Welcome home

Have you been following astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield's poetic tweets from space? Somehow, he made "out there" feel so much closer to "in here." As though we were all part of the same universe, and all connected. Which of course we are. While I have been going about my closed little life: working, walking, writing, loving my baby; Commander Hadfield has been floating above and feeling connected to me and my seven billion Earth neighbours in a way that I can barely understand.

These are some of the photographs he has been sending home from his time on the International Space Station, and his accompanying thoughts.

"Tonight's Finale: The Moon rising over a bed of cloud. A constant reminder to us all of what can be achieved."

"Clouds swoop in on Crimea, a white bird on the Black Sea."

"Hamburg, famed port city in northern Germany, on what must have been a lovely day to take a stroll down the Elbe."

"Canada rocks." (Did I mention Commander Hadfield is Canadian?)

"Spaceships glowing blue in the dawn as we leave Florida headed across the Atlantic."

Commander Hadfield is due home today. He tweeted a few hours ago "Hard to express all of my emotions, but mostly gratitude. I came here on behalf of so many people - thank you." It's an extraordinary world we live in, wouldn't you agree?

ps. If you've somehow managed to miss the media storm, here is the fantastic remake of David Bowie's Space Oddity that Commander Hadfield recorded from on board the International Space Station. I would find it super-poignant, except that moustache gives me the giggles and that brings me down to earth. So to speak.