How brilliant to be back!!!!

I have the next 5 days stretching out ahead of me - well 4.5 days, I've had half a day already - at home. FAB! In the last 10 days I have criss-crossed England by train, car and plane even. Despite the best efforts of the volcanic ash cloud to spoil it for me. But all the travelling and the huge amount of work has left me utterly exhausted!

Though if you add to that the farewell we bade to our daughter and her fiance as they emigrated to the States last weekend. So the combination of physical and emotional and intellectual draining has more or less knocked me out - and it takes a lot to do that!!

Its fascinating looking back on Naomi's farewell now. logically we all knew it was coming and what's more we were all delighted for them both. they are so happy and so suited and so excited about building their own future. Its the conclusion of being a successful parent - well sort of, I understand (from my own mother) that it never ends - which is good!

Never the less I woke on the fateful day with tears already to spring up at a moments notice. It was just so illogical - but emotions are, aren't they...? They defy us! They creep in under our defences and capture us whether or not we like it!

In so many ways I wanted to be strong for Naomi and Colin... and I know I wasn't alone in that. Distance is relative - it takes nearly as long to get to Edinburgh by some forms of transport as it does to get to San Diego - see I can be as rational as the next person!! But I am so pleased that the irrational bit of me broke through the tough surface.

The emails are now zipping to and fro across the Atlantic (and the rest of north America) and everyone is happy, excited and - well, its all almost back to normal.

Its about making new patterns and new beginnings... not just for the beautiful couple but also for all the rest of us..