Home Alone

Lindsey and Ian have gone to Norway and left me behind :-(

We had a good day on Thursday. Ian had a teleconference with Very Important People around the world. Lindsey and I went and watered the tomatoes and dug up potatoes. We packed everything up ready to take boxes and things to the post office. We trashed the lounge room with suitcases and papers and wotnots. We checked the postage rates for large boxes full of stuff. We gulped! We checked the excess baggage rates. And unpacked the boxes and abandoned the post office idea. We packed the cases (well, when I say I …) and then we took ourselves into Chesterfield for a bite of lunch at Chandlers (where they do a lovely organic menu) and a potter around the shops. We went home again and continued the Leaving Preparations. I dug more potatoes (much less wirewormy than the first lot, which were very sadly affected). The Builder came home from work. Then we ambled off in a taxi back into Chesterfield for a wonderful meal at the Old Post Restaurant. Came home for whisky and cheese. Then it was bedtime. For we had an early start on Friday morning.

Lindsey, Ian and I were off to Newcastle, where they were catching the ferry to Norway. We dropped The Builder off at work (for the van is in for service and its MOT) and off we trundled. We made excellent time. It’s interesting having Jenny the Sat Nav. I would have stayed on the A1 to Newcastle. She took us off and up the A19, which was a much more direct route to the Ferry Port. And coming home both she and Katy wanted me to leave the M1 and go via the motorway that goes to Hull. I haven’t done this. Must try it one day and see why. Anyway. I had been pondering what to do after Lindsey and Ian checked in at 11. I had thought I might go into Newcastle and collect the bridges. But you can't collect bridges on your own; at least, not in cold blood. It's different if you happen to run across one. So I abandoned that idea. Then I thought that I might go into Durham and collect the cathedral. But again, that's better if done in company. So I decided to go home and dig up some more potatoes. The forecast for the weekend doesn't look conducive to potato digging. So. We arrived in plenty of time for an 1100 check in – only to discover that the ferry was delayed by two hours due to inclement weather for the inbound ferry. What to do? There’s not a great deal to do in the ferry port. Happily, however, there is an outlet shopping centre a mere ten minute walk away. We went there and had coffee and a sandwich then a potter around in the shops. I was sorely tempted by the Le Creuset shop. So was Ian – but he was in much less danger of falling than I was. Happily, I resisted successfully. But that happy little interlude did rather do for the potato digging!

Then Lindsey and Ian checked in for their ferry trip and I came home. Alone, apart from Jenny.

It is not as much fun shopping in Waitrose without Ian :-(

I ran across The Builder in Waitrose. We trundled home together to a quiet, empty house. It is perhaps just as well that we were going out for the evening, otherwise it would have seemed quiet and empty indeed. As it was, we took ourselves back into Chesterfield and took the train back to Sheffield for Freyja’s birthday celebration dinner. There were about 24 people there, including Tabitha, Mark’s parents, GingerRich, Batch, Kal and an assortment of people that I didn’t know. Was a good evening, even if the seafood ravioli was a touch on the dry side. Freyja seemed very taken with her birthday present (a wallet she had asked me to buy her sometime earlier but which I hadn’t said I had bought) and some jelly style wild animals for sticking on walls (not recommended in a rented house!) or the bath or whatever) which included not one but two hippos.

And that, really, is the end of my Great Eating Adventure around England and Scotland. There seems to be rather more of me than there was a month ago. Home cooking and plain lunches from now on!

The Builder was at work on Saturday. I was not. I was, in fact, Home Alone virtually all day which is unusual generally and unheard of over the last month. I engaged myself in thoroughly cleaning the house, which is suffering from neglect, not having been attended to at all sine Lindsey arrived over a month ago. The spare room is now ready for visitors. The lounge room is clean and tidy. The bathroom is sparkling. Even the kitchen is nice and clean and tidy. I, on the other hand, was knackered by the time The Builder got home. Fell asleep watching the telly, and was mightily discomfited when Lindsey rang from Norway at 1800 asking me to check something on the internet. I so seldom sleep during the afternoon that I was quite convinced that it was 06:00 in the morning when the phone rang and that I had slept all night in my chair. It was quite a few seconds before the unlikelihood of Lindsey ringing with internet requests at 06:00 occurred to me!!!!!

Somebody send Ian back. He’s gone away and taking his touring sunshine event with him. It’s rained without ceasing since yesterday morning. My nice tidy lounge room is now hosting the washing! Lindsey reports that it is drizzly and bracing on their boat touring the fjords.

Back to work tomorrow after three weeks off. Will seem very strange