Will’s last post rightly captured our mood in the run up to xmas. Despite showing signs of improvement, I was still having trouble walking a week ago Monday. I saw the doctor that evening and he was mostly positive about my condition and said that herniated disc aside, there wasn’t anything seriously wrong. He confirmed that I should have already received a call setting the date for my MRI so he would resend the request and mark it urgent. Turns out they had lost the first request and as a result, I’ve ended up with an earlier appointment (4 Jan). At the end, I casually mentioned that we had planned to go to the UK for xmas and he said there was no reason I couldn’t make the trip if I felt up for it.
So the trip was back on and we set to preparing. There wasn’t much to do except ask the Beaufils to look after the cats and arrange a lift to/from Angouleme. Not much else happened that week apart from trying to finish my work project which I mostly did. We had an early start on Friday and made it to the train station with plenty of time before our train. Will normally has excellent train karma, and I don’t, so we weren’t sure whose karma would be stronger that day. The train was showing 5 mins late when we got to the station, but went to 20 min late shortly thereafter. We had an hour between trains at Lille, and you must check in 30 min before, so we were still ok. But just before the train was due to arrive they changed it to 50 mins late, a sure sign that my karma would rule the day.
It worked out fine in the end since we got on the next train an hour later although just before we boarded they announced the train was suspended due to a suspicious package on the platform. This turned out to be a 15 min delay, and we got a train to Bedford right after arriving in London, so in the end, we were less than an hour late arriving in Olney. That night was the annual family dinner at Anne and Andrew’s to commemorate Bump’s death 13 years earlier. There were seventeen of us in all but that didn’t stop Andrew from preparing a 5-course gourmet meal of soup, goat’s cheese salad, coq-au-vin with roasted veg, cheese and Dutch apple pie for dessert. It’s a lot of work, especially two days before xmas, but the chef did an excellent job and many guests said they looked forward to the meal all year. We stayed up fairly late catching up and didn’t go to bed until 2.
The next morning, Andrew, Tracy and I went for a walk through the surrounding countryside. I wasn’t sure how my back would hold up but we ended up walking for 2.5 hrs and it did just fine. We had lunch and then met Anna and her friend Scotch at the pub for a few drinks and a catch-up. She and Bev are buying a large fixer-upper on the Isle of Wight so they plan to move in the Spring. The bottom floor is a self-contained flat that they will rent out during the high season. Dinner that night was a delicious pesto pasta with chicken and mushrooms in a cream sauce, concocted from the previous nights leftovers. We had an early night in preparation for the next day’s festivities.
The next-door neighbours have three young girls and the last time we were there, they woke up screaming at 4am and never really went back to bed. This year, they didn’t get up until 7 so we actually had a good night’s sleep. It was a traditional Roberts Family Christmas, starting with breakfast, then Buck’s Fizz (mimosas) while we opened presents. Nan came by for a bit and we introduced her to Espresso Martinis so she was feeling good and jolly by the time she left. Andrew made a perfect xmas lunch of roast chicken, mashed and roasted potatoes, carrot and sprouts, yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy, bread pudding and cranberry sauce. We went up to Tracy and Frank’s that evening and played games including one called Pie Face which is not much more than a mechanical hand that lobs whipped cream in your face. We also played a number of card games including Spoons and Cheat (bullshit) before introducing them to Anna Perna. We left around 11 and then called it a night.
We were invited to Dave & Amy’s on Boxing day and headed out around midday. We stopped at their place to see the new kitchen and then headed out to the pub to meet up with Amy’s family. There was a hunt that day in their village and being a bright sunny day, the world turned out to see it. It was breaking up just as we arrived, which led to a massive traffic jam as everyone tried to get by on a narrow road with cars parked on both sides. The pub was heaving as we went by but thankfully, most people had gone by the time we got back down there. We did a bit of catching up with Amy and her family, most of whom we’d met for the first time at the wedding. They were heading off to a second pub but we headed home and arrived in time for leftovers featuring bubble and squeak. That evening, we watched a film, played cards and carried on drinking but not too late.
The next morning, Anne took Will and I to the mall in MK. This was the first shopping day after xmas so the idea was a bit masochistic. It turned out to be not so bad when we arrived, although it’s certainly the most people I’ve seen in one place for quite some time. The glass on my new watch mysteriously cracked just before we left, and we tried to find someone who could fix it on the spot but failed. We got some gifts for people back home and few items for ourselves including a book that I’d already read. I thought it was the next one in the series but realised after we’d left the shop so I ran back and exchanged it. I’m starting to read more on the Kindle and generally enjoying it so will probably make the switch soon, not that I do much reading these days.
We had lunch when we got back and then Will and I went for a walk around Olney that afternoon. It was only sunny but chilly and since we didn’t go out until 3, the sun was already on its way down and not terribly warm. This was a change from earlier in the visit when it was 10C on xmas day. The morning we left it was -5C and very frosty for our trip to the station. That evening we watched a lovely French film before having pizza for dinner and then played Scrabble. The next day, Will and I got haircuts and provisions (ie tea and mayo) from the shop. We also tried the jewellers but they were closed. It was a quiet afternoon and we had another brief walk before Will paid a visit to Nan. We watched a film before dinner which was a curry Andrew made from the leftovers, plus onion bhajis and rice – all very tasty. We had an early start the next day so it was another early night.
Will’s karma won-out for the journey back and it all went as smoothly as possible. We got the train from its departure point for all three journeys, so it was no problem finding space for baggage. We had our traditional sausage and egg muffin at the station before checking in for our Eurostar train, which was crowded, but didn’t take long. In Lille, we usually eat at the not-so-good Irish bar at the station during our layover. This time, I did some research before we left and found a place nearby that serves “minis”. It’s basically tapas, but with French food so salads, soups, tarts, plus burgers, kebabs etc. We had a few items each, all very good and then had time for a beer/coffee before walking over to our next train. It’s always freezing in Lille and that day was no exception. As soon as we crossed into France, a thick fog had covered the ground and it carried on all the way to Paris. We only spent ten minutes walking around in it which was plenty. The train back is 5 hours and it passed without incident. Lee collected us at Angouleme and we were home around 9.
It had been sunny that day and with the electric heater, it wasn’t too cold when we arrived. The pusses were most happy to see us and as usual, haven’t really left our sides including sleeping on the bed the last two nights. Lucien said they were both in whenever he stopped by and that it wasn’t a good hunting season. Smeagol doesn’t appear to have gained much weight which is he is prone to do during our absence. I did a bit of work yesterday and went to the shops. Will did laundry and got caught up with work etc. We’re going to see the Beaufils this afternoon, and the spend the evening with friends of Manu and Mathilde. It’s a couple we met once before when we celebrated new year’s at their place a few years back. I’m making a couple of appetisers and brownies, so I best get cracking.
Since this is the last entry of 2016, I will end by wishing it good riddance.
