Miles today: 6
Total miles: 441
Location: Still in Antwerp, Belgium
Number of C&A’s I’ve seen now: 3
(who was it who told me they thought C&A stood for Coats and ‘ats?)
Number of Ikeas I have seen : 0 (surprised actually)
Number of Scottish Windmill makers I have met now: 7
Number of times I have asked Windy Miller to say “All the squirrels in the world eat curly wurlies”: About 12. ish.

Very lazy day today, but it was just what I needed. Caught up with some sleep at the hostel but still felt rough. Probably drank more on Saturday then I did in the whole if last year. Weather was cold but at least it wasn’t raining.

Met up with Windy Miller and his scottish windmill making friends for brunch in Antwerp city cente. They’re a really good bunch of lads – bit like Auf Weidersein Pet, they work over 2 sites in Begium and Holland and then go back to Scotland every so often for a week off. Can’t quite fathom why Dutch people can’t make their own windmills, next thing they’ll be outsourcing clog making.

After lunch we headed back to the Irish bar from the day before, and spent the afternoon watching all the football matches one after another on the big screen. The bar staff clearly remembered me as the over-emotional jumping Wigan girl who cried at the final whistle and then paid for her own champagne that someone else sent over to her table. Very emotional final whistle again with the tribute to Alex Ferguson, and when you could tell he was welling up himself doing his speech all the windmill makers started looking nervous incase they had a crying girl on their hands again. Truely is the end of an era. I don’t think British football will ever see anyone in charge of one team for anything like that long. The barman clearly hated ManU though, so at the end when the switched the tv noise off he made an exception to the traditional fiddledy dee music and put “You’ll never walk alone” on the jukebox. Perfect timing though, very well judged and everyone in the pub laughed. And ha ha ha the was one point when I came out of the toilets downstairs and walked smack bang into a chubby girl in a black cardi trying to get to the stairs. I moved one way, so did she, didn’t fancy any agro off anyone foreign I couldn’t understand so apologized quickly and stood back. Oh yes, and that’s when I realised it was a full length mirror and I’d been smacking headfirst into my own reflection. Now that’s embarrasing enough – until the memory came flooding back and I remembered I’d done EXACTLY the same thing THREE times the day before in the FACup aftermath. Is it any wonder I’m single?

Was falling asleep by tea time and the windmill makers all went their separate ways. My own Windy Miller suggested that rather than me spending the evening at the hostel bar by myself readinga book or tinterneting we could order pizza and have a quiet evening in at his apartment. Now Suzanne, I know you especially will be having kittens at this bit, but do not panic. I think he was more worried I’d rob his telly and do a runner if he accidentally dozed off. I did express my concerns that you would be very mad if he chopped me into little pieces but he promised he wouldn’t. And I think that’s all the more reason why he looked petrified when he got in my car and was confronted by 2 pairs of scissors and a kitchen knife sitting on my dashboard. “So let me get this right, you’re worried I’ll chop YOU up, and you’re luring innocent men into your car with a knife and sharp scissors?”. Poor bloke must have feared for his life. My attempts to explain the knife was left over from taking the hamster up to Wigan fell on deaf ears. When I put Noel in his travel box it was a really hot day and I knew it wouldn’t be a nice journey for him, so I was rushing out and thought I’d grab a knife and then stop at the shop in the next village to buy a cucumber to chop up and throw in with him so he could get water from chomping that. I just forgot to take the knife out of the car, and hence its come all the way to eurupe with me! Quite innocent explanation*. Anyhoo, I convinced Windy Miller I wouldn’t kill him so we had a cosy night in with a pizza. As much as I like my own space and don’t mind holidaying alone company came along at just that right point on Saturday when I was getting a smidgen homesick trailing round Antwerpe in the rain. So need to worry at all Suzanne (but thank you that you do xxx), he’s a lovely bloke.

Dreamt of my nurses, which made me miss work. Yes stupid I know, but I’m lucky (and unusual) that I do love my job so much. Think its because I work with such a good team. And possibly the fact that we eat so much cake has something to do with it too I suspect. Homesick isn’t good when your traveling and can’t get back. But I’m doing great, don’t no-one worry.

So, that’s my Sunday in Antwerp. Didn’t do much but had quality company. Windy Miller is quite lovely, very gentlemanly and attentive, always asking am I alright and whatnot,  wouldn’t let me pay for anything,  and we get on really well. If my nurses at work are reading this then don’t get excited and go buying hats; YES, admittedly he’s very much the kind of bloke who I’d like be holding hands with, but hes a Scot living in Belgium, and I’m a Wigan girl nearly living in Wales so it’s a none starter really. He did ask me if I could stay in Antwerp longer, and I would have loved to, but “Decided to stay in Belguim and move in with Windy Miller. Eating chocolate truffels and waffles and aim to live happily ever after. The End” wouldn’t be much of a road trip would it? Maybe if Wigan play Antwerp in Europe next year we’ll meet up again, but all in all I think safe to say that Noel will NOT be getting a new Step-Dad. But hey, que sera sera, you never know!

*Hmmm, mind you, come to think, I genuinely can’t explain the 2 pairs of scissors.