<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/costa-coffee-after-chemose.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-1984"><img class="alignright wp-image-1984 size-thumbnail" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/costa-coffee-after-chemose-200x150.jpg" alt="costa-coffee-after-chemo(se" width="200" height="150" /></a>After my volunteering stint at Lincoln Castle on Sunday morning I travelled down to Northampton to meet up with friends. If you're reading this in Northamptonshire and I didn't get in touch please forgive me and maybe we can meet up next time. This was my first trip without Jane and I had a number of concerns. Meeting people for the first time since the funeral was likely to be traumatic and I was ready for that however it wasn't as bad as I feared. Of course there were tears but I now treat that as normal and whether it happens in someone's living room or publicly in the Costa coffee in Tesco I can accept it and not feel too embarrassed by my emotions.

On my way home late on Tuesday afternoon I called in at Oakham to meet up with one of my ex directors who I now regard as a friend. We had a quiet chat in a local pub over more coffee. On arrival at home Maisie was on the doorstep before I'd finished getting my bag out of the car. Despite being well looked after by the neighbours she wanted big cuddles, loud purrs however by the second pick up she'd decided she wanted to punish me for going away so she took a bite into my hand as if to say "don't do it again".

For all the people I met, had lunch, dinner and a cuppa of tea or coffee a big thank you for taking time out of your busy days and being so kind. I will certainly do it again. For my hosts Sue and Graham a special thank you for accommodating me and of course the vegetable gardening advice.

As Arnie says in many of his banal films "I'll be back" and next time I will meet many of the people I missed this time.