All change - more new faces for Reggie

This morning started bright and early (for a Sunday, at least) and we were on the road heading for Pisa by 8.40am. Following the car's recent temperamental behaviour, we'd parked it halfway up the drive yesterday, facing downhill, just in case we needed to bump start it - but of course it started first time today.

 

We arrived at the airport a little before 10am, with just enough time to grab a cappuccino and a pastry each before waiting at the arrivals gate. Soon enough I saw two familiar faces waving and coming towards us - it was lovely to see Mum and Dad again. They were tired, after a 3am(!) start this morning, but their journey had been smooth, and we were all pleased to see each other.

 

We loaded the bags into the car - Reggie didn't really bat an eyelid at the new faces and voices that appeared at the boot and he continued to hear in the car. Instead, he saved his barking for when we got home (and he realised these new people were staying, rather than just hitching a ride in his car). Thankfully, he was calmer than he has been with some visitors to the house, and as soon as we all sat down for a cup of tea on the patio, he calmed down and even started to bestow a couple of licks on his new housemates.

 

After cups of tea and a nice catch-up in the sunshine, I retired indoors to prepare some lunch while Stuart and Dad busied themselves with the woodpile and Mum did some more unpacking.

 

We ate lunch (quinoa, spring onion, boiled egg and tuna salad) in the lovely spring weather on the patio, with Reggie circling the table for crumbs and getting bolder with his interactions with Mum and Dad.

 

We decided that since Reggie had been so patient sitting in the car all the way to Pisa and back this morning, we would take him for a nice walk straight after lunch, so we all got ready, we loaded Reggie into the car and while we were waiting for Mum and Dad to change into suitable footwear, Stuart decided to try starting the car. Ah. About that temperamental car thing... That's right, the car simply wouldn't start - better now than this morning, except for the fact that the car was now in the (flat) car parking area, facing a wall, so there would be no chance of bump starting it. We waited 10 minutes then tried it again, but to no avail. So, Plan B was put into action.

 

We unloaded a confused Reggie from the car and instead decided to take Mum and Dad (and Reggie, obviously) on a tour of all the donkey tracks and paths. We started with the one that leads uphill from the drive. Mum and I had tackled the same track when they last visited in October - it looks very different now from how it did back then, as back in October the brambles were still high and there was still a lot of leaf cover on all of the trees and undergrowth. Now, at the tail end of winter, all the branches are bare and you get to see a lot more of where you are going and where you have come from.

 

We all clambered to the pilon, which marks the top of our land, before making our way back down again and heading for donkey track #2 - the one that leads downhill from the driveway.

 

Resting at the top of donkey track #1.

 We clambered through the woods - it was a little more hard-going on this track as in several places the way was blocked by trees and large branches that had snapped or fallen in the big storm the other week. Reggies raced around having a fantastic time while the four of us humans struggled getting over and under branches and up the steep slopes.

Snapped!

We eventually made it through onto the lower terraces beneath the house. These simply didn't 'exist' the last time Mum and Dad visited. That is, they existed, but only underneath layers and layers of five-foot-high bramble. I think that Mum and Dad were suitably impressed with the difference we have made!

View from the lower terraces.

After clambering up the terraces to the lawn, we then turned right and headed off to find the large quarry in the woods beyond the house.

Heading for the quarry.

After exploring what is certainly the largest and most well defined of the 3-4 quarries on our land, we headed back towards the house and finally, to complete the full tour, headed up the terraces to inspect the highest ones, which we have cleared since October.

On the way up (warning: don't look now Sheila!) we spotted a whip snake basking in the sunshine. Thankfully Reggie was too busy barking at the geese to rush in and disturb it, although it eventually slithered off into its hiding place underneath a rock.

Whip snake basking in the sun.

By the time we'd done all that, we had one hot and worn out puppy and we were all in need of a drink, so we once again sat on the patio for a cup of tea and enjoyed the sunshine until it dipped below the hill and the temperature started to drop.

Mum and Dad then headed to the apartment for a bit of peace and quiet while we came back to the house to light the fire, wash up the lunch things and make a start on preparing dinner.