Brownsea Island getaway for some of the crew....

One of our crew was in a rather fortunate position of being able to invite friends to stay on Brownsea Island this weekend, so a few of us went over for Saturday evening for some island-style relaxation.

 

So we all squished into a couple of cars (well except me, I'd made sure there was a space for everyone else but not me....ah well, I like the train!).  I must point out that Thomas at the front of this photo does not look like that in real life... sorry mate, horrible picture!

It was a great bunch of people - a few newer crew I haven't go to know yet (when we were smaller, I knew ALL the crew really well, but now there are nearly 100 of us in total!!).  Everyone went on a walk and explore of the island and then we all met up to prepare supper together and eat in the lovely big kitchen at the Villa.

 

The Villa

 Dinner time!

Lots of eating and chatting later, the last of us hit the sack around 2am so my early morning birdwatching plans didn't quite pan out!  The discussion was on everything from racism, globalisation and social justice to..... well... rats!  One of our crew and his partner take care of a number of rats, most of them rescues, and what they don't know about Rattus norvegicus isn't worth knowing.  I learnt a lot :)

It's great when people who keep animals learn about their proper care, something I feel very strongly about having two rescue 'exotics' myself (don't ask!).

 Harry the rabbit is a resident at the Villa and very spoilt she is too!  She was a great hit with the crew :)

 The woodpile - we really enjoyed the woodburning stove as it was still quite chilly.

 Red squirrels right by the kitchen sink in the Villa.... one of our crew suggested we have this view for washing up at The Art House.  Maybe a webcam link?

 The last of us on the island watch the sunset before heading back to reality....