visitations

One of the the things about living overseas that I did know (having previously lived in Yemen and Kenya) but had forgotten was just how hectic trips home can be. Being back for a mere couple of weeks and trying to squash in visits to as many people as possible within that time frame is pretty exhausting, particularly when the time in which you are doing it is meant to be your holiday. Mind you, it's definitely worth it - it was wonderful to see so many of our friends and family again.

We were back in the UK for 3 weeks exactly over the Christmas and New Year period and hurtled around the country - London, Bristol, the Cotswolds, Chepstow, Devon and Cornwall - meeting friends in cafes and pubs, sleeping in 8 different houses (plus a Yurt for 2 nights and Sheena for one) and just generally catching up with the news. New Year's Eve was wild - we finally got to bed at 9.30am - and I'm still not entirely sure I've recovered. Cheers to Dean and Nikki for having a bunch of people they barely knew round for a party! In fact the whole visit was great; lots of comedy, some tragedy and lots of romance with first our friends Stuart and Sam announcing their engagement and then my sister Hermione agreeing to marry the wonderful Richard. The perfect beginning to a New Year!