Back home again!

We've been back home again for the last week and a half after spending a month in Ireland and France for Christmas and the New Year.  We had a wonderful time with family and friends and the kids really love spending time with their cousins but it's good to be back home with it's warm weather!

Its been busy since we've been back.  The first few days were taken up with getting the house and garden into shape after our month away.  While we got away lightly with the cyclone that hit while we were away everything grows like crazy here in the wet season and between Toffee being shut into the house during the cyclone, beasties invading and having forgotten to empty the fridge before we left (and the power going out during the cyclone) there was enough to keep us going for a few days!

The garden after a month.

The kids had last week off as it was the summer holidays here.   While we had the time Sam took up snorkeling.  Our collection of children's snorkeling equipment has grown as we tried to get the right kit, a mask from one set and a snorkel from another.  So we've been to all our local swimming haunts, during their week off last week and popping down after school this week.  Its hard to convey just how fantastic it is to snorkel with him and to see his excitement discovering the underwater world, the fish, the coral, just being able to explore a new world.  Of course now Ela wants to try too, at least we have the kit for her, so it looks like she'll be trying it out on our next visit to the sea!

As mentioned its the wet season here at the moment (Reunion has two seasons, wet and hot and cooler and dry) and while it doesn't rain every day, more like two or three times a week, the wetter weather has lead to an explosion in the mosquito population.  Mosquitoes are wily little feckers and while we have been getting most of the buggers which get into the house some escape, leading to night time biting and many itchy bites. Today while looking for something else entirely we came across an electrical mosquito swatter, already the kids (and Aurelie) have been patrolling the house zapping the little miscreants.  The war continues....

Our new best friend - an electrical mosquito swatter!