Home again, home again…

Well here we are… first team of 2020, safely back to the islet!

I think our faces display the variety of emotions running through… adrenaline, excitement, relief and slight insanity (already !)… not to mention the water marks and general dampness caused by a few dunks in/by the sea…

The emotions especially high due to a 6 day wait on the mainland before we could get over. Sadly, the northerly wind and high wave heights have restricted access to the islet. Despite the frustration of the waiting it has given myself and my team time to explore mainland Graciosa… and take time to appreciate mainland amenities. We’ve visited the caldeira caves, caldeira trees, driven down and up some back lanes I hadn’t as yet explored, collected drinking water from a random tap on the side of a lane (assured it was ok to drink!)… Ben tried out his amazing (and new) drone and generally taking in the different vistas of Graciosa. It has been great to show Ben and Jodie around as well as explore new places myself :). We’ve also very much appreciated the various chocolate brands and mainland luxuries of being able to just pop down to the supermarket.

But finally, after much waiting and uncertainty… we got over to the islet!! There is something un-phrase-able… indescribable about getting back to a place that feels like home. I have previously written about the concept of home, but now, having lived on the islet for 9months, through thick and thin, through sun and rain and wind, it truly feels like home. It’s a holistic home feeling, incorporating… the excitement of getting back to home comforts of the tent (yes I did just say that) and rediscovering photos and things I’d left here over Christmas (as well as unpacking new boxes of snacks from the UK). It’s also the memories of the different people, times and experiences and looking ahead, excited for what is to come. It’s the sweet, musty smell of the stormie chicks and adults and getting back out and seeing how much the chicks have grown – they’re looking so teenagery now! (Defined by having some proper adult feathers in the wings and tail, but the main body is still so much flooof!). And it’s in the beauty of the islet – the rugged cliffs, white foaming water, ever changing weather and the ‘back to nature’, ‘so close and yet so far’ lifestyle.