Back to work

We got back safely on Thursday night, after a 28 hour ferry crossing. Drove home from Portsmouth and were in the house around 10.15pm. The car wouldn’t start, having sat on the driveway for 6 months, so Gertie had to be parked in the street. And the boiler wouldn’t turn on, so despite the chill (compared with Spain!) we could not turn on the heating, although we could use the immersion for hot water.

Friday was my birthday. After breakfast out we called our local garage to come and sort out the car (they replaced its battery and re-enabled the immobiliser) and fiddled with the boiler until it came on. Finally Ignatius was able to go shopping for ingredients for the roast chicken dinner I had requested as a birthday meal. After 6 months of food cooked on 3 gas burners I was longing for something oven cooked! I was also longing for a long hot soak in the bath. Bliss!

Now, three days on, we’ve unpacked the van, cleaned it inside, done many loads of washing and got up to date with post and paperwork.

And tomorrow I am back at the day job. Can’t say I am looking forward to that, but I can say I’ve absolutely made the most of my 6 months long leave. What an experience it’s been!