Christmas chaos!

We arrived back in Norwich on Friday morning and although it is now only Sunday morning it already feels like a week, we have not stopped running!

The trip to the supermarket for the bare essentials on Friday was a sharp reminder of the small scale of many things here...in comparison to the US and Texas in particular.  The car park for which you need a ticket to get in and out lest you should overstay your alloted time, was heaving.  Although there were supposed to be spaces they only revealed themselves when you happened to be driving past someone who was leaving.  It took a few circuits to find a space.  Never seen a supermarket car park in College Station that was anywhere near full!   Inside was also heaving with glassy eyed patrons using their trolleys to block the aisles!   We dived in and out.  Now I'm regretting we didn't stick it out as we now have to go again tomorrow and no doubt it will be even worse!

On Friday evening a friend came round with supper - a delicious lentil and sausage casserole. On Saturday we did various catch up chores and I hauled out the mottley collection of wrapping paper and started on the presents.  As usual I discovered things I had already bought that I had forgotten about and remembered things I have ordered that don't appear to have arrived yet.  There are a couple more possible delivery days before Christmas and after that they'll be cunningly converted to New Year presents!

On Saturday evening our friends up the road came in for a drink and then we went to friends across the city for a delicious meal and much too much wine!!!!  What with jet lag and dehydration we both had a restless night, but it was worth it!  It's been wonderful to catch up with three sets of good friends in two days.

Now we are up and breakfasting and getting ready to go to a drinks party at lunch time.  It's all go!