Saturday was a beautiful day, calm and laid back, with the sun shining brightly in the afternoon. We went for a little walk running some errands. My chickens had a good scratching around the garden and sunbathing. In the evening I cooked a nice hearty sausage casserole with button mushrooms and mashed potato…

A beautiful pansy in my back garden

My trio of girls (Salt, Pepper and Ginger) are enjoying some freerangingChickens are looking a bit bold in parts: it’s moulting season!

Pepper and Salt

And then Sunday morning came. I was woken up early by a FaceTime call from my sister in Ukraine with the news that my daddy is in a hospital after having a heart attack early this morning… And my world crashed down. I am still in a state of shock as if I was hit by a wrecking ball, all around seeming so surreal. I wish there was no two thousand mile distance between me and my daddy right now… And my poor mom, and my dear sister… Doctors say he is in a”critical but stable condition”. I keep repeating in my head as a mantra “Let him be okay”. He will pull through, he is strong, still so young – he is only 61.

My time off work approved, I have booked the flights and will be travelling there tomorrow. I just want to be there with my family while Simon is staying behind to look after our furry and feathery friends. I may not be able to write here on my blog during the week as I do not know what Internet connectivity will be like and whether I will have any time for blogging. I hope to be back on Saturday with the good news.

Take care and look after yourself!