The Return. Catching Up. Settling In. Etc etc.

Cat and Andy left... and so, the following day, did we.  Our venture into France and Spain has been more than adequately documented in Travels With Pickle. Yes, Pickle went on holiday too...

Good to be home, though, especially with Jonny and Adele still with us. The washing machine went into overdrive...perhaps only seven loads in seven two days, but it felt like more.

The garden was a pleasant surprise. Andy had cut the grass for us before we left and it had barely grown in the month we were away; the baby cucumber plant had a baby cucumber on, thanks to Kareena's faithful watering; the hedges were...somewhat overgrown, but that hadn't changed much - we knew they needed cutting down to size.

So that, with Jonny's help, is what we have been doing. He loves wielding cutting tools, so was in his element with the hedge trimmer, chainsaw and strimmer and now the garden looks much more manageable.  Of course, he still managed to surf, cycle, kayak, fish and catch up with best friends - scrambles down the cliffs (and back up through the brambles in the deepening twilight - almost dark), hanging out on the beach and sleeping out in the garden.

We were so glad to have him stay on, and the weather was glorious.

We've made the most of it: cycling from one end of the island to the other, exploring lanes and footpaths we'd never before ventured down,catching up with friends for beach sundowners. (And getting lost in the moonlight, pedalling down lanes so dark and narrow that the sky made a tunnel over our heads.)

Inbetween, we're slowly by slowly getting little jobs done around the house: preparing beds for vegetables, organising cupboards, getting ready for painting, working out how to install a wood-burning stove... lots to keep us busy.

Vazon at sunset

Tess at L'Eree

The gang eating supper. So warm, we stayed resting on the rocks, which radiated so much heat that it was still comfortable at 9.30 that evening, long after the sun had finally slid beneath the covers to sleep.

Beautiful weather. Beautiful island.