Brief Pause at Home

I got back on Tuesday to a delicious home-cooked meal to welcome me, featuring the famed chocolate puddle pudding. It was a good welcome, thanks family. :) It's been so lovely being able to remind myself what home is actually like, and to enjoy the happiness of sleeping in my own bed, having been away for three months. And, whilst my brothers may do a good job of trying to pretend that their big sister being home doesn't make a difference to them, I know it's an act. I know because of the demands to watch films, their willingness to be hugged, and from the fact that the youngest two have both given me the chocolates from their advent calendars in the past couple of days - secretly and unprompted. I've also been re-introduced to the ridiculousness of conversations in our household. As a sampler, last night we were watching the BBC Apprentice interviews, and a box of six chocolates was opened. The subsequent discussion revolving around who was going to get how many (there were five of us) included this:

'I think [my youngest brother] should go to bed and then we can each have one and you parents can each eat two'

[Cue my youngest brother, with much incredulity] 'oh, and that's fair?'

'yes, because when I was younger, I didn't get treated very well'

Meanwhile, today, I had a really nice time out buying birthday presents for a couple of friends, more presents to take with me on my trip to Japan, eating lunch out with my parents, spending a few hours catching up with my friend Amy, and coming home to my grandparents sitting at the table. Tonight is also going to be a good 'un as we're watching 'Finding Dory' as a family, and I'm going to get to eat the cupcakes that my youngest brother has been making this afternoon.

Speaking of my youngest brother, as I've been writing this, he's been watching a programme on his tablet by me on the sofa, and I've just noticed that he's nodded off....

It's good to be home!