Happy thoughts...things that make me feel at home

 

I started this post months and months ago...when we were still in the early days and seeking comfort in familiar objects around us.

These items, amongst so many, in our China home helped me feel connected with home and gave me a safety line during my Shanglows:

My Minety Pre-school mug...(complete, obviously, with a good strong brew of Yorkshire Tea!)

 

Random I know, but this always reminds me of a particular pupil at Minety School. It is the brand of the mixer tap in our kitchen and every time I use it I think of him and remember him holding a group of pupils in his thrall and singing 'I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier', 'We will rock you' and 'We built this city' in the outdoor classroom one summer a couple of years ago

 



 

Comfort in the familiar...this has hung in every kitchen I have cooked in since I 'acquired' it in the late 90's

 

All our 'bon voyage'/'good luck' cards on the mantelpiece

An album of photos given to us by a close friend that we regularly leaf through and smile/get watery-eyed at!

Another gift from a friend (a coaster) that is by my bed on the bedside table, as it was in the UK

 

A gorgeous piece of jewellery from my bestie incorporating some Clogau Welsh gold to ensure I don't forget her (as if!)

 

Another favourite piece of jewellery, a leaving gift from a Minety bestie

 

 

Another leaving gift, a lovely charm, a character meaning 'friend' or 'friendship'.

 

Another favourite item shipped from my Minety kitchen. A birthday gift a few years back from a friend who has also since left Minety. This worktop protector travelled several thousand miles to help me feel at home

 

 

There are many, many more items such as my 'Whatever...I'm late anyways' clock which was another leaving gift from my Minety friends, but I could have taken endless pictures!

 

I am so very grateful for these seemingly trivial items that kept me grounded in the early days...

 

Thank you so much to all our wonderful friends!