It’s 4 AM Sunday morning and we are finally sitting in the Perth airport departure lounge enjoying a Crown lager!! (A long held pre-trip family tradition)🍻😋 This week the realisation that we are homeless, jobless and car-less has really hit home! The past week has been more harrowing than we had hoped, saying our farewells to our dear friends and family.
Since our last post we have had some truly great luck – the house was let and we sold both cars within a few days and my redundancy from work came through just in time. Linda finished work last Thursday and although she loved her work with Bankwest was finally glad to leave after 20 years of service. I know she plans to keep in touch with many of her work friends on Facebook.
Over the past month we have been very busy packing up all our worldly goods – which amazingly fitted in a small study room in the front of the house (not a lot to show really?) A self storage unit was going to cost about $200 per week so using our study was a much better option and didn’t seem to affect our rent return.👍
As mentioned previously we will stay on a working farm for three nights when we get to Banbury to give us time to setup the van. The couple who own the farm have very kindly allowed us to have some purchases sent to their address prior to our arrival. Consequently, the credit card has taken a real hit on Amazon and EBay. We have purchased a couple of bikes, helmets and covers, bedding, some kitchenware and an iBoost Wifi booster so we can pick up free internet signals. We also purchased a number of camping location books for the UK and Europe to supplement the camping location apps we have already loaded on the iPad.
For now we have a 19 hour flight with Emirates in front of us and get into London at about 6pm today! We have three nights in London staying in Paddington and need to be up by 6:30 tomorrow to catch the train to the Warner Bros. studio at Watford Junction. (hopefully not too jet lagged?)
We pick up the motorhome from Elite in Banbury (who have provided really excellent service) this coming Thursday. Although we have no reason to doubt that the vehicle will be all we had hoped for we are still a little nervous. Hopefully we will have good news to report in our next post?
The photo’s below are from last Friday night when we had a final meal with the kids at ‘Sebastians’ one of our favourite local Italian restaurants.
Our last hurrah with me Linda and Larissa at the back, Francesca, Adam and Daniel in the front.
The girls of the family with our precious baby Eleanor.
The lads!
David and Linda's Grand Tour 
Welcome to a very cold UK 👍 Well your adventure has commenced, enjoy your travels and look forward to meeting up with you both at some point 😉
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Thanks Eric and Shazza, we too hope to meet up with you both sometime during our adventure. Hope you settle into your Elf and Elfette duties and look forward to reading about them. We haven’t had a chance to look at your latest post but will do so over a nice ale at the pub tonight.
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Thanks guys, enjoy your night in the pub 👍🍻
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Hi David & Lunda
Pleased to hear you are on the way! I don’t envy your flight. Very cold here – 2 degrees this evening so we have lit the log burner. Looking forward to meeting up. Love the pictures.
Joanna & Paul xx
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Hi Joanna and Paul, flight was a long one, we were both extremely tired when we got to the hotel so an early night was had. As you mentioned it had been a little chilly in London as well but not much rain which is good. Off the the pub shortly where we will try and get the sim working in our phone and if so will give you a call in the morning.
Xxxx
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Hi Linda and David,
Finally on your way to what will be an amazing trip around the “Old Country” and Europe. It is going to be wonderful to read all about your adventures. Looking forward to when you have Skype up and running so we can “see” you.
All my love as always,
Big sister Sal and David. xoxoxox
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Hi Sally and David, all good so far. The weather is cold and damp but we had a great day at Warner Bros Harry Potter studio today. Will write more in the blog later on.
Love you
Xxxxx
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Welcome to your adventure. Hope you have a great time – I’m sure you will. Re camping books, can recommend ACSI available from Vicarious Books. Cost around £13 but gives discounted out of season campsite fees. Not many in the UK but loads in Europe. Sometimes saving around £12 per night on normal fees.
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Hi Wendy, we had read on the Motorhome 365 forum that the ACSI card was worth having so we have already purchased – thanks for the advice anyway.
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Safe journey across, hope you have a good flight and that your first few days go well. Hope to see you on the road sometime!
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Thanks Lydz, we are booked into the campsite in Kidlington that you recommended and will let you know how we get on.
Regards
David and Linda
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Can’t believe it’s already been 15hrs since we dropped you off at the airport! Shouldn’t be long until you arrive at Heathrow!!!
Keep us updated!
Love you guys xx
Daniel, Larissa, Eleanor and Daxter
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Hello there, had a wonderful day at HP world. What an amazing place. You don’t appreciate the skill of the 100s of people involved in making a film until you visit a studio like that. No wonder it took millions of dollars to make. Loved diagon alley and the model of Hogwarts. Hope everyone is ok? All our love 💋💋💋
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Hi Linda and Dave,
You brave couple,
We are looking forward to reading about your adventures.
Hope England is not too cold and wet for you,
Don’t forget to go to Ireland.
I am going to research that iBoost Wifi booster sounds good.
I am settling in to retirement at home all day on my own (Mon, Tue, Wed), Marie is still at work.
We were over in Rottness (the whole family 13 of us) last week for a few days, we had two units on Long Reach Bay . We went on the boat, (and the Ferry) had some great dives swimming through the corral and the shoals of fish (looking for our boat anchor). We took the shackle off for the biscuit and did not put it back on the anchor rope/chain. Des asked Sharon’s Matt to put it on the anchor Matt did not put it on when we got to a cove Des Asked Alan to drop the anchor. Alan “stop the anchor’s gone” We spent 2 hours looking for it and did not find it. But we had some great fun looking for it. There was slides made on some of the sand banks and the kids had great fun sliding down. Marie went over on the Ferry with Sharon and her kids and Alan and his girl friend, the rest of us when over on the boat. We talked Marie to come back on the boat, Well it got ruff and a wave swamped the front of the boat. At this time Marie was not feel well and sitting on the ground, she ended up sitting in 200mm of water. She said she will never get on the boat again.
Looking forward to your next Blog entry
Keep safe
Des and Marie
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Good to hear from you Des! Sorry to hear your Rotto trip didn’t go so well and Marie ended up with a soggy bum – hopefully it hasn’t put her of boating for good 😢😢 Hope you are managing to keep yourself busy and enjoying your retirement? Keep in touch.
Regards
David and Linda
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Happy and safe travels 🙂
Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks Shradha – keep in touch.
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Hi David and Linda, hope the journey went well. Enjoy the sightseeing in London but I bet you can’t wait to pick up the van, get settled into your new home and spend time finding out how everything works. We’re so looking forward to following your adventures. Welcome to Blighty – from Romania! Shaun, Jude, Cleo, Eric and Nelly.
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Hi Shaun, Jude and family
Had a long but good flight over and a good sleep last night so had no jet lag which was a bonus. We have just returned to the hotel after a fantastic day at the HP Warner Bros. Studios – definitely a must for anyone who has seen the films! Off to the old Victoria pub for an ale or two tonight so we will read your latest post then.
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Hi Both
Great to speak to you tonight and gain your phone number. I see you are booking into a campsite in Kidlington – an area we know well. We are planning to travel down from Harrogate on Thursday (after handing the grandchildren back about 4pm) so should,be at the Randolf Hotel in Oxford about 7pm. We will make our way over to Burford on the Friday but can arrange to meet up somewhere convenient?
Pleased to hear you have enjoyed London – Paul was around Kings Cross and The Bank of England today but is now back home on the fast train from London!! (Enjoying a glass of wine!!!)
Joanna & Paul xx
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Hi Joanna and Paul
Great to finally speak to you last night also even though the conversation was a little brief. As mentioned we have had a great couple of days in London – walked 26 km yesterday and actually got a little sunburnt! Today we catch the train to Banbury and Broughton farm. I’m sure you both must be looking forward to your own trip down south? Will email when our travel plans have firmed up.
Dave and Linda
Xx
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