There is nothing like arriving home after a long journey and yes, my recent trip to England with dear friend Lynda Thomas was a long journey but a good one. The last leg was the most tiring as we got up at 5am in England, was ensconced in the ‘plane and taking off around 9:30am then landed in Seattle, Washington at 11:15am Pacific time! Upon arrival in Seattle it was a quick dash to get our luggage and go through customs before re-checking our bags on to Redmond, going once again through security then hurrying to the gate for our next flight leg to Portland then Redmond. In Redmond, once our luggage was claimed and the parked car found, the 150 mile journey back to our homes seemed the longest leg of all. The closer we got the more we had that true feeling of “coming home!”. I dropped Lynda off at her house and drove off for my own final leg, another 20 miles would see my dear Darrell and home waiting for me! Yes, there he was, sitting on the front porch with Brandy and puppy Bella waiting beside him… how wonderful it was to be back! But my goodness it had been a long day as I had been up and awake for over 22 hours.
As with the other two times I have visited my homeland since making America my permanent residence, there is a sense of realizing just how fortunate I am to live where I do. England shall always be my home and will always hold a piece of my heart, there will always be a part of me that gets a tad homesick for the little lanes and country villages, yet as I drive down our lane towards our barn, shop and little log house, deep inside me I feel very much at peace and very thankful to live where I do with my soul mate Darrell.
Going to England with a friend who has not been and traveled that country before is quite exciting! First thing Lynda felt odd about was getting in the car on the left hand side and not having a steering wheel in front of her! Then as we drove off and headed for the motorway she did think it odd to have us fly by lorries (trucks) with them just off to her left, the round-abouts she came to realize were a great idea in a country where as she said, they never seemed to have an intersection with only four roads at right angles to each other! Thank goodness we had “Nellie the navigator” as we named her, the satellite navigation system that seems to be installed in most cars these days and she was so polite! However, as we joked later on, we were sure she was getting tired of us when she started taking us round and round in circles at one point!
Once off the main motorway the roads became more narrow and as we drew closer to the home and village where Peter and Marcia lived in East Anglia, 
Occold to be precise, the road was only one car wide with grassy bank verges on either side and the occasional layby which afforded one a safe pullout spot for when oncoming traffic was spotted. There is an art to driving on these roads, almost a “dance of the automobile” you could say. As two cars are approaching each other whoever has a layby closest to them pulls in to allow the other car to pass by. The true fun begins on narrow roads in little country villages as the road may only barely accommodate two cars as it is then you find folks have parked their cars on the side of the street, in both directions, so the flowing traffic literally has to weave and wind its way through. Now thankfully English folks do tend to be extremely polite drivers for the most part. As you approach a line of parked cars on a street which subsequently takes up almost your entire lane and you see traffic approaching from the opposite direction, a subtle dance begins. One driver politely stops behind some of the parked cars, flashes their lights once or twice signaling the oncoming car to weave its way through the narrow gaps, a wave to say “thank you” then it is your turn to pull in behind the next batch of parked cars, flash your lights to the oncoming traffic and exchange a wave as they go by. Lynda was impressed! Of course she had a very hard time seeing cars parked on the side of the road facing both direction with the walls of the stone cottages barely a couple of feet away but she did see what a good system drivers have over there of politely communicating with one another.
Then there were the walls. Solid barriers seven sometimes more feet high built right at the edge of the road with no footpath beside them and the flowing traffic. Of course these had often been built long before there was a motorized vehicle coursing down the lane. Yes, driving in the English countryside on the “B” roads and some minor “A” roads can be a challenge but if you truly want to see England, this is the way to go. Lynda became quite relaxed about it all although I do recall seeing her foot occasionally come down on an imaginary brake once in a while. But that was not too bad considering we put 1063 miles on the rental car in 9 days! Quite a feat in England!
I think one of the most fascinating things is to watch the wonder dawn on a travelling companions face as she looks at the inside of the magnificent York Minster cathedral or gazes in wonder at a book written over one thousand years ago. Visits the stately home of the Earl and Countess of Pembroke and gazes upon the largest collection of Van Dyke paintings in one place in the world, all original, then sees a lock of Queen Elizabeth the First’s own hair in a display case along with the poem written to her. Wondering how on earth the lawns can look so perfectly manicured, the gardens so well tended.
Yes, it was a long trip but a good trip. It was so rewarding 
to see my dear pal Judith, husband Paul and son Simon. Meet a wonderful couple Sue and John with whom I have been corresponding for the past several years and of course see my “family”, Peter and Marcia, daughters Tanya and April. We covered a tremendous amount of country in a short while, had brilliant weather, ate lots of black pudding and meat pies and it was a grand adventure. Yet there is something to be said for being home, sleeping in your own bed snuggled up to your dear husband… ah yes… it is good to be home….