Summer update...

Dear oh dear, I have slipped up. I somehow did not post anything in June so now I owe an even bigger update!

In May, there was the visit to Udonthani. To be honest, this was a wash out since it did nothing but rain solidly for the whole time we were there. We did a lot of eating and drinking and that was about it.

In June, I went to the UK. The primary reason for going to the UK was for my friend Lindsay Mennell's wedding. I was Maid of Honour and was thrilled to bits to be a part of the wedding and to see so many people that I had not seen in so long. Here we are... bridesmaids and groomsmen together. We were quite the team!

Ok, so the weather looks not so bad in that photo but honestly, it did rain a lot. Here are the photos to prove that despite it being June, the British are not having a 'summer' this year! 14 degrees in June... eh?!

My Dad's car thermometer (sorry i can't rotate the photo!)

From Phuket to UK in June - wrap up warm!!

Unfortunately due to being so wrapped up in the moment, I can't provide you with a photo of the Bride but believe me, she looked absolutely stunning! Hopefully some photos will get to me soon and I can let you all see.

Other highlights of my visit back to UK included watching the Euro 2012 Football Tournament with my Dad and while that might sound like a perfectly normal thing, anybody that knows my Dad will know that he HATES football with a passion. To prove it happened, I took photos (see below)... turns out he had recently bought a new TV and LG were offering 10 GBP refund on any goal that England scored. I think he got 50 quid back in the end! I was just happy it meant that I could watch the games and Sue (his girlfriend) even provided us with pie, peas and a pint! Happy days.

Me at my Dad's house with pie, peas and a pint!

Pie, Chips, Peas and the England match!

Also I was back in the UK for June 17th 2012 which was special to me for two reasons; firstly it was the first Father's Day I had been able to spend with my Dad in many years and secondly, I was taking part in the Cancer Research UK's Run For Life campaign at Lister Park in Bradford.

Me before the Cancer Research UK Run For Life 5km

Everybody gave it their all - really great!

And after all that running, it was time for a treat. I planned to take Dad to Harewood House for the Car Show but that was postponed due to rain so I took him to Betty's Tea Rooms in Harrogate instead. He had never been before so at almost 65 years old I introduced him to a proper cuppa and a scone!

Betty's Tearooms, Harrogate

I only had a few days more in Yorkshire... Spent some quality time with my Mum and she treated me to my fix of fish n'chips with my 'little' brother. I use inverted commas because I can hardly call him LITTLE anymore. Look...

Me and my not so little brother!

My UK trip left me with mixed emotions. I really noticed that the UK itself is struggling financially like I have never seen before - a lot of good pubs have closed down, tons of empty offices for let and even one of the biggest banks in my town was boarded up. Everything was really rather raggy... even finding decent fresh vegetables in the supermarket at one point proved a challenge. It seems that the type of thing to thrive in times of crisis in the UK is cafes and sandwich shops - they were everywhere and always had people in them! Another thing to lift the mood of anyone visiting the UK right now is the whole 'British' fever - the Union flag was being flown everywhere with the London Olympics coming up and 2012 being the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Year. It was awesome! Even the cereals boxes, tins, packets etc in the supermarkets were all jazzed up with the Union Flag and you could buy some brilliant Union Flag cookies/cakes in all the bakeries. I loved that. To return home and see all the Britishness and people genuinely proud to be British, along with everything that is deemed British. Great.

For me, my family are in the UK. I can never hate going back to the UK because each time I go back, I spend time with my family and even if I am 6000 miles away most of the time, it does not mean I am trying to avoid them! This makes every moment I spend in the UK all the more special... although it makes me feel incredibly guilty when I have to leave. I just have to remember that in reality, the UK has nothing to offer me at this time in my life in terms of my career and my prospects. I can't live there just because that is where my family are. I would be miserable! If I have to move back to Europe, I think I will choose somewhere with better weather too - 2 days in England and my nose was streaming and I felt dreadful which made me decide I am actually allergic to the UK. Ha!

More of the mixed emotions came from one person I had left behind in Phuket. In over 8 years, I have never been this far from Mik for so long. It was strange to see my family, some of my closest friends and of course have Lindsay's wedding without Mik being by my side. You live and you learn... Now back to where my heart really is... Phuket...

Mik and I back on the road in the sunshine