It amazing how I seemed to settle back into life in the UK and totally adjust to all the differences, didn’t even feel much of the cold this time, although I did miss the big freeze! Landed in Manchester airport to a few piles of snow around but relatively balmy weather! For 6 weeks, I enjoyed the cold like a person who knew deep down that it wouldn’t be for very long! Same with food. I was a total pig, there are large areas of Cheshire that have disappeared as I ate everything in sight! Oh and drunk some lovely wine (from a bottle!) and sampled various spirits too. 
Mum and Tony picked me up from the airport on 29th December and drove me straight to their house where a belated Chrimbo dinner was waiting, even complete with pudding, brandy butter, crackers and mince pies. New year was spent at my sisters, great fun and not so quietly!
So I settled quickly and well back at home but SHOPs – they still freak me out. There is so much STUFF everywhere and so much of it not essential but rather desirable, 87 different kinds of cheese in one place for example!!! I was also amazed at the size of my own house, after living in 1 room for 10 months and how everything in the house actually works! The VSO returned volunteer coordinator (yes there is such a job in existence) kept trying to contact me to see how I was managed. Apparently lots of people have real trouble ‘re-settling’ January passed quickly and slowly at the same time. I had a few days at Cawood Castle 
(http://bookings.landmarktrust.org.uk/BuildingDetails/Overview/154/Cawood_Castle#) in Yorkshire with Rosie and there is was COLD! Check out the Landmark Trust for interesting and quirky places to stay in the UK. We may be staying in grand, historical surroundings, but spent more money on wood and coal than food and drink! That’s saying something when the Green sisters get together!!! Sat in the rather grand surroundings of the castle, I wrote a couple of job applications, both for which I was shortlisted for. 2nd week in January I popped down to London for an interview and to catch up with my lovely uni friends and especially meet Cecily, Lucy and John’s latest little babe only a few weeks old. Tried to steal her but Lucy was holding firmly onto her when she waved me goodbye at Dulwich station! I also managed to meet up with old friends from Liverpool, Sheffield and a few other places, have a pamper day at my house, do 3 fundraising talks for the Wellbodi Partnership, raising about £700, go walking, babysitting for my god daughter, become a lady who lunches with several friends, go to a school reunion (yes school, people I hadn’t seen since the early 80’s!!!), have my eyes and teeth checked, reload on medication for Africa, spend time with my family, go and see Scuzzy in Chipping Norton with his adopted parents (P &L)...oh and get a job! Yes an actual paid job for 6 months starting on 1st feb and due to start work and fly back to Freetown on 11th Feb. 
Finally I forgot the weeks holiday in the Lakes (www.seasonsholidays.com/whitbarrowvillage/index.html) but cant post any photos as my camera has been stolen/lost before I had uploaded them! The week in the north lakes was wonderful, lots of walking around Derwent Water and Catbells and catching up with the friends who made the journey up the M6 to stop a few days. I really enjoyed those days, even my Mum and Gran came.
So... January was a little busy but there was plenty of time for lying on my favourite sofa and watching files under a blanket.... The photos are from Macclesfield plus some of the places I stayed.
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