4...3...2...1...

Early starts are so overrated, and so the last morning of my visit began around 10ish with us chatting about the meaning of life, cooking up some more ginger infused porridge, and washing it all down languorously with lots of tea as the morning sun poured in through the windows.

After getting some warmish clothes on for the jaunt back over the A701 & beyond, along with repacking the few things I had used into the car (I will learn to pack lighter one day...honest) The Leaf's windscreen was quickly scraped free of ice thanks to the fab ice scraper kindly supplied yesterday by the lovely Flums, while Ms.Arell got around to test fitting a Lomo pannier bag I had brought along for size on her mighty Honda Africa Twin. She has taken an interest in them on Biscuit during our travels last year. They are certainly versatile and possibly a more slender alternative to hard luggage.

Then it was huuugs, looong goodbyeees & references to 'the bloody mileage'. I really dislike goodbyes because hanging out with bestie is always so brill, fun, interesting & cathartic in equal measure.

Heading up the A701 things got progressively whiter with fields fully.of snow (see main blip) and the tarmac noticeably icier than earlier in the week as we climbed up to the summit near the Beeftub, the River Tweed frozen on its upper reaches.

Heading down the western side of the hills in contrast was free of such signs of winter with green fields all the way down to Moffat and onto the A74M. A charge stop at Annandale didn't go to plan with another car plugged into the shared unit and my charge stopped at 34%. I wasn't happy about that...the driver insisted otherwise but each charger can only charge one car at once and despite my car being the only one there when I left it charging, his had mysteriously appeared & was now doing it's thing...grrr.

Needing to be on the move I jumped back on the road and just about made it to Gretna to put things in order before continuing along the M6 to Penrith to take onboard further electrons (handily placed for a latte in Booths) and up on over a beautiful vista at Shap. If I could have stopped to capture the view across the fells as the blue sky was fading it would have made a lovely blip!

The final charge was had at Forton (extras) where it would have been rude not to slip across the carriageway for some more retrofuturism and as it wasn't bitterly on the edge of sleeting as on the previous Monday, check on the health of a bikergang stickerbomb from a previous visit aboard l'Biscuite.

Arriving back home I was greeted by brother in law who had 'just popped by' with an IT problem. Marvellous!

Anyway, thank you again lovely Gal for sharing the time :-) Xx