Ah, the luxury of a little "sleep in"! We didn't stir until about 8.30 am this morning, it was so quiet and peaceful apart from the "meep meep" of the little deer outside of the lodge and the grunting of the big stag at the top of the hill. John got up and made a double chocky coffee (which are so delicious, but unfortunately not in our stores in Australia). David was moving around too, so we all got up and had showers. It was very cold outside and it had rained during the night.

John decided to pop down to Tescos to get some coins for the laundrette as we had a large pile of washing (again!!), so he and David set off just after 10.00 am. I pottered around and sorted out some of the things that will need to be packed at the end of the week and when John and David arrived home, John took the clothes down to the laundry room where he was able to have a lovely chat with Trevor (our very nice owner and keeper/carer of the deer) and a gentleman from Malta who was staying in one of the vans. The laundry room is spotless and always smells so clean, so I told John he had to get a couple of photos - they will be attached at the end of the blog.

The laundry being done, I hung it out to dry as the weather, while still extremely windy, has brightened up to a sunny day. I cooked some bacon and eggs for our Sunday lunch, which was enjoyed by us all and then we have fed the hungry hoards outside and watched the squirrel run past our lodge and up the tree.

This is a lazy Sunday indeed - we have read our emails, answered some of our friends on Facebook and kept ourselves warm and cuddly in our beautiful Lodge. I can't believe how beautiful this place really is. Sometimes you see photos of holiday places and they disappoint so much when you see them in real life, but this place is better and more than any photo could ever show or describe. Trevor fiercely protects his herd of deer and takes care of each and every Lodge and Van with his family. The bed linen and towels are clean and spotless and delivered every week or beds are made if you can't manage. Despite the fact that I clean everything myself, the staff will come in and clean it all again for you - it has got to be the best holiday I could ever have experienced or dreamt of and would do it again in a heartbeat if we had the money. I know that if we lived in England, this would be my holiday destination once per week for each season of the year - it is breathtaking to say the least, and of course the deer have now mostly been named, but given that there are about 100 in the herd, we have doubled up on some names e.g. Sponge Bob Square Face (with spots/without spots), little mother/big mother, Big Dude 1, 2 and 3 and Big Daddy Stag to name just a few.

We shall have a leisurely dinner of a side of salmon with salad for tea (oh my goodness are we on a diet when we get home!!!!!) and a glass or two of Australian wine sent by Aunty Janet (bless her heart) and thank you. Tomorrow is a massive day as the boys visit Aston Villa Football club with Joseph and I'm on another "Girls Lunch Out" with Alison - can't wait! See you then.