Family First

As Michael Bluth (Arrested Development) would say; "Family First". So, it was with family in the middle of the English countryside that my odyssey began. Since my flight to Delhi was via Heathrow, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with my sister Ann Marie, Graham and their son (my Godson) Charlie. Their country home in a small village with no shops near the horse town of Newmarket was to be the perfect refuge for me as I sought to take a little holiday from my big holiday.

I arrived exhausted having had precious few hours sleep in the build-up to take-off. When people told me that this trip was a once in a life-time thing I now know what they meant. Simply there is no way that anybody would want to go through what I did in the last two weeks twice. Between wrapping up my job, organising things for the trip, moving out and launching the web-site I was running on empty. I'm shocked that the only thing I forgot was my sun-glasses ... or at least as far as I know. August was mentally tiring as I thought things through but September was physically exhausting as I pulled everything together. Hopefully a few more rest days will have me back on talking terms as opposed to cursing terms with my bike. You get the picture.

Staying with my sister felt like Christmas had come early, which is apt as I'll miss (in every sense of the word) Christmas with my family for the first time this year. The adults had time off work and charming Charlie provided the entertainment as only babies can do. We watched some movies, we went for walks, the house was snug and there was plenty of hot-food and chocolate. Of course, I did my bit to add to the Christmassy feel by sleeping-in, lounging around and generally being of little use altogether. 

We took a lovely stroll around nearby Cambridge, which is more high-street than high-brow these days. I also had a great tour of their organic fruit and vegetable garden; it really is a delight to pick walnuts from the ground and eat ripe fruits from the trees. Graham showed me his late Father's shed equipped with no fewer than seven fully-serviced bikes plus meticulously-cleaned spare parts (and I thought five bikes was bad enough). If anybody is looking for a retro Brooks saddle for their Fixer then I know just the man!

After a couple of days of rest it was time to move on. I had recovered a great deal by this stage. I knew this as I was no longer slurring my words as only drunken Dino can. While I felt refreshed, it was no more than a 'sucker's rally' or a 'dead cat bounce' to borrow financial market terminology. The overnight sleepless flight to Delhi followed by a seven hour fight to stay awake in Delhi airport to ensure the safe-keeping of my possessions left me more wired than an all-night online poker-player. Not that I needed to have worried since Delhi airport has more guns than a US school. Needless to say, my senses were a little numb on arrival to the colours and cacophony of Kathmandu ... my next installment.

Keep well

marco