Autumn Break 2018 - 4

Woke up later than intended, but no matter.  A bit of housekeeping, then washed my hair.  AW was busy in the backyard, as usual, but it was cloudy, so that didn't take long.  

At 13.00, went to my first of two appointments today -- a facial and massage!  I hadn't visited the clinic for more than three years, partly because they'd left the previous location and I thought they had permanently shut down, until I decided to google them and discovered their new address.  AW and I had looked for it a month earlier so driving there was peanuts.  It was a very relaxing early afternoon and (I'll call her) Yvette, the owner herself, gave me all her attention.  She doesn't work everyday because she has two children now, but when I made the appointment last month I specifically chose a day when she was in, and she also wanted to 'do' me herself.  They live on the floor above the clinic, so very convenient for her, which was why they moved location in the first place.  I was there for 1.5 hours, really lovely.  I will make another appointment as soon as I know what the work schedule is for Block 2.

Right after my session with Yvette, I immediately drove north to Apeldoorn (filled up the tank on the way) to my next appointment -- the annual dinner date with ex-colleague (I'll call her) Peggy!  We'd already been in touch way back in May and we agreed that there was no time at the time and that it was best to wait till autumn.  The reservation at Auberge Navet was at 17.00, intentionally early so that we had a lot of time to catch up and to give me an extra margin of time for the drive back home.  Apeldoorn is where I used to work, 160 km. from where we used to live, but now 20 km. closer because I've moved to Breda.  I also decided to drive directly north to avoid any rush-hour jams, and yes, that was a good decision.  25 minutes early, but no problem as I had a good book with me -- Kenzaburo Oe's Death By Water.  Peg arrived about five minutes past five and that was the start of a full four hours of dinner and yakkety-yak.  We both had loads to tell and the dinner was, as always at Navet, tops.  (Navet doesn't have a Michelin star, but it has enjoyed a Michelin certificate these past 12 years or so.)  Peg and I have always had our dinner here and it'll stay this way for a good many years yet, we hope.  At the end of the dinner, Peg said she's intending to visit me in Breda next year as she's really curious about the new house, so it looks like we'll be seeing each other twice in 2019 -- something to look forward to!

The drive back home was smooth and uneventful and by 22.30 I was opening our front door.  This was shot on the way there, just before I turned eastward, before the grey took over.  It rained in Apeldoorn, too, during dinner, the first time in months, according to Peg.  The country needs rain now.  The rivers are low, the fields need a refill for stock.  Nevertheless, I was glad it was a dry trip going home.