The In-between Time

Or – this is what happened on the third Saturday in Sabbatical! Because this weekend I am in between journeys. On Thursday I got back from Switzerland, got back to England that is – I don’t make it home to Wales till all this is over in mid-March. Where in England? I’ve been in Chorley, where my Mum lives, and where Matty is staying for the duration. The picture is Matty helping me re-pack my suitcase in one of the bedrooms in my Mum’s house. You can see how helpful he is being. Though right now I’m sitting in Manchester Airport. Very in-between.

The trip from Switzerland was uneventful. And the stay here has been likewise pretty dull – washing clothes, doing bits of shopping for the next stage, trying to fit in a few blocks of writing, a nice meal out with Dad and Lorna and a lovely lunch today with Mum.

Highlight? Man Utd thrashing Arsenal 4-0 in the FA Cup, I think; the victory was expected, the margin a delight.

Church this weekend? St Catherine’s on the MP3 player, one of last year’s radio broadcasts. So much moving around, and getting ready to fly down to Gatwick in preparation for the Florida leg that I had the option of a depressing hour in the local Anglican church here or the chance to walk the dog and enjoy the sunshine. Guess which won.

So I’m at Manchester Airport because tonight it’s off to Gatwick, near where I will stay with Owen and Liz, former neighbours of mine in Ponty (and the best chefs I have ever known) till I disappear off to Florida early Tuesday morning. This is the messy bitsy bit of the sabbatical, but at least I got to see family and Matty and now I get to see O&L, with whom I haven’t spent any decent time for far too long. They were the people who kept me sane when I first moved to Pontypridd. I owe them more than I can say – they were such a godsend.

So – I’ll tell you more when I get to the States. Keep praying! Blessings to all.