Bit random. The nice weather always makes you feel better. Brings back memories. Sam was 24 when he died. When he was 15 we owned a motorhome. For a couple of months I had been planning a two week trip in it. Waited till Sam was off school and I’d booked the time of work. Saturday morning came and we packed the van up for the trip. Sam had been on loads of holidays with me n his mum. In the van and beach holidays abroad. But this particular Saturday he had waited rite till the last minute to announce he didn’t want to come. He was 15. He would rather be out with his friends. He didn’t wanna be stuck in a motorhome for two weeks with his mum n dad. He wanted to be doing things 15yrd boys did. We had a big row . I’m not leaving you behind and we are not cancelling. So get in the van!!!, we are going. We left Oldham and headed for knaresborough. Not very far,. We were meeting some friends and staying the night at Ripley caravan park. Sam sulked the whole way there. We had a good night bbq, few drinks. Sunday morning we packed up. Sam was adamant he wasn’t coming, he wanted to go home and be with his friends. We rowed again. Headed for Scotland. Spent two weeks drifting about all over. Edinburgh 1st stop. Aviemore, Inverness, Then john o groats. Kyle of lochaslsh . Eilean donan castle. Isle of Skye. Fort William. Various other stop offs. Turned out to be one of the best holidays we ever had. Mountains, lochs, forests. Coastlines. Sam and me Spent the best quality time ever. When we got home. He actually said, thanks dad i never new this country was so fantastic, he never did come away with us in the van again. But he talked about that trip for years afterwards. Even at his funeral some of his work mates came up to me and said, he was always banging on about Scotland. I often think of that trip with both sadness and elation. What I would give to be up there doing it all again with him. Luckily enough he came abroad with us one last time before he died, when he was 22. Do miss those holidays with him. I tell myself, I’ll get to do it again One day with him in the next life. Ok thanks for listening.
Lovely memories Jim. My ex husband, Andrews dad,is from the Scottish borders and we had many holidays up there when Andrew and his brother were young. He carried on going up to Scotland for many years with my ex until his Grandma died a few years ago…he always loved those holidays.
Last year he joined myself and my partner for a couple of days while we were camping on the north norfolk coast. It was such a laugh, we went on the fun fair, we played with his dog on the beach and my partner ended the day with awful sun burn…such a hot day. We had such a good time we booked a dog friendly cottage for us all to stay for a week June this year. Andrew died in March…we never made the holiday this year but thank goodness we had lots of other happy times together. I wish we’d done more but thought we had all the time in the world. Miss you Andrew 
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xxxxxx
Thanks sue. And you are so rite, you do think you have all the time in the world. But we know different 
As I was reading your message and you said you thought you had all the time in the world, it took me right back, they played it for the first dance at my daughters wedding. So happy and in love, and now she’s gone. Memories and triggers like that are so bittersweet. They bring waves of pain and yearning. Up, or at least okish, one moment and then hurting hard again. Overall though I am still getting chinks of light and I’m in a better place than I was. I’m grateful for that. Best wishes to you xxx