29th August, 2008

First week back after a holiday on the east coast of Scotland where wet-suits were the order of the day whether you were wind-surfing, messing around on the beach or simply heading up to the local shop for half a dozen white rolls. It was a joy though with one of the highlights being my retention of the family golf trophy - an effortless 9 over round the Old Course. Since returning South I have kept my pledge to dry out in an alcoholic sense wavering only once, on Wednesday evening, when I demolished the best part of half a case of Barolo with Frankie Dettori, who, by the end of that little session was my new best friend, at the woodland pony club camp where I was meant to be on dishwashing duty and keeping a watchful eye on my son Bob's antics. I think, by the way, as she has just celebrated her 16th birthday, we are getting to a point where you might be waving goodbye to quite such regular updates on Hen. Though it was with a sense of trepidation that I signed off on her membership of the Crescent Club, a bar for the sixth formers at Rugby, she is really getting quite sensible and grown up these days.....