Home is Where the Heart Is

Last night I had a lovely small "leaving party" at the Collins's house.  It was a perfect evening.  Friends gathered for a chilled out evening in the garden where the atmosphere was warm and pleasant.  We chatted, ate Joanna's organic homegrown strawberries, and passed Lili around like a parcel at a children's birthday party.  At the end of the evening, the ladies presented me with a beautiful floral Cath Kidston tablecloth to take back to the US.  Do they know me or what?  I was completely surprised and giddy.

All that being said, my favourite part of the evening happened after the party was over and involved the little smiling cutie pie whose picture is situated at the top of this posting.  When we got home, it was past every little girl's bedtime.  Sophie and Lili went to bed quite easily, but as usual, Emma lingered longer than necessary, brushing her teeth painstakingly slowly in my bathroom.  In the end she ended up flopping down on my bed and the two of us had the best, extemporaenous girly chat I've had in a long time.  We discussed sex (which isn't what she thought it was), relationships and religion and had a good and proper cwtch, making Emma the happiest little girl this side of the Atlantic.  By eleven thirty I could hardly keep my eyes open.  I turned off the light and didn't bother to make her go back to her own bed.  When George arrived back at home about and hour later (finally returning from HIS final work "leaving do"), he carried that gangly, happily sleeping princess back to her own bed.

Emma and I really needed that quality time, and she also reminded me that although I am leaving a lot a great things behind here in Wales, I am taking ALL of the most important and wonderful things with me...

“Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.” ~Christian Morganstern