Monday August 23rd 2010 - Going home

I woke at 6.30am and it was another lovely morning, so after taking the dogs for a walk round the site I set my table and chair outside the awning and had my last California breakfast. And there's something about telling people back home that you've had breakfast in California that makes them think you've been a lot further afield than Norfolk! Once that was out of the way and the mug and plate washed I started packing up the van. Leaving the bed made up I put the small stuff underneath it and the larger stuff on top, and packed neatly and methodically there's plenty of room for everything. The dogs were keeping a low profile on their beds while I was busy, and when I only had the awning to take down I put them both in the back of the van out of the way. It beats me how they always know that they are going home but they do, and they didn't look very happy.

It didn't take long to get the awning down - using a claw hammer to pull out the pegs saves a fair bit of time and it certainly came down quicker than it went up, so it wasn't long before it was rolled up and back in its bag. With everything finally packed away I locked up the van and took the dogs for a final walk along the cliff top and the beach. The weather was glorious, and it wasn't the sort of morning which really made me want to go home.

But home I had to go as I had to be at work at 5pm, so with Sophie and Sugar safely in the back of the van I left the site at 10am - I called at the petrol station down the road in Ormesby to get some fuel, then with the radio on I settled down for the long drive back. I only stopped twice on the journey, the first time at the Cheerio Cafe (no tea - no pee!) and the second time at the truck stop near the M1. Apart from getting stuck behind a wagon for several miles on the A17 , which slowed me down a little, my journey was relatively uneventful and I was home for 4.30pm, with enough time to settle the dogs on their beds in the living room before leaving for work fifteen minutes later. And what was I doing while I was at work? - thinking about places I can go to on my next visit to California!