A Wonderful Three Weeks Home

One thing that’s funny about speaking two languages is that there are some things you can express better in one language than another. I would say that being flowery and expressing your feelings is a lot easier with the Spanish language. This is partly why it’s taken me so long to start writing this blog about the time we had at home, because I feel like my English words can’t quite express how wonderful the time we had at home in England was! But finally here I am haha.

It was a busy three weeks! We crammed as much as we could into it, so I won’t go into detail about everything or you’d be here another three weeks reliving it with me, but instead I will try to be succinct (not my strong point lol).

So after about a 44 hour journey we finally arrived home! The first few days we mainly just spent chilling out and recovering, though we did get a Friday sederos lounge lunch in with Lauren, before we headed off to Devon with the fam (mum, dad, and my two sibs).

Devon was so lovely! We saw a lot of my nanna and grandad as well as lots of my uncle and auntie’s whilst there! These gatherings were nearly all based around food! We had essentially a Christmas dinner done by my lovely Nanna (I walked into their house and it smelt like Christmas! It was lovely. And we had my favourite Christmas thing of pigs in blankets! (Sausages wrapped in bacon)), a pizza evening with my uncle and aunt, a meal out with another auntie and cousin as well as fish and chips on the beach! (Well, kind of. It was on an estuary that goes out to the sea). This had been one of my requests though! In the months leading up to going home Nolz and I compiled a list of the food we’ve missed and put in our requests!). Oh and we also had scones and cream, again made by Nanna at their house.

With the fam clan we went to a place called Clovelly which was really beautiful and one of my favourite things we did in Devon. It’s a harbour village but I believe now is mainly just tourists going there to have a nose, it’s very pretty! But quite hard work on the legs and knees as it is very steep to return back to the top! We also had pasties there because of course. I sent Noly’s family a picture of them as in shape they are a bit like Argentinian empanadas, just much much bigger!

One evening the sibs and I went for an evening beach walk (theirs turned into a beach run but I declined to join them on that one!). Another day we had a beach day and did body boarding in the sea which was good fun! But rather hard work! We also went for a couple of evening paddle board sessions. I couldn’t believe how psychological paddle boarding is! The second I tried to stand up my knees started quivering like crazy and when I told them “NO you’re fine”, they chilled out again! Such a mind game. We also went for a coastal walk and another sit on a different beach which was really lovely!

We returned on the Friday and the Saturday was spent half, on a big shopping trip by Aimz & I, and half preparing for the big family BBQ we were having the following day.

The BBQ was really lovely! Lots of the cousins and aunts & uncles on mum’s side who are mainly in Reading and nearbyish got together and we had a lovely afternoon spent eating (of course), nattering and in part watching the women’s finals!

Then on the Monday eve off we went to Guildford to catch up with ma gal Chloe, Tuesday we saw ma gal Ellie at our house and then on Thursday got in a brown bag with Jadeybabes and then double dated it for dinner with Jade’s bf Michael joining us too. We also had a lovely lunch at Auntie Ray’s and saw another aunt and uncle in the morning on Thursday who popped round for an hour or so and a cup of tea! And in fact, we also went to see our wedding celebration venue in person! We’d seen it through photos sent over by mum and dad but not in person. Obviously we asked many’a questions and had a little meeting about it all.

On the Saturday we had my hen! I was brought into the loop about what the vague plan was on Friday evening as people started turning up to help decorate and make over the garden, which was a lot of fun!

The day started at about 9.30 with breakfast and craft at our house! We then pootled off to the Caversham water park which was sooo much fun! Of course, as the “bride-to-be/been” I was the one who fell off and quite probably sprained my shoulder haha, but thankfully it wasn’t too bad and the ache went down throughout the time we were there and the day generally. I can’t believe how quick 50 mins went by though! We didn’t quite get round the water park but we got a good lot of it done. I’m not sure there are waterparks like that here in Arg, so just to explain it’s like a whole course of inflatables in the river with slides and bits you can jump off and obstacle course race bits to race someone on. So much fun!

Then we got back to the house, showered and lunched and then went onto our next craft which was decorating glass tea light containers with pressed flowers which was v fiddly but rather satisfying! I was banned from the kitchen but there was a great spread of cakes and goodies to eat which people would bring out to me haha.

We then did cocktails but one person was the eyes, giving the instructions and one person was the arms, carrying out the instructions without being able to see! Which led to a rather lime heavy cocktail for myself and others putting in double the amount of vodka needed and things like that! We then did a Mr & Mrs style quiz which was really quite hilarious and resulted in me winning a British Abroad kit of things – british tea, an umbrella, a british keyring, cadburys chocolate, a british bag and then a photo album with notes from everyone at the hen. After the quiz we had an Indian takeaway and then moved onto the final part of the night which was firepits and marshmellows! Nolz was finally allowed to join for this bit (the boys had been banished from the house and taken themselves off to do some paddle boarding earlier in the day haha). People floated away at various different points and the impromptu end to the night was with Ellie and then subbed in with Amy when Ellie left, a round of mario kart in the tent in the garden. I cannot begin to describe how lovely this day was! It was so nice for me to be able to celebrate with my British gals as well as having already celebrated with my Arg gals aha. It made me feel really quite emotional all the effort everyone had put in for me! And was so so lovely.

Then on the Sunday we went round to another auntie and uncles for a cuppa and catch up which was really nice!

Our next thing was another lil shopping trip on the tuesday and then in the evening we had food tasting for our next year’s wedding celebration which was really fun! Not done that kinda thing before! (Apart from the cake tasting last year) and thoroughly enjoyed it! Especially the wine they kept bringing for us to try 😉 then after the food tasting mum and dad swapped out and we had a catch up with our pals Adam and Emma which was lush!

Then the following day off we went to London to see Isabel and Matt! Who very kindly put us up for the night and cooked a delicious lasagne for us on the weds eve, then on the Thursday morning out for brunch we went! Before saying our goodbyes and then Nolz and I made our way to the theatre. We saw Hamilton which was amazing! Thoroughly enjoyed every part of it. Then we made our way back home, packed our bilbobaginses (our bags lol) and the next day it was time to make the journey back to Argentina.

So there you are! A whistle stop tour of our three weeks home. I can’t express how lovely it was to come back home and see friends and fam and after two and a half years of not being home it was v much needed! That’s all from me for now. Ta ra!