Au Revoir but not Goodbye

Undoubtedly an emotional day. Sarah and family finally move to Lytham St Annes and a new exciting life. My grandmother lived to ninety nine years of age and only ever moved to the house next door. My mother spent her entire life in the village where she was born. I am living in the town in which I was born and my wife was born twenty five miles away. Sarah and Paulette are obviously upset to be parting, particularly a female thing I suspect. Or perhaps we males are conditioned not to show too much emotion. But Lytham is only around one hundred and ten miles away, not the ends of the earth.

We frantically pack the last of the belongings (Jeff is away lecturing) and the farewells are many and lingering. The toilet is frequently called into use and there are a few tears. Helena's favourite ball is missing, frantic searches are to no avail. Finally the car is filled to bursting point, lingering becomes pointless and they are away. I know how the Pilgrim Fathers must have felt sailing away to a new life. And they had no telephones, e-mails or motor cars! Good luck, Sarah, Helena and Jeff, see you soon.