With HunterGatherer back on strawberry patrol in the polytunnels of Perthshire, the Daughterly Duo en route back to their respective seats of learning in Paris and Edinburgh, and Son+Heir away at school from 8.30a.m. – 4 p.m. every weekday, the house has suddenly become so much quieter.
It was strange to be a family of five again over Christmas and New Year for the first time since early September. That was when DD1 headed off on to the home of vin rouge, fromage and frogs’ legs, there to “se perfectionner” in the lingo of the land.
Despite having been raised in the countryside, first on various farms and latterly here at the Sparrowholding, she is a self-confessed “city girl”. Even when forced to wear wellies (when faced by the sea of mud that our garden became during the recent – frequent – periods of rain), she still maintains a certain fashionable “je ne sais quoi”.
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| Best foot forward |
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| How did the sky get that blue? |
Only Chuck the Cat remains to keep Yours Truly company during the day, and since he snoozes for hours at a time on one bed or another (preferably having inserted himself almost invisibly between the folds of the duvet, with only his whiskers protruding…), he isn’t exactly what you’d call a riveting companion.
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| Such an effort to sit upright |
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| We could provide a welcome distraction 🙂 |
