Don't knock it, don't knock it, you've been here before....

This is a copy of the email I sent to my family, it's easier than writing everything again!

Ok so I figure I will fill everyone in via a big long group email because it's much easier than writing the same thing a bunch of times over! I will try very hard to keep this a regular thing, the reason it's been so long already is I have been mentally busy setting everything up here on Hayling and, of course, life with a four-year old is understandably non-stop! For those of you on Facebook, there are some pictures up from New Years if you're interested. Ok, so I'll just start from the beginning. I had a lot of waiting time in the airport so I finished an entire book and made friends with a little boy who ate all of my pre-flight snacks, talked about poop, and raided the bag of gifts Glenna had given to Thomas (don't worry, they all arrived safely). When I went to check in my bags they were over the health and safety limit, ha ha, so I had to leave a bunch of books and shoes in the airport it was tragic! I still ended up paying almost $300 for over-weight. One last financial gouge from Canada before I said farewell! The flight was relatively un-eventful. Decent veg curry for supper and I actually managed to get some sleep despite that fact that half the airplane were hacking their lungs out. The flight was 9 hours and when we touched down three police men cam onboard to escort two men from the plane. Turns out some guys drank a bit too much on the flight and were being belligerent! A nice welcome to England! Julian picked me up and it was so nice to see him, such a change from seeing him on Skype only. We drove into Hayling Island which is beautiful. Over a short bridge and through the village we came to our lovely apartment in front of the sea. We went for dinner that night at a local pub but I was so jet lagged and running off adrenaline and I couldn't finish my lovely seafood risotto and had to take it home. Julian had to work the next day so it was a 6am wake-up which started my sleeping habit that has persisted to this day: asleep before 10, awake at 6. I'm sure you all know how completely unlikely that is for me, but it's been nice to get into a proper sleeping routine and my God, you sure can get a lot done in a day if you're up before noon! Our flat is really nice, it's on the second floor of an historic building overlooking the sea and it has very high ceilings and tall windows that let the sun shine in, (on days when there actually is sun). Thomas came over on my second night and he was so excited to see me, it was really cute. He got undressed for his bath, shook his bum at me and said, 'I did a fart.' What an introduction.

On the 30th, Julian and I drove up to Lochgoilhead in Scotland where his parents have a holiday home. I can't even describe how beautiful the scenery was. The rolling hills splashed in green and sienna; squat little trees blown ragged by the wind; endless fields specked with scraggly, weathered sheep. The roads are all narrow and winding and we rally raced through the dark to the little village of Lochgoilhead, getting to the house around 11pm. Everyone waited up for us which was nice and we sat around for a bit talking. The Christies had brought their four cats up from Petersfield, a 9 hour drive, and they slinked around our feet in proper Siamese fashion. In the morning we went for a drive around the village and visited a small castle that is now privately owned so we couldn't go into it. We had lunch at the house and had some friends over around 4 to start the celebrations. The New Years party was at the local pub and we went down early which was a good plan as it filled up very fast. I couldn't believe how busy it was! There was a man doing karaoke for the music and although it sounds cheesy, he was actually quite good. The countdown (or 'the bells' as they say in Scotland) was so special and they played a Proclaimers song shortly afterwards which brought tears to my eyes. It was so typically Scottish and everyone was so friendly, I really felt at home. The next morning was the traditional Loch Swim. I wasn't feeling up to a dip considering the weather was awful and I was cold enough just standing on the shore. Julian, who still had bronchitis at the time, decided he would go for a swim and stripped down to boxers and his sister's bear hat to take a swim in the baltic water. Crazy. A couple hours later was the traditional grousee shoot in the mountains but we didn't go. I was still feeling a bit jet-lagged and was wiped out from the late night before, plus it turned out to be another big drinking party and neither me nor Julian was up for any more festivities. Apparently in Scotland, New Years lasts for about 5 days, who knows how people handle it. Must be that Scottish endurance. I really wasn't feeling well when we got back to the house and I ended up sleeping from the afternoon straight through to the next morning. I definitely learned my lesson as far as messing with my biological clock! The next morning Julian and I drove to Logiealmond where Granddad Jim was born. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful although we couldn't find a church or anywhere to look for records. It was a very small village, mostly lovely countryside and huge old houses. Later that night the weather was so bad it woke us up multiple times. The wind was insane and has been like that for weeks, the weather system has been dubbed 'Hurricane Bawbag' in Scotland and has actually done a lot of damage. I remember seeing bits of it on the news back in Canada but seeing it first hand really brought the reality home. The next day we drove to Helensburgh to see Mandy and Moira (Great Aunt Mary Taylor's daughters) and the roads were absolutely awful, covered in trees and debris. We met Moira and Malcolm at their house and had a cup of tea and played with their lovely spaniel Kiera. Mandy and Scott came over shortly after and we sat talking for a long long time while the wind whipped around outside the 'sun' room and we nervously watched it from the safety of indoors. It was really eerie to talk about family and the past and what Moira and Mandy went through as children. For those that don't know, Aunty Mary had them both out of wedlock and was sent away to give birth in Glasgow, then was made to give them both up for adoption. By some twist of luck and fate both girls were adopted out to the same family. It was never spoke of again for years and years. I can't imagine having to give up your child and then to not be able to talk about it??? Those were different times I suppose. We all decided to have a pub meal and ended up talking for hours over lots of deep-fried grub. Unfortunately we had to get back on the road because we were meant to clean the big house in preparation for leaving the next day. We ended up doing the cleaning in the morning anyway and enjoyed our last evening alone in the 'mansion' as I call it. We had a long drive the next day but we stopped in Liverpool to see my Canadian friend Amanda and her boyfriend. We were a bit early and spent some time walking around Shefton Pond and feeding the geese and swans. We then went to Amanda and Saif's flat for some lunch and tea. Again we talked for much too long and had to regrettably say goodbye as we still had a four-hour drive ahead of us. We got home late but thankful to be back in our own little home! The next few days were spent shopping for food and sorting out my bank account and library card (a must!). We have had some really good days visiting Thomas' school and doing lots of driving around, I haven't quite got my bearings yet but at least the jet lag is a thing of the past. This evening Julian cooked a lovely meal of fish and veg and he is playing a Star Wars video game while I struggle to finish writing as it's nearing my bed time (it's 9pm, haha). Thomas really should be asleep but I can hear him singing to himself in the next room. He knows loads of songs, he's quite clever. His favourite is Tracy Chapman, believe it or not, and he always asks for her in the car. Well that's about it for now, if I think of anything else I will shoot an email off. I'll try to send an update every couple weeks or so, I'll have to start writing things down. My days are so busy I haven't had much time to record the daily goings-on. All I can say is life is really really good and now that I'm here, I'm so happy I made the decision to go. I know to everyone else it seemed spontaneous and maybe a little naive, but I am so happy that I hope those doubts have left everyone's mind. They certainly have left mine. I can't wait to see everyone in August and can't wait to introduce you to Julian. Unfortunately Thomas won't be there, it's a big trip for a little guy, but I'll be sure to keep you all filled in with his antics. I love you all and hope everyone had a lovely new year. Xoxoxoxooxxooxo.