There was a Book Launch!

 

On Saturday good friends hosted a Book Launch in their lovely garden. The book Life is Short but Wide has been available for about a month, but this was the official launch. I confess to rather dreading all the fuss as I'm more the person who likes to stay in the background rather than be a guest of honour. 

However, It was a beautiful occasion and I felt very honoured, and had a lot of fun, too. Other friends brought the vase of pink roses and yellow snapdragons. They are lasting a long time, and I think of the book launch when I see them.

Having never been to a book launch, I didn't know what to expect. However, my friend, who has been to at least one launch, said that someone needed to introduce me. So I asked my three children to each say something. They were all born in Ecuador and grew up there; we returned to Canada when the youngest was 15. The older two had started university in Canada. 

One spoke of all the moves we made and how we created homes wherever we lived. Another spoke of how we shared our home with so many people over the years - for meals, as houseguests, and so on. And the last spoke of home being an ambiguous term. For them home was Ecuador. For me, home was Canada, yet I made a home for my family wherever I was. It was interesting to listen to their well-expressed thoughts.

There was a fabulous spread of appetizers to enjoy, and a gorgeous cake, decorated very thoughtfully by my daughter-in-law who researched the flora of Ecuador and created a cake with elements such as eucalyptus, roses, vines, and orchids. It was also delicious!

Our friend Jules paints as a hobby and he created this thoughtful piece as a gift to inspire me to keep on writing. How gorgeous it is. I love the colours. There are little fireflies around the lamp post. I'll treasure this gift.

The weekend passed in a flurry of activity. My parents and sister and brother-in-law left on the Sunday afternoon ferry. Yesterday was spent puttering. A little laundry, a sewing project completed, and a few small garden chores including clipping more sweet peas. I have a variety of colours, but felt like creating a softer bouquet this time, with soft blue and palest pink blossoms. The photo is taken outdoors on the patio, but the flowers now sit on my bedside table where the scent wafts over me as I sleep. 

Today, Tuesday, I've been out and about. A physio appointment and grocery shopping. This evening I'm going to a farewell party for my school principal who is moving on to other things. I'm looking forward to chatting with my former colleagues.