Final Farewell Friday - Tewkesbury, United Kingdom
Tewkesbury, United Kingdom
Wednesday morning is much colder. The wind is freezing! Julia gets to school and her eyes well up with tears, she's forgotten to tell me they need to bring something for afternoon tea, her class are having a little farewell for her. So after gym I head home to make Anzac biscuits, again. Trying to redeem myself from the little rocks I made for NZ day, and I still have those little Cheerio (cereal), marshmallow Christmas trees in the freezer. Perfect. After gym and after baking I head back to school with the goods. After school Julia tells me proudly it was the only home baking. Cute! After school drop off I get this strange fuzziness in my eyes, can't focus on anything. I very rarely get headaches, but this is full blown migraine by early afternoon, that wind (having been up town in it), wrapping around your ears plays havoc. I lie down and Paul picks up children and takes them for a swim. They've had another great day. Mac tells me him and Leni-J, his best mate here, have 'broken up', meaning they're not best mates today, "but don't worry Mum, we'll be best friends tomorrow again. Maybe." Out of the mouths if babes. He comes home and eats bread sticks with peanut butter "So Lush". A knock on the door the postie delivers a large parcel from home. Mum & Bryan have sent some Xmas pressies from them and Tania & Jeremy. Some to open now, some for the children for Xmas day, and some local newspaper clippings, and the North & South magazine about Ewan MacDonald, will save that and read while chilling (literally) in London. So lovely, and sooo expensive to send. But loads of excitement! Yay! Kids to bed late, Paul and I get to packing, it's a huge job, we've really settled in here for 5 months. Papers and books and pens, pencils, little toys. The children have some little things they're going to wrap up and give to their friends. Today we took the Bratz bus (a big play bus they bought at the street sale across the road for £5) to preschool this morning. They're so grateful for new toys. I really do ABHOR packing. The worst thing ever. So in amongst the mess, I use the final beads to make 30 beaded wreath decorations with the leftover beads and ribbon. There's a couple of hours of my life I won't get back. Julia's written a list of all the little bits and pieces we have and who will get what. Mac has his wee list (that of course Julia has written too), it's very cute the things they want to give to whom and why. Love that they're so giving. Strange Christmas as we haven't bought anything for those back home, have no room not weight to get it home and the price to send it back it truly astronomical. But time with family and friends when we're back is what it's all really about. This Christmas will be the four of us, Chris Ward, chillaxing in London. Different, but still all Christmas memories. Thursday. So I've mentioned the whole lack of service and antiquated ways before but argh!!!!! Head to Post Office, there is a queue out the door, the stationery man is eating but not serving any post customers, the deputy manager is slowly doing something with money, and EVERY transaction takes sooooo long. I know the Post Office in central Palmy can be slow but this is truly ridiculous, and damn frustrating!! And then trying to get photos developed, the store "doesn't know if they can accept emails" and my 3400 photos on my iPhone won't allow any pics to come up. So the idea of getting a few pictures printed off is quickly squashed. Packing. My oh so favourite job. And wrapping all the children's Xmas gifts all ready for their last day tomorrow. And there are many!!!!! I use the last of the bananas and make the teachers a banana cake and take that, along with the L&P popping candy chocolate Mum has sent over to school. It's party day and nice if all the children can try a little piece of NZ. L&P, true kiwi icon. Afternoon spent running around doing final things and all night packing. OH MY GOODNESS how did we end up with soooooo much stuff??? Argh!!!! Dave Randall drops off his vacuum, the one we've got is rubbish to say the least, how it's supposed to vacuum stairs is beyond us. Bed late, surprise surprise, we've broken the back of the packing. Just as well, tomorrow's DDay. Kids have pressies for kids, including 2 of Mac's rugby balls and one soccer ball that we just can't take with us, as well as their uniforms to give to the office - all the leftover baking bits and pieces to Tor & Dave's, stuff going here there and everywhere. Tomorrow morning, our last in this wee place we've called home. So no sleep, up for ibuprofen and honey all night, feels like daggers in my throat. Of course I'll be sick for Xmas, dick no other time but now!! Before school we call into say goodbye to Fiona. She's given the children Xmas pressies. Mac a pocket knife, most excited, and Julia a Roald Dahl book, Villians & Heroes. They go up to give her a goodbye cuddle and a nice bottle of NZ wine. Head to school armed with bags of pressies, kids old clothes etc. you know what they say 'one mans junk is another mans treasure'. Julia's class is studying fashion next term so the big oversized t-shirts will come in handy for remodeling into dresses. Mac is most eager to hand out pressies. Brandon, a traveller boy, is such a nice kid, Mac gives him his football, he's stoked. Milly gets Julia's kiwi, and she has a grin on her face from ear to ear "Thanks so much Mac, I love it". Kids yesterday had all the children sign the back of shirts that Justine had sent over (all along with fabric writing pens). Kids love having all their new mates names and farewells scrawled all over their t-shirts. Up to gym to drop off cards for our spin instructor Jo, and Debs who we've made friends with, her and her husband are moving, with their 2 girls, to Zambia after Xmas. Then back to the dreaded packing. Have I mentioned how much I HATE packing. Especially when not everything fits!! My throat is killing me! Argh!!! We head up to Coombe Hill at 1pm to get the little Ka groomed as Monnie is collecting at 4. We meet Tor & Dave up at The Swan Inn across the road for a bite to eat. Have a few vinos and they present us with the most amazing and generous present, we are booked to go on the London Eye at 2pm 30th December followed by a 'frosty experience' ice skating on the rink below!!!! Wowness. Feel very embarrassed, but so excited. We won't tell the children until we get there they will LOVE it!!! Lovely lunch, dine and dash. Pick up car and race to school. Bid farewell to the mums dads and kids and hug the teachers and Mrs Dunwell. No tears ! The children will be missed, that I'm sure of, they've made some lovely friends, learnt so many new things. We give the school our eprinter we've been using and a bunch of other things we're not taking back with us, small school so they are very grateful. Was a damn great printer but we can't be taking it home with us. Head home, last minute pack up, making sure we've got everything. I'm thinking so. So Tor & Dave call to pick us up, Monnie walks down to pick up the Ka, all sparkly clean. A little farewell gathering, but we know we'll be back so no tears. Driving down the High Street Kevin calls out of The Not to give us a kids goodbye and we head to bus station. Hugs and kisses to Tor & Dave and we are, once again, London bound. Bus is chocka, takes half an hour longer than normal, it's Friday before Xmas, bound to be busy. Paul & I watch "We're the Millers" on iPad, very funny, Julia tells us off for laughing so loudly. Then we've arrived, lights everywhere, the London eye so prominent in the skyline, and all the rides underneath it, it just looks do magical. I really do love London! Mac falls asleep with half an hour to go, waking him took ten minutes at Victoria station, he is knackered, and a bit grumpy. So me armed with 4 back packs and my handbag, wheeling a suitcase. Julia with backpack, and head cushions and water, and Paul with his large pack, Nike bag chocka and wheeling suitcase, head to tube station a block away. On Friday night. Gosh I'm really glad we travel so lightly! Yeah right!!!! And we've got another bag and some in Tewkesbury to collect to bring home. At Vic station we get the children McDonalds and head on the 16 stop tube ride, filled with Santa suit wearing beer drinking young ones, the tube is packed. And then there's us with all our baggage. Arrive at West Ham, get a cab and arrive at Baz's place. What a great pad. Baz works for HSBC, basically running the joint, he lives here with shared custody of his little man Lochlan. The place is 2 storey, with basement / office downstairs. It is very cool. I could live here. And bless, Steph, his ex-wife has put up a real Christmas tree and other Xmas decorations, it is so homely. Have I mentioned we're walking distance from Stratford Westfield, the largest shopping centre in Europe? And the Olympic village. Looking forward to exploring in the weeks to come.