Tuesday August 31st 2010 - Back to reality

I always think that the worst thing about going away is having to pack up and go back home again, which is what I had to do that day. I'm lucky in that I don't work mornings so I'm able to extend a bank holiday weekend into Tuesday, but I still had to be home in time for work that evening. The weather was considerably better that morning than the day before, with blue sky and sunshine and just a slight breeze - there were plenty of clouds around but they were fluffy ones, and although some were tinged with grey most of them were white so it looked like it would be quite a nice day.

The first job was to take the dogs for their morning walk, then it was time to sort out some breakfast. I was just about to put some bread in the toaster when on the spur of the moment I decided to go round to the riverside cafe at Daylock Marine - I don't often eat fried things which resemble a heart attack on a plate, and I'd already had one cooked breakfast that weekend, but I figured if I had another that morning then I wouldn't need to stop for a meal on the way home. Anyway, it's nice to treat myself sometimes, and even nicer when I can sit in the sunshine by a river with lovely scenery to look at. It was very peaceful sitting there with the dogs so it was with great reluctance I drove back to the site, but before I made a start on packing things away I had a final walk round with the camera and took a few more shots round the lakes.

One of the best things about being on my own is only having my own stuff to put away, and wherever I put it that's where it stays, so once I made a start it only took just over an hour to get the van completely packed up and ready for the road. A few minutes drive away from the site was a lovely riverside walk at Huntingdon, so I headed for there to give Sophie and Sugar a final run before hitting the road for home. By that time the clouds had all but disappeared, leaving a bright blue sky which was perfect for photographs, so the camera came with me for one last time.

From the car park near the main road the footpath passed a large playing field then followed the river, passing through an area of trees and shrubs then crossing an expanse of open grassland before disappearing into another wooded area. I walked to the far end of the grassland before turning round and retracing my route back to the van - it was very peaceful along the riverside, and with no passing boats the surface of the water was so still that in many places it looked just like a mirror.

Back at the van I settled Sophie and Sugar on their beds, put on one of my favourite cds which I could sing along to, then set out for A14 which would lead me to the A1 and northwards towards home. Just over an hour into the journey I pulled into a roadside petrol station to get some fuel - the dogs were quiet in the back of the van, so with a couple of cans of Coke to keep me going I made it all the way back home without stopping again. Reality kicked in when I pulled up outside my front gate, and within half an hour of arriving home I was loading up the dishwashers at work as though I had never been away!