darlings
we are now most definitely En Route for the long voyage out to south africa.
the 1st of 10 (gulp) flights over the next 19 days took off at 06:45 hours (yes, that meant a Car Came At 4AM)…
it was a HUGE plane and we felt Very Grateful that we didn’t have to sleep in the airport like some people who were changing planes from the night flight from Australia. 
in fact, we’re going to sleep Soundly (because we’ve already had a nap and it was indeed delicious) Here.
the nicest thing about staying with friends (as opposed to a Hotel) is that one can Catch up and have supper and chat and then be told (kindly) that “a Bath with Epsom Salts might be nice?” and one agrees, thankfully and suddenly the taps (faucets for our American friends) are turned on and Epsom Salts are poured liberally in and a candle lit and one is left to s o a k blissfully while listening to a book programme on Radio 4 (BBC – *doffsCap*) .
and then – a while later – one is Very much Revived and takes a little Constitutional around the block (or five) to get into the right Time Zone (always important when we’ll be passing through quite a few in the next 19 days) and sips a lot of mineral water (flat, not fizzy today) and then settles down with a few good books. 
yes.
it *does* feel like a rehearsal for England now you come to mention it.
nap, bath, books, Radio 4 and crisp white cotton comforter with contrasting blue sheet.
*yawns*
good night.
sleep well.
and tomorrow we’ll Explore Manhattan all over again.
isn’t that delicious?
safe travels!! i take epsom salt baths every other day – sooo good for you!
they work brilliantly on jet lag aches and pains!
especially while sipping english breakfast tea and listening to Radio 4.
will there be a stopover in continental europe too? when will we come to see the revamped vintage dress? questions, questions… :)
p.s. speaking of britishness. we fell down the pits of downton abbey last week. my sweetheart tends to pick trendy things and after a few years of resistance I give in. it happened with harry potter (2 years of protest); sherlock (equally); and lately, the aforementioned ‘gosford park, the series’. I am torn between highly enjoyable (cast; landscapes; setting; tremendous amount of costume detail; music) and are-you-kidding-me? telenovela style plot turns that make me think of everything beween jane austen, bridget jones, little lord fauntleroy, and dallas (the latest came to mind with the “pregnant woman loses baby” storyline… GAWD!).
we shall quote the pater.
“it’s all a bit ITV”
do you get that reference?
no plans for Continental Europe and the vintage dress is now a throw pillow ;-)
whaaat? a pillow? :) well, why not. the fabric was gorgeous.
I don’t get the reference, and google wasn’t helpful either. cultural gap! cultural gap! sos! *panicking both as a linguist and non-native speaker*
ah.
happy to explain.
BBC = posh, elegant narratives (generally)
ITV = soap operas (trashy)
hence the derision. but it’s still Such Fun.
aaah. got it. phew.
DA as such isn’t ITV then, but the telenovela storytelling is admittedly weird in the context. I was told today though that it might as well be caused by the german translation – the dialogue is partly artificial. ITV really :)
Have a wonderful time, work your digital magic, and come back full of stories to share… Hugs from here.
thank you for the hugs.
and the emails. much appreciated.
Very Delicious. Victor Canning! Oh so long since I heard that name. Did you receive your Persephone Bi Annual before you left home? Some delightful items therein.
yes!
wasn’t it divine?
love the “what our bloggers say”
Yes!