Muttergashti

It's day 2 of my 10 day break till Level 3 starts. Started off by getting to my BnB to be greeted in sheer delirium by Bran. Tail thumping bundle of energy, he greets all guests with equal energy, in the hope that they will play ball with him. 

I was tired, so after a few half hearted attempts at playing fetch while waiting for  my room to be readied, I turned in for the night. Only, I was so tired, I could not sleep!

Strolled down the next morning into a spacious and cozy kitchen and a friendly, chatty host, Liz.  When I asked for suggestions for sightseeing she helpfully pointed them out on this map circa 1845! She had just returned from a 2 week camping / motor biking trip yesterday and was busy doing the laundry and the dishes and playing with Bran, all while keeping up a constant stream of conversation with me.

Her home is a warm, muddly mix of memorabilia from her many lives as student, mother, partner, host, biker, teacher and cook.



Then followed a lovely day out in the soft summer sunshine with an old college buddy. Driving around the countryside looking for the right watering hole and catching up on each other's lives. Purrfect!

His daughters' dinner table banter, later that evening, reminded me of my own sisters and our meal time repartee. It was good to be at home, away from home.

Back in Portsmouth the next day, another friend turned up unexpectedly. She has been away from India for over a month! That called for an Indian cook out with me directing the minions and Ayesha, my friend and sailing instructor, regaling us with her sailing exploits.  Couple of my BnB mates joined in - Eduardo who works with Santander and takes a ferry home to Spain whenever he misses his mum's cooking; and Kristina, a Romanian, who's a qualified diver and juggles helping her partner with a diving school and managing the local Charles Dickens museum. Stuart, Ayesha's friend, has been sailing since he was 8 and lives to race.


And so the spirits flow, the tales grow and the holiday curls in a languorous stretch.

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