SUNSTONED

Goodbye Spain. See you tomorrow, Switzerland

SUNSTONED

Sunstoned gauras
flirt with teal saltwater
as a cinammon sun 
idles beyond white oleanders.

I surrender,
gliding blue, 
savouring one last swim.

Dear friends,

We drive at dawn, back to Switzerland. A month in Spain swooshes by; I hope the temperatures drop a little, or that we discover that our house has a cooling system we didn’t know we had! A friend mentioned that she has a similar heating system to ours, and that hers does both. So fingers crossed! What a wonderful surprise it would be, as temperatures in Switzerland are similar to those we have here. Going outside feels like stepping into a fan oven.

We have had a lovely month here, first with a visit from my daughter Olivia and her husband, Tom, who are expecting their first baby in September! I’m excited to meet my grandson. When they left, two of my oldest girlfriends came for a visit, and it was so hot that we spent hours chatting in the swimming pool, turning into prunes. Once they left, we had a few days alone, until another girlfriend arrived with her husband. She and I used to go on riding holidays together, trailering our horses to the south of France, merging dressage clinics with fun in the sun around Saint-Tropez. We would return home with boxes of wine camouflaged underneath smelly, sweaty saddle-blankets in the trailer. It would have taken a determined customs officer to brave the pong; luckily we were never stopped! Anyway, she and her husband enjoyed a few days with us, and now it’s time for us to go home too. Well, back to our other home. I’ve managed to be extremely productive despite our visitors; once I become immersed in something creative I want to keep going! And going… My head is filled with projects and ideas, and I’m super excited about the coming months.

The Bohemians, from my poem in Illicit Croissants At Dawn

I’m currently listening to The Calamity Club, which is fantastic, while also reading One Golden Summer. We’re watching season two of The Four Seasons, and it’s ok. Prior to that we watched Summer 36, which was also ok. I’d love to watch something really, really good. Any suggestions?

What are your August plans? Are you going anywhere, or have you already been?

And please tell me what you’re watching, reading, and listening to; I’d love some really good recommendations.

Sending you lots of love,

Francesca xx

Illicit Croissants at Dawn