Abi's Deep Dive

This year was a big one for my brother Jon who turned 60. Last year we were talking about the party he was going to have and I couldn’t wait to be there and meet all of his friends. It didn’t occur to me until a few weeks before I left for Mexico that I wouldn’t be home for it. Jon of course understood, and I couldn’t even think about planning a trip back to the UK when my contract was only for a year. Any holiday would be spent exploring Mexico or nearby countries and making the most of being based on the other side of the world.

Skip forward to the beginning of the year, Lily my niece was planning the party, my contract had been extended, and an idea started to form. I hadn’t taken any holiday since I had been in Mexico, I was no longer moving back in the summer and I missed my friends and family. A trip home was definitely possible! Lily agreed to keep a bedroom free so I could stay in Woolacombe the weekend of the party, Catherine’s lovely son offered his bedroom for the rest of the time in Devon and so I was set! I wanted to surprise Jon so only a few people knew I was coming back, and nothing went on social media. Flights and train tickets were booked and soon enough my adventure home began.

I landed at Gatwick and caught a train from the airport to meet my gorgeous boy Ben. Seeing him for the first time in months was wonderful. I miss him so much. I hadn’t slept for over 24 hours but I didn’t want to miss a moment with him. Ben has moved into a new flat since I left the UK so I got to see the new pad and meet his lovely house mates Tallulah and Sacha, and of course the pooch Byron. The sun was out when we got back to the flat so after a tequila we went for a walk to Hampstead Heath. The sun was out and people were sunbathing, but a combination of being tired and the temperature not being close to what I have become used to, kept me in my jeans and hoodie. I had a couple of days staying with Ben, and I made the most of being in the city and explored around the little chain of coffee shops in which Ben works: The Colombian Coffee Company @ethicalcaffeine.

Ben had arranged for my sun and sea damaged hair to have some TLC at Vidal Sassoon on Greek Street Soho, so while he worked his shift the gorgeous Paula from Spain and I chatted away while she cut away the split ends making me look much more presentable. The staff in the hairdresser were all lovely; it’s a big salon with stylists from all over the world, and I thoroughly recommend Paula for a cut. She is absolutely gorgeous as well as being kind, funny and very entertaining. We had a real laugh about her observations of living in the UK, and lots of comparisons about the Spanish spoken in different countries. I had a great time being styled by Paula and Sam, me telling tales about Mexico, them reminding me what life is like in London. It was such a treat! After a couple of days with Ben I packed up ready for the next leg of my UK tour. Ben walked me to the train station for my journey down to the New Forest to stay with my Dad and Stepmum, of course I cried, he was practical, but I would be back before I flew back to Mexico. I had used Trip.com to book trains in advance for my visit and had managed to get a bargain first class ticket for under £20 from London to Christchurch, so I settled in to my very comfortable seat, with my bag on the seat next to me and a table to myself, and wrote my blog post about Cozumel. My sister was on her way from Cardiff and the plan was that she would get on my train when it stopped in Southampton. I was looking forward to a catch up with Jess, I hadn’t seen her since June 2023 and we both had a sneaky bottle of something to share on the journey. Unfortunately train delays for Jess in Bristol prevented our pre drinks, so instead when I finished my blog I revised the fish that we monitor in Mexico, and tried to prepare for the exams I need to take to help with the science back on base.

The train pulled into Christchurch on time and I saw Marion waiting on the platform for me, I hefted my rucksack onto my back and gathered everything together to begin my second stop of the home tour. I felt really emotional to see Marion and Dad after 10 months, in fact writing this now is bringing tears to my eyes. We are so busy on base in Mexico that although of course I miss my family and friends and sometimes I feel overwhelmingly home sick, most of the time I am caught up in the day to day activities and just enjoying my time there. It’s also hard to talk to people rather than message because of the time difference and the fact that I work long hours. Hugging them both was wonderful and I felt very lucky to have some time with them both. Elsa the big black flatcoat was of course also in the car and when she realised she knew me she gave me lots of wiggles and love. She has always done this thing where she tugs my sleeve or bracelets to get me to play tug of war, and despite the time that had passed she remembered and gave my coat sleeve a little tug. She is wonderful and for my time there was a fairly constant companion to snuggle up to and play with.

As is a Mandeville norm we went straight to a pub! We had to wait near the station for Jess to arrive so we chatted over a drink watching our phones so that we didn’t miss the message to let us know she was arriving. it felt so good (if a little cold) to be back. We collected Jess and then headed back to Dad’s lovely house. I always love staying there, they have a beautiful garden, and are within the New Forest boundaries so it’s really peaceful and you see the ponies grazing all around. There were foals and fillies everywhere, and despite having been there so many times over the years I still love seeing the new babies finding their feet. Jess and I helped with a few jobs in the garden over our stay and we had fabulous food, walks, wine and whisky. It was good to catch up, and find out there is a new little baby who is due to arrive in the family! Marion is an incredible knitter and made a little cardigan and a beautiful baby blanket during my stay. She astounds me with the speed in which she can create these masterpieces while joining our conversation: multitasking champion! It wasn’t very warm while I was there and my lovely Dad lent me a jumper and lit the fire in the evenings to stop me shivering.

I had a wonderful time in the New Forest, it’s a beautiful area to visit anyway, but so good to have time to catch up with my family and tell them about my new life. I started a lot of stories with “In Mexico….” as if they need a reminder that I am here. Too soon I was moving on again, but the day I was traveling to Devon we met Marion’s lovely brother and sister in law (Mike and Nora) in Topsham Devon. It was a miserable day. I was so cold and it was raining hard, we drove around tiny roads trying to find a pub we had agreed as a meeting place; winding streets with cottages and stone walls, awful for driving but a lovely reminder of Englands charm. We found the pub: flagstone floors, low ceilings, a fire (unfortunately not lit) rain pelting the window and then Mike and Nora arrived. We had a really lovely time. We can always talk for hours, and we did. It was wonderful to see them both and the lunch was delicious! We said teary (me) goodbyes, and then jumped back in the car for Dad and Marion to drop me to Exeter train station to complete the next bit of the journey. Removing my bags from the car I had no idea when I would see them again, and yes I cried, there’s a theme. The hardest thing for me about living away is the time I miss with my Dad. Ben has his own busy life and it was always hard to pin him down for a few days, but Dad and Marion and I regularly had 4 or 5 days together either in the New forest or in North Devon. We would catch up, eat good food and drink wine, walk the dog and be comfortable in each others company. I miss that. For now though it was big hugs and a wave and I was off to the platform to wait for the train to North Devon to catch up with friends and finally meet my lovely tenants (who were kind enough to agree in advance to let me get some extra clothes out of my loft for my stay!!)

A short train journey and I was back to Barnstaple and the best welcome!!

It was so lovely to see Rufus, Jax and Ernie, Catherine had driven the kids over with Ludo the dog to meet me. Ludo was chasing after the kids not paying me any attention, then suddenly she realised it was me and started squeaking and came to me for some attention. The gang was back together!!

I was in Appledore for a couple of days then it was time to head to Woolacombe to see my brother. Catherine and I went to Woolacombe and crept up the garden to get to the balcony while Jon wasn’t in the house. Lily did a great job at making sure he was in the front of the house as we were heading up at the back. His brother from another mother had also flown back from L.A., Seb is a champion mixologist so it wasn’t long before we had a drink, and then we waited for Jono to come out. It took him a minute to say hi to everyone before he saw me tucked away in the corner, and then I got the biggest hug. I was so glad I had been able to make it back and surprise him. The weekend in Woolacombe was great, there was a big birthday party and then the next day was filled with different people popping into to eat more yummy food, raise a glass to my brother and chat. 2 days wasn’t long enough, but the look on Jons face when he saw me makes me smile every time I think about it.

I was feeling pretty tired after the weekend so when I got back to Appledore I got an early night, I woke up in the early hours feeling grotty. A cold had hit. I had a sore throat, runny nose and felt exhausted. There were so many people I had hoped to see, but honestly I just wanted to sleep! I had the necessary appointments like dentist, nurse, opticians but apart from that I didn’t go far for a few days. Jane came over and kept me company, it was so great to see her and hear about her new plans for work, I have missed our chats. Bec and Clare who I worked with and who had covered me when I took my initial trip as a volunteer to Mexico also came over for a lovely catch up. I really do have the best friends.

I had seen while I was away that a smokehouse had opened up in North Devon so that weekend we headed there for food. It was a meat feast with slow cooked pork, brisket and more and all of the sides. Delicious!! Other like minded friends had had the same idea, so I had a great time catching up with people I really didn’t think I would see, and I got to see Jo’s new camper van, very swanky!!! I love Mexican food, but it really is the same set of ingredients just in slightly different combinations for most meals, so being home and having access to so many different ingredients and restaurants was such a treat!!

The next afternoon Catherine had planned wine tasting at a new vineyard in Saunton. The lovely Barbs and Colin gave us a lift out there, Jon and Carol joined us and we had a very entertaining few hours being shown the vineyard by a guy who gave us hilarious insights into his slightly chaotic wine production and love life. The wine wasn’t my favorite but the afternoon was great, Catherine really pulled out the stops for my stay, and the afternoon drinking wine in a field in North Devon laughing with my friend and family really highlighted what I am missing in Mexico. The rest of my time in North Devon passed in much the same way, good food, a fab breakfast with Barbs and Colin, lots of drinks (mainly me), cooking with the kids and some beach walks. The final supper was at Mill Street Brasserie with an amazing bunch of ladies who have all had some really tough times, but consistently lift each other up. A couple of them are going through some difficult transitions at the moment and the encouragement, love and support that was offered to them was wonderful. They all messaged afterwards saying what an inspiring and supportive group we are, and it was lovely to see people who haven’t necessarily known each other that well, share stories, advice and love. I am very grateful for the friends I have.

My final journey in the UK was back to London for one more night with Ben before I flew back.

Ben was working in Soho on the day I went back and Flat Iron Square the next day so I got to have a bit more of a look around. I braved London transport and had a lovely time wandering around. The day I spent near Borough market was great as there was a South American street festival going on with stalls and a music stage. I missed Mexican food, and a restaurant really close to the coffee shop was selling tacos so I satisfied the itch with Tacos Al Pastor and a glass of wine! Good wine isn’t commonly available with food in Puerto Morelos unless you are in the more touristy areas, so the experience was magical. I savoured the flavours and soaked up the festival atmosphere with the sun almost breaking through, my coat on, and a Peruvian band playing. When Ben finished work we browsed the market before heading back to his house. Drinking tequila with Ben and Sacha the night before I left again was a memory I treasure.

As quickly as that the visit was over and I was on my way to Gatwick for the night before an early morning check in. I had prebooked into an airport lounge so had a nice couple of hours having breakfast and watching Netflix. The flight was full of people going to Cancun on their holiday, I was next to a mum who had lots of health problems and her adult son who was wonderful, we chatted for awhile and he shared his sweets until they both went to sleep. She was extremely overweight and blind and he squashed up against her for the whole flight so that he didn’t disturb me. They were going away on a family holiday with a few people who were further back on the plane but by the time we arrived in Cancun she was in tears and he was speaking through gritted teeth so I hope they enjoyed their time away a bit more than they enjoyed the flight!

Every time I have landed in Cancun airport there has been a queue to get through passport control, and this time several planes arrived at the same time. It took ages! I then had all of my bags searched, they pulled absolutely everything out and scrutinised the whisky that dad had put into a plastic water bottle which just looked like a urine sample. Neither that or my dads chutney got me in trouble though, so I repacked my bag and headed out into the sunshine for my ride!