Teary Farewell to Aunty Claire

Aunty Claire flew home to England today and it was such a sad farewell. It will probably be another couple of years till we see each other again and the parting was made even harder after seeing the bond she has developed with her two nieces. Charlotte and Sophie have really grown close to Claire and the memories of our time together over the past few months filled our hearts as we said goodbye.

We’ve spent the past few days enjoying all the usual delights of Wellington, from Te Papa and The Cable Car to simple pleasures at home in the garden and cuddles on the sofa.

Saying goodbye is never easy, but with little children it makes it harder. For weeks the girls will be asking about Claire and Sophie keeps saying, ‘Claire, Mike, Nee ow, Home?’. In the evenings Dan and I have really enjoyed drinking too much wine and having a good laugh with Claire and it will be very quiet here tonight.

Thankfully technology and modern travel mean we can be so much closer than in the old days of sea travel and final farewells when a family moved half way round the world. However, the infrequent visits tease our emotions and stir up so many feelings. It’s not an easy choice to bring up our children so far away from the rest of their family. We all miss out on some level. However, on a day to day basis, our children are blessed with an extremely enviable lifestyle and are very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the world and at least know their relations.