Leaving

It’s always hard to leave home. I have been doing it for a long time and I’m fine when I’m out there but hate the process of saying `goodbye`. This two-month trip will be the longest I have ever been apart from the family and it’s going to be tough.Not only do I miss most of the kids summer holidays, but I wont be there for Stefan’s last days at junior school. We talked about that yesterday whilst canoeing down the River Wye. Now, normally in the morning he walks by himself the short hop to school, I take Harriet a few moments later but he likes to be independent, in fact he hasn’t walked down to school with me for two years. Yesterday though he said, `I want to walk down with you on Monday as it’s the last time you will see me going to Junior School`. We looked at each other quite intensely for a few moments and then I said `ok, buddy` and roughed his hair. It’s a moment I will never forget and it meant a lot.