Last weekend it was Ken's 60th birthday so the Shepherd clan met for a 'surprise' at a cottage on a farm in Herefordshire. Matthew was made up with the cows, cockerels and pig - though you would have thought that after a weekend surrounded by mooing creatures he would know that a cow does not 'roooaaaar' like a lion!


Neil was well enough recovered to drive the kids around on the go-kart; Emma was far more impressed with "Mat-mat" than Matthew was when Emma took his spot on the back of the go-kart and went riding off with his daddy!



The early mornings have continued resulting in Matthew and I touring the farm practically in the dark and seeing the cows being milked and Neil getting to watch live coverage of the grand prix - again focussing on the positives of being completely shattered.

Life back in Bristol is heading back to normal - hopefully no more trips to the hospital for a while now that Neil is better and Matthew's little op is over and done with.
It's all feling a little more like home. Although the views are very different, I do have some favourites and one is this one of the rooftops driving down Ashley Hill.


The wonderful Sam Lovell is staying with us for a while and Matthew is made up because as soon as Sam appears in the morning Matthew grabs a football as he's got a boy to play with!