Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans
After a chilly seven days in Switzerland, we found it just as cold back in England and we still needed to wear the ski jackets and gloves. There were a few soggy patches of snow in the fields and under hedges around Hertford, but it isn’t the same without that beautiful gleam of the snow and vibrant blue skies. On Wednesday we caught up with friends Bill, Ang, Bob and Jean for a ‘meeting’ in the George & Dragon in Watton-At-Stone. Over a delicious meal we made plans for their trip to Australia in December / January. We’re all getting just a bit excited and it’s good to have something to look forward to at the end of the year. It will also give Rodney and me the added impetus and fun reason for getting the clean-up and renovations done at Garland Road when we get home in November.
Thursday 4 April was the day designated for the Blakes, Johnsons, Daveys and Surridges to do the Amwell to Wareside old railway walk. It had been planned for March 23, but due to the heavy snow, it was delayed. I had to withdraw due to my ‘stationary skiing’ injury, but the other seven piled on the warm clothes and did the walk, despite snow falling on them throughout the hike. I did however manage to drive Andy’s car over to Wareside to meet them all at the White Horse Inn for another really yummy pub meal. With all the good conversation and three courses of food, we didn’t leave the pub until after 4pm and then Rodney and I were back in another pub in Hertford at 8pm to meet up with the two Pauls, Mr Whale and Mr Charisma. Andy joined us later on and my hopes for an early night failed when we crawled in to bed around 12:15 that night.
(photo courtesy of the Johnsons)
(photo courtesy of the Johnsons)
On Friday the insurance papers for Eileen finally arrived so we drove down to the DVLA offices in Borehamwood to renew the registration documentation for another 6 months. This meant we could now head overseas, so we started packing clothes, etc., back in to Eileen’s cupboards. On Saturday morning we completed shoving in everything that we needed and we said our grateful thanks and goodbyes to Andy and Carole again. So on a surprisingly sunny and slightly warmer day, we drove over to Redbourn to pop in on our oldest relative, gorgeous Auntie Sylvia, still a picture of good health and full of family news in her nineties. We followed up the afternoon’s tēte a tēte with a chatty family evening at my brother, Neil’s home. After leaving Neil and Debs with everything we surely didn’t need……..(thanks ever so much for the continuing free storage service…!), on Sunday morning, another clear blue sky day, we started heading south. First stop, Horsham, at Caroline and Steve’s which started with a roast beef and Yorkshire pudding lunch. Thanks guys, you’ll always win my love with that meal and thank you so much for letting us use your home as a base to set off from. Over the two days there, we completed all final preparations; filled up the fridge and food cupboards with plenty of supplies and Marmite. Rodney fixed the waste tap and filled up the water tank. I made sure everything was stowed safely and updated the computers and we then felt just about ready for the next European expedition.
So on Wednesday 10 April we drove across Kent to the ferry port at Dover. The morning was grey and misty all the way, but at least it wasn’t raining and windy this time. The old joke about the M25 being a ‘parking lot’ was absolutely true. The traffic was completely standstill, not a vehicle was moving for at least 12 miles. Luckily it was in the opposite direction, phew, we had a ferry booked! Our anti-clockwise direction, though filled with road works and a reduced speed limit, kept moving at a good steady pace and we arrived in Dover with plenty of time for a coffee before boarding our 11:30am ferry to Calais.
