Being the team player that I am, I have done much of the driving since Rod became unwell. This proved difficult when I left the hospital Wednesday night as I had to stop the car, get out, run around to put the parking ticket into the exit point, then run back to the car and drive out. I drove Jess to the bus station Friday morning to catch the Airliner bus from Oxford to Heathrow. We had planned she catch the 7am bus to the airport to allow her plenty of time to find the terminal, check in and not be rushed. Her flight left at midday and she tells us she has no-one sitting next to or in front of her, so her flight was very comfortable. She has since, made it safely back to Alice Springs to finish her Gap year.

We packed up and left Noke after 10am to travel to Frodsham, just out of Chester, to stay with Travis (The Travis), Dawn and Grace Martin. Travis was a teacher at Wangaratta High School and these guys are Livy’s original owners. Travis had become immortalised back at home via Rod’s bedtime stories for Hamish about the house we once rented (which we drove past regularly), the dog we inherited, the furniture he also left behind and the fact that we were planning to stay at his place on our Big European Adventure. Hence the title, The Travis; paying homage to ‘The Alex’ from Madagascar.

Although our trip was mostly freeway and only 250km, the traffic was still very congested in parts and we didn’t arrive until late in the afternoon. We have vowed never again to complain about traffic in Australia; peak hour in Melbourne has nothing on driving in England. Grace and Hamish hit it off straight away and he has been more than happy to be ‘directed’ by an 8 year old girl.

Saturday morning Rod was particularly excited to be having Vegemite on toast for breakfast; he has tried Marmite, but it’s not the same. We headed out to ‘The Ice Cream Farm’ which boasts 40 flavours of ice cream, plus a kids’ paradise of playgrounds and activities. On the way, we stopped for fuel and cash. Hamish went to grab a tissue from the box in the car and instantly started crying and yelling. I thought he had cut his fingers on the box, but on closer inspection, a wasp had stung him and was now sitting on the edge of the box (it had been hiding inside the box). I asked Dawn if the wasps in the UK were as bad as the one’s in Australia – I mean, European wasps in Australia are dreaded! But she assured me they weren’t. Hamish’s tears subsided with a few marshmallows, although his finger and hand did swell up and he couldn’t bend his fingers.

The day at the playground did the kids in and we retired home to watch the Rugby (but that’s all I have to say about that). Later that afternoon, the children in the court dressed up for Halloween and there were many decorated houses and scary pumpkins around. Hamish was a bit timid, but Grace managed to score some extra lollies for him.

Sunday we headed to the walled city of Chester, the fog lifted only briefly in the afternoon, but this city is beautiful. And old. The wall, which we walked around, was built by the Romans in 900 or something and it is pretty impressive. The shopping could have been excellent for Dawn and I, but the plan was to get to Vale Royal Falconry by 3pm (Dawn’s father Phil, is a Falconer).

All day Hamish was saying that he didn’t want to see the birds and ‘let’s go home’, but he was the first person to don a leather glove and allow a Little Owl (named Willow) to settle on his arm. The kid has no fear. Phil didn’t need much encouragement to bring out the big guns, a massive Golden Eagle, which Hamish wanted to hold too! Phil and his partner in crime Nanette, brought out a range of birds to perch on us and eat raw chicken from our gloved hands – it was sensational. Feeding the meerkats and helping to fly the drone (which is used to train the birds) topped off the day for two very lucky children.

Has been lovely catching up with some Aussies and being able to talk about the differences/similarities of living here compared to living in Australia, not to mention the joy of following another car whose driver knows where they’re going! Heading off to Scotland tomorrow for two weeks, then back to the European continent. For the record, Rod is starting to feel much better – thanks everyone for the well wishes (fingers crossed it lasts).