Last 24 hours

Monday morning was spent pootling around town picking up a few presents for Michael and the kids and packing, quite glum, but Sasha and I kept reminding each other that really I had a whole day left and we shouldn't watse it moping!! Not sure how well we convinced each other really. We went to Cafe L'Affare http://www.laffare.co.nz/caffe/main_caffe.htm since I had enjoyed drinking their coffee at home every day, it was another great place, full of character and atmosphere. A combination on one site of cafe, roasting business, shop and offices. I had bought Michael their rather beautifully designed book all about how to make coffee from Te Papa so it was good to see where it was all from . They have wonderful branding and design which I also thought he would love. We collected Oliver from school for my last time and I dropped in to say hello to a great friend of Annie's who teaches there - I think she was somewhat taken aback!

On Tuesday morning I got rather tearful and introspective and Sasha and I headed out for a walk around Ngaio, looking at various houses and chatting, but there was a real sense of sadness hanging over us. When Richard got back from a meeting we jumped into the car, said goodbye to the house and went for a quick lunch at the Maranui Surf club which I wanted to visit again. Rich commented that it was becoming a place with rather bittersweet memories for them because they always take people there before the airport, but the promised sea fog which would have delayed my flight and which had affected them twice before didn't materialise so off we went to the airport - not before Stan and Pippa had quite a passionate embrace - pics to follow! On the way out Sasha signed me in as a life member, the food was lovely again so I'll be back!

And so began our journey home, where as I write it is snowing!!! Big hugs all round and a few tears, but having gone through security and waiting for the plane I looked out over the carpark and saw Sasha and Rich drive away and it really hit me and I understood how hard it must be for Sasha to do it every year with her Mum and Dad and I wondered if I could really bear to put that much distance between my family and me?- Sasha you are a superstar! I love it there, it's a fanatstic country but it will inevitably be a while before we will be there again. I sat listening to the ipod on the plane from Wellington full of emotion because it was all music so tied up with Michael and the kids and I was so thrilled to be going home to see them, having missed them all and yet .....