Friends

I've had such a lovely lovely day catching up with great friends today but now I go to bed with a heavy heart because I don't know when I'll see any of them again.

This morning the littlest and I went to visit my friend J and her four gorgeous children. They are moving to live in the Isle of Wight later in the summer and by the time we get back from our big adventure we will they will have packed up and gone. I've known J for just over a decade and have brought in the past four New Years with her and her expanding family. We have walked many beach walks together, shared plenty of cakes and drank gallons of tea. She was the first non family member to meet my eldest boy, her midwife's pass allowing her access to the neonatal unit and was almost literally there at the birth of my middle boy (not that that is an experience either of us would wish to replay). In recent years she has been my only local friend with babies to play with my baby and I have to admit that I was looking forward to her two youngest playing with my littlest as they all grew up together. And so, while I am happy for her and her family's adventure to southern shores, I am sad for us. Charnwood's gain is most certainly our loss.

In the afternoon our American pals (all of them- luckily for us visa issues have kept Scott here longer than he had planned), came back to visit again. It is just so good to spend time with them all. We ate donuts and pancakes in the sunshine while the kids all played with each other in all manner of combinations. We peeled old crayons and made new ones out of cool shapes; dolphins, love hearts, darth vader heads and superman logos. There was even a wee pre dinner trip to the park (for some, those of us who stayed behind made the tea, set the table, looked after the babies and had a wee glass of fizz). I felt like we were on holiday. It was all so relaxed and so easy and just exactly how being with friends should be.

And then after tea and cubs drop offs and pick ups and shared baths and fort building and washing and tumble drying and a photo session which descended into chaos, it was time to say goodbye. We are not sure when we will next see these special friends. They are heading (passports permitting) home to America and then on to other exotic far flung lands and are not planning on being back in the UK for some time.

It was a day of mixed emotions and special times.