Oh, the joy of setting off on a long journey again. In two days time I shall be on a plane heading for Canada. My Facebook miracle means that on Friday I shall be winging my way to a reunion with Gail. I do so love to travel and with a destination as happy as this one both the journey and the arrival are truly joyous.
I feel like I have been in some sort of road test to see if I deserve this wonderful gift: the getting of the passport, the sorting of clothes and the general getting ready have pushed my fragile abilities and confidence. But – I have a passport, have almost finished the washing and ironing and my sister will help me with the last hurdle by taking me to Gatwick early on Friday morning.
All of my best memories are of journeys – to Calcutta as a small baba, to Puri, across India to Jammu with Dubby and the mountain journeys – to Bhutan, Sikkim, Kalimpong and Nepal. This will be rather gentle compared to those but nonetheless, exciting and thrilling. A new country, new surroundings, the promise of a road trip to Montreal and all with my darling Gail.
I always used to wonder why my grandmother, who had an acid tongue, used to speak so lovingly of her neighbour or companion of the day. She seemed in latter years to have become treacle tongued, amazingly affectionate and bound closely to her friends. Then my mother in her last years did the same thing; she had her ‘darling Peggy’, her ‘sweet Joan’ and, although I liked them both, seemed almost too fond.
Well, now I have ‘darling Gail’, ‘dearest Annabel” and my ‘lovely Kathryn”. I think this overt affection is something we arrive at with age – we no longer have our parents but still need that sense of love and purpose in our lives so we make our friends the object of all.
Wish me luck on Friday – I’ll keep you posted, as this will become, briefly, a travel blog. Love and light to all of you.
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