Monday, December 22, 2008
Southport, Connecticut
Remind me never again to try lugging a 50 pound bag along High Holborn while also hauling a backpack with my laptop and accessories! It was a Herculean task but that bit was the worst part of my journey across the Pond home to Southport, Connecticut. In fact, a treat awaited me at Heathrow where Grey Goose Vodka and Hotel Chocolat had set up a tasting bar within the duty free area! With almost three hours to kill before I boarded the flight, I downed a couple of Cosmos and a Pear Vodka on ice--all courtesy of the company and a very lovely bar tender. Except that none of these shots sent me off to sleep as I had hoped.
It was a very comfortable--if unusually long--flight, but I kept myself more than entertained watching Mamma Mia (not once, but twice because I enjoyed it so much) and The Women as well as a slew of TV programs. It was a little difficult, I have to admit, to break out of my self-imposed Bubble for I have enjoyed ignoring the media for the past four months and insulating myself from the goings-on in the larger world, being content with the little world of my own making at High Holborn.
Awful weather conditions in New England delayed my arrival for an hour, but I was grateful to have been airborne and not confined to a hotel at Heathrow (as were the passengers of the flight that was scheduled a few hours before mine).
I arrived at Kennedy airport in New York to a typical North Atlantic winter--snow was waist high from a recent blizzard and driving conditions had my heart in my mouth throughout the journey from Queens in New York to Southport, Connecticut. It was 3 am when Llew pulled into our driveway--surprisingly, nervous energy had kept me awake throughout the flight and all along the long car ride home.
The next morning saw me unpack and run out to the hairdressers. Deborah, my fabulous stylist and fellow Anglophile, gave me a great cut while she caught up on all my London news. Then, Llew and I did a bit of shopping (I found a fabulous new down coat at GAP in Westport for a fraction of its regular price--I swear they are practically giving things away here in the US!) Then, we had a short nap before waking up to take showers and get ready for another long drive, this time to Somerset, New Jersey, to attend the annual Goan Association Dinner-Dance!
We met Chriselle briefly en route and indulged in quick hugs before we were on the road again. It is frightfully cold out here and I feel like an ice-cube even in our heated home. In Holborn, my flat is so well insulated that I did not have the heating on at all--at least not so far!
The Goan Dance was a lot of rollicking fun as it is every year. We met a bunch of our closest friends and danced to the music of The Naked Flame. The dinner was catered by Akbar Indian Restaurant--nothing to shout about! Everyone said that London seemed to suit me fine and they wanted to know all about my new life in the UK. I tried not to make them feel too envious!
It was 3 am again by the time we reached home. Though our friend Mariette had invited us to spend the night at their place in Short Hills, New Jersey, we declined as the weather reports forecast more sleet and freezing rain at dawn. We were eager to get back home with the least fearsome driving conditions and we were glad we did. This time round, I was fast asleep in the car long before we arrived at Holly Berry House. Those Black Russians Llew fixed me seemed to have something to do with it!!!
Llew and I spent Sunday over a leisurely breakfast at home. I wrapped a bunch of gifts that I have bought from London for my friends and for Llew and Chriselle while Llew hauled our Christmas tree up from the basement and decided to set up the lights. Only we could not find our lights! Llew was certain we had discarded them last year and so set off to buy new ones while I pottered around getting the feel of our home again after such a long time away. I notice that there is a bit of disarray in our family room where the skylights are leaking and have to be replaced. Our contractor Kurt has begun work on the replacement and will soon have it all done.
When Llew returned, we got down to the serious business of decorating our home and then, of course, at the bottom of one of our boxes, we found our missing lights! It will be a quiet Christmas for us this year--just Chriselle and Chris will be with us. It will be a very relaxed family affair, for a change, an opportunity that we all need to catch up and spend quality time together. Llew and I will cook up a storm, of course. He has taken a day off on Christmas Eve to allow us to plan our menu and get cracking with the feast.
Together we had carols blasting on the stereo as we decorated our tree, deciding to curtail the ornaments to merely a few of our vintage baubles. This will make it much easier on Llew who will have to dismantle everything alone once I leave for India on December 26. I did decorate the dining table, and have hung up our stockings, but that was the sum total of the decorations we're putting up this year! It will still feel Christmassy with a fire going in the family room--only much less fussy than it usually is!
This morning, I have a dental appointment with my hygienist Mary. It is funny how I have come home to set up appointments with all the professionals upon whom I rely year-round--hairdresser, dental hygienist, etc. I shall spend the rest of the day emailing our annual Holiday Family Newsletter and packing for Bombay while menu planning etc. Llew and I have been watching Charlie Rose on TIVO and I realize that Charlie Rose is another thing I miss in London. It doesn't take too long to slip into the complex tenor of my Connecticut life and I am doing just that the moment!
Apart from traveling to my parents' home in Bombay, India, I have never really 'come Home for Christmas' and I have to admit, it feels great to do so!
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