Back home!

After reading about Forthport's misadventures on the M6 the other day, we realised how lucky we'd been on the way down to have no hold ups. So we decided to go back a different way, and headed round the M25 for the M1.

Things were going well for a couple of hours, then we popped in to services somewhere - can’t remember exactly where, and we now find that we can’t actually READ the map book any more, the writing seems to be much smaller than when I last used it - so after a very nice M&S meal deal and boxes of fruit, we set off again. Well, it went a bit wrong because there were three opinions, the driver (JR), the passenger (moi) and the satnav. 'Merge left' and 'proceed left' proved tricky, and the road signs were rather fulsome - there were extensive roadworks being done - but the outcome was that we 'merged left' and shouldn’t have. We then set off in the wrong direction. No U-turns possible, of course, so we went along WEST instead of NORTH for many miles, with bad words and recriminations flying for most of them. Mr Satnav was calm, though, and redirected us, adding an hour on to our ETA!

Just reading in the paper that there was a multiple car pile up on the M6, with lanes closed both ways for hours, so an hour added on to our journey is not too bad.

It was a lovely evening to drive back into Scotland, with quite different vistas to what we've been seeing (and enjoying) for the past week.

Archie gave us his usual lukewarm welcome. He's really enjoyed being with Christine and Rufus. It's great to know that he's happy there. Back to your own bed on the floor, Arch! (He's been sleeping on Christine's bed).

The hedge has gone berserk while we've been away! Guess what we'll be doing tomorrow. And in the afternoon I go to the hospital for my long-awaited appointment with my surgeon. At last.