He knelt down so that his head was just about level with hers.

“I can be, if you’d like. What about your bear?”

LC shook her head.

“Kawan can’t be an uncle!”

“No. Could I be his uncle as well, though?”

She stared at Kul for a few seconds, her expression that flat one that so worried me, but it broke into a grin.

“Yes!”

She was still nodding off as Phil drove us home. Ish whispered, “Shall we dig my little climbing wall out, Dad?”

“Not today, son. I have a plan, sort of”

Maz snuggled up to me from the other side.

“And your plan is, oh man of mine?”

“Simple one, love. We take our time sorting our stuff out, set a load of laundry going, and then head for that café we both know, by way of the surf shop”

I pointed at our daughter.

“New cossie—er, ‘swimmer, ey’? Have a bite to eat, a splash about, pick up some necessaries, then have the Italian deliver tonight”

“By ‘necessaries’, darling, did you mean bottles?”

“Most definitely. Do a proper run out tomorrow for the barbie, but for tonight, just something nice to take the edge off the jet lag. That do you, son?”

“Um… yeah. Could we do a Teams thing as well?”

Maz sat up.

“Clara?”

“Er, yeah. She said she’d mail me a time. I’m not like Dal, setting up the big screen, but a laptop’ll do. Do you mind?”

There was no way I could or would object, but I had a little pang of worry about where it might all go, considering that they really couldn’t get much further apart unless we were in Kiwiland. Let it ride, Rhodes.

“Check your mail, then, but after you’ve sorted out your laundry pile, or you’ll never get off the screen. Anyway, nearly there. Kul?”

“I hear and obey, Sahib”

“Don’t even think about that! The cobbering is bad enough. Who’s due tomorrow?”

“Apart from the office, and Phil’s lot? Rhona’s lot, our Van Man Rod, Bobby, and Murdo said he’d probably look in. He won’t be bringing a sleeping bag, though, I shouldn’t think. And Des said he’d bring over some special snags for the barbie”

“Busy night, then”

“Welcome home, mate, is what it is”

He paused, looking out at the passing tin-roofed houses.

“This is home for you, now, mate. At least. I think so. Ust need to remind you of that.. and let little sleeping beauty there understand it. Now, SWMBO has been into your place to get it aired and sort the bedding for you, but no testing it till it’s dark. I’ve run your car up to make sure it’s in decent state to drive, and Dal’s trimmed your lawn and other bits, so do as Maz here’s suggested and get yourselves down the beach, and we’ll see you tomorrow at about four o’clock. If you’re planning on bringing any supplies, stick to the basics—Geeta and Val will have the clever stuff covered, Des is up for snags, so some packs of burgers, lamb chops, and beer. We’ve set aside some sleeping bags and stuff for you, and that’s all you need to worry about. Now, nearly there: in, get sorted, stay awake”

More hugs, and then we were on our own, outside a very familiar front door. Maz had the key, and as Ish and I hauled the luggage in, Maz and LC went from room to room, opening windows on the shady side and drawing curtains as appropriate, while the bed called to me, siren-like in its appeal.

No. Pile the laundry in the scullery as Maz sorted it, brew the tea for all of us while sorting ‘swimmers’, towels and face masks before the walk to the beach. On an impulse, I picked up our boy’s old boogie board.

It was surreal, from the moment of our entry to the little café.

“Hiya! Welcome back, you two. What can I get you?”

Maz waved at the sandwich fillings.

“I fancy something light, so can I please have one of your prawn baguettes? Just popping round the corner—girl needs a swimming costume. She’ll have the same as me, but half size”

Ish and I made the small talk while the staff made the sandwiches, and in short order a little girl was returned, now wearing a one piece costume, one of those long-sleeved tops we had bought for Ish so many years ago, as well as a sun hat. Maz tore into her sandwich with a happy sigh.

“Missed the seafood, love. Now, Carolyn: the sea is a lot warmer here than it was in England, but stay close to us till you’re used to it”

“Do I have to wear the eye things?”

“Goggles? You won’t see underwater without them, darling. Sometimes we find really pretty shells”

One thing missing at the beach itself was the sound of other children, for the schools were already open once again. We set out our stall on the sand, and Ish was off like a shot, plunging into the water before surfacing with a happy shout. Once Maz had strapped a flotation vest to our girl, Maz and I followed with her, rather more slowly. I looked over LC’s head to my wife.

“No swimming in that place?”

“Nope. Nothing like that, not even freshwater ponds. We were lucky if we were allowed a wash. This is… Carolyn?”

“Mum?”

“Keep hold of our hands. We’ll walk in, and you’ll see how that vest floats”

It was still Spring, so the water was cool, for Aussies, but fine by me, and as soon as it was waist-deep on me I dropped onto my knees as Ish thundered past for his board. The waves were small. But he managed to ‘surf’ a few of them as LC watched, until she broke her silence.

“Can I try?”

In many ways, it was like her discovery of the cartoons on the aeroplane to Gatwick: she asked, Ish demonstrated, she tried unsuccessfully, then again, and then, finally, she was deposited squealing and laughing on the beach after a ten yard run-in. Ish helped her up.

“Hands and fists and waves?”

“HANDS AND FISTS AND WAVES!”

That was our afternoon, and the Italian did us a pizza and salad delivery that hit the spot at least as well as Maz’ prawn sandwich. Ish set up the Teams call, which rapidly drifted from a family greeting, with LC ecstatic, into a “I’m just going to show her round the house, Dad” and the disappearance of our son with his laptop.

Later, as I settled our girl into the guest bed, I looked around at the plain décor, wondering exactly how much redecoration we should prepare for. Sleep came for her almost as quickly as Kawan arrived, and we left the door ajar just in case she needed us, in one of her first nights sleeping alone.

I didn’t remember getting into our own bed. All I knew was that it was a very bright day outside, and a small girl was peeling back one of my eyelids, in what seemed like an attempt to see if I was actually asleep. As the process sort of mitigated against the state, it was rather like a famous cat’s vitality. Ish called in from the lounge.

“She wanted to know if we were going to the beach again, so I said she’d have to ask you. I didn’t mean immediately, Carolyn”

She looked down at her feet, seeming apprehensive again, but Ish broke the spell before it could turn sour.

“Got my old climbing thing, Dad. Going to set it up for little sis here, if that’s okay. She can help”

“You had any breakfast yet?”

“Bowl of cornflakes each, but kettle’s on again for you two, and we’ve got bacon, eggs and bread”

Maz called from behind me.

“You two start setting up the climbing thing, and Dad and I will sort out the stove, love”

Once the offspring were gone, Maz started to chuckle.

“Exploring boundaries, oh dear me! How’s your eye?”

“Not sure yet. Brekky?”

“Brekky”

As Maz plated up, I gave the little climbing slab a quick once-over for safety’s sake, and then all but dragged them both back in for the hot bit of our breakfast. I had a sort of plan for the day, which unfortunately involved sorting out the laundry we had started, followed by a simple lunch and then a drive out to Chez Butt via Coles and the local bottle shop before the early evening’s fun.

As a sort of fall-out from our earlier solo years, both myself and Maz had an iron and a board each. I will gloss over that morning’s version of fulfilment.

We took the electric eskie with us to the supermarket, so that LC could have some mint and choc chip to eat rather than drink, and then we were on the Butts’ driveway, Ish turning in his seat to face his sister.

“There’ll be lots of new people here, Sis. They’re all safe, all friends. If you get worried, just come to one of us”

“What about the uncles?”

“Yup. They’re good as well. Ready? Kawan ready too? Want to help carry the bread in?”

What to say about another Aussie barbie, apart from the simple fact of having so many friends around us, from all of the office and their other halves to a selection of customers. Murdo did indeed drop by, giving us an hour, most of which seemed to involve hugging Maz. Slipping into my old bed with my wife, was like pulling on a comfy pair of slippers, or at least it would have been without the presence of daughter and bear.

I had noticed that Dal was deep in conversation with Ish, but it wasn’t till the morning that I found out what had been discussed.

“Dad…”

“What do you want or need, son?”

“College, Dad. Missed a bit, and, well, season’s almost over”

“That’s what seasons do, son. Arrive, do their thing, then clear off to the following year”

“Not that sort of season, Dad. Dal reminded me. There’s a match on next weekend. Junior college final. He was asked to drop me a word”

“About?”

“Could I do interchange”

“Son, I know it’s your game, but I have no idea what that means”

“It’s like a substitute in rugby, but different”

“That doesn’t exactly clarify it for me”

“Um, it’s a bench of players that cab come on and off and back on again. Helps stop us collapsing on hot days”

“And they want you to play?”

“This coming weekend. I think it’s meant as a sort of welcome home, Dad”

“Right…. ‘Welcome back Ish, and here’s your teeth in a paper bag’ sort of welcome?”

His stare at his feet reminded me so much of his approach to me about Clara, how could I say no?

“They say they’ve got seats for you, Mum and Elsie, Dad”

“Let me speak to Mum first, and that wasn’t a no. She might not want to sit and watch you getting clattered. Feeling fit enough?”

He laughed, happily.

“We haven’t exactly been sitting down all the time. I mean, that Debbie’s idea of a short walk…”

I took his point, without mentioning lactic acid, oxygen debt and hot weather. He could discover those himself.