Last Tuesday night was very exciting for me. My mum was due to land in Melbourne to spend a week with us. I last saw my mum in September and this is the longest we've been apart. I usually see my parents and sister once every 6 - 8 weeks; Steve and I usually drive up to Newcastle and we stay at my sister's.
Whilst we waited in the arrivals hall I was feeling all jittery and seeing my mum come out from the sliding doors was so nice. We hugged and started walking out the airport when she stopped to fiddle with her coat and bag so I asked what she was doing and she just carried on fumbling and mumbling. Next thing I knew I looked up and behind me and saw my sister stood there with a trolley. And all I could do was stare at her for what seemed like ages. I recognised her but couldn't fathom why she was stood in Melbourne airport. She was a completely unexpected but utterly wonderful surprise and neither Steve or I knew or had any clue. Apparently everyone back home knew and had known for ages but had been briefed to not breathe a word to me or let slip on Facebook! I am mightily impressed by their ability to keep this secret.
So momma and baby brought cases full of goodies as can be seen in the picture above and believe me that photo doesn't take account everything! The list ranged from Wotsits and Nik Naks to caramel digestives, dryer sheets, glass cleaner, shampoo and conditioner, DVDs, Bisto... I'm not actually much of a chocolate or crips eater but not having access to what is an everyday food item in the UK has made me crave for these items!
Whilst we waited in the arrivals hall I was feeling all jittery and seeing my mum come out from the sliding doors was so nice. We hugged and started walking out the airport when she stopped to fiddle with her coat and bag so I asked what she was doing and she just carried on fumbling and mumbling. Next thing I knew I looked up and behind me and saw my sister stood there with a trolley. And all I could do was stare at her for what seemed like ages. I recognised her but couldn't fathom why she was stood in Melbourne airport. She was a completely unexpected but utterly wonderful surprise and neither Steve or I knew or had any clue. Apparently everyone back home knew and had known for ages but had been briefed to not breathe a word to me or let slip on Facebook! I am mightily impressed by their ability to keep this secret.
So momma and baby brought cases full of goodies as can be seen in the picture above and believe me that photo doesn't take account everything! The list ranged from Wotsits and Nik Naks to caramel digestives, dryer sheets, glass cleaner, shampoo and conditioner, DVDs, Bisto... I'm not actually much of a chocolate or crips eater but not having access to what is an everyday food item in the UK has made me crave for these items!
My workplace has been flexible with regards to unpaid leave etc and it during their one week stay I only went to work for 2 of the days. My mum, sis and I have never really spent such a concentrated amount of time with just each other and we loved it! We ate out lots and I was able to take my mum to some of our favourite Asian food haunts. We also had a nice dinner at Nobu and lunch at Rochford Winery in the Yarra Valley. My mum did some reading and research of her own and suggested we try a place called Dish which was also yummy.
Momma and Baby aren't great sightseeing folk so we enjoyed just walking around the city, doing some shopping, stopping for coffee and cake and just relaxing in each other's company! We actually spent a lot of time watching Chinese DVDs together harking back to the time when we were little and used to do this at home with mum! We thoroughly enjoyed this!
Mum enjoyed the markets and says that the fresh produce over here maybe more expensive but the quality is better and tastes far better. Mum cooked for us a couple of times and we really enjoyed what she prepared so much so that Steve wants me to try out her cooking methods for roast belly pork (char siu) and the pan fried snapper!
You can tell by the pics that we had a great time together and all too soon it was bye bye time. I really miss them and I think this visit has made me miss them more and hanker after my dad too who wasn't able to come. It's going to be a while before I see them all again which is sad. I think saying farewell the first time when we were leaving the UK was easier because Steve and I had an adventure to look forward to and they were off on a family holiday and we also knew that I'd see my mum in a few months. This time saying bye bye, we don't have plans to see each other again so it feels a little harder. Having said that my mum says she really likes Melbourne and wants to return with my dad so more family happiness to come in the future!
After Momma and Baby Bear left, my friend Kat came for the Grand Prix and now we're expecting Steve's parents, brother and cousin to arrive in just over 24 hours!
Momma and Baby aren't great sightseeing folk so we enjoyed just walking around the city, doing some shopping, stopping for coffee and cake and just relaxing in each other's company! We actually spent a lot of time watching Chinese DVDs together harking back to the time when we were little and used to do this at home with mum! We thoroughly enjoyed this!
Mum enjoyed the markets and says that the fresh produce over here maybe more expensive but the quality is better and tastes far better. Mum cooked for us a couple of times and we really enjoyed what she prepared so much so that Steve wants me to try out her cooking methods for roast belly pork (char siu) and the pan fried snapper!
You can tell by the pics that we had a great time together and all too soon it was bye bye time. I really miss them and I think this visit has made me miss them more and hanker after my dad too who wasn't able to come. It's going to be a while before I see them all again which is sad. I think saying farewell the first time when we were leaving the UK was easier because Steve and I had an adventure to look forward to and they were off on a family holiday and we also knew that I'd see my mum in a few months. This time saying bye bye, we don't have plans to see each other again so it feels a little harder. Having said that my mum says she really likes Melbourne and wants to return with my dad so more family happiness to come in the future!
After Momma and Baby Bear left, my friend Kat came for the Grand Prix and now we're expecting Steve's parents, brother and cousin to arrive in just over 24 hours!
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