Home is where the heart is

We may not have lived in the UK now for over 4 years, but we still refer to it as "home". We always look forward to returning home to see family and friends (even though this has now become the way in which I consistently use up my annual leave).

While friends at home and here in Dubai (specifically those without children) often take their holidays skiing in winter, or to Spain/Maldives/USA in the summer, we find ourselves spending time in the hot tourist destination that is 'the bit between Winnersh and Wokingham'. But to be honest, I really don't mind.

Because for me, Wokingham is where I grew up, where I went to school, where I learnt to drive, where I had my first job, and (perhaps further evidence of its eternal ability to draw you back) where most of my UK friends still reside.

Despite the ever increasing traffic problems, the infuriating way in which the local council is run (and spends money), and the "Leisure Park", it is, and always will be, the one place where I feel truly at home. It holds so many happy memories. I feel a sense of comfort and reassurance whenever I am back there.

And a major part of that is attributable to the family home. It may be just bricks and mortar at the end of the day, but I still remember being really upset when we moved to 48 Walter Road from Selsdon in 1983 (when I was 7) thinking "how will this new place ever feel like home". But 24 years on, there is nowhere else quite like home for me now.

Which is why (even though Mum and Dad will no doubt be wracked with guilt if they read this!) this link brings with it a sense of finality, of inevitability and (I'm not ashamed to say) great sadness.

Of course, my parents have every right to move on (to Dorset). And their new house will be fantastic. And ultimately, it's not about the building, but the people that are in it with you that is important. But I will miss our home in Walter Road greatly.

But be warned, fellow Wokingham-ians: we will now be looking for board and lodgings from friends in the area on future visits.