Mixed feelings about returning to Spain
Thursday, August 8, 2013 @ 10:30 AM
After four months in the UK, away from my spiritual and actual home, you'd think I'd be champing at the bit now the ferry is booked for Monday, 12th August. We sail from Plymouth to Roscoff, so we should be back in Algorfa some time on Thursday afternoon.
As the day approaches, I find myself more and more reluctant to pack up our caravan in Devon and head back. A big part of the problem is that I don't want to put water between myself and my daughter. She's made a miraculous recovery from her stroke - she's camping with friends as we speak - but I very nearly lost her, and I don't want to leave her, even though she'll probably be glad to see the back of me. She's told friends that I'm fussing over her too much - and I am - so it will probably do her good to get her independence back again.
That's not all of it, though. Everyone has been so good to us during this difficult time, and it's going to be hard to say goodbye to those friends who have cooked meals for us, plied us with drink, organised outings and generally tried to make life as enjoyable as possible under the circumstances.
And of course, the weather here has been fantastic. This time last year, we experienced four dry days during a five week visit in June and July, but this year it's been shorts and suncream all the way, so it feels more like home.
I'm sure once I board the ferry I'll be really looking forward to seeing our apartment - and our friends who have kept the garden watered and the tropical fish fed. However, at the moment, my feelings about my return to Spain are very mixed indeed. Who's a silly Sandra, then?