After weeks of preparation, we're finally on the way to our winter quarters. Last few days in the Charente were manic - case of biting off more than we could chew. So instead of taking time to enjoy the glorious autumn colours and the last few golf moments of the season, we were madly trying to clear the laughingly called kitchen so that it is ready for destruction and rebuild while we're away. All we own in the way of kitchenware is now stacked in the sitting room so the house looks like the £1 Shop winter sale. To add to the stress Jax committed to run the 10k race on the Marathon du Cognac weekend while her bro ran the half-marathon. Nevertheless, by Tuesday 16th November we were ready for the off thanks to massive efforts by Nick and Fin. BIG THANKS Fin.....
First stop - Oxford, England. The shock of rush hour traffic on the M25 on a foggy November evening was huge after spending the last few months practically owning the roads in SW France. Gatwick to Oxford was a bumper to bumper crawl. But hooray for SatNav - we arrived at friends - Shaun and Sarah - in time for delicious New Zealand Sav. followed by scrummy curry - both these treats are much missed as neither are available in France. Great night sleep and then off after breakfast. Sarah and Shaun are brilliant B and B hosts - highly recommended.
Morning coffee in Hazlemere - just enough time to drop in to see Nick's Uncle Jack and Auntie Ann near High Wycombe. Exactly 60 minutes to catch up on news from both sides. Nick and Jack both contenders for "Talking for as long as possible without drawing a breath" prize, so much was said/heard and mission accomplished exactly on schedule. Jack and Ann are both in great form and it was a joy to see them.
On to Heathrow and a further opportunity to marvel at the sheer volume of traffic there is in SE England. Impressed at efficiency of car-hire return which meant we checked in with heaps of time to spare - a first for us and an opportunity to check out "fine" dining in Terminal 1. Least said soonest mended. Then a happy half hour in WH Smith writing down book titles that may or not be available in Kindle so that we can order our reading material for the trip. And then finally on board NZ1 bound for LA. Not exactly sure where 11 hours went to, but they passed and we survived and managed to eat, drink, read and watch really enjoyable trashy films and American sitcoms in relative comfort before landing one hour early in LA. Then the real American experience started. We lost all the advantage of our one hour head start in the immigration hall where we queued for at least 90 minutes to have our photos and fingerprints taken. Plenty of time to ponder on how this could all be done differently. Not sure exactly but there must be a way. At any rate, we were finally released and thrilled to be introduced to the rental car that will be our best friend for the next few days. It is a Buick Thingummy and is exceedingly shiny. Sumptuous interior and plenty of pretty lights on the dashboard. Nick immediately took control and only 30 minutes after switching it on, he'd fully mastered the demister and windscreen wipers and was able to see enough to sweep out into the LA evening traffic (and no it wasn't raining). SatNav again worked its magic and arrival at the Crowne Plaza Beverly Hills was simple and stress free. Checked in to our room - the major distinguishing feature of which is the TV which is about as big as our bed, and then late dinner in the hotel as too lagged and light headed to venture further. Our charming waiter Adel is a Coptic Christian from Egypt and we pretty much know his life history now.
So to conclude our first entry - we're here, tired but very happy and excited at the prospect of the days and weeks to come. A few hours sleep before heading out into the desert tomorrow - 73 degrees and sunny - yippee.
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