7.30 rise and on the road by 8.30 with the Sat Nav set for
Bristol. Thanks Manda for the loan. Saves me having to focus on road signs! Fantastic weeks in Northampton and Lincoln
now behind us we grabbed the West Country Phrase book and Sandford accent tutorial
and headed off in two parties.
Reece, Emma and Marcus south to Northampton to drop Emma off
before joining us later in Pilning South Gloucestershire. Kim and I headed South and then South West
via the M6, M42 and then M5. Easy run
and accustomed to the long miles that are Canadian trips, no aggravation.
We arrived at Cherie and Di’s by 11.55 and to a royal
welcome from Cherie, Betty and Daisy.
Di was working the
Monday and Tuesday but taking Wednesday through to the weekend off. We unpacked and then took a walk at Severn
Beach under the new Severn Bridge across the River Severn right and Bristol
Channel left. It is a massive structure
larger in size than the bridges across the Fraser River in the lower mainland
of British Columbia. There are two spans
here about two miles apart.
It was an interesting walk and a large house influential in
the slave trade to the USA still stands and is being renovated.
Reece and Marcus arrived quite late and a fretful Dad
breathed a sigh of relief. Funny how in
Canada I had learned to leave the boys to their own devices for the most part
and yet here a strong sense of personal responsibility for their safety
surfaced. Perhaps this is a natural
response when in close proximity with close family.
Di’s working day ended by 5.30 and we enjoyed a delicious Beouf
Bourguignon with mash and green beans preceded by a nice bottle of Champagne
and welcoming toasts. Kim and Di wagged
each other’s chins off in the kitchen and drank far too much wine while I the boys
and Cherie kept ourselves entertained in the lounge. The wine took its toll on Kim and Di so they
retired before the lounge crew. The
lounge crew then embarked on two hours of madness playing cards on the kitchen
table. It was a riotous affair with
every global and national dialect being visited to hysterical laughter during
spite and malice. We rolled back the
years with tears. We all parted with
cash except Cherie the card sharp for the evening. A noteworthy comment during the mafia accent
round was my Marlon Brando inflected “15
p because I’m a player” comment which hit all funny bones for some odd
reason. You had to be there I
guess. It was a Franklin Night, with
Franklins to the left of you and Franklins to the right.
Exhausted we found bed after midnight and sleep found us
within seconds.
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