E - Vida

In a moment of 'skoon frantic' (as my Dad would call it), I hoisted my bag up without adequate knee/arm prep and my back shouted "ouch!" Given that it was early morning and I had to catch my train to Norwich, I let it slide - even though it hurt. For the reward of getting to Norwich as planned, would be the Weber family waiting for me on the other side. And they did not disappoint. Country side dodgem cars with Uncle Ed, baking with Aunty Lynne, cricket with Dan, long overdue catch up with Tim and even a running Whatsapp commentary with Chris who was on a coach back to Cardiff. A little more family time squeezed into this two week business travel trip. Yay! By the time midnight rolled in, I was moeg. But my tank was full with new, rich memories of Norfolk - not forgetting the tastes of the day: cranberry, raisin and pumpkin seed bread, spinach-creamcheese-leek-bacon swirls, crispy fried chicken wings and coconut tart.  I reshuffled a few things in my bag, in preparati...

We had to set the alarm for quite a bit earlier today, given that we were on duty from 9am. Having someone to talk to on the train made a big difference to the travel and at one point I'd lost track of what I had done with my phone and purse! Mild heart attack moment. Arriving just on 8:45, we set up the stand for the final day of exhibition and gave our best effort for the next 8,5 hours. My smile muscles are slightly more stiff than my feet! Breakdown at 17:00 was quick but left us all wondering about our luggage weight restrictions, having collected souvenir bells, bottles and books over the duration of the show. Terri and I met up with Dave and then took a different route back, due to the now overcrowded train platform. At my host's recommendation, we went for dinner in Elephant​ & Castle. Chinese - yum! Veggie spring rolls, sticky bbq spare ribs, DIY crispy duck pancakes, sweet n sour pork, beef with black beans and lemon chicken. Mayyyyy bru. Pics to follow soon. ...

It's the second day of us doing the Expo dance. Caught out dozing on the train to the venue, I'm just glad that I didn't end up in Beckton with no more train track ahead! A regular reminder of why I prefer being behind the scenes, we fielded many questions, South Africa-specific comments and a few complaints about the wind! But we also met many local and homesick expats​ with a special love for our country, custom and events. I think they find our accent quite entertaining too. The trip back to Oval was at a chilled pace and Terri even met me at the top of the road for some company. Dave was back home preparing dinner - their Friday ritual. On the menu tonight was pizza (including charcoal sourdough - a first for us all!!) Followed by salted caramel and chocolate torte with clotted cream ice cream. What a treat!

Today is the first day of the Prudential Ride London cycling show (expo) at London ExCel. I've got the graveyard shift - the things you do when it's light outside until late! HotChillee (Cape Rouleur) is sharing a stand with Cape Town Cycle Tour and accommodation partner, Tsogo Sun. I travelled from Oval tube station (on the Northern Line) to Bank, crossing on to the Docklands Light Railway line towards Beckton - getting off at Shadwell - to cross onto a new train that would take me to Prince Regent, just outside the venue. The entire trip took less than an hour. Pretty handy having it here as reference in case I forget for tomorrow! There was a steady flow at lunch time and then it picked up again after 6pm, as to be expected with the locals popping in after work. I suspect that tomorrow will be busier as the weekend starts and possibly a last big push on Saturday for all the last minute riders. (It will be interesting to see if that behavior is exclusive to Capet...

Determined to put in a good day's work, Terri and I moved over to a spot around the corner from her home, where we could chat through some stuff and meet another colleague to debrief some more. Dolcezza is simple yet 100% functional - comfy chairs and tables, plug points, coffee and snacks and strong wifi. It's going to be a good day.  By 16h00 it was time to stretch them legs before we tackled the last task of the day - rooming lists. I'm only 1 event into it, and even I already know how hard you need to concentrate to get this one right! At 19h30 our brains were cooked, I grabbed a jacket and my bag, did my dash for the tube station again and found dear cousin Chris on the other side. Also visiting London for a brief stint, we took a walk around Leicester Square (and after resigning to the fact that that carnival teddy stalls of 2005 that we both loved, were long gone), we got a bite to eat, posed for a few silly pics and then hugged goodbye again as we went o...

Who knew that 6 hours of sleep could produce such marvelous results?! Feeling much better rested and a little less nomadic, I donned some sandals as we walked Rapha and Izzy (Terri's miniature Schnauzers) through Battersea Park and over Chelsea Bridge to their groomers for a suitable Summer cut. While waiting for them to be done, we popped into a little Argentinian cafe called Bueno and enjoyed empanadas, chorizo, chimichurri and chicken lunch. By the time we'd finished lunch, fetched the pups and made it back over to the car, we'd been on the trot for 4,5 hours - and my legs could tell! But no time to waste, I speed walked down to Oval tube station, took the Northern Line to Elephant and Castle and then the Bakerloo line to Picadilly Circus to meet some familiar faces at Hamleys. A lovely evening walkabout was enjoyed, including a visit to the M&M World (just to look) finished off with a Subway dinner and gooey chocolate cookie (now to taste). Walking home ...

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 Cl...