Sit down before you go

There's an old Russian tradition of taking a few moments to sit down together before starting a journey. It may originate with the nomads of the steppes who had to wait while their worldly goods were packed on horses or sledges, or it may be to do with cheating the evil spirits of the road by pretending nothing's happening. Either way, it's a valuable custom because journeys are dangerous and the future uncertain; the brief pause allows you to take stock of the time spent together and the imminent separation.

This morning I found the Old Man, all packed and ready to leave, seated with Huw and Sarah sharing just such a moment of Syadyem na dorozhku (Let's sit down before we hit the road). Huw was reading out a piece of a Virgil translation on his smartphone and the others were listening.

Let us go singing as far as we go: the road will be less tedious (Eclogues Book IX)

The road was very tedious indeed but 7 hours later we were in London.