It was the anniversary of Paul's death. I felt maudlin and had booked a 'get away from it all' Airbnb in the dales. It was at the end of a long grass track, about two miles from the nearest road. The road itself was little more than a single track. The webpage had said it had slow WIFI, it had electricity, and it had a wood-fuelled AGA wood stove that also heated the water and the cottage in winter. It sounded perfect. I...

The owner of the Airbnb that I had been using in the dales sent me an email. Hello, Mica. I know that you have stayed at the cottage a few times; we rarely have repeat guests, and you are the only one. It hasn't proved a profitable enterprise for us, and new rules mean that we have to spend a fair amount of money if we wish to continue. We have decided, therefore, to sell it. I am writing to you to see if you would be int...

I was going to go to the cottage for a few days. Mik was fine at home, and he asked if I minded if his girlfriend stayed, and I simply said, 'Of course not, sweetie, just be, you know, safe.' He gave me 'the look', and I just smiled. Well, it won't help his future if he gets a girl pregnant when he is still in his teens. I packed a few clothes into my little carry bag, and then some food from the kitchen – enough to last...

I had spent the past few days in my main house, seeing Mik and watching how his girlfriend interacted with him. I think she was more into him than he was into her. It’ll sort itself out. I was happy to see that he had washed my bottom bedsheet, dried it, and refitted it to the bed before I got home. Nice touch, son. I would never have known that you knew how to use the washing machine. I got a text from Leah. She had been...

"Come on, you haven't been for ages. Just for a few days. It will be fun." "Okay, Mother, for goodness' sake." "You can drive if you want." "Okay, alright already." "What about Louise? Do you want to bring her? We have the Shepherd's Hut that you could use if you wanted." "Nah, I don't want to take her there, to the cottage." "Oh, okay, just thought that you would; no worries." That had been yesterday. Louise had stayed t...