Stress, but the end is in sight!

It's all getting very close, and very stressful, and it's funny how little things mean so much - the house is nearly empty (we took six boxes of 'kitchen' round to Helen and Ian's loft this afternoon - only 3 or 4 and the microwave to go!), but still looks like a bomb site! Jasper the cat goes to his new home tomorrow (more about that after the event!) We spent about £5.5k in two days last week (camper van and car hire and internal flights) and packing, which really is like trying to fit a quart into a pint pot! A 90 litre bag, 23kg, 6kg of climbing gear and a year away - it's never going to work! I have been assured there are shops in NZ though! 
SO all in all tears have been very close to the surface for quite a lot of the last week. In a rather sad bid for reassurance, I hijacked the birthday wishes I sent to Kristan (my hero, with a brain the size of a planet, from work) yesterday and told him I hoped he wasn't missing me too much! Because he's a Sweetie, he came back with "The department's fallen apart, we're all arguing and the rota's a mess! (come back!)" He has no idea how much such a simple, (and probably slightly tongue in cheek) comment meant, I smiled, punched the air, and felt so much better! Thank you Kris, I love you to bits xx


We had a lovely day yesterday, round at Denise and Paul's (B's sister and BIL) with all the family - their children - Steph (and Sam her man) and Nick, and B's daughter Fi, her three girls Abbie, Becky and Jenny, and her new man Vince and his son Brody. We had two roasts and 9 veg, all home grown from the allotment! We even had Christmas pudding and sherry sauce, but that was the only nod to us all being together at last - Nick has been away travelling for the last two Christmas's! we played silly games - the box game, who can pick the box from the floor with their teeth, with no hands or knees on the floor - only feet, I'm proud to announce that Steph and I were the only two to pick up a flat piece of cardboard from the floor! Youth Pah! 
B did his best party trick  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151175443833999 and a good time was had by all