Friends and Lego

Hi

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!

Hi

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.

Hi

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.

Hi

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.

Hi

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.

Hi

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.

Hi

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.