We've just said goodbye to my Mum and Dad as they set off on their hols to the Dominican Republic. It's bad timing on all of our parts but I guess we had to say goodbye sometime, it wouldn't have made any difference whether it was today or Thursday.

I've been feeling sick all morning knowing what was to come. This morning we went up to see my Grandma in her care home. She's 91 and has dementia so can't even remember who I am. It still upset me though knowing it could possibly be the last time I would ever see her. And then it was time to say goodbye to my parents, which left me crying like a little girl. It's not just the fact that we're going to miss them; I also feel guilty about the fact that we're taking their granddaughter away from them.

In fact, today has been a lot worse than I expected. After my time in the Navy I thought I was emotionally hardened against this kind of thing but I was wrong. Rach is going to be an emotional wreck by the time it comes to saying goodbye to her family on Wednesday.