Return

After breakfast, we bid the excellent folk at the hotel goodbye and thank them for again making our stay truly wonderful.

Then it's the long drive back to London and the chance to spend a couple of hours with Mum, before I commence on the final leg up to Manchester.

It's so good to see her. I know it isn't easy for her, having to do respite care, whilst Dad and I go away. Fortunately they have so many good friends, that form a wonderful support network and together with my brother a day hasn't gone by without a visitor.

One flight later I'm back in Manchester and being greeted by the wonderful Stuart. I know, I know, short-haul flights are a great evil, but Dad really wanted to share the driving and it was the only realistic way to do the journey via London in a reasonable timescale.

Besides the introduction of shoe scanning at Gatwick, meant that whilst I just about managed to remove my own shoes, I paid a price. Ouch!

Still, back injuries aside (damn you pesky ponies), it was a great trip. Dad and I got on better than I could have dared hope and it seems like we achieved the objective of getting him a decent break. I just wish I had more leave and could do stuff like this more often.