once upon a time...

once upon a time...

there was a young girl, let's call her nic. good name that. she had worked very hard for a very long time, and had started to lose some sparkle in her eyes and bounce in her step. her eyes were all purpley and baggy, and when she looked in the mirror she would see how her sleepy eyes would gaze back, dreaming of how lovely it would be to escape for a little while. to feel the fresh wind on her face, sleep till midday, meet new friendly faces and laugh till her tummy hurt. so one day, on quite a whim, she speedily packed her bags and made a dash for the airport, waving goodbye to her family as she dashed through the gate to a big silver bird that was to whisk her away to adventures untold.

she slept soundly on her journey, armed with ear plugs and a very pretty eyemask. upon landing in the land of black cabs, big red buses and marks and spencer, she was greeted by her long lost brother and spent several days exploring the town. parks covered with bright white snow, markets overflowing with antiques, food and beautiful bits and pieces, pubs filled with noise, new friends and fairy lights. she dashed from place to place, soaking in every moment.

from here she skipped to a few other towns, visiting friends in new places, chatting over tea and cake, and being spoilt rotten. she enjoyed being spoilt rotten. heading to the land of thistles and kilts, she felt her blood stirring, heard the bagpipes and heroically tried to avoid haggis. she grew gravely ill, but after combining every kind of flu drug known to man was able to enjoy every moment of her holiday. phew! she drank tea in copious amounts, discovered the wonders of cough syryp, and was shown beauty on this earth she never thought possible.

she trekked back to the land of big red buses for just one night, and headed off to beautiful europe the next morning. she was feeling rather blue, because as you're about to find out, this story is about to get romantical. and gosh, is it good. you see, while in the land of thistles, she had met a boy. a boy she knew from a little while ago. this boy had already crossed country once to the land of the military tattoo to spend a day with her, and while she wasn't sure if this boy fancied her, she knew she rather fancied him. and she had to say goodbye.

she arrived in the land of the red flags and bulls, and spent 3 days stuffing her face with tapas, feasting her eyes on the galleries and palace and reminding herself what blue skies looked like. she also very much enjoyed hearing from the boy. she then jetted of to the land of the eiffel tower and chocolate croissants to be by herself for 3 days of shopping and pastry goodness. she got lost in st germaine, ransacked every chocolate store she could find, huddled outside on a freezing night cruise, wandered through markets filled with beautiful christmas decorations, and ate french onion soup. she also had happy butterflies in her tummy. the boy was going to meet her in the land of big red buses for adventures.

after farewelling the city of love and buying ridiculous amounts of chocolate, she choofed back to meet the boy. she was nervous. she didn't know what was going to happen. but she was excited.

after getting rid of the feather light (ridiculously heavy) luggage, they went walking. and talking. talking and walking. and talking. they had dinner. they had drinks. the boy asked a few questions. the girl said she liked him. the boy asked her to be his girlfriend. the girl said yes. she was happy. very very happy. there was more walking. and talking. the boy held her hand. the boy may not have known the girl had never held hands with a boy before. she tried very hard not to trip over from excitement.

they spent the next day wandering through galleries, eating at markets, walking and talking. there was a lot of walking. the boy discovered a park, a very pretty little park, right smack bang in the middle of the busy streets. the boy and girl sat here for a while. the girl got her first kiss. there was more walking and talking. and walking. the boy flew back to the land of thistles in the very early hours of the next morning, and the girl followed the boy the morning after. they spent 3 days on grand adventures, making new friends, climbing icy white snowy mountains and being spoilt with the prettiest sunsets known to man.

after the 3 days, the young girl's adventure had to finish, and she had to figure out a way to get her excess baggage back to the land of the beaches and bbq's. she also had to say goodbye to the boy. she did not enjoy this. but, and this is the best bit, she did know that she would see him again soon. and while she would be spending her first valentines day with the boy without the boy, she knew that the sad butterflies in her tummy were outweighed by the happy butterflies, and that her boy would be holding her hand again soon. hopefully very soon.

and so, the adventure that turned into a grand adventure had to finish. she is back. with a sparkle in her eyes and a bounce in her step, and is very excited about the new adventure that is just beginning. and all the pretty things she brought home. but mostly the new adventure.

the end!

or is it the beginning...