Synchronicity

Once again, time has sped past since my last post. If you look at the days it reads “this post Sunday, last post Saturday”. Hurrah, you might think, only a day since his last musings?

Well, no actually, 8 days. Things have to change; must do better!

Lots to tell though so, deep breath ......

As before, a very busy week at work, combined with some rather extreme weather. None more so than on Thursday when the severe wind that was predicted found me abandoning my bike for the relative safety of a train.

All well and good so far.

I can still make it from work to Joseph’s school on a tube if I make a connection ok and there are no delays. What happens? A power failure closes the line southbound and I am forced off the tube approximately 4 miles from where I need to be.

“Don’t panic”, I thought, “jump on a bus”.

Now this would have been a terrific idea if it weren’t for the fact that there were roughly 200 people with the same idea, booted off the same tube as myself. As people were actually fighting to get on buses, I thought it wiser to set off in the general direction of home. A couple of ‘phone calls had secured Joseph’s safe collection anyway so off I went.

For an hour and a half.

In gale force winds.

However, taking into consideration the collapsing wall in North London on the news later that night, my walk home was insignificant. I’m sure everyone's heart went out the parents of the toddler who never made it home that day.

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Also on Thursday, Joseph did a drawing for M and I while he was at breakfast club. Similarly, Annabel did a painting for us at nursery. It wasn’t until Friday when M had put them up on the cloakroom door, that she noticed something a little peculiar.

“Have you seen”, she said, “the colours the children chose to colour in yesterday?”

I turned to look and was genuinely taken aback.

What do you think?

If Derren Brown had pointed this out I would have spent the rest of the day wondering how he’d done it. That or hiding under the sofa.

I included the picture below because it includes the extra picture (bottom left). Joseph took it out of his bag and said he had drawn us “all holding hands” which, if you look closely, we actually are; bless his heart!

Following a later than planned Friday evening (no drinking involved, honest), our Saturday got off to a slightly stuttering start. You may remember our close friends had upped sticks and moved down to Wilton, just outside of Salisbury? Well anyway, we were off to spend the day with them in their new house.

Late start – check.

Get a bit lost – check.

Annabel choosing to vomit everywhere– check.

Great! Half an hour from our destination and Missy had opted to chunder pretty much all over herself and the back seat.

Was this the shape of things to come for our special day out?

Well, no actually, far from it. The day turned out perfectly from then on.

Anne-Marie and Richard are well and truly ensconced in their new surroundings. From their “cosy” flat in south west London, to their lovely 3-storey townhouse in Wilton.

And very lovely it is too; the house and Wilton in general.

More thatched roofs than you could shake a stick at, a river running past the end of their garden, real ale pubs and the pre-requisite village idiot.

Actually, that last bit is not true in the slightest.

SW London versus Wilton?

Where’s the contest?

Having been for a lovely walk (wearing our wellies naturally), sloshing through mud, feeding the swans and ducks, past the stunning Wilton House (closed for winter) and back in time for a fabulous venison sausage stew with mash and vegetables, it really is difficult to understand what they both saw in the place?

Anyway, that’s their lookout.

I’m sure it won’t be long before all that open space, fresh air, friendly neighbours and real ale wears very thin and they’ll be scampering back to dirty, grimy, short tempered London with their tails between their legs, cowering in shame.

Or not, as the case may be.

The only slightly worrying thing was that Richard appears to have discovered Harvey’s Bristol Cream, the only bottle of booze my brother and I ever left alone in my Dad’s drinks cabinet. On the good side, it would seem that choosing this years Christmas present for him will be very easy. After all, you can find slippers in most good stores, which he will undoubtedly be in need of after a year of “country living”.

Well done guys, you seem to have made the dream move – good for you.
xx