I normally love going back to the UK but this was a trip that I really did not want to have to take - because it meant that we had lost my lovely Nan and needed to go home to say goodbye.  Normally I can't wait to run into Common Hay and give her the biggest hug, but this time she wouldn't be there and I was dreading it.  

Mum was with Nana when she passed and had been by her side for much of the last 6 months going back and forth between California and Wales.  She drove up to Heathrow to meet us and we decided it would be a good idea for her to have a couple of days break before heading back for the funeral.  None of us had ever seen Stonehenge so she booked a lovely hotel in the Cotswolds called Lucknam Park - which was a very posh country house.  It felt like we were in Downton Abbey - in fact Dad and I had to go shopping because we did not have posh enough clothes to wear to dinner ( we also had to buy suits for Nana's funeral).  Mum had some spa treatments and we hung out at the very cool indoor pool.  We also loved the trip to Stonehenge and wondered how on earth those stones made it all the way from Wales thousands of years ago - and Why??  And while we were on the ancient kick, we also visited the Roman Baths in Bath.  It was hard to smile as Nana was always on our minds - but we know how much Nana loved learning so I think she would have liked that we we occupying ourselves with visiting important sites.

When we did make it home to Tenby, I was so sad that Nana wasn't there but also so happy to see my family and know that her legacy lives on in us

The day we have all been dreading arrived.  My lovely Nana passed away today.  She had Acute Myeloid Leukemia and really tried to stay with us but she just had no healthy blood cells left.  She died at home in Common Hay with her children there - just like she wished.  I know there is no tragedy in a long life well lived, passing away in the home she loved surrounded by the love of her children, grand children and great-grand children - but we all feel so devastated.  She was an amazing lady, Mum, Nana and Nana-Dot.  She always saw the best in people.  She was an amazing teacher.  She was dedicated and worked hard and there was nothing that she would not do for her family..

On Sunday most of the family were around bustling with activity, stories and laughs with Elsie and Gracie running in and out of her room playing hide and seek.  Nana told Mum and Aunty Sian and Uncle Ga that she could not have wished for a better last day.  They were confused because they thought she had weeks - but Nana knew ( as she usually did) and that night the pain came and the nurses had to give her medicine to take it away.  She never regained consciousness.  We are all happy to know that her last conscious moments were moments of joy and love.

Industrial Light and Magic worked on creating most of the graphics at the U2 show in the Sphere in Las Vegas.  Mum and Dad were supposed to go to the opening but they couldn't because Mum was in Wales so they snuck in a trip this weekend before it closes and before Mum needs to head back to Wales.  They didn't realize it was also Super Bowl weekend in Vegas between San Francisco and Kansas City.  Everyone was there for the Super Bowl - except them LOL!   It looked like a pretty spectacular show.  At one point the dome looks like it melts away and you are in the middle of Las Vegas and then there is a Timelapse that takes you back to the time it was just desert.  In some ways they thought it was so spectacular that people were more concentrating on the visuals than the fact that U2 was playing live right in front of them!

While they were living it up in Vegas, I was living it up with the Taylors.  We went out to dinner in San Anselmo which was really fun.  What happens in San Anselmo, stays in San Anselmo.