Sometime after 11pm on Saturday we arrived back home from a 3 wk trip to Italy. It's a pity that such a beautiful country is so far away from us, since it would be wonderful to go there more often, but without the tedious 18-hour transit back to the Southern tip of Africa. We were up at around 3:30am and had to check our luggage in 2 hours before our 6:30am flight from Rome to Amsterdam, then rush from one terminal to get our connecting flight to Cape Town, which landed at around 10:30pm... without our luggage of course :P
Yup, no awesome holiday is complete without delayed luggage and I only so hoped that we would get it all back in one piece! There were a couple bottles of red wine (Brunello, Chianti and other Tuscan gems) and a brand new pair of Italian leather boots that would certainly have 'disappeared' should any SA staff have decided to 'inspect' it. I unpacked our cute new espresso saucers on the counter with excitement, only to realise that the cups were still in my suitcase.
International flights are always exhausting, but this one was even more especially so, because it was a day flight and even though we never really think so we do get a little bit more sleep on an evening flight, which makes it seem just a little shorter. I think next time I'm taking some mild sedative to help me get some Z's, because no matter how cheerful, thin and friendly your passenger-next-door is, it's always irritating to sit so close and cooped up next to a stranger. All I wanted for 12 hours was to be back home
with my pets and without the horrible turbulence (which did provide some good extra effects for my in-flight movie, Kung-fu Panda 2).
When we eventually reached home, I was so delighted and overwhelmingly relieved to be back! Even though we had a splendid time in Venice, Tuscany and Umbria, it is a bit more challenging to get around, order food you like and remain delighted with your partner's navigation skills all at the same time. My greatest delight was to see our baby-dog again, who had grown so much stronger and more beautiful in only 3 weeks. <3<3<3 After indulging all her puppy-kisses and saying hi to the cats I had to try and peek outside at the garden. There was a lot of change and I could see exciting things even in the dark! :D For one our grass had grown to Jungle-height and the parsley and lettuces had shot up and seeded. The next thing I noticed was the BIG bright roses in the front garden that had bloomed into a splendid show to welcome us home :) More than that I couldn't really see, so I returned to cuddling the poochie and getting ready for a goood long shower. There are few beings more precious and heart-warming than a dog that is truly ecstatic to see you! <3
I struggle to explain how good it felt to once again be squeaky clean and lying cushioned in our very own luxury bed, with our soft pillows, fluffy duvet and the cat purring and kneading to get some more attention. It was pure bliss, I felt like I'd returned from a concentration camp... although I don't think any of us could even begin to Imagine what that must be like... Anyway, I obviously fell asleep quicker than I could count 4 sheep and didn't wake until the next morning when the sunshine welcomed me home too. Even though I tried to sleep in a little I couldn't curb my excitement and curiosity to see what our garden really looks like.
Wow!!! Clearly our jungle had been doing very well in my absence. All the winter and early spring preparations certainly paid off and absolutely every plant and weed was out in full show to welcome us back home. There was such a lot of colour, form and activity that it's almost overwhelming - in every little corner there is something almost too exciting. Every plant was bursting with new growth, colour and life, happy after the rain and warm weather. The trees all have their fresh new leaves, each with their own beautiful shape and form and there are flowers, buds, new coriander sprouts and hundreds of bright red strawberries!! :D Jenny of course loved trotting and bouncing along, proudly showing me where she'd dug 2 small holes in the one flower bed, but luckily there wasn't much growing there before and the other plants around the spots have taken over so much there's not much harm done to the pretty picture :)
Ahhh, it feels so good to be in love... with your own garden :)
Following the quick scan of all the life and beauty in the backyard I had to go see if our little hen is still alive and well. I feared that she might not be too well, since her waterbowl looked very dirty from where I stood and the patch of grass that her mobile cage has been on for the past 3 week looked very dry and bare. I called her and didn't hear the usual welcome koooo-cluck-clucking from her "bedroom" but when I put the food in the container she shot out like a rocket down that hatch to come greet me (at least I like to tell myself it was all about me and not the food).To top it all she had laid 2 of the cutest little-est creamy-white eggs, right there in the corner of the pen, on the grass. When I checked in to see if her "room" was still dry there were even more eggs, in total 8, in the nest box, so our little Hettie had been a busy girl :)
I had to get back in the house to make myself a good cup of Welcome Home Rooibos tea :) and while waiting for the water to boil I saw our little colourful koi fish from the kitchen window, cheerfully wobbling about the edge of the pond, looking for some food. All is well, all our pets are looking happy and healthy, the trees and plants are mostly excellent, there's even some tarragon emerging after the cold. Now we only need to relax, download all our fabulous photos and then go out to find breakfast and other goodies to stock up the fridge again.
Wow, I can't get over how much Jenny has grown in only 2 weeks, she is becoming even more beautiful than I ever thought she would.
Peas,
WhyNot
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