Well, it’s been quite a week…or two. So much to remember and some we’d rather forget. In other words, life!

An update on our sweet Grandson Arthur, who has been formally registered with his full name, Arthur Robur Thomas and who seems to be growing into that wonderful moniker by the hour. Whilst I don’t intend for this to become Arthur’s blog, I know several friends drop in here for news. Just over two weeks old now, he’s already given his parents (and Grandparents) a scare and had a late night blue light trip to the hospital last weekend, resulting in a few days observation before being given the all clear and that slightly worrying diagnosis of “just one of those things”. Most of us get at least a few months of practice before such an awful scare, but for dear Amy and Edward, it all happened way too quickly.

We caught up on our cuddles a couple of days ago, reassured ourselves that yes, he is perfectly well and exceptionally gorgeous and hopefully, whatever it was is something consigned to history. He and I have had a serious conversation, he listened to every word I said and I am sure will remind me of all the things I promised he can look forward to in due course.

An update on the “Robur” part of his name: Since the Autumn, they’ve had a few acorns germinating with the idea of planting an oak tree to mark his birth. The Latin name for the English Oak is “Quercus Robur”, Robur being the Latin for strength; a sweet nod to his mother’s interest in horticulture and his father’s interest in ancient history. A fine name to grow into indeed.

In between the cuddles, there was Shrove Tuesday and Valentines Day. The pancakes were great and as always we wondered why we don’t think to make them more often. I had my usual last minute flap about making a Valentine for my Hero, feeling glad when I saw I pattern for a 3D heart box, ideal for some of his favourite M&Ms, I thought. I didn’t quite reckon on it being quite so tricky, thought I’d easily leave off the wings and keep it simple but soon discovered that no, they were part of the structure of the whole design. Looking at the finished result, I could well imagine the comments I’d be writing as a judge about the choice of adhesive, the need for precision and perhaps crediting the maker’s ambition (rather than her achievement!)

So finding that there was not a single peanut M&M to be found anywhere in Cirencester when I was shopping last Tuesday, it was with a sigh that I bought a few Creme Eggs instead and hoped they would fit.

We had (exciting) plans for later in the day, though! We were going on a tour of Amazon, Swindon (which may or may not be almost as exciting as going to “the” Amazon, but which doesn’t require a Yellow Fever vaccination)

For the second time in as many weeks we parked in a car park with strict rules. Of course, we behaved ourselves!

The experience was fab, we were in a group of ten with two guides, Martin and Neil, who were terrific. I don’t think I had really given much thought to how one of these enormous places operates or quite how fascinating an inside view of a fully automated warehouse could be. But fascinating it was and if you get the chance to join a tour, then do snap it up. It’s all pretty mind-blowing (eg thirty thousand robots in that building?) Next time we get a parcel, we’ll look closely at the label to see if it passed through here, BRS2, which ships 10% of all European orders.

One “bonus” was the addition of some new vocabulary. Invacuation? Well, we’d know it as an emergency assembly point or a muster station on a ship, but this term was new to us. And then there was the sortation station - sorting desk? I’m sure that the many acronyms and rich terminology would soon become commonplace for those who work here, but for us, it felt like being in a foreign country!

We left feeling impressed by what we’d seen and learned about the company and whilst I still prefer to support a small, local company where I can, I will look more closely at the Amazon packages when they arrive with a renewed understanding of the amazing system that brought them to my door.

My Hero had more than a few Creme Eggs to celebrate Valentines day - he booked us a table at our favourite restaurant in Cheltenham where our all time hit Tequila Slammer continues to delight and surprise us!

Quite a week then, not to mention the *Yellow Fever. Our next adventure, scheduled in a few week’s time, involves travelling to an area where one may or may not require vaccination against the disease, depending on where the advice is offered. Our usual “better safe than sorry” approach took us to an appointment at our local GP, where we were rewarded with exemption certificates on account of our age. “The risks associated with the vaccination are greater than the risks of catching the disease” we were advised.

Time to get the DEET supplies together then.