Aaaaaand we’re back.

We somehow managed to survive seven days in the July heat of Sardinia. In a tent.

Looking back, this was probably a bit of a cavalier adventure. I mean, something you learn very quickly is that the best way to survive a Roman summer is by spending all day under an air conditioner and only moving when you absolutely have to. What did we think we were doing, going somewhere even hotter than Rome?

Our first night was painful. We pitched our tent in the last spot in the campsite. We realised why this was the only available spot - it had absolutely no shade. We got everything set up, inflated our air matresses and headed off. Except - and here’s something we’ve learned - when air matresses are in near-direct sunlight all day, those things get hot. And they’re designed to release this heat slowly. So that was, by far, one of the worst night’s sleeps we have ever had.

Did I mention that Sardinia was also suffering from a freak heatwave?

The next day, we got up completely drenched in sweat, having gotten a total of about fifteen minutes of uninterrupted sleep. We felt sorry for ourselves, had a bit of a whinge, asked ourselves “What would Ray Mears do?” (“Kill himself,” was the response. “This would be too much even for him.”) Then we set about reorganizing our camp. There was still no other pitch for our tent, so we went to the supermarket and bought a load of string and pegs. We ripped out all the bedsheets and blankets we’d brought and, with the tarp that we had intended as a groundsheet, built a badass bedouin-style tent camp. It was all very impressive.

The camp, too, was impressive. We were staying in Porto Sosalinos, which seems to be run by ex-hippies. Their restaurant is all vegan this and organic that. And the whole thing is much more community-focused than other campsites I’ve been to, with communal fridges and freezers to keep your food in and a huge ‘common area’ with free wi-fi and a load of plug points where you can sit and relax while charging your electronics.

Oh, and I didn’t finish either Infinite Jest or Anathem, but I did manage to finish Foucault’s Pendulum, a book I only threw into my bag at the last minute. Go figure.

Anyway, normal programming resumes now.