Gosh it’s been a busy few days (hence Mr. VP doing last night’s guest post, he was a gem when I said I was going to be home much later than expected!).  As I was woken at some ungodly hour this morning by Mr. VP, letting me know he was on his way to work, I had a strange recollection of the night before.  It all began yesterday morning, I had a couple of Really Important things to do before Mum and I left to visit friends and relatives in Lancashire.  With those Really Important things out of the way, we set off in trusty little Hollyberry Clio the 167 miles to friends and family.

Down the A1 in the haziest of daylight, with mist hanging in the fields and the sun barely scraping the horizon, a car chase of much excitement just past Durham - when 2 police cars sped past and held us back whilst 3 more chased and boxed-in a suspect vehicle - fields, cars and the M62, the highest motorway in England.  It was a long but pleasing drive.

We met our friends and relatives and spent a wonderful few hours with each of them, talking and catching up.  It wasn’t long enough, but it was better than nothing.  As I drove around the towns I’d grown up in as a child (and had disliked every moment of), it was strange as the place seemed so familiar yet I hadn’t been back there for over 3 years - and I hadn’t ever driven it myself, I’d only ever been the passenger.  Some things were subtley different, a new roundabout here and a supermarket there.  But it was all essentially the same.  Most of all, the only good things to come from my time in Lancashire, were the friends Mum and I made.  Good people who affected my life often and who we’ve become so close to that we now call them our adopted grandparents.  Sitting in their living room, I could’ve been 9 years old again.  Some things never change.

We visited 5 people in total and couldn’t have had a nicer day, even though I’d been up since 6am, and didn’t leave Lancashire until 9pm, meaning it was midnight before we finally made it back to Northumberland and to bed.

Today I was up fairly early again, as there was much to do.  Mum has had an agenda for a while now to help us with the DIY and so today, after seeing some lovely wallpaper in my adopted-grandparent’s house, we decided that it’d look nice in our dining room.  It’s a really simple, pleasing pattern and though I’d never have thought about wallpaper before, it solves all of our problems and makes it look so much cosier and more comfortable.

Mum is a wallpaperer extraordinaire.  We found the wallpaper and Mum set to work, just as I myself had to leave for work.  When I returned a few hours later, Mum had papered half of the dining room and it looked excellent.  She’s now almost all done, and it still looks excellent.

[The last triangle - my Mother is excellent, it's official.]

It’s funny how the small things play on your mind, how you remember people and how they change yet always stay the same.  As I woke this morning to the hazy remembrance of the night before, of the talking and laughing with everyone.  I knew that wherever I go, wherever anyone goes, our roots are and always will be people.  I am so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

I urge you to go and see your relatives and friends, telephone them or send them a letter.  Let them know you care.