Meanwhile, back in the Northern Hemisphere….

I’m up on the 11th floor and I’m watching the cruisers below, on a grey, dreich day in London. Last week or two was a frenetic mix of cleaning, selling or throwing out everything I own, punctuated now and again with a swimming lesson or a run around the common. Don’t mind saying it was stressful and without many laughs, and for a while I felt that me and my sanity were having the same kind of relationship as the Spurs goalkeeper and a high ball. (Suze, hopefully this answers one of your questions below?) But I have now left the flat in Tooting and moved to a cheap and moderately shabby hotel room in Earl’s Court. The tiny bed, grubby shared bathroom and continuously passing traffic makes it feel very much akin to a sleeper train, except bereft of the pleasing prospect of ever waking up somewhere as bonnie as Aberdeen.
The supposedly fully-staffed and stress free removals system didn't go quite as much like clockwork as I had been promised, as they turned up without nearly enough space to take everything in the crates. We managed to muddle through by prioritising which things went and which didn't, with freecycle Wandsworth and my parents sharing the leftovers. Tick, tock. I feel some trepidation about when and in what state we will next see our bicycles but I guess they are insured, should they go South figuratively as well as literally.
But are we downhearted? Well, not really. Only about 4 days until I go to join Suze and we can start to find out about the place together. That has to be good.
At this stage we should also reiterate our thanks to both of our families for the help they have given in cleaning, storing and moving things, as well as (sniffs back the tears…) providing a retirement home for the pussycat. Next update from me will almost certainly be written in the heat of Africa, so apologies if the typeface starts to look a little sweaty.