I’m writing this on the plane on the wayo Vancouver after spending a wonderful 4 days in Edmonton spending time with family, some of whom I haven’t seen in 10 years.

The flight from Manchester was long. 18 hours travelling and back through various time zones does take it out of you so I pretty much went straight to bed when I arrived at my aunts. I did watch some good films on the plane and my new iPad mini is a fantastic travelling companion.

Edmonton is a city in the state of Alberta. I didn’t see much of the city itself other than through a car window, as I was ferried about trying to make sure I saw all my cousins who are spread across if.

I’ve got 2 aunts and uncles and 4 cousins in total. But there’s now the addition of partners, 4 children (with one on the way), 4 dogs and 3 cats all of who I got to meet and spend time with. One cousin married a farmer so I got to see a wonderful bit of land surrounded by crops and even more animals with hens and horses there as well. I had a little experience of the farming life as the hens had escaped from the coop so chasing them around in the heat confirmed what I already knew, I like to work indoors and make life easy as possible. But it’s hard to deny the views and the freedom out there.

Talking of the heat I was surprised with just how hot it has been. It hasn’t been under 25 degrees celcius, and glad I did just pack my luggage full of autumn outfits. It’s caused some wildfires in the state across but Edmonton has a hazy sky which is actually the smoke from hundreds of miles away.

I know some people have trouble with families. But I’ve always felt so loved by mine and even though they are thousands of miles across an ocean, when I see them it’s like I see them every day. As with all families we have our moments but ultimately the love, generousity and hospitality they share is a beautiful part of life. I hope you have this experience with yours, or are able to make one for yourself.

I definitely won’t leave it another 10 years until I see them again. A lot can (and did) happen in a decade and if there’s anyone you want to share your highs and lows with - it’s them.