Here we go again - Le Départ

 Leaving for a two months long holiday after entertaining over the Christmas period is not optimal. All your focus is on guests, meals and merriment and, when you need to get kitted out to leave for foreign climes, then time runs out quickly and the leisurely pack and go turns into a dump and dash.

Hence why Gabrielle spent the largest part of our journey to Portsmouth agonising over all the things she had forgotten to pack: eye cream, trainers, running kit, etc. Add to that stress, the fact that the entire nation had decided to leave for home after visiting rellies and you'll understand why we were stressed and tired on our arrival in Portsmouth, albeit we were in plenty of time. Still, a meal at Zizi followed by an action-free transfer onto the Cap Finisterre meant that the leisurely glass of champagne as the boat set sail was very pleasant indeed. 

The Brittany Ferries fleet comprises very comfortable, well equipped vessels with pleasant bedrooms and good food. Our little home for thirty six hours was a twin cabin with en suite, with a good view out to the surging seas. A decent night's sleep left us a little more refreshed and we spent the day lounging, sleeping, reading and writing blogs!

Bizarrely, during that period, we received a phone call from our estate agents, James du Pavey, to say that someone urgently wanted to view our house. Fortunately, we had left it in good shape for a viewing, although there were remnants of washing drying around the place.