This morning we took Ripley out for her first drive in over 4 months.

Slightly surprisingly, Ripley demonstrated no ill will over her months of inert neglect. She started first turn of the key and seemed keen to get somewhere way more interesting than our driveway.

But not quite yet. This would only be a short test drive. Out to get some coffee at the Kingston foreshore. Then across town for a quick drop-in on my parents. Then home.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Slipping out onto the street and pushing up a little momentum, I glanced in the side mirrors to see a long contrail of accumulated dust, and ash, and spider webs snaking out behind us. Lots of spider webs.

It felt good to have the team back together. Kelly (who’s holidays start in a couple of weeks, and who has been feeling a little off-colour today) seemed to get a little giddy on diesel fumes and began to rattle off exited checklists of things we needed to do and places we could potentially visit.

Juno, who naturally assumed this must be the beginning of another road trip began his ritual attempts to free the bonds of his seat-belt harness and get upfront to ride shotgun on Kelly’s lap.

Even Ripley seemed happy to be getting prepped for another adventure. A little less rattling. A little less bumpy.

We drank coffee, we dropped in. It was a good morning and a shame we had to turn back.