So we are back and it hasn't stopped raining since we got home - the holiday is definitely over! We travelled up from the Dordogne on Thursday having spent time reflecting on the fact that for us this year 10 days was too much - we were all missing home and the dogs and were very much looking forward to our own beds. Before we left we stayed in a brilliant little B&B near the Normandy coast, location for much of the WW2 American landings. The place we had chosen was a great setting, themed in WW2 memorabilia and very near to St Mare Eglise, the first Normandy village to be liberated in June 1944.
We went to the Airborne Museum which gave the kids a reasonable idea of what happened (as much as they can take in now), particularly the exhibits which combined sound and visuals with relics, many of which bore the bloodstains of the men impacted at the time. The thing that hit home for them, other than the story of the Parachutist who got stuck on the village church for 2 hours and had to play dead before being briefly captured, were the pictures of the very skinny horses. It did make them realise that people and animals suffered in the war - it wasn't just over and done with in a few moments as it sometimes feels when you hear individual stories.
From here it was back onto the ferry, which felt much longer on the way home given it was an afternoon rather than evening crossing, and then onto a very wet and windy M3 to try and dodge the accidents on the final stretch home. we finally arrived back at 11pm with both kids knackered and straight to bed on the back of me promising I would pick up the dogs before they woke up the following day! We did have a lovely time, as ever, but it was even nicer to be home.
On Saturday morning I was up super early to do just that - having to then wait around before it was acceptable to go and pick up 2 very happy if very smelly dogs - so pleased to see us and vice versa!
The down side of being away was coming back to a house which looked pretty much identical to when we left it - i.e. still not finished! Despite all the promises of the builders they had not done a thing in our absence other than pretend they would be there 'tomorrow' and so we had the disappointment of seeing it all still to be done, and knowing there would be people around all weekend to try and finish it. Having said this the new crew are so much better than what we have experienced to date and as I write this on Sunday evening its looking pretty good. We are slightly restricted in that most of the doors are taped up so that they can be painted around, and there are paint sheets everywhere, but at least they are now cracking on with it. We are assured it will be finished tomorrow and finally I feel confident that they might be telling the truth! Thank goodness - it will be a while before we will consider doing anything more, not least that this is pretty much it - we are done! No doubt we can find some small thing s (I already have a few ideas), but nothing of this magnitude again. I'm so proud of what we have achieved here, not least it really is the product of our hard work. now to enjoy it - if there is anything left of the summer - seems like we may have had it all...
So back to work tomorrow but I don't feel so bad about that - it's summer and my week is relatively quiet. I've also had my new FWA agreed and will be 4 days a week from September. Less money but more time... priceless.
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| Normal service is resumed... |
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| ...for everyone! |
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