Done like (Thanksgiving) Dinner

Well, the vacation is nearly over; I fly home tomorrow. I am really missing the sun and azure blue of the Med, having traded it for the cool, grey weather in England. I know it will probably be like this when I go home and, even though fall has only just begun, I'm already done with it.

However, it is also Thanksgiving Monday and I'm feeling grateful for so many things including this vacation.  I spent 2 1/2 outstanding weeks in the very beautiful Côte d'Azur area of France in a fabulous apartment; after not seeing him for three years, I got to spend time with my cousin, Paul, whom I adore; I was joined in Villefranche by three good friends and we had lots of laughs, new experiences, tasty food, and delicious Provencal wine; in England, friends graciously opened their homes to me and I have wonderful memories of my time with them and their families in Birmingham, Derbyshire, Wendover and London; and, finally, I was blessed to experience the overwhelming poppy installation at the Tower of London.

And, the good news is, after all this, I get to return to Victoria to my friends, family and home, all of which I love.  Now, I just have to start planning the next adventure!  And, a final thanks to my friends, John and Pedro, who just hand over keys to their flat in Maida Vale and let me treat it like its home!