I write this from Heathrow Airport as I wait for my next coach to take me home to Southampton. I've been in Glasgow all week visiting family, although my initial reason for coming up this time was to see Snow Patrol at Bellehouston park. I've had the most interesting week travelling around Glasgow alone and talking to complete strangers, my mum says I could talk the back legs off a donkey but I argue that being a Journalist means this is a good quality! The show on Saturday was breath taking and the rest of the week, although slightly more down-to-earth did not disappoint. When I visit I always like to spread my time evenly. I stay at my grandads, and although he's a lovely man, he doesn't keep very well anymore so through the day I took the chance to go and visit every aunty, uncle and cousin.

I spent one of my days with my two cousins and they're seven children and rekindled my childhood just for a day. I raced the kids to the ice cream van, played football in the local field, took the dog for a walk and returned back to my cousins house to watch Scooby Doo. There is something really satisfying about breaking away from everyday 'adult' life and getting in touch with your inner infant. My cousins childrens have wonderful characters and lifted my spirits so much. I return home with many pictures and scribbles they've conjured up for me that will take pride of place on my wall of fame in my bedroom!

I spent another one of the days entirely with two of my aunties learning all about the background of my family and feeling quite proud to belong to the Reid family tree... although the night ended with one of my aunties a little worse for wear on Tennants lager telling me how beautiful I was!

Now on my journey home I was lucky enough to meet the most interesting 77 year old lady named Carmen. Spanish native but married to a middle class english man when she was 25... (because she wanted to learn better english!) I spent the home hour and a half coach journey from Stansted to Heathrow chatting away as if she was a lady I'd known all my life. I now know alot about her personal and family life and she knows quite intimate details of mine. We laughed as she taught me how to roll my R's and laughed even more when I couldn't quite do it, although she told me to keep at it as she could never say the word "wasp" when she moved to England! I found myself opening up about things I don't talk to anyone about and she had a very modern outlook on life, "I can't stand these old people who critisise the young for being young, they forget that was them once." She explained that she understands how things are very different in todays society to when she grew up and prefers to offer guidance to people who have lost track rather than judge them.

Carmen is one of those people in life that you cross, they touch your life and then they're gone...