sat typing this at eight in the morning on an overcast but still warmish morning in my hometown of Sheffield

It's been an intense couple of days since my last missive. Monday we were finally able to start moving things on regarding my Father and his financial affairs, an appointment was made with the Registrars and we ascertained the assets. Then, after a walk through Graves Park, one of the city's larger green spaces, i spent the evening with my best friends widow and kids, catching up on stuff in a slightly uncomfortable parody of past occasions. It was clearly a bit weird and awkward for everyone, no one really wanting to touch on the Elephant not in the room.

On to Tuesday then. First job was completing official paperwork regarding Dad's passing followed by a morning of visiting banks and an afternoon of internet and phone calls doing all the stuff that we couldn't without a Death Certificate. By tea time we were both mentally exhausted but essentially everything is now done, there are a few loose ends with paperwork of course but we have reached a point where my presence is no longer required. So that's it, another life book ended by officialdom, unremarkable and unremembered except by family members, no legacy as such, oh there will be a small 'inheritance' to divide across his descendants, think more of a good meal than a new bike!

I'm booked on a bus back south to Brizzle on Friday, it's time to reboot and return to some level of 'normal'. I will be back up mid November, he wanted his ashes to be scattered with my Mother's on the Yorkshire Moors so we will do that around his birthday.

Today, well once the laundry is sorted i'll be sorting out some stuff in the kitchen, my Mother was hardly house proud, add in two men who's idea of cleaning was/is a wipe with a damp cloth around the assorted dross - well you get the idea. Sorting Dad's possessions has been simple, returning the house to some sort of order has been a bit of a mountain but once i'm done today the place will at least look like someone cares.

I have some other chores to do, post my Daughters Birthday card , get a bit of food in etc then tomorrow i'm thinking of a walk. Walk she says, I can't remember such an intense period of foot based travel as the last few weeks, the German trip had something like 120km of walking, which doesn't sound so much but i'm not talking hiking, this is all sightseeing, evening walks and so on, by the time i get back to Bristol i'll have walked a further 50km since we got back! TBH i'm almost dreading getting back on a bike, it has been a lo-ong time since i've had anywhere close to the four bike free weeks i've just gone through.

Well that's enough from me, the washing is done, the chores await me, prevarication won't get the baby washed.

I'll be back on Sunday with that new Gaby but for now,
Tschussie,
Madeline Anafrid