Windmills, Warm Hearts & Wonderful Company.

Blog Post No. 6 – June 2026

Greetings from a very windy, but warm, tiny isle. Bob and I returned home on Monday evening (June 22nd) and have been enjoying the delights of gorgeous summer days. Obviously, temperatures have been rather on the high side, especially in the UK—we had five sweltering days in Hampton Wick last week, so we know what that feels like. However, surrounded by the cool Irish Sea here on the Isle of Man, it stays well below those heady (sweaty!) temperatures.

This morning (Saturday, June 27th) I had my first sauna/dip since coming home. OMGoddess—what an absolutely magical experience it was, despite the 23mph winds gusting to 39mph! I simply LOVE it!

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself, as usual. Here’s how June played out in my travelling wee life.

Let’s go back to May 25th, when everywhere was super hot—34°C when we landed in Liverpool—only to realise that the AC in our new-to-us car was kaput! We had a two-and-a-half-hour drive with the windows down, much of it on the motorway, which only just kept us from frying—but our poor little ears! Not recommended!

Once we arrived at our dear friend Diane’s beautiful black windmill home in Lincolnshire, we totally relaxed. There’s nothing quite like the bosom of an unconditionally welcoming home to put one at one’s deepest ease. We are so grateful.

We had a trip or two into the outskirts of Nottingham and, although Bob tried very hard to find someone to fix our dilapidated AC, we remained without its cooling influence. Apparently, the UK doesn’t recognise Manx-registered cars, so we were unable to use its diagnostic system to clarify what was wrong. Without that… nothing could be done, so we got used to the steamy conditions. C’est la vie.

Our next port of call was to visit part of the Miller clan in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Anthony and Karen moved there a few years ago and love it—and now, so do we! We had a wonderful Sunday gathering with one of their sons, Joey, his wife, Lanting, and their two absolutely gorgeous children, Eleanor and Henry. There were giggles galore. Bob bought a copy of Corinne Bailey Rae’s gorgeous children’s book Put Your Records On for Eleanor, which everyone admired. We gave little Henry a small cuddly toy animal, but as soon as he’s interested in books (he’s only fourteen months old), I’m sure he’ll enjoy it too.

The following day, Anthony and Karen walked us all over the place, enjoying everything Tunbridge Wells has to offer—which is a lot! Here’s a REEL to prove it.

Our next stop was near Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire, where our lovely friends Rob and Jo Selbourne now reside. We love them so much (the stones and our friends!). Another wonderful time, with delicious food, wonderful company and raucous laughter all the way.

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We then headed over to Sandhurst, where our long-time fabulous friends Martin and Pam live. They are among the most generous, kind and supportive people we know. We went with Martin and Pam to see our mutual friend Wendy, who lives in Whitchurch. What a beautiful place it is! I’d not been there before. Wendy lives in an idyllic spot close to the River Test. At this time of year, the place looks absolutely resplendent with fresh green everywhere, beautiful flowers and baby ducks! We had a ball.

While Pam and Martin attended a funeral the next day, we visited Bob’s eldest surviving sister, Sue, in Southampton, calling in to see her lovely daughter Lora and her family, who live just ten minutes from the lovely home Sue now lives in. It’s always an emotional visit, but one filled with laughter and lots of hugs.

The following day, along with Pam and Martin, we hooked up with Pat and Phill (aka the Squidneys—don’t ask!) and had a fun day wandering along the Thames and through the ancient streets of Henley (yes, of Regatta fame!). Altogether, it was a wonderful time, and it makes us ever more grateful for the connections we nurture and cherish.

Bob and I then had a couple of days to ourselves and ended up at a delightful B&B in Selsey. En route, we stopped to say hi to Bob’s sister-in-law, Jean, who’s in the middle of moving from Scarborough, "down" south to be closer to her granddaughters. It was great to catch up.

Once in the Selsey area, we enjoyed the wonderful sights of Chichester and even managed to squeeze in an afternoon cuppa with Dean and Delilah Dyson. We certainly know how to pack it all in!

A couple of days later, we headed over to Sompting, near Worthing, where Bob’s Mum and Dad spent their last few years. It’s an area Bob knows really well. We were invited to stay with the inimitable Barb Jungr, whom I’ve known and loved for over thirty years. When we did our calculations, it turned out we’d not been in the same space together for over eleven years! When you live on an island and travel far and wide, and then have five years where nowhere but the tiny isle was possible, the years stack up.

We both cared for our Mums, who developed dementia around the same time. Barb and I have a shared experience that gives us an even deeper understanding of one another now. We were over the moon to be reunited. It’s not that we haven’t been in touch, but that simple tactile proximity is such a joy.

Barb had another long-time friend, Shusha, staying with her, who has worked with Barb for many years. It was a delight to meet her and spend a couple of days being shown around Barb’s new “hood”. She drove us to Steyning, where we wandered through lovely old streets, meandered through delightful shops and ate a scrumptious lunch.

And we laughed! And laughed. It’s medicine, you know.

Eventually, the time rolled around for “the award-winning” Dave Kelly and me to spend a few days rehearsing at his lovely home on the outskirts of Kingston. The plan was to maybe record some of the new songs we’d been working diligently on, as well as some of the older ones, but it turns out we need a little more time to feel really confident. So, we each have summertime homework!

The revised plan, such as it is, is to get together a week before the tour and, after a day or two of showing off our fabulous homework to one another, record live at a friend’s studio around the corner. We’ll then offer the recordings as digital downloads on a thumb drive at the shows. We can but dream (and do our homework!). Wish us luck.

The idea is to have the new recordings alongside the older “live” CD from all those years ago as an added bonus.

We left a day earlier than anticipated and headed, in the sweltering heat, back to Diane and her Black Windmill—and to meet her newest granddaughter, just two days old when we arrived! I have to say, being in the presence of a freshly arrived human is the BEST. It’s a privilege.

Before we left for home, we had the opportunity to see our dear friends Mike and Judy, who now live in Beverly, Yorkshire. It was so good to see them. We are so grateful to be able to have such longterm friendships - they matter a great deal.

We took the boat back to the island from Liverpool on Monday and have been steadily acclimatising to the drop in temperature. 😉 I’ve had four dips without a sauna—amazing—and one with, equally fab. I’ll be sauna-dipping again in the morning.

I’ll start to collate ideas for new material in the not-too-distant future. I know you wish me well in my endeavours. It’s going to rain quite a lot this coming week, apparently. It’ll make the island look even more lush!

Our video/song this month attempts to show all the places we visited over these past four weeks, set to “Skin And Bones”, which I co-wrote with Mike Slamer many years ago. How we miss seeing him and his wonderful wife, Sue. One day…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKq-73AZ4Xo

Until next time, sweet reader, stay well, be curious and keep rising above the turbulence. Know that you are very much appreciated and loved.

Christine x

PS: Hi Nic! You know who you are - I think?! What's another word for swivel? :-) x