We woke up to grey skies that match our mood. Today we must start packing for the journey home. Now it seems that our holiday has flown by so fast and we have to face the long plane trip that drones on and is never-ending and swapping planes - ugh! The hardest bit is saying goodbye.

We've had a great display this morning by the stags with their head butting and grunting and all the fawns were meeping around our lodge foraging for food - it's almost like they know that we're going. We have saved a nice portion of pellets for them this afternoon that we'll hand feed to them as we won't have time tomorrow morning to do this and it really is so beautiful to be able to be so up close and personal with them all.

John and David took the hire car back this morning. It has been great having a car at our disposal when we needed it, so yesterday it was washed and detailed and filled with diesel, so it has gone back in good condition. Enterprise Cars checked it out and were very happy with the condition it was delivered back to them, so that's good to know - we even added a very nice "smelly" block on the mirror so it smelled lovely too!!!

Our suitcases are all out in the middle of the floor in various states of being filled, so we may have to work out who's bag is heaviest/lightest and share some of the things out. I think David might win the heaviest bag stakes with all of the stuff he bought at Aston Villa!

The fridge/freezer is almost empty - just enough to make us some breakfast in the morning before we leave. It seems funny that I'm going around cleaning everything, when the ladies will come in when we've gone and clean it all again! I'd hate them to think we weren't clean though - ha!! It's just a matter of stripping off the beds and towels in the morning then, as we have a large bag that they all go into and that should be that. I hope that whoever is coming into our Lodge tomorrow afternoon, enjoys their time here as much as we have. It has been the most amazing holiday and it will stay in our memory banks forever I think, and the DVD David is making and the blog on his website will be great reminders too.

Tonight we are going to the Barley-Mow Stafford pub for a big nosh up dinner with Alison and Andrew, Joseph and Monika and to say thank you to them for all they have done for us before we arrived (preparation things) and while we have been here. They have been awesome - I don't think we could ever say enough thank you's for everything they have done and we love them to bits. It will be the hardest thing to do tomorrow when we have to leave them at Birmingham Airport, it's just not fair that we are so far away on the other side of the world. We have loved this time with family and friends that we have not seen for so long, some for 45 years. Those years have meant nothing when we have met up again. I thank the Lord for each and every moment we have been here, and that He has kept us safe and well and relatively pain free. Ah well, back to the packing, including this computer so the blog of our holiday will finish after we arrive home. Thanks for reading...see you all soon and much love from the Stretch's.