So far it looks as if our accommodations will work beautifully. Lots of space, a decent kitchen, livable (not staged for designer chic), an upstairs suite where Rebekah and I can hide, and a five-minute walk over the dunes to the beach.

We will know for sure when the tornado of a three-year-old and his parents arrive this afternoon, but so far so good.

Some of you may think I’m still English, but far from it! I’ve lived in the USA since 1976 and since my last visit with Rebekah – in 1992 – I’ve been here for a week in 1999 and five days in 2010. This really is a foreign country.

So I have completely forgotten how differently everything operates here. Plugs and switches and appliances; how doors and windows lock and unlock; centigrade versus Fahrenheit (very important when cooking!) – and so much more. I keep trying to get in the wrong side of the car, I’m bracing myself for sticker shock when I first fill up the tank, and the social protocols I grew up with will probably never have time to kick in (Walking into a bakery – for example – approaching the counter, and loudly proclaiming “Hi, how are y’all doing” is, apparently, not standard procedure…).

In a few minutes we’re headed back into Rye to pick up Andrew and family from the train station (first picture, below). I have to go to the shops first, so we’ll see how that goes!

Stay tuned for more. There is going to be a lot! – DEREK