Monday, March 02, 2009

The return of StompyDad

At about 8.30 am today, StompyDad's plane touched down in Melbourne. Three long months of travel concludes with a very low-key airport greeting party - just BallFiend and me. But StompyDad was nicely surprised because he wasn't expecting me to be there at all. (Our car had to go in for a service and I wasn't sure if I could arrange an alternative... but I ended up getting StompyDad's own enormous tank and driving that out to the airport.)

We returned to my place and StompyDad handed out travel gifts and trinkets (handmade keyrings from Sappada, clothing sized 6 - 8 for BallFiend (should fit him in about 3-4 years from now) and a neck-scarf for me), showed a few photos and recanted some travel highlights.

Then, despite saying he wasn't tired and that he had adjusted to the timezone already (due to having a 3-day stopover in Singapore), StompyDad promptly fell asleep on the couch, only to be woken 15 minutes later when BallFiend went over to him and yelled "WAKE UP!!!!" at the top of his lungs.

When he decided he better head home, do some shopping and generally come back down to earth after three months of travelling, the spirit of Frank Spencer emerged:
  1. First StompyDad had to repack his stuffed-to-bursting suitcase (complete with brown packing tape holding the corners together). He insisted that he did not want to take a bag I offered to hold the overflow ("I don't want to carry another bag"). Eventually space was created when some of the contents from a backpack were removed -- including a genuine Italian ski-jacket in white with red and navy trim and a genuine Italian racing ski-helmet with visor(!!) -- and placed into the bag I offered (a freebie from the street festival yesterday). StompyDad only conceding to take the extra bag when I said he could throw it away later, or keep it in the car as a spare shopping bag.
  2. Then, StompyDad made his initial attempt at a get-away in the aforementioned tank - he could not disengage the 'hand brake' (which in this particular vehical is a foot-pedal). After much ado and insistence that 'it must be broken', it was finally released and he was on his way home. Well, it was the first car he had driven in three months I suppose...
It's nice to see Frank still about!

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