And now after ten days of being back where I came from I have now returned home and back to the normality of day to day life.

It was really nice to be back in surroundings that I haven't seen for almost two years and more to the point to meet so many old friends who I haven't seen for up to 34 years. It was so amazing to see that we haven't fundamentally changed and there was lots of laughter and fun to be had by all.

Of course there were serious moments when conversation turned darker as we contemplated the ups and downs of life and the difficulties it throws us including the premature loss of one of our school friends who was particularly close to a couple of the guys who I met

Sadly tragedy is a part of life

Moving on, and I have known this for a long time, one of things that people - and certainly I - miss when living away is domestic cuisine. It doesn't matter how sexy or mundane it is we miss it because it is the most obvious reminder of home and a former life. And so I took it on myself, as a mission if you like, to indulge in as many of my favourites as I could while I could.

Please do not mistake this for gluttony, my own hard rule is ONLY ONCE, but it applies to as many different things as I can manage which really meant meals and occasional treats especially when considering that I came back with a suitcase full of other goodies.

Of course it goes without saying that friends and family are missed, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology and particularly VoIP technology this is becoming less of an issue. When I first flirted with living abroad very few had mobile phones but by the time I had settled where I now live most had them - but it was expensive. A year or so later Skype came along and it was a game changer. I was within the first 250,000 worldwide who signed up.

And now some twenty years later there is a whole host of platforms available, which was a good job because when Covid came along there were any number apps that could be used. Even to this day I still use Skype, but also WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Teams (although I hate it). I have used Zoom but i am not a great fan of it.

The world is changing, but it is nice to know that as far as possible, aside from loss, friendships remain.

As always stay safe and well my friends. We are all mortal let's make the most of what and who we have around us.