The planning starts in earnest, the Christening invitation having been received for quite a few weeks in advance. Both Craig and I have been asked to take on the responsibility of Godparents to the very cute and very charming Tamsin Hill, daughter to some very dear friends who we first were introduced to by their parents, know mutually in the business we previously ran back in the UK.

Being invited to become Godparents was indeed a great honour, especially in light of the fact that the couple, Johnny and Annabelle, have such a long list of the most diverse of characters that would have equally matched in terms of eligibility for the role. So accept we did and without further ado began to plan our trip. One of the first and major considerations we had to address was that of the care and wellbeing of our lovely family of Great Danes. Now all happily paired and in their respective runs, the care and maintenance was not such a big issue. What was a problem was making sure they still had the company and the companionship they have been used to. We managed our trip so that I went out a few days before Craig. That gave me sufficient time to catch up on the day to day things, the things that seem to take up all of your time. Also my father had been taken in to hospital and there were a few issues we needed to attend to on his behalf. Craig arrived on the Saturday prior to the Christening, just in time for the lovely meal which had be laid on, a sort of, getting to know the other Godparents and the remaining family. It was a lovely evening, no expense being spared and a real tribute to the hard work and effort that both Johnny and Annabelle put in to things.

Sunday saw a change in the weather, the sun shining for all to enjoy and the Christening going off without any troubles what so ever. Tamsin was an angel, keeping her smile throughout the service and a dry pair of christening knickers; it was safe to say “Tamsin Elizabeth Hill” was officially named, with all Godparents committing to their responsibilities and a nice finish to a lovely service.

A sumptuous party followed at the home of the family and then Craig & I departed to visit Dad in the hospital. We have a long way to go with dad and it’s an age thing and a pride thing rather than a life threatening medical thing, so patience is a virtue, as they say. We never like to see people suffer in any way, especially that of our parents and we always promise them we will look after them if things go wrong. Sometimes it’s difficult when hospitals are involved, but at least we try to do our best, we keep our fingers on the pulse and we never lose sight of the promise we made to them.

After a week back in the UK, we returned, exhausted, slightly confused at what we had left behind and frustrated that we could not sty longer to get through the politics surrounding the N.H.S. Our Danes were there to greet us, always a welcoming sign, they looked healthy, happy, full of the joys of spring and ready for hugs and cuddles and a bit of play time. Our live in housekeepers, Grace & Tony, God bless them, refused to take additional help and between them managed to do a great job looking after our little babies and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. They love them like they were their own, they know what we like and what we don’t like for our Danes and they make sure that their welfare is first and foremost in the days activities. So, that was the first break we have managed to take whilst in ownership of our Danes. All went well, there were no problems and we returned to a happy and healthy bunch.