After all This Time!

Next week marks the anniversary of my cousin Peter's death. It was his passing that sparked a renewed desire to force my presence into my remaining cousins' lives. I didn't want a phone call from me to a rare thing. Sometimes a phone call from a cousin you haven't heard from in years is the one that tells you that a beloved aunt has died. Whether or not I have news to impart, I didn't want to be the cousin they hadn't heard from in years.

I've spoken to a number of cousins throughout this past year and it has had great results!! This Thanksgiving weekend The Man of the Place and I were visited by my cousin Carey and her two sons, Zachary and Daniel! Carey and I haven't seen each other since high school!
Here is a picture of the two of us.

I picked the three of them up from Edinburgh Airport on Thanksgiving day at about 3.30. I recognised her immediately. She hasn't really changed much at all. She is taller and actually much prettier than I remembered. Because we live so far north and because it is winter, the sun was just setting. I had planned to take them to Edinburgh Castle straight from the airport. I don't know if that was such a hot idea, but I did it.
Daniel did like the fact that there were real red phone boxes on the streets. It was rainy and cold and the weather was very different from the weather they just left in Naples (Italy not Florida) a few hours ago.

To make certain that they were completely immersed in British culture, we stopped by a fish and chip shop on the way back to our place and ate the food with our fingers on the way home.

When we got home the cousins were introduced to our own resident teenager, George. I think they hit it off straight away. The Nintendo Wii and Mario Kart helped.Zachary, Daniel and George

I was pleased that the young ones were distracted by electronics. It allowed Carey and I to get caught up. We talked almost the entire time she was here.

On Friday I dragged them all over the countryside looking at stone circles and bits of Hadrian's wall (Cary and I at Hadrian's Wall) a mediaval church and then to a pub for lunch. Friday evening we had a big Thanksgiving dinner and afterwards Carey and I talked even more over a lovely bottle of Sicilian wine that she graciously brought with her from Italy.

Saturday everybody went to The Sadium of Light. We showed our visitors our brick (we always touch it for luck) and then watched Sunderland have their asses handed to them by Bolton Wanderers. Carey and Zack - just as we are sitting down.
Daniel and his new hero, George.There were about 35,000 people at the game. Sunderland supporters are loyal and will show up for the game even when the team has lost the last four games. The final score of the game was Sunderland 0 - Bolton Wanderers 4. It was freezing cold too. I'm pleased that Carey bought souvnir scarves for herself and her boys.

Despite the crushing defeat, we actually had a good time. It would have been better if we had won, but that wasn't on the cards. The park and ride buses were double decker busses and another great source of fun!

I had forgotten to plan dinner on Saturday night after the game so it was take out pizza all around. The boys ate pizza and watched Sean of the Dead. Julio has seen it before.

I will be going over to Naples to visit Carey and the boys with or without my family as soon as I can.