Three weeks and counting

I've now reached the stage where we've been back in the UK so long I've forgotten what San Francisco is like. We've spent a quiet and civilised week with Tom's parents in Ironbridge, a loud and rambunctious week with alpaca.farmer and her lovely large family of boys, a greedy gourmet weekend with my cousin Jack and his large family of girls, an all too brief visit to friends Wally and Jeannine in Plymouth and now we're back with my mother in Hampshire. The girls have had a great time adapting to each situation in turn. Emilia has ridden a horse for the first time, they have both run around with the boys and the alpacas, chickens, scooters, and then they have painted their nails and put on 3 minute shows with four changes of costume with their friends and cousins. Tom has managed to find somewhere to connect himself to his work and his publisher though I wish I had taken pictures each time to show the different locales. In one case, he was studiously working on a sofa, surrounded by two fighting boys, another watching TV and a puppy trying to get friendly. The second edition of The Book is on course for delivery tomorrow.

We have had a great time. In particular we were so pleased to see our friends in Wales who we haven't known that long, but who have now turned into old friends and seemed reasonably happy to see us too. And I still feel that the Usk valley is where I want to be in the long run (sorry SF but I think I'd already left my heart somewhere else before I got to you). Not that I haven't missed SF. And I know there are people I am looking forward to seeing again there. We have one more week here with a quick visit up to London to see friends and our old house. Then we are westward bound once more and this time goodbyes have not been tearful which makes leaving so much easier.