My last day in York began with nice, warming sunshine. It didn’t last long, however, and quickly turned into occasional, but quite heavy showers.
When I took Aramis on another bike walk this morning, it was still bright and we had a lot of fun racing each other along the river.
The folding bike was doing itself proud and showed its unexpected skill at dealing with natural terrain. It was as perfectly delightful to steer across a field and a forest path as it was to ride on cobblestones and gravel.
As the weather became more and more hostile, Aramis and I withdrew indoors to occupy ourselves with more domestic activities. I folded up the bike and stowed it in the car, packed up my bags and prepared for the first leg of the trip home tomorrow. I booked the ferry and the overnight accommodation in France, refuelled the car and reassured Aramis innumerable times that I had no intention of leaving without him.
The inevitable round of goodbyes began after a lovely walk with Forrest and her owner. Aramis seemed to have a very clear grasp of what was happening and it was heartbreaking to see how brave he was trying to be about it.
Poor Linda had to prepare for an interview tomorrow and was working late, so Mike and I decided to have an Indian takeaway together as a farewell meal.
Tomorrow the furry one and I will have to get up early. Very early even, we’re looking at 5 am. This is why we’re already snuggled up in our respective beds and shall try to get a good night’s sleep before the many hours of driving ahead of us.
The Adventures of Aramis 