“I Saw Her Standing There” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

They say – whoever these sage like people are – that the older you get, the quicker time flies. Well I must be getting horrendously old because the month that Rose was away (visiting her family in England) just whizzed by.

It only seemed like a few days ago when the tears were streaming down ( her face, not mine!) when I said goodbye to her. On reflection though her tears may have been tears of Joy and not, as I thought at the time, sorrow. I’m only joking. Honestly Rose. Believe me. PLEASE!

But the month flew by and on Monday Rose left her North London base at 05.30 hours and caught the United Airlines 09.30 hours flight to Houston but not before she enjoyed breakfast at the United Club (we’d upgraded her return ticket to Business Class – contrary to what some think I am not tight!).

After a restful night at a hotel fairly close to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport she then caught the 13.14 hours flight to Belize which was scheduled to arrive at 14.43 hours. But it didn’t. It was delayed by forty minutes.

Eventually though the plane landed and Rose, brandishing her Qualified Retirement Program ID card cleared Immigration, collected her two suitcases

and cleared Customs so quickly that she was able to present herself at the Tropic Air Check In desk for the 15.40 hours flight to San Pedro. Seventeen minutes within landing. A new world record?

What were you doing, you’re thinking. Waiting at Carlo & Ernie’s Runway Bar & Grill. That’s what. Drinking a Sprite (yes, a Sprite) watching Real Madrid play FC Schalke 04 in a Champions League game.

I wasn’t there for the football (soccer for readers from the US) though. And definitely not for the Sprite. I was there because it’s a great location and vantage point if you’re meeting someone flying to the San Pedro airstrip.

I waited there patiently – after four weeks what’s another hour- and eventually heard the sound of an aeroplane about to land ((it’s not that I’ve spent that much time at Carlo & Ernies (???) but I really do believe that I can now distinguish between a Tropic Air and Maya Island Air aircraft)). And then … I saw her standing there.

I gulped down the remainder of my Sprite, delaying only slightly to watch Schalke score a goal (c’mon, it was a corker of a goal) and whizzed around to Tropic Air’s baggage claim area to get my baggage. And Rose, of course.

After a quick hug (well it wasn’t that quick actually, she wouldn’t let go of me!) I loaded the cases on the back of the golf cart and went back to Carlo & Ernie’s for a ‘welcome home’ drink. This time I had Belikin. And then it was time to head home to see what she’d bought me. I love surprises.

Sorry The San Pedro Sun but I do miss a British national newspaper. These three I worked for and on for twenty-four years.

And there were some tasty treats

Yum, yum. Now how long will they last?

And

something more to read. Yes, about Arsenal.

And a new pair of sunglasses to replace the pair I (stupidly) lost when paying a bill in San Pedro.

And some new apparel.

Snazzy eh!

And some more

Arsenal stuff. All bought at Highbury House (yes, there’s another one) the Arsenal merchandise shop at the Emirates Stadium. The home of Arsenal and all that’s good about football (real football, that is).

Now this

is for our front fence. Some of the other stuff though were gifts for our fellow Arsenal fans that live on Ambergris Caye.

It wasn’t all about me though (it should have been but …). Rose didn’t forget Ziggy

she bought him this.

Now the presents are very nice but the best present of all was (wait for it) getting Rose back.

The headline for today’s (much awaited – well by me anyway) edition is based on the single released in 1963 by The Beatles which reached number fourteen on the US Billboard Hot 100.