Across The Pond and Back to the Old Country!

Well I got back from London town some time ago - but I'm still recovering!

I always tell people that when you go home, it's never a holiday. So I need a holiday to get over the 'holiday.' It's not that I didn't enjoy myself but every time I go back to London, I'm so busy trying to fit in seeing all of my family and friends; visit the places I really want to go to, and do copious amounts of shopping, hauling back all of the things that are hard/impossible to find, or too expensive to buy in the States. And as always, I suffered from major burnout well before we even reached the end of our stay!

But there were definitely some highlights to this trip. I got to meet the newest addition to my sister's household - little kitten Rocky as named by her kids. Everyone told them that Rocky was more a name for a dog but they didn't care so Rocky it was! Growing up, we never had pets in our house due to allergies; illnesses, and Mum refusing to add another thing to her list of responsibilities ("You're the ones asking for a pet but I'll be the one who has to look after it!") I never felt as though I was missing out on anything by not having pets - well you can't miss what you never had.

How cute is this kitty! Welcome to the family, Rocky x

Also back then, I'm not sure how much of an 'animal' person I really was. As a tween, then teen, then young adult, it was all about hanging out with my friends, having fun and spending as little time at home as possible - a far cry from my life now! And while we still don't have any official pets at our home now in America, we consider the myriad of wildlife creatures who visit our home - the turkeys, rabbits, gophers, squirrels, chipmunks, and huge variety of birds - our pets, always making sure they're fed, watered and have everything they need. The fact that they keep coming back means that they feel happy, comfortable and safe here. So we're doing something right!

But anyway back to Rocky who is just the cutest little kitty I've ever seen. He's the first actual pet that anyone in my immediate family has ever owned so he's already very special. I so wanted to stick him in my suitcase and sneak him back home with us! I did tell my sister that he always has a holiday home with us.

Going back to my roots: Back in the East End!

We also got to visit my old neighbourhood in East London to visit my aunts and uncles and as always we had a great time hanging out and catching up on everyone's news. Another highlight was taking our niece and nephew to the Air Festival in Bournemouth. It was their first time going to the coastal town and they loved it. For The Mister and I, it was also special being back in Bournemouth because it was our first time visiting again in well over a decade. We had lived there briefly after getting married and it was supposed to have been our forever home, but while we feel a little sad that it didn't work out, we're not sorry as life had something else in store for us which was just as good so we can't complain.

Beautiful Bournemouth

But we do miss the beautiful beaches and gardens, as well as our good friend Robert who we lost touch with over the years. Oh not forgetting the chip shop that did the most amazing fishcakes! And funnily enough that's where my foray into blogging really took off with some of my earliest blog posts (for the old Nostalgia Pie site) having been written while we were living in Bournemouth. Our time there may have been brief, but it was a crazy time with some very interesting stories to tell. I'm glad we were able to give our niece and nephew a peak into our old life - which occurred only a short time before they were born.

With thanks to Unsplash

Bournemouth we missed you! Hopefully it won't be another twelve years until we're back...

We also threw a surprise birthday dinner for my mum. It was a surprise because her birthday wasn't for another month! But as her next birthday is a milestone one and we won't be there to celebrate with her, we thought we'd have a little birthday get-together while we were all in the same city. So we did! My mum's face was an absolute picture when she saw her cake coming out and we all started singing happy birthday. Until then she thought it was a farewell dinner for me and The Mister! But she thoroughly enjoyed her night and everyone had fun.

It was also a bit of a celebration for my dad too as this year, he finally realized his dream of becoming a published author - something he'd wanted for pretty much his whole life. When I was a child, Dad would always be working away on one novel or another - as well as running his business full-time - while Mum, a typist by trade, would be bashing away at the keys on the typewriter (yep, it was typewriters back then, kids!) And we would always have publishers, agents and other literary types over at our house for dinner or tea. As children we struck up quite a bond with some of them, although we're no longer in touch. What can I say, it was the eighties and people didn't keep in touch the same way we do now. We didn't have all those apps, sites and free minutes for a start! It was a very memorable time in all our lives and I'm glad that even though it took a long time, Dad finally achieved his goal.

We're also very honoured that we got to take our niece for her first day at secondary school. She was very nervous to be starting not just a new school but a new stage of her life. And being the big girl that she is now, she didn't want her new schoolmates to see her being walked to school by her uncle, aunt and grandma, and wanted us to disappear as we were approaching the school gates - but my mum was having none of it ("Look - It's the first day. All the other kids are being taken to school by their families!")

Everyone always says that school days are the best days of your life. Unfortunately for me, where secondary school is concerned, I'd say I had far better days rebooting an old computer! But there were of course some good things to come out of it. I met people who I am friends with to this day, and got to know teachers who inspired and me and played their part in shaping me into the teacher that I am today (I also encountered teachers who taught me how not to be but the less said about them, the better!) So I hope that for my niece and all those other kids who have also started this new journey, that their days at secondary school will be a lot more of a positive experience for them than it was for me, and that they will go on to do really great things. Good luck, kids!

Of course I brought back half my weight in chocolate, biscuits and all kinds of goodies. Unfortunately I think I left my two Soreen loaves at my parents' house. Never mind - I'll just have to buy double the amount next time. I also had three boxes shipped out here full of nostalgic items that I've kept for eons without even realizing it. It's almost as though my past self knew I was going to be a nostalgia blogger!