Christmas 2007

...was spent in Portugal. A quiet affair with Peter, Sunshine and Peter's Mum....almost a repeat of the last time we were out at Christmas as a family except with more activity from Sunshine...she seems to be solar powered and enjoyed endlessly running around the pool with either, a ball, brush, both or neither but a devilish glint in her eye!

On the whole it was a good holiday...away from the hectic-ness of Christmas shopping and crowds and the like...the weather started off a bit rotten -2 days and nights of torrential rain and thunderstorms- but this eventually gave way to glorious days of sunshine...

Sunshine was great on the plane there and back...and seemed to enjoy herself although trying to get her to nap in the afternoon seemed impossible...but then she slept soundly through the night (in a cot which we thought may have been a bit of a problem!!). Peter seemed to get the raw end of the deal with chaperoning Sunshine on the patio when she was most active...whilst I cowered from the heat of the sun trying valiantly to finish the book I was reading (I managed to get through 2 -shame on me!). We had a few trips to the local beaches where Sunshine enjoyed collecting shells and sea urchins which had been washed up...a few shells made it home, but the sea urchins just smelt so they got left behind on the sand!

Christmas Day itself was fairly quiet, the day infused with Sunshine opening her presents as the day wore on...more from Sunshine on that...

We didn't get a chance to have a meal on our own...but I guess that was wishful thinking...It was nice to get away but better to be home despite the cold weather, the lack of heating and hot water! C'est la vie...

West Country Holiday

We have just spent a week as a family in the West Country. Accompanied by my parents and of course by the clement 'Cornish sunshine' (=rain).
We stayed at the Crylla Valley Cottages which is a well laid out, I hesitate in the use of holiday park...it's a collection of cottages which overlook the valley of the River Lynher at Notter Bridge (just down the hill from Saltash). The accommodation couldn't be faulted and the location is ideal for the nearby beaches of Looe, Downderry and Whitsand Bay. If the weather had been nicer, then we would probably have spent more time on the beach...but it's difficult to tell as Sunshine has a fairly short attention span (being a toddler)! A definite bonus was the leisure membership at St Mellion Golf & Country Club as we could take Sunshine swimming which she really enjoyed especially when we bought her a float...I think if she had had a float suit or a ring she would have been off on her own! Her confidence in the water has dramatically improved and she is quite happy throwing herself into the pool at her parents!
A favourite was the Aquarium in Plymouth...each time we have been it has been slightly different...I am still mourning the absence of the Weedy Sea Dragons...and it was a shame there wasn't very much in the touch pools...I think they were gearing up for the school holidays!
As tradition dictates, I had to take a picture of the fish/crustacean/sea bird thingy which stands at Mayflower steps on the Barbican... Unusually, we only managed a cup of tea at Cap'n Jaspers.
I think we all enjoyed the Eden Project, although I think my visit may have been enhanced by not wrestling or watching Peter wrestle Sunshine all afternoon! I was amazed at the sheer size of the place and the organisation was brilliant. If I went again I think I would spend more time in the biomes before exploring the outside gardens...there was so much to see and read and by the time we got inside, Sunshine had lost interest...
All in all a pleasant week, even with the rain, but trust the sun to come out for our journey home!
There are some more photos here...

Back from our hols

I've been accused of not updating my blog very frequently...well I have an excuse this time! We just arrived back from Portugal in the early hours of the morning after a squished up flight. All I did was relax (Peter did manage to paint the kitchen which was the only roo which wasn't painted last time we were out) and I managed to read 4 whole books which I think is a record for me!!

The weather was lovely...only one overcast day with a bit of gustly wind and it gradually got hotter towards Friday which became a bit unbearable - even for Peter! I don't know what the temp was outside but we clocked 30 degrees in the relative cool of the villa!! Peter could only manage 10 mins outside at a time...I don't think Junior liked that heat as s/he became very quiet compared with the rest of the week.

Last day

A slightly better piccie of the brave tabby kitten...

The Kitten's first visit...

We had been feeding a rather skinny mummy cat whilst we were there and on the last night she brought her kittens to see us...What a treat!

Cooling off

I couldn't bring myself to immerse my whole body in the pool -I think it might have upset Junior (that's my story and I'm going to stick to it!!)

Fab Sunset

I don't think you get many of these sunsets to the pound...(This was taken at our villa in Portugal}