April Fool's Day Leaving Bash: and so the adventure begins!

all the STUFF waiting to be organised.

IN the morning of the day before, I took my Schacht matchless spinning wheel down to Anna so she could learn to spin.  She and Tom were off to Bristol to see a paediatrician about Billy, so I hope it went well, and I wish them all the best (glad I saw them before I left).  ON the way home I passed a humungous lorry with “The Adventure Begins” written on the side – oh my god!  Messages from the Universe!  Just so long as I don’t start answering back.

I’d put out an ‘open invite’ on Facebook, and tried to put the word around about my leaving party – but realised belatedly that it’s always a good idea to actually ASK folk rather than rely on them just turning up – they prefer it.   My original idea had been to turn up at the pub and have folk come there – seemed like the least work.   However my neighbour and friend Sara had offered to host a party in her studio – a green oak building in her garden which her partner Sean had built.  It would give her an excuse to clear it out, and besides, she hadn’t had a party in a while.   
Come the day, we were both regretting it: Sara because she was still trying to clear the studio of all of her mother’s ‘stuff’ from when she’d emptied her house and moved to Australia backalong – and NOONE was helping – recalcitrant teenage and stroppy younger son hiding in house and husband busy building a staircase, like you do.  Me because of course I wasn’t finished packing and still had loads of things to do before departure that I should have done weeks before.  (I procrastinate – what’s new?).  I also had to post stashes of wool to collect to various parts of Europe: Paris and Germany to start with.  This means I HAVE to finish what I've got with me on the bicycle before I collect any more.  That's the theory anyway.

Here is a picture of the ‘pile’ of stuff waiting to be organised.  

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But in the end, all was good.  The studio looked pretty, lit up with fairy lights – and everyone who came brought food and drink (and I’d contributed some boxes of wine and bottles of beer).  Chris and Susan from next door, despite both being poorly, had bought a barrel of Teignworthy Reel Ale. (There was loads of booze left over so Sean the host and Seth the son divvied it up next morning.)  
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Thanks to Jenny for the image - the Moorland Midwives (sans Gwyneth) - looking good and all retired!

Lots of folk couldn’t come but sent well wishes and bon voyage messages via text and phone and facebook – I felt overwhelmed with the love out there!  There’s a lot of people rooting for me.  And the party itself included local friends and neighbours, knitting and spinning friends and just about all my old midwifery team (all of us now retired).  Here we are looking good:   

Honorary grandson Rafe at the party - promise to finish the blended frog fox Rafe!

And Seth and his housemates Jamie and Charlie and honorary grandson Rafe 
It was an excellent send off and I will remember that night for a long time - as one of my cycling gurus said I would - waves to Rubina.  The Mayor of Moretonhampstead turned up too!  (Lovely to see you Jane).     I’d bought a new camera to take some pics, but didn’t have a memory card for it.  So I didn’t get many pics at all.  But here’s two of the fire where the youngsters gathered:

That's Steve in the centre!

Meanwhile my ‘daily drawings’ and paintings were being rummaged through and the best taken away in return for donations.  Lots of cards handed to me too – with several containing very generous ‘emergency funds’ for “hotel beds, buses, hot food and beer”.  The Guild of Spinners, Weavers, Dyers and the Spin A Yarn and Sunday knitting club had all signed a wonderful, ‘specially printed ‘News paper’ card (Terri Bate to cycle the world!) – and I regret not getting a picture of that one before I left.  All in all, there was £500 in the kitty at the end of the evening – wow!  Steve said “What a Scam! – should have done this before!”.  
I'd like you all to know that I am taking advantage of the 'emergency fund' right now - with a night in a hotel in St Malo.  The ferry arrived in too late to make alternative arrangements and all my warm showers/couch surfing requests had come to naught.  

OK – huge amount of thanks due (and you can skip this if you don't know any of the folk involved - it's the boring section in the long wedding speech bit) : to the people who have already made donations to MSF via JustGiving- already over £100 there.  To John and Sue, for coming all the way up from Cornwall and for their HUGE donation, AND for finishing the GBBBB (that’s the Great British Banter Best Blankie for the uninitiated – knit by members of a Ravelry forum and inspired by and a response to The Great American Afghan).   Son Seth and Henry and Sean for keeping the fire going.  Lustleigh knitting club (and Poppy for coordinating) for the Click Stand to hold my bicycle UP!) and Lustleigh locals for the little dry bag which holds my phone on the bicycle stem so I can use it as a sat nav. (Britt, Angela, Jenny and Andy, Heather and Bill).  Nina for Welly – and for donating time, plates, cutlery, wood etc.  I’d mentioned I needed  a mascot so she knit me a sheep from the combined handspun wool of our little flock who live at Well Park (hence “ give it some – Welly!”) – that’s Blossom the Ryeland, Midnight the Zwartbles, Synnu (the surprise Shetland/Suffolk cross mule), Peerie and Gyntie the Shetlands.   Last time I saw them they had springs for legs and were boinging around the field like Zebedee (‘Tis Spring you see – sap rising!).  To Cath and Dan for the moisturising stick - I'm still looking a tad red in the face, mind.  And to Yasmin for the last minute gift of a journal...

Alice Knowles offered to be my online medical Consultant should I need one.  And gave me a little St Christopher to wear, which she’d been given when she set off to explore and work in India a few years back. I am wearing the St Christopher pendant now and promise to pass it on to another traveller when I get home again.

I’ve since had a message from Calamaty Jayne offering to be my online Bicycle Maintenance Consultant so both me and Rowenna should be well cared for.

Thanks to all of you that turned up to see me off – too many to mention but you know who you are.  Apologies to Martin and Charms for leaving too late for you to accompany me on day one (hopeless, really).  
Thanks most of all to my husband Steve for letting me go without moaning too much and for his patience and forbearance.  Love you!  Like the Terminator: I'll be BACK!

Got to bed at gone midnight.