I arrived Thursday night and Mum and Dad collected me in THE VAN!! Check out their new retirement toy!
Terry and I have plans to borrow it.....Friday I started my tour... first stop Ailsa for a long lunch, some shopping and a very very much overdue catch up! Bliss!!
Saturday morning I headed to Windsor to meet Terry and Charlie to see what I thought of it as a potential place to live!
We had a lovely afternoon wandering around looking at where I could live!
And then in the evening Terry bailed and went home and Charlie and I went out! We went to a bar called The 2 Brewers (great pub!!) and Keith came and joined us and then we went to another bar but we won't go there again!
Sunday morning Charlie and I walked round a bit more and spotted another potential abode!!
How old?!?!?Then went to meet Pete and Emma for brunch before heading to lunch with Jen and Brian - Brian cooked a great meal and us girls made a pact to have lots of fun times in 2010!
It was fun but scary to be in Windsor and think that I might soon live there!! It seems like a really nice place and The Great Park looks incredible for running and biking.. so I think given the other options this is my choice of place to move to!! Yikes.....
Monday morning I went to see Sally and Charlotte - so lovely to catch up! Again looking forward to seeing more of them when I move home!
Monday night it was time to go and see Rupes, Layla, Imogen, Barney and bump! I adore this family... so scrummy! Again... see comments above!
Monday night I stayed at Lu and Phils - Lu had the vino ready and it was lush to chat... really chat.... We woke Emily up as we went to bed just to say hi and her face was magical! I've missed staying here in the last year! It was odd being at Oly's knowing Lu and Phil's was round the corner... I guess that's a sign that things weren't quite right - but then when somewhere has been home for so so so long its odd staying somewhere else!
Tuesday I spent the day with the girls and Harry playing, reading about the tudors and chatting - I learnt a lot from Em and Liv!!!
Wednesday it was time for Christmas... we were having it early so we could go and ski in France.
The drive from Lucy's to Mum and Dad's took hours due to the ice - rain had fallen over night but frozen as it hit the ground... treacherous!! I skidded quite a few times! Anyway eventually we got to Nan's and had supper and chilled! Not sure Nan quite knew what was going on but she was happy to have us there so that's all that matters!!
Have to say that night I had a real wobble... I was shattered and when Ailsa phoned I crumbled... I was having real doubts about coming home... it just seemed so so daunting. Everyone that I had been to seen was seemingly so settled - and here I am about to throw all the cards up in the air again and see how they fall...... it just felt too much.... and also aged 35 I really did think that things would be so different in my life.... it was lovely to be with Mum, Dad, Terry and Nan but I really really wanted to be with someone and have children... I have faith that it will happen but that night I had definitely lost the faith...
Thank goodness for Ailsa pulling me back together and totally understanding where I was / am!!
Anyway - Christmas day arrived (well technically Christmas Eve but who cares!!) and we had stockings - no Dad we aren't too old!! Then we went to Clifton to meet Charlie (Terry's Charlie not Charlie from above!) see some old haunts and have lunch.
Snowy England!
Lovely old house with a great view of the estuary!
Family
I love this bridge!
So this is where I spent some of my very formative years... My Grandad and Nanny Shirty ran this pub so we went back to visit and have a pint! Its changed a lot but I still remembered going in the back door and my Nan saying which doll have you bought to see me this time! And i remember Grandad stealing my last roast piece of meat on Christmas Day and me stealing his last potato!! The walls were dark purple back then! Memories!!
Christmas Day was spent driving from Nan's to Mum and Dad's and then into France. We got to France a bit earlier than expected so we went exploring to see if we could find a Christmas dinner! And we did a great steak frites!The next day we got to Avoriaz and met Terry and Charlie there - they had had a shocker delayed journey but we were there and the next day the sun was shining and the slopes were good so we enjoyed them!
Sunday, Monday we had fun on the slopes in the sunshine.... Dan, Hannah, Rev and Sue joined us on the slopes on Monday morning... they joined us in the pub the night before for a few cheeky beers. Tuesday morning I went to the bakers and it was raining.... we thought it was going to pass so went out skiing - most of the group bailed at 11... Hannah, Trev, Dan and I stayed out til the ran turned to icy sleet and hurt our faces!In the evening we went to the chalet that Team Rowling were staying at and played drinking games... double sizes dad... wowses..... somersaults Terry... Dan.... and Trev??!! It was quite the evening!
Wednesday morning I left Avoriaz and went to visit Carla, Rob and Woods.....
We spent the day by the fire playing with Woods and chatting and chatting and chatting some more!Mum texted to say that it had snowed in Avoriaz but it just didn't tempt me away from the relaxing / magical place that HH is and spending time with a very dear friend! Carls and I went for a snow shoe into the mountains
Carls and I had a reflective moment..... I am relaxed and happy!! This is the place that I will come back to when I need to focus on that.
After the snow shoe it was movie time... My Best Friend's Wedding - we laughed and were relaxed and happy!Here's what Terry got up to!
Then it was time to leave Heidi House and head back to Avoriaz but at least I know I will be back to HH again soon!!
On the drive back the full moon was incredible... sign of good things to come!
I got back and found the others and we had a fun night out on the streets of Avoriaz! Think the pics speak for themselves!!Jo and Dad
Mum, Hannah, Dan, Charlie
Terry
Terry and Charlie
Jo and Charlie
Mum and Jo in silly hats!
I found Nemo!!
Jo, Mum and Hannah
New Year's day we went to ski.... it was fun and we all had our ski legs on! At lunchtime the clouds came in though so it made it easy for me to leave and go and visit Damian and Hazel for more chat!!
The next day I met Mum and Dad at Geneva airport and we strated the drive back to England. It was a long long long drive..... and eventually we got home at 2am tired but having had a good time.
Sunday was time to come back to Boston... it felt ok..... in fact it felt good because I was tired from 2 weeks running around seeing everyone and I really wanted some time to reflect on some of the emotions that I had felt and as big as that I also needed to start packing for 2 months off and moving home home.....
1 comment:
Hey Jo , it's been along time the boys at the shop and i were wondering were you are you didn't come and visit us this year. And now that i looked @ your blogg i know why boy you are a bizzy gal. hope you are haven fun in Jackson hole i wish i knew you where going there i have a few girl friends out there. So you had enough of the US and you are going home good for you tell oly i said hello ok and keep intouch let me know if you are back up here for a ski trip . Have a great time PEACE ,James Martini
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