Home comforts

Things which made me smile when at home (not always with happiness)

• the fact that in the kitchen that after two refurbishments in the last thirty years that the left hand tap is the cold one, yet is marked red, and the right hand side tap is marked blue and is for hot water.
• that the bathroom shower finally gives out a decent amount of hot water.
• Waking up and not being cold - central heating was a late addition to my childhood home
• Seeing a house for sale with guideprice of £30,000
• The sea.
• Watching the blue tits at the bird feeder
• Standing outside when it's dark (and dry) and watching the night sky. It's amazing how many stars there out in the firmament which you don't see when in London
• the fact that mother still forces me to eat bread with almost every meal
• That 'my bedroom' is no longer magnolia, and has a bit of color on the walls - a pity it was orange
• That after 49 years of work with the same employer, my father is much happier in his retirement than I ever thought possible, and even mam enjoys having him about the house.
• My nephew has now reached the age that he believes that he is too old for kisses.
• The fact he was upset that I would not be home for Christmas.
• My niece calling my up at 8 am on my last morning to wish me goodbye before I left for London.
• Their fascination when I showed them on a globe my planned itinerary for my 2010 US trip.
• My reputation of being a totally hopeless traveller still remains, and before returning I was constantly being offered travel sickness tablets.
• the return of childhood memories of being reluctantly dragged around town by my mother, where a ten minute walk would turn into an hour as she would constantly be stopping to chat - it was a pain when I was five, it was a pain when I was 10, it is still a pain as I approach 40.
• Seeing an interview with my father on his retirement being published in what is considered to be quite a 'posh' 'high society' Welsh language magazine. I learnt a lot about him as a result.