could be snakes. 47 Beniapukar Road is officially a transport police station now and we so nearly missed the house. Luckily we had the photo you see above and some of the officers pointed us in the right direction. It was a really special moment for mum, one that is hard to put into words. I guess there are no words. I was just happy to be a part of that moment. The train was fabulous if not a little noisy with the horn blaring all of the time. The train runs right alongside normal village and town life - sometimes too close - so that horn has to be alerting people! It was a little different to the calm app Darjeeling train ride mum and I listened to the night before to get us in the mood. Again, another wonderful memory for mum to rekindle though.
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Leading up to this trip, I've been convinced that until we actually land in Calcutta, I won't believe we are finally able to do this. Covid aside, it was already a mammoth trip to plan.. building in rest days, trying to get the time off work, making sure we visited the essential destinations to trace our family history and meet family we've never met before, but also to throw in some sightseeing as well. Logistics have been more complicated thanks to the pandemic and the shortage of flight options have meant more days travelling. It's been a mission, that's for sure! But here we are, finally!
Amidst the struggles trying to keep myself well without medication post my latest hospital admission and trying to advocate for myself and feeling very vulnerable and alone, I've been researching the Cresswell's in the book you see in the picture. This is my mum's father's family line and the one we are focusing on whilst on our trip. I've also been catching up with stuff I had to postpone due to hospital - dinner with friends, getting a quote to replace my porch door that was smashed to smitherines, getting my car MOTd, test driving a new SUV in preparation for being a mum (if that is ever going to happen - trying to keep the faith), pamper session with a haircut and colour, contacting a cat sitter, building a new bookcase for my bedroom, getting the back garden up to scratch, sorting out my typhoid booster which I've left to the last minute and filling out the numerous forms for our travels... you know, just a few things to keep me occupied. In a bid to visit all of the palaces and residences of the Royal family and to learn more about them, my friend Claire and I took a trip to Hampton Court on Sunday. I wanted something a little bit special for this trip, so hired a private guide to take us around. He was excellent and full of interesting facts and information, pointing out things we wouldn't see on our own, or even with an audio guide.
And I finally got to do the maze, which has been a childhood dream of mine! Work has died back to being agony aunts and uncles with covid questions, Omicron and the re-introduction of the red list, so I've taken the plunge and submitted my itinerary for India and Nepal in March next year to get costed up. I have the three weeks off and mum and I still really want to do this. Let's hope we can find a window of opportunity!
I'm working super hard to stay in my "adult" and not lose my way with dissociation whilst the fertility mental health hoops continue to spin around me. I'm seeing my therapist more regularly at the moment as part of my safety plan. We're having some really good sessions, pivotal in fact. I feel seen and heard and understood. It makes all the difference in the world, even though it's just one person seeing me and hearing me and understanding me. Having a safe space that I can fully trust in, well, there are no words for how comforting and reassuring and life affirming that is. We had a full day East Island tour last Tuesday where one of the highlights for me was seeing the cute A Framed houses in Santana. Wednesday was Netflix, naps and massages and then Thursday, we headed out to Nun's Valley and finished with beautiful views of Funchal, before flying home that evening.
I was straight back into the frustrations of jumping through mental health hoops on Friday when I had a home visit with my care co-ordinator. I was hoping to start fertility treatment and have my first try at IUI by now. Thank god for the travels which help ground me, otherwise I think I would be really in a bad state. It's been a whirlwind of fun in Lisbon and Madeira so far...
We've eaten and drunk our way around Lisbon and what a marvellous way to see a city and understand it's culture through its food! We've toured some of Sintra village - Pena Palace and Reglais Palace - and took a drive to Cascais to see Cabo de Roc. We also did a cooking class where we made a 3 course dinner and it was wonderful to be able to cook with my mum, something we both enjoy doing together. And that was just Lisbon! Next up, Madeira, where we're staying at the beautiful Quinta Da Casa Branca in Funchal. On Saturday we took a scenic island tour by motorbike and Monday, we headed up to the famous Monte area and then took a wild toboggan sledge ride 2km downhill! I made sure to build in rest days for both of us and the combination of touring every other day has worked really well. We're having the best time so far. We are finally in Lisbon on our 10 day tour of Lisbon and Madeira! There was a lot of paperwork to do and making it digital was also harder than it should have been. We had to take PCR tests, show proof of vaccination status, fill out passenger locator forms, download apps and fill out BA's VeriFly system all before we could check in online. It was a list of what to do, when, and working through. I don't know how my mum would've coped doing it on her own. I don't think she would've been able to! Still, Terminal 5 at Heathrow and BA check in were much better organised than last September when we flew to Venice, so that's a thumbs up. It's been hard work getting to this point. The paperwork has been a welcome distraction. My nerve endings have felt fried and I've been agitated as hell. I don't know why. I've been really looking forward to our trip and I've even started prepping the front bedroom for decorating. I guess it might be something to do with not knowing what's going on with my fertility treatment, now that my consultant has done a U turn on when I can start the process, due to my mental health reports. I'm going to try not to worry about it and just enjoy this long awaited, "we didn't know if it would actually happen", holiday! Still no new passport. I'm consoling myself with booking trips for Lisbon and Madeira, which I booked back in May for myself and Mum to have something to look forward to next month. I can't really complain, Saudi always was a bit of a last minute long shot, once I'd realised the situation with my passport! Can't believe it's been a year since I got on a plane to fly to Venice with Mum. Madness for us travellers!
Such a relief to have some positive, albeit slow going, travel news from the Government last Friday. Means one less test Mum and I will have to take before coming back to the UK and I have been booking some super trips for clients. Fab news when Canada opened up on the 6th. I love putting together Canada itineraries. Another thing I'd let slip was the renewal of my European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Because of Brexit, I thought it was no longer applicable, but there's a new version called Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). Again, a quick Google search and I've applied for my new card and one for Mum. I did check my immunisations too - and thankfully they are all up-to-date. Haven't had to think about these things for 18 months or so! I had a week of furlough Wednesday to Wednesday last week, which was great because it meant I could finally spend some time with Mum and get some of the pressing jobs done for her. It was also good to be able to talk about my fertility journey so far and my worries and concerns about my mental health. Better to prepare for the worse, whilst hoping for the best as my Doctors have said. And finally, I am very much looking forward to seeing Ricky Gervais in November with his 6th live stand up show "Supernature". This will be the first live event I've seen for about two years. I saw "Humanity" was on Netflix, so I devoured that Sunday evening. I can't believe I avoided Gervais all this time. I am such a massive fan now. I am so excited to be able to say that I am off to Italy tomorrow morning with mum! First trip of the year and, having spoken to lots of my clients who are also trying to get away for a short European break, we all agree that we can't remember a time when we haven't travelled for so long.
Venice has been on mine and mum's list for years, but we always said we'd go in the Springtime because it gets a bit smelly as the season progresses. However, if there's ever a time to visit in the Autumn, surely this must be it - right amidst a pandemic when tourists will be at their lowest numbers but all the sites will still be open for business. Here is our itinerary which I've carefully planned to be relaxed and Fibro proof! Tuesday - arrive and chill Wednesday - lazy am / walking tour and gondola ride pm Thursday - lazy am / fast track entry small group tour of St Marks basilica and Doge Palace pm Friday - lazy am / boat tour to the islands - Murano, Torcello and Burano We're flying with BA from Terminal 5, London Heathrow and staying at the beautiful Ca'sagredo Hotel on the Grand Canal. Tell you all about it next time! |
AuthorBlogging is an amazing concept so here I am giving it a whirl. You'll get words. You'll get pics. Sometimes a vid or two. You'll get tongue in cheek, the odd humble opinion and an honest insight into my travels and writing life. Maybe even a few gems along the way. I'll be musing on home turf as I see more and more of the UK and sharing my experiences further afield on holidays and adventurous trips across the globe. Archives
December 2022
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