We have several flowering plants at this time of year, both inside and out, including roses, agapanthus, hydrangea, geranium and Easter Lilies (yes, that’s right, they decided to bloom on Ascension Day). Before we departed, the orchids needed TLC.

Once in a while, an exciting opportunity comes along and my (Mark’s) initial response is ’Wow, let’s go for it!’ Andrea is more cautious. She thinks, ‘Can we really do this?’

This exciting opportunity began last year, when we discovered that Andrea had accumulated enough academic leave for a sabbatical. We decided on Summer 2019 to enjoy that special trip. By Fall 2018 we had booked our tickets to fly to Stockholm for a conference in Goteborg, and subsequently tour 11 European cities.