They always say keep your eye on your belongings when you are relaxing on the beach, but little did I realise that I was going to be the perpetrator rather than the victim of a mobile phone and t-shirt heist. After a day of sunbathing Meg, Ellie and her Partner Ben, had all drifted off to a beach bar and Mrs Riley had headed back to the apartment. Assuming even I couldn't mess this up, I was left in charge of the straightforward task of packing away the towels, kindles, sun cream etc in the beach bag. So as my thoughts turned to a nice cold beer or two from the fridge, everything that was left on or around our sun loungers just got scooped up and placed into the bag. As I set off back to our apartment I was confronted by a guy asking me about an iphone. Part of me was thinking bloody hell, these beach hawkers standards have improved, they used to just offer towels or sundresses. But no he was quite insistent that I had his iphone and for good measure his airpods and t-shirt. Looking back the confusion had started because assuming everyone had gone from our lounges the iPhone guy had left his t-shirt, airpods and phone on the end table while he played beach football and without any thought I'd mistakenly assumed Ben had left his phone  etc. After reaching an understanding of what the problem was, I had a good rummage around in the bag and there it all was. We had a good laugh about it, well I did, I'm not sure he was fully convinced.

Well if this is a taste of retirement I'm all for it! Winter sun, white beaches, clear blue sea and reports of frost and snow from back home. I'm not officially retired until April, so I'm taking the view that I'm on a retirement training course. It's best not to suddenly stop when you finish, but unwind slow and steady, and if ever there was a culture to help you achieve that Barbados has to be top of the list. Is it wrong to admit that I felt a bit of a warm glow as people started to return to work after the Chtistmas break? It could have been the sunburn taking effect, but I think it was more the knowledge that I've only got 46 days left to work when we get home. 

I hope everyone has had a fabulous Chtistmas, as always it flies by, but for me it's been nice to spend time with family and friends. I've had so many lovely presents over the years, but one that always sticks in my mind was a 6ft by 4ft sheet of varnished chipboard. You are probably thinking poor lad, but I didn't have a hard childhood, it's just that sometimes the simplest presents are the best. As a child I was a massive fan of Subbuteo and the chipboard enabled me to keep my green cloth pitch flat and smooth and it meant I could play at table level rather than scrabbling about on the floor with an uneven pitch. 

It's been a while since my last blog, but I have been busy, not just looking after the chickens you understand, I've been exploring the world of South Kesteven! For those of you that are non the wiser, South Kesteven is a district in South Lincolnshire and probably one of the great undiscovered areas of the country.

Well it's been a while since my last blog, but nothing much has changed, who knew a year on and we'd still be doing the 4 point check every time we leave the house, keys, phone, wallet and of course mask - 'has anyone seen my mask' was a question that I don't think I'd uttered until about a year ago, now it's one of my top three most frequently asked lock down questions. Not that anyone of course wants to borrow my mask, (unlike the car keys or my credit cards), it's more a matter of principle and a mental agility test to see if i can remember what I was wearing the last time I stepped out of the house. This usually results in a hunt through the pockets of clothes that have been thrown into the washing machine before I just give up and put on a disposable mask on instead. 

Friday and the end of our annual narrowboat adventure, in some ways it comes as a bit of a relief, the thought of returning home to a comfy bed and eating and drinking normally (you will have probably spotted that we have slightly overindulged on food and drink). I can't wait to see Oscar the dog and check up on the chickens, oh and of course it goes without saying seeing my wife and daughters. I will miss the camaraderie, the boys chat, the beer and the slower pace of life on the boat; but it's not over until the fat lady sings and we still have lots to do.