En route to the US for a week of meetings, I have managed to spend a weekend with the family. Though the flight from Helsinki was delayed taking off, an unprecedented combination of tailwinds, air traffic control "cutting corners off the journey", as the pilot described it, no queue into Heathrow and a stand right by baggage reclaim meant I set a new personal best time for getting home. Even the Hertz bus was waiting for me at the terminal and I was through the front door just after 8pm, having left the office at 3pm in Helsinki. What a great way to start the weekend! Stephanie, Sally and Ellie (home for the evening) had even saved me some of the takeaway curry.
One of the unexpected outcomes of moving to live in another country is that you then see your homeland through different eyes. As I drove down the M3, I saw several fireworks displays lighting up an ink black, clear sky. British readers will understand why; at this time of year we celebrate bonfire night, in memory of the foiled plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November, 1605. The most notorious plotter (though not the leader) was Guy Fawkes, effigies of whom are burned across the land atop bonfires of all sizes, together with pyrotechnic displays to enthrall the adults and startle most of the small children and animals.
On Saturday, we were preparing for our own village fireworks. I was due to be flipping burgers with other members of our amateur dramatic group. But before that at home, I cooked six litres of Broccoli and Stilton soup. This weekend normally marks the turn in the weather towards winter, but it was unusually mild and sales of soup were down, though surprisingly the mulled wine suffered no similar reduction in popularity!
It was a great way of catching up with friends from the village. And now, I am in one of my regular blog writing spots, the BA lounge at Heathrow Terminal 1, trying to record my thoughts before my flight is called. Next weekend we're going to Bath to see Ellie's new digs and celebrate her birthday, the second of three weekends in a row in the UK. I can't wait!
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