only two and a half more days before my son returns to new zealand. the time has gone so quickly. i shall miss him more than usual - just becoz i have had him near for a while. i keep telling myself that it is only12 weeks until i see him again, when i go to nz for my annual visit.
he is returning with twice as much stuff as he arrived with - plus he has a box of 'heavy' things that will go to nz as an overland/oversea package.
he says he has had a valuable time. lots of talking, lots of visiting and lots of closure. coming back, for the first time in 4 years, has confirmed to him that he made the right move and that he definitely would not want to live back in the uk ( good job really coz i rely on his hospitality to reduce my holiday costs when over there)
i sense he is ready to go back - he says he is 'visited out' and could do with life returning to the boring old routines............
he is graceful enough to say that the only things he will miss about the uk are the family members - oh, and the cheap dvd's......................

he is not looking forward to the long haul back - but then, who does relish 30 hours in a steel tube with no choice of travelling companion..... i try to go when the planes are not so full and you can, sometimes, spread out and get 2 seats to yourself. that is all i need to curl up and i am off to sleep ( all be it with the help of temazepam and alcohol). my philosophy is to sleep for the majority of the journey. i hate sitting still at the best of times and to be forced to do it is 10 times worse. i always take two books - both of which loose their appeal the minute we take off. i find the in-flight movies boring after about an hour and a half........ but then i'm not a film watcher either. even my mp3 music selection (carefully chosen in the weeks before) seems dull and 'samey'. you can gather - i am not a good candidate for long haul..... i'm glad i don't have to sit next to me...... i'm not good at other people's life stories either. and as for kids...... they should be banned from all flights - period!

lucky alex, he is going back to spring and summer......... it is 3.30 pm here and i have the curtains drawn and the desk light on........... also have a lovely bottle of red wine open and breathing by the aga. should be at the right temperature in about an hours time................. just in time to sit and watch 'scrubs' yes, i know that is sad - but alex has 'got me into' watching it and now that i 'know' the characters i find myself enjoying the whole thing. i still can't see the attraction of 'friends' and i would not change my diary so as not to miss an episode - but , all in all, it passes the time harmlessly.