Saturday 24 March 2012

5674 miles for a tweet up


Many years a go I met Suzi, @cantbarsed2, aged 14. We were friends for 2 years only, till she left our home town and moved to London.

I visited her in London many times and we last saw each other, aged 20 in 1992, after I stayed at her flat for the night prior to flying to Barcelona to the Olympic games. I had a baby by then and our lives went in different directions.

3 years ago we rediscovered one another on friends reunited, a few chats, added one another on facebook, tea bags were sent...PG Tips of course.

I reconnected we Suzi via twitter June/July 2011 and I invited her out to visit, work got in the way for her, but we became friends again.

I went back to the UK in December 2011 and we met for a couple of hours over lunch at our old local pub and we got on wonderfully. The visit was too short.

10 days ago I collected Suzi from OR Tambo airport, our first proper time together for 20 years. Her plane landed early and I was just pulling up in the carpark, she must've thought it was a big wind up when she walked through arrivals and I wasn't there to meet her.

We have spent the 10 days, gossiping, catching up on 20yrs with no real knowledge of one anothers lives, sharing both the good and the bad times.

We all got on really well, the kids responded to her, hubby got on with her really well, she even unloaded the dishwasher and swept the floor...without being asked or having it suggested...lol

We went to see Rhinos

We went to Pilanesburg to see the Elephants

We went to Krugersdorp to see the Lions

Sandton City shopping

Soweto

A day lazing in the garden, with our newly adopted cat (it adopted us)

Walking with giraffes and zebras at Groenkloof

Lesedi Cultural village and Cheetah reserve

Centurion Mall

Suzi left South Africa this evening. I am sad to see her go, she will hopefully be back in June, if work gets in the way I'll see her in the UK in August.

It won't be 20 years before we meet up again.

Does anyone else have a friend like this?

2 comments:

  1. Time will tell if I have a friend like yours. I have a small group of friends who I have had since starting secondary school age 11. We don't see each other often (maybe every few years) and our lives have taken us all off in very different directions. we do keep in touch via facebook, and they read my blog. One friend skyped me out of the blue the other week, which was fantastic. The same friend has a hubby who works for a company that is based out here in LA, and she has said that if one of his trips out co-incides with school hols she will join him and come and do the whole touristy thing with us which will be wonderful.

    I have told all of my old friends that our doors our open should they want to visit us or just holiday in LA - so far no-one has taken up the offer - but it has only been 4/5 months now there is still plenty of time.

    I would like to think that someone will visit besides my parents and daughter - they don't count.

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  2. Lol...I'm sure my family will be thinking 'we've been to visit her' but it's not the same is it?

    A few colleagues of hubbies have been out on business and tagged a few days leave to the trip and that's been nice also.

    My son is out here in May, then that's it, no one else lined up...holiday of a lifetime.....tick

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