The In-Laws Are Back, and They Brought Goodies!

My in-laws returned triumphantly last weekend from their visit to Great Britain. I say "triumphantly" because they managed to make both connecting flights despite the agony of long customs and security lines (there's that government shutdown effect!), kept their bags under the acceptable limits, and had their coats out by the time they arrived home to find a dusting of slushy snow on our valley floor. They left when it was hot enough to melt rocks and came back when fall was in full swing.

My MIL has a gift for packing things. She can fit 20 gallons of something into a 10 gallon container with room to spare. The only limit to her superpower is the weight restrictions the airlines place on luggage, which is a shame because it limits the amount of good, British chocolate we can then consume. But they did bring back various chocolates and crisps (prawn cocktail and Worcester flavored Walkers, pickled onion Monster Munch, and some scampi flavored Fries), candies that Husband requested that bring back memories of his youth, and a couple logs of marzipan. They also brought back some jewelry for us girls and some cool shirts for the boys. Husband's extensive supply of rugby and football (soccer) jerseys all came from MIL and FIL. We also got some

Bisto for making gravy and a couple Battenberg cakes. I see some roast meals in our near future.

I'll need to play soccer for days to work off the bounty, and the official England soccer shirt I was given will be my uniform. Fortunately, there are six other people in this house ready to help gobble down all the fattening treats, and if I just ignore it, everything will be gone in no time. MIL was kind enough to send Sian her own package containing chocolate and other treats because there ain't no way any would be left by the time she came to visit.

You can envy us just a little if you want. What I wanted most, however, were things they cannot bring home with them: hot Cornish pasties from the bakery; a cone of chips drenched in malt vinegar; the smell of a small English town in the morning before the mists have lifted; the sounds of a High Street market day; the juxtaposition of a castle ruin basking in the sunlight nearby modern homes and office buildings. The scent of hot apple and blackcurrant squash after a long day in the rainy drizzle.