Well not abroad abroad, Ludlow abroad. The Little Blue Van’s first big trip. I’m here with El, and we are here for the weekend to visit Pete and Sharon and hear about Australia.

Sharon’s been cleaning all day. Pete’s been driving his van from one house to another. And back. At least four times. Each time he puts stuff in the van and when he gets to the other house he takes all the stuff out. The other house has steps. They go down. When he comes out the house the steps go up. It’s raining a bit. Raife and Fin are playing football at the bottom of the steps. Kelly has very carefully explained to them (sixteen times) that they can play football in the back garden where they will have it all to themselves and not be in anybody’s way or they can play in front where they will get under everybody’s feet. After careful consideration they have chosen the front.

When we arrive, at 32 Milton Road, only Pete is there. Dan has gone away and Kelly is buying paint. After painting all night she has run out. Pete phones her. He doesn’t really need the phone, even though she’s in the next town. We can hear her quite clearly. Her words often have more volume than meaning. Anyway, we just get on with it. We put the camping stuff in the attic. She’s got a big attic.

We go to the other house. Where Pete’s van goes, we follow. When we arrive at the other house another van is just leaving. Dan is there, and Sharon is there, cleaning. This is Kelly’s old house. She’s moving to her new house today and her moving day happens to coincide with our visit to Pete and Sharon. Lucky, eh!

It’s good to be in at a new beginning. On the way up Ellen and I both thought we’d just be there and help a bit, but it turns out that moving house can be quite fun. Everybody works hard. We load stuff and move back and fourth between the houses. Pete and Dan do the heavy stuff and El and me do smaller stuff, and Emma helps and Kelly and when we get to the new house Simone is cleaning the kitchen and the appliances as they arrive.

It’s a three bed-roomed house so Fin and Raife can each have their own room, and it has a big garden and views out across The Gallows. It has great steps for playing football and as I walk up the steps for the eighty-fourth time – my step-counter says I’ve done eight-thousand and four individual steps today, and I haven’t actually been anywhere except here – I begin to ponder on the preciousness of friends and family. It is very special to be part of a strong family. A family with passion and forgiveness and solid love.

The new neighbour, with a tattoo on his neck and incredible reversing skills, arrives with a table and chairs and Kelly parts with twenty pounds. The day winds down. Emma and Ellen and Kelly stay at the new house, I go off and get myself fish and chips, and everyone else gets Chinese. I go back to Pete’s house and Pete and Sharon and the boys follow. Pete and I drink gin and we chat about the day and I hear a bit about Australia. It’s been a great day. Everyone except Raife and Fin are asleep by nine.