Sunday 10th - Wednesday 13th October, backwards before forwards...

                       

Sunday morning 10^th finally dawned after a night of tears, howling gales, a flying tent pole, flapping canvas and loud pattering rain. However it also brought a change in our camping fortunes as we encountered yet more incredible kindness. David and Liz Smith, a couple we had never met before but had a link to through Craigclowan, invited us to come and stay a night with them. It was a bit of a way in the wrong direction (we were heading East to Italy and they were back North West near Avignon) – however when someone offers you a real bed and hospitality for the night (in their castle) and you are in a miserable campsite and have woken up in pouring rain and have scarcely slept as the 60mph winds whipped at the canvas, you don’t say no.......

I don’t know that we have any photos which would really give you an idea of this amazingly special place. We found the most amazing welcome from a family we had never met before and the most amazing tale of restoring a castle which in parts is 1000years old. Liz and David opened their front door, welcomed us in, allowed big hot baths aplenty and positively encouraged use of the washing machine. A washed out campers dream.

And then there was the service...poor Liz never stopped catering for us all. Proper lunches (not just torn off chunks of baguette) and hot dinners, lovely Vin a L’Orange (got the recipe for this one...just wait till you try it) and children who had veritably died and gone to heaven. There was a room up on the top floor where all the “grown out of” toys were put. They moved in immediately and we never saw them, except when Adam and Andrew got home from school and then they were glued with adoration to the heels of the bigger boys. Mara made an excellent comment while there...”Mama, did you know that this place is actually a castle on the outside? It’s so strange because it is a house on the inside”. What a perfect summation – that is indeed what it was – a beautiful old and impressive building turned into a true home. So, thanks to Liz and David for looking after us and allowing us to make lots of use of their internet phone and wi fi and make calls backs to Perth, book a ferry to Greece (easier said than done....Greek travel agents....another story) and organise our next few days.

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