One of the loveliest parts of my long weekend to Seattle was taking some time out for myself and wandering around the city early on Sunday before the wedding. Very few places were open so early — a far cry from the way I used to travel, starting out at around 2pm. I wandered down to ‘Pike’ (Pike’s Place Market) and watched all the vendors set up as the rain fell. I feel a real affinity with people who don’t bother about the rain and umbrellas, and these were my people. It was Mothers’ Day, and slowly, middle-aged men with little tykes perched on their shoulders or holding the miniature hands of their offspring (sometimes both), descended upon the market to pick their favourite tulips for their mums/wives. Much discussion was had about colour and taste (“What color do you think Mom would like, Maddison?”), with few tantrums. There were some amazing tulip hybrids, and am loving the tulip/daffodil and the tulip/peony combinations. I couldn’t get enough of their colour, their perkiness, their beauty: I …