Nicholas Quirke was not taking it easy on the final day in his home, town, the Uk. Like most, he found moving house a stressful enterprise and as he surveyed the wreckage of his home he wondered how, after saying he would never move again he was wilfully moving himself out. The letting of his property was finally complete and though it was a Relief and a weight ofF his mind, he felt annoyed that circumstances had bought him so close to the day of departure before being resolved. However, there was still no rest. He did meet with Cathie for a final tea in Nero’s and he must have transmitted his anxiety as she offered to come and help him and what a blessing it was that she did. Without her calm presence and help he didn’t think he would get it completed. Nicholas was panicking about the state he would leave the flat in and as he fussed about the curtains in the living room, the simple solution, as Penny had also identified was, take them down. There were pots and pans and plates, draws still with tat and soft furnishings, damaged paintwork, clothes And bedding all to be sorted and by the time she had left there was only some heavy stuff to be hidden away and Cole was going to be around to help with that. All hard work Han been punishing on his fingers, leaving hard and calloused and the irritation peaked For him when the skin on his thumb split and bled. Another trip to the dump and they took a well deserved break from the work in the Rotunda where he was delighted to see Lulu for another farewell. Cathie left Nicholas in a calmer mood. And as he paused the clear out And concentrated on doing some more packing for his travels he realised he had been so obsessed with getting A tenant and working on making the flat ready for his tenant he had forgotten that this was all to enable him to have an adventure across the world and for a moment he allowed himself to feel a buzz of excitement at the journey he would be waking to on Sunday. Six months of planning were coming to fruition and the achievement slightly overwhelmed him. But Cole appeared and he began the relentless pace of work to complete the task. Stripped down to their underwear and shirts they finished the decorating, though from the results, neither should pursue a career in that profession. A takeaway from ‘What the Pitta’ and a movie ‘The Sugarland Express’ bought a satisfying close his final day in the UK
My dear friend, I am so sorry we did not have a farewell meet. I will follow your adventures closely on here and look forward to seeing you on your return. Have fun and stay safe xxx
Me too Sonia. The last few weeks were so busy, and on top of everything I was playing Santa at Phileas Fogg. Happy to know you are coming along with me. XXX
Happy trails, Nick! I look forward to dropping in on your commentaries on the way. x