Norway, Sweden and back to Stockport and London

Rob has done a comprehensive update which we will upload as soon as I get organised enough to find my USB drive. In the meantime, here is a very brief summary of where we are at.
Since my last post we have travelled by ferry over to Bergen, Norway and spent a week travelling through the fjords and glaciers east and north of Bergen - absolutely spectacular countryside. Then a quick trip into Sweden for a pleasant 3 day sojourn in Tingsryd in the south, and a flying visit to the fabulous museums of Goteborg, before heading back into Norway for 3 days to catch the ferry back from Stavanger.

Visited Mt Grace Priory on the way down from Newcastle back to my brother's house, and then a great day out with Grant, Rachel and the kids to Chirk Castle in North Wales. Rachel was an excellent tour guide with fabulous knowledge of the area and the history, which we found so interesting. Said goodbye to my brother and his family yesterday (although I will see them again soon to deliver the car back). We had such a lovely time with them and the kids all got on so well that none of us wanted to part so soon!

James and Chris have arrived in England, successfully delivered to us at Heathrow. Great to see them after 4 and 5 weeks respectively of farewelling them and only occasional contact by phone or e-mail. Sounds like they have really enjoyed their time with friends and at camp and in China. We are now here in London at Derick's place until 30th Sep - probably our last good e-mail and internet access for a while. It is so kind of him and his sister to let us use their house, which is very conveniently located close to Heathrow. Even got to catch up with old friends from Adelaide who happened to be arriving at Heathrow the same day as the boys. So great to see Debbie and Peter and their kids - ironic to be catching up on the other side of the world.

One of the best things about travel is the opportunity to make new friends or enhance existing relationships. And it is not just the new people that you meet, but it's also the old friends or relatives that you spend time with and get to know better. For us, this trip is as much about spending time with each other and getting to know our children properly before they grow up and leave us to make their own lives, as it is about seeing new places.

Interestingly, I also find that in changing the way I communicate with people, I gain new insights into old friendships and often consolidate new friendships. I really hope that this blog is an opportunity for some of our friends to get to know us better too!

And we would love to hear news from home, so please do leave a comment, or send us an e-mail to let us know what you are up to. We can't always manage to reply straight away, but will do our best to reply when we can. Look forward to hearing from you.