So I went and checked my mail today. There was a little envelope in it for me.

Strange.

I don't get mail. Well, rarely, anyway. So then I pick up the envelope, and it rattles a little.

Strange.

I flip the envelope over to check the return address.

Strange.
(Well, sort of strange. You have to understand that most Canadians will put the return address on the top left of the FRONT of the envelope...)

The return address is down in Kent.

Strange.
(I only know two people from Kent, and one of them is up here at the University. Kent, BTW, is a county in the Southeast of the country.)

I open the envelope, and there's a card inside. And inside the card is a small, wrapped package. This is getting cooler and cooler. I check to see who it was that sent me this item, and it was a friend from Lallybroch.

Lallybroch, btw, is an online community for fans of the author Diana Gabaldon, which I've been participating in for about 6 years now. I've met several people because of this forum, mostly from near me in Alberta, and have become fast friends with a lot of them. Being in the UK is giving me the chance to meet a whole new set. And no, they're not axe murderers. They're extremely lovely people. It's hard to explain the connection unless you've been there for a few years, I think.

I continue to dig into my mini parcel, opening the package. Inside is a necklace. A lovely necklace. That goes with a lot of my clothes and is absolutely gorgeous. Although the photo is in black and white, all the stones and crystals on the chains are shades of blue and turquoise and clear, and the chain itself is sortof a bronze-y gold.

The card and present was basically a "welcome back to the UK" gift - I'll admit that I was whining about having to come back - not because I don't like the UK, but because of what I left behind in Canada.

That being said, I think I'm going to cry; that was the sweetest thing anyone has done for me in a while.

In other news, I will be going to a formal dinner next friday, so I now have to go shopping for a formal dress that doesn't cost a fortune. This could be interesting. The cool bit is that it's going to be held in the Minster. Yes, it's a Christian-centred event, with a sermon in the middle, but there's going to be good food, good friends, and good dancing/music. Very exciting. It's going to be weird dancing to jazz/funk music in a building dating back to the 12th century, but, hey, I'm up for the experience, because it's going to be exactly that - an experience.

And now that school is starting up again, I'm definitely getting back into the swing of things and feeling less miserable, although I'm definitely missing everyone back home. I keep thinking we should go for coffee and then remembering that we can't just do that.