Dear Everyone - it is more than time to start the new, blog and to take you on a pilgrimage with Murray and Andre'. It began, for me, with an early start, too early for Tandu who had only just gone to bed, but late enough that I still had time for a cup of coffee and to do this bits and pieces which can only be done at the very last minute. Rose fmsl nobly got up to drive me to the station, nearly wrecking the whole project by arriving five minutes early, not my style at all! She ran me to the station in record time, hardly any traffic, and with luck will have been home with coffee by the time I got on the train.
While I sat on the platform, a joyful vice spoke my name and I looked up to see Maria Darkadas, a local friend, looking as lovely and vibrant as always. She too was off to Gatwick, on her way to Portugal to give a course. So we travelled up together and she filled me in with all the family news, which is pretty good. Once at Gatwick I could see she did this frequently and topped it up by buying me breakfast. She had the full English but I had healthy granola and yogurt and coffee! Then I had to go as my plane was earlier than hers though in fact mine was delayed and left and hour late,
We had the bumpiest flight I have ever had as we flew over France, mirroring Macron's views of Brexit, probably but it settled down as we got further south. We flew down the west coast of Italy and landed still an hour late. I felt sorry for Andre who had flown all night from New York, but he and Murray met me not looking too bad considering neither had slept much, Andre' in his plane and. Murray on his train. I had nobody next to me on the plane so read peacefully most of the time and arrived in good shape but hungry. I had declined to buy an Easyjet lunch as I felt sure we would have something at the airport. Not a bit of it as they had used my delay to have lunch themselves but chivalrously asked if I wanted anything and got me a very nice bap with sunflower seeds and such like. Then we got in the hired car, a huge jeep type thing which I anticipate will pose lots of parking problems and drove into Rome, almost an hour. I keep thinking of Marie Therese making this trip on her own in October and am making mental notes to simplify everything!
We arrived at Casa Tra Noi and found my room, both men especially Andre', looked wiped out so we agreed to meet at 7.30, about five hours away, for supper. I settled in, have a shower and lay on the bed for a bit. I have a nice double room, very light, on the second floor so the balcony is tree top level. The cicadas are in full voice and it promises to be hot tomorrow, 90 says Andre' gloomily! We shall see. Just to round of today, we had supper and went to our separate beds. Andre' slept like a log and so did I. Murray was all set to sleep but about midnight he was visited by a poem which kept him awake for some hours. I imagine it like a fairy sitting on the bed raio but it may have been more disturbing than that!
More tomorrow, they both asked me about Paul and how she is doing and sent love. I will now send out some emails so folk can connect with this if they want to though it is the same programme as before!
Love to all ft
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