Friday May 5th 2023

It's been a quiet day, but we think Sarah and family need some quiet times to help them get over the upheavals and excitement of the last few days - camping here and there during the last month of their 7-year residence in Perth, Western Australia, followed by a long flight from the steamy climate of Perth to the even steamier climate of Dubai, then a further flight to the cool or coldish climate of England.

Poor them!!!!

11:00 This morning, despite the cloudy weather, Lois goes with Sarah and the twins for a walk over the common, while I do some clearing up in the house.

Lois goes with Sarah and the twins for a walk over the common

15:00 This afternoon Lois digs out our stock of 1980's-vintage Cabbage Patch Kids, which were played with back in the day by Sarah and her sister Alison, and resurrected again today to the twins' delight. If Lily and Jessica had to name their two favourite activities, it's got to be either arts and crafts, or their fantasy world of cuddly toys, that's for sure. And there are a lot of Cabbage Patch Kids available, to put it mildly - impossible to avoid them, really - my goodness!

"Cabbage Patch Kids get all the best seats!"

- that's what we used to say back in the 1980's, 

and we're saying it all over again today!

flashback to August 1985 - our 3 year adventure in the US is over.

Lois in our QE2 cabin, where we lived out of our suitcases, surrounded by

our two daughters Alison and Sarah's Cabbage Patch dolls - the same ones that

Sarah's daughters are playing with here today, which is nice

Back in our house in  England again - our daughter Sarah (8)

in her room with her collection of American Cabbage Patch dolls

Francis goes out in the afternoon, trying to identify the best electrical vehicle charging sites for the electric Austin Mini that Sarah is being loaned by the accountancy firm she's going to be working for. He is also believed to be investigating the house near Evesham that the family are planning to buy.

16:00 Lois and I join Sarah and the twins for a quiet game of Uno in the kitchen-diner, which is nice. It's a game that Lois and I haven't played for years, so quite nostalgic.

a quiet game of Uno with Sarah and the girls