Brief Note
We're still pretty off base, so here are just some highs & lows (not many lows!)....
- nitnorth & Hyla_Regilla dropped us off at SFO after a pleasant breakfast -- hurray for good friends!
- Trip over was uneventful and very smooth. DIY check-in online with Virgin worked like a charm -- we got checked in and through luggage security in about 10 minutes
- Pickup, passport control, etc., out of Heathrow was easy-peasy, and our family picked us up and whisked us away to Northampton with ease. Our new niece is gorgeous, of course!
- Cindy & Doug threw me a 50th birthday party and people I actually know from the area came & gave me some beautiful, handmade cards and things. Having been coming around for 25 years has its advantages, I guess. Several sent remembrances and good wishes to nitnorth, Hyla_regilla, and motogrrl, who were there with me for the wedding last year.
- Went to a terrific German Christmas fair in Northampton, where I got a gorgeous/soft/yummy mohair-alpaca poncho for what feels like almost no money ($25?) and Duncan got me a very spiff scarf that matches it (surprise for me on Christmas!) . I got a similar poncho for Jen, only in red with brownish-black stripes, because it's a perfect size to snuggle in on the couch or at the computer and still leaves the hands free.
- All the cahooted presents save one was perfect, and that one was close -- perfect color choice, great fabric, but one size too large. Duncan loves the shirt, so he'll keep it and we'll get his cousin another.
- We didn't spend the whole time running around being tourists -- we spent the week mostly being family hanging out before Christmas. We induced Cindy and Doug to go see Narnia -- they hadn't planned to, but they loved it.
- I learned how to shape Marzipan and Fondant Icing for Christmas Cakes!
- As usual, Christmas was Books, books, books! Such a book-y family ;-)
- We re-introduced stockings to the family, and I was most pleased that I was right about which stockings would please Cindy and Doug most (simple, natural linen with simple embroidery).
- We spent a great deal of the time telling stories about the last 30 years and more, some which have been sort of taboo as long as I've known the family. It was really freeing and interesting. Stories later!
- Save for the cold weather (sub-zero C most nights), we had average Christmas weather -- and then just before we left the snow storms closed in. We had some concern that with heavy snows in Kent, the weather in London would close down.
- Duncan got upgraded to first-class for the flight home again, and as a courtesy, they upgraded me, too. He suspects that they're so grateful that he's flying with them again after last year's terrorist thing that he's on the upgrade list for at least a while if not life!
- Dumb me pulled the wrong bag off the belt when picking up our luggage, and so we're working on getting it traded for my bag. The Virgin folks at SFO were and are fabulous about helping.