Day +41: Bon Voyage, Aryn!

Bon voyage, Aryn! We wish you well on your exciting adventures during your gap year!

Both Jonathan and I were invited to join Aryn for a few drinks prior to her leaving for her year abroad - she is travelling to Eastern Europe, North Africa, Middle East/Persian region and possibly bits of Asia, and Jonathan encouraged me to go and enjoy a few hours away from Sean. I gladly took up his offer to look after Sean tonight, and he even organised with his managers to work from Ermington today, so he could be home earlier than usual.

Yes, I have a thoughtful husband. I'm one very lucky girl.

Since Jonathan was working from Ermington, we drove him to work in the morning, and then went to collect him in the afternoon. Once home, we hung out for a little while before feeding Sean his dinner. By the time he had eaten, it was time for me to head to Aryn's farewell drinks.

Getting to where I thought I needed to be was easy. Finding the exact way to the front door proved to be a bit more difficult. I had to call Aryn after I parked the car to be led to her front door. Aryn and Cody lived in a flat above the shops on Longueville Road in Lane Cove. However, the entrance to their flat was accessed via Little Lane, and a long set of narrow stairs. I'd never been to Aryn's apartment before, so I needed Aryn to come and collect me from the laneway and lead me to the front door. Honestly, I don't think I would have found the front door without someone physically guiding me there.

After getting up those stairs, I wondered how Aryn went moving her stuff out of that apartment, and how Penny will handle moving her stuff into that apartment.

As an aside, Penny had been looking for a place to live for a few weeks, and had promised Cody to move into a new place together. The original plan was for them and Anna to move into a 3-bedroom place together, but Anna had to pull out of the plan as she was moving back to Newcastle for work, so it left just Penny and Cody to find a 2-bedroom place. They had put in an application to the real estate agency to lease the apartment that Cody was still living in, and fortunately, the application was approved. This meant Cody didn't have to move, and Penny was taking Aryn's room, and everyone was happy.

A few people were in the apartment by the time I arrived. Ivo, Aryn's partner, was out on the back porch cooking on the BBQ. Ian and Shaun were there, and chatting away with a group of people. I greeted Cody, and met his lovely girlfriend Belinda. Penny came over and gave me a hug, and I chatted away to her and Cody and Belinda for a while.

Aryn provided dinner for us, and the masses enjoyed the delicious spread that was place in front of us. I had a long chat with Cody about sustainability, and after a while, he invited me to their back porch to see show me his veggie garden and herb garden. Ian came out and had a look too, and we stayed and chatted for a while.

Before I knew it, it was time to head home. It was getting late and Sean was due his bath, and I thought I should get home to give Jonathan a hand. As I was leaving, I realised that I hadn't talked to Aryn much all night, but I was glad to have been there and bid her a safe journey.

Ian left with me, and we ended up chatting for another hour downstairs. It was nice to have time to catch up with Ian one-on-one. Ian asked lots of questions about what happened during Sean's hospital stay, and also about the current period of "isolation" and what it all entailed. He apologised for not visiting us in hospital, but I reminded him that he and Kate were moving house and that process was stressful enough without worrying about us, and that we were in and out of hospital a lot quicker than we had anticipated. I also reminded Ian that he and Kate called and texted us during the time we were in hospital, constantly checking on us, which I felt was the same as them being in hospital with us. Ian wanted to have Jonathan and Sean and me over to his and Kate's new house for dinner one night, which would be absolutely lovely. We know some time in the near future, we will find a date that suits everyone, and enjoy a nice meal and great company.

By the time I got home, Sean was well and truly asleep and Jonathan was relaxing on the couch in front of the TV. I had had a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and it was all thanks to my darling man and my wonderful friends.

Bon voyage, Aryn. We hope you have the time of your life, and return to us with loads of stories. We can't wait to see you again, and hope you stay safe and have an amazing adventure.