Surprise, Surprise

Upon my arrival in the UK I still didn’t feel that it was quite real, that I was back after nearly four years away. After collecting my luggage I walked through for my ride.

 D looked exactly the same. It was so great to see someone from home, especially one of my favourite friends. After a hug and a very quick catch up (seriously, I ever used to be so affectionate) we climbed into her little car and headed up north. 

                                              

We made good time, travelling through

the middle of England.

 

Much as I love my life in the Falklands, I didn’t realise until driving through the English countryside, quite how much I miss greenery and trees. England is a beautiful place.

During the drive I sorted out a temporary sim card for my mobile, let my brother know my whereabouts and gave him an eta. We stopped at a service station for a Burger King meal, my first in four years. It turns out I don’t miss fast food places after all. We saw the Download festival traffic and I was offered a free ticket to go along. As we headed into Yorkshire I made a couple more calls and we arranged how we were to surprise my mother with my visit. That’s right, I, me, Sam, infernal chatterbox, managed to keep my visit, that I have been excited about and planning for months, a secret.

To say mum was surprised is a bit of an understatement.

She had been out shopping with my sister-in-law and when they returned I was sat on the sofa drinking a cup of tea. How very British of me.  :/

Big Bro was rambling on about some package or other being mis-delivered and basically just confusing mother, so when she turned and saw me…first of all there was a blank look on her face. She couldn’t believe her eyes, not least because her eyesight is so terrible. It’s the first time in my 29 and a half years I have ever seen her speechless. I feel very proud of that…

Mum gave me the longest hug. She’d hug me, the push me away to look at me and say something, then pull me to her and hug me again. It was like a quirky little dance.

It was the first time in ten years that mum had all her children in under the same roof.

I’m just glad she didn’t have a coronary. But we’re strong Yorkshire stock J

 

So much green.