Tonight, we took my niece to see England play Canada at the Riverside Stadium. It was exciting, skilful, end-to-end action. But the best thing? Sitting there with my talented, knowledgeable niece sharing her insightful commentary and watching her face, watching the action of her heroes. What a thrill to be there in person, our family of 4 and her.

We could not have done this, 5000 miles away.

Last weekend, we drove up to Northumberland, to celebrate 50 years of the incredible lady, who I am privileged to call my sister-in-law. We got to see family we had not seen since before 2015…and that was a joy in itself. The whole event had been organised lovingly and in secret by my sister-in-law’s partner; the surprise highlight of the evening came when the whole family got to witness him get down on one knee and ask if she would spend the rest of her life with him! There was not a dry eye in the house. That moment was so emotional for everyone thankful to be there that night.

We could not have witnessed that from 5000 miles away.

2 weeks ago, our precious mum turned 80 and we threw her the most magical party, with dozens of friends from different phases of her life (Ilkley, Skipton and Ripon), arriving unexpectedly at the colourfully decorated venue. To see her face when she realised among the guests were her precious granddaughters – she had no idea they were travelling up for her birthday! Then came her brother and his family. Her friends from French group were there too, and her Church Home Group. The day was precious in so many ways.

We could not have relished this joy 5000 miles away.

It was Piran’s 12^th birthday this week and he had 5 friends come back with him after school, having started high school just 5 months ago. And he is thriving there, along with his sister, in an environment where he is uninhibited by ‘the olds’ being teachers at his school! His personality is blossoming freely and it was clear, seeing his friends, that they all feel free to be themselves, quirky and unique as they are. Having bought our house in pandemic times, we have had almost no visitors in our home…so it was a real delight to see Piran playing crazily with friends INSIDE OUR HOUSE! [This was also true at Izzy’s party 3 weeks ago.] Today, Izzy’s best friend’s family came to lunch and we enjoyed a relaxed afternoon, eating, drinking and chatting, while snow came down outside.

Yes, we could and did have parties and meals with friends where we were 5000 miles away (minus the snow!) and yet, the community we socialised in was so transient, that we had to keep saying goodbye to dear friends. Even this week, another one where once again someone asked me why we came back, I heard that 3 more good friends from our old school are moving on from Malawi. What is more likely here, in the Yorkshire Dales, is that friendships will last, in this fixed location. That is not to say that changing locations make friendships less worth investing in; on the contrary, some of my most valuable friendships were made, or continue to blossom, hundreds or thousands of miles away. However, after 5 years overseas, I am starting to appreciate the ‘permanency’ of life here in Ripon. After all, there is a reason why people come here and stay!

Do I think we will spend the rest of our professional lives in Ripon? Will we retire and die here? I’m not at all sure that we will. However, after a very difficult ’18 months since returning home’ homesick/lonely patch, I am beginning to think that we are turning a corner and that life here is beginning to feel more rosy, more settled, more optimistic. Emergence from COVID is a huge factor and I’m sure the first flowers of spring send me positive vibes too. I love being able to pop in to see Mum on my way home from walk. I feel so blessed that I can walk the dog with my sister. Walking home from school in the daylight is another huge contributing factor to my happiness! I have also seen rainbows and starling migrations this week (always signs of hope for me). If we can secure a healthier life/work balance, I will be even more fully convinced about our new Yorkshire Life!