From 14th floor of the Hyatt, Manchester

The less said about the journey from Kent to Manchester the better, save for the fact that we arrived here safely. The first 160 miles to lunch were relatively straightforward. I was incredulous at the sat nav which said the remaining 80 miles world take over 2 and a half hours.

It was spot on. The M6 from J12 to Manchester was a zoo.

All worth it in the end to see Chris for the first time in nearly two years. He looks well, hadn’t changed much and it only seemed like it was yesterday that we’d last seen him. We enjoyed a meal out at the Pho Vietnamese restaurant in the Corn Exchange which, while busy was not crowded.

Thank you for all your comments on yesterday’s blip. Today’s driving left no time for visiting your journals and I don’t think there will be much opportunity in the next few days either!