Missing home?

I'm aware I should never complain about being abroad as any opportunity to explore more of the world should never be passed but there is always a fear of missing something at home. I left the UK when the sun was shining and worried I was about to miss an early glimpse of summer that would be over once I returned. Other than the imagined perfect weather I also get a little frustrated at missing significant sporting events of which, in my opinion, there have been two so far. The first event I didn't even manage to find the results of until days afterwards - congratulations to the Exeter Chiefs for winning the LV Cup in front of a sell out home crowd. The second event was the Cheltenham Festival although I managed to substitute this with an evening of racing at Happy Valley Stadium, Hong Kong. The humid flood lit track set amongst a backdrop of high rise buildings and a colourful crowd made for an altogether unique experience.

My reason for visiting Hong Kong was not to find Westcountry cider (see 20.03.14) or to watch horse racing but to catch a boat. This might seem something of an understatement as I was in town to board The Adonia, P&O's seven hundred capacity cruise ship. Now I know I'm retired from sport but I would still class myself as too young to be going cruising and as it turned out the majority of the other passengers felt the same. I had to explain on several occasions that the purpose of my trip was work, not pleasure, although I wasn't completely convinced myself. Aside from a bit of after dinner speaking, I was lucky enough to enjoy some lovely weather and a once in a lifetime cruising experience.