Having gone to America on holiday every year for at least the past 20, it felt very strange to be doing it the other way round. Of course this time, after a long and uncomfortable night flight (how on earth anyone can sleep squashed like sardines in a tin is beyond me) at least we weren't going back to two weeks of junk mail and a fridge containing nothing more exciting than half a pint of rancid milk, a jar of tomato purée and an onion (why is there always an onion left?). One of our lovely friends was waiting at the airport to meet us with a big bag of Cadbury's for Ethan, a bunch of pink roses for me and a football magazine (proper football that is!) for Mr B! Thanks Ju, what a star!
We were safely delivered to our other lovely friends, Jane & Sal, who are kindly putting us all up this week, and within minutes of waking through the door had a steaming hot mug of tea in my hands ... bliss! In an effort to minimise the dreaded jet lag, our target was to stay awake until at least 9pm and as we struggled to keep our eyes open after dinner, Ethan suggested we all play the 'Bean Bloozled' game that he had brought with him and was desperate to try. I can't think why!
Basically, the game consists of spinning a wheel and then selecting the corresponding coloured jelly bean, which could be either a fruity treat or its foul evil twin! For example, it could be Lime or ... lawn clippings. Juicy Pear or ... booger (yes, it's an American game). Peach or ... Vomit. Nice. You get the idea. Obviously there was no way of knowing which one you were getting until it was in your mouth. After agreeing to the one and only rule of 'no spitting out' (WHY?! I am still asking myself!), we gingerly began the first round (if only ginger was the worst we would have to endure). Round one resulted in a Tutti-Frutti or Stinky Socks gamble for me and also Sal, and there's no prizes for guessing which one we both ended up with .... Ewwwww! Jane managed to luck out with a lime (cow!) whilst Ethan got Baby Wipes. Luck was also on Mr B's side when he got Liquorice over its evil twin Skunk Spray. Round two: Sal was not so lucky avoiding the Skunk Spray this time, followed by Ethan's toothpaste selection. Mr B once again manage to swerve the nasty Rotten Egg with a Buttered Pocorn selection whilst Jane & I hit rock bottom when we selected Dog Food whilst hoping for Chocolate Pudding! Ugh! Disgusting. Rank. Vile. All of those and more. Despite downing a whole bottle of water, half a bar of dairy milk and cleaning my teeth, there was no getting rid of the taste and I finally gave up and went to bed smelling like I had just eaten half a can of Pedigree Chum. Never, EVER, again!
After the last 12 months in Arizona constantly being asked if I was glad to escape the fog of London, whilst rolling my eyes and tutting at the ridiculousness of such a stereotype, I flung open the curtains the next morning to be greeted by .... Oh. Fog. Great. As it happened we did have to head off to London that morning to meet with family and deal with some administration, and so did have to chuckle at the irony however it soon lifted to reveal blue skies and sunshine. As we drove back in the afternoon it was so nice to see lots of cheery daffodils and the beginnings of the early crocuses on the roadside and we stopped in Lindfield (the epitome of a typical English village I have always thought) for a walk. I definitely think you view everything with a fresh pair of eyes when you have been away for a long time and notice things that you always took for granted before.
Later that evening, we met up with son No. 1 and crossed another thing off the 'things I have missed' list - dinner and a pint at the local pub, complete with roaring fire. And as if that wasn't enough, there was liver, bacon & mash with onion gravy on the menu! It was soooo good! After rounding off the evening with an episode of Gogglebox the only thing left on my list was 'go for a curry' and tonight ladies and gents, I can happily confirm that this can now also be checked off the list (chicken jalfrezi, mushroom rice, onion bhaji and naan bread washed down with a large bottle of Kingfisher in case you're interested!).
Whilst I am most definitely not looking forward to Monday's sad goodbye, for now I am cramming in as much Blighty as I can manage! Now all I have to do is work out how I am going to get my own body weight in Cadbury's, two jars of Coleman's Mustard, four packets of tea bags and a jar of instant coffee into the suitcase .... wonder if Mr B would notice if I left his clothes behind?
TTFN
Bev x
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