I was chatting with a friend about our #dadsinheaven just yday, so it is odd sitting to write about this day, dominated as it was by thoughts of my own father. It was his first birthday where we didnt have him amidst us – a very weepy day, I will not lie, but one that ended on a happy note after all.

Having spent the morning moping in the hotel, I decided that to get out and get myself a haircut in a foreign country was a risk worth taking! This daring act was executed at the only salon accepting walk-ins, somewhere in the Turkish part of town with a non English speaking Greek stylist. I have now lived with a too short, too heavy fringe for weeks – a testament to both the efficacy and limits of Google Translate! Didnt get the instant gratification I was after, but it left me feeling that the damage was done, there was nothing I could do now, except move on towards dinner. Sort of how I needed to feel about Dad too!

Saw a bit of Munich by foot, and then met my schoolpal @rons9 and her dad for dinner. We walked around town reminiscing, took a lot of pics, and visited the famous Hofbräuhaus beer hall. It was not too crowded, and I loved the vaulted ceilings, wood-panelled walls and long tables. Ro’s dad wanted to know about the roadtrip as I imagine mine would have, and witnessing their dad-daughter banter really warmed my heart. Good to see that individual flavours might differ, but the arc of all our stories are similar. So, we must be capable of more empathy than we credit ourselves for!

Is this the place for a personal note such as this – who knows? But I wish we, as a society, acknowledged grief more openly, if for nothing than for our own healing