The Wilson Family

Hair cuts and sledging

2012-02-07T00:19:00.000-08:00

We all went for haircuts 2 weeks ago. I hadn't had mine done since my birthday in August up in Scotland so I asked for a major cut and got one! It is very nice and really easy to do, ie I don't have to do anything. Abi had a trim, Allen was in charge of Jacob's hair cut - see the photo for the result! I was a little worried that school wouldn't be impressed as I know, in the UK, patterns in boy's hair is not allowed. School were fine, Jacob loves it as do all of his friends. He now thinks he'll be getting his hair done regularly there!

We've had our first snow this year so off we went sledging with the neighbours. It was great fun. I've included photos from the morning. I did have a turn but didn't get any shots of me.

Cheerleading continues to rule our lives, Abi got to cheer with the big girls at the weekend. I have to say Abi's group were much more enthusiastic than the older ones who all seemed a little embarrassed. Talent show dress rehearsal after school today. Abi is cheering plus being a magician's assistant. She really just takes over and does the magic too, poor Jamie. I will post a picture from the actual show next week. Jacob is happy to watch and not take part.

It's Thinking Day on Saturday for the girl Scouts. The Daisy troop are doing Scotland so I've taught 19 6 and 7 year olds a dance that they will perform. I've now got to make stovies for about 100 people plus having Allen work people around for a party on Friday - going to be a little busy.

Rachael.

IY5 Science Museum Trip

2012-01-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

I went, with Jacob's class , to a local Science Museum. We had been there before, as a family, and it's a great hands on place. When we went Abi burnt her hand on a coffee bean roasting activity. This time I steered the group I had away from that one! Well actually I had 3 boys so they were interested in the building activities. Their favourite was making a boat and building a dam, so these are the ones I have included in the photos. My favourite was the making crisps one. The afternoon flew past. Jacob had been off school sick the day before, he had a chest infection. He's been on antibiotics and is a lot better, still coughing a little. The doctor wants to see him again on Monday if he's still chesty.

Abi bits and pieces

2012-01-21T09:19:00.001-08:00

Abi's been busy over the past couple of weeks. She had a project at school to build a simple machine that had to have at least 2 working machines in the design. She decided to do a rescue truck. After quite a few arguements it did get built. Abi always thinks she is correct - I'm not sure who she gets this from in the family?! Anyway it was a good truck and hopefully she'll get a good score for this project. So there's a photo from school of her in her pod showing her machine.

Abi has also joined the cheer team. She had her first game to cheer at on Wednesday. The whole team were great. They were so enthusiastic although I don't think they watched the basketball team what so ever - neither did I! She is entering a talent show at school as part of the team too, she's also being a magician's assistant - I'll let you know how she does.

Abi has also been busy with Girl Scout cookie sales, we really need to get rid of all of the cookies from our house as they are not helping my healthy eating campaign at all!

Allen's Birthday

2012-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Allen's birthday a day early so he could enjoy a whole day skiing with the family as, on his actual birthday, we were in the car for 12 hours driving back from skiing in France!

We had a lovely meal out in the evening, I shared fondue with Louise, Allen and Stuart had a set meal and Grandma and Cameron had raclette - the meal on a hot stone thing. I have included a variety of photos from the night.

During the day we enjoyed the skiing, meeting at the top of one mountain for lunch so as to include Marion - lovely food again. From all this food talk you can probably guess we are now on a healthy eating stint. I've been to aqua fit and pilates this past week - not bad after a 3 year break!

Rachael.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-21T00:48:00.000-08:00

A little late, I know! We were lucky enough to have 2 Christmases. The first one was the weekend before Christmas. We went back to the UK on a flying visit to my parents. It was our first opportunity to see the new house they have had built. They knocked down the bungalow I grew up in way back in April 2011 and started work on a new 5 bed house. They have sent us regular photos but we did not go and visit during the build as Mum and Dad lived on site in a caravan. So driving up and seeing this huge house was a bit of a shock!

The house is beautiful. Katharine and co moved in early December and it is nearly all complete. The next time we go back I'm sure it will look different again. I've included a photo of us on arrival night by the Christmas tree. We spent the weekend with the family, having Christmas dinner and a brunch the next day. We got to meet Tiami, a new cousin and to also catch up with our other cousins too, plus Annette and Joe. It was great to see everyone and, of course see the house. Also did a little shopping!

We got back here on the Sunday, so it was a quick trip back. We then had to get ready for Christmas for real down in France with Grandma Melrose and the Turners. We drove down on the Thursday, stopping on the German Swiss border. We stayed in a lovely hotel with an excellent restaurant. We arrived at our appartment, just outside La Plagne 1800, Friday afternoon. It was a 3 story wooden house, very modern with a great view. Our Scotish family were out so it gave us time to get unpacked and go and rent skis for the kids. We had a wonderful week, Jacob and Abi loved having Finn and Cameron around 24 7. We enjoyed good food, skiing and great company. Abi really got into rummy, the card game, and has continued playing it back here! We generally had blue skies and excellent snow. I still prefer skiing in America but it was excellent being with the family, just need to all go to America next time! The food was very good, I'll do another post of Allen's birthday - we went out for a meal.

So both Christmases were good fun.

Rachael.

Odd photos from Oct and Sept 2011

2011-12-20T23:46:00.000-08:00

A few random pictures. In October we had a book parade at school. They do it as a way around Halloween so the children can get dressed up but it is meant to be related to a book. This year Abi chose Ella the Rose Fairy - she's into the Rainbow Fairy Books, well now she's into any girlie chapter book. Jacob went, once again, as Harry Potter. He's still trying to persuade us to let him read the whole series. He's in the middle of the 5th (I think they get a little too grown up for a 9 year old). I was Max from Where the Wild things are. My class had a wonderful time and they all took part too, not back for 10 year olds! So there's a photo of each of us. I have also included one from a pig roast we went to to celebrate our friend's, Nadine, 30th birthday.

Rachael.

Luxembourg

2011-12-20T23:35:00.000-08:00

Back in October we took Marion to visit Luxembourg. None of us had been before. It's about a 3 hour drive from our house and is a beautiful place. Luxembourg city is a mix of modern and old. We stayed in the modern part but it's only about a mile to the old city. We did a bus tour - much to Allen's annoyance, however I thought it was worth it! The streets are pretty small and the bus driver did hit a post. The first thing we visited was an amazing play park. It had a pirate ship in the middle and a water feature where the children could damp parts and then release the water. Jacob and Abi had a fabulous time, we ended up going back to the park the next day. There was also a lovely chocolate shop that sold delicious hot chocolates, the ones where you stir the chocolate on a stick into the hot milk. The cakes weren't bad either! We also toured the old underground castle, a maze of tunnels where people actually lived and defended the city. Marion wasn't keen on looking over the egde as it was quite high up! There were beautiful views and great gardens too. There are a variety of walks you can do and I want to return, either with Ruth (she's visiting in Feb) or with the family again. I would have loved to have explored the shops but the only one we went in was a toy shop - surprise, surprise!

Rachael.

Kinderdyke 2011

2011-12-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

Grandma Melrose came and visited back in October. We did a few trips out and about. These photos are from when we visited Kinderdyke. It's an area in The Netherlands near to Amsterdam, so a two hour drive from us. To make the trip a bit easier we stopped at an excellent pancake house that was 30 mins into the trip! A great place and we will definitely go back.

Kinderdyke is an area that contains 18 working windmills all on one flood plain. They have one windmill turning, you can go in and have a look, then another that turns and the other 16 are stationary. They would all work. They were built to drain the area and to keep it free from water. It is an amzing site and kind of gives you the feeling of what it would have been like to live back then. Marion took Jacob and Abi in the one that was working, Allen refused to go in as you had to pay! I kept him company, it didn't take them long to look around. We had all seen inside a windmill that wasn't turning before and Marion said it was pretty similar so I think Allen made the right choice! They then got to watch a film about it all which Marion said was very good. A good day out.

Rachael.

Halloween 2011

2011-12-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

I know the next few posts are completely out of order, as in date not weird! Due to full time teaching I have found it very difficult to keep up with things like housework and my blog. This is all soon to change as I finish full time on Friday and go back to good old supply. I have really enjoyed being back in my own classroom but I am ready for a break! I don't know how people work full time with children and a husband. I don't know who has found it the hardest with me working out of them all!

Anyway here's a photo from Halloween. We had a fun time. On the Friday before we went to Trunk and Treat on the American base. We did this last year too and it works very well. People have candy in their car boots on an easy walking route around the base. They all decorate their cars and there are extra decorations on the route too. They also do a haunted house and an area at the end with Halloween activities for the children.

The photo is before we started, outside our house. Abi went along with Haley(in the photo) and Jacob met up with his friends once we got there. I like it as much as the children! Allen couldn't join us this year as he was returning his mum to the airport - see next post! We also did trick and treating on our British street on actual Halloween - Allen did that one!

Rachael.

Jacob's 9th Birthday

2011-11-13T05:33:00.000-08:00

Jacob turned 9 on Thursday. He was up nice and early - 5.30! He stayed in bed though and we went down stairs together at 6am. He wanted to open his presents in bed, so at 6.15 he started! He had great fun and immediately wanted to play the Wii to try out his new Pirates of the Caribbean lego game from Grandma and Grandad. We'd got him a few little bits with his main thing being a bike. It's a bit big for him but he liked it all the same. I'd baked cookies for his class and we decorated them with frosting and smarties (chocolate ones not American Smarties). He wore his new Melrose Rugby Club Hoodie to school and has not taken it off since! Everyone made a fuss of him at school and afterwards we picked up Allen and went to the all you can eat Chinese - Jacob's favourite. I've included a photo of him opening presents and on his bike in the lounge!

Saturday was Jacob's party. We had a friend around for the day and 3 more arrived at 1pm as Jacob had a joint party with his classmate Marcus. Marcus is Norwegian and was in Jacob's class last year and is with him again this year. Between them they had invited about 20 guests for a party at a local indoor play place and amazingly everyone came! It was a hectic 3 hours, especially as I missed the first hour as Abi was at a cheerleading day and I went to see her perform and then bring her to the party. We finished at 5.30 and took 3 extras back with us for a sleepover. The boys were great. They went to sleep at 10pm and 2 got up a 7am and then the other 2 at 8am. After a pancake breakfast we played with the Nerf guns outside until they were picked up. A very successful sleepover and a great end to Jacob's birthday weekend.

The Amsterdam Marathon

2011-10-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a late post about the Amsterdam marathon. Allen has decided to do a marathon each decade. So, for his 30th he did the London and his 40th was the Amsterdam. My mum came across for the weekend so I could join him there. I drove up on the Friday night and found our small but brilliantly located B&B. Allen flew in from Greece, landing in Amsterdam around 11pm. By this time I'd eaten out at a local bar, enjoying a curry and a pint, so when he arrived I was fast asleep!

Saturday we went to register and pick up his number, all quite exciting. I've included a photo of him outside the Olympic Stadium - where the marathon started and finished. After that bit was out of the way we then went to the diamond museum. I was very impressed with this although I couldn't persuade Allen to visit any of the recommended shops! We did lots of walking around and then ate back at the bar I'd been to the night before. Allen ate loads of pasta.

Sunday morning arrived and we walked to the tram stop that we'd been told would take us to the stadium - no trams. We ended up walking to the start, not the best thing for Allen although we did meet another Scot and Allen ended up running over half of the marathon with him so that was a bonus. The next photo is of Allen before the race started at the Olympic Stadium. I left Allen to get sorted and went to find my bike. I'd left it at the underground car park, lots of walking later I finally found it and cycled to the 15km point. Got a good spot and saw Allen smiling and waving, did get a photo but it was blurred. Cycled to the 25km point, got another waving photo this time not so blurred! Then off to the 35km point and yet again a smiling and waving Allen. I then met him at the finish, he was very normal and I was very pleased and proud to see him. I think he was a bit surprised at my excitement! So all of the training was definitely worth it as a time of 3 hours 44mins was better than 3 hours 56mins in London ten years ago.

We made our way back to the car, stopping for a well deserved Burger King on the way - see photo!

Dropped Mum back at Genk on the Monday, thank you Mum.

Rachael.

Triathlon

2011-09-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

Allen, Jacob and Abi did a try a triathlon last weekend. Everyone had loads of fun. Allen's was a bit more serious. He swam 12 lengths, cycled 10 miles and then ran 2. We watched from the cycling stage. As he is training for the Amsterdam marathon he is in very good condition. He did extremely well and came 4th out of 70. He reckons they made him swim 2 extra lengths so he would have actually been 3rd.

Jacob and Abi had to do 2 lengths, cycle a mile and run 800m. It was just right for them and they loved it. At the end they got a great goodie bag too. After it was all done there was a BBQ and bouncy things for the children to go on. I ended up cooking the BBQ, not sure how that happened!

So now Jacob needs a new bike as Abi is the right size for his one. Luckily Jacob's birthday is coming up, so at least we have an easy present this year!

Rachael.

Back to NL with Grandma.

2011-09-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

After my girls weekend in Portsmouth I travelled straight back to The Netherlands as I had to go into school to set up my classroom, so Allen stayed in Scotland and then Marion came back with him on the ferry. Marion then kindly stayed and looked after Jacob and Abi while I was busy with my first week of school. It was great as I didn't have to think about cooking, cleaning or ironing for that first week. While Marion was here we still managed to fit in a few trips out. We visited Monde Verde, there's a photo of them on the water pulley ride, the windmill with a cafe at the bottom - photo of them up the windmill and Gangelt wildlife park. I put in a happy photo of Jacob feeding the deer. After that photo was taken Jacob then went on to try to feed the wild boar. I told him to throw the food through the fence, due to the fact that they bite. Jacob stood a bit too close and the big daddy wild boar bit him on the finger. He was very lucky it didn't take his finger off, as it was, it was a nasty nip with lots of blood. We were there with friends from the Falklands, Sarah, a nurse who was very handy to have. She cleaned it up. I took him to the hospital to check on jabs and to get it bandaged. Sarah had said that it was fine and she was right as they didn't do any more at the hospital. It did bleed alot, I think that's what freaked Jacob out the most. Two weeks on and it's just a scab. If you look in the windmill photo you'll see his bandaged finger. He was funny, as soon as it had happened, he counted to see if he still had all of his fingers! Quite a feat as I was holding his hand above his head to stop it bleeding will dragging him to the bathroom to clean it all up. I bought a season pass on the way in - wonder if I'll ever get him back there??!!

Rachael.

Scotland Summer 2011

2011-09-11T01:12:00.000-07:00

After my 40th birthday we had a few days enjoying being out and about around Melrose. We then took a trip to Killin to meet up with the Knight family - friends we made in the Falklands. It was a beautiful drive past quite a few lochs. We stopped at one to have our lunch. Once we got to Killin we easily found our B&B and then went to explore the Falls. The first photo is of Allen, Jacob and Abi standing with the falls in the background. As we were playing we saw the Knights cycling past so they stopped to say hello. They were caravaning in a park in Killin. We then walked to their camp site and spent the afternoon catching up and drinking bubbly. We walked back into Killin to have dinner at our B&B and then went back out to play on the falls once again. I've included a photo of them running around. It was great to catch up and am looking forward seeing them again in England next summer.

Rachael.

My 40th Birthday

2011-09-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

You may have guessed that I've started full time work due to the fact that I haven't posted anything for a while! Going back to work has been great, except for the fact that I now have no time to do anything else. So I am finally adding a couple of posts from over the summer holidays. We got the over night ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle early August. It worked very well with all of us managing to sleep in the bunk beds onboard. We arrived in Melrose on the 4th August in time for my fortieth on the Saturday. My mum came up on the train to celebrate with us. I've included a photo from the morning when Marion made a delicious brunch for all of the family. I share my birthday with Stuart, my brother-in-law, so it made the day even more special. After our brunch Allen and I went off to Stobo Castle near Pebbles for a relaxing night away. I've included a photo from our room. It was extremely luxurious and we had a fab time.

I continued my celebrations with a girlie weekend in Portsmouth with 2 good friends from Uni days - Ruth and Ali. A few more people joined us for the weekend and it was all great fun. I've included a photo from mini golf (which I won), and 2 from our night out. We went to a night club where I felt extremely old. Dresses showing your knickers were the order of the day so my linen trousers definitely did not fit in! I was impressed I stayed until just about 2am. I did enjoy it but will not be rushing back!

Next post is other things we did over the summer.

Rachael.

Summer Fun 2011

2011-08-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

Have have had about 3 weeks at home so here's what we have been up to:

The weather has been un-usually cold and wet in The Netherlands for summertime, so my plans of lounging at the outdoor pool and getting a decent tan have gone, as has my tan! So, instead we have visited some inside stuff. The first photo is from a place place and is of Jacob and a new friend Jamie. They are both very sweaty and are building houses with oversized lego bricks. It kept them entertained for hours. Glad he's not grown out of these places yet. The next photo is from Mondo Verde. A place we go to regularly as we are season ticket holders. We did get wet, as it rained, but no one cared. Next up is blueberry picking, again got a bit wet but loads were picked and eaten. The next day we went to our friends house for American waffles with blueberries. Abi and Haley (who you can see peeking through the bushes) made blueberry pie - yummy. Next one is from a science place in Sittard. It's a hands on, no health and safety place! Blow torches and deep fat fryers were on hand with no adult supervision - they had a blast, literally. I took an extra child so spent more time worrying about her than Jacob and Abi burning themselves. Funnily enough both my two burnt themselves when I was incharge at the roasting coffee activity. Abi dropped her beans on the floor and made an almighty fuss, she was fine, not even a mark. The photo is of them building walls. Their favourite activity was making crisps and the Queen's dinner - a magnetic activity involving water and getting soaked. We were there all day and didn't managed all of the activities so will go again. I'm hoping to take a school trip there too. Next photo is from Schinveld park, a play park with a water feature which was freezing. Didn't stop my 2 from going in. Last photo is from a Barefoot walk. You walk, barefoot, on a variety of surfaces including muddy water parts, the childrens' fav. I took two extras and, of course, George fell in the biggest muddly puddle there was, he smelt a bit but was fine!

Off to the UK today, will update when we return.

Rachael.

Uncle Joe's and Auntie Eve's

2011-07-22T06:50:00.001-07:00

After 3 nights at Deborah's we drove up to Uncle Joe's. He lives in Brerec, about 65 miles from Deborah's. It's inland and very different to Penestin. They rent a property there. It's a 4 bed place so this time we all had a bedroom of our own although Jacob was up in the night and Coco the dog came and said hello to me at 6.30am! Jacob and Abi loved the garden and the dog and would have happily stayed the week. We only stayed a night as I wanted to get back. While at Uncle Joe's he took us on a tour of the local area. We stopped at the canal and had a walk along the banks. We were lucky to see a boat coming through. I've put in a photo of us by the lock. It was a series of 11 locks so we watched the boat go through a few. Jacob and Abi hadn't seen them before so they found it all very interesting. I've also incuded a photo of Jacob in the garden and Abi digging potatoes with Uncle Joe. The garden is beautiful. Auntie Eve has done a brilliant job. They are very happy in France, it is very rural but does suit them. We had a great meal there and then drove back here in one go - a 10 hour trip. Jacob and Abi were very good. I'd had enough especially after Allen said could I pick something up for tea on the way home! He went out and got Chinese when we got back. So our extended holiday was a success and I'd like to visit all of the places again.

We also have a new second car. Allen chose a VW Scirocco. It is growing on me, especially when I was driving yesterday and had to come off very quickly from the motorway. If I'd been in the Superb I would have rolled the car but this small nippy thing managed without the children even noticing. My friend was following me and I apparently made her children scream by watching us though! Allen will be driving it more as it's small in the back. I took it shopping and the weekly shop does fit in so it's OK.

Babysitter booked tonight so off into Sittard and we've also got a family's lunch tomorrow. Then it's Take That on Monday in Dusseldorf. We're using Take That as our 14th Wedding Anniversary celebration so hoping it's a good night.

Rachael.

Penestin

2011-07-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

After a week in Turenne I dropped Allen at Limoges train station and he made his way back to Sittard. I'd had to go to the train station locally and buy him a ticket, I managed all in French and he eventually got home so it worked! We did speak quite a bit of French over the week, a lot easier than Dutch I have to say. So, after saying good bye to Allen we drove up to Penestin in Brittany. We stayed at Deborah's house. She's a fellow wife and teacher who's in Brunssum at present. I first met her when we were posted to DC. They bought a 4 bed cottage in a seaside location ten yuears ago and are gradually doing it up. She has 2 daughts but only one was there who's 12. She had her cousin out too and Abi was very happy to be hanging out with a 12 and 13 year old. It was great as you could walk into the town but also get to the sea very easily. Jacob and Abi loved the beach and water. They went in both days we were on the beach and had great fun. They collected fish, starfish and rocks in the rock pools using their nets and a bucket. We did a few walks too so there's a photo of us on the cliff top and one from the beach collecting. We had a lovely meal out in the town and Deborah cooked for us twice too. It was very relaxing even though I had to share with Abi! I hope we can visit again and take Allen with us next time.

Rachael.

More Turenne

2011-07-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

Around Turenne were many beautiful villages and towns. We went to one called Collonges-la-Rouge = a red town. This was very touristy but very different to the other places we visited. Anne bought a beautiful painting, I wanted one too but Allen was Mr Moaner so we didn't get one. There were loads of jewellery shops and I was tempted by some nice pieces. I've put in a photo of the girls by one of the red brick buildings. It was on a hill so lots of leg strengthening walking was done!

Another town we went to was Uzerche, a Medieval town on a river. We had a great lunch in a local restaurant. It was packed, no English spoken but the food was excellent. They did the set lunch menu to include wine. I ended up drinking quite a bit of red wine, something I don't normally do but it was very light and very right with lunch!

The last photo is of my 2 in the pool. They probably spent most afternoons in there as it was warmer in the afternoons. We loved the area and will look to go again but to a different town. We were lucky that there were places to eat in Turenne so we could just walk down the very steep hill. My thighs and bum should have had a good workout but this was probably counteracted by the amount of duck and wine I had while in France!

Rachael.

Turenne

2011-07-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

I am doing 4 posts about our recent holiday to France as we stayed at 3 different locations so loads of info and photos. I had booked a week at a house in the pretty Medieval village of Turenne. It's an hour and 20 mins to the East of Bordeaux, about a 10 hour drive from here. We stopped this side of Paris for the night to break the journey and had an easy run down. I took a photo as we came into the village of Turenne, it's amazing. The place we were staying at was right next to the tower of the castle at the top of the village. There is also a photo of the house taken from the castle showing the pool and the beautiful view we had from the property. It was an old farm house that has been restored by the owners, it's been in the family since the 1800's. Our friends, Anne and Pete, plus their 2 girls arrived later that evening. I'd done a BBQ, the weather was perfect and the wine chilled. We explored the area but also relaxed at the house as there was our own pool which Jacob and Abi had great fun in. We also went to caves near by that you took a train down to get into. It was then an hour and a half of a guided tour that was well worth it - see photo. Another favourite day was at the local lake, I've included a variety of photos from there. I will do another post as there are too many photos to include in this one

Rachael.

Brownies and Ju-JitSu

2011-07-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

A late post! Abi bridged to Brownies at the end of the school term. She's done a year in Daisy's - Rainbow equivalent UK wise and now graduates to Brownies. I am going to keep running Daisy's as I have another Mum willing to run Brownies so it works well. I've included a photo of Abi getting her new uniform with her new leader - Linda. The other is of her enjoying the end of term Daisy party.

Jacob got his next set of tabs for Ju-JitSu, he is now an orange tab holder. He did really well as he was not feeling great, he'd had the previous day off but was determined to get the next level. He's well suited to Ju-JitSu with his sturdy build, have to say he's won most of his fights.

Rachael.

Fathers' Day

2011-06-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Fathers' Day started with breakfast in bed and presents for Allen. I've added a photo of him and the children and their favourite present - a chocolate super dad shirt! They are enjoying sharing it with Allen as I type this. We then went off to meet friends for a brunch. Unfortunately I drove to the wrong restaurant, after a few phone calls we worked out where we were meant to be and got to Gangelt, in Germany, an hour late! We were all in good spirits though and the brunch was great. A bargain too. It included bucks fizz so I was happy. All very continental but fun. The rest of the day was taken up with playing the Wii, a new dance work out game - funny to watch, going on the trampoline - between the rain, Allen going out for a run and me cooking a roast tea. So all in all a very relaxing Fathers' Day. Movie time now. School finishes at the end of the week for the summer. We're all looking forward to the break. I've been teaching year 6 for a week so that has been quite easy.

Rachael.

Hoensbroek Castle

2011-06-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

The day after Amsterdam was Pentecost so NATO and school were off. A local castle was holding a Medieval weekend so we went there about 1pm. It was a good time to go as people were starting to leave, meaning the children could have a go on lots of the activities without queuing. Jacob's favourite thing was the sword fighting. They put on lots of displays so he was very happy watching those. Abi went on a pony ride dressed as a princess. They both did some medieval painting, with good results. I have included a variety of photos from the afternoon. Next year we'll make sure we go for the whole day and take a picnic, we can cycle to it so it'll make a great day out. It's also included in our musuem card so we'll be visiting it again!

Rachael.

Amsterdam

2011-06-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went on the train to Amsterdam. They do cheap rail tickets here a couple of times a year so Allen and I paid 15 Euros a ticket for a return trip. Children are 2.50 return anywhere in The Netherlands. The train system here is very efficient, it took just over 2 hours and both trains we got were on time and double decker ones. I wanted to put a photo on from the train but Allen said his nose looked too big in it!

We went straight to the Science Museum called Nemo. It's shaped as a large ship. We ended up buying a museum card that gets us into about 50 museums around The Netherlands for free. It's for a year and I'm hoping it will encourage us to go to a few more! Nemo is about a 10 min walk from the main train station. I've included a photo of the bubble area, one of their favourite parts, although they enjoyed all of it. We only managed to do 2 out of the 4 floors so will go back again. We then went in search for a boat ride. We kept missing the boats and walked miles! I've put in a photo of them on one of the bridges during our walk around. We had also wanted to explore one of the main parks but ran out of time.

Next time we go we are going to stay the night as the boat tour would take most of the day let alone the other musuems and parks we could visit. Once school starts again after the summer we will look for a day off during term to go again. We all enjoyed the day out and were all shattered on the ride home!

Rachael.

A family visit.

2011-06-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Just had Grandma Holwell, Auntie Katharine, Matthew and Amy over visiting for 3 nights 2 days. It worked out well as it was their half term and then Jacob and Abi just had Thursday and Friday off school.

They arrived Wednesday evening so we waited and ate with them. Amy slept in with Abi and Matthew was in with Jacob. Mum was on the sofa bed down stairs, she's been in the caravan now for 2 months so it was a treat sleeping indoors and on a sofa bed! She did say it was very quiet without the birds and Dad's snoring!

Thursday we went to Bokrijk park, in Belguim. I've included a photo of them on the cars, there's also horses to ride, which the girls did and lots of climbing and play equipment too. We took a picnic and spent the day there. When we got back we walked up to the ice cream shop, there's a photo of us there.

Friday morning we walked into the village as they all wanted chocolates from our excellent chocolate shop and, after lunch, we went to Gangelt Wildlife park in Germany. Everyone enjoyed it. I've added a photo of them feeding the deer and one of them at the play area. On the way home we had another stop at the ice cream shop and then it was home for a BBQ. We had excellent weather while they were here and everyone had fun. Shame they had to go early on Saturday!

Rachael.

Sports Afternoon

2011-06-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Abi took part in their first sports afternoon at Afnorth. I was lucky as they were both at the same time. They were put in teams next to each other and close to where I was sitting so I could cheer them on and they could hear and see me easily. It had to be held in doors as it was raining - the first rain we've had in ages. It didn't matter as they had a great time. Their favourite race was bouncing a ball along like basketball. I've included a variety of photos from the afternoon. My favourite part was the tug of war at the end. Abi was on the winning side due to the fact that her class are quite heavy where as Jacob's team didn't win any pulls due to the fact that his class is full of small people!

Rachael.

Abi's Play - Hansel and Gretel Eat Right.

2011-06-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week at school. Abi did a musical version of Hansel and Gretel. They have been doing healthy eating this term so it had a twist about eating right. The three classes took a chunk each. Abi's class did the middle section. She was the narrator and a very good one at that. They had microphones so every word was heard although Abi didn't need it with her big voice! Allen and I got the giggles at one point as one of the girls was right in front of the microphone having a lovely sing completely out of tune. It was the first thing I've been to since they started school that I heard every word. I've included a photo of Abi before it started and then one of the whole group. So this happened in the morning and int he afternoon it was Sports Day - next post.

Rachael.

Margraten 2011

2011-05-30T01:19:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Abi took part in a remembrance tradition. As part of the scouting organisation we were invited to lay flags at the American Cemetery just outside the town of Margraten in the Netherlands. It is a large memorial to American soldiers who lost their lives in the area during World War 2. There are just over 8000 graves there. At each cross an American flag is placed as well as a Dutch one, so over 16,000 flags need to be planted. As well as the white stone cross graves there is also a remembrance pool, column and wall of names. It was a great thing to do and really made us all think about the past and what's going on today in the world. My 2 were brilliant and I am pleased we all took part.

Rachael.

A Party and a Play!

2011-05-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

Am doing a couple of posts, it's cleaning day so any excuse not to get on! Over the last couple of weeks we've been busy with normal things so I've chosen a couple of highlights:

Abi went to a party at Monde Verde. I have already posted about this place as we have season passes so go quite regularly. This was our first brithday party there though and it was great fun with lots of children. I've put a photo on of Abi, and some of her friends, on the roller coaster.

Jacob took part in a play at school. He was a Greek soldier and was rather good. He loved the fighting parts. The whole thing was very well done and you could clearly hear all of the speakers which is a pleasant change. I've put in a photo of him with 2 of his closer friends and also one of the group of soldiers.

Abi's in a play tomorrow so more photos will follow!

Rachael.

First windmill visit

2011-05-08T00:04:00.001-07:00

We managed to get to a windmill. It is not a working one but you can still go up inside it. I was a total whimp and worried the whole time about the height, the wooden floorboards and the wind! Good view, steep steps and happy children. Have included a few photos. Of course there was a cafe involved and very good it was too. We will find a working windmill at some point but this was a great start! I have also included 2 photos from school of Jacob and Abi in their Easter Hats. They had to decorate them and then parade around school. I was surprised at how into it Jacob was. They both looked the part.

Rachael.

Grandma's visit over Easter

2011-05-07T23:28:00.000-07:00

Grandma Melrose (Allen's Mum) arrived the evening we got back from Portugal. Jacob and Abi were very excited to see her and we did another birthday cake for Abi. Allen had to work for the first 2 days of Marion's visit so me and the children entertained her. On our first day we borrowed one of the neighbours bikes and cycled into our nearest town, Sittard. Abi wanted to spend some of her birthday money on clothes. She came back with 3 outfits, Jacob also got some long shorts which he loves. We had lunch in Sittard and cycled back. We met Allen at the ice cream parlour up the road and enjoyed a glass of wine and truffle ice cream.

The next day we went to Monde Verde. We'd taken Marion there when she visited in November. It was a lovely sunny day and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. I've included photos from the day out. Allen then had a long weekend off from work so we went to the point where the 3 countries meet - see photo with flags, another nice meal out. It was a bit drizzly so we didn't go up the tower to take in the view of the 3 countries, there was also a nuclear demonstration going on on the tower!

Saturday we'd booked a nice lunch out at our favourite place - the Mill. It's an easy walk from our house although we cycled as we were late! In the morning we went to the garden centre for Marion to pick some plants for our garden. She then planted it all up and did some cutting back. It is looking so much better, just hope we don't ruin what she has done. I've included a photo of Allen and Marion at lunch.

Sunday it was Easter so we did an egg hunt in the garden, see photos. Everyone had fun hiding the eggs. We then cycled up to another favourite cafe outside of Puth. I think Marion was pleased when we returned the bike to our neighbour!

We had a great week with Grandma and look forward to her next visit.

Rachael.

Abi's 7th Birthday

2011-04-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Abi's 7th Birthday in Vilamoura, Portugal. I worked out that she's only celebrated one birthday, her first, in Scotland - none in England! The rest have been overseas. She woke up at 4.45am but luckily went back to sleep. She woke up again at 7.40 and was pleased with the decorations we'd put up - see photo. We then went for a buffet breakfast, our one and only at the hotel - probably a good thing as I would have put on a stone other wise. They even had champagne included so I had a few tropical juice and sparklings! We'd taken a few presents with us but, as Abi had mainly asked for money, not many presents were needed. She ended up getting over 100 Euros so was very happy with that. She has since bought a clip on Ipod, pink and 2 dresses. She still has money to spend but is saving it at the moment.

I'd organised a cake which we did at kids club, the message was in Portuguese. As a treat we all went for treatments at the local spa - not the Hilton one which was good but pricey. So Jacob and Allen had massages, I had a facial and Abi had a manicure. The couple that run it were excellent with the children and we all really enjoyed our treats.

We flew back the next day and Abi got to celebrate again with Grandma Melrose but I will put photos of that when I cover Grandma's visit! So as usual Abi had an extended birthday and she loved it all.

Rachael.

Portugal 2011

2011-04-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

Back from our most ever relaxing holiday. This year we swopped our place in Colorado for a Hitlon resort just outside Faro, Portugal. We flew from Maastricht, only 15 mins from our house and into Faro. A longer flight than I thought for but still nothing on flying to Denver or the Falklands! It was with Ryan Air though so no in flight entertainment. I read Abi a few books, she's now into the Rainbow Fairy books so the people in front of us must have been a bit fed up with hearing about fairies by the end of the 3 hour flight!

We landed to brilliant sunshine which lasted a week of our stay, we were there for 9 nights, only raining on our final day. We had a relaxed week as the children could go to the kids club as much as they wanted. They did activities and played each morning. We then did swimming all afternoon and then out to dinner. The kids club had a zip wire, which was very popular with both of our two. I've included a photo of Jacob on the zip, Abi by the pool, me and Jacob on our balcony, Abi trying olives - which she liked, and one of us all out at dinner. We were surprised by the value of food and drinks - much cheaper than in Holland. The Hilton prices were the same as our local places back in the Netherlands. So in the mornings Allen and I alternated between the pool and spa, reading at both, then having an early lunch ready to pick up the children for the afternoon! I read 4 books in the week. We also managed to meet up with friends from the Falklands who were holidaying nearby, I've included a photo of Jacob, Abi and Rebecca running down the dunes on the beach - the last time they did that was on Surf Bay in the Falklands! It was great to catch up with the Lunn's and we had a fab BBQ too.

Allen and I definitely want to go back, he played golf once and I think he'd have liked to go more. However we asked Jacob where he wanted to go next year and he said skiing in Denver so we'll have to talk about it again!

We celebrated Abi's 7th birthday on our last day of the holidays but I'll do another post with photos of that.

Rachael.

Blue and Gold Dinner

2011-04-07T01:11:00.000-07:00

Had Jacob's blue and gold cub scout dinner last night. It's an annual celebration, meant to mark Scouts birthday but we did it as an awards party, as it's usually in February. I was joint organiser with another mum - Michelle. She has twin boys - Landon and Logan. These 2 are Jacob's best friends here. I have to say Michelle did most of the preparation. I sorted flower decs for the table, helped her with a bit of the shopping and turned up early to help set up. She did everything else! I did take charge and run the evening so we worked well together. All families brought a dish of food to share, we had a variety of American things including cabbage bread and American pigs in blankets - mini hot dogs baked in mini rolls. My favourite was the sweet and sour meat balls, the sauce was made with grape jam! There was a cake competition, each family had decorated a cake. The best one was a camp fire one, we did one with an English flag and Scottish flag and the wolf cub flag. We played cub related bingo, did the prize ceremony and the evening was finished. We had planned loads of games but will do these at a normal meeting after the Easter break. I've included photos from the night. The first is Jacob getting his wolf badge, he's upside down as the badge is put on upside down and can only be put the correct way up when Jacob has done a good turn. The next is a silly photo of the group, this was better than the sensible one! Bingo using M&M's as counters was very popular.

Have also put in a picture from Mothers Day, we had a lovely lunch out as a local posh restaurant and got hand made cards from Jacob and Abi. Another photo is from a trip to a park in Belgium, it was a lovely warm day for April. Next post should be from our Portugal holiday.

Rachael.

Ju-Jitsu

2011-04-05T00:56:00.000-07:00

Jacob has recently started at the Ju-jitsu club on base. He is loving it. They did an assessment last week and he got the first step of yellow patches. I watched him yesterday and he is already onto throwing people. I think he's good at it because he's bulky and has the weight behind him. He's also very solid on his feet. He won three rounds last night and I was a very proud mummy.

Off to Portugal next week, it has started to warm up here but I am still looking forward to the heat and the sea. About to cycle into Sittard, our closest town, to meet for coffee and then shop for supplies to help make Abi and Jacob an Easter bonnet, I bet you can guess who is very excited about doing it and who doesn't really want to but is going to because they know a chocolate treat is on offer if you take part! Will try and post a photo of both of them wearing them!

Rachael.

Parties!

2011-03-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

We all had parties to go too. Allen and I went to a Charity night. The theme was A Night at the Movies so you could dress up as anyone from any movie. Easy you may think but it's such a wide variety of characters. We thought of Pretty in Pink, but no dress for me, Snow White - as someone had offered me an adult costume and Allen was going to be the handsome prince! Allen wanted to go as Two Face from Batman and me to be Cat Woman or Bat girl, both of which I refused! We ended up as Trinity and Neo from the Matrix. We had a great night. Sam and Kevin, our neighbours, went as the Black Swan and the Crow. I thought theirs were the best outfits of the night. I've included photos of all of us.

Jacob and Abi were then invited to a party for a brother and sister who are in Cub's and Daisy Scouts. It was on the American base and lasted all afternoon. We stayed and helped with the BBQ and serving the food. I've added photos of them enjoying the pinata.

Rachael.

Pinewood Derby

2011-03-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

Jacob has been busy with cubs through out the year. The Pinewood Derby is an activity that takes place for cubs across America and the Derby has been running each year since the 70's. Each cub is given a block of wood and some wheels and has to design and make a race car. Luckily for us we have a very handy neighbour called Andy who very kindly agreed to help out. Jacob drew his design and we took it around to Andy's so he could use his jigsaw to cut it out. Andy also had an electric sander. Jacob then was in charge of the painting and decoration. He did a brilliant job. The cars had to be weighed and have weights added so it went back to it's original weight. All of the boys then got together and the cars were raced on a special track. Jacob came bang in the middle of the pack and had a fun time racing. Everyone got certificates and a pin for their uniforms. Jacob's certificate was for Best Detail. I've included a variety of pictures from the morning. Allen took Jacob as I was at home with Abi who had thrown up 18 times. Can't believe anyone can be so sick! She's fully recovered but did need 2 days off school even though it started on a Saturday.

Rachael.

Skiing in Winterberg

2011-03-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

Over half term we went skiing in Winterberg, Germany. It's only a 3 hour drive from our house so we left on the Tuesday returning on the Friday. When you get nearer to Winterberg it becomes very pretty, a good place to explore in the summer too. The resort we were staying in was on the outskirts of Winterberg itself. We were in a one bed self catering appartment. On site was a ski rental shop, a retaurant and a spa with large indoor pool plus 2 hot tubs outside on the terrace over looking the town. The restaurant did buffet nights that were themed so we ate there 2 of the nights and were extremely impressed, mainly that we didn't need to try and translate, not many of the Germans will speak English to us. Allen has now got Google translate on his ITouch which gets frequently used when we are out and about.

I think we have turned into American ski snobs as I was not keen here, I knew it would be small as it was very cheap. The snow was very sticky so if we go here again it'll need to be earlier in the season. A lot of parents seemed to leave their children on their own, I picked up quite a few kids that had tumbled and there was no adult around to help them. We did have a good time and the kids went on the only black run with ease, they are both now faster than me! Watch out Cameron and Finn - we are skiing/snow boarding together with Allen's family at Christmas in the Chamonix area.

I have added a photo from the week, it features Barnaby Bear too as Abi had him for a school project over that week - didn't take many as it wasn't that pretty!

Rachael.

Carnival

2011-03-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a week of Carnival celebrations out here. I was teaching 4 days and there were lots of activities at school. There were different themes each day, National colours, National dress, face painting and dress up day. Abi had a variety of face paints this week, she made us late everyday! I've included photos from the different days. She also had a fun day at gymnastics, she went as a skeleton. Jacob was a cowboy for school , Abi a witch and me a clown.

They have both started swimming lessons this week. They are going 2 sessions a week so it was a busy old week, especially as I was working.

We went to the Carnival parade in Sittard on Sunday, we walked in with a family we know from school and work. Abi had great fun as Haley is her age. Monday we went into our village, Munstergeleen, for their Carnival parade. I have to say I prefered the village one. The weather was great for both and the kids came back with loads of sweets that were thrown from the floats.

Off to Winterberg, Germany, skiing tomorrow. Looking forward to the break away. Have chosen a place with an indoor pool in case there is no snow, or it's wet!

Rachael.

More Scouts

2011-02-27T10:14:00.000-08:00

Seemed to spend a lot of the weekend doing Scout things. Saturday we went onto the American base nearby to visit the community bank. They learned some new information about banking and came away clutching more tat! I've included a photo of them in their uniforms.

The weather has been wet this weekend so after Abi's gymnastics we did our normal stop off at the garden centre for a late breakfast and for the kids to play. After the bank visit we stopped off at Ikea, again for the play area and a quiet coffee for us! Then it was off to a retirement party in a local village. A lady from Allen's office was leaving the American Airforce. We're buying their old BMW off them when they go at the end of March. It was a good do but the cafe/bar that it was held in was a smoking place so we all had to have showers when we got home.

Sunday was wet again so I had to take Jacob and Abi off to a Scout Sunday service at the church on base. I thought it would be a child friendly service but it was dull and boring. Jacob and Abi were very well behaved - they coped better than me! I've included a photo of them joining in with the singing at the front of the church.

So I worked 4 days this week, more than I thought I was going to. Allen had Friday off and we were meant to be exploring Achen together. Unfortunately I was called into school so Allen had a day at home to himself and I was very busy at school! After school there was a curry night on base so we went along and had a chat and a very nice home made curry while the kids had pizza.

It's Culture Week at school this coming week - a run up to Carnival. Lots of activities going on and different things to wear each day. Tomorrow it's National colours, so we're off to school in red, white and blue! I'm working 4 days again so a hectic week. Abi starts swimming lessons, she's having 2 a week so we'll see how that goes. Half term coming soon - can't wait.

Rachael.

Another playplace

2011-02-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

Allen had to go to some military church thing today so, as it was rather cold out, Jacob, Abi and me went to an indoor playplace we've not tried yet. We got 2 euros off a person as we've joined Monde Verde - the outdoor place we went to last week. I took plently of snacks and nagazines too. One of the nieghbours came back from the UK yesterday and brought me 6 magazines so I was well prepared for 4 hours of them playing. Jacob and Abi would have stayed there until it shut! I have included a variety of photo from today. No doubt we will be visiting this play place again.

Working tomorrow but that's all so far. Daisy Scouts is Sing-a-long patch so that could be entertaining! Hoping to start my pilates DVD this week, need to do something to shape up.

Hope all's well

Rachael.

Daisy's and other bits.

2011-02-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

Have been busy teaching over the past few weeks. Good fun. We have also been doing lots with Daisy Scouts. It's cookie selling season here so Abi and I went onto the American base and sold Girl Scout cookies. We then went to the neighbours and sold lots to them. I have included a photo of Abi in her Daisy Scout uniform having just received 5 patches including a cookie sales one. She's loving Daisy's. Jacob's doing well with cubs too, he's nearly completed all of the tasks to his main award. We are starting to work on his Pinewood Derby car, an American car challenge that's been going for years in America.

At the weekend we went to Monde Verde, a local attraction that we have bought a years membership to. We took Allen's mum there when she visited. I've included a photo of them feeding fish, climbing a tall play thing and Abi on a roller coaster.

Allen's been in the Hague this week and is off to Germany tomorrow for the night. I'm only teaching 2 days this week which is perfect. Selling more cookies at school tomorrow. Will be cookied out soon. If any friends and family want any cookies let me know!

Rachael.

Allen's 40th Birthday

2011-01-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

A month late but at least I'm getting it done! My excuse is good though, since we've been back in Holland, I have worked a lot at school. My clearances finally came through on the last day of the December term so I can now so supply teaching, but only for the British teachers. Saying that I have worked 15 days, having said no to 2 days. I have really enjoyed being back in the classroom and have been in nursery to year 6, never bored! Anyway, back to Allen's 40th.

We flew in from Denver, landing on the 29th December. Dad picked us up from Heathrow and we headed back to Holwell spending lots of the day opening presents, meeting up with friends and family and doing a tad of shopping! The kids were on a strange timetable, sleeping in until 10.30 in the morning but staying up late too. For Allen's birthday we started with cake in the morning and then Allen and I went into London for a relaxing lunch at Yo Sushi in Harvey Nicks. We met Marion at Kings Cross in the afternoon and made our way over to South London to meet up with family and friends at a Tapas restaurant recommended by Allen's cousin Stephen. We had a brilliant night, food and company were perfect. I've included a variety of photos from the night. After the meal we ended up in a local pub doing Karaoke. Paul, a friend from Cheltenham, is in a band and he wasn't bad. The rest of us loved it but we're not ready to be signed to any record labels!

We stayed in the RAF club opposite Green Park and got the train back to Hitchin the next day. We celebrated New Year at Mum's with games and good food. Jacob and Abi stayed up to see their first New Year in and loved it. New Years Day was quiet, we went over to my aunt's, Annette's, to catch up with them. The next day we made our way back to Munstergeleen, getting back in time for tea. School started the next day, I was called to do supply but turned it down as Allen had the day off so we tried one of the outlet malls. Allen found his coat that he wanted for his birthday so it was worth the trip.

Life is now as hectic as ever, teaching, Daisy scouts and cubs. Allen's off to Greece this week. I'm working 3 days and Jacob and Abi have a half day Friday. Got to fit in 2 lots of coffee and one lunch out, not sure that will happen!

Booked 4 days away at half term, trying skiing in Germany.

Hope all is well

Rachael.

Denver 2010

2011-01-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

I know it'a been a while since the last post but we were enjoying ourselves too much to sort out the blog. Denver was a brilliant holiday. We arrived on Sunday 12th Dec, picked up a hire car and drove to our old neighbourhood and neighbours the Blunks. It was really as if we'd never left even though it had been 2 years since we'd seen them. The kids went straight off to play. Abi and Mallory got on great and Jacob and Will were straight to the basement to play a variety of video games. The adults caught up over a beer. Over the next week we gradually met up with lots of old friends. John and Sheri kindly leant us a car so we returned the hire car back to the airport. We went out for lunch with them and Sheri brought along her Ipad, which we were all very impressed with. I really thought we'd be going home with one, especially due to the amount of time we spent in the Apple Store at Cherry Creek Mall. Abi met up with Maya and had a lovely lunch followed by playdate at Maya's house. Jacob had great fun with Dillon and Nicholas and I had a good time catching up with their mum Renee. We also managed to catch up with Melissa's clan, meeting her one year old twins for the first time, Ryan and Risa, who were on holiday from their new base in Boston, and also the Livingston's. Missed a few people but I'm sure we'll see them next time! Also managed to do loads of shopping and we loved it. Visiting Denver made us both realise how much we miss America. Ate out loads, shopped too much, drank way too much!

So we then went up to the mountains for a week of skiing. I was hoping Allen would take it easy, due to his knee, but he didn't. He'd had a brace made before we left, which he did wear. Skiing was good for everyone. We even got the kids down a black run although Abi was a bit of a pain on the way! We were so lucky with the weather, lots of snow but good during the day. They have built a new outdoor, very heated, pool and 2 hot tubs which we used everyday. Jacob and Abi were torn between swimming and skiing. They did 2 days of ski school and then skied with us. They both said they prefered skiing with us so I think that's the end of ski school for them. Santa visited us in Breckenridge. Then we had to pack up and drive back to Denver for a Christmas dinner with our old Jewish neighbours Mindy and Shawna. We got down to brilliant sunshine so took the kids to the park. Mindy was in full flow, preparing an enormous meal for Christmas tea. She'd invited her family and cooked loads. It was all lovely, a favourite being yams with maple syrup and marshmallows! So we had a very different but great fun Christmas finished off with Betsy and Tim and kids joining us for a drink and then watching Dr Who on BBC America! We stayed at Mindy's for 3 nights, again we experienced brilliant hospitality.

I've included a variety of photos, Abi with Maya, a couple of group shots plus a few from Breckenridge. We had an excellent time away, didn't want to come back, endulged too much. Our livers definitely needed cleansing by the end of 2 and a half weeks. I hope we can repay Tim, Betsy and Mindy if they come and see us in Europe as they were so kind and generous.

Next post Allen's 40th.

Rachael.

Snow and Christmas Fayre

2010-11-30T04:22:00.000-08:00

A few photos from the past week. Jacob got a few lego kits for his birthday so I've included a photo once he had built them all. There's also one of them in there face paints from the Christmas Fayre plus a glitter tattoo that Abi got. Finally there one of them in the snow. They had great fun this morning out there!

Rachael.

Grandma Melrose's visit - Holland

2010-11-30T03:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is a bit late but I've been very busy with the school Christmas Fayre. It is now over so I'll add what we've been up to over the last 3 weeks. Grandma Melrose (Allen's mum) visited us for Jacob's birthday. We had a lovely time with her. We visited Monte Verde, a local park that has different gardens from around the world. It has a warm indoor tropical area with loads of birds flying about. Abi and I collected some brilliantly coloured feathers. Not sure what we're going to do with them but they are impressive. I liked the Chinese and Japanese gardens best. There was bumper cars, a big bouncy thing, a violent pirate ship ride and a high swing thing. There were also 2 white tigers in a large enclosure. When the children ran along the side of the enclosure the tigers bounded after them. Jacob and Abi had great fun making them run! I've included a few photos from the day out.

Allen had a day in Maastricht with his mum. I dropped them at the station and they had a relaxing day. We also walked into our closest town, Sittard to have coffee. Marion enjoyed the garden centre too. She wanted to buy lots of things but was constrained due to flying with Ryanair with only hand luggage! Marion and I did a long walk to a cafe at Puth and luckily made it home without geting lost!

Jacob's birthday party went well at an indoor playplace in Belgium. Not many of his class made it but he still had a great time. It lasted an hour longer than we thought for which was fine as the weather outside was horrid - very wet.

Since Marion went home we were busy with the school Christmas Fayre. Now it's over and we have snow so I had 2 very happy children this morning playing out before school. The bus was 45 mins late so they had even more fun rolling around in the snow at the bus stop. At least they were well dressed in their ski gear. I've got to brave it and walk to the local shops so my ski trousers will be getting an outting too!

Rachael.

Jacob's 8th Birthday

2010-11-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

Jacob was up nice and early to start the celebrations for his 8th birthday! I went downstairs with him and we starting making brownies to take into school for his class. Luckily there are only 13 of them in his class so one batch was plenty. We actually made a Jamie Oliver recipe and it was yummy! We then took coffee up to Allen and Jacob opened his presents in our bed. His favourite was a Nerf gun, his lego book was a close second and he's busy with his new Mario game on the Wii as I'm typing this as well as playing with his balloons! Jacob went in late to school as he had an eye appointment at the hopsital. The regular opticians don't see children here so you have to go through the hospital. All was fine and he's got to go back in 4 months, Abi had gone on the bus, as usual, but at 9.30 I had a call from one of the other mum's to say they had been involved in a crash, all were fine. We then drove past the crash and it looked bad so I was glad I knew they were all fine before driving past. It hadn't been the buses fault it had had to drive off the road due to a car veering onto his side of the road. When the bus drove off the road it then hit a tree. The Head Teacher did phone us but an hour and a half after the crash happened - which I thought was a bit late.

So excitement on Jacob's big day, we dropped him at school together with his brownies and he came off the bus very happy. Off to KFC for tea, his choice. His birthday party is on Saturday. His best pals Landon and Logan are coming so he's very pleased. I will post photos from that at the weekend. So the photos here are from this morning. Grandma kindly made the number 8 cake, I've got to do a skull one for the weekend! Happy Birthday Jacob xxx

Rachael.

Trick and Treating!

2010-10-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!! Jacob and Abi have throughly enjoyed their weekend of trick and treating. Friday we were on Schinnen with Jacob's friend's Landon and Logan. I've borrowed a photo off Michelle to add to this blog. Today, actual Halloween, we cycled into Sittard to have lunch in the square as it was lovely weather. While having a coffee a Witch came up to Jacob and Abi and invited them to a Witches workshop. So off we went and learnt how to dance like a witch, cackle like one too and then they made potions. I tried one - very sweet! They had a lovely time but unfortunately I forgot the camera. Tonight we're just back from going around the neighbours houses. I have included a photo outside the house.

School's back tomorrow - hooray, Allen and I have the day together.

Rachael.

Grandma, Matthew and Amy's visit.

2010-10-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Before we get to Grandma's visit Jacob and Abi had book week at school. They did various activities during the week. Allen went in and read to both classes which went down well with Jacob and Abi. On the Friday they got to dress up as a character from their favourite book. Jacob chose Harry Potter and Abi chose Winnie the Witch. Luckily Allen was in the UK for half of the week and managed to find a Harry Potter cloak in Toys R Us, for Abi we just put together an outfit but did buy her a broom in Sittard. I've included a photo of them both while they paraded through the school to the gym. They both looked great.

Mum, Matthew and Amy arrived on Sunday. Abi and I went to get them from Genk train station. They'd had a good trip across although Steve had had to drive them into London due to a mix up in the train timetable from Harlington. They settled in, playing and exploring around the house. On the Monday we had borrowed bikes for everyone so we cycled into our nearest town, Sittard. We went to a good cafe called Bagels and Beans. I've included a photo of the cousins sitting on the soft bagel! We had a look around the shops although lots were closed as it's half day closing for many of the shops here on a Monday, they also close Wednesday afternoon. We cycled home and, after lunch, went on a walk. We walked up to the local ice cream parlour, unfortunately it too was shut. So we did a long walk following wooden owls - they are carved into tree stumps and point the way to walk. It took us an hour and a half as I'd not done it before and didn't know how long it would take! We enjoyed it all the same and it was lucky I had kit kats in my bag to help the walkers along. On the Tuesday we decorated the house for Halloween and made Halloween cookies to decorate later. Allen then took the kids onto base to go swimming as they had an inflatable in the pool followed by hot dogs to eat afterwards. Mum and I walked into Munstergeleen and looked around the little shops that are there - very gifty but nice. Wednesday we got the train to Maastrict. It's on the river Maas, hence it's name, and is a lovely old city. We just wandered around, stopping for coffee, shopping, lunch and ice cream. There is definitely more to do there so we will visit again. Jacob and I took them back to Genk station on Thursday for their trip back. They managed to miss getting off at Brussels but still got back in time for the Eurostar connection! It was great seeing all of them and hope Dad, Katharine and Steve will visit next time. I've included a photo from Maastrict too.

Michelle came and picked us up on Thursday mid morning and took us onto base where we had lunch and went bowling. They then brought us back and stayed playing for a few hours. She has Landon and Logan who are in Jacob's year and also go to cubs with us. Abi baked more biscuits for Halloween. On Friday we got ready for Trunk and Treating also on the American base. Abi went as Tinkerbell, Jacob an army man, Allen a vampire and me a cat. We had a good time with the kids ending up with way too much 'candy'. We also went bowling again as it was free. I forgot the camera but will remember to take some photos on the 31st! You may notice that Abi is holding a bear in each photo. We have had Barnaby bear for half term. She has to take Barnaby with her and write about what he does. So Barnaby has been everywhere with us and Abi has written loads!

Rachael.

Valkenburg and Gangelt

2010-10-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

I helped out on Jacob's year group trip to the Valkenburg mine. Brunssum is an old mining town as is a lot of the local area. Valkenburg also has a castle so I'll have to take Allen there so we can explore a bit more. The mining was coal. I learnt a lot and it was all the more interesting due to the Chilean mine rescue happening at the same time. An old miner took us on the tour and we saw the mine trains, drills, seams, conveyor belts that conveyed coal, rocks and the miners themselves. He let the kids have a go with a pnuematic drill (no health and safety concerns which was nice and refreshing!), they all piled onto a train and they also had a go on the mining bikes. I've put a photo in of Jacob driving the train and one of him in the tunnels. The kids thought it was great although some of the Americans were a bit dramatic about not being able to breath etc.

We had a busy Saturday of gymnastics, selling cub scout popcorn, Ikea shopping and then general shopping too plus breakfast and lunch out. Today, Sunday, we went to Gangelt wildlife park in Germany. It was great. The best bit for Jacob and Abi was feeding the animals. I've included a photo of feeding the deer. They liked the play park too. As you can see from their clothing it was a chilly autumn day. We may end up getting a season pass as I think they would happily visit here again and again and it will look very different in each season.

Allen's off to the UK tomorrow for a few days. My Mum, Nephew and Niece arrive for half term in a week so we're hoping to do more exploring with them. J&A have Wednesday off so we're going to try either an indoor swimming centre or an indoor play place. House is being repainted tomorrow, hoping it won't be too much of a mess!

Rachael.

Fashion Show

2010-10-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Allen had a nice week in Spain while we were as busy as normal here. I did 2 long walks with one of the neighbours and then a long cycle. I also got my haircut. Jacob's year group all did a fashion show. He wore his Beaver outfit and looked very good and also different to everyone else. Jacob read really well too and I was very proud of him. I have put a photo in of him and his friend Jonathan. I then stayed at school and helped in Abi's class. She is very different at school, still a tad bossy but very good. We went swimming after school on Base. This was our first trip to the base pool. I didn't have to go in as one of the other mum's did. It felt pretty cold to me but Jacob and Abi had a lovely time. We were meant to be going to Trafalgar Night but, due to Allen's trip, we cancelled. We wouldn't have got to it in time as Allen didn't get back to the house until 7pm.

Abi had gymnastics this morning, she loved it and we're off to cycle into Sittard for an early tea with Beccie, Mark and Amy.

Rachael.

Cub camp and apples!

2010-10-09T04:34:00.000-07:00

Had another busy week, this post is really the previous week. Jacob took part in his first cub camp.We all went and helped put up his tent, well Abi didn't help at all as there was a play area to amuse her. Allen stayed with Jacob so Abi and I went home and enjoyed Chinese and a Barbie movie. I was woken by the phone at 7.50am with Allen on the end asking to be picked up! It had rained all night and their shoes were soaked as they had left them outside! Nothing else was wet and it had only rained while they had been in the tent. They had had a cooked breakfast too. We left the tent up as Jacob could camp another night if he wanted and I took them both home for showers. Jacob then had a birthday party to go to on the American base. A boy in his class called Landon was turning 8. Landon has a twin brother called Logan and Jacob plays with both of them. Landon's mum meet us at the gate and we then went to the bowling party. It was good fun and Abi was allowed to join in. We spent 2 and a half hours there after which Jacob was knackered and didn't want to go camping again! So Allen and I went and took the tent down while the kids watched a movie with a neighbour. The tent was still wet so we put it in the garage. It dried the next day as it was lovely weather.

During the week I went on a class trip with Abi's year group. We went to an appple and pear farm on the German side. There was a bit of a language problem but it was still good fun and we all learnt a lot. We got to pick a few apples and eat them and I had a tummy ache at the end as the ones I picked weren't ripe! After the trip I went to one of the British ladies' house for lunch. She'd done a veggie spread and it was very tasty. I've put in a photo from the camping and one from the apple trip.

This coming week Jacob is doing a fashion show at school and Allen's off to Spain for work.

Rachael.

Grandma's 70th Birthday

2010-10-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is being posted a little late, sorry. We've had a hectic week since coming back from the UK so this is the first evening I've had to post. Last weekend we went back to the UK for my Mum's 70th birthday. We decided to leave early on Saturday morning and had booked the Chunnel. It all worked perfectly and we even got on the train before our booking. The M25 was clear, for once, and we managed a stop at Asda as we were early. Had lunch with mum and dad and then Jacob and Abi went swimming with their cousins and Grandma so me and Allen could go and see Ali and her new arrival Teddy. I cuddled Teddy for 2 hours and he slept the whole time. He was lovely. It was good to catch up with Ali and Jeremy without distractions. I've included a photo of me and Teddy. We got back to mum's in time to put J&A to bed and to eat a yummy Indian meal - haven't had Indian since being in Holland however we have got a great Chinese take out in our village. For mum's celebration we had a brunch at the bungalow. All the local family came so it was a busy house with loads of food. It was good to see everyone. I've included a photo of Mum, Jacob and Abi with the present they got her. We went back on the Chunnel and managed to get on an hour before we were meant to so were back home by 10.15pm. A good weekend even though we were only back for 24 hours. Stocked up on things we were missing from home, hula hoops, weetabix, maple syrup plus quite a bit more!

Since geting back it's been busy and I'll post that next ......

Efteling

2010-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

The children had Friday off school so Allen took that day off too and we went to Efteling Theme Park. It's about and hour and 15mins from here - if you don't get lost! We have an in built GPS, it gives a bit too much warning so we turned too quickly off the motorway and then couldn't u turn for 7 miles. Got a 2 day pass with one night at the park's hotel. The actual park was nicely spread out. There was easily enough in it for a 2 day trip. Abi was too small for the main roller coasters so I had a good excuse not to ride them! I don't know what has happened to me I now feel sick on most rides! The only one that was OK was the water ride. I've put in a photo from that one plus a few from the hotel. We had a themed suite in the hotel which was only a 5 min walk into the main park. The hotel was much better than the Paris Disneyland one, very child friendly. In our room there was a present when they got there, sweets on check in, lollies, candy canes, marshmallows and a colouring set all in the room too. It had bunk beds for them and a curtained off area for the TV, a proper pod coffee maker. The food was excellent too with entertainment for the kids so we had a peaceful time. Expensive but worth it.

Helped out in Abi's class this week, off to see Jacob's teacher on Tuesday. Back to the UK next weekend for mum's 70th birthday. Looking forward to doing some shopping and seeing the family. Jacob's signed up for cub scouts, he's in the wolf den. I'll probably be helping out.

Rachael.

Bokrijk Park

2010-09-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

The week flew past. I stayed in a couple of days to try and sort the house a bit more. Getting our big sideboard delivered tomorrow so at least I can put away all of the stuff out in the lounge/diner at present. I did cycle into Sittard and met some British ladies for lunch. It was good to meet other people and have seen a few of them out and about since. Also had the back to school night. It was nice to meet the teachers but I still want to talk to Jacob's teacher more so we're going to ask for an extra appointment with her. Helping out in Abi's class again this coming week. Finally handed in all my teaching paperwork. Sounds like they need someone immediately so I could be in Reception pretty soon. Am going to go and help in there this week too.

When Allen got back from work on Friday we all cycled into Sittard, about 4 km, and had tea. An easy cycle so we'll do that quite a bit. There are loads of places to eat on the town square although we need to be careful which beer we drink as some of it is quite strong and you can be stopped on your bike as well as your car out here!

Abi went to her first gymnastics class on Saturday. Lots of British speakers in her group plus one girl from her class at school so that's good. Signing up Jacob for cub scouts tomorrow (Monday). After the gymnastics class we went to a park in Belgium. It's a huge place with a museum too but we just went to the outdoor park as it was free and the sun was shining. It was huge. They loved it all but the large slides were a favourite. I've put in a few photos from the afternoon.

Went on base for a Battle Of Britain church service. The children went and did a Sunday school thing and then we met them for a lovely lunch.

The kids have Friday off so looking forward to a day out.

Hope all is well

Rachael.

3 Country maze and Jacob's first party.

2010-09-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

Our first Saturday out and we went to a local maze from where you can see Holland, Belgium and Germany. I've put in a photo showing the 3 flags and the 3 countries. We had fun in the maze, it was confusing and it took us an hour. Once we got to the centre the information said it should take between 30 to 40 mins! There were water bits to get through, I was the only one who didn't get soaked! - they turn off now and then so I was just lucky. Once out of the maze there was a great play area and a bar so Allen and I sat enjoying an ice cold Dutch beer in the sun reading our books while Jacob and Abi played. There was a huge tower that you could walk up and view all of the countries but we were knackered after an hour in the maze so we'll do that one another day! So there's a photo of me and the kids on one of the bridges in the maze and one of them at the end.

Today Allen flew back to the UK, he had to go via military transport so that was an hour in MT (military transport) to a bus pick up point. A 3 and a half hour bus ride to a military airport in Germany, an hour flight to Birmingham. He then picked up a hire car and is off to Stanford for his 6 weeks follow up appointment for his knee op. The military are supposedely saving money sending him this way, they pay for his food each day and hotels. If he'd just flown on Monday and returned the same day, using a cheap airline, surely it would be cheaper? The military flight only returns on Wednesday so he's then stuck until then. Silly if you ask me, I reckon I could save the military money better than this idea. Anyway it's lucky Allen is back as we needed a few British items - weetabix, ritz crackers, rubbishy magazines and some cards! I'm sure I could get most of those things here, it's just finding them.

Jacob went to his first class birthday party today. A Norwegian girl whose family all spoke very good English. It was at an indoor playplace in Germany about 20 miles away. I took Abi as Allen wasn't around. It was good fun. I've included a few photos from the party.

Filled in my 50 page application forms for doing supply at the International school, lots were military ones. Hoping I will be cleared at some point to work/help! I went in on Friday and helped Abi's class make fruit kebabs. Her teacher's very good, strict but good. Hoping I can help out regulary in both their classes once my clearances are through.

Anyway need to eat so I hope all is well with everyone.

Rachael.

Arrival in The Netherlands

2010-09-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

We are finally here and have the internet. Got a Dutch dongle at present as they can't properly connect us for a month so no phone number yet, well I have got a Dutch sim card, trouble is it turns everything dutch on the phone so now I don't understand a thing! Really need to learn the language as I don't want to spend the next 3 years feeling stupid every time we go out. People can speak English but they choose not to until we really haven't got a clue and then they feel sorry for us! Jacob and Abi are doing German at school so I think Allen and I are going to do that and learn a few main Dutch phrases too. We have been to the library and got some cd's out.

The house is very Dutch, box like, 4 bed but small. Lovely small garden as I am not a gardener this does not bother me! The trampoline just squeezes in which is fine. Haven't got enough storage for all our stuff or perhaps we have too much stuff! Off to the Kringleloop today - a second hand bargain shop that has everything from stretchers to clothes. Taking Allen for his first time and I'm sure we'll come back with some weird things.

Driving is strange too they have a law that means you give way to people pulling out from your side of the street, this is only on small roads, also at roundabouts everyone else has right of way, again this is only on small roads. Have got to read their highway code as I've already had 3 near misses.

Have managed to get a bank account, ID card, driving license and ration card. Pretty good going as it takes some people at least a month and we did it in less than a week. Can't register the car for a month though so it'll be tight on the insurance. That cost is 3 times higher out here - they must expect us to crash!

School has gone down brilliantly. Abi cried on Sunday as she had to have the day at home and NOT school! Abi's in with a Dutch teacher and Jacob's is Canadian. They are in IY3 and IY4 respectively. Abi's teacher thinks she's wonderful and I haven't heard from Jacob's teacher yet! He got some maths homework that he could have done when he was 5 so I'm hoping it'll get a bit harder or else I'm going to have a bored little boy on my hands. He is impressed that he is allowed to free read and we are well into the first Harry Potter, he's loving it. Abi has moved up 2 levels from what she was on in the Falklands and is impressed with that. I'm going in to help on Friday, making fruit kebobs (can you tell by my the spelling it's a bit American!). They also have recess. The Brits are in the minority here, very American. There's a big American base near us but I haven't been on it yet. Haven't checked out the area much as it's been raining most of the time since we got here! I am also trying to unpack. The sun is out now though so I need to get out. Have got to get our bikes adjusted as, by law, you have to all have back mud guards, reflectors and bells. Taking the kids down to the loacl bike shop to get it all sorted, there's one down the road from us.

I've included a photo of the house, we're joined to the neighbours by the garage, one of them across from the house - you can see all the fields, this is also the view I have while I'm typing this! The other is of them biking down our street - very safe. So I think we'll enjoy it here, bit too much dog poo though, too many dogs really! The neighbours all seem very nice. There are about 12 British families although my neighbour is German married to a Brit. She hates kids but seems nice!

Hoping we'll get lots of visitors

Rachael xx

And we're off!

2010-08-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's come round at last and we're off to Holland. Am happy as I finally got to speak to the Head of the school and the children are booked in for Monday! I spoke to the secretary first who told me we were to register, in person, today - Friday. Bit difficult as we're packing today. Anyway we have an appointment Monday morning.

So over the last few week I turned 39 and had a lovely day being pampered and then a BBQ with friends and family. We've bought loads of furniture either on ebay or in Ikea. Hoping we've got enough to fill a house. My niece, Amy, turned 9 and we had a family party at Mum and Dad's. It was nice seeing all the cousins together playing silly games. Everyone sulked except Abi who was an extremely good girl - I think she was coming down with the flu! Jacob was ill for about a week with something and now Abi has the same but a watered down version.

We also managed to catch up with friends from the Falklands, we saw the Preston's, the Foster-Jones's and the Morrison's. All of who have children of the relevant ages. Today Sarah, Thomas and Finlay and coming down to see us so I can get the kids out of the house while everything is packed away. Unfortunately we didn't manage to do another trip to Scotland. We had wanted to get up to Kinloss but just ran out of time. The other main thing was our car purchase - a Skoda Superb. Allen, Jacob and me went down to Brighton to pick it up. It's great, 6 gears, fast and spacious. Allen can't drive it for another week so it's all mine - don't even mind that I can't drink when we go out it's that good to drive!

Got to do a bit more cleaning today and then it's 3 nights in a variety of hotels until we march in on Monday. Will post photos of the new house once we're online. New address is:

9 Houtsnijdersstraat, 6151 DX, Munstergeleen, The Netherlands.

Have put up some photos of Amy's party.

Hope the summer is going well

Rachael.

Friends and Lego

2010-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly 2 weeks since Allen had his knee operation and all is going very well. He's nearly off his one crutch and the wound is dressing free and looking good. After only a week we all went and stayed with the Knights. Jacob and Abi were so excited and rushed off straight away. We didn't see them for a good hour. It was a relaxing 2 days, you can't always say that with children! Abi and Emma carried on as if they'd never been apart and Jacob loved the creative games Henry came up with, and Charlotte fitted in with both groups. Shrivenham was a very green place, having seen it I wouldn't mind going there.

Before that I fitted in a 2 night camping trip with the kids plus Mum and Dad. We only went 5 miles down the road in case Allen needed us. We all had a fun time although Grandad Holwell may have other views on it! I forgot the camera but Grandad did take some pictures. I had Abi in with me one night and Jacob the next. Lovely cuddles from both of them!

Jacob was a very lucky boy when we returned and the Lego Death Star that his Grandma Melrose bought for him arrived. It has taken him 2weeks to build it. It is for 14+ so he's done extremely well with minimal help from Allen and I. Now however we're having to play Star Wars with it! Jacob also got his SATs results for year 2 back and he did brilliantly, above average for his age group.

We have bought a new car, just waiting for it to arrive. We ended up with a Skoda Superb. We wanted an estate but neither of us realised you'd have to order one 6 months ahead! Should have it 2nd week in August so we're still hiring at the moment.

So, our Falklands' stuff arrives tomorrow and the assessor comes to see about our boxes going off to Holland. I'm off to Uncle John's funeral on Thursday with Dad, then it's a major Ikea trip on Friday. We've also caught up with friends this last week including Jacob's God parents Charlie and Steve and Ali who's 9 months pregnant and looking good. Seeing Ruth, another Uni friend, this weekend in Birmingham - shopping is on the cards I think!

Hope all is well

Rachael.

Birthdays!

2010-07-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

We are recently returned from a week away visiting our Scottish relatives. While we were there it was our nephew, Cameron's, 16th birthday. Jacob and Abi love both of their Scottish cousins so everyone had a great time up North. We celebrated Cameron's birthday twice, once at a local restaurant and then a BBQ on his actual birthday. I've included one of him with his cake and his fan club! There's also one of Allen and I in Skoda hats. I have to say both Cameron and Finn were brilliant with our two and it always makes our visits enjoyable for all. Abi wanted a photo put in of her in a witches hat, Marion's slipper socks dancing with a toy fishing rod! Marion had the children for a day so Allen and I could go up to Dundee to check on out property. I really miss Dundee, not sure Allen thinks the same of the place but he did go to University in Edinburgh I suppose! Our property was fine, a few things need doing but we expected that. Met the couple renting it and they seem nice if young - or am I just old now!?

At the weekend my brother-in-law, Stuart, had all of the children so Allen, Louise, Marion and myself could have a night in a hotel near Newcastle. It was such a relaxing night and next morning too. They all appeared by lunch so we were busy with walks and swimming. We were at the hotel for Marion's 65th Birthday. All of her sister's had come up too so it was great catching up. Jacob and Abi loved seeing all of their Great Aunties so I hope all of these Aunties come and visit us in Holland. The food and chat were both excellent and everyone enjoyed their weekend.

So we got our posting notice and we're off to Brunssum to start on the 23rd August. School begins then. A bit earlier than we thought for, our stuff is still not back from the Falklands so we'll leave it in the boxes ready to go to Holland! Allen's in hospital today for his knee op, off to see him later. My mum and dad are having J&A for the night so Marion and I can go and see Allen later and then pick him up tomorrow.

Will post a photo of him and his knee!

Rachael.

Hastings Haven.

2010-07-02T10:07:00.001-07:00

We are just back from 4 nights at a Haven Caravan Park. Jacob and Abi thought it was the best place ever. Allen decided it was too common and I just enjoyed it for what it was. Our Deluxe caravan wasn't bad. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms a lounge, dining room and kitchen area. Fridge, freezer and microwave, decently kitted out. We didn't take towels so had to hire some as they weren't included! The pool area was the kids favourite closely followed by the arcade games. They both came back with hideous china things that they love. There were lots of activities on offer for the children. We did the swimming lessons, archery, inflatables, blow up quad movers, wake and shake, an alphabet hunt and a cake decorating session. I've included a variety of photos from the week. On the last night there was an awards ceremony, they both got a certificate and badge for joining in 10 activities. Abi managed to get 2 more, one for the best decorated cake and the other for the best Bear of the Week - they were split into 2 teams, Bears and Tigers. She managed this by disowning her parents and befriending all of the funsters - ie the people who run the activities. I'm glad Abi missed the announcement about auditions for the Stars in Your Eyes evening and we managed to get them out of the Live Lounge before it all kicked off! Anyway we had a relaxing week with lots going on. Managed to get home even with lots of disruption on the railways. Off up to Scotland next week, hope the weather holds.

Rachael.

A day out in London.

2010-06-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Abi had their first day out in London. We decided to try a bus tour which included a boat trip. We had already planned to meet friends at Covent Garden for lunch so we thought we'd do a couple of hours on the bus, lunch and then boat trip. It generally went to plan but we needed at least 2 more hours. The kids got bored on the bus but the boat was very successful - apart from the fact that the toilet was broken! So we need to go again, spend more time on the river and definitely do the London Eye as that's all they went on about! The weather was glorious and I enjoyed seeing all the sites. Jacob was pleased he'd seen Pudding Lane as it brought back all his Fire of London stuff from school and funnily enough, when we got home, he dug out his Fire of London book and started reading it. We will go again but will plan more carefully next time. I've added a few shots from the day out.

We had to be back at Brampton to meet my cousin Albert and to go to families happy hour! Albert has made a last minute trip over from Canada so we met him at the station on the way back from our trip into London. He stayed for a couple of nights and it was nice to catch up with him. We also met up with Anne and co and Nicky at the pub on Saturday afternoon. Again another afternoon of catching up. A sociable weekend with lots of sun too.

Sunday we walked, due to no car, to the local car boot sale. We came back with a variety of 'bargains' including 2 light sabers - one for Jacob, the other for Allen. They make noises apparently, I can't wait! We did get an egg poacher and travel coffee pot along with a hair braider, a variety of top trumps and some really heavy saucepans. I'm sure we'll be visiting there again.

Off to Hastings this week on our caravan adventure, 3 of the family are excited. Will let everyone know how it goes.

Rachael.

Grandma Melrose's visit June 2010.

2010-06-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Grandma Melrose has been with us for a few days so we took the opportunity to visit a little further afield as we could all pile into her new Seat Ibiza Sports car, it's bright blue and 2 door. We were lucky with the weather so went punting in Cambridge. I started off as I was the only one who had punted before. My sister studied at Cambridge so we went and visited quite a bit. Allen nagged and moaned at me until he had a go and realised that it is actually quite hard to maneuver. It was great on the river in the sun, people watching and relaxing, well that was until Allen dropped the punting pole in the river! We then had to paddle back and retrieve it, we'll go again as everyone enjoyed it. I've included a photo of Grandma and the Grand children.

The next day we went to Shuttleworth. It's an aircraft museum with huge garden bit and large play area too. We all liked the gardens and Jacob and Abi loved the little paths and spotting the peacocks. I've added photos of a group shot and one of a peacock displaying it's tail. There's also one in the play area of Grandma trying to get on the hanging swing thing! Allen took the kids to look at the old planes while Marion and I went to the cafe. It was a lovely afternoon and we'll go again.

Later that evening we went to the Holwell church BBQ, mum and dad were the cooks. The children went swimming first. It's held in a great house in the village. They have an indoor pool and extensive gardens. The owner had even set up a big screen for people to watch the football - waste of time that was! We had a lovely evening.

Saw friends on the Saturday and have just returned from a delicious pub lunch for Fathers Day. I cooked breakfast for everyone and then we walked to the pub. Everyone is now at the park so it's nice and peaceful here for a little while!

Have booked a 4 day break away in the UK. We're off to a caravan park with kids club, flumes etc, Allen was all up for an abroad holiday but I wanted to stay closer to home. The kids club won him over and the price too. I will post about it and let you know how it goes!

Rachael.

France June 2010.

2010-06-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

We did our first French trip with Jacob and Abi. We decided to go on Eurostar as I am sick of flying. We went first class as I thought we needed a treat. It was a bit lost on the kids but I enjoyed it. The train went straight to Eurodisney and after Allen managed to get us a suite plus VIP breakfast and fast pass tickets we headed to the park. We all had loads of fun. The weather was great, it was a tad busy but with the VIP fastpasses it wasn't a problem. I've put in photos of Jacob and Abi with Mickey and a photo of a photo of all of us on Thunder Mountain - spot the big kid! Jacob and Abi loved the roller coasters best followed by the hotel swimming pool as it had a slide.

After 2 nights at a Disney hotel we headed in a bit to stay at another hotel so we could explore Paris. It was a business hotel but suited us well. Again the kids loved the pool and we loved the relaxed atmosphere. We went into Paris for a full day and had fun walking up the Eiffel Tower, 685 steps to the second level. Abi lead the while way - what a surprise. I've included a photo of them and the Eiffel Tower. We went for a brilliant French Bistro lunch, Jacob and Abi coped well - not a kids menu in sight, plus some very helpful French people willing to translate on the next table for us! We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the Seine, finding toilets and exploring the Notre Dame. We did so much walking over the 3 days it was knackering but we all enjoyed it.

Grandma Melrose arrived today so we're looking forward to doing some fun stuff with her.

Rachael.

Back in the UK.

2010-06-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while but our internet connection has been amazingly bad. I thought the Falklands was slow and unpredictable but the O2 dongle was absolute rubbish. We now have a 3 dongle and so far it's 100% better. So we landed back on British soil on May the 19th 2010. I went to my parents with the kids and Allen went off to take over the new quarter at Brampton, Cambridgeshire. My parents then had the children stay for 2 nights and I went and helped sort the storage stuff. It was very weird unpacking things that we hadn't seen for 5 years - we'd put a consignment in from before we went to Washington DC in 2005. Unfortunately the storage container it was in had leaked so a lot of the fabric stunk. Allen contacted the company and they agreed to pay for dry cleaning and 60% of other replacement costs. Better than nothing. So we've bought a new mattress and had 175 pounds worth of dry cleaning done.

The first weekend we were home mum and dad did a family BBQ for us. I've put in one photo of Jacob with a hot air balloon in the background that flew over during the evening. We also went to my Great Uncle's 90th birthday in Southend. I've put in a photo of dad, my nephew Matthew, plus Allen and me. It was a brilliant day.

After finally getting our stuff from storage from America, they sent us someone else's my mistake, we could then go shopping for things we didn't have. Jacob is now the very proud owner of a cabin bed with Abi being extremely jealous.

Dad let us have his car for a week while him and mum went off to Greece with my sister and her family. So during that week we went on a visit over to Gloucestershire to see Janine, Paul, Isabel and George. I've included a photo of the children enjoying an ice cream in the Cotswold Wildlife Park.

It's great to be back. Quartering charges have come as a bit of a shock as have petrol prices. But we're loving the weather, seeing family and friends and the choice in the shops. Not sure we'll survive without a car but we know the bus timetable pretty well already!

Rachael.

Race Point Farm - 2010

2010-04-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

We had our final family weekend away this weekend and went back to Race Point Farm. It's a self catering cottage on the East Island so you can drive to it. I've included a photo of San Carlos, which is on the way to the farm - note the dirt track that we drove on for an hour and a half to get there! The children weren't in school as the teachers didn't make it back due to the volcanic ash so we left Friday lunchtime. The weather was great, lovely and sunny. Saw a rescue helicopter on the way that had run out of fuel! We chose to have evening meals in the farm house, so we enjoyed both nights with John, Michelle and their daughter Taliha. Jacob and Abi both had a go at horse riding and loved it. I've included photos of them on So Bold - Abi, and Pent - Jacob. We also did a walk up to Settlement Rocks. It was very windy but we still enjoyed exploring and climbing, I've put in a photo from the rocks looking down on the Settlement.

We discovered a box of Monopoly which Jacob and Abi loved so we found our travel set when we got home. I can see we'll be playing it alot!

On our return we packed for 3 hours while Jacob and Abi were round one of the neighbours. The actual packers are in on Wednesday but I want to get most of it done. I'm leaving them anything breakable or electrical. Abi's having her girls tea party on Thursday so all the boxes should be done by then and stacked up. They are being picked up Friday. We're off to the Governors in Stanley for dinner on Friday evening along with 3 couples from base and one couple we know in Stanley - should be fun. We have to move into a transit quarter for 2 weeks so ours can be decorated and our replacements can move straight in. That move starts on Saturday. We have been told to do a minimal clean as the decorators will mess it all up!

I'm still working in pre school although only 2 sessions this week. Looks like I'll be in until the day we fly! We have our address in Brampton now but still no news on where to after that. I'm busy booking holidays while we're in the UK.

Hope all's well.

Rachael.

The Holidays

2010-04-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Jacob and Abi's Easter holidays have been extended by a week. All of the teachers went off island for Easter so they have all got stuck in the UK due to the volcanic ash. I did offer to work in the school but haven't heard anything. Hoping the teachers make it back soon as it's playing havoc with my packing and cleaning plans!

So this holiday has been relaxing. We obviously started it with the trip to Ascension, on our return we did local bits and pieces. I've included a photo of Jacob looking very pleased with himself after some successful stone skimming and one of Abi collecting pottery by the sea. We have since made a tile out of the pottery pieces with the help of our neighbour Jill. Abi smashed the pieces up and made a coaster in a heart shape, very impressive.

It has also snowed lightly over the last 2 days so I've added a photo of Abi outside of our house in the icy puddle!

I've had to work at pre school this week as 3 of the staff are stuck in the UK. Looks like I'll have to work on and off until we leave. I should still manage to sort the house as I'm only a helper at pre school not running it.

Off swimming with the kids on base. Hope all is well

Rachael.

Abi's 6th Birthday

2010-04-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Abi had a brilliant birthday even though lots of her friends were away as it fell during the Easter holidays. She was up nice and early, unfortunately the clocks change that night and we fell back so she was up at 5am! She loved the present opening, with her DSi being the favourite. Jacob got a bit jealous as he only has a DS - no idea in the difference although Abi's has a camera built in - very impressive! I've included a photo of her in bed with the DSi - nice and pink!

We played with all of the presents until 10am when Katie and Megan, the only 2 girls in her class here, arrived. Allen and Jacob had already left to go to Stanley for swimming in Allen's car. They had to go ahead as Allen's work car has a limiter on it meaning it can only do 40 miles an hour. This is due to the Stanley road being dangerous to drive on so all military vehicles are limited. I drove the girls in our own car. Swimming was fun, the Stanley pool is a leisure pool, unlike the one on base which is a big proper swimming pool. After swimming we went and set up in the town hall for the sale. Jacob and Allen stayed there while I took the girls to Malvinas for lunch. We had a lovely relaxing time, I've included on of the 3 girls and one of Abi with her Tinkerbell birthday balloon. Once lunch was done we went over to the sale. I gave each of them 2 pounds to spend and they had a great time looking round and getting their bargains! Abi came back with a hideous china doll, a book mark, lip gloss and a magic pen.

We delivered our car to the Doctor in Stanley as well so we are now carless. Allen drove us all back. We did cake in the restaurant at lunch time but as Allen and Jacob weren't with us we did it again at tea time so I've included one of Jacob, Abi and the cake.

Due to lots of girls being away Abi is having another celebration, this seems to be a theme with our birthdays. Once all the packing is done we're having a girls tea party, she's picked a castle cake for that one.

So an exciting and busy 6th Birthday is now over!

Rachael.

Ascension 2010

2010-04-12T04:23:00.000-07:00

We are just back from a week in Ascension and I really wish we were still there. It's a lovely Island that is unspoilt by tourism. A long way to go as it's an 8 hour flight from the Falklands but well worth it. We had lots of relaxing beach time and I read a couple of books, always a good way to gauge how relaxing a holiday is I think! There are a couple of photos of Jacob and Abi in the sea and then doing hand stands - which was their favourite past time over the week!

We were there at the end of the turtle season and were hoping to see some turtles laying eggs on the beach in the evening and then hatching eggs in the morning. We went down at sunset and waited until it was pitch black but didn't see anything and then got there in the dark at 6am but missed it all again! I've included a photo of Allen and the children sitting on the wall at Long beach, you can see the turtle tracks in the sand. I've also included an early morning one, note Jacob with his useful sword that he found in the only shop in Georgetown! There were some people from base staying at the same time as us and they said they'd try and get some photos for us so I'll post them if they do. Jacob also managed to buy a toy gun at the only shop in Georgetown. Abi came back with Tattoos and bubblegum - where have I gone wrong??!!

Apart from lots of relaxing on the beaches, snorkeling and swimming in the 3 different swimming pools on the island we also took part in a Hash. They did these in Cyprus but I never took part in one. Each Saturday a group of 40 ish people get together and take part in a walk/run and then afterwards have drinks and snacks. They take turns setting the walk. You follow looking for piles of paper which shows you the route. I thought it would be a mile at the most well it took us a good hour and a half and was over quite dangerous ground. We were knackered by the end and Jacob and Abi both cut their legs as we were walking over volcanic sharp rocks. I'm glad we did it as we saw more of the island and we also met some lovely people but I was very thankful for the water and beer at the end! I've included a photo of me and Abi coming down one of the hills. At the end of this walk they did the egg decorating and rolling, which they loved.

So we arrived back to the Falklands and it's been great weather since. Jacob went off and did a watchgroup meeting in Stanley on Sunday. He searched for fish in rock pools and collected mini beasts. He was meant to be collecting tea berries but I think playing on the beach was more fun. While he was there the rest of us visited a friend in Stanley which was good as we haven't seen her for ages.

We are now in the throws of sorting for selling and sorting for packing. Still no address, we'll be at Brampton, Cambridgeshire for a few months and then it's overseas again. Won't find out where until some point in May.

Hope all is well with everyone

Rachael.

Easter 2010

2010-04-12T04:11:00.000-07:00

We did two different things for Easter this year. As the same as last year Jacob and Abi entered a decorate an egg competition at school. This year Jacob chose to do a penguin and Abi a flamingo. They both made houses for their animals and I'm sure they enjoyed decorating the boxes more than sorting the actual egg! Neither of them won but they both got a cream egg for entering so they were happy. I thought they did a brilliant job, I've included a photo of them with their eggs at home.

They other thing we did for Easter was egg rolling in Ascension, there's a photo of them rolling them down the a hill at Comfortless Cove. Jacob was obviously set on destruction and Abi wanted hers to remain in one piece. They both got their wishes. Before they did the egg rolling we'd been on a Hash which I will explain in the next post.

Rachael.

Bridges and Beavers

2010-03-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Abi became a Beaver. This is a bit early due to the fact that Beavers is finishing here at Easter as there is no qualified leader. A shame but Jacob and Abi have really enjoyed it while it has lasted. So Abi is now a proper Beaver for 2 weeks! I am now busy sewing on her badges for the final meeting this coming week. Hoping they can both carry it on wherever we go next. Jacob would be due to go to cubs in Nov when he turns 8.

There was a technology challenge at school this week. The task set was to build a bridge that would span a 60cm gap. They researched different ideas and we could help out too. Jacob was a good boy and listened to our ideas and made a very solid beam bridge. Abi however did exactly the opposite and went for the most junk modeling she could and then made it as bright as possible! They are being testing by an engineer this coming week and prizes will be awarded. We have also decorated eggs this weekend as there's an egg competition at school. I'll put photos of that on next week. Prizes are being awarded for that at the end of term assembly on Thursday.

We're due to go to Ascension on Friday, this is flight dependent as me and the children are indulging, hope we get on as a relax on the beach would be great. It has been unusually sunny and calm here for a week. We went to the beach yesterday and are about to walk to the cafe. Starting to sort out things to sell before we go. Still don't know where for certain, looks like UK for 3 months and then Belgium but there may be another posting coming up so we'll see. Having a problem getting a quarter for 3 months in the UK so no address yet and they won't sort out our stuff here until we get an address so it's going around in a circle at the moment. Hopefully we'll know more by my next post.

I finish at pre school on Thursday, someone did apply for my job so pre school can continue. I've enjoyed it but am ready to finish!

Hope all is well with everyone

Rachael.

Sports Relief

2010-03-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jacob and Abi took part in the mile for Sports Relief. At Mount Pleasant there is a corridor that is very long. From school to the reception area and back is a mile. So the whole school walked the corridor doing activities on the way I have included a photo of the group doing a dance, one of Jacob jogging on the spot and one of Abi doing star jumps. Not sure how much money they raised but it was fun for everyone.

We have found out we are not going to Shrivenham but now don't know where we will be posted to. Allen can have his knee operation in May but that will depend on his next job so we're still waiting!

Only 2 weeks left at pre school and then I will have to start packing. We haven't done anything yet so it's going to be a busy time, no change there then really! Went to a leaving meal for the Chief of Staff last night and am off to a ladies night on Monday. Have booked to go to Ascension over Easter for some beach time. Abi lost another tooth, she was play biting Jacob, as a dog, and he kneed her int he mouth. I took her to the dentist but he said it would come out naturally. It did 2 minutes later!

Better get outside as it's blue skies and lovely sunshine - just have to ignore the howling gale!

Rachael.

Photography course

2010-03-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

I went on a 6 hour classroom based photo course for my digital camera followed up with a 5 hour practical session at Bertha's beach. I thought I'd put on a few photos I was proud of. I took one of Abi on her bike. I was trying to get a movement shot, which I think I did! I then took a close up of a thistle type flower. The other photos are of a Gentoo penguin coming out of the water, you can even see the drops of water on it's chest and also 2 Gentoos running through the water. The other photographers were concentrating on taking pictures of the dolphins that were jumping and surfing the waves so I snapped one of them completely oblivious to the penguins that were virtually tapping them on the feet as if top say 'what about us!' The course was good as I now feel I can keep the camera off auto and actually change the f stops and light to take different types of pictures. Allen's doing the course next week so it'll be interesting if we get the same out of it, we'll see!

Rachael.

MPA Dash

2010-03-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the whole family took part in the MPA Dash, it's all done for charity - stress and penguins this year! It was a mile and a half run as a team of ten. I organised the children's team. They had 16 in theirs so we ran some of the children in pairs. Jacob ran his with his friend Joe and Abi ran with her friend Isabelle. Luckily neither of the children wanted me to run with them! Allen ran with the boys and Rob and PK ran with the girls. There are photos of both kids running. I had my kit on, just in case an extra was needed to run with the children. However the ladies team ended up one short and I had to run for them. I say run I actually ran walked. It was extremely hard, especially when you haven't been to the gym for a few months. I just about managed although the bacon roll before hand didn't help! So there's also a photo of the ladies team and one too of the children's.

Straight after the Dash I went off to practise my photography course skills down at Bertha's Beach with the other class members. The next post will have a few of those shots on it.

Rachael.

Gaps, Kings and The York

2010-03-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

Been busy as usual so I thought I'd put a variety of photos on from the past couple of weeks. Jacob, Abi and myself went to Bertha's beach to try and swim with the dolphins. We all went in but the dolphins stayed just out of reach. We could see them but they wouldn't come close to us. It was also quite wavy and I could only hold onto one of the children at a time. Jacob gave up pretty quickly and then Abi had had enough too! I couldn't blame them as it was freezing in the water. When we started to walk back to the car there was a King Penguin in the way. You are meant to keep at least 5 metres away from them but this penguin was having none of it and wanted to come up to us. I've included a shot of J&A plus the penguin all posing for the photo!

This week Jacob, Abi and Allen went on HMS York. I couldn't go as I was working. It's the same type of ship that I went down to South Georgia on so I wanted the children to go and see what it was like. They had the morning off school and had a fun time. They each got to steer the ship. As you'll see in the photo the Captain doesn't actually steer the ship, there's a person next to him who takes direction from whoever is in charge on the bridge. A Typhoon also flew past so I've included one of the plane above the ship and one of Jacob with the Typhoon as a dot in the background - see if you can see it!!

Abi was a bit of a moaning so and so by the end of the trip, they'd shown off some guns which were noisy, she hadn't liked that part. So Allen, when they got home, pulled off her fleece quite roughly and it caught on her tooth and pulled it out. It was already wobbly! That put her in such a state that she wouldn't/couldn't go back to school in the afternoon! So I've added a gappy photo of Abi too.

I am on a photo course this week so next week's post should show if I've been listening. It seems quite complicated to me, a bit mathematical. I need to read the notes before tonight's session. We get to go to Bertha's Beach on Saturday to practice so that's good.

Should find out where we're off to on 18th March,

Rachael.

All the Ports.

2010-02-20T03:21:00.000-08:00

Just back from a few days on the West Island. We live on East Falklands and across The Sound is West Falklands. You can get the ferry which departs from New Haven, our side, and arrives at Port Howard on the West. We were booked to go on Sunday but, due to the weather, got across on Tuesday. So Allen and I had a relaxing day together on Monday as he was off work, as was I, and the children were in school. We then decided to go and stay closer to the ferry port at Darwin. It was a good start to our holiday, Jacob and Abi got to feed a lamb - see photo, and we had a lovely big en suite jacuzzi bath. The ferry left on time on the Tuesday and we arrived at Port Howard with loads of dolphins accompanying us. I've included a photo of a pair of dolphins.

We drove to Port Edgar for a 2 night stay. We were meant to get to Port Stephens too but, due to the delay, didn't make it there. At Port Edgar there was a lovely walk to a sandy beach with penguins and dolphins. It was about a 3 mile round trip and the children were great. We stayed on the beach for a while while everyone played, ate and relaxed. I've included a photo of another dolphin, a different type to the Port Howard ones, a photo of the family and then one of J & A playing in the sand. Abi returned with flea bites from the penguins - delightful! She also had a handful of splinters, literally, from a broken seesaw she found.

After our 2 nights at Port Edgar we drove back to Port Howard for a night in the lodge before the ferry trip back. The lodge was as good as ever, great food and relaxing. So it's now cut back time on the food! Jayne and Roly take over from us in May, we'll find out where we're going at the end of next month. We now have to start cooking strange dishes to use up all the food on the freezer!

Off to a garden fete thing in the Governor's House tomorrow with Abi, hoping to go in with the dolphins again with Allen too this time at Burtha's Beach at some point over the weekend. Real mix of weather here, snow, sleet, wind, rain, sun and hail.

Hope all is well

Rachael.

School Council

2010-02-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Abi is now a member of the school council. She had to do a little speech about how she would improve the school and then the class voted. Jacob spoke too and came second, not bad as, when we discussed it at home, he said he wasn't going to bother. I've put in a photo of her getting the badge at assembly.

There's also a photo of the new Typhoon, the fast jet down here. They changed the runway for the afternoon so they kept flying pretty low over the houses. It's very graceful to watch and goes vertical quite quickly after take off.

We're on half term this coming week. Jacob and Abi only got 2 days but we've taken them out for the week as we are off to West Falkland to explore the parts we've not seen yet. I've handed in my notice at pre school as we now have a date for going, well a vague one! Should be leaving mid May for Allen to have the op on his knee. So only 3 months left, have just about done all I wanted to here so that'll be about right. No location in the UK for us yet, not even sure it will be the UK. Hope the wind dies down or I reckon the ferry will be cancelled until tomorrow, oh well!

Rachael xx

Camping at Elephant Beach Farm

2010-02-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I went camping with Jacob and Abi. We joined a bigger group, the Conservation Watchgroup, which Jacob is a member of. It's about 2 hours from the base and is close to the coast. It was tipping it down and blowing a gale when we arrived so we popped into the house for a cup of tea while mad people tried to put up their tents! As soon as the sun came out we then pitched the tent, with help. I'd borrowed one from the store room here and it was great, especially as another family had the same one so they helped to put up our one! Allen didn't make it on the trip due to work, he's playing war this week and has loads to do.

So after a picnic lunch we went off on our first off road proper experience. Abi and I were in a car with one of the Stanley ladies called Anna. She was lovely and was driving a Freelander (like ours out here), so we gave me lots of confidence about driving off road. We stopped to look at a colony of penguins, Jacob and Abi returned to the cars covered in penguin poo - delightful. Luckily they were head to toe in waterproofs as at the next stop, a beach to clean, it tipped it down. So all of the penguin poo was washed off. There are some photos from the camp site and the beach we cleaned. Off to the next beach where they did racing games, played on a piece of drift wood and made an impressive castle. After a 40 min drive back we settled down to sorting the BBQ, calm weather returned and it was a fun night of games and wine. Eventually got to sleep around midnight with Abi crammed into my sleeping bag as she was cold!

We awoke to ice on the tent but the sun soon melted it all off. After taking the tent down off we went on another off road experience this time to Cape Dolphin. I went in a car with Sally this time, another Falkland lady. We went to see the elephant seals, no dolphins though. It was a much longer drive with Sally letting every child in the car sit on her lap and drive. Abi thought this was wonderful, Jacob was in another car and was a tad jealous, I was just scared really! We stopped for a picnic in the tussock grass before returning and then getting into our own cars to drive back to base. A brilliant weekend with both the kids wanting to go camping straight away again, we will but perhaps in a couple of weeks!

Rachael.

In the Sea with Dolphins

2010-02-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone

I managed to actually get in the sea at Bertha's Beach so I could see the dolphins close up. They came up right next to us. I took a video clip that I will try and upload, if it doesn't work I'll just add photos! It was truly amazing. They swam right up to our legs, I was a bit worried that they would swim into us. It was definitely worth braving the 10 degree sea to be in with them. I went with 2 ladies who teach in pre school with me. Now I need to get down there with Jacob and Abi as we only had to go in up to our waists although a wave did get me on the head as I was facing the wrong way, still worth it though. So here goes with the upload....

Rachael.

A Relaxing Weekend

2010-01-18T08:20:00.000-08:00

For once we had a quiet weekend. We skipped the Mess Happy Hour on Friday as Jacob and Abi had woken up at 5.30am so were pretty tired by 5pm! Instead we had a tasty tea and DVD together. Saturday is homework morning, then, as it was rubbish weather, I took them to see Where the Wild Things Are at the cinema. This is one of my favourite books, mainly due to the illustrations. The film was good but a little sad for me. Abi was a fidget bum and was on and off my lap for most of the film. They did enjoy it.

Jacob is now riding his bike with much more confidence so we decided to cycle to the Mess for a late breakfast on Sunday. I've included a photo of them both cycling around our circle. It was a calm day here on Sunday, very unusual, so we played some golf out the back of the house - another photo of that. Then we did a walk up Pleasant Peak. It's very close to the base. You may well see the base in the back of one of the photos. There are 2 memorials up there but we've only managed to get to one of them so far. So, on Sunday, we climbed to both. Quite steep drops in places but we were fine. Abi managed to sit in a very wet patch and Jacob's foot went in a really muddy bog bit but everyone enjoyed it. I felt like I'd worked off my cooked breakfast and Jacob and Abi loved the rock climbing. The rest of the day was spent playing outside, going on the bikes and playing at the park.

As I'm typing this it is throwing it down, probably a bit like the UK!

Hope all is well with everyone

Rachael.

Grandma's Second week

2010-01-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

We've been out and about showing Marion things that she didn't see last time she was here. We went to Fitzroy, two ships were sunk here during the 1982 conflict so there are quite a few memorials to the sailors lost at sea. I've put in a photo of one of them. We spent quite a bit of time skimming stones on the beach as well as looking at all of the memorials.

We also had a night in Stanley. We stayed at the Hillside camp, it's an extension of our base here. It mainly has a bomb/weapon disposal section there that deals with old weapons that have been found around the Falklands. These date back to the first world war but a lot are from 1982. We had a tour of the things that they have found over the years and it was quite surprising. We also walked to the lighthouse. There's a memorial at the lighthouse for the Atlantic Conveyor. Another ship that was lost in 1982, it was a big loss as it was carrying supplies and helicopters. We had a very nice meal out in town but a disturbed nights sleep due to heavy rain and people having a party next door!

We also went to Darwin house for Smoko, coffee and cakes. It was rather tasty. After gobbling lots of cakes we went for a walk to the Brodie Creek Suspension Bridge. It's the most Southerly located suspension bridge in the world. I've included a photo of it, it is rather knackered and you can't go on it any more!

Put our red car up for sale and sold it easily so that's good. Took our 'new' Freelander off roading to the bridge and it managed easily.

The flights in and out of here are a bit all over the place due to the UK weather. It's 2 days late in at the moment. Hoping Marion's flight will still go ahead on Tuesday. School starts again Tuesday, holidays go way too quickly for me. The weather here has warmed up but it's been pretty showery.

Hope all is well with everyone

Rachael.

Carcass Island

2010-01-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

We have just returned from a 2 night away trip to Carcass Island. It takes about an hour and 5 mins to get there by helicopter. It's to the far west of the West Island of the Falklands (we live on the East Island). It's a beautiful island, similar to Pebble. The seas around it are so blue and green, truly breath taking. I could have easily sat and stared at the sea for most of the time, well that would be if I didn't have Jacob and Abi to sort out! We stayed in a fully catered lodge. The food was excellent so now the diet starts! We got there in time for afternoon tea and then went out to the closest beach, a 30 second walk. The first 2 photos are from that afternoon. There's a cruise ship in the distance, they were only there for the afternoon and we didn't see them our end. We had loads of Magellanic penguins around, 2 even lived in the lodge's garden. Six French people arrived on our first night, very noisy and got up at 5am to go out and take photos. They only stayed one night thankfully.

The next day, Rob, the owner, drove us to a beach 2 and a half miles away. It was full of magellanics, so full we weren't sure were to sit! We then walked back and spent the afternoon building sandcastles with moats and relaxing in the sun.

On Monday Rob dropped us at the far end of the island so we could see the elephant seals. The next photos are of 2 elephant seals, Jacob took the shot and then one of elephant seals and penguins. We walked quite a way along the coast and it was full of the huge seals, we had to be careful were we were walking so as not to tread on penguins or seals. We had a lovely break away. The weather was gorgeous and the food excellent.

Allen's got most of this week off so hoping to go into Stanley and visit a few places that Marion hasn't seen yet. I'm showing Lady Peach around pre school tomorrow, no kids in though as we're still on holiday so a bit of a waste of time really. Oh well it'll make me tidy it up I suppose!

Hope all's well

Rachael.

Allen's 39th Birthday

2009-12-31T03:18:00.000-08:00

Allen celebrated his 39th Birthday yesterday. He had a relaxing start with coffee and bacon sandwiches in bed. He then went off to the gym for 2 hours. I made him prawn sandwiches with a special homemade seafood sauce in for lunch and then we went off to the beach again. It was very different to the day before weather wise. It was blowing a gale and a bit damp! We did however see a king penguin, some gentoos and some magellanics. I've not seen all of those at Burtha's before so I was impressed. The kids had fun playing in the sand. Unfortunately it was too rough for the dolphins.

We then went to the cafe for cakes and I cooked a fish tea that everyone enjoyed. We made Allen a ghost cake and put candles that were like sparklers in - I've included a photo of Allen and the kids with the cake and one from the beach.

We then watched the new Star Trek film which I really enjoyed (I slept through the last one I watched!).

Happy New Year everyone

Rachael.

Grandma's Arrival

2009-12-31T03:02:00.001-08:00

Grandma Melrose arrived safely on Monday afternoon. The airbridge down here is currently a bit all over the place. FlyGlobeSpan went bust, that's the airline that was used from here to the UK. So now it's any airline they can get! Marion came on HiFly. It had rained all day but as she landed it cleared up and was a lovely calm evening. The next day was sunny so we got the key for the beach and headed down there. It was beautiful, calm (unusual) and sunny. We same loads of dolphins. I've included one of a jumping dolphin. They were really showing off, splashing their tails and swimming through the waves. We also saw a group of penguin swimming. I've also put in a photo of Marion and the kids on the beach and one of just the beach as it looked so good!

Rachael.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-31T02:24:00.000-08:00

We had a very Merry time over Christmas. Jacob and Abi were up at 5am, I couldn't believe it! Santa had delivered a stocking to their bedrooms, a mistake on his part I think. They'd opened this and were outside our room by 5.30am. I was annoyed I'd missed the present opening but luckily Santa had delivered another stocking under the tree in the lounge so at least I saw them opening that one. So they were in front of a Spongbob DVD by 7am and we were back to bed!

We gradually opened presents during the morning. I've put in a photo of Jacob playing with his favourite present - his Playmobil house and accessories, a brilliant ebay purchase. The other is of Abi in her pink roller boots. She wore them all day.

Our babysitter came around at 11.30 for bucks fizz and Jacob and Abi decorated Christmas biscuits. At 12.30 we went a couple of houses up the road for our big Christmas celebration. Lunch with 33 was fun, loud and definitely not boring! Joss had set a table for 13 kids in the conservatory and another one for 20 adults in the lounge/dining room. One family had done starter for everyone, very tasty and then we progressed with other families bringing dishes for main course and then pudding. We took gammon, mince pies and brownies. There was loads of food and lots of wine flowing. We staggered home at 7pm to watch Dr Who - I slept through it and had to watch the repeat! I've put in a photo of me and Allen at the dining table and one more of the kids in front of the tree at our house.

Hope everyone had a Happy Christmas!

Rachael.

Santa at MPA!

2009-12-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

Jacob and Abi went to the children's Christmas party on base today. It was a lovely weather day so I walked across with them. They then played outside in a courtyard for most of the party. Lots of the adults were hung over from the Christmas do at the Mess. Allen went into work and to the gym so he missed it all. I enjoyed chatting and sitting in the sun. Santa arrived and gave out all the gifts. I've put in a photo of Jacob and Abi with Santa and then one of Jacob pulling a cracker - a great face on him! A busy week ahead leading up to Christmas Day when we're sharing dinner with 33 neighbours. Have a Merry time everyone,

Rachaelxxxx

Last days in Chile.

2009-12-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

On the Wednesday we went back to Lago Grey and did the walk to the icebergs and then the children played in the sand dunes for an hour or so while I slept in the sun and Allen read his book. We then had a picnic in the forest and did another hike to a nearby campsite. It was relaxing and fun. The only down side of the park was no ice cream places and it being very dusty and dirty. Not many people spoke English and we know no Spanish so I felt quite thick alot of the time. It made me want to learn the language so I'll be looking into that - when I have the time! Thursday was a day around our cabin. We did a walk up the nearby hill and a wander along the river. Jacob and Abi, once again, spent alot of their time with the kittens and dogs. They were both keen to take a kitten home on the plane, luckily I persuaded them not to. I've included photos of J&A with the dog and kittens and one of an over all view from above where we were staying. We drove back to Punta and popped into the town for lunch. Managed to buy J&A shoes while we were there. Had our last night back at La Casa Escondida, again with excellent BBQ. We then flew out on the Saturday arriving back in time for me to have my hair cut for our Christmas do at the Mess that evening. It was a good holiday followed by a fun night out with friends.

One more post to end the week and it's seeing Santa!....

Glacier Grey

2009-12-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we decided to do the Glacier Grey boat trip. We had a lazy morning at our cabin - Hosteria Tyndall, where Jacob and Abi played with the 2 Labradors and 4 stray kittens. They built the kittens a little house. I was amazed that the kittens let them pick them up and cart them around without too much scratching. We had a drink in the hotel before we set sail. We were the only Brits on the trip, the rest were German. We went past a few icebergs on the way to the glacier. Allen was in charge of the camera so there are no photos of them. A shame really as they were really dark blue due to their age. We stopped en route to pick up some campers from a camp site on the lake's edge - German too. Abi had a great time playing with the microphone and singing Christmas songs. Jacob did drawing most of the time plus a few songs too! Allen and I enjoyed the views. When we got to the glacier we had lots of photo opportunities, it was strange as it's actually quite dirty and ridged close up. It is also lots of different shades of blue. I've put in a photo of Allen and Abi in front of a part of the glacier and one of me and Allen enjoying a pisco sour - Chilean drink with Glacial ice in it. I had had a pisco sour in the Falklands as one of our neighbours had been posted there but this one was lovely as it was made with fresh lemons. Allen and I actually had about 3 pisco sours so the rest of the journey was very enjoyable! There's also a photo of J&A on the boat in their life jackets.

Next post our last days in Chile...

First hike in Torres Del Paine

2009-12-20T11:34:00.000-08:00

Our first proper day in the park was lovely. Sunny but windy, which we're used to living in the Falklands. I've included a photo of me and the children as we'd just driven through the entrance to the Park with the main mountains in the background. The views were all stunning and the colours were amazing. We then drove to the parking area of the Salto Grande - Big Falls. It was very windy walking up to the falls but they were good to look at. Nothing like Niagara but good all the same! We then did a 4 km hike to Mirador Cuernos, stopping on the way by the side of a lake for a picnic lunch. I've added a photo of me and the kids near the waterfall and one of us on the walk and the final one is us at the end. We then had to walk all the way back to the car, not too many moans due to bribes with chocolate buttons. We went back to our cabin where the children loved exploring outside. It is set on the River Serrano, a huge river with good fishing apparently.

Next post Lago Grey Glacier....

First day at Torres Del Paine, Chile.

2009-12-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we drove to Portes Natales. It's about 2 and a bit hours from Punta and is a tourist town for the park. It was election day so the supermarket didn't open until 3pm. We found a cafe for lunch and waited until the shops opened. Being election day also meant we couldn't buy alcohol which was a pain. Then we set off for the National Park - Torres Del Paine. It was an hour and a half on gravel roads, just like the Stanley Road (Dad you'd have loved it!) The first photo is of us on the way into the area with Lake Toro in the background, the colours are amazing. So we arrived very dusty. We had booked self catering, the only self catering around. It was just outside the boundary to the park itself. It was an older place and was a bit run down but was just what we needed. We had a 2 bedroomed cabin and then went in to the main hotel for breakfast. On arrival we were the only people there but, as the week went on, more people arrived. I've also put in a photo of the view from our cabin with strange clouds and one of Allen and the kids outside the cabin. Next will be our first proper day in the park....

Chile 2009

2009-12-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

I am doing 5 posts to cover the last week as I have so many photos I want to include! We flew to Punta Arenas last Saturday. It was the quickest flight that we had done in a while being a fast hour and 15 mins, the kids couldn't get over the fact that we got a drink and a snack, read 2 stories and we had landed. They didn't even get time to go to the loo on board. Anyway we arrived at Punta, Chile around 5pm. The plane we got off was going up to Santiago so as we waited for our bags we were a bit worried when one didn't arrive. A lot of arm movements and waving of tickets and someone went to find our lost bag - I wasn't that bothered as it was all of Allen and Jacob's clothes in the missing bag! Anyway 30 mins later it did appear. The person meeting us at the airport spoke excellent English - not a common thing in Chile as we found out. He helped with the retrieval of the lost bag and then drove us to his Bed and Breakfast. We were greeted with beer - always a good sign in my books. It was a lovely place, all wooden set in a forest with play bits for the children. We were the only people that night so they gave us 2 ensuite rooms next to each other. They cooked a tasty BBQ for us that night and brought their children around - Deigo and Vincente, we didn't see the kids until bed time and it was great! I've put in a photo of Abi outside the B&B, all built by the owner. There's also one of them in the tyre climbing thing and one of us enjoying breakfast. So we had a brilliant relaxing start to our holiday. Torres Del Paine next.......

My 2 Angels!

2009-12-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas is upon us in the Falklands, strange as it's not dark until 9.30pm and the weather has improved 100% as it's stopped snowing! Jacob and Abi did their Christmas Nativity/7 lessons and carols show at school. It was held in the church and they had lit it nicely and used black out blinds. Jacob was the thousands of angels and Abi was angel Gabriel. I think they had chosen Abi due to her blonde hair and she probably is an angel at school but I reckon she would have been better placed as a little devil at present! So Abi did have a bit to say and she did it brilliantly. The singing was excellent too and we are all still humming along to some of the tunes. It was well rehearsed but I think J&A are pleased it's over and they could get back to normal things at school. I've put a group shot in and one of just my angels too.

They also had an end of term assembly where J&A got their level 2 waterskills badges. They are great swimmers and will beat me easily pretty soon, must get their water skills from their Dad I think, I am a good floater though! So the other photo is from the assembly. Abi also got her smiley card 5 and Jacob his number 6 so all is going well at school. Both J&A's best friends left over the last few weeks. Abi is missing Emma loads and Jacob's a bit lost without Harry. I know they'll sort themselves out especially as we've got a month off now.

Pre school was hectic this last week. We didn't have time to get everything done as planned and our Nativity was a bit different with our crocodile and fairy instead of sheep and kings - oh well I loved it and so did they. Everyone stayed for lunch afterwards and played outside as we've got lovely sunshine at present.

We go to Chile for a week tomorrow so the next post will be about that. I'm so looking forward to a week away with the family. It's been very busy socially here recently so a break will do us all good.

Have fun decorating for Christmas

Rachael.

Jacob's Birthday - a bit late!

2009-12-03T02:15:00.000-08:00

Hi
Jacob celebrated his 7th Birthday while I was in South Georgia. He had a party at the bowling alley on base for all of his class and then, on his actual birthday, he had a friend (Harry) and his brother (Ben) round for tea. I felt bad for missing it but I think Jacob had a wonderful time on both days. After bowling they went to the cafe for chicken nuggets and chips - his favourite!
I did phone him from the ship each day so I knew what was going on. Mum had to make 3 lots of cakes, the party one was a coffin, his actual day a number 7 cake and then cup cakes to take into school too - no silly rule out here that you can't take cakes into school thankfully.
Allen was in charge of photos so of course there aren't many! I've included on of him and Abi on the 10th Nov, one of Jacob in his new top sent by his friend Jacob in Arizona and one of him with his number 7 cake. Luckily lovely friends here helped out with the party so it was well in control even though I was away, so thank you Jacqueline and Dianne.
Hoping I don't ever miss another of their birthdays.
Rachael.
PS will add the photos later as it's playing up!

Pebble with Grandma and Grandad.

2009-11-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

We had a busy 3 days at Pebble Island. We were meant to be there for 2 nights but it was extended to 3 due to rubbish weather so the helicopter couldn't fly to come and get us. Pebble is about a 30 min flight from base. The helicopter flies pretty low so you get great views on the way. Allen had to cancel coming due to an important visitor coming to base. We were delayed on the way out due to a leak in the gear box, this, of course, filled me with confidence as I love to fly at the best of times! So after a 2 hour delay we got to Pebble. It's about 19 miles in length, you stay at a lodge that is fully catered. We walked to a beautiful beach where Jacob and Abi played in the sand dunes while Mum and Dad walked to the water. The next day we did a 4 by 4 tour of the island. Two cars went, we were with a bloke called Ken who had been on Pebble during the 1982 conflict. He was very interesting and great with the kids. He lost his hearing in one ear due to a bomb dropping in the harbour on the Island. There is a memorial to the HMS Conventry which sank in May 1982 15 miles off Pebble. Only 20 people died on that day which is amazing as it only took 35 mins oft the ship to sink. We also got to see lots of penguins. We actually saw all 5 types that live on the Falklands so that was great for Mum and Dad. So we saw Magellanic, gentoos, kings, rockhoppers and one macaroni. I have included photos from the rockhopper colony - a huge area. You could get really close to the wildlife, as you can hopefully tell from photos. The next day we were meant to be flying back but by 2pm they had decided to not fly. Ken kindly took us out again and we went and saw another rockhopper colony that also had cormorants inbetween then. So we were lucky to get another day. The couple who run Pebble were lovely and Abi spent a lot of the time in the kitchen playing with their dog and keeping Jacqui company.

Mum and Dad have had rubbish weather but, over the last few days, it's cleared up. So they went up on a VC10, my idea of hell, but they loved it! They got to see Typhoons refuel mid air and sit behind the pilot. Dad also got to go fishing but he didn't catch anything!

I have loved having them here, I have been completely spoilt so it's going to be hard as they leave tomorrow along with Allen who's in the UK for a week to have his MRI scan on his knee. I'll let you know what happens. I'm off out on Saturday night for an informal curry night and then the rest of the week will be busy as usual. I am hosting a farewell to the Station Commander's wife next Friday and then there's a dinner in the mess to say farewell on the Saturday.

Only 2 weeks left of school so we start Christmas next week, I love it all so I don't mind being early!

Rachael.

South Georgia

2009-11-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from a once in a lifetime trip to South Georgia. First of all South Georgia is a small island 800 miles South East of the Falkland Islands. I managed to get aboard warship HMS Gloucester that was on a manoeuvre down there. It was all luck as the lady that was meant to go fell pregnant and she wasn't allowed so I was asked last minute. Mum and Dad were down here visiting so I had built in child care as Allen cannot guarantee to be around when needed.

So it took 3 days to get down to the Antarctic. Once we crossed the Antarctic Convergence Zone we were on iceberg watch, a bit scary but the crew worked like a well oiled machine it was amazing to watch. There were 21 guests on board although there were only 9 of us in the officers part. I shared a cabin with another wife called Mel. There were only us two as wives the rest were mainly service personnel. We were very lucky as we got on like a house on fire and did everything on offer.

I've included a photo of a glacier as we arrived in South Georgia, a beautiful sight. We stopped at Grytvikin which is where the British Antarctic Survey people are based. We anchored off shore for 2 days and I went ashore both days. I saw king penguins, elephant seals, fur seals and albatross. There's also a museum there, a post office, a whaling station and a church. We had a remembrance service in the church, a strange experience as when we had the 2 min silence I looked out of the window and saw 3 king penguins wandering past! Another of the photos is of me taking a photo of one king penguin in the snow. As you can see we had varied weather but it didn't stop us doing anything.

We also got to have a helicopter trip over South Georgia. I've put a photo in of the helicopter getting ready to go off the end of the ship. The helicopter ride was great, South Georgia is truly beautiful. We also stopped at Gold Bay where there was a colony of over 50,000 king penguins plus 1000's of elephant seals. They were all burping and farting so it was very noisy and smelly!

We finally stopped in Leith Harbour and then moved to Stromness Harbour. We got to go ashore again and sat amongst the fur seals that smell like skunks and are quite violent if provoked.

While on board we got major tours of the ship. I helped out in the galley and made cakes for 240 people - harder than it sounds. We had a go at driving too, more stressful than I imagined. So as you can probably tell I had a brilliant time. I couldn't have gone if it wasn't for Mum, Dad and Allen so I owe them a major thank you. They have also had rubbish weather since I've been away. I obviously missed everyone loads and felt really bad for missing Jacob's birthday. I will put some photos on from his birthday next! Didn't get sea sick at all which was good as it was pretty rough. Did see one bloke throw up so people were definitely feeling bad.

Off to Pebble island tomorrow so I will include some photos of Mum and Dad in the next post.

Hope all is well.

Rachael.

Half Term

2009-11-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

Well we have had a week off and, as usual, it has flown past. We began half term at Race Point Farm. They have a 2 bedroomed self catering cottage so we stayed 2 nights. We ate with Michelle, John and Tahlia each night so it felt like more of a break for me! We all enjoyed our time away, Jacob and Abi loved the quad bikes - photos of Abi on her own and Jacob on with John. Jacob did drive the smaller one on his own too. Allen enjoyed the 2 long walks we did, one to the coast and the other up Finlay Ridge. I liked not cooking and meeting new people. I've put in a photo from the cottage. They had horses as well as cows and sheep so we've booked to go back in December so we can go horse riding.

On the way back to base we stopped off at Goose Green to look at the sheep shearing. It was not what I'd expected. They all shear in a long row and don't speak, it's so busy. They also cut the sheep quite a lot and just sew them up with needle and thread. It was pretty bloody. I wasn't keen but Jacob and Abi loved it. The shearers get 60p a fleece and it takes about 2mins to shear a sheep. It smelt of sheep dip, the sheep were very well behaved once they were flipped over. Glad I've seen it, I was thinking of doing a pre school trip to see shearing but I think it's a bit too bloody for them.

The last 2 days of the holiday were spent on base as the weather was good and the children were all playing out together. We were out for 2 nights, a leaving thing and a welcome one. Both good nights, one Thai and one Mexican.

Halloween dawned with Abi rushing in to our room shouting happy Halloween we opened the curtains to find snow on the ground and more falling! We'd decorated the house beautifully - thank you Auntie Wendy and to Jim for sending us bits and pieces that were all well used. Abi wanted to go trick and treating at 7am but, as she was off to a 5th Birthday party, I managed to keep her in normal clothes until 5.30 pm when we met up with 15 other children and Mums for a mass trick or treating. It was great fun except for the freezing weather. It snowed, hailed and rained on us during our hour out! Everyone came back to us afterwards for food and drinks, 30 people half of whom were high on sugar! It was brilliant fun though and everyone left happy, tired and full up! So the other photo is of us before going trick and treating.

Sunday was a clear up morning: 30 people made their mark. We then went into Stanley for a swimming party. They had a huge inflatable thing for the children to play on. Abi was fine until she bumped her teeth. She's lost one top front tooth already and we'll be off to the dentist again tomorrow as the bang has put it at a weird angle again. They had a brilliant time and Allen and I managed to go for lunch, lovely organic beef burger. Jacob was on the inflatable for the whole hour, he loved it.

So Mum and Dad will be here tomorrow, I'm very excited. My other bit of news is I'm off to South Georgia (near the South Pole) on the HMS Gloucester on Friday 6th Nov. I'm away for 10 to 12 days. I will miss Jacob's birthday and I wouldn't be doing this unless Mum and Dad were here to help out with Jacob and Abi. I should be taking some amazing photos down there. It will be strange seeing penguins in the snow and icebergs. I'm going to miss the kids and Allen loads, I've only ever done 2 nights away before but it's an opportunity of a lifetime so I'm taking it. Will post once I have some photos of the grandparents!

Rachael.

Another Celebration Assembly.

2009-10-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

We've had another busy week which finished with Jacob and Abi's school Celebration Assembly. These are get togethers at school when the parents come in a see what the children have been doing and the certificates are given out. Jacob and Abi's topic has been about the Great Fire of London in 1666. They have learnt a lot and so have we! Did you know only 6 people died in the fire, even though most of London had to be rebuilt. Anyway, they were both in a play written by the children about the fire. Jacob was Thomas, the baker who was responsible for the fire, and Abi was his wife. They were brilliant and I've included a photo from their performance. Abi was brought in 2 days before the performance as 2 children suddenly went on holiday, so she was given a certificate for doing so well. They both got their smiley certificates - an ongoing reward system in their class. Jacob got his number 5 which meant he got a dib in the treasure box. He came back with a packet of jumping beans! Abi got her number 4 smiley. There is a photo of them getting these certificates too.

On Saturday afternoon we went to a Fun Day at Port Harriet - a field on the way to Stanley. It was very windy and strange. Not what we had expected. It was literally a big gathering with a BBQ, sheep and lots of Falkland Islanders drinking. Jacob did a potato and spoon race and won. Abi just jumped up and down on a big blue mat. We lasted 20 mins and then went back to the cafe on base for cakes! That night Allen and I went to Trafalgar Night in the Mess. A good night. I sat next to a Naval Officer called Alan Wilson and an Army Officer. The Navy bloke was nice to chat to but the Army officer was very Army. He's itching to go to Afghanistan even though he has 2 young kids and a wife, I don't understand it, but as he said, it's what he's joined up to do. He doesn't want to be down here, so funnily enough I found him hard to talk to. Had a fun evening though, never been to a Navy night before, lots of booze and singing. I was good and stopped drinking at the end of the meal unlike Allen who has suffered today. Allen has been good though as he took the children swimming with a hangover while I went to pre school. Had lunch altogether at the Mess and ended up in the cafe again!

Abi and I had an arty session this afternoon. We made plaster of paris magnet things and windmills, there's a photo of Abi with hers.

Busy with pre school stuff this week, half term the following week when we are off staying at 2 different farms.

Rachael.

Gappy Abi!

2009-10-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Abi has 'lost' her top tooth. It was loose but, with a helpful hit from Jacob, it stuck at a weird angle. It kept bleeding when she ate anything and looked very strange. Allen phoned our dentist (I have his 2 little boys in pre school) and, luckily, he had a free hour. So Allen took her up, I was actually in the gym, and he decided to pull it out. They did numb it but he pulled it out with his finger so it was pretty wobbly. Abi was very brave, Allen not so much - I learnt this from the dentist who I phoned to see what had happened. Allen and Abi went to the cafe afterwards and Abi managed a whole big cake so I wasn't too worried about her! I've included a photo of her on a friend's trampoline, dressed as a wizard with her gap showing.

Have also been to the Conservation Ball since updating the blog. It was a fun night. We even got our picture in the Penguin news = the only paper printed in the Falklands. I've been to book club, read one about a Chinese Dancer, very good, especially as I thought I would hate it! Also had a ladies dinner that was good too.

Had children for a sleep over on Saturday. They were very well behaved, except Abi. The 3 boys did as they were told but Abi was Abi really. She was up at 4am and, after I gave her a cuddle, went back to sleep until 6am - great fun. We were then at a 4th birthday party the next day and Abi lost it because she was so tired. Jacob went to the cinema with Allen; Allen had organised a Dad's day to see Transformers 2 - mainly for the dads I reckon.

Had parent conferences today. Their teacher gave them glowing reports. It was nice to hear that about Jacob as his behaviour at school last term was a problem. The worst thing about Abi was that she takes a while to get in from playtime because she is so busy talking to everyone on the way - wonder where she gets that from??!!

So Allen's out tonight with work, I'm off to a ladies drink thing Tuesday and it's Trafalgar Night Saturday so we're busy as ever.

Hope all is well

Rachael.

I've pulled a Tornado!

2009-09-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well today I managed to pull a Tornado, not on my own of course, with a team of 10 ladies. It was a lot harder than I thought for, but we did the 30 metres in 2.07 mins. There were two ladies teams and we beat the other team. To start with the rope was very thick and rather wet. Next we were all a bit close together and I was worried I'd be treading on people's feet and thirdly it was extremely heavy! I've put in a few photos of the day. It was all for charity and was good fun. There's a party here today to say goodbye to the Tornado's as that particular type of fast jet has been decommissioned. The new type of jet (not allowed to put the name according to Allen) arrived last week, just another fast jet to me but everyone seems very excited about them.

I've also put in a couple of photos from Jacob and Abi's assembly on Friday. It was the school's 21st birthday so they had a party day. Jacob got another certificate and they both got one to commemorate the 21st birthday. Off ten pin bowling later as Jacob got his 20 star stickers. Tomorrow we are going to our first Conservation Group meeting. Jacob has joined for the year and it's a meet and greet session. Abi's off swimming with Allen. So lets hope the snow stops for our drive into Stanley tomorrow, yes it's been a snowy day here today. Hoping for sun again soon.

Rachael.

Planting and parties!

2009-09-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have just finished doing some planting with Jacob and Abi. It's coming on for Spring now so as it's difficult to get lettuce I decided we should grow some. So today we planted tomatoes, from seed, a variety of lettuce, cornflowers, marigolds, basil, coriander and poppies. We don't get many flowers here either so I thought it'd be nice to try and grow some. I'll let you know what happens! It took us an hour and everyone and everything got very mucky. There's a couple of photos of the planting.

Jacob and Abi have been to a couple of parties recently so there are 2 photos, one of Jacob and Abi playing a games at Ben's 5th Birthday and one of Abi singing at Cara's 5th Birthday. They had fun at both but have got to learn that they can't win every game as we had quite a few tears after each game was played. They are now banned from the next party invite for being so silly.

We also went and saw Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs. It's an animated film, 3D in the UK but not in the Falklands. Jacob's been doing a behaviour chart at school and, if he got all of his stickers this week, he chose to go to the cinema. I was very cross after their behaviour at Ben's party but I had to take them to the cinema as Jacob has been a very good boy at school. Anyway I really enjoyed the film as did the children. It only came out in the UK cinema's this weekend so it was good we had it down here.

Abi's off in a minute for Smokoes at Darwin with a friend and Jacob and I are going into pre school to set it up for tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing Allen back tomorrow.

Rachael.