Sunday
25th March 2012
Melbourne
to Heathrow
We finally took off!
Monday
26th March 2012
Arrival
at Heathrow, collect the car and head to Rushden
After a long flight via Abu Dhabi, we arrived
in top condition into Heathrow at 1.30pm.
What a good time to arrive. It was easy to get the body clocks into the UK
time zone. Laden with 2 suitcases, 2
backpacks, a canvas bag and a computer bag, we lugged our gear via 3 trains,
then a taxi from Audley End Station to Clavering, where we’d left the car in storage last September. The car
was in great shape and had only endured a mild winter so it seems. The disposable dehumidifier we’d left on the
floor of the car was filled with 10cm of liquid, so the plan to help keep the
car dry and free of mould worked a treat!
JnJ were “thirsty as”, in the 22
degree heat of the UK Spring, so we couldn’t resist a pint at “The Cricketers”,
Jamie Oliver’s Dad and Mum’s pub in Clavering.
The whistle was certainly wetted so we headed off in our beloved car to
Rushden to see our Anglophile/Aussie mates and their new dog,
Mia.
It’s always great seeing them – they’re always
the same…we’ve known them nearly 7 years and always manage to start right where
we left off. We could only stay one
night with them, so promised to return to pick up our gear in a couple of
weeks. Then it was off to Wales to see our mates who are building yurts in
their paddock – rustic-style B & B accommodation.
A yurt
is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkish nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The yurt has a wooden trellis, canvas top, and will be equipped
with a fuel stove and composting loo. We helped with the building process of putting up two yurts in the paddock.
After farewelling the yurt builders, we drove via the village where Nick Drake lived. He sadly took his life thinking his music wasn’t popular…. now he’s remembered by many...his memory in this village is understated. We headed towards Holyhead for an early morning ferry to Dublin, so overnighted the night before in nearby Anglesey, Wales - a mere stone’s throw from Wills & Kate who were just over the fence at the RAF base…I’m sure it was the future king in the helicopter hovering over us as we headed for the ferry.
