Every year between 1989 and 2004 while we owned the restaurant in Waterford and Síle was teaching in primary school we would head off to camp in France at the end of June.

This moment was without doubt the highlight of the Dwyer year. Child that I am I would have been knocking off days in the restaurant diary like a prisioner serving time.
The moment Síle got her holidays we would pack the car with tents, sleeping bags, cool boxes and children and head for the ferry in Rosslare.

There was one particular year we had to drive through England and take the shorter Channel Ferry at the other side. I remember landing in France on a very early summers morning in (possibly) St. Malo and starting the drive south with all my ladies asleep in the car.
It was a typical French morning with the countryside covered in the lightest of mists which promised a lovely clear day once they cleared.
I can remember as I drove south through these mists being filled with such a glow of happiness , holiday happiness, warm weather happiness, restaurant closed for a fortnight happiness, all the family together happiness- such a glow that I can remember the feeling today.

This morning I stepped on the terrace and the same summer French mist was covering the Orb Valley and I felt again that happiness of summer in France.