Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

 

It is 1.25 a.m.  on Friday morning.  I was sleeping well until a certain Alfie started yowling to go out.  By the time I'd got dressing gown and slippers on and done so, I couldn't get back to sleep.  My body is all out of kilter from the travelling.  My 1.05 a.m. flight on Wednesday was delayed and we weren't taking off until 2.20 a.m. plus .  I am rarely up beyond 10 p.m. at home, so you can imagine it was a real challenge to stay awake and alert, although various small children helped with that cause. What a nightmare it must be for mothers to travel with small infants, toddlers and over-excited under 6's.  Once on the plane, everyone seemed to carry on as if it were daytime, watching films on tv, lights were on, and meals being served.  I just wanted some kip and it was a couple of hours before they dimmed the lights and I fell into a fitful doze.  10 hours later I managed to negotiate my way across Singapore airport and onto my home flight.  Another 14 hours.  I was fortunate to have a row of three seats to myself so was able to stretch out and get some REM sleep.  I also watched the new Downton Abbey film, which I can recommend and then Singing in the Rain which I never tire of.  My eyes began to tire of being SO close to the screen and I had to "watch" The Second-Best Marigold Hotel with eyes shut a lot of the time, though I did look out of the window (damn that wing) at the scenery as we moved from India to Turkmanistan and the border with Iran.  I fully intend NEVER to do a long flight ever again.  Gabs and I plotting a long weekend in Denmark though, to go to museums and see the Bog Bodies I studied at Uni and always found fascinating.

Yesterday morning Gabby left, full of cold (thanks to wee Rosie, who is ever generous with her germs) to spend the day in bed back at home.  I had a bath and washed my hair and felt with it enough to go to Llandod and restock the fridge.  I was amazed at how cheap Tesco groceries were in comparison to NZ, where there don't seem to be any cheap option.  I bought a lovely Mango for 79p.  In NZ they were $5 each and manky looking.  A NZ dollar is worth 43p.  I bought two 250g punnets of reduced Blueberries for £1.35 each.  One went straight into the freezer - the other is for breakfasts this week.  Rosie paid $6 I think it was for a tiny punnet of about 125g. Just in case you are interested, HERE is a link to NZ food and cost of living prices.

I bought lovely gammon steaks on special offer which saved me £2.40.  One lot has gone straight in the freezer and the other will be an evening meal and half of one into a pan of Minestrone soup today.  I will freeze the other half for another pan in the future.  Lots of lovely fresh vegetables came home with me, and some stir fry sauces, though I need a break from Chinese-style meals having eaten them for breakfast and main meal on the flight. Three cooked meals in one day.

I bought some Worcestershire Hop cheese (one of my favourites) in the Health Food shop.  Some of the softer cheeses (Wenslydale etc) in Tescos quickly go mouldy, so it is more cost efficient to buy good cheese elsewhere.

I struck lucky with this (and another good hardback destined as a family member Christmas present) at the Tesco donated books stand.  Someone had donated a whole trolley full of books!  This one is just up my street.

I also struck lucky with the charity shops, and in the Red Cross the same lady who is my size donated some more Seasalt tops, and I got two lovely blouses at £8 each - one brand new and still had the tag on it (£45.95 originally).  I love Seasalt products but can't afford to buy new.  I also found two easy-park drive into spaces in Llandod and Builth and reckoned my luck must still be in so I bought two Lottery tickets.  You never know. 

My cats were SO pleased to have me home and I had the girls, one either side of me when I went to bed on Wednesday night.  I slept SUCH a deep sleep for 7 hrs but then woke at 5 a.m. and am still out of kilter.  I rested up watching archaeology programmes all afternoon and evening and really hit a brick wall by teatime and had to sleep again, then fell asleep sitting up an hour later and by 8p.m. I had HAD IT. If I so much as shut my eyes, I was asleep!

There will be lots more photos from NZ, as a shame not to share some more. Back to bed in the hope I can sleep . . .

Update: Nah, didn't work.  Twenty to five and I am still on NZ time and drinking a couple of glasses of white wine to try and push myself off the sleep cliff into sleep on the sofa with Timeteam on in the background . .. .