It's been eleven days, to be precise, since I boarded a plane for the umpteenth time this year and reached the 55,000 miles flown mark for 2006. It's a characteristic of my life with Emma that even an eleven day jaunt ("a short trip" according to the suprisingly-welcoming Customs and Border Patrol official at San Francisco airport) is enough time for D&E to cram in as much as most people do in a year.
As if to prove the point - and to retain a little festive cheer - here's a quick summary of the past week-and-a-bit in the style of your favorite Christmas song!
All together now...On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
12. Rejuvenating hours of sleep to recover from crossing eight time zones
11. Concerned emails exchanged with neighbors in the US about our flooded kitchen
10. Charming rendezvoux with extended family members in Holland
9. Warm welcomes from immediate family members in Dover, Bournemouth and Cheam
8. Weary train journeys across the UK and Holland
7. Good-old-days visits to home-town and university friends
6. Excited under-five-year-olds escorted to a Peter Pan pantomime, a village pub and a zoo
5. Generous but fragile and bulky Christmas presents received from family members
4. Tiring flights on aircraft between San Francisco, London, Amsterdam and Rotterdam
3. Luxurious overnight stays at hotels in London’s West End and central Rotterdam
2. Delightful upgrades to Business Class travel by United Airlines
1. 100th Birthday Party for my grandfather! (See photo album)
And a PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEee.....
Roll on New Year's Eve.
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