So, here are some thoughts about our trip!
Me - totally horrified by the teeny tiny roads. Driving on the left was not a problem, and I was ok with driving on the other side of the car after a couple of days. I was totally fine with roundabouts, but utterly incapacitated by the tiny roads that you are not only expected to fit down, you're expected to drive around parked cars and deal with oncoming traffic in the same tiny space!!! And don't even get me started on car parks. Miniscule spaces, and trying to get on the ramps between floors is like threading spaghetti through a needle. Otherwise, I'd move back. Truly, it's the roads that are stopping me now. Loved the supermarkets - stuffed full of yummy food that I remember, as well as insanely cheap produce. Bread for 40p? I can't buy a loaf for anything less than $2.50! We'd live like kings if we moved back. Though nothing comes in family sized portions, and a multi-pack of something usually only has 4 things in it -i.e. not enough for our family! A Sainsbury's chicken breast was the size of two of my fingers. Nothing like the Costco gigantic dinner plate chicken breasts I'm used to. I can feed my whole family on one Costco chicken breast, but it would have taken a whole Sainsbury's chicken to get the same amount I think!
It was lovely to be surrounded by familiar landscapes. I think I miss that the most, just the way it looks. My soul was drenched in green for a month, and I loved every second of it.
Adam - tried his hardest to turn into a teenager. It happened on our first flight, when he plugged in his new earbuds, pulled his hoodie up, and watched tv and ate too many snacks and ignored all my attempts to get his attention. And it progressed from there. He did great playing with his little cousins, but he loved hanging out with his older cousins and very much self-identified with the older group. I'm not ready for him to be a teenager, but he has seen the potential and is embracing it fully.
Ellie - she's ready to live over there. From the hospital on, she loved everything about England. I think how nice they were to her in the hospital may have clinched the deal. Even in the midst of trauma she was sold. Of all the kids she was the most openly appreciative; when we were driving around she was the one constantly looking at the countryside and saying 'It's so pretty'. Once we drove past a hayfield that had beautiful red poppies scattered throughout. It did look gorgeous. Ellie said 'I'd like to paint that.' I think she has an English soul, and I loved that at least one of my kids loved the countryside as much as I do.
Kate - had a fantastic trip. Of all the kids Kate can be my grumpy one. She can massively over-react when she's told no, and is often to be found pouting spectacularly and stomping off. I know what her triggers are - she thrives on one-on-one attention, and when she doesn't get enough, we all take cover. But not over there. She played draughts and read books with Nana constantly. There was always a cousin her age to play with - and she buddied up hard and fast with Asher and then Oscar. She was happy, sunny, and her best self the whole time we were over there. I loved it!
Nicholas - is still talking about things that happened 'at England'. He'll tell you 'I loved being at England'. He loved Nana and Grandad's house. He struggled a bit with sightseeing; and his stamina - or lack of it - stopped us in our tracks a couple of times. We kept him going with promises that we were walking to the car - even if the car was miles away. You do what you have to do! He was maybe a little young for the touristy side of this trip. But he was the perfect age for playing with cousins and getting to know family. He has no shame or shyness, and would walk into the middle of any family group and start whacking people. I could have done without the whacking, honestly, but he made himself memorable!
We're not leaving it nine years until the next time.
2 comments:
I'm glad that you had a good trip! I so wish we could have met up! Ah well, maybe one day. M x
Such fun to follow your adventure!!
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