Wrexham County Borough 76 - getting back to normal /planning the next trip /do we need a new fridge / being happy

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Maharishi Mahesh Yogi once said that being happy is of the utmost importance . He added that success in anything in through happiness . We felt happy at being home. Happy that we had finally managed to leave our shores. Happy that we felt able to get out and about without worrying too much about Covid. To be fair it is still there . We are no longer bombarded with facts and figures on numbers of cases as there are more important things going on in the world . We no longer get Boris on the TV but we from time to time hear it is the summer and of course the virus will die down . But and there is always a but - it will return in the Autumn, the 2nd boosters are well underway for the over 75's and there is just to make sure you don't forget a new variant of Omicron. But it is less virulent. We had almost forgotten about the last two years . Shows what a holiday does for the soul and the wellbeing . The trouble is the minute you get home you want to be on the road again . That desire to see new things and to travel seems never to go away.

What was it like to be home? Nice to see the house again . Good to get to eat beans on toast or a fried egg . Brilliant to lie in a hot bath . To do all the things you do miss when you are away from home . The grass needed a cut , the hedges are still waiting their turn to be trimmed back . The dandelions were in full flower . The weather was unkind . Rain, misty moisty days better suited to Autumn than late Spring . Black skies. It all felt so different to the Mediterranean weather we were relishing a week or so ago.

We quickly got back into a routine of waking early, walking and swimming . It felt as if we had never been away. Jobs were allocated . Empty Gabby of all our clothes and personal belongings . Get them all washed and dried . Empty the cupboards and clean the floors . Even though we had only been away a month Gabby looked very shabby covered in Saharan dust which had even got inside . I managed to break the freezer door . It has always been awkward and cleaning too vigorously meant the door came off . Will the fridge function without the door? Probably . Will it miss the freezer part ? Possibly not . Should we try to replace the door or the freezer compartment ? Or buy a new bigger one which means taking out the drawer above? All questions that flooded our minds without any real answer . We will come to a decision but not just yet .

We try to make a plan to do one thing a day . We still have bedding to wash and dry. We still have to complete a photobook of our travels . We still plan to get out once a week and see something local rather than too far from home .

So what of the trip ? As I walked around the river I found myself noticing changes . The ducks , the swans and the cormorants were around . No sign of the kingfishers . The fly fishermen were back casting their rods into the river which was quite benign despite the recent rain . The yellow of the celandines had long gone but was replaced with a hint of blue from the Bluebells . White was becoming the dominant colour . Wild Garlic with its distinctive onion smell . Tiny white Stitchworts climbing the hedges . Fields of yellow oilseed rape . They looked pretty now but in a few weeks would stink of cabbage . Forget me nots everywhere. I passed a man with his dog . The dog had been enjoying a romp in the river ,He splattered me with water as he shook himself dry . We laughed . A lady with a dog was approaching . This time the dog did not give me a shower. The racecourse was advertising what would be the last jump race of the season . Then it would be all quiet as flat racing started at its sister course The Roodee at Chester .

How many miles had we covered ? No idea . Unlike our trips with Suzy where we documented mileage and fuel consumption we had not bothered this trip. We had written down the starting mileage but not from home. We had not written down our final mileage nor had I kept a list of fuel fills .120 euros here and 180 euros there . Had we filled four times or was it five ? It did not seem to matter this trip. What about WiFi ? How much had we spent and had it been as good as previous internet connections ? We paid an initial £20 and topped it up at least twice . More than usual as we listened to live match commentaries for Wrexham AFC and went on line to Ticketmaster to order our Wembley tickets . Food - definately cost more this trip . The french cakes wer just as nice as ever . The weather which was average to start had improved south of Toulouse . Best bits - the Minotaur was fascinating , Concorde interesting , seeing the Med uplifting and the food as good as always . Was it the best holiday we had been on ? Probably not . Did that matter ? No not in any way. Just to get away and do what we enjoy without masks or fear of mixing was a liberating feeling .

So what is next ? Get the photobook sorted and start to plan the next holiday . The tunnel is already booked and paid for . Just need a plan . A plan is being hatched as I write .

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