OMG !! I'M IN ENGLAND !!

After a rather uneventful landing, I have my bag and am practically pushing the other people out of the way to get off the plane, not knowing that I had a very very long walk to customs. I just followed the group ahead of me, and after what seemed like hours I finally reached customs. I get through without a problem and relative speed and find my way into the main terminal. I look everywhere for Roger.... oh no... where is he? As I stand there looking around and looking lost, I finally spot him sneaking around a group of people. I had a feeling he would do that to me, his favorite thing to do in Las Vegas was to rush through the buffet and get back to the table so he could watch me walking around looking for him. I get lost very easily..... must be a blonde thing.

We hug and kiss and then he took my bag for me, and led the way to a lounge where I could have a cigarette. After 13 hours without one, I was dying. His friend Jane was there as well, and it was so nice to finally meet her, as we had talked a few times on the phone prior to this trip. I got Happy Birthday wishes from Roger and Jane and then they gathered me up for the drive back to Kenley where Bob and Jane live.

The first of many differences between Canada and Europe...... the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car!!!!! I got the front passenger seat, which in North America is actually the drivers seat. How strange it was to be sitting in the drivers seat and not driving !! Then, once out of the parkade, another very strange experience. Driving on the wrong side of the road !! I got used to it fairly quickly, except for when it came time to turning corners..... it messed up my head !! I was also surprised at how much England looked like British Columbia (except for the severe lack of mountains). I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it to be so green.

We arrive at Bob and Jane's house (which has been decorated inside for my Birthday) and just sit and relax and talk for awhile and then Bob drove us up to the local pub so we could have lunch. After a drink and a bite to eat, we were picked up again and taken back to the house. By this time, it was around 2:00 in the afternoon for them, but only 6:00 am for me. I'd been up for over 24 hours and thought perhaps it was time for a nap. I crashed for a couple of hours and awoke abruptly when I had ice cubes placed on my back!! (Gonna get even with ya for that one Roger)!! Bob and Jane's children, Clare (8) and James (5), came home from school, and I was looking forward to meeting them, as I've spoken to them on the phone on a few occassions as well. While we were talking, Bob was busy making an excellent curry for dinner and Clare was giving us a sample of her musical talents by playing her flute for us. After dinner, they sang Happy Birthday to me and we had pig cake!! LOL It was a cake in the shape of a pig, complete with pink icing and it was delicious. After dinner, we sat outside in the garden, drank coffee, talked some more and watched a fox come and eat the leftovers. That was the first time I've ever seen a fox, and they are bigger than I thought they were. We went back in the house, and after a couple of games of crib, we all went to bed. It was a long day, and tomorrow Roger and I were headed to London for the day.

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