One of my favourite thingsabout the Magdalen is her houses. The ones that seem to have been thrown like rolling dice among the hills, beaches and cliffs. They're beautifully coloured - sky blue, mustard yellow, candy pink, wine red, forest green, burnt orange. Strangely enough, the prettiest of them all stands naked of all paint, with shingles the greyest of greys. It's the people in it who wear all the colours, with their ocean eyes and soft blush cheeks.
Stepping inside, we get welcomed by the crisp smell of lilac, or rosemary lamb, or rhubarb croustade. It could just as well be the scent of fresh basil or cranberry bubble bath; it merely depends on what's in season. It's not too warm, not too cold. Fuzzy rays of sunlight and a sweet breeze find their way in with that salty draft of wind - the sea's never too far away. We have just enough blankets to get everyone cozied up. The clocks are slightly off; we don't mind. No need for running late, there's time.
Outside, a vast garden beholds lettuce heads, beans, courgettes, cucumbers, beets, cabbages, herbs and more. Without a doubt, we'll see one or two or three salads pop on the menu this week. The dogs chew on everything they come across. They devour wild blueberries before we had a chance to pick them, chase the squirrels, and have a clear preference for the garden hose over their water bowl.
When the rainy days knock at the window, we sit around the table with a full teapot warm ginger tea. Love is practicing the piano while others play cards. Pupper stares at the garden outside and drools at the strawberries, his head on my lap. Plants have been watered, friends have been fed, corks have been removed and thrown away. There's laughter and there's singing and there's doggo number two snoring on his pillow.
I've had the chance to live in the happy house for a few days and to discover the simplicity of a beautiful day. To live to the rhythm of the Islands and enjoy the sweetness of the little things is to find the extra in the ordinary. It's often the right fix after the excitement of the summer. I think that's what I love the most about my new adoptive home: her tranquillity. Off-season bliss. The slowing down of the tempo before the frenzy returns.
