Hotel Metro Inns Doncaster

... br>Its going to be a a ******* Ball!!!!!
The Goodbye Party Organised and i think everything is sorted!
No more clothes to buy...maybe just a few xmas presents before i go.
And i have packed and unpacked my bag about 4 times already!

Its really bad i am just wishing the next few weeks away!!!

I'm sure i won't be sleeping for days before!!!!!

Only 553 hours to go!!!
Yippie!!!!

H.x

With time rapidly dwindling I went down to Banbury way this afternoon to visit my brother et famille before I leave, taking the opportunity to say goobye to two young nephews - one of whom was able to appreciate some of the implications of what I am doing, "But what if you get sick?" he asked. :-)

Back up to Stoke in the late evening. Last day of preparations tomorrow.

... now in Northampton, tomorrow we leave for Dover, and on Friday morning we board the ferry for France. Hurrah! If all goes according to plan :-) We'll let you know how we get on of course.

Having got our hands back on everything we own, we're now able to upload some pictures we took of our time in Norfolk, in case anyone fancies a look. They're below.

Hopefully the next entry will come from France, please cross fingers for us.

... to work, then during the day we kept losing broadband connection. With an over booked plane it was imperative I checked in as soon after 7.20pm as possible so as I could to preserve our precious seats. Eventually after fraught nerves but good assistance from son Stephen I got the job done.

Off to bed with some relief.

... for them: clearing cupboard andwardrobe space, and giving the place a thorough spring clean. Vanda has spentweeks getting the (already very clean and tidy) house in tip top condition.There are places I’m not allowed to go now for fear of making them dirty oruntidy again.

As a riposte I preparedanother list: “The House Sitters Guide to Living at Nsansa”. At least Barbaraand Steve will know where things are and what to do if they go wrong.

... up early to be first in the check-in queue, smile at the check in lady and, standing on tip toe, ask for the emergency exit seats, because you say, with such long legs the other seats are too cramped. But airline have now got used to the wily passenger and have started charging extra for extra legroom seats.

To find the best seats (and there can be several which are not exit seats), find out what plane ...

... may be few and far between, so take a lot.

My view is several tee shirts and pairs of shorts will cover most situations, any anyway I don't want to be lugging a heavy case around for three months, so take a little.

And at the moment Vanda is sweating - she's right on her weight limit and still not finished packing. I've not yet told her that I'm 7 kg below my limit ........

No doubt over the next few days we'll find a compromise solution!

... Ackworth is a tiny village about 20 mins from Doncaster, and, as I mentioned, was where my Mum spent her senior high school years. She loved her time there, and has told me many stories about it. It was just as I imagined it: beautiful old buildings (est 1779) set on huge, scenic grounds, like a grand old estate. We couldn't believe how bad our timing was however - the school had closed for the summer the day before, and all the students and staff had gone home. AND it was ...

Between July 20 and 30, the weather was incredibly hot and Gillian and her family welcomed me into their home for the duration. I spent many of the mornings working on my journal and the afternoons doing things. Among them: - going into Amersham with Gillian to shop at Fox's to see if I could get a new pair of shorts. I had no luck but was able to buy some flat duct tape and a rain poncho. - saw barges on a ...

... of the train - a blatant attempt to push in to get what he perceived as the best seat. I wasn't having it though, and after going shoulder to shoulder, I won out and got there first! Disappointed, he stepped off with his wife to look for a 'better' seat, and the train promptly set off without him! I couldn't resist a cheeky smile in his direction... It was fun looking out for the animals in the dim light, but apart from the rhinos, I'd already seen most of them during the day at one ...