393. Truffles

Holyport

Particularly early start for us in order for me to catch my flight at ten thirty, Rome to Heathrow. It is a twenty minute drive to the airport so we depart at eight. We park at the Kiss and Drop and I head in to check in and the family go to park the car. Atalia check in, in the morning, is as one would expect there are five stations staffed but three of the lovelies are doing their make-up leaving two to do the check-in. The queue was not long but it took a bit over twenty minutes to face one of the sirens. She tapped away and said that the flight was in final call and my bags probably wouldn’t make it. I said that I was surprised as the flight didn’t leave for fifty nine minutes, grabbed my stuff and started running. Met the family at the check in exit and basically ran past them - needs must. I got through security promptly by going through the empty first class station then ran all the way to the gate. I was very grateful to have a wheelie carry on bag this time not my forty year old StAC bag that I took last time. I reached the gate with all my cooling systems fully engaged, that is to say, I had sweat running into my eyes, tongue lolling like a dog, my shirt stuck to me like a wet t-shirt contest and floating out of my shoes - the flight not yet called. The sirens allure lost on me now.

Feeling dreadful I took my window seat and basking in the warm sun I closed the blind only to be told to raise it so I basked some more feeling ill from my now feverish temperature. It was only when the engines started and the two vents that I could direct toward me started to have impact on lowering my core body temperature. 

Elizabeth met me at the airport and to Amelia’s (1) delight took me to their storage unit so that could collect some of the stuff for NZ. We then walked past our old home in Holyport to do the school pickup where I ran into friends Victoria and Annabel which was really nice. We also visited Rooks the butchers where I got a great welcome from Jerry and Marc as they are blog readers. I bought some stuffed chicken breasts for Elizabeth, Tony and me and they were fantastic.

Simon and me

Tony, Elizabeth and Maggie
with the tutor

Ed and Elaine had organised a truffle making evening at their home run by a professional chocolatair. Good friends, Paul and Clouda were in attendance as well as Simon and two school parent friends of Ed and Elaine's, Patrick and Maggie.

Patrick has a Cub at White Waltham and had he know would have been  delighted to fly with me in the UK. I was there reasonable frequently as we held many work meetings at the clubhouse and would have loved the opportunity to fly in the UK....

Clouda and Paul

The evening was messy, interesting, outrageous and yummy. We staggered home with Paul and Clodagh stopping at The George for a well earned ale on the way home. 

My efforts

I am really going to miss all these folk when we return to New Zealand at Christmas, they really are the best of folk and we have had some great adventures together.