The hillside is two km away and 250m higher , and at night time exhibits a repeatedly flashing light . Investigation and deduction finally revealed the lights were car headlights as they emerged from the road tunnel from Quito central. The tunnel happened to align with our house in a suburb , this time a coincidence .
Maybe not so for Box hill railway tunnel. Built by Brunel in 1840 , 3 km long and at a constant gradient of 1:100, the morning sun shines through on Brunel’s birthday ( or thereabouts . ) This light took four years in gestation bursting forth towards Bath .
The second emergence took 10 months to materialise . Last April we closed the door an a 20ft container full of French procurement and furniture ; the latter having spent the last 18 years in our garage awaiting a family need . This was a move to Quito , but for arcane import restriction , required a diversion via Southern Africa . World shipping and container problems, meant that it was only last week that those goods ,at long last , saw the light of day .
Ah , but not without an impact from the final development . We had arrived at the end of the year , in time for celebrations to be swiftly followed by Covid lockdown. First it was the cook , then what seems like malign fate, everyone else in the household succumbing one after the other over the last 6 weeks . A perpetual family lockdown , which determined that even container contents had to be quarantined in the garage ( removal men not allowed in side) . This week we all will ( hopefully ) emerge into the world , released at last from our Covid chrysalis.
I am sure it is in here, somewhere!
I can see the Cola Cow 👀🤣
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