April 30th - May 2nd: Homeward bound

I have been in the UK for just under a fortnight and all attempts at blogging have been hindered by technology issues. So here goes... the first couple of days. We'll catch up eventually!

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April 30^th: Dave and I bid a somewhat tearful farewell at the departure gate at TPA. We’ve been such a large part of each other’s lives for the past four years, it felt strange to begin an adventure without either Dave or my beloved Steed - my two main partners in crime. Both of my Icelandair flights were comfortable and uneventful – apart from stepping out in sandals onto a snowy tarmac in Keflavik!

May 1^st: We flew in over the Thames Barrier then, as previously instructed, I caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington, and on to Liverpool St. (a station with which I have history…) for lunch with my cousin Kev and RL, the friend with whom I will be staying. I handed over my precious cargo of two signed Quentin Crisp books – and the story of their acquisition, savoured a delicious smoked salmon sandwich, and relaxed. I listened to the train station sounds all around me, thinking I had been away from ‘home’ for far too long. RL and I bought our tickets and hopped on the train to Norwich. We started chatting about everything and nothing, segued from topics to other seemingly unrelated topics, and have continued that conversation with very little silence. It’s been lovely. RL is lovely; very British, very artistic, intelligent, well read, articulate, curious as a little boy … sometimes struggling with the ‘curves’ that life has thrown him, settling into a new life in a new home in a place from his past. His home is lovely. Norwich is lovely.

I am sleeping on the fold out sofa in RL’s living room. Some days I wake up and think I am too old for this craziness, other days I wake up raring to go … which is just as well, because there is a lot to see and do in this beautiful City. RL appears intent on us seeing and doing everything we can – and I am grateful for his enthusiasm.

May 2^nd: My first non-travelling day was spent dodging rain drops as we walked around the City. Cobblestones and hills are a rude reminder that I’m far from Venice. We indulged in delicious, flaky, sausage rolls – so much for my planned walking & weight loss program! I had forgotten how pretty England is, with thatched cottages and old stone churches appearing at irregular intervals. We walked along the River Wensum, spied the bird house art installation, explored the 14^th century Cow Tower, read the entire renga poem that wends its way along the river bank, and passed by one of the two cathedrals in town. We stopped at the market, located conveniently steps away from RL’s home … and I purchased a light rain jacket - which was the signal for the sun to appear for several days of Florida like weather!

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