Debbie writes... It was a frantic morning - packing all the last minute bits 'n bobs that had been strewn across the bedroom floor. Martin had been loading Maggie for five days now and was now stressing about how much stuff we were taking. The time soon approached and it was with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to gorgeous Nicholas - who had been very attentive that morning - Cindy and Chris. Chris made sure the atmosphere was upbeat so that Nicholas did not cry - this in itself was a huge blessing as I did not want to drive away knowing that he was sad at seeing us go.
I was excited about seeing our friends at the club for our final farewell wishes. As we parked Maggie near the club entrance, Tammy and Robyn drove up and parked next to us. No sooner had we greeted them, then more and more of our friends started appearing. They were all so excited about our trip - for many of them it was as if they were experiencing the trip through us. Manuela had told me that she had to go to an anti-natal class that morning so I was not expecting to see her. So when I saw her walk towards me I started welling up and suddenly felt overwhelmed by everything! It was so lovely seeing everyone and to see them sharing in our excitement.
A final stop at Sainsbury’s for some fruit and importantly ... a Starbucks coffee (couldn't leave without a last one)! We then hit the motorway towards Dover. The M25 was true to form and we got stuck in a traffic jam, luckily only for 20mins - we managed to steal a final photograph as a reminder when we are lost in the Africa bush :-)
On French soil we hopped on the motorway and headed towards Arras - where we had booked to stay in the Formula 1 hotel. I was really pleased to see an end to the day in a hotel (albeit basic). Maggie was loaded to the brim so we could not access things easy, it was freezing cold outside ... and we where both emotionally exhausted by the lead-up to our departure. During our trip to Arras our minds were self-absorbed by various thoughts buzzing around. For me it was coming to terms with the realisation of what I had just done. I had felt drained by the build-up of events and had not given our trip thought during all the frantic preparation. We had started our adventure now...
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) Leaving England Behind... |
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