THE PERFECT GIFT

Eeeeh, what a week this has been! Friday evening (last week) I had an email from my BiL in Canada saying he would be landing at Manchester Airport on Monday morning and being picked by his wife's brother. He was coming for 10 days and would spend half his time with us and half in Leeds but he hadn't decided which order that would be in.

Sunday we went down to Birmingham to pick mum up and Monday morning we went to Asda just for a few bits and pieces of groceries, something for Keith's packed lunch and so on. Came back to find two voicemails : "I'm 20 miles away" and "I'm at the end of the road - put the coffee on". SHOCK - HORROR! Twenty minutes after I heard those words, there he was, large as life.

I don't know about you but when visitors are coming I like to at least start off with the house looking nice, meals planned, plenty of everything in the fridge. I like to plan these things. I am a planner, I make lists and everything, including me - nay, especially me - runs like clockwork. I even include snooze time in my workings out!

I was so pleased to see him though. He's been in Canada 30 years and we've only seen him a few precious times. We lived next door almost until they went to Canada. (Was it something I said???) Here's a picture of the three brothers.

Stewart is in the middle, Keith is the little one and Michael is the lofty one. There are two sisters as well but they don't care for the rest of us so I don't have any photos of them.

This trip was Stewart's Fathers' Day gift from his wife and his grandson (whom they raised) and he had a list as long as your arm of people he just had to see in his short visit. Most of his visits he went on foot, though I did offer to drive him, but on one day he did need a chauffeur. I dropped him at his destination and we agreed I would go for a drive around for an hour and then come back and wait for him. That's what I did but I got lost in the 'one way' system in the town. No, I wasn't late back, I was early because as soon as I saw a street I recognised I darent go anywhere else!

And that's when I got mistaken for a burglar! I sat outside the house, in the car with the window down, stereo on (quietly) and sunglasses on, just enjoying the peace of a lovely afternoon and a packet of chocolate raisins. A woman with a couple of children fresh from the school gate went into one of the houses. Then I saw her looking at me through her lace curtains. Then I saw the bloke at the next house doing the same. Next the chap, an elderly man with a big flappy hat, came out with a screwdriver and made out to be doing something to his doorbell, looking round every few seconds. At length he came across to the car, screwdriver at the ready, and was visibly relieved when I took off my specs. "Oh," he stammered, "You'll have come for yonder young man 'av yer? Missis Next-Door thought you was casin' t'joint." Wonderful! Little 4'7" me "casin' t'joint"! And 69-year-old Stewart was chuffed to bits to be the 'young man' in question. I could dine out on that for weeks!

Keith took Friday off work and the two of them spent the day in Lincoln. I was supposed to be going too but I thought they needed some 'brother-time' so I stayed home.

On Saturday he was collected by his Leeds BiL and there were tearful farewells all round. These things get all the more poignant, don't they, the older you get? I wonder how much the fare is to Canada?