Christmas excitement and howling gales

21 hours, 13 of them spent driving, 587 miles and some horrendous gales later we finally made it home this morning in the wee small hours.

Yesterday's journey south to visit my sister and nieces was an eventful one to say the least. As luck would (n't) have it we woke to what the met. office referred to as 'severe gales' and lashing rain, the thought that perhaps we shouldn't be driving so far in such inclement conditions crossed our minds but with two small children to disappoint at the other end and no other day to make the journey we set off undaunted.

Never have I driven in such a wind, for a large part until the route brings one into Newcastle city the road is unsheltered from the sea and we took a sustained battering from heavy sidewinds. Having made it to the 'real world' things didn't improve....... there were sections of trees dismembered by the force of the gale, overturned lorries and long, long hold up's to be circumnavigated and tolerated. The miles dragged on slowly and tiringly, I don't recall ever having to hang onto a car to such a degree that my arms ached and my hands went 'dead'.

Having finally made it to a service station to partake of some much needed coffee and to avail ourselves of the 'facilities' we were, to add to our aggravation, confronted with a 'roving reporter', satellite truck a-glow with technology, endeavouring to interview for 'Radio 5 live' on how the days intrepid travellers might make the roads better! No chance, we were not in the mood, I doubt anything we had to say at that moment would have been fit for broadcast anyways..... he didn't miss in us his best interview of the day, he can be rest assured!

Horror of horrors, once inside this delightful 'service'(not) station we discover they have the audacity to only serve instant coffee, out of desperation for caffeine in any form, we suffered that along with a rigid Danish pastry that I doubt had ever even heard of Denmark, paid the outrageous price that is as ever inherent for such obnoxious fare in these nasty ports of call and set off on our way again, with PG firmly behind the wheel for the second stage.

Eventually we made it to our destination and unbelievably only an hour or so later than our ETA, fell through the door to a caffetiere of heavenly coffee and two children full of glee...... who required peeling off the ceiling intermittently as a result of excitement at the forthcoming occasion. It was all worth it!

We played, we chatted, we laughed and we snuck bags of gifts from the car to hiding places in the house with some difficulty, whilst maintaining secrecy from two small excited children, who are still young enough to believe in Father Christmas.

My parents arrived mid afternoon and the group was complete, at last it felt like Christmas. It felt good to all be together, we rarely are nowadays and the conversation, food and fun flowed freely.....a nice, warm feeling pervaded, along with much hilarity at the antics of the offspring......and then it was time for us to go. How is it that things one looks forward to for so long are over so quickly?

Off we set again into the night and the gales, small children, as anticipated hanging onto us begging us to remain.....like we needed to be persuaded!! Somehow the fact of earning a living and the necessity of going to work on Christmas day is lost and inconceivable to 7 and 10 year olds.....and so it should be..... but it was no help to us! :o) We departed amid promises of phone calls on Christmas morning and emailed photographs of the children 'unwrapping' almost as it happens.

My brother in law's parting shot, over the sound of wind and children's excitement was that my exhaust sounds like it's 'blowing'....oh happiness!

The return journey was no improvement on the outbound one, though one small and unexpected pleasure was gleaned when we stopped at services to inflict on ourselves once again, the insipid and noxious instant coffee. PG's lighter ran out (yes we both smoke!), in desperation he asked another intrepid traveller for a light, the guy he asked turned round to respond and with laughter and much amazement the pair of them realised they where friends from long ago who have since lost contact! Some rapid catching up followed to the accompaniment of the roof still rattling in the wind and off we all set again. The guy in question, even more coincidentally was travelling to and from exactly the same destinations as us, just in the opposite direction...... Small world!!

And so we finally arrived home, fed two cats, opened the days mail and fell into bed without further ado.

This morning the gale seems to have subsided and we have snow forecast. PG is on the road again headed for Edinburgh with a friend. The pair of them leave their Christmas shopping always until Christmas eve and go together, I think it's a male bonding thing! I seem to have a mountain of last minute chores to do.....how do they grow when one dares to take one day away?.........oh, and having been absent for 22 hours and asleep for 6, courtesy of Ditto I have a Christmas tree in dire need of some repair and re-arrangement!!!