Hi Alison,
You looked like you had a lovely couple of trips away and of course had lovely sun and heat in the SE. Must have been lovely. How is jack? Is he still in his own flat and making masks? It’s very challenging being on your own. Nice to hear sam is well though. Hope joe settles after his move. He’s lucky to have children to look out for him though so that’s a good thing in all this. I hope people stop hugging and kissing or the numbers will just keep rising again. I wonder what Christmas will be like for so many of us this year but at the end of the day it’s just a day and too commercial anyway. Look after yourself x

Anne it was so lovely to meet you! I was planning to buy a T shirt from the charity shop but yes, we found a pasty and really enjoyed our tour around St Ives. Such a pretty place, and as I said when we first met I thought you were the mum of one of my oldest friends whom I went to secondary school with. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for commenting here on the blog, love Ali XX

Oops Pier!!

Hi there Ros, yes the dress is from Phase Eight and currently in stock I believe. I’ve not checked our website but if you browse ‘dresses’ you should find it. Thank you for the compliment! Love Ali xx

Hi Martin, I’m sorry you’re not enjoying your time back at work and I hope very much that the situation will change and you will no longer have to wear your face mask and visor. We had a lovely time in Cornwall thank you although wearing masks there too was a bit strange at times. Take care love Ali XX

My dear Julia, you are an incredibly brave and stoic woman and you have my upmost admiration for dealing with this dreadful situation in such a positive way. I like you believe that love holds us together and gets us through the most difficult of times and I’m so glad that you have it, as you say, in spadefuls. I am glad that your husband is staying strong and trying to keep things as close to normal as possible – how very brave of him too. Wonderful that your grandchildren had their special time with you and even more so that all three of your daughters were there too. I’m so glad that the support network set up by this blog all those years ago when I was ill still helps us today and although we may never meet, it is good to have you as a friend. Take care and please do keep in touch, love Ali XX

Hi there Mary, yes I did reply to your comments on the last blog and I’m sorry that things have been tricky for you. How’s it been back at school? Probably a rest for you after all the work you’ve done at home with your decorating and gardening! Any news on the pub? I hope that restrictions are lifted soon so you’ll be able to actually hug your mum – difficult though when you work at a school I know. My sister retired in the summer and is now able to be with her grandchildren. Such a relief. Do let me know how things are and I will respond. New blog in the next few days. Take care, Love Ali xx

Dear Susan, we certainly did a fair bit of travelling but the bonus was to spend time with so many lovely people. I’m so sorry to know that you have been stuck inside for nearly 6 months now and not able to see your own family. The rules are confusing and conflicting in different areas and seem to change regularly. We have a moving date now for Jo and he will be with his own family the week after next, and will be driving him up to Norwich to settle him in. He will be very much missed, but it will be good for him to have his son and grandchildren closer. Take care and I will pray that things ease for you soon, love Ali xx

Hi Anne, I love your expression growing like a weed – it’s exactly what honey is doing! Glad you have a lovely granddaughter too. We have finally got a leaving date for Joe, and will be driving him up to Norwich to his new home the week after next. We were so lucky with the weather in Cornwall and to be blessed with another warm week here. I will see you later on today but hope this finds you well and safe, love Ali xx

Dear Joe, apologies for it taking me so long to get back to you – I decided this time to try and shut off while I was away, but really enjoyed reading the comments. I love the story of your banqueting spoon – I have a little mint sauce jug that Mum gave me and every time I use it it reminds me of our Sunday dinners when I was a child. I think it’s wonderful that your theatre is continuing to provide entertainment – maybe they should set up Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads? I think they are fabulous plays and only require one person! We had a lovely holiday and I shall have the new photographs up on the next blog shortly. I hope you’re enjoying this Indian summer we’ve been blessed with – I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting it! Take care, love from Ali xx