Spring break is over. It was a colorful caravan that passed by.

It started with the arrival of the Red Van. Always a blessing, because there are all kinds of useful things in it. A beautiful chair for one of the houses, a table model freezer for the (hopefully) abundant harvest from the vegetable garden, lots of books for the library and the fabrics that I bought during my last visit to the Netherlands.

There was little time for unpacking, because the next day the ladies from Strandcoaching arrived. Eight women, where we hade to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for. And each a massage and a mosaic workshop.

A nice start of the season, and they brought good weather as well

At the same time there was a group of workers working on the pipe system of a factory nearby. There is a cellulose factory a kilometer or 20 further – the final destination of all eucalyptus trees in the neighbourhood. There they’re processed into toilet paper and coffee filters.

Eucalyptus is slaughtered with 9 years, except for our own. They have been there for 15 years, and it is the intention that my great-grandchildren are going to say that their great-grandmother whom-they’ve-never-met planted them. Old eucalyptus are very beautiful, unfortunately they almost never get the chance to grow old.

These men stayed in a few houses together, and actually only came home to take a shower and to sleep. I had little to worry about. Fortunately, because I had my hands full to keep all the rest well fed and relaxed and satisfied with their own artwork.

Victory! The beach coaches went home happy and content after 5 days

Their last night was the first of the rest of my family. This rest had to improvise for a night, but they didn ‘t mind that – they insisted – they didn’t mind at all.

At full strength my family contains around 50 people. They can’t come all at once, and luckily they don’t have that ambition either. Our maximum capacity is around 35, with an extra bed here and there.

Next came my favorite Family Steady Guests, also at full strength

Now they’re more modest with 7 people, so that was easy. A village full of relaxed, well fed, chatting, laughing, mosaicing people who feel at home. With all that harmony I like to walk an extra mile for a clean towel or a better wire cutter.

As dessert I got a reservation from a group of 27 Italian youngsters, and 5 Hungarians, who joined the international climbing competition in the center of Soure. That was puzzling, carrying extra beds, and cleaning quickly after the departure of the family of steadies.

My sister willingly went into a room in the bathhouse, after the departure of a part of her family, so that the Hungarians could stay in the ElephantHouse. It was even possible to serve the Italians a suitable evening meal; my son Broes cooks after years of experience an unparalleled pasta-with-tomato sauce.

The final chord was a barbecue on the Fairy Tale Terrace, in honor of a birthday, and then everyone went home again.

And there we are. Son Broes sits after nights and nights of scrabble, rummycup and yatzee at his computer, and I’m walking around like a zombie. Staring into the big blue nothing, all by myself, on the terrace behind the kitchen.

Peace & quiet. Also fine.