8.30pm Monday 3rd September - The adventure ends

I have not seen as much of Norfolk since we moved here as I have over the last three weeks with our cousins. But the adventure ended at 8.30 last night as we said goodbye to them as they went to the departure lounge.

Swaffham, Kings Lynn, The Poppy Line railway, Routemaster buses, gardening at home, big family reunions, suprise birthday parties, grave hunting, family tree connections & visits, shopping trips, Collectors World, Swaffham Priory & Castle, workhouses, Norton Hill Light Railway - we've had an action packed three weeks.

Not forgetting the pub dinners along the way, mixed in visting some of our markets.

I've had a whale of a time.

But that came to an end yesterday afternoon. We set off with the cousins in the car along with their humongous cases in the boot for Birmingham Airport after a tearful goodbye between Mother In Law and Cousins.

I and the wife coped with the farewell admirably. Or, we did, until our cousin Laurie asked his wife a question watching the aeroplane taxi around, and on getting no answer, looked around with the rest of us to find her in tears. Which set my wife off. Which then set Lawrie off. I must confess I had no tears - but God, it didn't half come close to it.

I and the wife said our goodbyes, complete with long, lingering hugs that should not have ended, and left them walking to the departure lounge.

I and my wife walked back to the car park in silence, neither of us willing to talk in case we set the other one off.

And now, the house is strangely incomplete. No Australian accent. No laughter. The inflatable mattress I was using has been consigned back to it's cupboard. The table and garden bench I and Lawrie pulled down to the back door is still there; but the chairs are empty. This is where I and the cousins put the world to rights into the early evening, until it got too cold for Lawrie.

The planting ceremony went ahead as planned. I have a new flowering plant and a shrub in the back from my cousins, that I have photographed as they planted them. Every year as they grow, I shall remember my cousins visit. And two very special people who,four weeks ago, were total strangers.

And now, life gets back to normal. I have had a bit of a run of bad luck over the last three weeks, but have not written about them in the blogs; I wanted these special blogs to stay special, away from the (my normal) life problems. I'll write this up tomorrow.

The Cousins left us making a promise that they will be joining us again for Christmas, 2009. I have promised them that I will take my lot over to see them in 2010. I have also promised them their first ever white Christmas when they join us (I'm going to buy a snow maker - just to be sure) and that I'll take extra special cae of their plants for them.

Thanks Simon and Letty, especially, for reading and your encouragement over the last few weeks. I know I'm going to need more over the next few weeks as I carry on trying to sort my life out.

And I'm honoured to have been able to share this one big event with you all. Including the sadness at the end.

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8.30pm Monday 3rd September - The adventure ends

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