Back Home.

We finally arrived back in France, at Bordeaux airoort, on Wednesday the 22nd of August after our 6 month stay in the Southern hemisphere. Although the weather in the UK had been pleasant we were met by a temperature of 35C as we left the plane. We were soon through immigration and customs and in good time to catch the shuttle bus to the Gare St Jean in the centre of town. In such good time that we were able to catch an earlier train than expected and were able to call Michael and tell him that we would be arriving in Mont de Marsan earlier than expected. Jill and John had left our car with Michael so he came to pick us up in that and take us back to his place. Jane had prepared a meal for us and they invited us to stay the night before coming back home, a good idea as it turned out as it gave us a chance to relax and have a good nights rest.
Next morning it was still hot and we had a dip in the pool before having a leisurely breakfast and saying our goodbyes. We called at Carrefour in St Sever to do a shop on the way home. It all seemed so strange after being away from France for so long. Having to get used to driving on the right again although, thankfully, it soon came back to me. Carrefour seemed so different after shopping in New Zealand but I was pleased to be able to buy duck again, one of the few things that I had missed during our stay!
Finally we arrived home and were able to unload the car, open  the shutters and get used to being back in our own home. It almost felt like moving in all over again after being away for so long and made me realise how much I like my house! The garden was looking good, Jill had planted tomatoes, beans, cabbage, broccoli and Swiss chard so there were plenty of veggies ready to be picked. It felt strange returning from winter in the south to summer in the north, back to summer clothes and summer food again. It was very hot and everything was so dry so one of the first jobs, in the cooler evening, was to give the plants a good soaking.
It took a while to settle in again and get our bearings  but after a week or two it almost felt as if we had never been away!