One of my long time dreams was to show Hannah and Emily where I grew up. Not easy as that included Nigeria and PNG, but we did have a house in Ireland and I did go to school there, and as that is where I come from, it was a thrill to be able to do that part of it.
When my parents were in Nigeria they came home in the UK summer every year and the holiday was timed in such a way that we were often sent to the local primary school for a few weeks. It was a two classroom school with grade 1 to 4 in one room and 5 and 6 in another! The playground was tarmac and it over looked the sea at the front and a golf course at the back.
I loved it. Once we all peered over the wall to see a seal wallowing in the shallows. Another time a classmate rode his horse to school, but was turned away at the gate by horrified teachers! He rode it home then walked all the way back.....
To see this little Mecca of mine, we drove from Newcastle to Portaferry and caught the boat over to Strangford. We then drove up the outside of the Strangford Peninsula to Cloughey...home of seals and small girls and small schools! It was in some ways so unchanged it was a shock. But once that had sunk in it was just such a happy reunion. We walked in the dunes and hid from John in the long grass! Went down to the beach and threw stones into the water and it was pure joy to find that some things stay the same. And even better that I could share it with the ones I love.
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