I am never going to catch up!

Things have been a little lax around here since we came home. I caught a cold at Glenmore and have been lethargic ever since. Resting on my laurels, I believed that I had plenty of time to write up the Aberdeen trip before we set off for home. Of course it has become something of a tradition that something crops up when I least expect it and this week was true to form, when we received a phone call asking if we could go and meet family at a Farm Shop/Restaurant down in North Yorkshire this weekend.

It isn’t far – the route could be as short as 120 miles, depending on which way we choose to go but of course we are speed-restricted and the driver needs breaks so we think setting off from here to be down there for 10:00 am would be a little too much for all concerned. That being so, we hatched a plan to drive down the day before and to stop overnight somewhere handy.

We picked on a pubstop on the A66, just two minutes drive from Sunday’s destination. Yes, it will be noisy overnight but we have earplugs at the ready. Actually, the Fox Hall Inn is not so much a pub these days and is more a Fish and Chip Restaurant – so there goes my vow to be good and to not eat any more F&C for a while…

So, that was two days out of my internally-planned schedule for going-home preparation. What had felt easily comfortable previously was beginning to feel pressing. Then Mr Snail proposed leaving on Friday and going as far as Metal Bridge…

Hey, ho. 

Galvanised into action, the tent is now looking fairly orderly inside and The Heap is reduced in size to something that looks as though a plain old Moho will do, rather than a proper TARDIS.

Yes, I admit there are four large cardboard boxes awaiting posting home… but it was the only way that I could see to cope with it all.  All are sealed and labelled and we will take them to the Post Office on our way out to Metal  Bridge tomorrow.  I do have a slight unease that has yet to be addressed. Can you still take Parcelforce-sized packages to Post Offices for dispatch?

I do hope so.

This is how things are shaping  up:

• Friday : to Metal Bridge via Dalbeattie Post Office
• Saturday : amble down to the Fox Hall Inn at East Layton
• Sunday : breakfast date at  Mainsgill Farm then drive home
• Monday : intercept the Gousto order, then panic about the fact that we have to leave Kippford on Friday at latest

Despite his having contracted my cold, Mr Snail has been busy this week with organisational matters, partly for our homeward trip but also largely for France later this year. The van insurance is renewed and cover for France has been verified. Our mobile Wi-fi solution is also upgraded for roaming in the EU.  (I am sure there has been more but I think I may not have been paying full attention between explosive bouts of sneezing.) Today he investigated what we laughingly refer to as our boot space and pulled everything out to see what was what. Then he put it all back again after agreeing with me that it will all be easier once the parcels have gone.  Thereafter he addressed himself to the filling and emptying of Vincent’s tanks ready for this weekend’s trip.

I will do my best to finish notes on the Aberdeen trip this very evening but please do not hold me to it – life has a habit of getting in the way!

I have Jacket Potatoes in the Remoska and they are smelling rather wonderful right now. We are going to have them “fully loaded”, which feels very naughty indeed.