Tonight I have the bonus of being with Maria & Tim again as I travelled within 72 hours of getting home - but that is pretty close to my normality.

Nana and Papa at the end of our holidays would say "Back ta auld claes and parritch". Which roughly translates to "old clothes and porridge" - it is a phrase listed in the dictionary of Scottish sayings meaning - holidays are over - back to ordinary.

There is a poem by Walter Wingate that captures this 

Farewell to stream and shore and height

The flowery glen; the ferny fall;

The moonlit waters silver white

The sands al fresco concert hall

We hear afar a sterner call

And bravely with the stoic phrase

We epitaph them one and all

"Parritch and auld claes"

We did indeed see stream, shore, height, flowery glen and ferny fall . . .