Sunday I'll fly away

Some of you already know I have more than one blog. It's not to reflect my multiple personalities - it's more about the different things I do.

I keep meaning to update Manor from Heaven with new pictures, which I hope to do soon. If her Ladyship is reading this, I'd love to know what's going on at Mapperton at the moment.

However, for the next fortnight, I will be in another place I love: Greece and the Ionian. I will be motoring around Epirus with Mr Grigg, across to Meteora and then heading south to the Inland Sea and my beloved Ithaca. Just the sound of its name makes my cheekbones tingle.

We will be accompanied for part of the journey by Mr and Mrs Champagne-Charlie, which could either make or break this friendship, which is built on laughter, community spirit, good food and a nice G&T.

In the meantime at home, there is respite from the builders' dust but not much.

My stress was such that when we found an old cigarette packet hidden in the ceiling, I was a bit upset it was empty. And I don't even smoke.

I went for a two-second tour around my garden to calm down. Two seconds, because that's as long as it takes. It's so small.

I'm a country girl who needs wide open spaces. I need a holiday. And I think Mr Grigg might, too, after watching the England v. Germany game at Gatwick airport later today.

When he booked our trip away, he really didn't expect them to have got this far.

Anyway, to keep up with my travels, hop across to The world from my porthole and find out how it all began.

That's about it.

Love Maddie x