Too late, it occurred to me that changing departure day from Hannah's to the Wednesday, possibly wasn't a clever decision. I'd agreed to go around to Rachel's for a couple of hours on Tuesday night, to be with Kitty and Henry until Will got home from work. So that meant, potentially, I would be moving out of London to travel back to Reading (to collect the car) and then across to Kent on the day when disruptions and delays were expected everywhere because of "the" strike.
It didn't! The train was practically empty, there were plenty of taxis available at the stations and my journey back to Reading was probably the quickest I've had during this trip.
Tom, on the other hand, was sulking upon my return. Evidently the glove box gets colder than he prefers, so when I suggested that his planned route via Central London didn't match mine, he agreed to plan an alternative route but still felt he'd like to see a little of London on his way. And thus it was that I travelled into Chiswick, realised his cunning plan, and decided I would take matters into my own hands.
In 1972, I used to use the South Circular road quite a lot. Tom didn't resist, so eventually what should have taken about 90 minutes in relatively light traffic extended to about 2+ hours in and out of roundabouts, traffic lights, bus routes and pedestrians - everywhere! But we managed - hurrah! Even whilst sulking, Tom always prevails - but just to prove who's boss, he's back in the glove box for the next few days until I need him again. Treat them mean and keep them keen, that's my motto.
So now I'm with Caroline and Derek - a cousin on mum's side - in Bromley. I've already unsettled their equilibrium by introducing them to Skype, so that we can chat (free of charge) when I get back to NZ. Getting on to their wireless connection proved a challenge so difficult that their son Simon came round to our rescue at an hour when more sensible people would already have been in bed. Now all that remains is for them to get their confidence with it.
I'm told that today we are taking a train into London for a matinee performance of "Billy Elliott". These are the folk who took me to visit Buckingham Palace on a previous visit. This is the life, eh?
Hannah's wool arrived about an hour before I left - so now there's no excuse for not getting started on with that project. I feel a search for another box (to send some belongings home separately) coming on! In a month's time, this past six months will be a memory as reality hits - but what a memory!
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