Empty House

Yesterday, 27.9.10,  was Gabriele's big day!

She went to University.

We have had sooooooooo many problems getting her motivated and ready.

"Have you packed everything"? we would ask.

"Yes, 'course I have" would be her reply, only for us to find out later that her idea of packing was to dump whatever needed to be packed onto her bed.

It was difficult, but we eventually got ALL she needed into the car.

By 08.00 we were ready to roll.  By 08.30 Gabriele was ready to roll!

The journey, from Whitchurch in Cardiff to Hendon in London,  was 153 miles and my sat-nav estimated it would take 2 hours and 43 minutes.

Approximately halfway we stopped for a coffee in one of the service stations.  As we walked into the building we found ourselves directly in front of a Starbucks coffee shop, to which I, in my naivety, headed.

"Stop!" said Julie.  "I'm not paying £2.20 for a bleedin' cup of coffee!  Let's go upstairs to the cafe up there."

So we did.  We ordered 1 tea, two coffee's, a shortbread biscuit and something stuffed with raisins.
As Julie coughed up the money, I gleefully pointed out that the coffee in the 'cheaper' cafe cost £2.55!

That made my day!  Julie slapped me on the arm.  She was not impressed.

Arriving in London was easier than you would expect.  The traffic was easy to negotiate and, for once, my sat-nav did not lie to me.  It actually got us to the very door, behind which, registration was taking place.

We managed the journey in a little over two and a half hours (not including that coffee break) as I found that my accelerator pedal foot was extremely heavy and insisted that we travel at about 90 miles per hour where possible (No officer, I was definitely only doing 70, honest!).

Julie and I had a cup of tea in one of the 'lounge' area's while Gabriel got her registration sorted out ("What? Do I have to do it on my own?").  Afterwards, we carted all her stuff up to her room and helped her to stow everything away.

We checked out her communal kitchen and had another cuppa before deciding that it was time she found her 'own way'.

We said our "goodbye's" and wished her well.  There were hugs all round.  Then we drove off.

On the way home, although I already knew most of the route, I turned my sat-nav on and was amazed to discover that the journey home would be over two hundred (212 to be precise) miles and would take about four hours.

My sat-nav,once again, was lying to me.

I chose then to ignore it and, after only one wrong turn, we were on our way back to the M4 and Wales.

Traffic was heavier going home than it was going to London and it took us roughly three hours to make it back to our drive way.

The dogs had been looked after by their 'grandpa' for the time we were away.  They had been well cared for but there were signs some seriously disjointed noses as we entered the house.  It took a trip to the park and some dedicated ball-throwing to get back in their 'good books'.

But there is now an empty feeling to this house of ours.  Christopher had moved into his own place in Penarth prior to starting University and now Gabriele has left.

Yahoooooooooooooooo!

I love 'empty'!!!