Friday 5^th – Sunday 7^th February 2021

We all needed a break from monotonous days at home, where I am the servant to my family, Steve working long hours and kids spending hours on their computers – studying, and playing as soon as our gaze is turned. We all needed to get fresh air and I needed to let someone else look after me.

We took a chance that a first time mum  I was supporting, who was due her first baby any day but not showing some signs of labour for the past week or so, would stay that way; we left Colombo to spend two nights, about 2 hours’ drive, down South.

A highly recommended villa near Unawatuna called Good Vibes Villa, was just the perfect spot for our family, and the garden and peace there was just what I needed. I loved sitting each morning drinking Green tea on my own on the porch, while the family was still sleeping.  Finding a tailless whip scorpion (they look like a spider but are a different type of arachnid) on the outdoor shower room mat was a different type of late night welcome to what we expected though.  Steve managed to get a close-up picture with his phone camera before it shot off across the room, never to be seen again!

Perfectly timed with the arrival of our friend Rajeev from Colombo, we spent an afternoon with our mutual friends in Galle in their new apartment complex taking advantage of a spacious outdoor pool which we had all to ourselves as it happens – just like on holiday.  In the evening we went to a small and simple Persian restaurant and sat under palm leaves by the sea, eating deliciously tasty food with barbequed chicken, beef or lamb at its core and listening to the waves crashing onto the beach just a few metres away; just so special.

An oasis for me; I was so relaxed and energized and much enjoyed catching up with the parents and one of the babies that I helped bring in to the world; they live half an hour-or-so along the coast from Unawatuna so called in to see us.

I don’t like coming back home from being away as there is always a pile of washing to do, however it was worth it.

We are so lucky we can get away to carefully enjoy such a beautiful country despite the Covid pandemic though we wonder what the new strains of the virus will mean to control measures that have so far worked very well.

Rennie