After another great visit to Southampton to celebrate my birthday and see everyone again, it was time to fly back to Newcastle. This time, we had an extra passenger joining us. Sam was coming to visit for a week so she could spend time with us and also come to the Gary Delaney stand up show we’d booked for the following Saturday. Our flight back to Newcastle was smooth. I found it funny that Sam sat for the entire flight looking at the scenery and taking in the plane atmosphere. In contrast, I sat with my earphones firmly in, ignoring everyone and everything, except when Kieran nudged me to say the air hostess was coming by with the complimentary snack and drink. Again, Sam made me giggle when she later admitted she’d declined the offering because she thought she had to pay. Of course, I accepted immediately; I never say no to that shortbread. Lesley and John were waiting for us in arrivals. Once we were home, we had a quick drink each before going straight to bed.
On Tuesday, after our big food shop had arrived and been sorted out, Sam and I decided to have a wander down to the new development on the beach to get some Greggs for lunch. I took the opportunity to practice the route I knew, walking independently with my cane with Sam following. Unfortunately, I got a bit confused and went the wrong way a couple of times. Thankfully, between us we managed to get back on track and reached Greggs. Sam bought sausage rolls for us and a steak bake for Kieran. Back at the flat, we enjoyed a jam doughnut each from the bag that had come in the shopping with our pastries. The new Greggs is very nice and I hope we’ll be regular customers at some point. That evening, Kieran cooked burgers, wedges and onion rings for dinner. Sam and Kieran had a beef and a chicken each while I had a lamb and a chicken. As always, it was very nice.
Sadly, our plans for Wednesday changed when Sam told us she’d been up quite a bit during the night with an upset stomach. As she was still feeling pretty rough by the morning, we decided not to travel to see Imi as arranged. Of course, this was the right decision because there was no way it was right for Sam to go out for the day feeling so rubbish. It wouldn’t have been an enjoyable day for any of us and was much better for Sam to spend the day recovering. By the afternoon, Sam was feeling a bit better so we played scrabble while Kieran worked. Sam won both games. Later, I cooked fish, new potatoes, peas and sweet corn for dinner. I was a bit worried that the battered fish wouldn’t be great for Sam’s stomach but thankfully she seemed much better and said she enjoyed the meal. While we ate, we watched The Chase. After we’d washed and tidied up, we watched the Chris and Rosie Ramsey show and Kieran and I enjoyed some strawberries.
By Thursday, Sam was sure she was feeling better so we agreed to reschedule our trip to see Imi for the following day. After checking his work calendar, Kieran found he wasn’t busy so booked the day off so he could come with us. While Kieran went to look after Wilson for the afternoon, Sam and I played more scrabble, which Sam won again; I think the amount of grapes she ate gave her extra brain power… When he was home, Kieran cooked pasta Bolognese and added mushrooms and lots of cheese; we had it with a cheesy garlic bread. Again, we watched The Chase while we ate and then the Chris and Rosie Ramsey show while Kieran and I enjoyed more strawberries.
The next morning, we were up early to catch the half past 8 bus to Heymarket bus station. Once there, Sam navigated the way to Newcastle Central station. I bought us Costa: vanilla iced latte for Kieran; a coke for Sam; and a caramel hot chocolate with some salted caramel popcorn brownies for me. As we were ordering our drinks, my phone rang. When we sat down at a little table, I found I had a voicemail and email from Guide Dogs. I phoned back straight away and the Guide Dog trainer told me they’d found a potential match for me. She was a little yellow Labrador retriever cross named Bree, who I’d met and walked with on the client day I attended at the Newcastle office in May. We arranged for them to come out the following week for the matching visits. Of course, I was absolutely ecstatic and burst into happy tears on Kieran’s shoulder as soon as I ended the call. It was amazing telling everyone. I was so happy I was able to tell Imi in person. We caught the half past 10 train to York and got a taxi to Imi’s flat. It was so great to spend time with her, rapidly growing kitten Pablo and Guide Dog Sam again. Imi was thrilled about the potential dog match and we talked about it quite a bit. In the afternoon, Kieran ordered McDonalds for our lunch. Sadly, the afternoon was soon over and we were heading back to the train station in a taxi. We caught the 6pm train back to Newcastle and Sam guided us back to the bus station. Newcastle was pretty crowded because Sam Fender was performing his sold out show that night. Luckily, there was a bus waiting for us at the station. Once we were home, we ordered takeaway for our dinner. It was past 8 by the time we got in and neither of us could be bothered to cook. While we watched Gogglebox, we enjoyed our food: a pepperoni pizza for Sam; loaded fries and a smoky sausage for Kieran; I had some breaded garlic mushrooms and shared a portion of donner meat with Kieran. The food was lovely; although I was concerned I’d stink of garlic for the foreseeable as the garlic in the mushrooms was pretty strong, as was the big pot of garlic dip I used for the mushrooms and the meat.
Before our show on Saturday night, we walked to the fish and chip restaurant on the beach for our lunch. Sam had a sausage with cheesy chips; Kieran had a fish cake and chips; I went for cod bites and cheesy chips; Kieran and I shared some grilled haloumi. I completely underestimated the size of the cod bites and was only able to eat half the meal. Also, Sam and I were pretty disappointed with the cheesy chips because it was literally grated cheese over the top of the chips and not even a lot of cheese either. I’d hoped to have an ice cream afterwards but was far too full. Once we’d finished our meal, we went for a wander along the beach for a little while. Since we’d arrived back up north on Monday, the temperature had increased quite a lot and we were back to melting like we had in Southampton. Southampton itself had heated up even more since we’d left and Mum commented that it was pretty unbearable. Later on, John picked us up at 6pm so that we could get to the theatre in plenty of time. Sam Fender was playing another sold out show so we’d expected town to be busy and for there to be a lot of traffic on the roads. However, we got to Newcastle in super quick time so spent quite a while wandering around town. Eventually, it was time for the show. We headed to the Tyne Theatre & Opera House and all enjoyed Gary Delaney performing his Gary in Punderland show. Usually, I don’t like one-liner comics much. I prefer observational comedy and all the stories you get. But I really enjoyed Gary’s show and laughed along with Sam, Kieran and John.
Sunday was a chilled day. Originally, we’d planned to get a taxi and go to Sambuca’s for lunch. But Kieran and I couldn’t be bothered. Instead, we agreed we’d order a Sambuca’s takeaway as it’s almost as good. But when Kieran went to order he found they weren’t offering delivery like they usually do. So we settled for Dominoes, which was a good second choice. We all decided to be pigs and had large pizzas: pepperoni for Sam and half & half pizzas for Kieran and I. We shared potato wedges and cookies. We spent the afternoon watching the Chris and Rosie Ramsey show, Hit List, Ed Sheeran’s documentary The Sum Of It All, a little bit of Soccer Aid and an old Top Gear winter Olympics special.
Sadly, Monday had arrived and it was time for Sam to head home. It was really lovely to have her to stay. Kieran and I agree that she’s a very good house guest and it’d be rather quiet after she left. We’d had a pretty busy few weeks and hadn’t had much time just the two of us. It was very strange to be back in the flat just us. Sam, it was lovely to have you to stay with us. Thanks for the little adventures we had. It was great that the three of us were able to go and visit Imi. I enjoyed our games of scrabble and am glad you were able to help me eat the grapes. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
A5Ramblings 