Piano Lessons

One of my greatest regrets is that I never learned to play an instrument. I blame my parents. I don't think they pushed me hard enough. And the organ doesn't really count.

So with that in mind: Sebastian started piano lessons on Friday. As you most of you will know (since many of you will play a musical instrument), practice is the key to success (assuming you are mildly talented). And we don't own a piano.

Now, I am not going to rush out and buy a piano. Ah, but the neighbours have one. And we have a key! Mwuh-ah-ah-ah!

No, I better ask.....Emma & Si are happy for Seb to do his 10 minute practice time 3 times/week. But we've only just begun. Now I'm questioning my sanity.

We bought his first music book. I opened it up. Since I don't understand it how am I supposed to help him? Can he take kazoo lessons?

Minor Setback

We lost our broadband service for about the last 24 hours. It all started on Saturday when our land line telephone had no dial tone and we could not make outgoing phone calls but we could receive incoming calls. We reported the fault to BT using our mobile phone. What did people do before mobile phones?

Mysteriously, without any contact from BT our land line was fixed.

Yesterday, just after posting to my blog, the broadband went down. Marc rang BT (again) and they said they knew there was a problem due to some works going on in Windsor. They also informed us that it may not be fixed until Thursday this week.

At this point both of us had a meltdown. Marc runs a business from our home and we depend on the broadband for email for the business. Not to mention my blogging/Facebook addiction!

One again, mysteriously, BT arrived at our home this afternoon at 1 pm. Luckily, Marc was here and they were able to isolate the fault to our line which runs from our garage (office) to our home. Even more mysteriously, another BT engineer appeared at 2 pm to fix our home land line (which was no longer broken). Marc sent him away.

When Marc and I bought our first home in Duke Street, we had some REAL problems with BT. They were unable to move our telephone number from my flat and had to install a new line. To make matters worse the telephone pole on our street was a health and safety issue and no engineer would climb it until the pole was replaced. It took over 8 weeks for us to get a working telephone line.

I was pregnant with my first baby. I was scared. Very scared. I couldn't ring my mother or sister. They couldn't ring me. Unless, of course, we used our mobiles which were outrageously expensive (still is for international calls). Daily I rang BT from my mobile and berated them. I would then hang up and cry my eyes out.

At times like these I need to remember to step back from the technology and just imagine life as it was before I had these conveniences. I do believe that life is different now than it was then and some of the support and processes that were in place for people to rely on then are no longer available to us.

For example, I am sure I wouldn't have been living so far away from my family during the birth of my first child if I hadn't had available to me these modern conveniences which make me feel still connected to them despite the miles. Or the fabric of my society would be woven much tighter and I would be able to rely on my neighbours for more support without them thinking I'm a weirdo. OK, they'd probably do that anyway. In fact, they do.

But life without broadband did mean I got all my gardening done outside yesterday! Always a good thing! The back garden looks a bit like the Texas chainsaw massacre took place but everything is cut back and nice and tidy and ready for the onslaught of autumn. Bring it on!

Ultimately, and the best thing is, we are back online. Hope you didn't miss me as much as I missed you!

Foot and Mouth Outbreak

As if the flooding this summer wasn't bad enough we are now in the protection/exclusion zone for the foot and mouth disease. This Google search shows the extent of the infection.

Egham is the village next to ours. All events in the Windsor Great Park have been canceled including the carriage driving championships and the upcoming Running 4 Women 8K and half marathon. They have already culled several herds of cattle and pigs. The impact to the local economy is severe especially since the floods already destroyed many crops in the UK.

Our movements are rigorously restricted so there are no horseback riding lessons for Seb this weekend and we have to be careful where we go walking with Bailey.

25 Skills for Women

I almost stole this and posted it as my own but....I decide to link to it instead!

Unlikely Friends

Murphy and Bailey have become the best of friends, sort of. Bailey thinks they are best friends and Murphy exploit s this to his advantage.

Kylie, our previous cat, was a lovely little kitten when we got him which was just before Sebastian was born. A few months later we took a holiday back to the states to introduce Sebastian to our family. Kylie was sent to a battery. He never recovered. He turned into a mean and horrible cat. One day Sebastian was crawling across the floor and Kylie grapped his little face with his claws. Seb bled. And cried. Kylie would swipe at your legs when you walked up the stairs with his claws out just for fun. I would cry each time he got me.

When we moved to our new home we hoped Kylie would burn off some excess energy out in the fields surrounding our house. He was less mean but never very nice.

Then Kylie disappeared. The week between Christmas 2004 and New Years 2005 Kylie went missing. We hung up posters and walked for hours around the area near our home. He never returned.

In March we went to a rescue centre for abused and abandoned pets with the intention of finding a new cat. We looked at the first room of cats and whilst they were all cute and needed a home, none of them connected with me. Which is odd really because I'm not much of a cat person.

Then we entered the second room. I walked straight up to the first cage on my left. And there he was. I thought I was being a bit foolish so I walked around all the other cages in that room. But I returned to the first one. I asked if we could open the cage and they said yes.

Murphy walked right up to me and nuzzled into my arms. He had a scab on his nose. He had been abandoned in an apartment with 2 other cats and the scab was from either pushing up against a door trying to get out or from licking condensation off a window. Murphy never let my hand leave his body.

We took him home. And he has turned into the best pet. He is very cuddly and greets us every night with a sweet meow. When Abigail is ill he keeps vigil by sleeping in front of her door.

Then in late November 2006 we decided we wanted to add a dog to the family unit. Yes, yes, yes: what were we thinking? Labradors were typically identified as the best family dog so we found ourselves a yellow lab.

When we went to the breeders she only had 2 left. One was a boy and one was a girl; brother and sister. The sister was bigger than the brother and she was a bit of a bully. The brother never seemed to get his far share of toy playtime or food. The brother went home with us. I am such a sucker for the underdog.

The first night of Bailey's arrival in our home, Murphy sat on the sideboard in the kitchen with his nose up in the air, thoroughly amused at what had arrived. He watched this little ball of fluff clumsily slide around the kitchen floor. I am sure he thought he wouldn't last long.

The next night, Murphy returned to the spot and with much disdain discovered that the fluff was still among us and gave Marc & I a very dirty look as if to say "You've got to be kidding."

Then he ran away. Actually he moved in with the next door neighbour and her cat, Tizzy, for 2 days. Then he came home and thought well I better figure out how to make this work.

Ever since then, Bailey and Murphy have forged a friendship, natural enemies learning to live and love together. When Murphy comes in from outside, Bailey comes running up to him. Murphy allows Bailey to lick the top of his head and the sides of his face. Sometimes Murphy lets Bailey smell his bottom. That's what good friends do apparently. Bailey waits for Murphy to fill himself when eating his breakfast and dinner, then Bailey moves in to finish it off.

When Murphy gets tired of him, he simply moves to higher ground and looks down on Murphy as he slides around the kitchen floor. Old habits are hard to break!

The Broker by John Grisham

I remember when I first read The Firm 15 years ago. Has it really been that long ago? It was published in 1992 and I devoured the book. It was a compulsive read. I immediately bought A Time to Kill which was actually published before The Firm but didn't have bestseller success until after the publication of The Firm and I still maintain it is better than any other Grisham novel I've read. I anxiously awaited every novel written by Grisham for years afterwards. I read The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury. I also watched the corresponding films.

And then I got bored.

It just seemed that the stories were much the muchness. Same old story, different names and places. Corruption and Idealism at odds. Little man/woman/child triumphant over corrupt politicians/power brokers.

So I haven't bothered to read the last 10 (or so) of Grisham's novels. The Broker was laying about in the gite we rented in France and I picked it up. My recent reading list has been rather heavy though and I decided my brain needed some candy.

As expected there is the usual conspiracies running amok, politicians going greedy, and a man in the middle paying for it whilst running all over the place trying to clear his name.

Also, as expected, I couldn't put it down once I started and read the whole thing in just a few nights.

Recommended only if you don't want to have to think about what you are reading but frankly I'd advise you to pick up something a bit more worthwhile.

Food as Science Theatre

The meal at The Fat Duck was sensational. I got the most joy watching Clare & Michael (& Marc) enjoy the 16 course Tasting Menu. It wasn't just about the taste but also about the theatre of presenting the food. My photos could only capture a very small fraction of the adventure involved.

There were a couple new things since the last time I was there including Whiskey Wine Gums which were attached to a map. It was a great way to taste whiskey!

We had a wonderful afternoon!

Yesterday Clare & Michael did some shopping and relaxing whilst I had to get some work done. We had a home cooked meal of lasagna courtesy of Mr. Marc. I tell you, I'd prefer to have his lasagna over The Fat Duck every day!

This morning we will deliver Clare & Michael to their hotel in central London for their return cruise back to the USA! I had so eagerly anticipated their arrival and their visit has seemed so short. My children instantly fell in love with them much like I did 20 years ago. Abigail was calling her Aunt Clare by the first evening.

Bon Voyage!

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace was built by Thomas Wosley, a trusted advisor and spin doctor for King Henry VIII. It is quite simply one of my favourite tourist attractions in England and if you have been one of my visitors, you have more than likely been taken there. I have been so many times I would hazard that I could give the tour myself.

But they do keep it quite fresh and since the last time I was there they have added several exhibitions which taught me loads that I didn't know. I love it when that happens!

Yesterday after meeting Clare & Michael at a half way point from their last visit (to Southampton) we set off for Hampton Court Palace. the most amazing thing was the grape vine. HCP has the oldest grape vine in the world. Look it up - it's in the Guinness Book of World Records. And since it is September, they were harvesting grapes. So we bought some and ate some. Hmmmm, they weren't seedless!

It was a glorious day so we got to walk about the astounding gardens. It seems every time I have gone to HCP previously it has been raining. This was the very first time that the sun was shining. Gloriously! Man, I want their gardener!

Last night we had a quick bite to eat at Wagamama's in Windsor. We left the children with Clare & Michael to do bath & bed whilst Marc & I went to Parent's evening for Year 2 at St George's school.

I don't remember learning this much when I was 6. I was exhausted just listening to the teacher talk about electricity and forces of movement and creative writing and spelling and multiplication and division. I'm sure I learned that stuff at 10 or so.

Today we are off to The Fat Duck in Bray. This will be my third time to The Fat Duck but with Clare & Michael being quite the food & wine connoisseurs I am really looking forward to this! I think I might have even talked Marc into trying the tasting menu.

Big thanks to Jackie for handling the school pickups and tea!

Old Friends

Back in 1991 I moved to Germany and my life changed forever. Who I was and how I viewed the world shifted dramatically. I had to learn a new language and I had to make friends.

It was not easy to make friends in a foreign country, particularly Germany where friendships are formed during your early school years and who your parent's friends are. The Germans rarely move far from the place they grew up and hence they don't have a requirement to make new friends very often. The workplace is very formal and not a place for making friends either.

However, in the midst of my desperate loneliness I met Clare & Michael Workman. They both worked for PacTel Cellular who was one of the partners in the D2 consortium which was run by Mannesmann Mobilfunk.

Clare & Michael welcomed me into their home for numerous meals and Sunday afternoon film extravaganzas. We've gone on holiday together with our trip to Florence being one of the highlights on my travel diary with Rome a close second. Clare & Michael loved me and took care of me particularly after my relationship with a Canadian I had met over there broke down.

Clare & Michael left Germany a few years back and moved home to California. The last time they visited us was just (like a couple weeks) after Sebastian was born. We lived in a small 2 bedroom house that was barely big enough for us. My mother was also staying with us at the time. Didn't phase them one bit. they helped us take foot and hand prints of Sebastian for his baby book and whenever I look at those I always think of them. They are the most witty, clever, and generous people you will ever meet.

Well, they are back to visit us again and meet Abigail.

We've got a couple things planned but mostly we'll just be catching up with old friends! I am soooooooo excited!

Weekly Allowance

I wrote a post a while back about teaching children the value of money and how I thought this responsibility rested on the shoulders of parents. I had a lengthy discussion with my sister about this since she left me a comment which seemed to disagree with me. And I hate it when she does that!

I maintain that the value of money and how to manage it is a value passed from a parent to a child. Learning how to calculate interest on a loan is math so that sits squarely with the school.

Marc & I bought some money boxes for our children to aid our parenting goal of teaching children about money. The money boxes include separate compartments to Spend, Save & Share their money. The idea is that their weekly allowance is then divided up (at their discretion) between the 3 boxes. The money in the Spend box can be spent immediately, ie as soon as they get it or that weekend, for example. The money in the Save box can be saved up to be spent on an item that they have identified (say in a catalogue or saw in a shop) but don't have enough in the Spend box to buy immediately. The Share box is donated to charity (picked by the child - with your help) at intervals designated by the child. The children get to decide how much goes where.

The idea is that they get a weekly allowance for doing things above and beyond their normal responsibilities like brushing their teeth, taking a bath, making their bed, going to bed. These are all the types of things that they do in order to be a productive, happy member of the family. For example, I don't want to pay them to set the table because as a member of the family they must help me set and clear the table for meals.

Now, readers, I need your help. What sort of duties could a 6 and 3.5 year old do that could help them earn their weekly allowance? I'm really struggling with this. Sebastian is too young to mow the lawn. Abigail just ain't big enough to clear out the garage. We don't get enough snow for them to shovel the sidewalks. I've got to get this sorted and I don't know how to do it.....

PS I was very proud when Sebastian announced that the Share box was very important "since not every one is as lucky as I am". Now let's see if he can put his money where his mouth is!

I imagine that the discussion about worthy charities will also be interesting. Any ideas on that one?

What Next?

Over on One Square Mile, Janell marveled a few days ago about the power of satellite TV, amongst other things. OK, give her a break, she lives in Nebraska!

I asked her to imagine what the future might look like and where all this technology might be leading.

And then I found this!



What does the future look like?

Loving School

This morning my daughter came running to me in a panic pulling on her pajamas holding the various items of her school uniform saying we were going to be late. She was convinced that we needed to get dressed for school.

I explained to her that she doesn't go to school on Sundays. This stopped her in her tracks. She thought about it a couple moments, stuck out her bottom lip and cried, "Why not?"

Remember when you used to love going to school so much you wanted to go every day?

Bowling Shoes

Today was one of my shining moments as a mother!

Sebastian had a birthday party to go to this morning. Since the husband unit is off sailing the ocean blue (well, the Solent, actually) with some of his mates, I had to take Abigail with me to the party.

Upon arrival this was not a problem. Both traded in their trainers for bowling shoes and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy themselves hurling the heavy balls down the lanes.

The bowling alley plays loud music and has flashing lights so for a parent observing this can be a sensory stresser! The children enjoyed it but by the end of the 2 hours I was in a bit of a hurry to get out and give my ears and eyes a break.

I loaded the children into the car, did up the seat belts and headed for Windsor to pick up a couple of birthday presents. I went into the multi story car park, found a place and unloaded the children. We went up in the elevator and started walking towards the shops when Abigail started complaining that her shoes didn't fit.

At that moment I realised both of my children were still wearing their bowling shoes. I stood there wondering what to do. should I abandon the shopping and go immediately? Or would it be ok if I just finished the shopping and took back the shoes at my convenience?

We finished shopping. I noticed some people staring at my children's shoes. Maybe I was imagining it. But I don't think so! I never realised how obvious bowling shoes are. Well, I had but I just hopped no one would notice my children wearing them out and about. It could have been just a fashion statement!

We then went back to the bowling alley and a presented them with 2 pairs of shoes and told the lady what happened. She just nodded and said "Happens all the time."

Oh, thank god for that!

Cornwall Camping - Episode 2

But before we could go to the beach we had to check out the facilities at our campground. And they were superb. The campground had ample facilities to wash dishes and shower. They also only had 46 campsites so it wasn't mobbed.

For the children there was an extensive collection of farmyard animals: geese, calves, ponies, owls, lambs, goats, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs). The children could feed them at 9 am. They could walk a goat and hold a rabbit and ride a pony and give a calf a bottle. There was a miniature golf and train which could be played on-demand. There were trampolines and climbing frames. The were courses to drive little kiddy carts on. And there were loads of other children to make friends with.

Marc and I sat on the porch of the cafe and enjoyed our coffee and read whilst the children played.

After a couple hours we packed up and headed for a beach, any beach. First stop was Harlyn Bay. The beach was packed and we decided not to stop. We went further down the coast and stopped to see the Bedruthan Steps. This is supposed to be the most dramatic piece of coastline in Cornwall. We parked, used the toilet facilities and got some ice cream. As we stared over the precipice I was trying to muster the courage it was going to take to get myself down these steps.

A couple people came up and said it was really worth the walk. They didn't look frightened and seemed to have survived the trek. So I psyched myself up and we went down. Now I ask you to remember back to the spiral staircase in France at Mont St Michel. Remember? I get vertigo. What was I doing going down a rackety steep curved staircase hanging out over a cliff? This simply wouldn't do!

The steps were uneven and steep. I had Abigail's hand and Marc had the dog and Sebastian's hand. I was in front of the decent and trying desperately to hang on to the handrail which was wobbly. We got about half way down and I am looking out over the cliff edge and I freak. I mean - REALLY FREAK! I froze. I couldn't move a muscle. Not another step. There were people behind us trying to get down and the children, sensing my fear, decided they weren't going down either.

We got ourselves turned back around and had to head back up to the top. I was hyperventilating and shaking when we got to the top. I felt like a right prat!

So far, we weren't doing so well trying to get ourselves to a beach!

Off down the coast we headed. Again.

And then we found Mawgan Porth. This was a cute little beach with loads of facilities. We got the very last parking spot and unloaded our beach gear. We stopped for some Cornish pasties and chips and then carved out our spot in the sand. The children played in the fresh water river that ran down through the middle of the beach. We made sand castles and Bailey played with the other dogs.

Several hours passed and we decided it was time to make a move for the supermarket and get dinner started back at the camp.

Sebastian helped me do the shopping whilst Marc and Abigail waited in the car with Bailey I find taking the children shopping to be a bit of an adventure. They've got quite an interesting idea about what one should eat! We didn't let him make many decision except for hot chocolate and the marshmallows for toasting.

We also purchased a proper tent for Bailey to sleep in since he seemed to have gotten quite cold the night before. The shop didn't have the tent set up so i couldn't tell how big of one I was buying. When we got back to the campsite and set it up it was huge! We practically needed another site for pitching it!

The following day we set of for Newquay (after suitable parent relaxation time at the campground cafe) and the famous Fistral Beach. Fistral is famous with the surfers. We went there a few years back when Abigail was just a baby. On that visit, Abigail ate the sand. I was hoping she had out grown that.

We had lunch at a super groovy surfer hostel and then went to get the children wet suits. Sebastian loved his but it took quite a bit of convincing for Abigail to keep hers on. She threw a raging tantrum in the surf shop but finally one of the shop assistants convinced her that she looked even cooler than the surfer chick in the poster on the shop wall. Abigail apparently decided she was cooler and stopped screaming long enough to not scare off the other shoppers.

The beach at Fistral is huge and the waves are even bigger. I wasn't too comfortable with the children playing in those big waves but the RNLI provide the life guards and there were loads of them. Marc and Bailey kept a close eye whilst I starred at the other people on the beach (I love sunglasses!).

It was very late when we decided to head back to the campsite and make dinner. Sebastian had spent the last couple evenings walking around all the other campsites and introducing himself to all the other people and their associated children (if they had them). This night saw several children appear at out campsite for toasted marshmallows. Sebastian had invited everyone round to ours! This boy is going to be a politician!

Thursday afternoon we walked round Padstow and did a spot of shopping. the town was very crowded and we could only find once place to eat our fish and chips that would let Bailey sit on the patio.

Friday was the best day! We took the advice of our campsite neighbours, Ian & Gina, and set off for Treyarron Beach. And this wins the award. We totally unintentionally saved the best for last. This is a beautiful cove with a beautiful beach and great facilities. Again RNLI lifeguards watch everyone. We watched the tide come in and start to go out again. The beach was shallow and loads of fun. There weren't mobs of people and Bailey loved the beach. Seb wasn't so keen on the sea weed but he got over it.

I sat and read a book. It was bliss!

Saturday morning we had the challenge of packing everything up and fitting it back in the car. You have no idea how difficult this was. We packed, unpacked and repacked about 3 times. I finally ended up with my foot well (and the children's) packed full of stuff. the drive home was uneventful (thank goodness!).

CAMPING VERDICT: YES YES YES! I will do it again and again and again. We had so much fun. I now know what to pack and how to pack it. Marc has bought a tow bar for the BMW and we are looking for a trailer so that we can avoid the fitting everything (and a dog) in the car issues! The children were fabulous and they loved the freedom and independence camping gave them.

We were very lucky in that we had gorgeous sunny weather although the evenings were a bit chilly and the mornings were very damp with dew. I am sure this (along with the wet grey France trip) contributed to my chest infection. But we loved it. We can hardly wait for our next camping adventure!

PS You might have noticed that there are no photographs to go with this story. This is not because I didn't take any. This is because the computer that has all my photographs stored on it has died. Not to worry though. I have loaded all the pictures up on Flickr. So I am using my Mac exclusively. As soon as we get the other computer working I will put some pics with the story!

LATE EDIT: We now have some photos although the computer is stil a bit dodgy. Flickr has the whole album of photos!

Sicker than a Dog

Sorry readers......I am struggling to do anything! The cough that I have had for the last 6 weeks has morphed into a fairly serious chest infection. I've seen the doctors on 2 occasions and am on my second round of antibiotics. But I seem to be getting worse not better.

The air conditioning in the office induces uncontrolled coughing and I am currently suffering from persistent nausea. This may be as a result of the antibiotics but I can't really risk not taking it.

Today I felt feverish (which I haven't before) and am generally low on energy. I did go into the office but at the urging of my colleagues left after just an hour. Can't say I blame them. Who wants to work with someone who walks around hacking up a lung every couple minutes whilst infected every surface with their germs?

I'll be returning to the doctors in the morning and staying in bed.

Apologies for the less than inspiring posts. I promise to finish the camping saga as soon as I can muster the energy. In the meantime, enjoy the post of Abigail in her new school hat which I forgot to put on her for yesterday's photo session.

First Day of School

Abigail looked so grown up in her school uniform. The book bag was almost as big as she is! She stood perfectly still whilst I plaited her hair.

She was ever so excited to be going to school with Sebastian. Last night she did announce she wasn't going to school but I think we talked her round.

And in the car this morning, her eyes were the size of saucers and I could tell that her brain was working overtime trying to figure out what it meant exactly to be going to school. She fidgeted with her book bag and kept saying out loud "I'm going to Sebbie's school." Not sure if she was trying to convince us or herself.

When we go to the school, Sebastian gave me the usual wave and hung up his own blazer and hat on his peg inside the door which is new for him this year. Within moments he had found an old friend, Rory, and he was off. I didn't even see him off to his classroom.

Abigail thought this was expected of her as well and at the top of the steps to the Pre-Prep Hall she puckered up her lips and offered me a kiss. I gave her a kiss and a cuddle and told her I would walk her down to her classroom. She didn't seem bothered either way.

When we got into the room she took out the presents we had collected during our summer holidays to give to the teachers and handed them out. She took one look at all the things on offer in the classroom and decided she was doing to do a spot of painting right then right now. Miss Brown, the classroom assistant, got an art smock on her and away she went. I don't think she even said goodbye.

It is such a relief to know that she is having fun and learning in a safe environment where I know they will encourage her to be all that she can be. But I can't wait to pick her up and hear all about it!

Cornwall Camping - Episode 1

A quick turn around of laundry and a rethink of the packing strategy was required.

For France, I was expecting hot, steamy, August weather. I packed up all shorts and strappy tops/dresses/short sleeve shirts. I missed that entirely and we all froze our tooshies off.

For camping in Cornwall I wasn't going to make the same mistake. I packed only trousers (no shorts), long sleeves, jumpers. Warmth was my objective.

Plus I hadn't ever camped in the UK before. And I've never camped with children before. I camped quite a bit years ago when I was a child with my family and in my 20s when I lived in Colorado. But camping in the UK is substantially different from camping in Colorado.

We had none of the equipment we needed so had been acquiring it over the last couple months: a camp stove, camping dishes, sleeping bags, air mattresses, etc. I felt we had just about everything we needed.

We spent much of Sunday trying to fit that everything into our car. Given that we were taking our dog, Bailey, with us this wasn't as easy as we had originally thought it was going to be. But Marc managed it and by 10 am on Monday morning we were off. We made fairly good time down the motorway until the last couple hours when we were diverted off the motorway due to a road traffic fatality. The little narrow roads of Cornwall are not designed to handle all that motorway traffic especially in August. It was a nightmare.

All in all though we only arrived 1 hour later than planned at our campsite. It was blowing boots though and setting up the tent in the howling winds presented Marc with more than a few challenges!

But we managed it. And we got dinner cooked. And then we went down to the beach. We thought we could walk it but the road was VERY narrow and in August and at dusk this probably wasn't a very sensible thing to do. So we drove the 800 yards, parked at the parking lot right across the road.

We followed the little path over the sand dune and voila! We were treated to a most spectacular sunset over a gorgeous little beach. there were 3 or 4 other people on the beach but it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Bailey and the children lost no time and got busy running about across the sand.

Then it was back to the campsite and into the sleeping bags. What is it with children and sleeping bags? Seb & Abby could hardly wait to get into theirs! The night was a bit rough because the wind continued to blow a hooley. The flapping of the tent woke Abby up but she went right back to bed. Marc & I were slightly concerned with whether the tent could withstand the battering it was taking. And poor little ole Bailey didn't have anything other than a wind block which we had set up on 3 sides that he could lay down in.

We woke in the morning to calmer winds and beautiful sunshine. Bailey was shivering so we knew we had to fix his sleeping arrangements. but all in all our first night was a success. No one peed in their sleeping bags. No one woke up in tears. OK, so I had some pretty low expectations.

After a quick breakfast, we were off. To another beach. Again.

To be continued.........

Willing

This morning on my commute I watched 3 sets of parents load their children into the family cars. The children were kitted out in their brand new uniforms with brand new book bags and their parents were hovering whilst recording the entire event with the trusty video camera.

I know that in less than 12 hours I will be doing the same as I pack Abigail off to her first day of school.

She is freaking out ever so slightly as the reality of what is about to happen is settling into her clever little brain. I don't think she is sure what it means to go to school and today she was desperately trying to convince me and the doctor that she was NOT going to school tomorrow.

I am sure that when she gets there she will just run off and play when she realises how much fun she is going to have. I will sulk off into a quiet corner and lick my wounds of motherhood.

It really is amazing how quickly they grow. I remember looking at my precious fragile little girl in the incubator as she struggled to take a deep breath with her under developed lungs and willing her to be strong. Surely that was just yesterday.

And tomorrow I will let go of her hand as she walks into that classroom. Willing her to be strong. Willing me to be strong.

Oh for heaven's sake, the tear faucet has sprung a leak and I don't think I'll sleep a wink!

The Last Hurrah of Summer

Yesterday after work, I took the children to meet up with some playmates in the Home Park in Windsor. We included all the children that will be entering Year 2 with Sebastian as well as some of the children that will be joining Abigail in Nursery tomorrow.

After suitably wearing them out running around the climbing frames and swings we all sat down and enjoyed our last ice cream of the season.

I can't believe the summer is over. How many days until Christmas?

France - Episode 8

This morning was going to be our last chance to hit the beach as a group since the Millichamp family were leaving on Friday midday. We loaded all the beach gear up after enjoying yet another breakfast of fresh croissants and pan au chocolate and headed for what was touted as the best beach nearby at St Germain sur Ay. the weather was partly sunny/partly cloudy (depending on your mood) and windy. And the beach was infected with loads of seaweed and these baby hopping crustaceans. But it didn't matter, Darn it, we were at the beach!

As we were setting up the wind block and the beach blankets I looked up to the vision of Abigail stark naked streaking down the beach towards the waves. I had to chase her down and explain to her that's not how it's done. Man, was she disappointed.

We built some sand castles and flew some kites and read some magazines and just generally relaxed.

After a few hours of this we set off to get lunch in Periers, a small village not far from our gite. We found a real gem at the hotel de Normandie. A very local place with a very small menu served us the best lunch EVER. Simple and inexpensive and delicious. The children had homemade (from scratch) turkey cordon blue.

We returned to the direction of the beach and went for play at a playground that we found near the beach. The most amusing bit was watching the French children trying to speak to the English children and not being entirely sure why they couldn't understand each other.

That evening Sean treated us to dinner and made Coq au Vin (chicken baked in red wine with mushrooms, onions, and red peppers). We complimented his gourmet efforts with green beans, roasted potatoes and carrots. We stayed up playing Rummikub which at last Helen did NOT win. Sean did!

The next day saw the Millichamp family off back to England by midday as Sean & Helen were going to the V Music Festival on Saturday afternoon. The Clare-Panton family set off north this time towards Cherbourg.

Cherbourg is a very large and busy port. And it is dirty and rundown. We had the worst and most expensive meal ever. And it was a restaurant recommended the Normandy Lonely Planet Guide. Man, was I cross?

We continued our exploring by driving along the Rout de Saire (which is the coastal road of the Cherbourg peninsula). Once you got away from Cherbourg it was beautiful. We drove across the peninsula to Barfleur and enjoyed a cafe au lait and ice lollies at a lovely cafe. The children ordered for themselves all in French. I was so proud!

We then continued our drive round the peninsula and headed for Utah Beach. Omaha Beach has been cleared of all the artifacts of war, like the German Bunkers. Utah Beach has left these in place and you can go and walk through many of them. You can see the scars left by the Allied bombings has they fought to wrest control away from the Germans. Utah Beach is somehow not as beautiful as Omaha but no less poignant. The cliffs of Utah Beach are not as steep as the cliffs of Omaha but the fortifications left behind give the visitor a sense of what the troops faced once they came up over the cliffs.

All this war memorabilia made me want to go back and watch Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers all over again.

The family returned to Periers and the Hotel de Normandie (the same place we went to for lunch the day before) for dinner. We got there at 20 minutes to 7 and waited for them to open at 7. By the time we got in, the place was jammed full of French people. We only just got a table and enjoyed yet another delicious meal. The dessert of creme caramel is to die for and I wouldn't even share that with my children! I made them get their own!

I had some oysters (which I LOVED!!!!!). I offered some to Sebastian and Abigail who didn't seem to keen. After a few minutes Sebastian replied back to me, "When I am 11, I will be old enough to eat oysters, so we must came back then and I will have one of your oysters." Sounds like a plan!

We returned to our gite and began the packing for our long journey home the next day. It was a long never ending drive. We set off around 10 am and swung by Hambye to visit our friend, Peter, who has a beautiful old house that is set against the walls of the fortified city and castle that used to be there. It is amazing at the amount of history just hanging out in his garden.

There were queues at every toll booth (again) and at one point we were fearful we weren't going to make it to the ferry on time. As we pulled in we were one of the last cars to join the queue. There was an emergency situation on the ferry docked next to ours and an ambulance as well as numerous police cars did board that ferry. However they must have disembarked after we were loaded as that ferry left port just immediately before us. Not sure what happened there.

We enjoyed the relaxing ride back (despite a packed ferry) and marveled at the White Cliffs of Dover. Home was a quick journey round the M25. Murphy, our cat, greeted us at the bottom of the driveway. He had obviously missed us loads! We unloaded the suitcases, started some laundry and hit the comfort of our own beds.

Stay tuned for camping adventures!

PS One fatality of our France trip was our goldfish, Toby. It seems that our neighbour, Richard, fed the fish on Sunday (after we left) but forgot to tell Lucy, his wife, about feeding the fish. So whilst Richard was working up in Edinburgh all week Lucy happily fed Murphy but knew nothing about the existence or requirements of our beloved goldfish. Hence, Toby was belly up on Sunday night when we returned home.

We kept this all a secret from the children and whilst we were camping, Toby 2 miraculously arrived in the tank. He looks remarkably similar to the original Toby and the children haven't noticed a thing!