Looks like i've stumbled across you guys yet again…what a fortunate situation! Here I am, back with a splendid new blog post for you all on this fine Saturday evening.
First of all, I hope you're all liking the new look for 'Ching ching, darlings!' ? - i'm still not completely sure if i'm honest. I wanted something more bright, uplifting and fresh to meet the eye on arrival to my blog page, so naturally, the current design seemed like a good idea at the time! The design may change again, actually, scrap that, the design will most definitely change again due to me and my OCD. Watch this space.
I hope you've all had a productive, enjoyable and above all, fabulous week. As we move into the middle of November (I know what you're thinking - where is the time going and to be frank, I don't bloody know), we see Christmas decorations going up around us as well as everyone starting to feel that pre-festive season buzz that's in the air! After an all-too drunk night out on Thursday as well as a late-night yesterday evening for me, it's safe to say tonight will be spent in my armchair with a blanket around me and a good old cup of tea! I am exhausted…not to mention the weather here in Stockholm this Saturday is truly vile - rain, rain and more rain. Hashtag not impressed.
So over this week i've been feeling a very mixed set of emotions - most of which have involved the classic homesickness bug that never fails to kick you in the stomach every now and again! Totally normal, but can be excruciatingly mind numbing and in general, just not pleasant. I'm sure each and every one of you can relate. Now when I say I'm feeling homesick this does not mean that i'm not having the most incredible time here in Sweden, because I truly am and would honestly not change anything about where I am just now for the world. However, it seems that the more I Skype my loved ones back home, see my dogs held up in front of the camera, think about times gone by with the bestie or hear a song that reminds me of back home, I can't help but just feel so darn excited to return to the promise land in December! The flag at the top of this post, i'm sure will give a good indication of where it is i'm actually from. You guessed right kiddywinkles! Great Britain. The land of tea, bangers and mash, tweed blazers, barbour jackets, hunter wellies, bagpipes, tea and crumpets as well as a good old scone with butter and jam! Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous.
I'm so proud to be British, yes you heard me, BRITISH. Not Scottish, not English, not Welsh, not Northern Irish, British. I love the monarchy, I love the people that make Britain what it is, I love the talent we produce and the tourist population we attract, I love our education system and the international outlook we're encouraged from a young age to adopt, I love the scenery, I love the student-life and god, so much more. This proudness I feel towards my home country is something that unfortunately, has taken me all too long to realise and truly appreciate, however, it's safe to say that i've made up for 'lost time' - if I can call it that. When I was in my early teenage years - you know, the times where the world hates you and you hate the world, the UK couldn't have seemed like a worse place to be. I hated everything about it - the people, the weather, school, everything. All I wanted to do was live in California and live the life you would see in High School Musical - where breaking out in spontaneous dancing and song was completely acceptable in the middle of the cafeteria…yeah because that's real! So yeah, safe to say I had an overactive imagination as a younger boy, and one in which couldn't see me getting out of the the UK quick enough! I know, right? Such a diva.
Now another thing many of you may be wondering is why did I decide to name this title what I did? Well, as I sat today in my tired and generally hungover state catching up with sleep and most importantly, Glee (don't judge!) - I witnessed the song 'Seasons of Love' from the broadway musical, rent being covered by the cast during the memorial episode to Cory Monteith (cried the whole way through FYI, I can't even talk about it..) and in this song the opening line is 'five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes.' It hit me like a bullet, this is exactly how I'm feeling about the UK at this moment in my life. It feels like i'm literally counting down the weeks, days, hours and minutes until I go home for the holidays. It therefore seemed like the naturally perfect title for this post to you all this evening, makes sense doesn't it?
By the way, I should probably say at this point that I don't really know where i'm going with this entry, hopefully somewhere good and it's one that y'all will enjoy reading! But for now i've got no clue as to what i'm really gonna say…so lets just sit back, enjoy the ride and see what happens, right? Sound good? Perfect! If you guys are happy, that makes two of us.
As I was saying, I bloody miss the UK. I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss the countryside, I miss the scenery, I miss the nightlife, I miss the atmosphere, I miss the culture and oh my god do I miss my dogs! I think there's something so irreplaceably brilliant about belonging in an environment and just feeling comfortable without actually realising this is happening - this is how I feel when i'm home in the UK. It's a place where you know, just, well, the little 'things' - how to dress for a night out, where the local store is, where's a good place to eat and grab coffee etc. You get my drift, right? Those 'insignificant' things I keep bringing up but are actually so important? Yeah, those.
Words cannot express my excitement to return home for the holiday season. I've got 21 days of incredible times ahead of me with the ones I love most. Christmas parties, ceilidhs, dinners, nights out, catch-ups, coffee dates, long walks along the beach with the dogs and my mother clinging onto my arm, cups of tea and pointless chat with my grandma, waking up with my babies (dogs, I do not own any children) under my arm in bed - moments in life that are just too special to put a price on. My levels of excitement make the trip unable to come quick enough. I know they always say 'oh yeah, don't wish your life away', but I would, without even thinking twice, wish away the rest of this month and into the next for December 17th to arrive.
I don't really know if there has been much of point to this post tonight, however, I just wanted to put some words onto paper about how much I really do love and miss everyone and everything about UK life. It's a love that has taken me a while to realise, but nonetheless, a love that will last forever. The cities, the countryside, the liberal outlook on life, the universities, the opportunities, the style, the culture, the monarchy, the accents, the dialects, the diversity. Everything. I love you Great Britain. I've never been more proud to call myself British or to call you my home country as I am now. I hope you miss me as much as I miss you. You have provided me, and will continue to provide me with, some of the best moments and memories in my lifetime.
Friends and family - you know who you are, I love and miss you all. SO MUCH.
I'll be back soon - batten down those hatches! (Oh, and get the champagne cooling in ice as well please, thanks!)
Speak soon guys - oh, and, wherever you're from, appreciate it while you still have the chance.
Much love.
L xo
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