Our good friend Alberto is looking after our plants and car for six weeks as we're off to England and beyond... He drops us off at the station after my final lesson and we're off. A last granita and the train whisks us off to Pisa airport for our 10.30pm flight to Stansted. A wide awake Rory meets us and makes the three-hour drive down to Worthing - thank heaven for nephews!
Saturday
Our first port of call is to Worthing's travel agent's to book a holiday - which this year we successfully manage! Two weeks in Kefalonia! Yippee! Five years after Captain Corelli's Mandolin was filmed on this beautiful island, we are finally going to paradise!
For the first couple of nights of our trip we are staying at Annette's sister Ruh's house, in her new loft extension. In the evening Annette's mum and dad, Chas and Mavis together with Felicity and Stanley make it a grand Woodland family reunion.
Sunday
And the good sunny weather continues... as I enjoy my bacon and eggs and the Sunday Times in the garden. We have a lunch date at my mum's and she cooks up her legendary lasagne and I get to hear all the year's problems! We take a drive out to Highdown gardens and then pop to Fiorella's house for a drink and I give grandma her fresh borlotti beans from the Motherland!
Week 1
We're working at Swanderan school of English during the day, on the Monday evening we move to Chas and Mavis' house and on the Tuesday evening I meet up with my dad for a drink in Tarring village - I also bump into Julie Atherton, who I haven't seen for a few years.
On the Wednesday it's our regular appointment with the Bard at Highdown gardens - this year we are treated to 'As You Like It' and it doesn't rain!
On Thursday morning we're busy working at school, when there are four more bomb attacks in London again! Everybody goes into shock and we cancel our weekend plans to visit Annette's brother in Cambridge as many London underground stations are closed and the weather has turned nasty.
On the Saturday we relax at home and on Sunday it's our 6th Wedding Anniversary. I cycle (in the rain!) to Sainsbury's, to buy Annette her traditional, flowers, chocolates and Champagne, which we enjoy later...
Sunday evening we.ve been invited to my Auntie Lisa's for dinner. her two daughters, my cousins, Joanna and Jaimee and families are there and my niece, Holly puts in a surprise appearance.
Week 2
And the weather continues its dark and dreary course... Wednesday evening we're at my grandma's for dinner - a Chinese take away and very nice '98 bottle of Australian Wolf Blass wine.
Friday evening and my sister Rita is cooking an Indian curry and we get to meet her new 'bloke' 23-year-old, Mat. It's a very enjoyable evening and I even manage not to get drunk! mat seems really nice, Holly is not as crazy as last year and is Natalie going to be the superstar 'future' actress?
Brighton Rocks
After two weeks in Worthing we just have to escape! London is still out of the question with all the bomb scares and so Brighton it is... by day it's a funky, hippy, ethnic, student city. From the station there are some very cool shops and Mediterranean style pedestrian roads and outdoor cafes. It's everything that Worthing's not! The people are better dressed, thinner and more stylish. We buy a cool ceramic bowl. I find some swanky linen trousers in the Lanes and we stop for lunch at a great Thai restaurant near Regent's parade. We check out some more shops and even catch a 'flick' at the Odeon cinema - the riotous 'Wedding Crashers'. During the day we enjoy some rare sunshine and dodge a few showers, unfortunately we end the day soaking wet, eating some horrible, soggy fish and chips, as Brighton gets ready for a regular Saturday evening of drunken Stags and Hens staggering around the city, shouting and puking their way through the rain soaked evening... and we remember why we left England for Italy! Sunday we spend relaxing.
Week 3
Monday evening we're at Annette's sister Ruth's for dinner and we check out Rory's new laptop computer. Wednesday and the sun appears long enough for us to enjoy a stir-fry at Felicity's and I get to spend some time with Stanley.
Thursday and it's the staff party and we catch up with two ex social leaders, Tom and Mike.
Friday and I've hired a car for the weekend with my dad, to take Carl back to Devon. in the evening Annette and I go with Carl and dad to the Black Rabbit in Arundel for a meal and a stroll round this pretty little town.
Saturday
My auntie Fiorella has organized a big barbecue at her house and most of my family turn up (including party pooper, mum's ex, Joe Mullen) My cousin, Craig is a bit depressed having just split with his girlfriend and Fiorella gives Annette and me a bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne as a late Wedding Anniversary present.
We leave at around 4 o'clock for the s 1/2 hour drive to take Carl back to Devon, with a brief stop off to see Stonehenge.
Sunday
Annette and I have the car for the day, so again we get to escape Worthing for the day. Destination - Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. It's a very beautiful drive and luckily we have a gorgeous, sunny day. We stop for a very nice pub lunch and spend a very relaxing afternoon wandering around this stunning moated castle, climbimng the towers and sprawling on the lawn. We even get a free guided tour.
Week 4
And so all good things must come to an end (he says ironically) as it's our last week in England.
Monday evening I go for a drink with my brother Alan to try to get to the bottom of why his wife refuses to let their three girls see any of his family, but I come away none the wiser. Tuesday, my great auntiue Tina has invited Annette and me up to her house in Halewick lane for dinner, along with her two sons, Frank and David and their respective wives, Chris and Linda. We spend an enjoyable evening together. Thursday evening and we treat Annette's mum and dad, Chas and Mavis t a take away Indian curry, but unfortunately Chas is not up for a game of bridge. Friday and it's our last day of work at Swandea and afterwards I get a 'ripping' back wax, ready for our impending holiday... I say goodbye to my dad (and he promises to finally come and visit us in Tuscany next spring) I'm round my sister Rita's for a final farewell, mum stays for a bit and then we get the playstation out for some serious 'sing star' challenges.
Saturday is 'Brothers day'.
After our not making it up to Cambridge this time, Annette's brother has forgiven us and driven down to Worthing to see us here. I pop to my brother, Alan's in the morning to see his girls. Olivia is now at school, Emilia 2 1/2 and Scarlett 6 months, so Alan has his hands full!
I beat Phil back to Mavis's as he's a bit late arriving and we all eventually enjoy a salady lunch. Our look at Worthing beach is postponed however, due to what else... rain! So we enjoy a bit of cricket on tv, as England are playing the Aussies and are 1-1 in the ashes series. For the evening we're booked in to 'La Padella', one of the top restaurants in the area, in Findon. The meal is okish, although very expensive. I get to choose the wine and they have a Super Tuscan on the list, one of my favourites, Baron Ricasoli's Casalferro. After a pleasant evening we bid Phil and Leonie are fond farewells and they drive off into the sunset in Phil's open top Mercedes.! Well to the Chatsworth hotel, where they are staying for the night!
The next day we fly off into the sunset , to our summer holiday destination, the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia...
(Original Journal entry 15/8/05)
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