Familiar Faces!

I spent the day in Southampton yesterday, the first time since I arrived in the UK on 25th May. As I walked around the City I was struck by just how much it has changed. There are new buildings everywhere; Guildhall Square looks completely different from when I was last there in 2015. There is of course a brand new extension to the West Quay Shopping Centre and the old Bargate Shopping Centre, behind the castle in the centre of town is no more. There is a new theatre and arts centre as well as an influx of restaurants covering the town.

I have always been fond of my old home, but when I arrived at Southampton Central Station, I had this strange feeling come over me; this place I had lived in for a quarter of a century no longer felt like home. For the first time in my life, I felt like a stranger in my own country. To be perfectly honest it was quite an unsettling feeling. Don't get me wrong I am happy to be back, but it feels very strange; don't forget I have been living outside the UK for nearly three years now, so it is going to feel a bit disconcerting.

I was in Southampton to meet Jay, who was the best man at my Wedding; I haven't seen or heard from him since I left the UK. We pretty much fell out over something stupid, as is usual in our case, yes it has happened before and will probably happen again. Anyway, I decided to contact Jay a few months back and we have been talking for quite sometime now. Jay is an important part of my life and helped me get through some pretty tough times, so it was only right that we rekindled our friendship. Sat there talking with him again was fantastic, just like it used to be, I really enjoyed spending time with him after so long; we did after all have a lot to talk about.

Jay treated me to dinner at 'Mango;' a small restaurant on Southampton High Street, tapas, not traditionally Spanish, but tasty nonetheless. We managed to fill each other in on our different lives and I was pleased to hear how well this lad is doing. Thankfully he no longer works for Oxfam and has managed to move forwards in a constructive focused way. Despite living in completely different countries, leading vastly disparate lives, we can at least now manage to stay in contact  and concentrate on forming a lasting bond. The fact we no longer see each other everyday, will probably go in our favour. I have always valued our friendship and look forward to seeing Jay again before I leave!

Whilst walking though the city centre, I bumped into Joe, or baby Joe as I call him. He has been a friend since he was knee high; it was great seeing him also. Joe has turned into a fine young man, which is nice to see; he never changes mind you and still looks the same as when I first met him.

It is people like Joe that make me miss my life in Southampton. I have realised just what I have left behind and at my time of life it doesn't necessarily sit well with me. Joe does remind me of just how small the city of Southampton is. Walking through the streets, I recognised many people, passing the time of day with many. Although Southampton is a City, it is relatively small. I met Joe through Darrell, they used to work together and we became good friends with both him and his sister, often going to see bands play at the popular venue, 'Talking Heads;' I'm not even sure the place is still there as I haven't been there for over five hears. It's on my list of things to do, while I'm staying on the South Coast!

I'm sure I will see Joe again before I leave; it was sad it was such a brief chat. I am however trying to fit as much as I can into my time back home and want to make the most of my time, spent in Britain. The only thing I want from this vacation is memories and plenty of them. As a person I have changed much in recent times, my values and priorities are now very much at odds with the person I used to be; that can only be a good thing!