Another vacation over!

Well after 4000km’s I’m back home!  Strange isn’t it no matter how much you enjoy being away there is something great about getting home again afterwards!

So now I have a week and a half’s back reading to do, wish me luck!  And I guess I’ll try a bit of a travelogue over the weekend...

For now though I think the important stuff should come first...

It was great to see my parents again, I hadn’t seen them since 4th (or 3rd, can’t remember) of Jan, a few days after telling them.  They are still fine, more than fine in fact.  I asked if they could see if it’s possible to get a small St Christopher (about my only superstition, strange seeing as I am not religious) to wear as Stace as my everyday one is too big.  I meant to go shopping.  I got there and was given a present by my mum – a beautiful, delicate silver one, on a silver chain.  She said that they were going to put a card with it ‘To Stace, love mum and dad’ but didn’t want to upset Mrs Stace so left that out in the end.  But the fact that they thought about doing that felt great.

Then later in the week she was talking about Birthday cards (I’m another number closer to mid thirties in 13 days) and asked if I wanted a card with ‘Son’ on it, or something else.  I said that son would be fine, but it was great that thay asked...  Then I felt really guilty again for putting it all onto them...

We had a good week in Scotland – I’m pleased to say it was not ‘the’ topic of the week and it’s nice to see that we still have the same relationship as before (I spent hours in the garage looking at the rust and rot that used to be my Spitfire, finally in a garage ready for the restoration; and did some Italian cooking with my mum)

I had ‘the’ conversation with my brother.  We watched England lose to Germany (and I thought great, I wanted him to be in a good mood before we started), told him and his reply was ‘And?  Don’t change nowt.  You show me someone with nothing in their closet and I’ll show you planet X’.  When I said I was at the VU he just said ‘Good Lad’.  That was it, as Mrs Stace later said; it was a bit of an anticlimax!

And finally for today...  During my trip I met up for food, drink and a chat with Jenny.  It’s great to put a person to someone who you know so well, but have never actually met...  It was a great lunch, and thanks again for the cider.  Now I am back home I am planning on enjoying them over the weekend (just one question – should they be cold?)

Apologies to those who I would have liked to try and arrange something with; time and Mrs Stace’s comfort zone were not on my side this trip.  Hopefully next time....