The smell of home

This is just going to be a short update, and it is one I planned on doing a couple of days ago but I just didn't get time and I have been pretty exhausted.

I've just got back from a lovely wonderful visit home and so I thought I'd put a few pictures up about it so I'll always be able to look back and remember.

Stoofvlees for lunch

An old diesel pulling a passenger service

Look at all that leg room

Thursday was a good day; it was, for me, the last day of proper "new development" in my job here so the team I'm working in went out for lunch. I had "stoofvlees" which was amazing; beef stew and chips - what is not to love. I also had two glasses of beer which meant that my afternoon was rather less productive than the morning. I was traveling straight from the office to the airport so I left at my usual time but this time walked to the station, found the platform, and sat waiting for a train for about 50 minutes or so. While I was there a few trains went through, including one that looks like a cyclops that I will identify eventually, and this very old diesel that I thought my nephew may enjoy seeing. Getting into Brussels airport is quite an experience; I went through a metal detector at the top of the escalators leaving the platform just to get into the public area of the airport and while I walked through I was amazed at how many heavily armed Army personnel were walking around. I'd managed to remember to check in right as it opened on the night before and had got my perfect seat which was great as I had loads of leg room and was also able to get off the plane very swiftly when we landed.

I felt like we had taken off early but we landed about ten minutes late which made me worry about my car hire but there was no problem; the chap recognised me from the many times I've hired from them years ago when I was still house-hunting and with the usual swift hand shake, couple of signatures, here's your paperwork and keys I was off and driving home. It was a really quick journey and having landed at three minutes to midnight I stepped out of the car to open the gates at two minutes past three. Amazing. And this is where the title of this post comes from. The smell of home! It was so strong I stood with my eyes shut for a minute or two sucking in deep breaths of the hot spicy smell, dried grass, dust and other smells that work together to create such an intoxicating scent. Wonderful.

Multi-cultural cheese board 

Louise cuddling up

Back at our favourite restaurant

The girls had heard me arrive and were barking up a storm as I came in; amazingly A didn't really wake up straight away but came to find me as I let the girls have their toilet break. I was quite tired and when we did get to sleep I thought I'd lay in but I woke at about 7.30 feeling OK. A had to head into town for some shopping so I stayed and did the watering of the orchard then picked up the collapsed wood pile and restacked it and finally went into the workshop and tidied up to make space for the big job of the day. Because I'd been dragged away to work my plans to make lots of raised beds had to be shelved but this meant that there was a large pile of timber still on the patio waiting to be rained on and ruined. When A got back we steadily worked our way through the pile and brought it all in and now it is nicely stacked and safe for winter. We stopped regularly, once for lunch which was a cheese board of cheeses bought during my trip to visit Bart, and at the cheese shop A found in Mechelen when she was here. The deep blue/purple cheese is made with lavender and is surprisingly tasty. I also spent a good amount of time just chilling out and cuddling the girls who were so happy to see me - even Thelma was licking me loads. In the evening we took ourselves to our favourite restaurant and what a thing it is to be home - the beer tasted great, the salad was amazing, and the main course was right up to the normal excellent standard.

Islay Ales superb festival ale

After doing the chores on Friday it was planned that Saturday would be a day just for us. We did have to scoot into town in the morning to get some cash out and then we dropped back, picked up Thomas, and took him over to the garage to have his slight overheating problem sorted out. I explained, via the really helpful English speaking son, that they had six weeks to sort it so hopefully when I get back he'll be fully sorted. On the way back we heard from SandS who were dropping past and they were waiting on the patio in the sun when we got back. It was a lovely visit, spent chatting while sat on the balcony. They headed off with a dozen eggs and their wrapped up present ready for when their imminent arrival arrives and we went in and had a bite to eat before I helped A baking a banana and walnut cake made with our own walnuts. I was in charge of nut cracking and I only sprayed the first one across the worktop. Dinner was my request, lasagna, though I don't seem to have the picture of it here so you'll have to wait for A to see that. I did open the crates of beer I'd bought on Islay and really enjoyed my bottle of Big Peat which went superbly well with the lasagna. After this we went upstairs and watched a film before heading to bed. Unfortunately the music from the nightclub happened again and I had to call the police. This was very effective and it went quiet but then they turned it up again and I ended up in the guest room. This will have to be sorted out.

Now and then - Me and Rabbit

I didn't really want to be here again

Not quite as much room this time

And so it came to the final day of my trip home. We pottered around in the morning, I checked out the superb repair job my mum had done on Rabbit, and packed up a bag which included the banana and walnut cake made the day before. Too soon it was time to go, after a lovely stroll around the top of the land and some peaceful moment sat on the makeshift bench right on the top bank, and I waved goodbye to A, got stopped outside our neighbours by The Other Brother, and finally at the top of the village by another villager before heading towards Sofia and the airport. Once again it was a really easy drive and I arrived about half an hour early for the car people. There was no delay getting through security and I boarded relatively easily however I had forgotten to check in on time so got a bad seat with no leg room. I put my headphones on, rested on my new (very expensive) neck pillow and snoozed all the way so it felt like a very quick flight. When we landed I scooted through security, spotted a train was pulling in (three floors below) direct to Mechelen and vaulted past slow people on the escalators and managed to catch the train with time to spare. Less than fifty minutes after I was stood queuing on the plane to get off I walked in through the front door here. Perfect.

So there you are; six weeks, ish, to go and I will be back for good. I cannot wait.