Family.

L-R: Jacqueline, Gillian, me, Pam.

This week my thoughts have been centred very much on family. You see, my sister and I met up with our cousins whom we hadn’t seen for thirty-four – yes, you read that correctly! – years. They decided to pay a visit to Liverpool following the death of our aunt and asked if we would like to meet them. Pam and I leapt at the chance.

We worked out a “plan” so they could get the most out of their trip and met at the Adelphi, Liverpool’s iconic hotel. Having no idea what they would look like, I bounded up the steps to the hotel and went straight past them! Thankfully, they recognised us, so all was well, and we set off.

First on the tour was our grandmother’s old house where Jacqueline, Gillian and Gemma took photos. It was a gloriously sunny day, thankfully, so we didn’t need to contend with the elements. Next on the list was the family grave where our grandfather was buried then on to Allerton Road where we pointed out famous landmarks like Penny Lane (Beatles’ song) and the house where Jacqueline’s and Gillian’s father had lived and where their parents had had their first home after they married.

We then did a scenic tour of Sefton Park, bringing back a lot of memories for Pam and I, and headed for Otterspool Prom where more photos were taken. It was such a clear day that we could see the Welsh mountains across the river – perfect!

We headed back into Liverpool city centre, passing the cathedrals – two of them – and parked close to Albert Dock, a real tourist mecca these days although it was once a thriving dock importing goods from around the world.

We walked around the dock so we could show them the Liver Buildings with the famous Liver Birds perched on the top of its towers. There’s been a lot of building work in the last few years and we discussed the various merits of the new buildings (or not!) and took tons more photos for the family albums.
Then, worn out by all the walking, we went for lunch to Jamie’s Italian in Liverpool One and spent the next couple of hours talking non-stop.

It was a great day, made all the better by the fact that we got on so well together. There were none of those uneasy gaps in the conversation, no struggling to find something too say: we just gelled. Was it because they are just lovely people or because they are family? I have no idea. What I do know is that it won’t be another thirty-four years before we meet up again. I’ll make certain of that!

L-R: Gemma, Gillian, Pam, Jacqueline – yes, I took the photo which is why it’s so bad!

Have a good week,

Jennifer.