Feeling at Home

I took this everyday, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary shot while walking round the block before leaving for the airport and to Barcelona. Going home. What makes a place home? People? Possessions? A feeling that you can't quite put your finger on? Having one's basic needs met? Why is it that some people can feel at home in different, quite distinct places and others avoid putting down roots anywhere? And how deep do roots need to be to be roots anyway? As someone who spends a fair bit of time in different places and sometimes on my own (I almost said 'away from home' there) I know that I really need to feel at home wherever I am and for me that involves having the place 'acceptably' clean, having a few familiar things around me (usually coloured scarves to hang over things, maybe a couple of photos and something to make the place smell like mine - a candle, a few drops of lavendar oil etc). When Bb's wth me though, those things aren't so immediately necessary. Anyway....I felt as though we were packing up our Cairo home this morning.

PS: I realise I'm writing from the privileged position of generally feeling safe and unthreatened, which far too many people still don't have.