Heading Home!

Leaving the land of the rabbit!

We have now been home for just over a week and now feel able to recant our tale.

Our trip started to go wrong just south of Barcelona where we were subjected to a distraction robbery. It was more embarrassing than anything else but that’s by the by as you already know about that.

We landed in Saint Javier and must admit we felt a little rough, couldn’t quite put our finger on it but it felt like we were wading through treacle. So after a chat with a pharmacist we heading north to La Vall d’Uixó at a very pleasant carpark near Saint Joseph’s Caves and started dosing ourselves up. Unfortunately we lost 30 hours after taking the medicine and eventually with a very thick foggy head headed north towards Palamós in search of an English speaking pharmacist.

It was here we discovered the diesel heater had packed up, or rather the pump had frozen. It was going to be an interesting dash north through France.

We crossed the border again at La Jonquera and had chosen a route north via Toulouse, Montignac and La Mailleraye sur Seine.

Things were against us, the overnight temperatures dropped to below -5°c and with no heating the cold wasn’t helping Dads bug. It was starting to settle on his chest. Must admit I was getting anxious.
For some reason I happened to check the Shuttle timetable and found that they had availability on the Monday so I duly booked the crossing. There was no way in his poorly state Dad would have coped with the return ferry crossing.
While in Mailleraye I double checked Le Shuttle and was surprised to be offered a slot on the Sunday night, grabbing the chance of getting home early I dashed up the motorways towards Coquelles and our 20:20 booking.

Now those that know me well won’t have any problem understanding that I arrived early, got there just after 7pm and was instantly shuffled forward for a 19:20 crossing.
Customs negotiated and without a check insight we drove onto the train and 35 minutes later landed in Folkestone.

Three and a half hours later we pulled up at the gates here on-site. I bundled Dad inside and put him to bed. The unpacking could wait.

Monday and I headed down to the local pharmacist and picked up some more cough medicine and several packs of Complan. We both hadn’t eaten for several days.
Tuesday I tried to get Dad an appointment at the doctors, nothing doing for days.

Thursday, In desperation I eventually contracted NHS111 and after speaking to a doctor was passed through to the GP Surgery and eventually spoke to a doctor who issued antibiotics and some really good advice.

Dad is slowly improving and after his course of antibiotics is now sitting up taking porridge and soup though not together or in that order.

Thank you to everybody who took the time to contact me, it meant a lot and kept me going through some very dark times.

I’m still staying away from social media for a while, I’ll be back eventually just not sure when.