Sad moments

Planned visits to Blighty are welcome, anticipated and a reason for great excitement. Unplanned visits mean only one thing; bad news. The dreaded early morning phone call to advise of a family death came at the end of June 2005 when his nibs was in Saudi Arabia, I started the search for a flight home that day. Of course there’s no good time to hear such sad news but trying to get a flight to Blighty at that time of year is almost impossible. The mass exodus of Brits to a more pleasant climate for the school summer holidays starts at that time, flight prices go through the roof and seats are hard to come by. After a long search I found a flight and with a sad heart flew home for 10 days.

The only positive from the visit was the chance to see my family and friends. My parents and sister were especially glad to see me; after my recent operation they’d been a bit concerned, and seeing is believing so they knew I was fine. I had to fly to London, so spent two great days there with Helen. I was able to forget, for a while at least, the reason for my trip and have an unexpected catch up with my best friend. It was just the tonic needed before heading north for the funeral of my uncle. Probably the worst thing about living abroad is that you’re not there when needed; be it a bereavement, a relationship break up, a house move, etc. not living close to my family and friends and therefore unable to offer any practical help or just a hug is difficult for me. I have a very close extended family and we have always pitched in to help whenever required. One of the great things about living abroad is being able to offer loved ones the chance to get away for a few days in a home from home with year round sun, so the pros do out-way the cons.