England

Steven: We left for Chelsworth on the 7th of April to stay with my auntie Rebecca and uncle David. They live along a small village road in Suffolk surrounded by fields, sheep and birds.

We also visited Manningtree, where I used to live with my sister Jules, sometime during COVID. We had lunch at The Crown, where I used to work (very expensive...too close to London!). We then walked along the Stour (the local river), following the Dedham Vale trail. I had last walked this route with my mom when the family lived in Brantham - also nearby - and distinctly recall being harassed by bugs for much of it. It wasn't so bad this time.

The trail ends near the Boatyard, a riverside restaurant near where my grandparents ashes had been scattered. Heavy rains meant the pastures had flooded so ended up taking a detour through some sheepfolds.

A highlight of the weekend was seeing Rodrigo again. He wasn't wearing his little jumper this time, but he was still loud.

Because we were leaving from Stansted, Jules and her boyfriend Conor, who live in Chelmsford, came to have dinner and taxi us south so we could get an early bus to the airport.Les mer