As an expat in South Africa we are without
a UK base. In the past our travels to the UK have been separately, so we can
spread the amount of time we spend with family over several visits rather than
just 1 visit annually. The kids visited the UK once a year and stayed with
their Dad and the eldest 3 already had their own homes we could visit.
In August the youngest, now aged 15, returned
to complete his education in boarding school and then in January the 19yo returned
to the UK, leaving just hubby and I in South Africa.
This is my first visit back since the kids
left home. Usually I stay with my parents, a friend or 2 in the London area and
other close friends, this time I’m travelling with a 15yo as I’ve timed my trip
to spend the school holidays with him, but we don’t really have anywhere to go,
a base. We’ve been travelling together for the past 2 weeks. A few nights with
different friends, with children his age, an emergency dash up to Leeds to visit
child no. 3 of 5 in hospital and we were able to stay in his flat for the
duration but had to leave when he came out of hospital, there’s just about
enough room for him and his girlfriend, without mother and younger brother
there as well.
We were able to use a car to travel to
Leeds, but the rest of the trip has been by coach, bus, train and a few lifts
to catch them. We’ve been paying our way by helping with household chores,
washing and ironing and some childcare.
We have the use of a car over the weekend,
mainly to take the 15yo back to school and to visit the eldest child who is
disabled and even though there will be 2 of us, managing her and her wheelchair
on public transport is a bit of an effort.
It’s been great spending the past 2 weeks
with the 15yo although he’s not been over impressed with the public transport,
lugging cases and sleeping in different beds every few nights. It’s probably
the first time we’ve spent this much time together without anyone else around
and we’ve had a fair amount of fun.
He flies out to SA in July/August and then
I won’t see him again until Christmas, when hubby and I will be making our
first trip together to the UK in 4 years and we’ve rented a cottage in South Wales
for the month of December and will be hiring a car making it easier to get
around and visit all the kids, maybe this time they can come visit us and we
can actually have a holiday.
I think it is wonderful that you and your 15 year old have been able to spend so much time together. Taking the bus, has given you even more of an opportunity to chat. It sounds like this visit has been wonderful, of course though, not the emergency appendectomy for your other son. I hope he is doing well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely experience to spend so much time with your youngest, although it sounds like it was a fairly eventful trip. It must be hard to be so far away from the kids.
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