Whirlwind over!

One of the great things about living in a beautiful part of the world is that friends and family are happy to come and stay. So far we have had 3 sets of visitors (10 people in total) staying with us in the last 4 weeks. It has been wonderful, but to say it has been a bit of a whirlwind would be an understatement. Our most recent visitors - my brother and his family - left this morning (the photos are from our trip to Saundersfoot yesterday).

I love people coming to stay. I love the anticipation beforehand, the excited re-unions, the shared meals, the laughter and conversations, the days out showing them around the area, and as a Cancerian, I must admit that I just plain love looking after people.

So it has been lovely.

Now that we are back to normal it is a different kind of lovely. It is quiet and peaceful without my 4-year-old nephew chattering happily away nonstop. I am at leisure to do what I want - or more accurately, I have the time to catch up with all the jobs I have been neglecting whilst having fun! I no longer have to plan menus well ahead of time, but can revert to my more usual whip-something-up-at-the-last-moment-when-I'm-hungry style of meal preparation.

Being your own self in your own skin in your own home at your own pace is a whole different kind of pleasure to entertaining friends and family. I am lucky to be able to enjoy both. Like most contrasting experiences, they enhance each other.

So for now I will appreciate the peace and quiet, the daily chores, and the slapdash meals. And the next time my loved ones descend to bring novelty, chaos, fun and fine dining back to the Moonroot household, I will appreciate that too.