After a month's holiday in my Madeira. I find myself back in my little house in Essex way, some trees are still hanging on to their summer clothing, and its wet and getting colder, but all the same its nice to be back home, Madeira is where I was borne, but Essex is my home.
This year I found two of my cousins which I had lost touch.... I felt so emotional meeting them and their lovely families.... They say that we live in a small world, and its true, one weekend when on the beach talking to Duarte, his one of the group of friends that get together on the beach at Reis Magos at the weekend, and he mentioned the word Sao Roque, so I say that I had family on that area but unfortunally I had lost touch with them, and he asks their name so I said my uncle who is no longer with us worked on the docks, and when I tell him his name he say's that he knew him and his children.
And low and behold straightway he calls someone and asks for a phone number and after a little wile he gets my cousin phone number and he gives it to me with a smile.
I was quite emotional by then, and very nervous I call and was answered by a female, so feeling very nervous I ask for Jose Manuel and she asks who's speaking, so I answer that I am a cousin I hear her saying to him its for you, she say's that's she's your cousin, he is so surprised saying that he did not know that he had so many cousins.
So we arrange to meet on Sunday at the restaurant in Reis Magos, they arrive bearing in mind, that I did not know them and vice versa, this is going to be hard! I am seating there and my cousin his wife and son arrive but seat outside, I did see them but not being sure I don't say anything when I see them go, having finished their coffee thinking it can't be them, I say to Duarte disappointed his not coming is he! So he say's its still early, but after a wile I phone him again his wife answers and say's that they are on the way.
It turns out they had been there already but not having recognized anyone they had gone, Am so glad that I phoned again, they were on way home so glad that they turned round and came back, straightaway he invites us to his house for lunch and when we get there his wife calls my cousin Ida so that's another cousin that I find, their Dad was my Mothers twin, thinking about it when I look at him I can see his Dad... Am so pleased that I found him. Thank you Duarte..
