August 5, 2003

Dear Diary,

Giles finally got back and have I got a lot to tell you.

First: The Council has asked Giles to act as a liason between the Council and the coven in Oregon until he goes back to England.

Second: We're moving to Oregon!!!!  (And I can't wait to get out of this motel.)  Since Giles will need to be in Whispering Pines when he's over here, Elspeth (she's the English lady) invited all of us to come and live with them until we decide exactly what we want to do.

Ok, here's a brief history of the Whispering Pines Coven. Giles said it was set up about 20 years ago by Elspeth Stewart who's a seer just like her mother, her grandmother, her great-grandmother and all her other great-greats.  She was living at the Coven in Devon when she had a vision about her future being in America.  That's when she and some of the other Devon witches came over and bought this farm near Whispering Pines from a bunch of hippies.  (You with me so far, dear Diary?)

Giles said that the Whispering Pines Coven shares the beliefs of their mother coven. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but from what Willow has said I think it means they believe in respecting the land and knowing that everything is connected to everything else and accepting who you are so everyone else will, too. (Which sounds really cool.)

Giles thinks our moving there is a wonderful idea.  He brought back a bunch of postcards and stuff so we could see what it looks like.  He said he thinks the Whispering Pine Coven is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places he's ever seen and that being there made him feel like he was back home in England.  He says they've got animals and gardens and all sorts of great stuff.  They even have a store where they sell jams and jellies.

Willow asked how the people in Whispering Pines felt about having witches living there Giles said there had been a few problems when they first moved in.  But since the Coven has healers who've saved a bunch of people, the townspeople like having them there.  (I got the feeling that everyone in the town might still think they were kooks, but they're their kooks.)

So, I guess it's "Whispering Pines here we come!"

More later.