Monday 21st May 2007. Jamestown. New York.

I spent this morning on the telephone with the TSA enquiring as to how they expect me to return my property to Scotland with two suitcases that are now broken (one completely beyond repair). Dealing with any administrative organisation is never fun and from one telephonic abyss to another I journey.

Eventually after exhaustive discussion I am informed that whilst the damage is regrettable it is not the responsibility of the TSA (who caused it)…but they will send me a form to complete and mail in and they will look at the complaint from there.

So after school today Alice and I headed over to Chautauqua and Mayville to help inspire in me the feeling of being home and now safe from all the trials of this last year.

It is wonderful to be back on familiar stomping ground and it is amazing how much things change in a short space of time. In the seventeen months since I was last here the old Red Brick Farm where we headed for coffee has been completely re-vitalised into a gourmet dining and boutique shopping experience.

Just driving around gave me a sense of the on-going development that has altered the landscape with new housing, a new hotel and the closure of old favourites adding to the vitality that is the changing landscape of life.

Tonight however was wonderfully familiar as I sat down to dinner at the Lucas household. It seemed like I had never been away. They say familiarity breeds contempt and that is true, but after all I have seen this past year I also realize that familiarity infact breeds greater comfort and joy!