympics and then time to shower and change before heading for the Vernon Arms for an evening meal. It was a reasonable meal in what is essentially a pub.

During the treacle tart pudding the heavens open and it throws its down. A slow coffee later and I am driving back to the cottage in pouring rain down the back roads of Mundesley. We get back to the cottage and hunker down for the night and listen to the rain while I write the blog.

Wednesday and its sunny. So I am on the phone as soon as my GP surgery is open to book my bloods and my 28 day jab appointments for the coming week. That done I get up for breakfast and start the planning for the day. In a fit of very English enthusiasm we decide to visit Amazona the local zoo and education centre. I set about booking and find that we cannot get a time slot till 3:30 in the afternoon. I blame all those holiday makers staycationing. We book for the next day in the afternoon and go for plan B. This is constituted by a quick watch of the Olympics, long enough to see yet another gold come GBs way, and then a long walk down the beach. We set off and make our way to the beach where we don our beach shoes and and head north towards Cromer. The beach is deserted in this direction and as we make our way I become aware of the number of cormorants that are perched on the break waters.

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We stride the beach taking pictures as we go. The step counters are ticking away and after a time we turn round adn make the return trip. The beach is quite a curates egg with some areas of soft sand and others with pebble ponds. At the end of our walk we climb back up to the top of the cliffs and make our way back to Sea Lavender where we retreat to the garden with drinks and Magnum ice creams. The garden is alive with butterflys and bees.

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The garden is very pleasant and we enjoy the sunshine as we recover from our walk. I’ve been looking for unusual holiday breaks and we chat about possibilities. I’m keen on a writers course I’ve found at a retreat in Yorkshire. We might go for this but diaries need to be checked. There are some things that we are short of so we get shod and take a walk to “1st camp Tesco” on the way to Mundesley. Once in the shop we of course free style and ignore the list and buy spontaneously so we walk away with a strange bag of goodies including a paper with the all important crosswords and puzzles that I can do. The walk back is gentle but it does get me through the 10,0000 steps barrier. Go me. Getting my steps in is important as I am away from my home gym. I would like to avoid putting on too much weight over these weeks of holiday and busy activity. We get back to our holiday house and sit in the garden and drink coffee as we set about todays crosswords and puzzles. Time passes until we both feel peckish and we set about making our dinner. The evening starts sofa bound as I start to draft the blog and confirm tomorrows arrangements. Doubtless the evening will be full of the Olympics and perhaps some postcard writing.

Tuesday and its a day for a lay in, a long lay in. So long that its 10 o’clock before the first coffee and the initial check of the emails and WhatsApp. Of course the Olympic results had to be checked and celebrated with toast and more coffee. By now its getting close to time to go for our booked lunch at an arty hotel a quarter an hour away. A shower and a change and we set off for the Gunton Arms. My Satnav takes me down every small back road and past a police speed camera van, oops, time will tell. We arrive.

We are shown to our table and order initial drinks as we peruse the menu. The menu is interesting and the specials board looks good. Its a tricky decision but I decide on a starter, main and pudding.

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My starter is excellent followed by an equally good main. It’s so good to eat excellent food that is made by someone else. We are surrounded by art and in between courses we read the “art pamphlet” to tell us what we are surrounded by. There is an Enim room with some of her trade mark illuminated signs.

As I sit and eat my crab pasta I have the Irish Elk fossil antlers over looking me above the open cooking range where the cook prepares steaks and other goodies. The Elk antlers are thousands of years old and came from an Irish peat bog. The owner of the Gunton Arms is an art dealer and bought them at auction years ago.

Opposite me are two Damian Hurst butterfly prints but there is also a provocative peace by an artist, which in fact is also a visual joke. I do not think some people get it as the reviews of the hotel make mention of racist art. It is a difficult piece but as the “art pamphlet” notes the art here is meant to make people think and to prompt an emotional response.

By the time I am through the main dish, crab pasta, I of course need a piss and set off for the gents. Well of course this is an experience, here are a few of the things that adorned the walls.

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My pudding is superb cheese cake and is followed by coffee. Its been a real experience and if it was possible I would like to return and have more time with the art work as there is so much here to take in. Amongst them are a series of pictures of women alcoholics showing them at their most vulnerable and distressed which were designed in response to a request to design labels for a wine company, unsurprisingly they were never used by the wine company. Although I like the art I am not sure the couple at the nearest table to this set of pictures felt about tucking into lobster next to the image of a woman being sick into a sink. We tip the waitress and pay the bill. We drive back to the cottage to rest and recover. I write the blog as I want to capture my day freshly. Soon we will go for a recovery walk and then we will see what the evening brings. The evening brought a walk to Mundesley and back and a peaceful rerun of the Olympics. Tomorrow I need to book my next oncology blood test, 28 day injection and the net months drugs. It never really leaves me.

Monday and I wake to blue sky and the sound of the sea to be followed by muesli and coffee. Todays the day we intend to explore Mundesly and see what it has to offer. With back pack on I lead the way. We find the center of the village and head for he promenade. It is very English as the holiday makers set up camp on the beach in their tents, wind brakes and ground sheets.

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We watched the beach and the families there remembering how we had taken our daughters to beaches in far off places. We walked the promenade and then found our way to a pub for lunch. Although we could get drinks we had to wait for three quarters of an hour before we could order food. So we chatted and planned until food time arrived. The pub was having to pace its ordering system as it was clear that they did not have the capacity in the kitchen to deliver enough food for everyone at the same time. We order baguettes and munch our way through them before continuing to explore the village. So we find our way to the mini golf and on the spur of the moment we give it a go.

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Once I had got over losing we made our way back to the house via the local Tesco express for a box of Magnums. The day had gone and we settled down to read the paper, watch the Olympic highlights and to prepare a lasagne tea. As I rest after my meal I write the blog. Tonight its time to relax, read and write postcards. Tomorrow we have a lunch booked at a venue that claims it has lots of art memorabilia, we shall see.

Its Sunday and I wake up in a strange bed with the sound of the sea gently washing in the distance. Coffee and breakfast and of course we watch the Olympics while it rains outside. Here is the guided tour of our home from home:

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The house is newly renovated and is vary comfortable and modern. We have settled in well. Having out sat the rain we go to the local shop to buy some of the things we have forgotten to bring with us and then return before heading for a walk on the beach.

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We spend time walking the beach, its bracing and the sea has that slightly grumpy look, as if its envious of its pacific cousins. But it rolls and responds to the pull of the moon making its waves break along the beach. The cliffs above are crumbly and the beach full of rocks washed from the chalk. We head back to the house to relax and eat a hearty tea. While the pie cooks I start to write the blog. Tonight will be TV and continuing to try and turn off and probably watching the sea as night draws on.

Saturday and its holiday day. We are going to Mundesley in Norfolk but as we cannot get into our accommodation until 5pm we have a morning to do things in. I take the car to the garage and check the tyres and top up the tank before backing it into the drive to load. The parcel I prepared yesterday gets taken to the post office and starts its second journey to Sweden, hopefully this time it will make to its intended recipient. Its then time to pack. A fast and mundane job as its only for a week so there is not much need for any creativity or thought. With the cases packed and loaded we sit and watch some of the Olympics. Our “star” woman sprinter doesn’t make the final and weeps on TV about having a torn hamstring and it was a miracle that she made the games. Everyone is supportive and saying how brave she is and I am think less charitable thoughts. She knew she could no twin yet went anyway and robbed someone else of the chance of going to the Olympics. She used a place for vanity. What is more , what where her coaches doing letting her run in that state, could no one say no to her? We drive off to holiday.

It all goes well till we get to the junction of the A47 and the A1065 and then it all grinds to a halt. Several police cars zip past in full blues and twos. This is not good. As luck would have it we are at a roundabout so we retrace or route and stop at a retail park on the edge of Kings Lynne and indulge in pizza and coke followed by coffee. I plot a new course and we set off to Swaffham and then onto our destination with out any further problems. we arrive at Sea Lavender and let ourselves in and pack the food away before half unpacking and going for a quick walk to find the sea. Pictures will follow tomorrow. I realise that I have not packed my spare drugs pack for the week that means that one I have will run out on Thursday so I spend time juggling the dosages over the week to even things out. There is nothing life threatening in this, just a minor inconvenience. I settle down to write the blog and sort out the WiFi code and get going on the blog. It feels like a long day so an early night maybe in order but I suspect it depends on what is happening at the Olympics, which one child on the radio described as “Sports day for adults”, genius!

Friday and its Enabling Environment forum day. So its a rapid bowl of muesli and I am in front of the laptop logging in to the forum. After some networking time the forum starts with an intense and quite brilliant presentation from the key note speaker. And so the day goes. I chair the rest of the presentations except the last live podcast interview of the out going programme director. During this time I take a call from a friend to check something out. The forum comes to an end and the team debrief and think about follow up actions. We say farewell and sign off. I discover that the post office has returned my birthday present to my granddaughter in Sweden because there was no customs form on it. I go to the post office and pick up the right customs document and return home to put it on the parcel. The evening arrives and we do dinner after which I write the blog but my IT is playing up and I cannot get it to save. Eventually I give up and will return to it in the morning.

Thursday and its another meeting day. So I’m on my laptop with one eye on the silent TV as the Olympics grinds on. The meeting is mostly about tomorrows annual forum and there are some logistics to sort out. The main meeting ends and there is some time to catch up with colleagues. After the meeting there are a number of admin things to pick up in order to prepare for tomorrow. My next meeting cancels so there are more emails to send and issues to sort out. By lunchtime I’m hungry and need the omelette that I make. I set about the chores that need doing and then pay some attention to myself. Nothing like trimming the beard and clipping the claws to make me feel a bit better groomed for tomorrows chairing duties. I head for the garage and the rower to stretch myself out after yesterdays efforts. As I start to row a friend calls so I am able to keep a slow and steady pace as we talk about beaches and possible new holiday destinations. I finish the row and get ready for tea. My evening is one of frustration. IT gives with one key stroke adn takes away with the next. I try to merge files to a single document and time and time again I am thwarted. I think and try again, thwarted again. I change tack and sort out my banking and then settle down to write the blog. Its been a low key day with a mixture of the mundane and the odd jewel and tomorrow its going to rain.