Back to reality

Monday dawned warm and sunny - the best morning for about a week - and we were going home!
Typical!
In preparation for our departure windows were closed and the roof lights shut.
Meanwhile, I was gently dissolving,
as I gave the van a final, final clean, prior to our departure.
In desperation I dug out the small fan I had already packed away, to help me keep my cool,
but even that stopped working when DH unplugged the electrics!









We headed north up the M5. The motorway was busy with haulage lorries, slowly inching their way past each other,  producing a bottleneck in their wake, as they effectively take a lane out of action for several miles.
A lot of families were also traveling home, have delayed their return by a few days in an attempt to beat the end of half-term motorway madness.

We paused for a break at Tellytubby Land - our favourite services.
As we had journeyed north we had watched the gauge recording the external temperature drop by a degree or so for every 50 miles traveled.
However. it was still warm enough to enjoy some fresh air, so we took our coffee outside,
only to find a film crew had beaten us to it!
Well, that was free entertainment thrown in for good measure.
This was the place where they recorded an interview.
I have no idea if it was for a promotion
or something more in depth.
I was rather amused to watch one dog walker walk past the bollards, and the film crew, to exercise his dog - oblivious to what was happening!
Cut!





We left Gloucester services and the Sat Nav immediately had a hissy fit
rerouting us off the motorway,
only to cancel the instruction a few minutes later,
then to repeat the instruction to leave,
and then quickly override it again
as the poor satnav tried desparately to work out if it really was better to stay or go.

Unfortunately, there had been an incident further up the motorway
which had resulted in a bent central crash barrier,
and the inevitable queues resulting from a lane closure.
The signs admonished us not to exceed 40mph - as we crawled along in the middle lane at 10mph.
Meanwhile, the in-car music system blared out "stuck in the middle with you".
The KHT is in to 80's music.
As each track starts I have to see how quickly I can name the track and artist.
As we crawl along the M5, I sing along with cheesy songs which I had forgotten existed.

Once we pass the incident the traffic quickly returned to normal speed,
and we covered the rest of the journey in the same time that it took us to travel three agonising miles in a traffic jam....

On arriving home we unload the car,
the washing machine goes on with the first of several loads, and we head off to a meeting.
Real life doesn't wait for us to unpack. It begins straightaway.

After tea DH digs out the lawnmower. The warm but moist weather has inspired significant growth in the garden and the lawn has not been spared.
When we left, only one water butt had any rainwater in it. On our return, they were all surprisingly full.

In our absence, the woodruffe and the small blue spears of pale flowers (which I have forgotten the name of - but it definitely isn't forget-me-not) have finished. Meanwhile the poppy, and white foxgloves are in bloom, though the poppy is down to its last few flowers.

Very quickly it feels as if we have not been away.
However, the mound of clothing and bedding quietly awaiting its turn in the washing machine,
reminds me that we have!