Skip to main content

Day 7

My time in France has come to an end and I depart at Gare du Nord in comfort - on the Eurostar! Spare a thought for the crew who had to drive back to Calais and board the Eurotunnel again. A beautiful station building (although severely under construction again) and I'm getting used to the non-smiling, face talking facing at Passport Control. If I had £1 for every time I had to fill in a Landing Card, I'd be rich!


We disembarked at Ashford International and rode the coach back to Imber Court to help with the last of the bike collections and pack up. I heard the radio playing for the first time in a week! By 16h30 we were finally on our way 'home' - I'm kindly being hosted by Dave and Terri, my generous colleague and her husband.

But there was no time to rest yet - the Weber's had arrived in London and were waiting at the Wilcox's for me to arrive so that we could all tuck into the final roast dinner at 135A Windmill Crescent. I boarded a train from Clapham Junction to East Croydon station as fast as I could - I guess not everything has to change, as I found this route quite familiar. After 12 years (and seeing them move in), I was here to also see them move out - rightly pointed out by Uncle Neil himself!


Dinner was delicious. Seeing family after a hard week of work was a soothing balm for my aching body and longing heart. I wished time would stand still for just a bit.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The week that has been...

"Life as we see it", right? My time so far at the cycle tour office is reminding me of just how demanding life in this age can be - a time seeking instant solution and gratification: We want it now! We won't wait! This is what makes a relaxing, easy going activity seem so rewarding! We've always been fortunate enough to cook with pleasure - obviously more for mine! And since returning from BA, we've also found great enjoyment from leisurely strolls in the neighbourhood or at Sea Point promenade. Take time for this! Here's what we've been a part of this past week: We were encouraged to see a group of students from Bishops come out (even in the rain) and join with the FBC team in painting a mural on the school's new diningroom and kitchen wall. For news and updates visit: http://www.fbcschool.org.za/ We joined over 15 000 walkers in a quest to feed the hungry children in the Western Cape, by participaing in the Blisters for Bread walk on Sunday. We tackl...

That's so amazing about Grace

Scrolling through some photos this afternoon, I came across one of our friend Tarrin-Rae and her new baby girl, Isla, born last Thursday 31 October 2013. Isla Grace Graham I struggled to contain my own emotions as I observed this special moment in Tarrin's life (and new Isla's too) and thought back to my own experiences. I immediately asked Tarrin if I may use this to share a bit more of what I some times feel as a Mom... At first glance, I see relief . She's finally here! We can see her face in real life and we can say out loud "I am a Mommy!" Like my own kids, Isla was in no hurry to be born and labour was induced. What's worse than having to wait 40 weeks to meet your newest family member?? Having to wait longer still! I must confess, that this feeling was mixed with a fair dose of disbelief  on my part too - when I sat quietly resting between visitors and feeds, I had to pinch my literal self and realise - the baby was here. Then I see comfort ....

A trip and a journey

It's a little after 4am and I'm watching my family form letterland characters with their bodies, across my bed. Unless I'm the 'underline' in the word, I have no place to lay my head here... That's a pretty normal situation these days - The only difference today is that instead of a sleepy tussle for my rightful place in the alphabet bed, I'm wide awake, mentally preparing for my drive out to Swellendam at 6am. And it's just dawned on me: this is the first event of the peak season for me, I'm almost on my way out the door and a daunting goal (Ethan's self-soothing) is 3 and a half weeks in motion. Yippee!! I remember thinking about this a lot before heading back to work in August, wondering how (and if!) it could be done and whether I would miss this event altogether because of it - or drive through daily (which aged me considerably during our events in March)... And here I am, almost 4 weeks clear of a 4 year practise - and ev...