Hello, welcome to another bonus episode. Thank you for tuning in and spending a few moments with me. I'm actually feeling a bit down, a bit glum, a bit blue because I'm all alone. This morning, my children, my two lovely boys have headed off to go and spend a few days with their grandparents. And so I'm now by myself and knowing that I'm not going to see them for a few days just makes me feel a bit glum. Now, as they were leaving, I did the very British thing of standing at the door. I was actually in my pyjamas because they left very early this morning and I was so focused on packing for them and making sure they had everything they needed, making sure they were fed and dressed, looking smart, had their sun cream on and then getting them into the car on time their trip. So I was a mess. I was a mess, stood in my, in my pyjamas and my dressing gown, having not had a wash or brushed my teeth or anything. And I stood at the door and I stood there for quite a long time while their father prepared the vehicle, set up the sat nav. And sent messages to the grandparents to let them know that they were setting off. And so I stood there at the door and then I could see some of the neighbours were out and about. So I thought I'll close the door, but then I ran round to the window and I opened up the blinds and I stood at the window waving at my children who are sitting in the back of the vehicle. And doing little gestures for them. So blowing them kisses, they were blowing me kisses. And I was pretending to catch the kisses and receive them. We were doing the signalling of'I love you,' which is I pointing at your eye and then love, making a love heart shape with your two hands together. And then pointing at them for you. I love you. We're very silly actually, as a family, we are very playful. And so we were doing those gestures and also playing around and making each other giggle. And I waved and waved and waved and waved until they finally were out of sight. And I don't know if this is the same in your country, but this is called seeing someone off. And this is a phrasal verb, to see off. Now, when I think about seeing someone off, I instantly am taken back in time to the wartime era when, you know, back in the early 1900s, when in the UK, many of the, well, initially the men were going off to war. The men were going off to fight. So the women and the children and the older family members would be at the train station and these were steam trains, and so all the men would be in their uniform with their bags and their luggage, and they'd be getting on the train. They'd all be hanging out of the windows while their loved ones in tears, waving hankies and wishing them well and hoping that they would hear from and see their loved ones once again. And it was the same when the children then, especially in the city in London, the children were sent away to the country for their safety during the time when London was being bombed quite heavily. And so then the mothers were sending off their kids on the trains. I'm waving to their children, their children are hanging out of the windows, waving to their mothers. So this is seeing off. Now if you see someone off, it's usually going to the airport with them, saying goodbye or going to the dock with them if they're getting on a ship to sail off or to the train station, seeing them on their train and waving goodbye and spending a little bit of time with them before they go. And it's about showing that you love them and you care for them. It's about that relationship and that bond between you. So they don't want you to have a dull moment because sometimes when you're travelling, there's a lot of waiting around and it can be quite dull. So part of it is helping to keep you company and keep you occupied and entertained in those moments leading up to your journey. And another part of it is wanting to get as much time together with that person before they leave, because maybe you're not going to see them again for a long time. So it's about quality time. It's about keeping them company before they go. Maybe in some cases it's about helping them to actually navigate the airport or the train station, especially if it's a city that the person travelling isn't familiar with. So if my mother came by train to London to visit me, I would take her back to the main train station to make sure she got on the right train because she'd have to get on a train, well a bus and then a train and then a couple of Tubes and then get on her main train to go home. It's not easy to navigate and the London transport system, it's amazing, but it is confusing if you're not used to it. So I would go with her to make sure she went to the right place and it wasn't stressful for her. So this seeing off is a sign of connection. It's a sign of a strong relationship. Now we also do this thing at home, in the house. When someone leaves the home, it's polite to go to the door with them to make sure they've got their coat and their shoes and their bag and to then open the door for them, maybe help them to their car if they need help to their car. Sometimes the family will all come out to the front garden or to the front door, and they'll all stand there and wave to the person that's leaving. Sometimes this is literally until they are out of sight. Sometimes this is just bringing them to the door and then waving as they leave your house and then shutting the door and letting them get on with it. Now, if I've ever been to a house where a friend hasn't seen me off, I've always felt bereft. I've always felt that feels a bit wrong. It feels a bit rude. And that can only be because they haven't been brought up in a way that shows them and models this behaviour to them. So they don't do it because it was never modelled to them. It was modelled to me a lot as a child. All the family members in my family and my extended family all do it. We all see each other off. And so I continue to do it with my children and with my guests. And I'm sure that that tradition will carry on when my children are grown up. I'm really interested to know if this is a British thing, or is this something that happens in other countries? Are there other traditions that you have in other countries, maybe the giving of gifts or something slightly different to what I've described? If you do have a different tradition, please let me know. If you're watching on YouTube, then you can pop it in the comments. If you're on a streaming podcast platform, then we do have the option for you to send a text. It should be at the top of the show notes. So just click on the description. You should see it, hopefully. If not, so then I'm sorry. But I would love to know about your culture and the culture of your, of your country, what is typical. If I were to leave your home and say, right, I'm off. I'll see you later, would you see me off? Would you see me off by coming to the door and saying goodbye, or if I had to go to the train station, would you come with me to the train station to see me off properly, or not? Okay, so I do hope you found this little 10-minute session useful. And I do hope whatever you're doing today, you have a wonderful day. I will be cleaning the house and getting on top of my chores and missing my babies, but they will be home in a few days. So until next time, take very good care and goodbye.