The one good thing about living in a very small three-bed semi, is the fact that you can heat it up really quickly after being away for several days. Our drive home, which took most of the day was happily uneventful, and by the time we reached the house, it was cold, dark and a parky twelve degrees inside. Already though, now that we’ve got the dinner cooked, and the bed made and the cases unpacked, the temperature has climbed five points and we’ve also warmed ourselves up with this sudden burst of activity.
It feels kind of satisfying to be doing, after our few days of indolence and leisure. During our trip we felt like we had been living in another time and place, sitting in such luxurious surroundings, and not hearing traffic. It reminded me, in a funny way, to Venice. There aren’t any cars there either, although you do get the occasional putt putting of a boat engine.
The small bit of exercise we did manage to get were a couple of short, bracing walks around the island. The sea has been constantly frothy with the blustery winds, and those are the two biggest sounds out there. The gusts swirling around you and the rasping chains of the waters against the rocks. That and the occasional screech of the seagull trying to ride the constantly shifting currents. I did take my running shoes but they remained packed away. To be honest, if I hadn’t had at least one foot on the ground continuously, the wind would have whipped me off that tidal island.
Although the weather meant that we could not be ferried across on the famous sea tractor, we deliberately booked for this time of year in the hope of seeing a storm – from the safety of our hotel. Of course, that wish did bite us in the bum when we couldn’t get to the island on time in the first place, but once over, it has been lovely watching the waves. Our view from our window, in the Gertie Lawrence room, looked onto the waters between us and the mainland. All the bedrooms have names of famous people from the period, real or fictional. I didn’t know much about Ms Lawrence but it seems she was quite an independent and free-spirited actor and singer who worked with many of the big names, including Noel Coward and Daphne du Maurier.
I’m finishing this blog off the morning after our return because I realised, once my dinner had settled and we’d finished the latest episode of Shetland, that I was bushed. All that lounging around drinking cocktails, coupled with the sea air, had obviously taken it out of me. While staying at the hotel, I read a big chunk of Agatha Christie’s biography, and the biggest take I’ve got so far from it is that she was such a hard worker, which makes me feel like I should get back to business with my own novel. But then again I’ve not run since Saturday last, when I managed a terrific PB at Parkrun (26.55 – first time ever under 27 minutes). The running will have to come first, while it’s light. But I’m determined to getting tapping away again on the laptop this afternoon, in my very cosy home.
theleadlesspencil 
Sounds idyllic