Withywindle Wanderers

This is the wonderful rain which fell at the end of our Xmas celebration on Xmas eve. (Thank you Rachel for the pic!) It is super hot here now again, and we are awaiting refreshing rain. Who would have thought I would ever be excited about rain!!!!!! I am feeling crushed.  I don't know how many more rental applications being rejected I can cope with. I so need my own home space around me. There's apparently a 'housing crisis' in Melbourne. And we are all really sick with stomach flu, Eowyn the worst, poor lamb, can't keep anything down...

Julia: "Where is home? Where do we live?" Paul: "Home is where we are, and we'll work it out. We can figure it out." Paul: "There we were just having dinner, and it turned out to be Julia. It turned out to be Julia all along. Julia, you are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life. I love you darling girl." Julia: "Perfect! Even if it isn't, never apologise! No excuses and no explanations!!" I loved this movie, and chortled out loud oft on the flight from Auckland to Melbourne. I wonder if the solution for feeling so sad and bereft at being far from you I love in Seattle, and you I love in London, and you I love in Stuttgart, and you I love in Cordoba, is simply to fly around the world more often!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you, my dear ones. I don't want to be far apart from anybody I love....

This photograph is particularly fun, as just afterwards Nathalie and I had one of our most infamous 'sisterly squabbles', about whether one specific ski slope was black diamond or not (because I couldn't cope with the fact that Nath  had skiied a harder slope than me!!!!) I love the closeness which comes from making up after a fight! And the humour!! Love you Nathalie xoxoxoxo

Once upon a time, a kind hearted friend named Karen hosted the most wonderful goodbye party for Eowyn and Coco. She ordered a delectable pale pink cake with their names inscribed thereon. When she peeked at the cake, on bringing it home, she noticed that it said 'Farewell Ewoyn and Coco'. As she suspected, her friend Meg wasn't happy about that. The bakery was hours away, and Karen, determined, loving and creative, corrected the spelling herself, beautifully, and here 'tis!!!!!! Thank you dear Karen!!!!! Remember Galadriel is eternally blowing you kisses from me!!!!!

...Katie, and our clove-cigarettes-Tamarisk-red-wine-chocolate-delights-laughter-conversation...

We went sledding at Snoqualmie Pass just before the ski season began. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Tomorrow we are going to the ocean... Catching waves... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! My body is finding it so very strange to suddenly be in a different season. I am missing dear ones in the USA, embracing dear ones in Australia, and feeling very thankful that my dear Bens, Eowyn and Cosette move with me. Love Meg

Dear ones, I am grieving intensely for my dear friends in Seattle, and for our delightful home, Bag End, and our garden and our sledding hill which probably will have snow on it next week, and each precious person to me and to Bens and to Eowyn and to Coco, and their lovely, supportive, amazing classes at school, and for my little nooks in my home where I would sit and drink tea and relax. The feeling is an ache where my heart is, and it hurts. I am wishing I was still in Seattle. I love the family I am spending time with here so very much - I just wish that I was returning to my home and familiar world. I keep crying all the time. Bens and Eowyn and Coco are so wonderful, and all feel very close, and for this I am thankful. Love, Megs

I  ........... miss ................... you ......................

Bye bye America!

we only just made our flight...

Guess what bens is singing?

We're in San Francesco!

All these goodbyes are making us a little crazy!

We're off! We love you U S A !

We 4 just left Bag End, our lovely home. We feel sad, excited, nervous, weirded out, like i'm dreaming...

Thanks Katie!