Cold but happy

I've had an interesting time. My first job (after many employment-free months) was in a beautiful, big old house in the countryside near Oxford.

The man I was helping with had been first a professor of history at Exeter College, then head of the college. CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein were old boys of Exeter and he knew them both, so I had lots to talk to him about. I was there for just two and a half days then returned to my very comfortable accommodation in Essex for one night. I set out the next day for Reading and my next assignment. This was with a 45 yr old brain injured man. It was very challenging but very rewarding. He was a lovely man and I learnt a lot my 5 days with him. He goes to a rehabilitation unit in Henley on Thames, one of my favourite places, about 10kms away along narrow winding lanes, with thatched cottages, and hedges and carthorses. I had time there to go for long walks, revisiting places I'd been to when I'd worked there before.

When I'd finished there I got the train went to Paddington and walked across Kensington Park...
to Knightsbridge and trawled around Harrods for a while, then got a bus via Oxford Street to Bank, where my cousin Sue works. We found a nice old pub, The Walrus and Carpenter, and had a drink, then decamped to another pub at Monument and had another. That was enough to do me in - I'm right out of practise. Now I'm back in Essex for a week before my next job starts in London. Theydon Bois is a nice village with a lovely village green and pond and right next to Epping Forest which has miles of trails.
Yesterday Sue took me out to see my grandfather's grave, which is next to his sister's, whose name I have as my middle name. We also visited my auntie's grave and the house and village that my father spent time in as a child. It was all very interesting for me. I evidently had been there as a toddler, but have no recollection of it.
I’ve got plenty to do in terms of sorting my things out now – tax returns, travel plans, emails etc as well as a good dose of snuggling up under the duvet watching TV. It is very cold and miserable but I am happy. Time off, time to myself, I'll probably never even do the things that I should be doing. Thanks Leigh and John.