ready to depart

18 Mar 2007

Its Sunday. Tomorrow, farewell to Stephanie who will be in residence whilst I am away. Tomorrow evening I depart for brother Peter's flat in London. Tuesday will see last minute shopping and a late parting meal in Fitzrovia. And Wednesday to Gatwick, on to Madrid and then flight AR1135 to Buenos Aires Pistorini with a 0630 hrs touchdown. My few clothes have been laid out in the studio for over a week. I have practised with the Berghaus, the amazing rucksack/shoulderbag /wheely. My pile of possessions has been like a flower through the seasons: from an immature bud, into full bloom, then shedding as many petals and transforming into a compact fruit. Notably, some of the 'essentials' have given way flights of fancy, with technology creeping tentatively in: the Ipac, webcam and wonderful camera from Stephanie. These leave me feeling that I have a tentative comfort-link back to England and civilisation. I have just pre-booked my rail ticket. Another milestone because it too is a 'timed' journey. Now the trip seems like childbirth; a journey that must happen and from which there is no turning back. This curiously compounds almost all of the reactions of my friends at work - in chambers and the courts - who have said "You are not coming back, are you?" I have become Bilbo Baggins on his farewell journey to Elfland. And I feel equally excited and mischievous. I don't know about the fireworks, though! My next entry will be from Buenos Aires. I shall be settled in my apartment in Tucuman San Nicolas. Cecilia, my landlady will be there to welcome me to the city and hand me the key. And then the new adventure will start in earnest.