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Not much more to tell really. Got up at unattractive hour Wednesday morning to catch the plane from Santiago, arrived at Sao Paulo lunchtime, spent the afternoon watching the rain bucket down at the airport, followed by 11 hours home to London overnight - bumpy due to South American thunderstorms. All smooth however by the time we arrived into somewhat colder - like about 30 degrees, Celsius that is - Heathrow this morning around 8am. I was home for 10, and in plenty of time to pick Ellen up from school at noon. In some ways odd, and in other ways just totally normal, to be standing out there again with the other mums (not many dads on the lunchtime shift) in the playground. Ellen and Martha surprisingly delighted to see me - I find the way my children look at/to me as a parent as they get older increasingly scary/overwhelming/moving/motivating (delete all, any or none of the above according to mood).

Before signing off, please forgive some thank you's... To my parents and Kate's mum Jill for looking after the girls at various points and in various places over the last two months, to Janet our au pair for taking it all in her stride and working above & beyond the call of duty (it will be easier when you get back in January, honestly!), to everyone who came round or invited out Kate and/or the girls while I was away, to Adam at Flightcentre for stringing together an impossible looking itinerary with no real notice and sorting a couple of mini-crises en route, to everyone who commented back on the blog via email, Facebook or the blog itself (we're all so 21st century...), to everyone I met and travelled with in all the various places for being without exception totally excellent companions, to Martha and Ellen for being good (so I hear), and last - but really first - to Kate for foolishly suggesting the whole thing in the first place and then being endlessly positive and supportive of seeing it through.

That's it then, here endeth the blog. See you all back in the real world, and meanwhile have a great Christmas/Festive season and a very happy new year.