We're back! Briefly...

Hello? Is this computer on? Oh, right, thanks.

Here I am, back in the land of the vaguely living and rushing to report on Big Trip 2010 before we’re off on our next adventure. To summarise:

1) M&Bs had a great time in the USA. San Francisco was as gorgeous as M has always told me it is (her third time there, grr...), and time spent with Sara and family in Utah is always a delight.

I spent my week alone watching the World Cup and playing the stunning Red Dead Redemption. Kinda pathetic but, sadly, when I'm on my own I am kinda pathetic.



2) My Dad was as well as we could have hoped. He's settling in well to his new home in Bristol near my sister. The staff seemed very nice and knew who I was without explanation, suggesting that they had a fair idea about his life and the importance of him as an individual. Amy has done a great job of his room, full of photos and familiar paintings.

In himself he is clearly being well looked after. He is frail and he cannot really lay down new memories, but he is happy in the moment. He is aware who I am straight away and figures out M&Bs by context, though we try and help him along with conversational pointers.

Inexplicably, his moustache was shaved off by somebody but it's back now.



3) Cornwall and Edinburgh were excellent trips with family. The kids particularly enjoyed the beaches near Newquay. I sat and grumpily read a book, of course. On about the third day I was finally brow-beaten into going for a paddle and after literally around 10 seconds in the water I had a hugely painful encounter with a weever fish, which caused everybody else no end of amusement.





4) It was great to see those friends we did, but horrible to miss out so many people. Sorry if we missed you! We'll try and be better organised next year.

5) We landed on Sunday morning and by Sunday night we were at the Hordern Pavilion taking in a stunningly good double bill of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem. Seriously, I'm not sure I could cite a better gig experience. Tomorrow we're off oop north for the Splendour In The Grass festival when we get to see them all over again, together with Pixies, Frightened Rabbit, Flo & The Machine and various others. Hoping for more transcendent moments like this one: