Goodbye to London – Hello Devon. 10 August - Maverick Scribed by Toni

Goodbye London, we couldn’t have squeezed in another moment, had any less sleep or caught up with anymore of our lovely people (I say our lovely people and I mean mine as well – this Kakapo has adopted them all as my own and given that I have so few relatives and friends of my own, given the near extinction of my species etc. etc.) – Anyway, Kakafriends, Kakacousins and Kakafamily are all mine too.  Squark – you get the picture.  London was perfectly packed and now we’re perfectly pooped and preparing for another day.

At 8:30 a.m. we say very sad goodbyes to Valda – I hate goodbyes and really much prefer hellos.  I am so totally sure it won’t be another 15 years before we see Valda again.  Perhaps Toni needs to start to like Skype a little more.

We head to Paddington on the train and go through the process of printing out tickets, buying the family rail card and then refunding our oyster cards before hopping on the train.

After the European trains, the train seems quite cramped and is extremely over-crowded with people in the aisles, blocking the hallways and bags everywhere.  No power in the points, no air con working, though a train host that needs a medal for ttending to all the older passengers

without seats, keeping a smile on her face and a cherry disposition.

After a few hours we arrive a little late into Totnes and are greeted by Diana waiting on the platform and Jock waiting in the car with his bad back.  We split into the boys car and girls car.  I went with the boys as Toni and Diana were of course going to catch up on lots of family news and I wouldn’t be able to get a squark in edge ways.

It is not too far to Kingswear along lovely Devon countryside.  We arrive in time for a cup of tea and crabbing!  The kids are really excited and head down to the marina armed with buckets, bacon and crab lines.  Jock leads us to the best marina pilons and the kids down their lines.  I look and cannot believe their luck.  Very quickly the kids are pulling up triple whammies.  Three delicious crabs per line.  Toni is kept very busy pulling the crabs off the bacon.  Uncle Jock takes a swift nip on the finger – Ouch.  I think I could crack one of those crabs with one gnash from my beak, though will I like crab? Sea food is not something we normally have in the bush, though having done everything a kakapo doesn’t normally do, perhaps I might like it…..

A bucket full of crabs is as great as it can get and soon we head back home to Diana and Jocks lovely house on the hill and it’s time for a drink in the garden before dinner.  The kids fly helicopters and do magic and are shown the sleepout den where they can have their own quiet place to hang out so the adults can be adults.  We have a lovely quiet dinner and then head to sleep for the night.