My Apologies!!

[Solange]

I must send my apologies to all you lovely "Virtual Friends" for the many good wishes that were sent to me for my seventieth birthday, and for which I failed to thank you. I'm so sorry but I lost track of the blog, somehow. Life has been very hectic since New Years Eve - I've been trying to fit in all the things I'm supposed to do before we go back to Portugal. My husband and I both lost a few days with the fluey-type virus and have been trying to catch up. Not that that is any real excuse!!!! I just want to thank you again and say how touched I've been by your lovely messages.

It's now almost time to get back to our beloved caravan and resume peaceful camplife again. We start our journey back at 3.30 in the morning on Saturday - EEK!! We're keeping our fingers crossed that we haven't been flooded out in the awning as we're in a dip. Still, even if we have, once the sun comes out we should hopefully soon dry out. I have to say, PRChick, that we're cheats really, it's much easier to "camp" in a caravan than a tent. We WOULD be too old (and cold) to overwinter, even in Portugal, in a tent!! I'm at the stage of weaning myself off my beloved family. I always get sad when I go away but soon get over it once the break's been mad - how fickle is that? It's so much easier to keep in touch nowadays, even with the youngest grandchildren.

My head is full of lists and I'm worrying whether I can get everything in the one case we're taking to go in the plane hold. We can't take two as we have very limited storage space on site. The one we are taking is a collapsible one which we expected to find in pieces on our homeward journey. I wrapped everthing in it in my dressing gown, in case it exploded, and cobbled it together with luggage straps!! What a relief it was to find it intact!! Still, at least we can also have hand luggage - but there again - I have to keep reminding myself that I mustn't stuff too much in in case they then won't go in the wire size-checkers. I determined to be very organised and made checklists for what we brought home and what we wanted to take back - but of course, we've lost them!! The one thing I MUST remember is my vacuum-packed gluten free loaves, but what a lot of space they take up.

I must stop rambling on. Thank you once again for my birthday wishes and may I wish EVERYONE a VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY NEW YEAR.

Love, Solange xxxx

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[Hidden]

Hi Solange,

Have a great time for all of us... we will miss you loads.. lots of love x G x but enjoy the sunshine

[Solange in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Gwyn. I'm hoping to maybe able to follow things from Portugal - if what my youngest son did to my computer has sorted things out. Fingers crossed,

Love Solange

[wendydee]

Good luck with the packing, Solange. I don't envy you that .....I hate the packing up to go stage It will be lovely to see the sun again, though, and get back to your Portuguese life. I hope your computer works well. So you can let us know how things are going.

All the best for 2013

Love Wendy xx