This one’s a big one, so buckle up. Last year, I made a pretty bold statement, that 2022 was going to be so much different in my life, that it would be a year of; out with the old, in with the new, and, would, essentially, be one of the biggest years of my life. That is a pretty bold statement, so much so, I made this sentence bold. But, what’s incredible, is that, it’s sure delivered, and that’s down to one thing.

That, of course, wasn’t all that happened this year, but, it certainly was the highlight, and, of course, the focus, throughout. So, let’s get to it, with the biggest, and longest, section of my blog, so far, Hannah, coming to the UK.

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Welcome to the UK, Hannah

In January, I spoke of it being ‘end of an era’, and, that the start of the next chapter of my life, was beginning. I was very vague back then, but, things became a lot clearer in March, when I announced that I had, not only, been to the Philippines, but also, to meet, easily, the most important, and significant, person in my entire life, Hannah. At the time, I’d known Hannah for over a year, but never actually met to let anything grow, at least, officially. That, of course, changed then. Our relationship grew, and I knew everything was on the right path when I saw her again, in May and June, though, granted, I was quite late at covering it in a blog, as I was nervously waiting on preparation for, what’s about to be covered here, the most significant moment in our relationship so far; Hannah in the UK for many weeks, and, solidifying, even further, our future.

The long and winding journey here, VISAs are … fun

History lesson over, how did we get here? Well, one of the biggest things I did back in June with Hannah was pop the question … no, not that question, but, the one as to, whether she would be willing to do, what I’d done twice before, at that point; to travel across the world and spend time with me, here in the UK. This, however, was even more significant, as this is where, I’m hoping, our future will be too. So, as you can imagine, it was pretty huge that she was willing to, but, that was just the start.

Despite the fact the UK is basically letting anyone in to the country, if you come via a dingy illegally, … don’t get me started on how pathetic that is… despite that, it’s actually a rather annoying process getting to the UK, legally, both financially, and, just getting through the processes of VISAs; general immigration really. One of the benefits of the UK, is that we can essentially visit over 100 locations worldwide, without a VISA, this isn’t the case, however, for most locations doing the other way around. The biggest problem with VISAs, is the dreaded wait for it to be approved. This was the main reason why I didn’t post my last blog, until really late, to not jinx it. But, the second I got the News that it was approved, I was literally over the moon! Obviously, there was no reason why it wouldn’t, but you always over-worry. Of course, if it was literally, anyone else, I couldn’t really give a sh** about the potential of it not, or, anything in between, but, this is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, and, this is the first step to that dream becoming, not only, more possible, but true. But, let’s all sigh loudly, it’s approved, let’s go!

The Flights and the wait in the Airport

Like me, Hannah would be travelling here via Qatar Airways, and, would be transiting through Doha, until her final arrival at Manchester Airport. Then, obviously, the mirror back to Cebu. The difference, this time around, I’m completely out of control of anything at this point, so, I’m naturally completely worried about her every single step of the way. This wasn’t helped by the fact that, as much as I’d requested updates from each place, those were, less than forthcoming, but, to be fair, it’s not always easy to communicate, especially when she’s a phone that didn’t work on Qatar or UK cellular bands. Though, that last point, was something which would be fixed when she was here.

This wasn’t of course without drama, spelling her name slightly wrong, when booking the Flight, my bad. This certainly didn’t help the nerves throughout the journey, especially as it was a last minute rush, over the phone, to get the spelling corrected. Then, of course I’d to, for some reason, provide my information to allow her to fly. Was all a bit weird, but, when she was in the air, she was on her way, and, when she was confirmed to be flying from Doha to the UK, I took a very excited sleep, all ready to wake up for the big day.

The pick up, to “It’s actually not that cold her…..OMG it’s freezing!!!” 🤣

Now that Hannah had landed in the UK, it was the wait for her to arrive … the very … long wait for her to arrive. Long to the point of being, somewhat suspicious, building up those worries, even further, this was not what I needed. This is when I got extremely worried, then eventually, out of the blue, I got a phone call from an unknown number, something I’d, never normally answer, but, it’s a good job I did, as it was UK Border Force. We spoke about Hannah, confirmed who she is, where she’s staying and, thankfully, after that, she was finally out. Then, all that was left, was the moment I’d needed the most, we were together again!

One of the most beautiful moments, aside from Hannah herself ‘sanaol’, was confirming one of the biggest concerns about Hannah coming here, the temperature. I’d, deliberately, chosen Hannah to come at this time of the year to see whether she could deal with the temperatures here, on a permanent basis, but, even so, this was still gold. Whilst leaving the Airport, she turned to me going, you know what, it’s actually not that cold here … whilst momentarily the automatic doors opened revealing the true outdoor temperature where she instantly changed her tone to … “OMG it’s soooo colllddddd” 😂 quite the moment.

Then came a slight surprise, for Hannah. The original plan was that I would go to the Airport, pick her up, then we’d take the Train back, plus, a final bus. However, due to the UK being a bunch of moaning morons that want communist lockdowns which were guaranteed to ruin the economy which were never going to work against a virus which was never that fatal, then complain that those communist lockdowns ruined the economy, then have the extra cheek to request more money they don’t deserve so go on strike; … we thought it best to not risk the Trains on the day to get home. So, instead, I was taken to the Airport by my Dad, and, it was from there where we were both taken home, too. Hannah was so shy, that she never took off her Mask, until we got home, I was like, seriously, take it off, we’re not stupid and require those here!

Welcome to the UK, Hannah

After the journey back was done, there she was, here, in the UK, a moment which, truly, felt surreal, at the time, and, looking back, it still does, almost like a dream, but, it really happened. After showing Hannah around the house, like a pitiful low-budget MTV Cribs remake, it was clear to see, at this point, that jet-lag was kicking in, and, she just wanted a rest. But, you know, quite honestly, this was perfect for me. I’d been wanting to just hold Hannah close, making the most of the fact she was here, and then, begin what would become, inevitably, one of the most incredible few weeks of my entire life!

Though, she constantly denies it, for some reason, one thing that was extra confirmed during this visit, was that Hannah is very very shy, it’s actually really adorable. This shyness was confirmed when she met my family, but, despite some, awkward beginnings, in the end, they all absolutely love her, which makes sense, as she’s the kind of person you can’t not like. Granted, she also can be sometimes incredibly annoying, though, that’s only with me. My family were then, pretty much, forced, in to a Photo session with Hannah, managing to convince my Mum and Dad, surprisingly, to take a Photo, as well as, later on, my sisters and the kids. Though, unlike when I was meeting people with Hannah, in the Philippines, I was, at least kind, enough not to force her in to a massive group all-at-once, I was more nice as to do 1-3 at a time, a lot more easier to cope. I’m really happy, though, that my family love her, and, that she was accepted here so well, too. This was the extra bonus I truly needed to see.

Cleck, and having a look around

Once Hannah had a bit of a rest, she was ready to explore the great outdoors and walk around the Town, which would be home, for the weeks she was staying here, Cleck. It’s certainly not the most exciting place in the world, but, one thing Hannah noticed straight away, certainly compared to her home, was just how peaceful of a Town it really is, and, the UK in general. She seemed fairly happy with the place, too.

At this point, I think we were both still in complete elation, that we were even actually together here, which was, honestly, just such an amazing feeling, even if all I was doing was just showing my world to Hannah. It was, evermore, rewarding, though, as she seemed to be really enjoying herself here. On the many trips around, Hannah discovered she loves British Strawberries, she loves British Milk, and, even, prefers our Spam, amongst other things! To be honest, despite some initial stubbornness, she actually likes quite a lot of British food … but, we’ll get to that more later on. We had a quick shop around Tesco to get some Food for Hannah, whilst she was already in Town, at this point. We’d already had the memo that, everything, is with Rice, so, this was more for getting the main courses, which, actually, she was fairly spoilt for choice, which is a very good thing.

After all that, we got back home and just had a quiet night in. At this point, she was still a bit shy to my family, but, this was early days yet. Together, though, we were having such a laugh, everything was feeling incredible, and, the high was intoxicating, never wanted the feeling to end really.

We did, however, have quite a number of things that needed sorting out, as soon as Hannah arrived in the UK, so, those were the main focus of the day for what was the first Monday here, so, it was off to, what would be quite a few trips, to Leeds.

First visit to Leeds; Visa frustrations and more

The first trip to Leeds with Hannah was more of a get sh** done rather than anything else. We’d objectives to fill, and quite the list. Top of the list, Hannah’s Visa, but, this needs a bit of backstory;

This is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with the whole Visa process, and, whilst it was great it got approved for 2 years, everywhere online seemed to suggest that you must collect biometrics, in the UK, in less than 10 days prior to your arrival! So, as you can imagine, this was pretty much task #1 to complete. However, following a visit to a Post Office, a specific branch that deals with these, things were quickly beginning to look a bit weird. We should have been told where it is, we weren’t. We should have had a letter from UK Immigration, we hadn’t. So, as you can imagine, I was getting a bit stressed. Especially, when failure to collect such, has the potential penalty of, essentially, being kicked out of the country, something I was, obviously, very scared off, for two reasons; one, obviously losing Hannah, but, two, this would show as a bad record, and, of course, could hinder any future applications for her to come here, and to live. 

A relieving phone call

When we came home from the trip to Leeds, I focused the day after on figuring this out, once and for all, so I went straight to the horses mouth, phoning UK Immigration. Hilariously, and pitifully, it’s £5 per call. No really, it’s £5 per call, THEN charges per minute, wild. To make that even more annoying, 3 attempts didn’t even get through, so, obviously, now we were thinking this is just great, I’m gonna be charged essentially £20 if I try again, yet, we’ve got nowhere! Thankfully, it turns out you only get charged when the call actually connects, still a fiver though.

When I finally got through, I explained my situation to the Handler to find that they were fairly confused. I was already confused, so I restated our position. In the end, the crazy thing was, that I was, essentially told that, no, you don’t need to get biometrics here, you don’t need to worry about the 10 days at all, because that’s only for people with citizenship, and, longer than 6 month individual visits. Now, sure, this was obviously a big relief to hear, but, can I just say; NOWHERE TELLS YOU THIS. This was very frustrating, as we’d literally wasted an entire day stressing over this for no reason. But, that’s that, I guess.

Fixing Hannah’s phone

The Visa wasn’t the only reason we went to Leeds, the second was to fix Hannah’s iPhone 11, which she beautifully managed to break in the Philippines by, essentially, blowing the thing up … no really. The suspicion is that the Travel adapter, she was using for it, basically, shorted the iPhone battery after some instability in the electrics. We suspect if she had a Regional Plug, it would have prevented that getting to the phone, similar to how the UK Plugs operate with a Fuse. The feeling generally was that, it was, basically f***ed, but, I still thought it was best to get, the Apple side, of the story.

Unfortunately, because everything was going wrong that day, no one was available to see, which was, helpful. So, we were kind of left with nothing.

Well, I’d basically had enough, at this point, of the way this day was going, this was not the way, or mood, I wanted the experience, for Hannah, here to be. So, as I’d already, kind of, convinced myself, that the iPhone was buggered, I, basically, decided to just go all-out to make the day, a bit, better. 

So, we headed back in the Apple Store, and, I let Hannah have a look at some iPhones, essentially, saying, which do you like? In the end, I ended up purchasing Hannah an iPhone 12, in Purple, a MagSafe Charger, an Apple official Plug for use in the Philippines; Essentially, I was covering all bases possible, to make sure this wouldn’t happen again.

I’ve, personally, never used them, but we did get Hannah a screen protector for it, a few days later, in Cleck, as well a case for the back. Hannah seemed, obviously, pleased with the phone, and used it in pretty much all situations, including an awkwardness of photos whilst trying to get a haircut. But, we’ll get to all that later.

Jollibee UK

When in the Philippines in March, Hannah introduced me to the world of Jollibee, a fast food restaurant from the Philippines. As many will know, I’m not exactly an exotic eater, I eat the basics and little much after, so it was a relief that Jollibee sold, not only, Fries, but, some very decent Hotdogs under the Jolly Hotdog brand. The only slight issue, was the ignored requests to not put spaghetti and sauce on them, for me. It was also helpful that Jollibee was cheap as chips, very affordable.

Jollibee was not in the UK when I visited the Philippines, but, creepily, it arrived in the UK almost as soon as I arrived home. I’ve heard of people saying, oo you’ve brought the weather with you, but, never, ooh look at you bringing a Fast Food Restaurant with you. But, that’s how it is. The benefit of Jollibee being here, of course, is it allowed Hannah to have some familiarity when she visited the UK, so, naturally, on that same Leeds trip (and … every other after), we did pop in.

It’s fair to say things are a lot more expensive over here, but, you expect that with inflation. I will say that Jollibee in the UK is not as nice as Jollibee in the Philippines, the Hotdogs are literally £2.99, for comparison it’s ₱47 in the Philippines (equivalent of 69p), and, I’ll be honest, are a bit disappointing, but they’re OK. Hannah said the same about the chicken and spaghetti she had. But, it was somewhere to go and good enough.

But, Jollibee over, we headed back home with Hannah’s new phone, and awaited the first of the big days out together.

Trip to Bridlington with the family

One of the promises I’d made to Hannah was that we would go to the Seaside in the UK and see some UK beaches. On the first week Hannah was here, my family were all available, and, able to transport us places. This really helped to go places normally which would have been a bit more difficult, and to kick things off, we ended up having a day out to Bridlington with me and my parents.

Once we arrived, it was clear that the weather wasn’t behaving, too well, and, it also turned out that Hannah had a bit of a cough which wasn’t going away. So, first thing was to get Hannah some medicine to help her feel a bit better. Thankfully, it kicked in straight away, and, she was better for the rest of the day, which was huge relief. Then, it was time to discover Bridlington, but first, something to eat.

Fish and Chips, then time to ourselves

What’s the one meal which is probably the most English meal you can have, of course, it’s Fish and Chips. It was finally time for Hannah to experience some seaside Fish and Chips, but, not just any Fish and Chips, ones which my Dad considers the cream-of-the-crop. Personally, I thought the Fish was very delicious, though the Chips were, whilst huge, a bit disappointing. Hannah was agreeing with the Fish, which was the main thing for her to experience as in the Philippines you can’t get a Fish without its eye still on. So, overall, we all had a great meal, bit of a drink and then it was time to explore Bridlington itself!

As Hannah was still very shy with everyone at this time, we all did have a look around the, incredibly windy, Bridlington sights. It was so windy, that it was almost impossible for Hannah to even stand up near a lighthouse (making photos quite risky to take on higher grounds). We eventually, though, went our separate ways, and, spent some time with just me and Hannah, whilst my Mum and Dad, did the same.

Whilst their was plenty of rides still open, plenty of sights to see and things to do, obviously, with it not being the Summer season, some things were not open or available as much, this was expected, but, we were still able to spend some time on the beach together, and, of course, look around the Town and seaside areas, which was amazing to finally get to share with Hannah. Surprisingly, and oddly, we found someone dressed up as a Pikachu which was very random, Hannah took a photo next to it to remember the moment. This, though, wouldn’t be her last photo next to characters from TV hahah, but that’s not until the near end.

I also had an opportunity to give Hannah a hint of the British holiday experience, she wasn’t a fan of fresh doughnuts though (whaaaattt, I know she’s crazy), but we went to the amusements, experienced the mystical joy of the 2p machines, their was a dance machine but Hannah got too embarrassed and shy to dance on it, and to cap it all off in those amusements we got a photo print of us printed out…. though admittedly embarrassed myself by walking all the way to counter asking where is the photo we just took, to then have someone come back and look straight at the bottom, where it SAID it would be, and …it being… there, awkward hahah.

Of course in pure Hannah fashion, a trip isn’t a trip without souvenirs and Hannah got quite the collection of Bridlington stuff, which would be amazing to bring back to the Philippines and show her family, wouldn’t it … yes, it would. Unfortunately, she managed to later, somehow, lose them all. Ahhh, not the first thing Hannah would lose during this visit, but at the end of the day, I suppose, this isn’t that big of a deal.

A coffee with 25 sugars please… what? 😄

Once we’d had a good look around Bridlington, the beach, the souvenirs, the amusements, the laughs together, also a random moment of photos within an Hotel area too, it was then time to reunite with my parents for the last part of the day. But, not until Hannah had the chance to get a drink at a Café where she asked for a Coffee. As is par for the course, the man behind asked if she wanted some Sugar, and, how much Hannah would want, to which she said … 25 please, to which they went, what!? Thankfully, this error was corrected and I believe she won’t be doing that again. I can only assume they ask for it in grams in the Philippines? I dunno. But, was a funny moment.

Final moments in Brid

Once we were all back in our group, it was time for the final parts of the day, which started with a Toilet break. On the way, was showing Hannah around, seeing all the boats in the port around Bridlington, and Hannah even met one of the most British things of the British seaside, the Train that’s a van dressed like a train that takes you across the beach front! Can’t beat that thing.

We had a bit of a walk further down to parts of Brid we’d not seen yet, and, thoughts of a seaside Hotdog came to my mind, so we ended up walking down the Beach with everyone, whilst my Mum and Dad demonstrated their dreadful Camera skills snapshotting the sea. We then got to a small take out, I, then, also, had, what can only be described, as the world’s most expensive, and, disappointing, Hotdog, I’ve ever had in my entire life, it was sooo bad!

Then, it was the end of the day and time to go back to our home. We had some chance to talk about the day, which, honestly, was amazing spending time with Hannah, I was really happy that Hannah enjoyed herself so much too, as, that’s what’s most important to me! We saw a sign to Scarborough on the way back, and I promised that we would go there together when we can too, perhaps even for a weekend there, if the weather behaved.

Whilst, I enjoyed the day out with Hannah, the only thing that made it not as perfect as the days following the first few, was Hannah just getting used to everyone, but, other than that, nothing beats spending time with each other. Plus, those minor teething issues, were to be expected and certainly would go away, in time.

Quick haircut and case

After the trip to Bridlington, it became pretty obvious that I was in dire need of a haircut. To be fair, Hannah had told me that she wanted to see me with my mop on … that, quickly changed, though.

It was rather convenient as Hannah was being very over protective of her phone, and, I kind of knew it wasn’t going to last forever, so thought it was time to get Hannah a case for her phone and screen protector. The first phone shop we went to was, literally, useless, but the second one thankfully had a decent matching Case for her phone (once we figured out how to make it more see-through), as well as a screen protector, sorted.

It was rather slow, as always, getting the haircut, so, Hannah quickly got bored, so the point where, as I mentioned earlier, she was taking a photo of me, equally, bored, waiting… she then decided to eat the Strawberries she’d just bought and then sat outside.

But, it wasn’t just Strawberries, Hannah got herself whilst in Cleck, she also got a white Hat for whilst she was in the UK, to keep her head warm. This would be good, if she wouldn’t later lose it and misplace it whilst we were out in the future, but, we tried.

Visit to Howarth with the family + kids

Whilst the trip to Bridlington had been fun for Hannah to get more comfortable and used to my parents, their was of course a lot more of the family who wanted to get to know Hannah more, and, that, of course, was my eldest sister, and her two daughters, Olivia and Evie; one of which, essentially, considers Hannah her best friend, to the point where anyone would think Hannah had come to see her, and, not me. Whilst it wasn’t exactly our idea to go there, the family had decided that it might be a good idea to have a day out in Howarth, as, it’s not only close-by, but, also it’s free to check out, and, generally, it’s all about just seeing the sights, getting to know everyone, and, more importantly, making Hannah feel comfortable in the UK. Ended up finishing some doughnuts I got from Brid on the way to Howarth, surprisingly they were still very nice… I know, I was surprised too!

Whilst, I think it’s fair to say the trip to Howarth certainly won’t go down as one of the most exciting adventures that took place in the UK, the place has really gone downhill, to be honest, certainly compared to how I remember it. But, I was generally just happy to be with Hannah, so it was all good.

The arrival + the Steam Train

It wouldn’t really be a visit to Howarth without seeing the Steam Train, and, it turned out we didn’t need to wait that long. Very shortly upon our arrival in Howarth, which initially had some threatening rain, which thankfully never came to pass, we had a short stroll to the Train Station in Howarth. After a very quick unexciting visit to the gift shop, which you know is bad when even the kids are going… I dunno, we went to the platform. Despite a sign stating that you had to pay to go on the platform, whether that’s true or not I don’t know (Mr well behaved Dad was initially hesitant to going on the platform, but got over it when the rest of us did), we all went to the platform and had a look out.

What followed, was a, very tourist-like, rush, to the Smartphones with everyone trying their eye at capturing the Train approaching, then, of course, it leaving too, as well. Whilst, we obviously could have taken the Train to places like Keighley, considering there’s equally not much there, and, because it wasn’t really worth it, we decided not to. Plus, their was way too many people to do something as singular than that. Like many things in Howarth, I think Hannah was possibly not very amused, which was obvious as the kids were certainly in a “look at this, Hannah” mood trying to keep her amused. But, this was her first experienced seeing a Steam Train, and certainly would not be the last time she saw one, more on that quite a bit later.

The village, Church, and, the sights

Similar to the trip to Bridlington, it quickly became apparent that we were all going at very different paces, so me and Hannah were separated to have a look around the village ourselves, mostly as my Dad was getting stressed over something completely unimportant, as usual. We visited most of the Shops, which really highlighted just how downhill Howarth has become now, it actually used to be a fairly OK day out, shops of course including mostly souvenirs, that awful smelling perfume shop and even a now disappointing sweets shop. I was very disappointed that I couldn’t even find a decent biscuit or cake to eat, I mean, wtf!

We visited the Church in Howarth, too, mostly as it was open to visits, and, whilst it wasn’t exactly the most productive visit in the world, Hannah did at least get some bits and bats for the trip for her to take back.

Once that was done, it was pretty much just a slow stroll through the Town again, Hannah got to see some hints at the Yorkshire landscape, something I expect we’ll see a lot more of in the Summer 2023, where I intend Hannah to return here for a much longer time, but, there’s a lot of things to do between then.

We did have a rather amusing trip through the Park on the way back, with the kids, essentially ruining Hannah’s phone with unwanted selfies whilst she went to the loo, to general banta, to the discovery that Evie made of what we dubbed the “Train honker”, a very strange, almost Whistle like sound, which, only she seemed able to figure out how to make a sound!

Overall, not the most exciting destinations to visit, but, to be honest, what I did get out of the day was actually more important, really. This was generally just further acceptance of Hannah into the family, which, if anything, is most important to me. Whilst the day certainly won’t be the one that we look back on these few weeks with the most excitement, we, still certainly had a lot of laughs. Hannah, also, had new experiences, and, of course, this was just the middle of the first week here, so there’s soooo much more to come.

We went to Bradford, and Hannah didn’t mind it 😱 + Philippine Restaurant

Obviously, not all locations we were going to visit were going to be exactly touristy, and that’s certainly true when it comes to visiting Bradford, somewhere I typically describe as a bit of a shithole… but, thankfully we did have an ulterior motive for wanting to go there, which was the closest Philippine Restaurant to us in West Yorkshire, a place I wanted to go to allow Hannah a, hopefully, taste of home. That was something I always wanted to make sure, for Hannah, when she visited here, not only to experience the UK and it’s traditions, but also to show that she can still have moments of homeliness here, something I felt was critical when it comes to the longer-term future we’ll share together. Anyway, back to Bradford.

Obviously, whilst we were in Bradford, might as well experience the place. I still don’t quite understand how it’s the “City of Culture 2025”, when there’s a billion better places, but the world is a crazy place. Decided to waste a bit of time, our trip would consist of the TV Museum, bit of shopping, then, by that point, the food… well, for Hannah anyway, I would be having chips, being the food aficionado that I am 😅

National Science & Media Museum (… has gone downhill A LOT)

Obviously living in a BD Postcode, you can imagine I’ve gone to Bradford a few times, though, admittedly, not for quite a few years now. Typically to, more or less, pass the time with, whoever I was with, it was fairly typical to go to the Bradford Media Museum. Not only is it free, it’s also not a bad experience, be it short one … or, at least it used to be, it’s certainly gone downhill. I also found it a bit weird that somewhere free, you needed to register walking in, that’s a new addition in a truly pointless way. For some reason, they’ve just got rid of like 2 floors of things to do, I remember being able to be part of the Weather, a ton of TV things you could do, now, it’s just boring and generic.

I think if it wasn’t for the fact, it was threatening rain, we had to wait until 5PM for the Restaurant to open, and, that I was with the most important person of my life who makes me happy; I’d of probably left pretty quickly, it was that poor. But, thankfully, we still made the most of the time together. Instead of continuing through the boredom and disappointment, we were just each other, had laughs around where we were going, the Camera always comes out with Hannah, and thankfully with all these and more, we ended up actually having a really good time, if, not because of the location, just because of us.

Bit of shopping and stuff

Naturally, as we did need to kill some time, once we’d endured the, rather unimpressive, Media Museum, we decided to have a trip around Bradford. My original intent was actually to go to the new fancy Shopping Centre which has opened recently … something I, somehow couldn’t find, to then find out, on the way home, at the end of the night, was actually literally right in front of us. But, that’s something for another day.

What we did do is get a bit of Shopping done for Hannah. Whilst, Hannah did bring some questionable choices of clothing, she wore shorts inside the house only, as you’d expect, she naturally was lacking in thermals. Ended up getting a Coat and some other clothes to keep her into the more traditional British attire, especially for this time of the year. Returning to the point of questionable choices of clothing, I did have to, an alarming number of times, prevent Hannah from some of her choices, basically as I refuse to be seen with someone dressing anything remotely resembling a chav 😜.

Once that was done, it was time for a look around the Maps app and, essentially, try and figure out where our true destination was, hopefully not too hard to find, we eventually, thankfully, did.

The Philippines Restaurant

The main reason for our visit to Bradford was to visit, and, for Hannah to check out, the Philippines Restaurant there. Whilst, I think it’s fair to say, the restaurant is quite far out from anything you’d find without intent, it actually was a very charming and pleasant place to visit. Admittedly, like everything in Bradford, it looks a bit crummy from the outside, but inside, it’s actually pretty awesome!

From the Philippine Flags across the walls and windows, pictures of locations within the Philippines, including a few within Cebu I’d visited with Hannah, to a very charming booth area by the Bar, with a Table and even singing area, it was honestly very surprising. There were also Filipino music playing throughout as well. Adding all of these together, for a moment, you really did feel transported away, to what could easily have been a restaurant in the Philippines itself.

The Philippines Shop … kinda

Once I had figured out where it is … it was literally right in the obvious doorway, we discovered another feature of the Restaurant. The Restaurant also had a mini-Filipino Supermarket inside containing some local favourites, however, we did find out upon getting home, with, some of them, they weren’t quite as Philippine as originally anticipated. However, we do visit somewhere that certainly was later.

It was quite funny to see Hannah’s reaction to Philippine products in the UK, the excited look on her face here, and the entire Restaurant, to be honest, was truly a sight to see and I knew from, that moment, it was such a good idea to come here. A real taste of home for her.

The food

This will surprise, pretty much, no one, to know, that I wasn’t exactly the most excited about the Philippines Restaurant when it came to consumption, for me! I’m a very fussy-eater, and more importantly a British eater in the limits I do consume. This is why I was incredibly relieved that when I have gone to the Philippines, many familiar brands were there for me to be able to fall back on.

However, I can tell you that Hannah was very complimentary of the Food in the Restaurant, and, in the multiple visits we made to the Restaurant, we always left very happy with the visit and, as you an imagine, felt almost a bit disappointed to return to the reality of the fact that we were in fact… in Bradford! You probably already noticed, I was less of a traditional customer, Hannah had a collection of things in mind she tried on the visits … I went for “chips” 😄

I’m sure when Hannah returns to the UK, next year, I honestly just cannot wait for that, and, so much more to come, she’ll be wanting to visit here again and I’m up for that 100%.

Ponderosa, and Hecky

Whilst, it may seem pretty obvious, I was not going to be able to compete with some of the incredible sights of the Philippines in terms of the wildlife adventures, Ocean resorts etc (without, at least, travelling afar), one thing we could do is just generally visit some local sights, and, as a consequence, get a little bit of us time at the same time. One of the closest towns to us is Heckmondwike, home to admittedly not much, especially, since the loss of the great Woolworths, but one thing it does house is Ponderosa. Whilst, it’s obviously not exactly world-class, it certainly does offer a decent day out for not that much, and, was conveniently placed close to home, and, close to where my Grandma lives, which was the plan to follow afterwards. Though, unfortunately, that wasn’t to be, on this occasion, as I’ll get to shortly.

The journey

One thing, which happened on multiple occasions, was trying to get Hannah to actually move when we had places to go. We’d being late on many situations, same was kind of true on this one, too. Obviously, this was not, as urgent, but we were still rescued by emergency lifts by my Dad. In this case it was to take us to Ponderosa, which doesn’t exactly have the most walking-friendly entrance, so it was either that or a Taxi. Which, reminds me; for some reason Hannah has a serious issue with my Dad’s car air freshener, I don’t know what it is, but she has a problem with it. But, she got over it 😁

Ponderosa

When we did finally arrive at Ponderosa, it was clear to see that it was going to be nice and quiet, which I much prefer, probably because it was actually rather cool and nearly Winter, but, it allowed us to be us without any unwanted distractions. We checked in, and, was on our way.

Whilst most of the animals etc in Ponderosa aren’t exactly that ground breaking, though their are the odd exception to the rule, it was certainly an experience when we walked past the world’s loudest cat meow, that’s for sure, quite a number of rather big cats were there, though not the main ones like we saw in the Philippines. Most of what you’d expect at Ponderosa, however, are more of the smaller varieties, it begins with Tortoises, Meerkats and birds really, to then mostly amphibians with minor exceptions. Was rather cool to see some of the snakes they had, as well as some Lizards they had, though, a lot of what was allegedly there were rather well hidden.

As you can imagine, we took quite a number of photos surrounding the area. Being a pretty large-scale green area too, as you can imagine, Hannah took this opportunity to basically want to do TikTok (ohh the joy), though, thankfully their wasn’t many about so it wasn’t as awkward as perhaps it could have been. Once we’d essentially seen one side of Ponderosa, we sat on a bench at the end and looked at the closed Ice Cream stand (where’s Summer when you once need it) and just had some time to ourselves again.

The last side of Ponderosa is nowhere near as long, and was mostly a trip to the Café which we were … less than impressed by. Needless to say, we eat as much of our bad food as we could, then got outta there. Then, after a brief toilet stop, we checked the equally as unimpressive gift shop, then headed off out. Took a few more photos, including one rather amusing one that caught Hannah pulling the most hilarious face, I’ll be kind and not share that, here, though 😁

Overall it was a decent day, as expected. Ponderosa was never really going to wow either of us, but, it was certainly something to do and share together. Leaving the area without a Car, however, certainly demonstrated my reasoning for making sure we got there by one in the first place, it’s quite a long walk out. We spent the journey walking out talking about quite a number of things, Ponderosa obviously started, but, mostly about the longer term future, as, by this point, I was truly beginning to feel like Hannah was settling in to the UK with me, which invited a number of discussions about what could possibly begin in 2023 and beyond.

Conversation was slightly ruined by, Heckmondwike showing its true colours as, a drunken man was walking past complaining that it was cold, it had rained the night before, and, life in general. It was random, it was annoying, but he was gone eventually. Ironic complaints considering who I was with, but, thankfully, not too long of an annoyance.

Travelling around Hecky

Once we’d left Ponderosa, we still had some time on our hands, so, we ended up, basically, having a trip around Hecky itself. Hannah had, honestly the most exciting experience in the world when I showed her the Arriva bus depot, I know this will go down as one of the most exciting things she experienced in the United Kingdom as a whole… OK, maybe not. Though, ironically, the sight of a double-decker Bus, was actually a surprise for Hannah as they’re not a thing in the Philippines, getting on that “second floor” was a big deal.

We then headed to Morrisons, the second major Supermarket Hannah got to check out in the UK, we never went to an ASDA, but the other’s coming later. Whilst, it’s fair to say we were mostly there to pass some time, so we literally ended up leaving with a Cake (which, was delicious later) and Hannah, for some reason, wanted to get some warm Milk … don’t know why.

We then decided to go to McDonalds, where Hannah discovered we have much better Fries and considerably larger Apple Pies, than the Philippines ones do. Whilst, it’s fair to say it wasn’t the most glamorous experience, I was still really happy to see that despite the, not-that-impressive Heckmondwike, Hannah was still having a great day which allowed the day to continue on that track.

An amusing Shoe shop

Hannah decided that she wanted some Shoes and some Slippers for when she was inside the house, so, whilst we were there, we decided to pop in to Peacocks. Now, Hannah is a very beautiful woman, there’s no doubting that, she’s also a very petite woman, which, can create some rather awkward moments, especially when it comes to those not really paying attention to her, presuming she’s younger, and, when it comes to sizes.

Whilst Hannah looked through a collection of Shoes she liked and didn’t, it became very apparent that, despite being in the woman’s section, none were here size, so we actually ended up having to go to the Kids section, same as the rain Coat we got in Bradford. Though, ironically, we didn’t for Slippers, so that was a bit odd. Both were decided, so we went to buy.

During this time, it was very close to Halloween and, whilst Hannah’s sizes were, essentially kids-size, we got a nice random handy discount to celebrate the occasion 😁

Then it was time to get home, so we had a smooth experience to getting a trip home… yeah, for some reason the journeys home never went smooth from there. But, we did eventually.

Hannah + Food; from UK to Philippines

Before Hannah came to the UK, I, knew from my own worries about going to the Philippines, that, it was important to try and find as much Food and Drink suitable for her as possible. Obviously, the first thing I found was a full-on Philippines Restaurant nearby, which we’d, obviously, at this point, already gone to, but, of course, the second was to find some the real taste of home for her. Unlike my trips there, here, Hannah would be living with me, so, it was always going be far-less of the, get a meal out to take back, and more of the eat and cook at home.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, even from a trip to the local Supermarket, their ended up being very little to worry about.

The rather successful Supermarket shops

When Hannah had arrived in the UK and had a bit of rest, we then headed to the Supermarket. Whilst we were there, to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by just how much she actually both liked and was able to eat. I don’t know if I’m surprised because I’m comparing to my incredibly fussy and limited menus, as, perhaps, this is normal, but, I was very, both relieved, and, happy, she was able to choose a ton of things to eat. I knew she liked Rice, we’d prepared that, however, everything else was a bit of a mystery. Hannah was very “proud”, so refused to admit that a lot of Philippine food is actually very similar to Chinese / Japanese etc styled foods, I can confirm after the choices she made and enjoyed, it is … No, no, no Hannah, it is, before you butt in.

We literally walked through Tesco, got myself some biscuits and food for myself, for some reason Hannah brings up my addiction to Frosties so got a 1KG of those, then, of course, we began making it to the Asian cuisine. It was, at that moment where perhaps saying “get whatever you want”, may of been a mistake. Nah, to be honest, it was important to see what she liked, and I was actually very happy she got quite a decent chunk on our first shop. We had pork meals with rice, this with that, and a rather amusing exchange with the first introduction to Lee. At this point, obviously, Lee was at Tesco, so, he was mostly in that work-mode, but, that didn’t stop him making a snarky comment “that’s the most normal shop I’ve seen you do” … yeah, thanks Lee.

Some random things of note whilst we did shops in the UK, apparently, UK Spam is miles better than it is in the Philippines too, unrelated, but randomly came in to my head so thought I’d mention it. Also now sure if it must be hard, or, impossible, to get Nutella over there, as well, as she randomly got a big jar to take back, for someone, on a future visit we had. I managed to get Hannah also addicted to Strawberry laces, after recently discovering Strawberries themselves, which resulted in some fun moments. We actually went quite a number of times, whilst she was here, obviously, and, in the end, knew exactly what to look for.

The Philippines Supermarket

FilFoods Filipino Store – An official Philippines Supermarket, just outside Leeds

Whilst we’d visited Leeds a few times before this, and, more after, one of the destinations I’d promised we would visit was an official Philippines Supermarket. Unlike the Shop that was in the Restaurant in Bradford, this did have Philippines products, and, quite the stack of them too. It’s only a small location in, not the nicest area, of Leeds, but it’s fair to say they sure use the space to its fullest. Most people order on their website, but the minimum is £40, which, to be honest, is fair, but, I had a feeling that, not only due to Hannah being quite accepting of foods in Tesco, and others, that, it was never going to top that much, and , it didn’t

It was actually insane at just how much they were able to fit in there, from Tinned food, to even the Pop and Beer they had in the Philippines, it was pretty much, if you can get it there, it’s likely here, so, as you can imagine, Hannah felt right at home.

Hannah ended up leaving with quite a chunk of Meals, some bits and bats as well as what can only be described as the doughiest looking cake in the world…which, Hannah did not waste time eating. She literally had it all in her gob before we’d even crossed the road.

I ended up just getting some Red Horse (a Philippines Lager), to see what my family thought of it, and, a Philippines branded fan. Hannah had already got my Mum one from the Philippines, but, thought there was no harm getting another.

Whilst, it’s fair to say it was claustrophobic, it was a very charming place and everyone was very friendly, especially when they realised Hannah was from Cebu, a massive “CEEEBBUUUU” was shouted and up came a woman who’d lived here for 30+ years, originally from Cebu. Hannah had quite a decent conversation about life there, how things are now at home and obviously that we’d be back another time, which, I’m sure we will be, when Hannah returns.

Hannah + UK Food

Whilst, I was pleasantly surprised about Hannah when it came to how much we were able to get from UK Supermarkets, a trend which actually continued as we visited pretty much them all from Tesco, Morrisons, we mentioned earlier, and Sainsbury’s (we just never came across an ASDA). So, what was her verdict.

Spam

As we mentioned earlier, Hannah was surprisingly impressed with UK Spam. I’m not sure if it’s necessarily bad in the Philippines, but, it was certainly a surprising thing to mention as something of key. Spam and rice was a regular breakfast.

Supermarket meals etc

Whilst we ended up getting quite the collection of meals, both readymade and to prepare, Hannah was actually a fan of all that she chose, never really complaining about any of them, if anything, she was very satisfied, always ending describing them as “yummy”.

UK Milk

When I was in the Philippines, one of the rather concerning first things I noticed about their culture was that they didn’t use fresh refrigerated Milk, which was bit … oh dear. Thankfully, I was able to find some imported Milk, I ended up using whilst there. It was…OK, but nothing that amazing.

When Hannah began to try UK Milk, at first, she was rather unsure about it, likely as it was very different to what she was used to, but, she consumed quite a lot of it, and she’s admitted, since being back, it’s one thing she misses drinking.

UK Stew

Whilst Hannah was here, my family had already planned to cook a traditional UK Stew. Personally, I don’t think there’s any worse in the world you can consume, but, it did contain a lot of things I knew Hannah would enjoy, and, there’s always more than plenty, to go around. Hannah was actually very impressed, liking what she had, quite, a lot really.

She took a bit of convincing to try, on this one, which, I think is the return of that stubbornness of being proudly Philippines only, bitch! But, once she tried it, she enjoyed. She was, naturally, the only one that had it with Rice, because, to Hannah, rice is life, but was really happy she liked.

Eggybread

It would be wrong to suggest Eggybread is my specialty, though, I was certainly impressed when I was finally able to make it, for myself. I knew Hannah was a fan of pretty much anything involving Egg, but, she had never tried Eggybread. So, I promised I’d make her some for her breakfast one day.

After the annoyance of my Mum not checking the bread, so having to run out for more, which was annoying, it was time. Then I discovered I had a billion times more pressure to make it perfect as, I was now cooking for Hannah, not me. So, I’m pretty confident it wasn’t as good as it could have been, and, that showed in her reaction, but, I tried.

Walkers Crisps

I’m not saying the Crisps in the Philippines are necessarily bad, I wouldn’t know as they’re all veeeerrrryy spicy, but, when it came to me getting some snacks for home, I got some Walkers Crisps. I kind of, already knew, we were about to have a fan. The Philippines already has things such as Pringles, but, nothing like Walkers, I’m not sure if they have Lays (which, is essentially, Walkers internationally, with a slightly less kick to them).

When we were waiting to pick up one of the kids (which we’ll get to shortly), we had some free time and I had some Cheese & Onion, whilst watching the TV, Hannah nicked one, and, was like oooo. She then had her own pack and that was that.

These and some Strawberry Laces (we’ll get to) were the two things I got for Hannah to take home and, guess what. NO ONE in her family liked them, whaaattt. Crazy. So, clearly Hannah is the only one in her family with taste hahah.

Maoam + more… Halloween stuff basically

OK, OK, yes I know, these are German, but I’m including them because she had them during her stay 😁

Hannah actually was a bit lover of really sour sweets, so as you can imagine the Halloween special of these she was a fan. Though, I think liking sweet things shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Strawberries & Strawberry Laces

We mentioned earlier that Hannah got some Strawberries, she was then introduced to Strawberry Laces, and, upon many of our trips out they became a staple of the things we eat.

So, overall, Hannah was actually impressed with the UK Food and Drink she had, which, was such a relief, for me.

Meeting Lee, Hannah with the Yorkshire accent

One of the most amusing, yet uneventful, things we did during Hannah’s stay here was when she was able to truly meet the legendary Grandad Lee. A man of myth, mystery and … all in all, a crazy guy. The biggest problem with when she did meet Lee, was, understanding a darn thing he was talking about. I’d already explained to Hannah that, 9 times out of 10, just going “yeah”, gets you past some things of confusion, but, it’s fair to say it was hard for her. 

I did want Hannah to meet a lot more of my friends. We did, briefly, see Rob whilst walking home one of the days, but he seemed a bit less happy and was certainly very distracted. I’m hoping that next year, we’re able to meet up with more friends.

Hannah + the Yorkshire accent

As I kind of mentioned before, the biggest struggle for Hannah is understanding the Yorkshire dialect. We do skip a lot of lettering and say phrases otherwise unrecognisable. However, this is something that Hannah is planning on picking up and learning as it comes closer and closer to when she’s in the UK more permanently. 

She did manage to eventually get used to my Uncle’s Yorkshire accent, so she was, in time, learning certain phrases. I did, try to, assure her that, even people native to the UK, sometimes have no idea what Lee is on about. 

Picking up kids from school

It was pretty obvious that not every day of the week was going to be much of note, and, this was definitely one of those days. Me and Hannah were put on, pick up the kids, duty, as no one else was available. This did allow us some more chill time together for me and Hannah, to begin with, which, was actually really nice to have.

We ended up just watching some random rubbish on TV, hardly anything interesting on, at that time, Hannah discovered the wonder of Walkers’ Cheese and Onion Crisps, and, me and Hannah had more time to just appreciate how much spending time together truly means to us. Hannah also was “bonding” with Larry, mostly teasing him. I think she’s not used to domestic pets like Larry, but I’m sure she’ll get used to him at some point.

Then it was the time I’d normally go, ohhh I’ll get ready in 20 minutes … then set off, time, where, instead, we set off, hahah. Hannah is, by far, NOT a quick walker. So, it was fair to say, I set quite a long distance between, when we were going to set off, and, when we had to be there. Unlike previous times, we actually needed to be there at a certain time. It turned out, Hannah was able to arrive a bit earlier than expected, but if we were late, we’d of been in real trouble, so it was a fair trade.

Being Hannah’s biggest fan, Olivia, was very happy to see the both of us there, both of them basically walked out with Hannah whilst I was behind, trying to, pretend, to be involved 😁. Wasn’t too long until the journey home was done, then it was time… for TikTok.

Thankfully, I wasn’t the main topic of the TikTok, phew. I mostly left them to it. Until, it was time for us to be involved in one. Evie was a bit shy, so it ended up being me involved in “where’s bubbles?”, quite an … interesting experience.

Then, finally they were picked up and me and Hannah had a chill end of the day together, contemplating what to do the next day for our next big adventure.

Visit to Hull and The Deep

One of the things that was actually requested before Hannah even booked to come to the UK, was an aquarium, so, it was pretty, obvious, where to go, The Deep. I’d never personally gone to The Deep, however, my Dad said it was decent (no idea when he’d gone like). However, I will say my Dads opinion isn’t exactly the most reliable.

We did many trips out, me and Hannah, and, whilst getting to The Deep was, actually, one of the easiest to get to, (on paper), the journey itself, wasn’t, quite as simple, as for numerous reasons which make you think, typical-Britain, but, we got there in the end, getting home wasn’t exactly as enjoyable… anyway, let’s to get to Hull.

Preparations and the journey there

For what became an almost tradition for when we went places. We kicked off the journey there by travelling to Leeds, I’d set up a new account for Hannah to get Train tickets, and, whilst we waiting for the Train, we got ourselves somethings to eat. I got some McDonalds, whilst Hannah got some Rice meal, at KFC.

This was also Hannah’s first experience in to a local Sainsbury’s. Whilst looking around for things to get, we’d, at this point, figured out a few things that Hannah liked, so she ended up getting some Strawberry and some other fruit mixed thing, some Strawberry laces, a drink, and, generally, just some snacks for the journey.

Then we entered the platform, Hannah’s first experience of a UK Train Station. I discovered that Leeds Train Station sold Lucozade Alert, granted, for about a million pounds, got some Walkers for the journey, then, whilst Hannah had a FaceTime from her family, once that was done, it was time to jump, and push-in, as everyone does, on the Train.

We had quite a laugh on the Train there, Hannah was laughing as there was literally a couple kissing in the background, then the focus turned to looking at the landscape go past outside. Hannah tried out some Strawberry laces, including some sour ones, in which came, a pretty funny moment, from the journey. In what was originally supposed to be a romantic gesture, likes of the which of ‘Lady and the Tramp’, with the Strawberry laces, then we ended up bumping in to each other 😁. We captured the moment, and, I’ll be honest, it’s one of many fond memories to look back on, which, obviously makes me miss her more. We also, for some reason, found the pronunciation of Brough rather amusing, the Train driver just sounded like was doing bruh… well, we found it amusing.

Once we arrived in Hull, we popped off the Train, I knew it was time for a Toilet break, which we both did, but, not before a rather amusing moment. It was quite funny that we spotted a sign on a door mimicking one from London, so Hannah, obviously, demanded a photo, next to it. I’m not sure if this was some, “I’ve been to London” attempt to fool her family, but, she seemed happy enough with it.

Hull, a city of meh, plus roadworks

Once we arrived in Hull, we discovered, rather quickly, why I don’t go. Hull is a pretty disappointing place. What made things incredibly frustrating, was the fact that the rather straight directions to get to The Deep, were stopped, by, essentially an entire road section of roadworks, so, we had a very long unknown diversion, which, was not something I wanted.

Eventually, we finally figured out the journey there, went across a rather long bridge across the sea, and there it was, The Deep.

The Deep

It’s fair to say with the shape of the building, The Deep isn’t somewhere you’re going to miss, but, we needed to pre-book before we got inside. Whilst waiting for the Ticket to be ready, the weather actually became rather pleasant, and then Hannah begun, essentially, a Photo shoot, she was looking incredible, though.

The photos of me weren’t exactly the best they could be, as I was essentially carrying our snacks for the journey, so, it was me with a Sainsbury’s bag, compared to Hannah looking incredible, standard really.

When we did register our Tickets, we discovered that our Tickets were valid for a whole year, wow. That would be impressive, providing we actually had the best time in the world, let’s see about that, though.

Heading deep into… The Deep

Once we headed in to The Deep, after quite a number of stairs, let me tell you, we entered in to what almost began as some spacial setting, with a massive Globe above us, to what then became a collection of screens and fossils, just felt part of some history lesson. Certainly wasn’t the most exciting beginning to the adventure.

Further in, we finally got to some live sea creatures, with some tubs full of water, and, a collection of pretty much any fish that could swim, more or less. It was pretty cool to see some Sharks around the waterways, especially on the 360 areas. Unfortunately, similar to when I went to Oceanic Park in Cebu, their was a bit too many here to really take some decent shots, relying mostly on timers and the Apple Watch, which wasn’t great as iPhone’s have never really mastered lowlight photography.

Speaking of photography, we found an area surrounded by what almost looked like Lava Lamps in the form of thin pipes, we decided to use these as a Photo opportunity, similar to the lights in the Bradford Media Museum, and, once again, we got some people stopping us awkwardly, but, got some great shots from it, so, who cares.

All in all, in all honestly, it was a rather boring and unimpressive place, The Deep. But, as with a number of places we visited, I was with Hannah, so, it didn’t really matter if it was disappointing, as, we were able to just spend time with each other, and most of all, just enjoy each others company. I think a lot of that was down to it being a little too busy, and people… just being the typical selfish people of this world, blocking screens etc. Though, I must say, looking back on some of the shots we took from the day there, I am reminiscing a lot more than I recalled so, I guess, it wasn’t, asdisappointing of a place, as I may of remembered.

I do find sometimes when I’m at locations with Hannah, even if there’s still a good amount of time left in our stay together, I sometimes think about when she has to leave, and, it does impact how much I enjoy some places. It’s something I hope I can recover from in time. However, with the future we’ll begin planning in 2023, that shouldn’t be an issue. More on that later.

We ended the journey with quite a nice sunset beckoning out of The Deep’s café, which, we didn’t sample, as it was rubbish, which, was the setting for some nice final shots. We then headed out in to the world of Hull, to figure out, how to get back to the Train station in the advent of the incredibly annoying roadworks.

A less than impressive gift shop, then, trip back through Hull

On the way out from The Deep, we noticed the rather unavoidable Gift shop, where Hannah of course did purchase some souvenirs, something, which came rather traditional of a stay, pretty much, anywhere. I can’t entirely remember what she got, but, for some reason I still have The Deep bag in my room, obviously, not including the purchases.

The way back to the Train station was, still as awkward as getting there before, though we did at least manage to take a much more scenic route back, getting some pretty nice shots of the city of Hull, which isn’t always dull. But, we did finally make it back to the Train station for what would be a smooth journey home … right?

The world’s most useless Trains

Returning to the Train Station after a rather long day, it was time to finally get ourselves back … wrong. The Train we wanted to take had been cancelled, which wasn’t great, but, you know, it was only about 20+ minutes until the next one, so we could survive that. It wasn’t ideal, as, it was now fairly cold, and, Hull’s Train Station is, essentially, outdoors, but can’t be helped.

Then came the time for the next one … cancelled. Wow. Then the next one was announced as cancelled. Yeah, this was starting to get very annoying.

To pass some time, we decided to go in the nearby Shopping Centre to get something to eat, essentially, just to browse and distract ourselves from the annoyance of our dreadful Train services in the UK (and they’ve the cheek to go on strike). Upon traveling through the Shopping Centre, we, eventually, discovered the rather disappointing food array, I got, quite honestly, the most disappointing Gregg’s ever, whilst Hannah found somewhere to fill her noodles temptation. Instead of eating them there and then, we decided to get up and go, because, surely the next train will come … right?

We headed out and arrived back in the Train station, but we didn’t rush. And, yes, it was, too, cancelled… as was the next one. We were actually getting so annoyed with the cancellations, we were thinking of going on the upcoming Bridlington train, until, that too, cancelled. Honestly, ridiculous services. Phone battery was getting low, and, this was the reality. On a whim, I decided to look around for alternatives, and, thankfully, their was a Halifax train we could take, which, would take us back to civilisation. It was late, BUT it did turn up.

After an equally as annoying journey back via buses, we were finally home. It’s fair to say getting back at what I recall was after 9:30pm wasn’t exactly a positive thing. But, at the end of the day, Hannah got a real experience in to just how rubbish UK transport, can truly be.

Meeting my Grandma and Uncle

One of the most amazing parts about Hannah being in the UK, was, just how accepted she was by my family, this, was made even more so, by a visit made to see my Grandma and Uncle. Hannah had briefly met them before, discovering that she’s absolutely no idea what my Uncle Stephen, was saying, in his broad-Yorkshire accent, but, upon realising this he … tried? not really, to be clearer. Thankfully, for Hannah, my Grandma was a bit more forgiving. But, we always knew that we would like to visit them directly, and, that’s exactly what we did. The journey was actually something well broadcasted, to the point where we literally got a lift there by Stephen, to where my Grandma lives in her little bungalow.

When we arrived there it was amazing to see my Grandma so excited to meet Hannah, and, the both of them were engaging in conversation; interested in her family, traditions and heritage, whilst, she was interested in finding out a bit more about the family. Hannah got given a drink and some Walkers, though, admittedly a different flavour, though, she was still a fan. It was rather amusing that a picture of me, perhaps from when I was about 12, with my Grandma and late-Grandad, was so unrecognisable to Hannah, that she had to second-look as to whether it was actually me or not… trust me, Hannah, it was 😁.

The highlight of the visit was definitely when Hannah spoke and, in turn, embarrassed my Uncle, by bringing up the idea of finding him a Philippines match with a woman. It was actually rather funny to see him almost crawl in embarrassment, but, at the same time I think, what could of been something negatively received by him, turned out to be something we were all able to laugh at.

Then, it was time to get going. We’d already planned to go “the mall”, as Hannah would say, so, we kind of did have to check the time, so, it was time to get going.

The unexpected, but appreciated lift, with encouragement

If there was one way that made it completely obvious that my Grandma was not only happy to see Hannah, but, they’d both accepted her, and, that enjoyed her stay, it was this. The original plan was that Stephen would drop us off in Heckmondwike, and then, we’d take a bus to White Rose to do some shopping. Well, that changed, slightly, with an as expected, at this point, guest.

During the drive down from the Bungalow, my Grandma began a charade that’s all too familiar. She began speaking of what our plans were to get to White Rose, then began to pressure Stephen in her such typical ways. “Ooo, it’ll be cold waiting at that bus stop, ohh it’ll take them ages to get there, won’t it Stephen? Do you know how to get to White Rose, Stephen? Surely, we could drop them off, couldn’t we, Stephen” … Needless to say, message was received, bless her.

During the journey, the traffic was actually pretty bad, but, we were able to continue the conversations and, I know from conversations since today, due to this day, my Grandma was one of Hannah’s favourite members of my family, and, this was one of her favourite bonding moments of the trip.

Then, we finally arrived at White Rose, we waved them goodbye, thanks them for the lift, and then, went inside in a very good mood, indeed.

White Rose, and the search for the “infamous Jumper”

We did have an additional reason for heading to White Rose, other than just showing Hannah what the place was like. We ended up going a couple of times, but, this visit was purely planned for an infamous jumper. Before Hannah even set off to the UK, she’d found this Chicago jumper that she just had to get. It turns out, it was a lot more expensive in the Philippines (for some reason), even though it was the same HM retailer. One issue we’d had, whilst searching for it, yes, we’d gone far and wide looking for this, was that it was last edition so the stock was less than common. Eventually, on one of our many trips to Leeds, we’d being told, we could actually check stock in specific places and, guess what, only 1 was in White Rose. Size was a bit small though, this was XS, whilst there was a M in Bradford, as a backup… but, that’s it. I had a feeling that XS might be a bit small for even Hannah, but, it turned out that it was actually, the perfect size for her, ironically, a bit too big in her arms, but, she was still very happy with it.

Upon the couple of visits to the White Rose, we had a fairly full visit to the place looking around. Originally, Hannah was wanting some sunglasses, yes, in basically Winter, she wanted sunglasses. As you can probably understand, there wasn’t any to be found, obviously. We ended up having a decent time looking around, though. We took a rather adorable picture of Hannah outside Santa’s grotto, no Santa himself, thankfully haha, and then we headed back.

Kids birthday shopping in Leeds

On one of the many trips to Leeds, this was, to be, the last time we’d intentionally go to Leeds. One thing that became apparent, following, and during, the White Rose trip, was that Hannah wanted to get some toys for a family members upcoming birthday. I knew exactly the place to try, but, not before introducing Hannah to the world of Lego. No, really, Hannah has never heard of Lego, WHAT??, madness.

After the quickest, most interested visit to a store ever, we left the Lego store, and, went to another Toy shop where we, essentially, found everything we needed. Hannah the made a video call with her family, whilst, we all went around the Store, frantically, looking for the best option for them, until, we finally found the necessary. Ended up getting an educational Peppa Pig set, which me and Hannah found rather amusing how it said “R” if you repeated it 😜. We also got another set, as well as a Car for another member. They seemed very happy with them, when they got back.

A rubbish Dunkin

Once we’d got the Toys sorted, we decided to look around Leeds, really, with no pressure whatsoever, and decided for old-school sake, we’d head to Dunkin Donuts. One of the most funniest clips from my last trip to the Philippines, is me and Hannah doing an inside-joke about going to Dunkin Donut, so, it kind of had an extra meaning to us.

However, it turns out Dunkin Donut is actually shite in the UK, or, at least it is in Leeds. They had nothing that we wanted, we ordered a box of those circle things, to be told at the counter they don’t know why they were able to be ordered, and, I was instead offered an overpriced shitty single doughnut, which, ended up being binned. It was baaad. I thought Krispy-Creme was bad. Then, we decided, upon that rather disappointment, it was best to head home, and, we did.

Hannah’s settling in

One thing that was becoming noticeable, that made me happy, during that last Leeds trip, was just how at-home Hannah was beginning to look here, she looked to be truly settling in to the UK way of life, which honestly made me so happy inside. Whilst, at this point, Hannah had visited, let’s be honest, not the best places in the world, she’d experienced some dreadful annoyances in transport, as well as, many other things about UK life, but, yet, she seemed, almost accustomed to it, at this point.

I had so much worry about Hannah coming here, in the UK, about how she’d feel about being shown the UK in a real and true light, as I intended, especially, when it was going to be cold. What I got, instead, was someone who just fitted right in. Obviously, there’s teething issues, that doesn’t, even, just, go, for the UK, it goes for me and Hannah, ourselves, but, that’s to be expected. The most important thing for me, was, the fact is, I can now truly 100% say, I can see us living here, happily.

Yes, we watched movies, and, yes they were typical Hannah

Speaking of settling in together, it’s fair to say that during this trip, one thing, which, remained consistent, surrounding Hannah’s stay here, was the movies. Once again, there was death, there was heartbreak, there was tears, in pure typical Hannah fashion. She arrived almost desperate to watch a movie called The Fall, which, I can honestly tell you, is one of the most rubbish, farfetched films, I’ve seen in a long time. Their was a Radio Times report saying it was based on a true story, it’s not. We also watched a few others too, but, quite honestly, all I care about is laying next to Hannah, regardless of what we watch.

It’s a shame that I’m unable to really share my likes with Hannah. Possibly, the only thing lacking between us is mutual likes, in really anything, like TV Shows, Movies, and Music, really, too. Maybe that will change when we live together, who knows. Fact is, though, me and Hannah have so much more that we bond and share together, things that I’ve certainly never felt before, which is certainly what keeps our bond so strong.

Trip to Hebden Bridge and the attack of the ducks

The next day out, we decided to do what, was actually, something suggested for us, which was a visit to Hebden Bridge, a kind of picturesque boat area within a small village. Admittedly, not somewhere that I’d personally choose to go, but, as we’ll get to, it actually ended up being a fairly good day out, proving throughout many things, it’s the company that counts.

The journey there, via Brighouse

As I’d never been to Hebden Bridge before, figuring out how to get there was in the eyes of essentially Google, and, for some reason, the many way to get there was getting a Bus to Brighouse, then, from there, catching the Train which stops there, directly. The good news, Hannah’s lacking speed and awareness, wouldn’t matter, as there’s a decent-few number of buses we can catch if she’s a bit, let’s face it, slow.

However, once we arrived at the bus station, it became apparent that the only bus available for the moment, was actually one of those TCL buses. They’re a bit lower of a company than the big guys, but they are still part of Metro, so, could still get a day ticket as a, just in case, for the way home.

Hannah’s NOT a child 🙄

OK, I will admit, Hannah does certainly have a baby face look about her. Ironically, when I went to the Philippines and met Hannah’s friends and family, they thought I was in my early 20s, so, maybe I do, too, but, she doesn’t look like a child. I find any, and all, of these comments, and assumptions on her, quite frankly pathetic, and a perfect example of this, came with the Pakistani bus driver on the rubbish TCL bus. I may, or may not (totally did), have had a little rant at him, when we, initially, refused to accept she wasn’t a child. Yes, obviously, I understand, it would have been a cheaper Ticket lol, but, if anything, it’s the principle. Open your stupid eyes and look at her, you dimwit. Eventually, he was made to see sense, and, we were off.

The journey itself actually went very diversionary, it was clear this was a bus that most old people use to get home to town, but, it did mean Hannah was treated to some more of Yorkshire’s countryside and sights, and, was actually a pleasant journey, if we pretend we never went through Scholes.

Then, we arrived.

Killing time in Brighouse …

I’m not saying Brighouse is crap, but, it’s certainly is somewhere lacking anything going on. We got off at the Bus station, and walked through the rather boring, walkthrough village, in to a bit more familiarity, the Supermarkets, and, the waterway.

To say Brighouse has a Train station, would, again, be a bit, complimentary, it’s got a platform. But, it was at this platform that we would need to catch our Train to Hebden Bridge … the train which left 10 minutes ago … and, comes again in 48 minutes. So, we needed to kill some time. 

To be fair, that was actually fine, as we were very unprepared, at this point, didn’t have Tickets prepared, and, we could do with something for the journey (though, it’s not a particularly long one at all).

We had a slow stroll in to the Sainsbury’s, went around and got some snacks for the journey, you could argue we got a bit much for the journey, but, that’s something that was a growing trend with pretty much everywhere we went. Amongst my treats were, quite honestly, the worst Mr Kipling Battenburgs I’ve had … ugh, don’t tell me those are the next victim of less Sugar, more sweeteners and flavourings, trend that’s going on. 

Then, we headed back up to the Platform to catch the Train. On the way up the hill, we took a few shots at the, few, things nice in Brighouse, then headed up. Hannah accused me of staring at a woman’s ass, which was rather hilarious, then, once we’d figured out the correct side of the platform, waited for the train, and then, we were off. The Train journey was actually pretty quick, so, little to say with that one.

Hebden Bridge, full of sights, TikTok opportunities and… cold & rain

There were a number of nice sights in Hebden Bridge, there’s no doubt about it, we were instantly taken in by the Canal, for which, we spent quite a number of time checking out. We ended up taking a number of walks down both directions, though, I’ll be honest with you, the whole place was an all-in-all, rather disappointment, in the end. Maybe it’s somewhere better appreciative in the Summer, when we could actually ride on one of those Barges, but, in its state when we went, it was just a bit … boring.

Then, we met the locals, look at them, there. I’m not sure if it was my disappointing Battenberg, Hannah’s open Crisps, or, what, but, we certainly ended up garnering quite a fan base of ducks. Hannah was initially fine with this, as we had no intention of throwing anything in for them to eat, so she thought, she was safe … how wrong she was !!! One of the most memorable moments of the entire trip, Hannah screaming as it flapped its wings leaving the Canal on to the pathway 😁. This certainly became the subject of quite a few shared laughs, throughout the day. 

More sights, the views and the TikTok

The charms that Hebden Bridge is known for, and, the real problem with all of them, is that they kind of refer us back to our earlier trip to the, very nearby, Howarth. Most go to Hebden Bridge to ‘see’’, and, to see things not really available at this time of the year. I’m not saying it was a wasted trip, though, we certainly left rather, earl, to say the least.

Not, however, before checking out more of the sights, there was a huge park we walked through, which, as well as the Canal, was the subject of some of Hannah’s many TikTok opportunities. If you can believe it, she’s been attempting to make me dance, to great…lacking success. But, most of all, it’s all about the laughs we share together, capturing those memories and sights, because, despite all of this, that’s what truly counted throughout all of these days together. 

Then, after Hannah’s random impressed view at some chavvy Graffiti, we begun making our way back to the Train station. I’m not sure if they were College students, or, just school pupils, but, quite a decent crowd of people were certainly ruining a few of the shots we were trying to make, on the way back … ahhh, how much I just looovvveee people. Then, we headed to the Train Station, and headed off.

In a similar, but less stressful, vain, as Hull, I noticed quite a number of choices we had when it came to how to get back home. At this point, it was actually still rather early in the afternoon, so, it would be pointless to just head home, now. So we decided to head to Bradford and have, what became, our last venture around Bradford together. During the visit, we travelled past Batley and showed Hannah one of the Nestlé factories, in the distance, which, garnered about the same interest as the entirety of Hebden Bridge.

Final trip to Bradford; a bag, Bean and creepy salesman

As we mentioned earlier, this was the second time we went to the Philippines Restaurant in Bradford, but, not before some other things. We decided to spend this time around Bradford being a bit more sightseeing, took photos around Bradfords sights and buildings, and we finally visited that large Shopping Centre that I (somehow) completely missed on our initial visit. Hannah was … not that impressed, and, to be honest, neither was I, more glitter, but less, wow. I did get a case for my Mums recently inherited phone, so it wasn’t all wasted. 

Hannah’s desperate new bag, plus … are you going to give her that back? 

When Hannah arrived in the UK, she arrived with this small Bag, which was, quite honestly … OK I’ll be kind, on its last legs. The clip was now at a less than 50/50 working order, and, it was just generally in need of replacing. So, took this opportunity to search for Hannah a new bag. We went through some rather, choice, places, but, eventually found the one she wanted. 

This wasn’t without its amusing moments, however. We ended up looking through a more in-door market, where we found huge manikins, and, cardboard cut outs of famous people, so Hannah officially met Mr Bean … which is good, as, for some reason, her family compare me to him, so, now they can see how much I’m nothing like him. In that same market, their was a pretty huge bag stall, however, it was, at this point, 4:55pm, so, he was shutting up shop. But, not before trying to get one final sale out of us by showing us, many, many, far too big bags, pointed to, by him, after he temporarily stole a passing old woman’s walking-stick, it was certainly, a moment to behold. Thankfully, yes, he gave that back to her.

We ended up getting Hannah’s bag elsewhere, obviously, and then, headed to the Philippines Restaurant, where we also swapped everything from her old bag to her new, and enjoyed some food there once again. The woman who owned the Philippine Restaurant, was clearly getting comfortable with us, going, as they tried getting us in to Karaoke, but ,I just didn’t feel it, so, what followed, then, was us just headed off home. Still, love the atmosphere in that place, though.

Visit to York; City Centre to the Railway Museum

One of the places I had in mind to always take Hannah, from the start, was to was York. It’s essentially a place where there’s a ton of things to do, places to visit, if the weather doesn’t play ball, and, plenty more, for, when it does. Obviously, it’s essentially Winter, so we would be more indoors, preferably, in York, but, what was to come was, actually a really fun day out, and, one I was personally, incredibly happy, we did. 

It was during this trip to York that I fully and truly felt at home, with Hannah. That initial, getting used to things, was now completely gone, she was now, fully, in to the UK experience, and, that was honestly, just perfect. 

The journey to York

As, has become fairly traditional, at this point, to get there, we headed to Leeds, got some Food inside the Train station, and then, headed on the Train. The journey to York was, noticeably longer, than the journey to Hebden Bridge, obviously. Unfortunately, it was on this journey, that it became apparent that, man … I ain’t feeling so good. There’d be a hint of something coming on, for some time now, and, this just was the beginning of what would, sadly, and, annoyingly, be the start of, some pretty crap feelings to come. 

Whilst, they took a long time to kick in, thankfully they eventually did, took some meds and some Lucozade Alert, to keep me on Earth, and, we were thankfully, then able to enjoy the day, to its fullest.

Sightseeing York

One thing I think was clear from the moment we entered York, was just what a different kind of City, it really is. It was great to see the remnants of it’s history, still, well engraved, in it’s structure and visual. Whilst, that oldy-world feel was killed, slightly, by the sight of the official New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup bus (selfie opportunity), as well as, some water leaks, which ruined it’s appeal, at one side; the rest was honestly, amazing, and, we’ve both mutually agreed to coming back, when Hannah returns to the UK, next year. 

We took many photos surrounding York, and, from the get-go, as it really was, honestly, such a nice place to be, with Hannah. She was fascinated by the place, to the point where we were actually having to, for the first time, really, look at the time and go, we really need to move to the next thing, as we don’t have long here. But, in a way, that’s a really good thing, as it shows just how much you’re having a great time. 

After some hilarious choice of videos, and photos, we captured, the return of a Duck also … though, was a lot more distant this one, to an awkward selfie outside a Van for the company I work for, it was then time for our next indoor destination of choice. 

National Railway Museum

When we went to Bradford, we went to the Media Museum, which, … certainly used to be good, was now rather disappointing. A lot of the sights were gone, features were gone, and, it was all in all a pretty difficult sell to convince Hannah to go anywhere, remotely linked, to the company that manages it. Thankfully, whilst their has been some things taken away from the Railway Museum, from previous visits, it was still, at least, a lot of fun.

We began by taking a photo outside of the National Railway Museum, both me and Hannah, took it turns. A rather amusing moment, was of people scooting away, going ohhh sorry, and doing typical British run. Then, we took our shots, they were in the pictures, despite their efforts, then, we went inside.

Checking in, to a surprisingly local Train

Once we’d checked in, quick toilet break, which ended up being, a bit longer, we, eventually were able to enter in to the Museum. The first side room, was almost like a historic Train station, full of around 5, maybe more, Trains, with some extras, when you walked around too. I could tell, even by this room, that this was a much more successful trip for Hannah, noticeably by her, rather instant “woaahh”. A collection of Trains and coaches were aligned with huge UK Flags surrounding, so, as you can imagine, we had millions of photo opportunities, which, we of course, took. It was such a surprise that Hannah was really, genuinely, enjoying it, as, of course, so was I.

Once thing I was certainly not expecting, as shown in that picture, was on the side of one of the Trains, a poster for a Train from “Cleckheaton to Blackpool”. The added, local feel, to the Museum, really added, just, so much more to the visit, especially, as I don’t recall that being there, on the many visits before, with my Grandad. It was through my Grandad that I learned about the Trains, which used to run, surrounding my home town of Cleckheaton, above where my Grandad used to live, in Heckmondwike, and beyond. That track now is essentially a walkway, but, it was great to see reference of it here. 

It was actually rather quiet, too, which, honestly, was perfect. This allowed us to just, truly enjoy it. Not fearing what anyone might think, surrounding you, truly allows you to be yourself, and, come out of any remaining shell, you tend to put yourself in. This was certainly true with me and Hannah, we just had a laugh, did silly things, and, I can’t even recall how many laughs we did, we just had fun. There was a suitcase next to one of the Train carriages with the words “just married” on it, which, we both just, had to, take a picture of us next to, as, who knows what the future holds. 

Heading further inside

As we headed further in to the Museum, we finally got to what most consider, the main event, the final area. Now, I remember the last time I went to the Railway Museum, with my Grandad, their was a lot more to do, you could go outside, even ride a Train, so, it’s a shame that, like the Bradford Media Museum, a lot of things have been, since, taken out. 

That didn’t stop us continue our adventures around, we took a few pictures as we headed underneath a Train, we amusingly checked on some, let’s just say, hardcore Train fans, and, then of course, we continued our look around. One thing new I noticed whilst we went inside, was what looked like those imitation rollercoaster rides, in the shape of The Mallard, so, I was certainly keen to go on that, with Hannah. 

The most disappointing ride in the world

Now, if you go to the Railway Museum, you can see the, actual Mallard, itself, all close up and check out its very generous history, and, achievement, of which is very impressive. What isn’t impressive, however, is a ride mimicking the great locomotive, that me and Hannah, went on. Despite, a rather amusing photo of me and Hannah inside, of her being shocked when all the doors were closed, the ride itself was … very underwhelming, the thing barely moved. I was also expecting, a lot more, when we were told to store any belongings before we went inside, and, advised to use the handrail … but, why, it never moved. Needless to say, if you go to the Railway Museum and see that ride, don’t bother. 

Once that excitement was over, we had a look around the final parts, for which we took basically more photos, and then, it was time to leave. Overall, I’d say it was still a very decent place to visit, and, we had a lot to look back on too,

A short look around York

By this point, when we left the Railway Museum, it was already approaching when it became dark, so, we were limited in our outdoor time there, but, we still had a look around the city of York, whilst the light still beckoned. One thing we certainly noticed, whilst travelling through York, was essentially just, Chinese everything, and I mean, everything. We had Chinese specific supermarkets, banks to restaurants, all simultaneously, it was kinda creepy. This didn’t continue throughout York, but, it’s certainly clear to see, what a top location choice for Chinese people, York, must be.

Thankfully, most of York is, actually, still, very true to its roots, and, Hannah continued very impressed with this. We went in to a souvenir shop, and discovered that it was also very true, to it’s reputation, as been overpriced for essentially… tat. Hannah had wanted a UK Flag to take back home, but, I’m sorry, York, I ain’t paying £20+ for a tiny Flag you could get anywhere else, for tuppence. Despite this, Hannah did get some extra stuff, though not as much as she would probably have got, had I left a wallet unguarded by her interests hahah. One of the things Hannah will get used to, in time, will be exchange rate of the British pound, so, she’ll then understand what’s a good price for things, and, what, certainly is, not. 

The journey back

When it began to get dark, was, of course, when it was time to head back to the Train station, to end our visit to York. Naturally, when the weather is nicer, we will return to York. It was apparent pretty early on that, it was a complete waste of time, for example, going to somewhere like York Minister, when, it was just, really cold. But, it was really great to go somewhere, have a truly, full-on day experience, with Hannah, and, yet, not have done, even half of the things, we can do there, so, that’s really good. 

Despite, the Train already been there when we arrived a the Train station, somehow, it still managed to be late, don’t know how. But, thankfully, this is not a repeat of Hull, and, we were able to get on, with confidence, on a seat, at this was Stop 1, and, head back, of course, first, to Leeds, then, home. 

One thing that was clear on the journey back, was that this had certainly been, a long day. Hannah, was exhausted on the Train back. But, I didn’t mind, it just meant we were able to stay close, and I just held her close, on the way back to Leeds. 

We did have a few minutes to kill, when we did get to Leeds, took some extra shots of Hannah in the city, may or, may not, have had a Jollibee, then, headed to the Bus home.

Arrived home with a plan for the next day

Once we did get home, both my Mum, and Dad, were, almost waiting for us. This then, led to a talk about our journey, and, adventures in York. Talked about what we’d seen, and, obviously, what we still, will do, on, future visits, then, came the plan, for Friday. 

I’d already said, that me and Hannah would go to the Seaside together, when she was in the UK. I’d, actually, as you’ll remember me mentioning, wanted to spend a whole weekend, or, a few days, with just us, at one. But, I suppose I should have expected this, the weather was, far from, suitable, to do so. Literally, the previous week, it was gusts of wind, heavy rain and cold, at the Coast, so, that made those plans a no-go. But, thankfully, weather wasn’t supposed to be, too bad, minus the temps, on Friday, so, we were full steam ahead (pardon the York-linked pun), to going there finally together to Scarborough. 

My Dad took this opportunity, to begin one of this, many monologues, but, for once, their was actually a number of helpful things included, when it came to, the trip to, Scarborough, which, we did take with us for the trip. Especially as, I, can’t remember, anything, about Scarborough, itself. I was always a Skegness child, but, that’s pretty impossible to get to, easily, on transport, unfortunately, for a single day. 

But, plans all set, we settled in, with each other, but, it was becoming more and more clear, I was definitely, at this point, certainly, not well. 

Frustratingly ill

One of the things about Hannah’s visit here, which will go down as my biggest annoyance, was, honestly, my health. I know you can’t really help it, if you get a cold, a cough, or, anything in between, but, what it does, is it just adds that extra downer, to what is, supposed to be, the best time ever. I was incredibly frustrated, and, annoyed, about this, mostly because, honestly, I would have happily being ill (not literally, but you know what I mean) after Hannah was home, because, then it would just be my day(s) ruined, not hers. But, I was certainly not going to give up trying.

I knew that we had a big day, tomorrow, so, I was going to literally have to fight my absolute ass off, to get us there. But, you know what, I was so determined, to do absolutely everything I could to do so, and, to have the best day, we possibly could. 

We needed to wake up pretty early, literally, this time, no excuses, Hannah, as, this would be a pretty long journey. We’d literally be going to York, to go further afterwards. So, we headed to bed, I hoped in all, I could do the day out with Hannah, and, well, let’s see how it went.

Visit to Scarborough, just the 2 of us

It was pretty obvious, from, the beginning of the day, that, this day was going to be, both, extra special, but, also, extra hard, for me. From the moment it was time to wake up, and, I really needed to wake up, I could tell, my body was shot. I was so annoyed about this. However, I was, also, not, going to let this ruin, the near-end of this visit, by Hannah. I’m not going to lie, looking back, I don’t even know how I managed to get through the day as well as I did, I must be some unknown reserve tank in there for the absolute emergency situations; hey, the things you do for love. 

The journey to Scarborough = York + extras

Whilst, Hannah was, probably getting, a bit fed up of seeing Leeds, by now, it, kind of is, the central hub for most transport around the UK, so, the start of the day certainly felt “familiar”, to say the least. However, due to the much earlier start required, we did arrive a bit closer, than I’d of liked, to when we needed to leave for the Train. The result of this, did limit our usual preparations, but, once we were on the Train, it … hit me like a rock. Whilst Hannah was all, “you shouldn’t be drinking that, you need water, Ben”, let’s me just say that’s a load of rubbish, I was running entirely on medication, and, caffeine, to even get through this day. I was not going to let this illness, get in the way, of the last big trip we would be able to do this year! This was also something, not helping my mood, too; I was becoming, as I’m sure, Hannah was, too, increasingly aware that we were soon … at the end.

But, this was also, why, I was going to make sure this day was memorable, and believe me, it was.

Arrival in Scarborough

As we were far less prepared, than either of us, would of preferred, due to the earlier required start of the day, we hadn’t eaten yet, so, naturally priority number 1 was getting some food. 

I’m not, entirely sure, how long ago it has been since I went to Scarborough, but, I can honestly say, I recognised absolutely nothing, when I left the Train Station, so, we were basically running blind. It would be a lie to say the Maps helped much, either. 

Despite, not knowing where the heck we were going, we, eventually, by chance, found our way to some places to get something to eat. I found a Gregg’s, which wasn’t exactly the seaside grub, I’d usually go for, but, being a bit unwell, I needed something in my stomach. A rather snotty pathetic woman decided to push in, then, had the cheek to attempt to complain I was pushing in … trust me, if I was any healthier, I’d of probably dislocated her leg to shut her up, you know the kind of person. Even the staff, at the Gregg’s, had that look of, geez, what a cow. Average Sausage Rolls, obtained, it was then time to find Hannah something, and, we ended up finding a KFC, not too close-by, so, essentially Hannah ended up eating what she, would have eaten, if we had more time in Leeds station. Caring nothing of the world, at this point, I ate my Gregg’s inside the KFC. It wasn’t exactly the nicest KFC I’ve ever been in, either, I’d argue, one of the worst. The place just felt very tacky, and really out of place in anywhere you’d want tourists to see, so I was certainly glad to leave.

One thing that did annoy me, once we left the KFC, to move on, was literally finding a McDonalds, on the next street. So, I could have avoided the annoying woman in Gregg’s, and, had what I would have traditionally had, too. That didn’t stop me using the McDonalds as a Toilet, so, Hannah waited outside, and I nipped inside. I was out in no time.

Frustratingly, Hannah had taken it in her wisdom, too, also decide, to go inside to the Toilet. However, all without telling me, and, she took forever, so, naturally, you fear the worst! I messaged her, and, got no response. Seriously, Hannah, you don’t do this. So, I was left outside a McDonalds, looking around aimlessly (I found the sea at least), and, thinking anything could have happened to her. Eventually, she messaged that she was having a poop, it was smelly, and, would be out when she’s done. This is something I’m mentioning as punishment, for making me worry. Reunited, we were then able to explore Scarborough. Now I knew where the sea was, it was obviously, just logical, at this point, as to finding where the true Tourist side of Scarborough, was.

We made our way through, until we got to the St Nicholas Gardens, where we were able to walk down, what seemed like, a thousand stairs, to reach the Scarborough seafront. On the way back, I noticed, there’s actually a monorail, that takes you up, and down, this section, but, like many things, it wasn’t running as it’s, not the Summer season.

Regardless, as the clock past 1pm, we were truly here.

I’m not going to lie, and say the weather was, beautiful, but, it was certainly a lot better than that photo gives it credit for, but, it was still fairly cool. Whilst their was a number of things we could, essentially, already do, based on where we were, as I mentioned earlier, I’d taken some advice, from my family, as to places to go first. One of those places, I’d never heard of, we’d been advised to visit, was Peasholm Park, somewhere, I honestly, you really would not know existed unless you, well, did. It was good I did ask really, as me and Hannah both missed out on a lot in Bridlington, whilst we were on our own, which were pointed out, too late, at the end of the day. 

To get to the Park, all we had to do was Travel on a bus, which, typically, runs throughout the day, dedicated to, travelling between the centre of Scarborough, to the Park, in repeat. The only slight worry, was, does it run at this time of the year? Thankfully, yes. 

When Hannah had arrived in the UK, she’d never seen a double-decker bus. Now, she was treated to an open top double-decker bus, ohhh yes, I know how to excite a woman 😁. Not knowing, entirely, how far the journey was, I, stupidly, got a one-way ticket, for us both, to Peasholm Park, thinking, we could just walk the way back, which, would be something I’d later regret.

One thing, which was honestly so typically Hannah, was when we got on the Bus, for our journey, the driver had a collection of chocolates, that hr offered anyone who took a ride. Most people, me included, would pick up a single chocolate, because, that’s the right thing to do, Hannah? Not so much. Hannah decided to instead bury her entire hand in to the box and take about 5 or 6. Thankfully, the driver, in as much bemusement, as me, took the funny side of that, and, let her have them, anyway. But, wow, I was just thinking, “Hannah, you can’t do that”, but she still did.

One thing which was really awesome about traveling the bus there, was checking out the peaks of Scarborough too, which, actually is something I remember about Scarborough. There’s a lot of areas, to walk, and, discover, at the very very top. Though, probably not in this weather, or, time of the year. Hannah was also, visibly too, impressed with Scarbrough, saying, even at this early stage, that we definitely will have to come back, and, we’d not even started looking around yet. All-in-all, it’s crazy really, as I always remember Bridlington being the good one, and, Scarborough being the boring one, as far as this particular coast is concerned, isn’t it crazy how things change. Though, perhaps, a lot of that could be due to this being, just me and Hannah. 

Peasholm Park

Whilst, I’d slightly remembered, a few things, about the peaks of Scarborough, I’d never been to Peasholm Park, so, this was new for both of us. Some things were sadly, again, not open, due to it not being the Summer, including, the peddle boat rides, which I 100% would love to go on with Hannah, so we will definitely be coming back for that, alone! It was crazy, though, the second we entered the Park, the sun came out, blue skies, and, it was honestly, such a great place to be. 

As you can probably imagine, me and Hannah took a ton of photos, and, generally, just really enjoyed the sights to see, for which, there was, so many. I’d even forgotten I was unwell, for a time, too, which was certainly a relief, as, it allowed us to enjoy the last big remaining time out here. 

What’s actually, really crazy, was, that we were, similar as I mentioned in York, having to move on, without seeing everything, due to time constraints, even, in the Park itself. There was a whole higher region of the Park, for which, we never went to, due to the time. I can, honestly say, I can’t wait just come back here, and just see me and Hannah, perhaps with a picnic, or, generally, something to eat, just spending the entire day here, during the Summer, which, I think would honestly be amazing to do. I definitely feel like a few days at the Seaside, would be amazing for her Summer return, next year.

Once we’d explored, even still, quite a great deal, of Peasholm Park, I felt it was, finally time, for us to check out the rest of Scarborough, so, we left the Park, to “walk” back to the centre of the town. However, it became increasingly obvious, we were not in the Summer months, as their were, unfortunately, still numbers of places not open as it wasn’t that time of the year… And, also, became increasingly obvious, that it was very far back and would be an incredibly long walk in, what still was still, fairly cool weather.

So, yes, we resorted to that bus again. Concerned of Hannah’s stealing ways, I made sure she took no more. Thankfully, though, I could tell the driver had enjoyed the exchange though, as, instead of charging us an additional single fair, he just charged us the equivalent of, what it would have been, had we got an all-day Pass, which, was actually really awesome of him.

Checking out Scarborough itself

Once we returned to the centre of the town, we were able to truly enjoy Scarborough itself. We’d already had a great day from Peasholm Park, to the drama in the bus getting there, so, our moods were, honestly, pretty high. Hannah, then, decided that she wanted to, for some reason, take some of the sand back home … I dunno why, either. So, when I decided I wanted some Doughnuts, which were nowhere as good as the Brid ones, she got a Coffee, and, asked for 2 cups, in some weird attempt to put the sand in. Although, later this would prove useless, so, instead Hannah managed to get a free plastic bag from a shop, that she didn’t even buy anything from?! That’s actually an incredible feat, as, those bags are literally, by law, supposed to be chargeable, with a purchase. I know Hannah is a very beautiful woman, but she get’s past everything 😁. 

Air Hockey 1 – 0 Bowling

We spent, quite a decent, amount of time, honestly, just going, wherever, and, enjoying time together. We found ourselves in the Amusements, like of which found in Bridlington, however, it’s fair to say we entered a bit of a competitive stage. Well, I had a bit of an excuse, maybe for one result. 

We ended up going in to one, quite honestly, just looking for a Toilet, we were told in another of them, where to find one. Unfortunately, it was a paid one, and, they certainly knew this, as they had a full-on 20p change machine right next to the steps. Once we’d had our Toilet visit, we then noticed that they had a Bowling alley, be it a small one, inside. This was a perfect opportunity to just, have more laughs together. I’ll be honest, and, admit that, yes, Hannah won, by quite a long margin, she, somehow, got about 3 Strikes, at that point, I’d, more or less, given up. She was certainly very, proud, and of course, very sportsmanship in her victory … or, not. But, it’s all good, we still have some fun memories captured from it, even, if that does includes, an unamused video of me hitting none of them. 

Thankfully, I had already beaten Hannah at Air Hockey, quite considerably, earlier, so I guess, we both have our strengths, and, we’re even, right? I will say, during the Bowling, I was starting to need more Food and medication, so, I’m going to use that as my losing excuse. 

Awful Fish and Chips, plus Hannah’s stealing again!

On the lookout for food, I was reminded of the incredible Fish and Chips that we’d shared in Bridlington, plus, let’s not forget, everyone, talks fondly of seaside Fish and Chips. I found a place I could get some from, as, all the Hot Dog stands looked a bit dodgy, to me, and I spent near £10 on them, soooo expensive! But, not to worry, this is the seaside, and, I know these will be delicious, to the point where, I’ll be talking about these even today, right? … Wrong! The Fish wasn’t skinned or boned, so it had all the gubbings still inside it, and all-in- all was absolutely, awful. The chips were just, OK, but, they were also absolutely huge. I’ll credit them on one thing, the portions were huge too, but, I’d rather have a little big of amazing, than a whole-lotta awful. 

During my attemptive consumption of the disappointment of the day, Hannah had a whole new plan, in mind, execution of yet another robbery. She’d robbed an innocent bus driver of many chocolates, and, now, she was making her next victim, the beach. Hannah begun digging up chunks of sand, which, at this point, was fairly hard and wet (lovely), due to, the increasing tides, and, not a great weather week. It was clear, rather obviously, to me, but later for Hannah, that she’d collected waaaay too much sand, but, it was something she’d always said she wanted to do, so she did. A lot of that sand did, indeed, make it back to Cebu. Then, it was time for me and Hannah to spend some final moments on the beach as part of our final moments in Scarborough, itself..

A perfect day … so close

Not before Hannah decided to do, honestly, the only thing that, to me, ruined the day from being 100% perfect, and that was calling her family, for, what must have been, 20-30 minutes (or more). 

Look, I don’t mind her catching up with her family, I’m sure they’re worried about her, and, interested, too, in where she is, and, what she’s doing. But, there’s honestly a time and place, and, this was not that. This was one of the last opportunities for us to spend a full, far-out, day out, and, not to mention, she’d have unlimited time to speak with her family, literally a couple days, from this point. I wasn’t impressed, and, frustratingly, this wouldn’t even be only time she’d do this. Such a shame.

Final moments, then head back home

Despite all this, however, at this point, it was beginning to get dark, lights were turning on all over Scarborough, so, we knew that we really needed to begin heading back, especially as the journey back was a long one; train + York journey to Leeds, then Leeds to home. The final moments in Scarborough certainly had a different feel to them. There was an almost, sentimental feel about everything, as, I think we both knew, at this point, the end was truly drawing near. Neither of us wanted it to, but, we’d had such an incredible day, after, another, the day before. And, despite my illness trying to intervene, it wasn’t able to ruin it, so the mood was kept positive, as we enjoyed the beach, then, began heading back to the Train Station. 

We took more photos with each other on the beach, to pictures by the sights of Scarborough, in light, to even the Lampposts lighting up the road. It’d truly being an incredible day with Hannah, we’ll definitely be back, and, with a long more time. Perhaps, when we do, for maybe a few days there, perhaps, mixed in with Bridlington, and neighbouring, Filey, or, elsewhere, who knows. But, certainly, a world of opportunity for the next time.

The last-ever pitstop in Leeds

After quite a long journey back, due to some Train issues in York, we, eventually, took an Airport train to get to Leeds. Once arrived, we were both in Leeds for, what would be, the last time. I think a lot of the time we spent there, we were, more or less, in denial. We had one final walk around Leeds, Hannah took a photo by a sleigh inside Trinity, and, we decided to, for the final time, head to Jollibee in Leeds, where we eat for the last time.

As this is Leeds, we ended up having some annoying teens in the Jollibee, including one guy that saw Hannah, and, openly admitted to his friends, that he fancied her. The geezer, did I just say that, looked like some cross between Leo Sayer and Harry Styles, matched with the young Yorkshire chav, so, very appealing hahaha. To be fair, Hannah has a number of admirers. Not surprising this experience is new to me though, it’s first time I’ve had a girlfriend, long term, who’s … actually attractive 😁 

Then, it was time to head home, as the lights in Leeds alluded, it was so true, me and Hannah will always be together, and, whilst, I certainly wish we didn’t have to end it on the Sunday to follow, it had truly being, the best I could have ever hoped. 

The last hurrah; Cleckheaton Lights Switch On, a takeout, and a sentimental end

One thing that was ironic about me being more and more ill, was, that my fevers were getting more and more regular, though, this actually worked out, as they decided to make me feel freezing, so, I was able to, on the second-to-last night, cuddle Hannah and spend one of the most smoothest night sleeps I’d had. Though, obviously, not being ill, would have been a very far better experience.

However, when the morning came, this time, it was very clear that I’d used up, ever ounce of reserve I had, inside me yesterday, and, I was completely, out of it. I felt incredibly weak, full of fever, a rough cough, not good. I was so fucked off, because, this was literally the last full day I had with Hannah, and, my body had decided, to ruin it. 

I did, really, appreciate, Hannah’s attempts to help me feel better, she tried, pretty much, everything she could, including, making me breakfast in bed, which, would have been good if she didn’t use butter, instead of Vitalite margarine, which is a million times better, hahah. It was pretty clear that any plans I’d had for the final day, together, weren’t going to be able to happen. Thankfully, I was able to move … eventually, even if I did feel, completely rough. I then had a shower, and, we were able to share the rest of the day together, be it not in the original way planned.

Cleckheaton Christmas Lights Switch on … can you tell?

Something we’d noticed, on the way home from Scarborough, whilst walking through Cleckheaton, was numerous rides, and stalls, waiting to be set up. I’d completely forgotten the fact it was nearly Christmas, at this point, somehow, so I’d just assumed the fair was coming, but, it was in fact, the Christmas lights switch on today. This was actually great, because, it meant that me and Hannah, could spend some last chill moments together, with my family, and, hopefully, have some fun, in the meantime, too. 

Temper your expectations

Now, Cleckheaton isn’t the city of the world, so, as you can imagine, the lights that did get switched on were, less than underwhelming … OK, they were shit, but, it was mostly about the experience, that mattered. This was, however, an opportunity, for Hannah to finally wear the infamous jumper! You remember the one, the one we’d searched far and wide for, she was trying it.

She tried it on in my room and, honestly she looked absolutely beautiful, like she always does, however, something was a bit off. Hannah, don’t get me wrong, looks very attractive in shorts, but, this is the UK, near Winter, so, it was hardly going to be pleasant for her. Hannah, then, rather quickly, settled on pants instead, hahah.

Before we set off, for, what would be, me, Hannah, parents and Evie (Olivia didn’t feel like coming), it was chance for us to just, chill. We both were in the garden, essentially, reminiscing about the incredible time we’d had together. At this point, the next door neighbour, Margaret, who’d met Hannah, and, was naturally fond of her, had a little conversation about how she’d found it here, this was also when Hannah acquired a UK Flag. Granted, the Flag was from our Jubilee Flags, which were “taken” from a Pub my Mum went to, but, it was everything she was looking for, so, Hannah had a UK Flag to take home. Then, it was time to check out the excitement and joy … yeah, temper your expectations.

There was, actually, quite a lot of things you could do, at the lights switch on, from rides, to the excitement of picking a duck out of a pond … OK, not everything was exciting, but, there was also snacks and foods. Me and Hannah didn’t really get much, I got a Screwball ice cream, from my usual Ice Cream man, and Hannah, ended up getting a Bacon butty. Hannah, also got given some chocolate for Christmas, was bemused by an old-man medieval choir, singing Christmas songs, and, took a selfie next to a Storm trooper. 

Despite, the very rough start, and, still not feeling too great, I was, at least, thankful, that Hannah had a laugh, and mostly, that we were able to truly share that last hurrah together, with the family. It was pretty funny, though, when the lights did switch on. There was a sense of … are they on? They were as rubbish, as predicted, and, at that point, we were ready for off. 

We popped in to Tesco, on the way back, to get some bits and bats, I got Hannah some Strawberry laces to take home, and, she got to see Lee, one more time, in his environment, complaining about people, and, everything around him. Par for the course for Lee. 

We then spent some final moments, just me and Hannah, in the house, before everyone came home. Whilst, I don’t even recall what we even did, I just remember, being in her arms and wishing it wasn’t the last full day we’d have together this time.

Meal, … which became, takeaway, with the Family

One thing that my family really wanted to do, when Hannah arrived, was to have a Meal with her. The original plan, was actually that she’d be taken to Wok Ever, which, for my Mum, is luxury, but, unfortunately, it was really the wrong time of the year. The day of the Christmas lights switch on, everything in Cleck, was, completely, booked. So, instead, we decided to order a Chinese Takeaway, which, to be honest, Hannah actually really enjoyed. Surprisingly, even my Dad was happy to have one. I think, he was more feeling guilty, for being stubborn, in not, originally, wanting to. We all, then travelled to get it ordered and to pick it up up. I was, at this point, however, a dead man walking, I really felt rough. 

We all actually really enjoyed the food, the Chips were nice, that I ate, Hannah spicy choice of Chicken Chow Mein, she enjoyed, even if, for her, it wasn’t spicy enough. Al in, all though, we enjoyed.

Little something to take back with you

Whilst, we all ate, and, enjoyed, then, I’m afraid; reality kicked in, and it was time for Hannah to get packing, for tomorrow. 

My family had bought Hannah some little things, a little necklace for her, a collection of chocolates, and some biscuits for her, and her family. A final additional was, well, as the Christmas tradition, in this house, a Chocolate Orange, one which Hannah was made to save for Christmas Day. She also packed the Strawberry laces we’d picked up from Tesco, and some Walkers crisps for the journey home.

All good things come to an end…

It felt, barely, like a weekend had past, when the dawn shone on the last day. For some reason, we completely forgot Hannah had some left-over Chicken Chow Mein, from the takeout the day before, she could have had this morning, but, instead, Hannah just had a small snack, to wake up. We didn’t really have long, to try and, make the most of her being here, took about a million pictures in the kitchen, with an unmistakable noticeable tear in our eyes, as we tried to keep the smiles alive.

It then, also, became pretty apparent that Hannah, just, didn’t have enough space, in her hand luggage, so, I ended up letting her have a bigger work bag I used to use. Thankfully, I’d recently just got a replacement. This was, much bigger, and, Hannah, was then able to take her myriad of snacks, extras, and all, that she planned take back. Hannah did, of course, leave behind a, few things. Essentially, all her cold-wear, remains here, something, that I actually fondly look at, to, almost, remind myself, that, these few weeks, really did happen. 

Then, the journey to the airport was quickly upon us. Surprisingly, the Journey actually felt like it was never-ended, perhaps, this was due to the fact there was no turning back, at this point. Once we were inside, that lump started in my throat, which, wasn’t my Flu, but, naturally, that feeling, that we were going to have to say goodbye. 

It was rather amusing that my Dad, thanks, in part to my Mum, was getting so stressed he was going the wrong way in the Airport. Once, we did find a parking space, though, we were fine, and, then able to rather easily get to where we needed to go.

Not the smoothest check-in

Once inside the Airport, I queued up with Hannah, at the Qatar Airways check-in point. This is, naturally, not the fastest thing in the world, but, we’d given ourselves a decent chunk of time between when she’d have to set off. Unfortunately, an issue, which I thought was corrected on arrival, came back to haunt us. The mis-spell of her name returned. Thankfully, this was able to be sorted at the time, but, it was a little scare of her being unable to fly. Though, in retrospect, I wouldn’t have really complained about having extra time with her here, really.

Then, it became apparent she wasn’t registered to the Philippines Health Pass, which, I was fully aware of, but, I actually thought, residents wouldn’t need it, but, they apparently do, and then, we got Hannah registered. Well, we did, when Hannah accepted Marie is her middle name, not part of her first. 

An indescribable feeling…

Now, I’m the kind of person who can accept something nerve-racking, and, not really notice it until it’s here. In March, I wasn’t remotely nervous about flying on my own for the first time … until I was there, then, it was shock-horror. However, nothing could have prepared me for this. 

Once checked in, bags all ready, we then slowly walked to Departures, the point where we would have to part, and, the feeling was truly uncontrollable, at this point. We both squeezed ourselves so close, trying our best, to mask out the tears, growing amongst ourselves. It was at that point, when, it was as clear as it’ll ever, that I didn’t just, love Hannah so so much, I needed her. I couldn’t let her go, we couldn’t let each other go. I wanted her to just, say with me, forever. We just tried our best to, just, stay in that moment of embrace. 

Eventually, however, the moment had to happen, and, if there’s one moment that repeats in my head, more than any other; the sight of Hannah walking away through Departures, it truly haunts me. I was lost, empty inside, and, I’m not ashamed to admit it, I just, cried. I just cried all the way out, in ways, I’ve, honestly, never ever experience in my entire life. It was all just, too much.

I remember just feeling completely numb, all the way home. Listening to music helped, briefly, to distract myself, but, there was nothing I could do, I was a broken man without the true love, by his side. I know we’re going to see each other again, so, this may seem like some overreaction to many, but, at the same time, if you don’t understand this, perhaps, you have not found the true love, you may think you have.

At the time before, I was doing my best to assure Hannah, in the end, I ended up having to assure myself. This had been the most incredible, significant, and, most important, few weeks of my entire life, so far. We both knew, this was just the beginning, of what was going to be an absolutely perfect future. Sure, we’d had niggles along the way, I’m glad we did, as it really helps us to grow, but, in the end it, just secured the feeling that we are truly meant to be, and, I won’t ever stop, or give up, this dream we both have for a future where we never need to part. 

It’s a feeling that keeps me going, even today. Whilst, that future is still a future that’s in our dreams, once again, I, personally, can’t wait for that future. A future where, that tomorrow in our dreams, we hold so close and dear, is that same longing, for it to be the today in our eyes, is what will always keep me going, will always be keep me focused and, give me the strength to make those dreams a reality.. 

Hannah’s safely home

The flight back, sure isn’t a quick one, and, I, once again, had told Hannah to keep up communication with me, throughout? … she, once again, didn’t. But, we did have one last emotional conversation, about just how perfect the time together had been, whilst she waiting for her plane, then, I kept track of her throughout the journey back. 

Originally, I was going to be working the day after, however, I was so ill, that I just had ring in to work. Hannah and I had an, almost instant, video call, when she was safely back home. It was mad, because, I was so happy to see someone I’d literally spent weeks nonstop together, but, it all just felt like a dream, like it had never happened. Her family were very appreciative of me taking care of Hannah, which, I will do for the rest of her life, obviously. We were all happily sharing our experiences that we’d had, with them, but, honestly, when it was just me and Hannah together on the call, that inability to hold her, kiss her, just remains, so hard. But, next year, is going to be a huge step, to making that less of a problem.

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Still feeling pretty bad, 2 weeks of chest infection

As soon as Hannah was in the air, and I had arrived home, my body, … remembered, it was ill, and, just collapsed. My Mum and Dad said I looked absolutely awful, I went completely pale and weak, I took some meds, went up stairs …and I think I honestly just went to sleep for the entirety of Hannah’s 22 hour flight home. 

I rung in to work, so was able to get a week off, the entirety was just spend bed-bound. It wasn’t until like Thursday, or Friday, that I was even able to comfortably even get myself up and do things. Then, it’d completely gone to my throat. Uncontrollable coughing, the works. I ended up going to the Doctors the Monday after, got a sick note, which, then gave me a second week off work. 

Whilst, obviously, part of me, would have preferred this to have been taken advantage of, and Hannah spending another 2 weeks, in the UK with me. That, certainly, wouldn’t have been fair, mostly, on her. Even though, I know she would have liked to. But, Hannah, had her own things to do when she got back home, and, I, truly couldn’t predict when I was going to be better.

Life since then

It’s fair to say that being apart from Hannah has been the most difficult thing in my life. I know this isn’t the first time we’ve done this, this is actually the third time I’ve had to say goodbye to Hannah, but, this time, is just so different. I’m guessing this was different, as, for the first time, me and Hannah were not just, in a hotel, but, were living together. But, I mostly think, it was because Hannah was right here. Everywhere I go, even today, I’ve got memories of Hannah being there too, I still feel like when I go upstairs she’ll be right there waiting for me, though, obviously, she’s not. But, throughout all of this, it just makes me all that much more determined. Determined to get the future, we both want, so deeply, to go right ahead. 

Since then, I’ve returned to the great joys of work, got a Lager hamper for Christmas, and spent a rather, better than expected, Christmas Day. That’s as close to a positive comment you’ll get out of me about Christmas. It was nice to feel like Hannah was, somewhat present, as the entire family gave her a Merry Christmas, which, she sent a response to.

Once she had some time at home, Hannah was finally able to find out about the studies she’d been doing. I was very proud, to find out, she had actually graduated and got the Pass she was wanting. I’d, personally, had no doubts that she would, but was still good that she had that extra moment to feel better about things. 

Granted, it did take her quite a while to realise this, due to numerous distractions. Most notable of these spending, about, a million, weeks in a hospital, with a member of her family, which, wasn’t great. It isn’t really over, either, but, hopefully everything will be OK, soon. Whilst, Hannah constantly denied it was impacting her, being there the completely inhuman amount of time, it certainly was. So, for that reason alone, I was very happy when she was finally out. It was when she was finally home, she then finally realised her exam results. To celebrate those results, I ended up, along with a member of her family, planned a little surprise for her for the day when she got back. Granted, Hannah didn’t really seem to care about the surprise, that much, but .. ah well, I guess it’s the thought that counts.

2022 in review

I was going to end this blog with a 2022, in review. Then, I realised this is, quite honestly, the biggest blog I’ve ever done in my entire life. So, instead, we’ll get that part out around the New Year. But, let me just say this, I’m incredibly happy, thankfully and honoured to have Hannah in my life. She’s truly changed mine for the better, and, next year, believe me, is going to be huge, when it comes to changing her life too!

If you want to read even more, the 2022 in Review is now available;