The farmhouse has had a rough year.

Over the last twelve months, our “home away from home” has not fared very well. Termites have attacked the roofing slates, rats are nesting in them, snakes are chasing the rats in the ceiling and water pipes have been broken.

We didn’t get to the farmhouse to set up until 10:30 p.m. We were tired, hot, sweaty. Mosquitos were everywhere and there was no breeze. To top things off, the frogs decided that the bathrooms belonged to them and were not willing to go gently into the night. I engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a 200lb frog (ok, I had a broom and he was only 1 inch in size); I chased him around the bathroom 3-4 times before he finally dived into the shower drain, safe from my attempts to sweep him away. Just for fun, there was a big country dance going on about one kilometer away and we could hear it like it was in the front yard. Seriously. They partied down until 3:30 a.m., making it impossible for anyone to sleep. As soon as they stopped, the roosters kicked in.

Nice to know that though things change, they continue the same…