As arranged, on Monday 6th January I took my first trip up north to visit Kieran and family, mainly because it was Kieran’s birthday 2 days later and our 4th anniversary of being together a day after that, but also because I was overdue a stay after being unable to sort something out for the beginning of December like I’d originally hoped. This time, I had to enlist the help of my auntie Clare (Dad’s sister) to ferry me to Southampton Airport as that very day Dad had started his new full-time job at Tapi Carpets. I’d spent the day with my Nan and Grandad so at about 4:30 auntie Clare arrived at their bungalow to collect me. The traffic was pretty good and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time for the requested hour before flight for special assistance at 5:45. I was checked in quickly and although I was asked to sit and wait in the special assistance waiting area, it wasn’t long before a lady came to take me through security to departures. As usual, that didn’t take long either and we went straight through to boarding. Despite the fact that yet again there were weather warnings in place for the duration of my flight to Newcastle, it was quite a smooth journey. I spent the just over an hour it took for us to fly up north as I always do, with my earphones firmly shoved in, ignoring all the noises around me. This time, I wasn’t listening to my Spotify playlist as I usually do but one of my new favourite pastimes, Chris and Rosie Ramsey’s podcast “Shagged, Married, Annoyed”. As its title suggests, it definitely wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea but as I’m a big fan of Chris’s anyway and had heard lots of good reviews that the podcast was very funny, I started listening to it about a month ago and have since listened all the way through from the first episode up until the latest. It’s released every Friday so I’d saved the previous week’s edition for my flight and I was very pleased I had as it made very good entertainment for nearly all my flight. Each episode is a little under an hour long so when the current one finished a little before my plane was due to land, I just chose an older one I’d heard before at random to finish the flight off with.
Once we’d landed, I was led onto a bigger special assistance mini bus than usual as there were quite a few other passengers needing help as well. John and Kieran were waiting to meet me in the terminal building. Back at theirs, Lesley had dinner pretty much ready for us. It was a slow cooked Cumberland pie made from their healthy recipes book. It was very nice. While we ate, we watched 24 hours in police custody.
The following day, Kieran worked from home so we were able to get up a bit later than his usual 6:30 alarm and dragged ourselves out of bed around 8:30. I had tea and toast for breakfast but Kieran didn’t have his crumpets until later on in the morning. We had chicken sandwiches, Kieran’s with prawn cocktail crisps, for lunch. While Kieran worked, I spent the day reading my RNIB Library book. Just after John came in from work, Kieran stopped working too and we went upstairs and watched The Chase and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA. Later, John cooked a chicken in tomato sauce with broccoli dish and we spent the evening watching 24 Hours In Police Custody, Live At The Apollo and Fawlty Towers.
Wednesday meant it was Kieran’s 23rd birthday. He’d decided to take the day off work which meant we had a lie in. Lesley also worked from home. After we’d finally got up at gone 10, we didn’t bother with breakfast but Lesley made us hot beef sandwiches for our lunch. Kieran’s grandparents visited durning the afternoon. After they’d left, we went upstairs and listened to Capital XTRA and Kiss Radio on Kieran’s Google Home Mini. When John was home, we went downstairs and had slices of the homemade chocolate birthday cake Lesley had made for Kieran with cups of tea. A little later on, Rebecca, Darren and Wilson came round and we ordered a Dominoes takeaway to celebrate Kieran’s birthday. I had chicken strips, potato wedges and a box of cookies while everyone else had different pizzas. After we’d finished the food, we watched Only Connect and 8 Out Of 10 Cats.
Thursday was my only day home alone while everyone went out to work. When he got up to get ready, Kieran brought me a cup of tea up before he left. Not long after he and Lesley left, I got up, showered and went downstairs where I had breakfast of Weetabix and one of the Dominoes cookies I had left over from the night before. During the morning, I watched episodes of Friday Night Dinner and East Enders. I had the corn beef sandwiches Lesley had left for me for lunch and then watched episodes of Raised By Wolves for the rest of the afternoon until Kieran came home from work. Once Lesley came back from her haircut appointment, she drove Kieran and I to Sambuca’s so we could have a date night together to celebrate our 4th anniversary of being together. We had a lovely time eating delicious food; it was definitely a good way to mark our anniversary. As always, I had my favourite tuna and garlic pizza. I say favourite like I’ve tried various items on their menu and picked the tuna pizza as the best. I haven’t. Ever since the very first time Lesley and John took me to Sambuca’s when I first stayed with them in March 2016, ive had the tuna and garlic pizza every single time. I just can’t have anything else when I only get to have Sambuca’s and the delicious tuna and garlic pizza when I visit Kieran and we go there. Maybe if there was a Sambuca’s local to me I’d branch out and try something else. Kieran had a chilli and chicken pasta dish and we decided to share a cheesy garlic pizza bread as a starter. As always, the food was absolutely delicious. Although, due to having and enjoying the cheesy garlic bread, I didn’t actually manage to finish my whole pizza. Because it is so lovely, I always feel a little disappointed when I don’t manage to eat it all. Kieran said he really enjoyed his pasta, too. When it came to paying the bill, we put both our bank cards on the table and asked the waitress to pick one as we couldn’t agree between us who should pay. She chose Kieran’s. Not long after he’d paid the bill, John arrived to collect us. Back at theirs, John and Lesley were already watching something so Kieran and I went upstairs and Kieran looked through Amazon Prime Video for a comedy show to watch. He chose Ed Byrne’s Different Class. As usually happens when we snuggle down to watch something on telly, I didn’t manage to stay awake the whole show through but remember laughing at several points. I also remember thinking, as I do most days and had been all day, how lucky I felt to be led there with Kieran 4 years on from our messy beginning to this relationship in Hereford. Back then when everything was so uncertain I knew if we took a chance on a relationship together I’d be in it for the long haul and so would Kieran. But everything was so uncertain that weekend that I could have never imagined that 4 years later we’d still be happily together, engaged to be married sometime in the future, with me visiting yet again at his parents’ house where ive regularly stayed over the past 4 years. I could have never imagined, that Saturday night in Hereford, that we’d have such an amazing 4 years behind us with so many happy memories throughout. I’m sure there’s so many more good times ahead in our future and I can only hope we have plenty more happy years to come.
As always, Friday meant it was Lesley’s day off. She took Kieran to work before going to do everything else she needed to. I got up and showered just after they’d left and had another Weetabix breakfast and spent the morning watching East Enders, more Raised By Wolves and Juergen Klopp’s pre-match press conference. While that was on, Kieran’s grandparents arrived and just as they came in, Lesley turned up too. After Kieran’s grandparents left, Lesley made me a very tasty tuna mayo sandwich for lunch. Until Kieran came home from work, I spent the afternoon watching Two Doors Down and reading my RNIB Library book. Once Kieran was in, we went upstairs and watched The Chase, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA and the news. We had mince pasta bake for dinner and watched 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Count Down and The Force Northeast.
On Saturday morning, Kieran set an alarm so that he’d be ready to go with John to the hairdresser’s. while they were gone, I sat downstairs watching James Martin’s Saturday Morning while Lesley did housework. When Kieran and John arrived back, Lesley dished up a very tasty cooked breakfast of sausage, bacon, beans, mushrooms, scrambled eggs and toast with a glass of orange juice and a cup of tea. Afterwards, Kieran and I went upstairs and listened to Crystal Palace vs Arsenal on Talksport, which ended 1-1, and then Wolves vs Newcastle on BBC Newcastle, which also ended 1-1. Then, we went downstairs and watched the Tottenham vs Liverpool match on TV, which finished 1-0. We decided to order takeaway for tea and I paid. Lesley and Kieran shared a kebab and chips, John had a cheeseburger and chips and I had kebab meat and chips with a portion of mozzarella sticks which Lesley and Kieran shared; Kieran and I also got cans of Dr Pepper. The takeaway was very nice, especially the mozzarella sticks. We watched the first episode of Ross Kemp’s Welcome To HMP Belmarsh and the most recent new year’s special from Mrs Brown’s Boys, which we were all surprised to be laughing at as more recent episodes of the show haven’t been as good.
After we were showered on Sunday morning, we went downstairs and watched Judge Judy, Only Fools and Horses and The Simpsons. Lesley cooked us mince and dumplings for dinner. Afterwards, Kieran and I went upstairs and listened to the Bournemouth vs Watford match with ended 0-3. Then, I listened to the first half of the Aston Villa vs Manchester City game while Kieran slept because he wasn’t feeling well. He woke up for the second half of the game and it finished 1-6. Lesley made us cheese and onion toasties for tea and Kieran had a bath to hopefully help him feel better. Afterwards, he made us mugs of hot chocolate and we watched Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares while sharing the Maltesers I’d given Kieran as an anniversary present.
Again, the last day of my visit had arrived far too quickly. Luckily, Kieran worked from home which meant we were able to spend the day together. Lesley also worked from home. I had a Weetabix breakfast while Kieran had crumpets. I spent the morning watching East Enders and Two Doors Down. Lesley made us sandwiches with chip stick crisps for lunch. During the afternoon, I read my RNIB Library book until Kieran decided he’d finished work for the day and we went upstairs where we had a cuddle while listening to Capital XTRA Reloaded. Lesley gave us the choice of jacket potatoes with chicken Kiev or corn beef and sliced potatoes for tea and loving Lesley’s jacket potatoes, I voted for that option which Kieran agreed with. My pre-flight meal of jacket potato with cheese, garlic Kiev and sweet corn was lovely. While we ate, we watched the news and Richard Osman’s House Of Games. After tea, I made sure I’d packed everything and then Lesley and Kieran took me to the airport; John wasn’t feeling very well so stayed behind. Yet again, there were more weather warnings in place for the duration of my flight, which didn’t fill me with reassurance, but apart from some extra turbulence the flight was fine, flying me away from Newcastle and another great time spent with Kieran.
Massive thank you as always to Lesley and John for having me to stay, for looking after me, for being our taxi service so we could enjoy a date night on our anniversary, for all the lovely meals, laughs and an all-round nice time. I’ll never not appreciate you letting me stay and always be grateful that you keep inviting me back.
Biggest thank yous, though, to Kieran. Firstly, for inviting me up to stay so that I was able to spend your birthday and our anniversary with you. It always feels better celebrating them when we’re not 300 miles apart. Mostly, though, for the last 4 years of great times, wonderful memories and hopes for our future. I’m so glad we took the chance on us that messy weekend in Hereford like we did. It’s the best risk ive ever taken and continues to pay off every single day. Thank you for all the best times and for being there for me when things aren’t so good too. Here’s hoping there’s so much more of this goodness for us in the years to come. I love you so very much, my fella, and am looking forward to March when you come and stay. Thank you for being my person ➡️
PS: the title of this post comes from John who, when trying to remember what the Bryan Adams song, Summer Of ‘69, was called mistakenly called it Back In The Day, which had us all laughing. Another potential title for this post came when Kieran and I were watching TV upstairs and a Spec Savers advert came on and was audio described. Out of all the adverts available that could do with audio description, we thought it was a bit of a joke that it was one for glasses…
A5Ramblings 