Our lives may be mainly focussed on making a success of our Calendar Club store, but we’re also managing to fit in some extracurricular activities!

On Saturday night we enjoyed a night out with my eldest sister Kath, her youngest daughter Vicki, and soon-to-be husband Phil. Having booked the band ‘Susie and the Backbeats for their 2018 wedding, they thought they’d check them out ‘live’ on their inaugural Lichfield gig.

They were unquestionably brilliant with a wide range of genres and amazing acoustics. Barry was more than a little smitten with the lead singer, so I imagine that’ll help him get over his feelings of discomfort of weddings after over 30 years of the pressure of photographing them – until his last professional one in 2007!

On Sunday morning I headed off to mum’s leaving Barry to man the store alone for two days. It was a fairly warm and sunny autumnal day, and we took the opportunity to get out to a nearby regular haunt – Whitley Court. Mum can’t walk far nowadays, and I wasn’t sure how she’d react to my suggestion of using a wheelchair. I needn’t have worried, she was delighted to be pushed around and thoroughly enjoyed herself. We were just in time for the three o’clock fountain show – and even got to chat with a woman and one of her pet ferrets! I think she said she had five more at home, possibly more, as she cares for rescued ones. Fascinating what things interest different folks …

Mum had a CT scan of her brain Monday, then an eye test (new prescription needed and colourful new glasses ordered), then finally a flu jab! Once her personal ‘MOT’ was sorted, I drove back to Lichfield, picked Barry up, and we headed to the boat. The wind was blowing a gale all afternoon, and most of the night; fortunately no damage was experienced on board the still drying out Areandare. Sadly the same can’t be said for a heavy wooden bench opposite us in Whittington …