Hello Everyone.
My holiday seems as though it was months ago and not just a matter of days. I have been really busy over the last couple of weeks. We have already started 'pre-season' training which is really, really hard - and often in the sorching heat, even in Manchester!

Mind you I ate and ate whilst away on holiday but I suppose you have to just give in and let yourself go every now and then (I certainly did that!). We had a great time on holiday in Mauritius. It was quite odd because it got dark quite early being that it is not the height of summer over there. The entertainment was great and I met up with Ray Winstone and his family. What a cracking guy he is and what a laugh. 

It was a long journey home and seemed to take forever, especially because one of my girls fell out of bed the night before we left so we had no sleep whatsoever. Great two weeks though and I would really love to go back again.

I met up with some financial people whilst representing QBE in Manchester last week. It was a really good day and I realised how much I like talking to people. I find people so interesting. I was on the rugby theme stand and spent a couple of hours in front of a huge picture of myself, signing little rugby balls and chatting.

On Thursday I went along to Terrence Higgins Trust Friends for Life Gala at the Royal Artilery Gardens at the HAC. We got a bit star struck as we looked around and saw Stephen Fry, Dame Judy Dench and a whole host of other celebrities from stage and screen. THT is the Aids charity and we had a moving speech from an aids sufferer who had been a male prostitute and on the complete down and out until THT gave him the support he needed to get his life back on track. It was gritty and a real eye opener. He just said it as it was. It was good to meet Mackenzie Crook from Pirates of the Carribean and The Office. I had my picture taken with him.

Then to finish the week off, I opened a retirement home in Newcastle under Lyme. I met Minnie who is 101 years old. We were both as deaf as each other but we managed to have a realy nice chat for quite a while. One guy thought I was a copper and wondered if there was some sort of raid going on. That was funny. Another lady said to a member of staff pointing at me 'Could you get that cricket player to come over and talk to me!'. They were lovely and enjoyed the party laid on by the staff for them and their families. You can see all the pictures here.

Then Monday was back to training. At one stage I thought my legs were going to drop off and I am walking a bit funny, but I am pleased with how training is going. We are going to be travelling to Portugal, France and Glasgow in August to play some warm up matches and before we know it, the new season will be upon us.

I hope to meet some of you up at Sale in the new season. Let Jill know if you are coming up to watch a match and I will do my best to say hello after the game. We hope to be having another 'meet up' with my friends in the Ben Cohen Gold Membership and as soon as the fixture list comes out we can start to plan maybe a couple of those throughout the season. Just let Jill know if you are interested in coming along.

Keep sending in your emails and don't forget to follow my slightly random ramblings on Twitter (@RugbyBenCohen).

Best wishes to everyone.

Ben