Red shoe clicking Dorothy certainly knew what she was talking about when she uttered those words. Home really is the best. It’s kind of funny really but I never thought that I would class anywhere other than my own dear Blighty as home but after a month in the UK catching up with family, I can honestly say that it feels good to be back. Whilst exiting the arrivals lounge at Sofia airport, laden down with luggage (how do I always end up with so much of it I ask myself) I felt comfortably reassured. Bulgaria, it would seem, is now my home.
Please don’t misread me, I had a great time visiting my family. Gossiping, eating, shopping, eating, catching up with family members visiting from France, eating, watching the Olympics with English commentary (bonus!), eating, mastering Netflix, eating. Well, I think perhaps you get the gist. Diet, here I come. York and Arbroath were my destinations, as dissimilar from each other as you can possibly get! I’d forgotten how wonderful the second hand clothes at the charity shops in York are, how delicious empire biscuits taste, the Scots can certainly teach us a thing or two about biscuit baking and sadly, but inevitably, how awful the British summer can really be (but how quickly I was reminded of this fact)!
I would so like to have brought some delicious empire biscuits back with me however I was well overweight, that’s both luggage and body weight I hasten to add, so a search for biscuit recipes on the internet will have to suffice, I’ll just make the one batch, I promise. Alongside the shredded suet, English mustard powder, celery seed and custard powder I did manage to successfully cram some chocolate fudge into my case, please don’t judge me too harshly, it was home made and had the word chocolate in it, what more can I say? Admit it, it looks pretty good doesn’t it?
Chocolate chunk fudge, oh yummy!
I bought it from a lovely tearoom/sweet shop/gift shop in Arbroath called Sugar and Spice. I didn’t try out the tearoom (I’m so sorry, Lorna) but I did sample some of their lovely ice cream to make up for it. Rhubarb and custard flavour, oh my, it was delicious and well worth the agony it caused to my sensitive teeth. Sometimes you just have to suffer in the name of research 
To be home is wonderful, I’m back in the arms of my fabulous hubby, our gorgeous dogs greeted me with enthusiastic woofing and licking and, inevitably, the odd scratches and I have my garden and kitchen to occupy me once more.
I ask you, what more could a woman ask for?
Your home in Bulgaria sounds remarkably similar to my home (the holler) in the country in California. Can’t wait to get to Bulgaria and look for family. Love your blog!
Cindy
I do so understnad what you mean. We’ve been living in Italy for 9 years now and going back to England is wonderful, catching up with family and friends and shopping in a place where ‘the customer is right’ and quality is usually related to price, etc. etc. But getting home again is even better, the first walk around the garden ahh! thanks for visiting my hesperides garden. Christina
Home is where your hearts I have heard.
How wonderful to realize that you have indeed bonded with Bulgaria! In a way you have the best of both…a home in the UK and your new home, Bulgaria. I’d certainly bring the comfort foods of one home back to the new one! No judging here!
Debra
Thank you Debra, I certainly have bonded – just the language to master now :-/ I’ll think I’ll have a bit of chocolate before I start my studies though
I missed your posts, look forward to hearing more of UK. (my birth place) I bet the dogs went hysterical when you walked in. Had any one been keeping your garden under control while you were away?
Thank you for your kind words. It’s good to be back, playing catch up at the moment but I’m getting there. The dogs were so excitable when I arrived home, their little faces lit up, I’m not sure if that was because they were seeing me or if it was down to the treats that I later presented them with! Hubby has been at home and tending the garden whilst I’ve been away although there is very little to look after now to be honest, we managed to get most of our produce grown and harvested early. It’s the hard work part of gardening now, digging. Not my favourite thing I must admit!
Ah I wondered about the silence. Did you manage to watch any Olympics live? No worries about diet-when on holiday, diet is a dirty word. Good to hear you had a wonderful time, I have been sending my family our winter forecast vs theirs as a laugh as our coldest days were equivalent to their warmest – that’s UK summer lol. Choc fudge looks delish, be kind to it.
I saw quite a lot of the Olympics, and the Paralympics too which was great as they didn’t show the Paralympics on Bulgarian TV. Hubby was most disappointed. The British summer really has been an awful one this year, I really loved it after all the heat here but it’s been a real wash out for the Brits and a crying shame for those who can’t afford to escape for a fortnight to the sun. Chocolate fudge was a total thumbs up!
I’m so glad you had a nice visit. And I agree – you simply had to bring back that chocolate fudge! And the ice cream sounds great. But home is nice too…
Thank you Meg, I knew that I could rely on you to understand my need to get some chocolate fudge stuffed into the suitcase!
It’s nice that you had such a great time and that the trip helped you to also recognize how much you enjoy your new home.
What is it that they say? Something like, ‘sometimes you need to go away to appreciate what you’ve got?’ It’s so true, I’m a very lucky lady
Cool.
Welcome home Eleenie! You have indeed been missed! Glad to hear you had a great time
Always good to be home and back again. Rhubarb & Custard flavour (sigh…) Please make some Empire biscuits. HUGS xxx Sharon
Thank you Sharon, it’s good to be back! The rhubarb and custard ice cream was so good that it was impossible to put into words how delicious it tasted! Empire biscuits are my next baking project, I’ll post some pics for you! Hugs! x
The fudge does look good. You’re right, no matter how good a travel time you have, there is never anything quite like home!
The fudge was delicious, I really wish that I had brought back more of it
I’m getting to be more of a home bird as each year passes, travelling is definitely taking a back seat now!