A House a Home

What makes a house a home? Clearly our friend Erv knows because this is what he sent us. Thanks, Erv. You are brilliant!



I made jambalaya last night using British pork (they LOVE to advertise the fact that it is local) and prawns. It wasn't half bad and a nice reminder of home.

I noticed a flier in the window of my favorite store weeks ago. It was advertising a knitting group that meets every other Tuesday evening at a cafe in town. They are called the Cowes Knit Wits. I thought this would be a fun way to meet people. Sam said, "Mom, REALLY, you can't take up knitting. It's like saying- I give up. I am getting old." This cracked me up and has been a source of lots of teasing between the two of us.

The girl who started the group is young and friendly. She welcomed me and jumped right in helping teach me how to cast off and get started. Learning something new as an adult is refreshing. It is fun to completely occupy your mind with the task at hand. I couldn't talk to anyone much because it took lots of concentration to practice what I was doing. I did enjoy listening to all the Brits laughing and talking. One exclaimed, "Oh, Buggar" when she couldn't get a stitch and another proclaimed an idea to be "bloody brilliant!". I felt like I was in a Hugh Grant movie.

The walk home was fun because I hadn't been in town after dark. I enjoyed seeing the signs lit up, the groups socializing in the pubs and families enjoying dinner in the restaurants. It is half-term break here so the town is bustling with visitors. Half-term also means no car was available to rent for the trip we were planning. Car rentals, ferry crossings and accomodations for seven make trips a budgetary and logistical nightmare. We continue to plot and scheme. Hopefully, I'll be posting from another country soon...

Dina