Home at last

At last....only two working days left until we go to my parents on holiday. This time next week we will be there, I cant wait. We have only managed to visit them once so far this year, which is not enough. I'm sure there are many who would count that as a blessing but not me. Having lived previously in Manchester for 15 years we are all used to not living on each others doorstep but the logistics from Scotland seem always to be fraught with difficulties.

The negative aspects of living here in our field are few, I could count them on one hand and they mostly concern the lack of facilities. No M&S food store, no cinemas, no pizza deliveries and no clubs, bars etc. The most significant drawback for me is to be so far from my family, my parents and brother are 20 miles outside of London and my sister in the Midlands. On a world scale 400 miles is no distance but in a practical sense it might as well be much further.

It seems to be a task of Herculean proportions for PG and myself to manage to secure more than two days leave from work together and on the rare occasion we do achieve it we then have to find places in a cattery, which are as rare as hens teeth here, for Poppy and Ditto. It always seems to be in the 'lap of the Gods' as to whether we actually make it at all.

Having navigated those hurdles we then have the interminable drive South. The A1, which constitutes 30% of the journey and is supposed to be the main route south, is subject to 50 and 60mph speed restrictions and what seems like a speed camera every 200 yards. Add to that it seems to be littered with the slow moving HGV population of the UK. The remainder of the journey is on the unmentionable M1, the prospect of which is only bearable by reminding oneself that we escape 5 miles before the M25 so it could be worse!!

We could of course fly but I won't even go there. Ok.....yes I will. The airlines only offer cheap flights for those lucky enough to have employers that allow them to make arrangements 6 months or so before they wish to travel....that does not include us, and by the time we have made it to Edinburgh or Newcastle and then from Luton, Stanstead or Heathrow at the other end we might as well forget it. It takes as long as the drive and costs three times as much.

Getting from the States would probably be less hassle and less traumatic!

Anyway.......all that said I still can't wait, 6 days with my parents, two with my sister and my nieces and all that London has to offer!

More on that another time.