Returning Home

I got home from the US after 2 weeks on Sunday. The girls were happy to see me, and in fact both had a hard time letting go of me when I dropped them at childcare on monday. Actually, Ella bawled her eyes out (which hasn't happened fo about a year), so I guess she did miss me (despite her assertions to the contrary).

One of the reasons the US trip has been much anticipated is because of plans to buy a chariot bike trailer while I was there. As with many things, the Chariots are about half price in the US, but buying it there created several complications. The first was the difficult in persuading REI that I really wanted it, and the fact that my spam filter eliminated their emails when they wanted to check whether I was real. So, when I got to Portland I headed straight across to the store (20 minutes walk) and emerged with a box which was impossible to carry that distance. Taxi was the only option. Then I had the problem of getting this box to the airport on the train, getting it on the plane (the united baggage girl wanted to charge me, but I told her it was a stroller which doesn't incur a charge -- she asked me where the baby was, of course ...) getting it through a jammed customs hall in sydney and, finally, having to unpack it from its box to fit it in the car home from Sydney. Nonetheless, the trailer is now here, and the girls seem to like it. We've had a few rides around the block, but Katy is still a bit small for her helmet, so riding to uni with them may hav to wait awhile....