Normal service will be resumed.

To say that last week was hectic is an understatement. By the time I reached my final Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday, I was tempted to blog, 'Another day, another dollop', in reference to the large number of cream scones I had consumed. It was something of a relief therefore, to take part in the RNLI Fish Supper on Saturday. My husband had offered to help Allan James, the organiser at Lydney Yacht Club, by cooking fish pies and haddock bakes. We had started the week with a notional thirty-five (ish). By the time the event arrived, the 'ish' had ended up closer to seventy, with forty-eight fish pies, eighteen haddock bakes and two vegetarian squash stews being consumed. The Commodore, Paul Hayes dished up fish fingers, beans and chips to the children. I used the last of our tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber from the garden and the local supermarket was raided for french sticks.

Our club is based in the old Shipwright's House near to the ancient and beautiful, Lydney Harbour. Those of you who have read 'Past the Town of Tribulation & Straight on to Derring Do', will recognise it from the story. On that evening, it was filled to the rafters with our own club members together with visitors from other sailing clubs from 'down river'. Those rafters were raised another few inches by the rousing sea shanties led by the talented Dick Brice. It was a fantastic evening in so many ways, but one of the best aspects of the whole event was the way in which everyone pulled together and worked as a team. It was a good example of how, when our energies are channeled towards the positive, rather than being wasted on 'wittering', as Grandma* would say, we can achieve great things.

Now my energies need to be channeled into writing that elusive sequel.