Cultivating that friendship garden

So, I have not been very active with my writing, admittedly. However, this is a good sign, since it means I have been too busy doing other things.

Indeed, we have been cultivating our garden of friendship. We have travelled to Rome to visit one of Expat Girl's friends whose Mummy happens to be a friend of mine too. A real girls' weekend... and what a delight it was.

Expat boy preferred travelling to Napoli to see his Nonna since Daddy was off on a bachelor party in Madrid for the weekend cultivating his childhood friendships.

A truely globetrotting family. Although we rarely split up like this, we all had to admit, that we did thoroughly enjoy our respective time away. When your home continually moves, the only constant in your life - apart from your family - are your friends. My hubby and I have always put our friends very high on our priority list - even before meeting eachother - and there our friends have remained. However, a friendship needs to be looked after and nurtured just like a plant, otherwise it will die.

The kids have somehow picked up on this and in turn created their own ties, to the various places we've lived in, through their own friendships. Expat boy's best friends has been by his side since he was four years old. He lives in Madrid. Expat girls BFF has followed her since age three. She calls Lugano her home. Oh, did I mention, I have known my BFF since age four? Her home is England. To us, it all makes perfect sense. Some might argue that a friendship cannot be a true bond if you don't see eachother on a regular bases... but who is to judge... and furthermore... a regular bases can mean once or twice a year or even a decade.

I must add that facebook has made it a whole bunch easier to keep up with your friends - and it is a regular feature in our household - but nothing beats a hearty, warm, bearhug where tears spring to your eyes yet your face is one huge smile. In that precise moment time stands still and a thousand words cannot express that ecstatic feeling of happiness of being close to your best buddy once again and experiencing the joy and sensation of true friendship.