The scent of orange blossom

This morning I am sitting at the window looking at a tree covered in orange blossom (The picture to the right is the view I can see as I write). We arrived here after midnight, but there were Kate, Chidi and nephew James all up and smiling. We had bowls of soup, large glasses of sparkling water and small glasses of sparkling Prosecco.

Our buoyant Arizona Shuttle driver collected us on the dot of 22.30, a baker's dozen of people going to Tucson, most of them from the same BA flight. He took one look at Oksy and summoned him to sit in the front seat: the rest of us were relegated to the back. As he drew away from the curb, he handed back individual bottles of water, and gave us a summary of how long he thought the trip would take. He asked if anyone wanted to be met at any of the four Tucson Shuttle stops by a taxicab, and used his mobile to fix that up for one of the passengers. For the rest of us, he promised to let us know 30 minutes before arrival at each stop, so that we could "use our cells to call our folks to come and pick us up". Feeling at last that I could relax, I fastened my seat belt, rested my cheek against the window, and slept for about an hour, a happy Arizona Shuttle customer!

Kate and Chidi have been lent a picturesque old Mexican house in the centre of the older part of Tucson. It is a quaint bungalow type building, surrounded by a sweet garden, within eyeshot of the Arizona Museum of Art and other downtown amenities, but a quiet, magic oasis of peace for all that. All I can hear just now is the clock ticking, and the occasional moan of a distant train. It has a flat roof you could sleep on in hot weather (though currently approached by a rotting wooden staircase), and a covered outside corridor, roofed with those curved tiles you see in Spain. Inside it is cool, with a spacious tiled living area, and various charming little tiled niches in the wall. Kate has brought some of her mother's old furniture out of store, and spread her Afghan rugs and Tajiki throws. There is a stunning central African mask above the fireplace from her time there. I am sleeping in the Annex, which is just as charming as the main house. I feel like taking up residence there for a year! It has everything one person could ever need ... with the added bonus of two grandchildren nearby (Of course there would be the terrible wrench of the other gorgeous grandchild on the other side of the pond, so it's not going to happen!). As I went across to bed, I felt quite delirious with the scent of orange blossom: citrus and honey.

This morning I saw the resident family off to school, washed a few dishes, and have put on a fresh batch of coffee while I wait for my lads to awaken: they are totally exhausted, however, we have planned to go to the gym and the Art Museum today, both within walking distance. But we won't drive ourselves hard as today is total holiday. Time to savour the orange blossom, not to wake up and smell the coffee!