Since Elwyn returned to England in early September, the pile of things that are to be sent over to her new home has been growing. As well as her favourite cricket bats (yes that is batS) and some nice clothes which she left out for me to pack, I’ve added her favourite ornaments, some pictures from her Nepal trek, her Avon Descent number, and other momentos which seemed right for her new home.

Because there was such a pile Rob helped me take it all to the Pack and Send office in Leederville one Thursday in late November. The manager there was also a cricketer and so could appreciate how precious her cricket bats were. He promised to pack them really, really well. So Rob and I unloaded all the things from the crate in which they had travelled there, and left him to sort and pack everything. The promised arrival time in England was 3-4 weeks…

Six weeks later, Rob and I were watching TV one evening (actually the DVD of the Volvo Ocean Race which Elly had sent Rob for his birthday), when the phone rang about 10pm – it was Elwyn. Her big package had just arrived and she was unpacking her cricket bats! And her nice clothes! And some of her favourite ornaments!

Her happy, chirpy voice was reward enough for the effort it had taken to get them all to her home in London:-)