Thanks for all the answers, both private and public, to my April 17 post. That evening, I asked Stefano the very same question. His answer: “at home, in my own bed,” just like many of the folks in the videos.

And here is my response: I would like to wake up surrounded by puffins. You see, the few hours that Stefano and I spent last year on the Farne Islands (Northumberland, UK) were absolutely magical. I have had few comparable experiences in my entire life. And now, whenever I want to think a blissfully happy thought, my mind almost always wanders back to the Farne Islands and those adorable seabirds.

Well, as it turns out!, Stefano and I will soon be waking up…on a small island…surrounded by puffins, their chicks, and other sea birds…

It’s a rather long story, which I will do my best to shorten. A few months ago Stefano and I began thinking about how we would like to celebrate our upcoming 10^th wedding anniversary (…and what we could afford!). We went through various options: a weekend in Paris, London or Prague…a long weekend hiking through one of Italy’s national parks…and so on.

Then we remembered a place that a blog reader/friend told me about last year: Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, UK. While it hosts one of the most spectacular and accessible seabird colonies in Europe, this island is perhaps most famous for its large puffin population. You can visit Skomer during the day, but there is also overnight accommodation for a restricted number of people, 15 at the most. Well, Stefano and I, puffin maniacs that we are, decided that we wanted to spend at least one night on the island: our idea of the perfect anniversary!

Unfortunately, by the time I called the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, it was too late: the island was completely booked from mid April to late July. You can imagine our disappointment. So we looked at other options and forgot about Skomer. But, strangely enough, we just couldn’t make up our minds…and we procrastinated booking elsewhere for weeks. And then…

Many weeks later, out of the blue, Stefano asked me to phone the Wildlife Trust to see about booking an overnight stay on Skomer for next year. So I did. And, lo and behold, I was told that the Trust had JUST received a cancellation for one night in early July. How coincidental is that? Needless to say, Stefano and I grabbed those two unexpectedly vacant spots. My wish has been granted. Puffin darlings, here we come…!

For more information about Skomer, have a look here: http://www.welshwildlife.org/skomerIntro_en.link