On Tuesday I said goodbye to a lovely new friend, she’s going back to the UK for the summer months. It means I’ll only see her again in October, shortly before John finishes the project. Island friendships are hard to build and I image they’re also hard  to sustain. People come and go all the time.

On my last flight home I met a wonderful vibrant woman and we agreed to catch up when we were both back in the Falklands. One thing and another we finally saw each other again on Sunday when she explained she’s off for a six week hiking holiday in Chile. Such is life here, when she returns I will be back in the UK.

The friend who left this week is an amazing woman. Retired, she is busier now than most people I know. She worked for many years on what’s called Camp Education. You may remember that Camp is everything outside of Stanley  which is on the East island.  She worked on the West Island  and was the travelling teacher who taught children on  three farms. Now retired, she facilitates a quilt group and has been an amazing networker introducing me to an array of marvellous professional women. So far, I’ve met Accountants, an IT Company Director and lots of Teachers. Each person has an interesting story of how they arrived on the islands, many came several years ago and loved it so much they settled.

I miss my new friend but I hope she has an amazing summer in the UK and, who knows I may even see her at the Festival of Quilts!