Coming home

It's been a while since I had a bit of a blog! We've been down south visiting friends and working. Strictly speaking just Niels worked, but I had to do all the talking, socialising and eating and drinking, and as you can imagine it wasn't easy!

It was just lovely to see friends, some I haven't seen for two years. I'm sorry I couldn't see everybody. Our friends in Brookwood gave me a birthday party (it's July I really have to stop celebrating it now!) and it was so comfortable being together with friends that I've known for so long. I enjoyed being in London too with all the bustle and busyness. It's amazing there are shops where ever you go! And people and restaurants and garages and public transport - now there's a thing! But as much as I loved  it all,  I can't describe the feeling I felt on coming home. Once the car got to Perth and I saw signs for Inverness I felt butterflies  -  maybe I was just hungry!

I felt homesick for the big views and space and a glorious sense of peace and tranquility.

The day before we were due to travel home home, I drove over to see my aunt and uncle in Harrow, and on the way I learned something about cars! And sitting in laybys! And the AA man! I learnt about dipsticks and oil. A dipstick, not only  lets you know when the oil level is low, it tells you (and this I didn't know!) when the oil level is just right! The oil light in the car came on and I topped up the engine oil, to the top, much the same as filling up the windscreen washer container. I thought I'd made a jolly good job of it and managed to get loads of oil in without spilling a drop, enough to keep as going for miles, I thought.

Two days later, crawling round the M25 on the way to visit my aunt and uncle, I noticed that the lorry sitting behind me disappeared in a cloud of  smoke and in that  split second, thinking, poor lorry driver breaking down on the motorway,  realised it was me. I pulled on to the hard shoulder and turned the engine off and then on ( it works on computers) pulled back on to the motorway  and off again  (it doesn't work on cars) at junction 11. As I pulled in to a very convenient layby a parked police car gave a round of applause - almost!  They said they'd seen the car coming and watched the road disappearing.

When the AA man arrived he was very kind and not in the least bit patronising and gave not the slightest hint  he was dealing with more than one dipstick! He drained the oil and admitted there was rather a lot.  We talked about the Scottish highlands, he seemed rather relieved  I lived there, and after a few pleasantries and a little chat lesson in fouling spark plugs and excessive carbon residue he sent me on my way!

 This wasn't the lorry sitting behind me on the M25. We overtook this one on the M80 I think, on its way to Inverness. The Nederlands Dans Theater. We went and saw them dance at Eden Court on Saturday evening. They were very good, super fit, super healthy and super young!