Minds eye

 Summer is over , the pool is covered and the swallows and our family have left for their winter accommodation. Its been a busy period  , for two months the house population expanded from two to ten, both human and swallows .  Whilst the swallows created little work , except for occasional poo cleaning , the same could not be said for the humans who needed hotel services. Nevertheless  it has been an enjoyable and memorable summer . Time for our break .

The Costa Brava has a spectacular coast , and a delightfully green interior. So we booked into a small hotel in Llafranc relaxing in the end of season calm ; and with Spanish food and wine . The flat , blue sea   encouraged post sleeping  ( night and siesta ) refreshing activity . Coastal footpaths provided more strenuous endeavours coupled with expanding vista . A lasting visual memory of our short holiday .

However , periodically there were reminders of something , or in this case , someone missing . An empty glass, an abandoned table , a view point needing human presence . Covid had almost avoided  all of us then France , except for a fit teenager who shrugged it off like a passing cold . Devastatingly  it took a senior family member  based in the UK. A truly lovely man who had dedicated his life to helping others . So on our holiday , whenever there was something missing it was filled by memories of Jesse . He may no longer be with us in person , but is forever in our minds eye .