Sunday 11th August 2019

We woke up to the sound of rain falling outside. It seemed to have kept the seagulls quiet, and the folks in the street down below. And against all odds, we had a fine night's sleep.

Which was nice.

We had two hours before our train was due to leave, so we have a shower, get dressed and pack, all ready to go at half seven, 70 minutes to go.

But we had to drop the key off at Liverpool Central, then make our way to Lime Street for our train. And after going out onto the street, we found the metro station wasn't yet open.

The gates were slid open, so we went up and bought tickets, only then realising there were no trains for 20 minutes, and time was slipping away.

A plan was hatched where Jools would go to drop the key off, and I would go to Lime Street with the case to buy breakfast.

Which is what we did.

I went to a shop to get a coffee and a bacon roll and a smoothie. I took a seat and tucked into my roll and sipped the huge coffee. Fve minutes later, Jools turned up, she tucked into her roll. And once finished, we walked to our train. And in an agreed splash of the cash, we paid to upgrade to first class, so went to the front of the train to select our seat. Just the two of us either side of a small table.

Lovely.

And dead on time the train slid out and along the high walled cutting through the city to Edge Hill, and then into the country.

The train sped up, turn south onto the main line, and the attendant brought breakfast round.

And coffee.

And fruit.

And the train sped south.

I ate the salmon filled croissant, drank the coffee, ate the banana.

We stopped in Crewe, Stafford, Nuneaton. As we headed south the weather brightened.

As is typical.

We pulled into Euston some three hours after leaving Liverpool, the ten minute walk to St Pancras meant we missed an earier train to Dover, so we sauntered over, taking our time. I went into M&S to buy an ice cream, so eating those we went up the Southeastern platforms above, where our train had arrived, so we could go and sit in it, even though there was half an hour until departure.

We struggled to stay awake until the train pulled out. It filled up, people from all over the world, heading to Dover to see the castle and white cliffs, though they would arrive just before two, and over half the day had gone!

You know the journey by now, but with each mile we got nearer home.

Arriving back in Dover, we climbed the hill to get the car, then drive back along Townwall Street and up Jubilee Way to home.

It is great to go away, but wonderful to come home.

I brewed up, Jools unpacked and loaded the washing machine. Only problem was that the cats could not be collected until Monday, so it was quiet.

Very quiet.

I watched the second half of the Man Utd v Chelski game, then made chorizo hash. I had put a bottle of fizz in the fridge before we left on Friday, so it was chilled.

At half six, I dish up two platfulls, Jolls pops the cork on the wine and we sit down to eat.

Here's to us.

Here's to our life.