tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32990046036316450872024-03-14T05:48:44.162+00:00. . . . Ricks Extra Long Summer . . . .rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.comBlogger601125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-7860214997457254122024-03-04T04:16:00.000+00:002024-03-04T04:16:31.613+00:00Florida 24 -Your approval is pending.<p> It's been a hectic year so far - House stuff, builders, work, family visitors, pooping or not - Illnesses and all the usual gubbins associated with being a tiny little growing family. </p><p>One thing we were all looking forward though to, was our yearly winter vacation. This year we were heading to Florida - a nice warm holiday with swimming, rocket launches, a beach, lots of things to do and some time to have fun together. </p><p>Florida trip day 1..kind of..</p><p>So earlier today, (Friday Feb 23rd) the cleaners arrived to clean the house after the plumbers, builders, electricians and carpet fitters had spent the last month destroying and rebuilding our stairs and cupboards so that they pass the 'code' and permits would be issued. Luckily 'Paul', who did the renovations and sold us the house paid for the lot as it was still his house when the jobs were picked up. Also luckily, it would all be finished today, just in time for our holiday. <span> </span>The inspector arrived at 3.15pm - we were due to leave for the airport at 3.30pm. We were very happy to hear the permits would be issued, so we headed to the airport. </p><p>Unfortunately, when we arrived and tried to check in it became apparent that I had forgotten something pretty important- As an English Passport holder I would need an ESTA <span face="Roboto, Calibri, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7); color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;">Electronic System for Travel Authorization </span>for entry to USA and with everything going on these past few months I had simply forgotten to get one. This had happened to me before though and I knew I could apply online and get instant approval as I had done once in the past. So while Buffy and the kids waited, I went through the appallingly looooong 7-step on-line application on my phone- including my mum and dad's names, contact details in the USA and all sorts of info. I pressed complete and the screen flashed up..........</p><p><b> 'Your approval is pending, this could take up to 72 hours'.</b> </p><p>It was 1 hour till the check-in closed.</p><p>The check-in staff said I could wait till the last minute if needed. </p><p>We waited and refreshed the screen and waited and refreshed the screen and then the check-in closed at 5pm. I was told that maybe could still get me on the flight if the approval came right now, but sadly it did not. </p><p>Then at 5.26pm, as I refreshed the screen, it changed to 'Authorization Approved'. I rushed to the check-in, and they called the gate, but the passenger manifest had been given to the USA security and I was not on it. My name had been removed as a passenger. Buff called from where she was already waiting in departures with the kids and tried asking the staff at the gate, but they could do nothing. </p><p>I would not be taking this flight. </p><p>I will not be going on holiday to Florida today. </p><p>I was gutted. Absolutely gutted, and it was all my fault for forgetting about the ESTA. (As a side note, I no longer need to do this after this trip as I have been approved for Canadian citizenship and will be sworn in 2 days after the Floridian holiday. Life sometimes smacks you right in the balls and then tickles you just for shits eh!? ) </p><p>So what to do now? Buffy had quickly and correctly decided that their holiday would go ahead and they were already boarding. But we had cars booked with me as a driver so I quickly contacted the car people and added Buffy as a driver which was really easy, to be honest. (We booked through Turo, it's like Airbnb for cars) So that was done. Hotel and day-out bookings are all done online so there should be no issues with those. But Buffy may have to deal with the kids, on her own for a week. if I can't get out there. </p><p>So I looked online for flights to Florida, expecting to get nothing and found a flight at 6.30am, tomorrow with Sunwing. But for some reason, on my phone, there was no button to 'book'. I jumped in a taxi and arrived home before Buffy and the kids had even aken off. I ran upstairs to my PC and found the flight,. pressed book..... and .....it .... was..... booked! I fly one way, no bags, on my own at 6.30am tomorrow morning! Phew. My approved ESTA is printed with my flight booking and I have an Uber coming to pick me up just after 4am. If it doesn't arrive I will drive and park the car at the airport. But I will be there, in Florida by lunchtime tomorrow, fingers crossed! </p><p>After getting little or no sleep I woke up early at 3.30, before any of my 3 alarms had sounded. I got up, washed and dressed and was ready to set off again. My small backpack was already packed last night with the Esta, paperwork and of course plastic bowls and spoons for the Kids, which Buffy had asked me to bring. I even had time for a quick Weetabix breakfast before my pre-booked Uber arrived 20 minutes early. At the airport, I nervously approached the check-in, with Esta in hand. </p><p>But of course, this time they never even asked for it. FFS. </p><p>USA security opened at 4.30 and was easy with no bags, electronics or children!</p><p>So it's now 5.20am. I was supposed to take off nearly 12 hours ago and at least on the correct side of customs this time! </p><p>I'm happy that I am here, but feel guilty having had to leave <span> B</span>uffy to deal with the kids on their flight yesterday. I really should have remembered about the ESTA.</p><p>The flight was pretty empty, so I managed to bag 3 seats and lay down to sleep for most of the trip. A quick Uber from the airport and I met Buffy and the kids, at the pool just about 1pm Florida time. I had missed just 2 hours since they got out of bed! Not a bad result. </p><p>Buffy told me all about the previous night - The kids had been great on the plane. The car pick-up was a breeze (I had waited up to give her directions that were being given to me by the people we rented from) and the main issue was tired kids late at night an checking into the hotel. I will not steal her thunder but she did great to get 2 kids 4 bags and the stroller from the car parked at the wrong end of the hotel, up to the 6th floor and into the room with swipe cards that didn't work!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoK9rFzbVARU0LMtF_z2u64UnQtG4GMSTOowXCJOfhlucRGmXieMezfcfvz3mn4sPebLUDSyOdJI8qkVKwBZfso2IHIj9VG2pGA8EaNKUqqoexbrw_1-YUU4y-ZPcLLHet1G6aANUCy_5kNU8chc5kYXoGr14NBPx7Chf-lIGZbXTyfM7w-CMgaBakuas/s3088/IMG_4248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoK9rFzbVARU0LMtF_z2u64UnQtG4GMSTOowXCJOfhlucRGmXieMezfcfvz3mn4sPebLUDSyOdJI8qkVKwBZfso2IHIj9VG2pGA8EaNKUqqoexbrw_1-YUU4y-ZPcLLHet1G6aANUCy_5kNU8chc5kYXoGr14NBPx7Chf-lIGZbXTyfM7w-CMgaBakuas/s320/IMG_4248.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the flight - no dad!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtlGI_-WWK1EaWkow1iv7lWqIZYhoC4Dw4x54VIK1gnuOxG-stYm_VAs8A_6ROL1Oe2VaGazEQvDoBUs0k20nue43PdW4MflKyJ0oM7gm7IAfzkzjx4tS4ABPXAHC7Z8QfUelOwlQC_kEyG82ufkoySu2RHu7_uZwz_j9RyoE52TgUnXEGpTAUGDxuBU9/s4032/IMG_4256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtlGI_-WWK1EaWkow1iv7lWqIZYhoC4Dw4x54VIK1gnuOxG-stYm_VAs8A_6ROL1Oe2VaGazEQvDoBUs0k20nue43PdW4MflKyJ0oM7gm7IAfzkzjx4tS4ABPXAHC7Z8QfUelOwlQC_kEyG82ufkoySu2RHu7_uZwz_j9RyoE52TgUnXEGpTAUGDxuBU9/s320/IMG_4256.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4U2IKfF3m_9PTF8AgNTGfyB6KKukwInpRfo1YSrCPcDwhjwIEw23h2iH3GDtZrA6r2qLGoRGuGqaHl9TXy1-q-JKLtL6XFGcFumloXSgPRBWq-vA75JaSlDhO9lHKxJDHctKUZ4vIVtalXxVGFm09ynZbYjXZaEH0n-DID6J8HyLw_hOOwS7Nq-uaOr2/s4032/IMG_4253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4U2IKfF3m_9PTF8AgNTGfyB6KKukwInpRfo1YSrCPcDwhjwIEw23h2iH3GDtZrA6r2qLGoRGuGqaHl9TXy1-q-JKLtL6XFGcFumloXSgPRBWq-vA75JaSlDhO9lHKxJDHctKUZ4vIVtalXxVGFm09ynZbYjXZaEH0n-DID6J8HyLw_hOOwS7Nq-uaOr2/s320/IMG_4253.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>In Florida day 2.<p></p><p>Buffy tried to feed the kids oatmeal in a cup with a stirrer stick, hence, me bringing the bowls later on. We stayed at the resort hotel, played in the pools, mini-golfed and generally enjoyed the nice weather and the resort. Hannah and Ollie made friends with some other kids and we had pizza for dinner!</p><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqPd5BVfZ_I0nKTEBlRuHMMnTN0sOLpA38VQQMKKGCJmsc3kEm-pKRDIeLJFQydQeLCb99Ojox5UzCvn34_EuxpwyVqoSKcN-iphRgSmR03pgCDQ0-m8h0YuZhPxm1G_1-SSlBnxxpZGPC_R1FzQLiomqghYaouundGJgZQilIl6tdfx3GE4ohVno7q27/s3216/20240224_041517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="3216" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqPd5BVfZ_I0nKTEBlRuHMMnTN0sOLpA38VQQMKKGCJmsc3kEm-pKRDIeLJFQydQeLCb99Ojox5UzCvn34_EuxpwyVqoSKcN-iphRgSmR03pgCDQ0-m8h0YuZhPxm1G_1-SSlBnxxpZGPC_R1FzQLiomqghYaouundGJgZQilIl6tdfx3GE4ohVno7q27/s320/20240224_041517.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me checking in at 4.30am the next day!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz5cw2sPo3zijd7-FwzjF-ll7wJfTtcgTO6vpfxrWLLk6Mix7Lf6C_ZxZPdZM2tueogVKESR0m-JeUEsmdoRH-b99svTcupF8IV9pePoILgRTK3eA1lKkBhzBjxCBsBMkIctnvrudI2T-uAd3bkCfnSf-XNPIklw5z0rD-Dibi8pxjqums90pTDab1CQv/s4032/IMG_4272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbz5cw2sPo3zijd7-FwzjF-ll7wJfTtcgTO6vpfxrWLLk6Mix7Lf6C_ZxZPdZM2tueogVKESR0m-JeUEsmdoRH-b99svTcupF8IV9pePoILgRTK3eA1lKkBhzBjxCBsBMkIctnvrudI2T-uAd3bkCfnSf-XNPIklw5z0rD-Dibi8pxjqums90pTDab1CQv/s320/IMG_4272.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMU-uXsL29S6frBO8ahlPAeyjHuuOzJvocG5uZAk3jPfZi6dMpsrpra3V8Sz8-c5Qf72InJ7BQDiUd9vl4wQ3HwIEwP1xpOXXqEL0PQ8KThyphenhyphenAz66vIX4Fnv2ksPY9S97MsKsy8wtd219le8u61-qfmrjqnMEBbtib4zevfGf8Fe11wF2IS8I1j-cnMXls/s4032/IMG_4274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMU-uXsL29S6frBO8ahlPAeyjHuuOzJvocG5uZAk3jPfZi6dMpsrpra3V8Sz8-c5Qf72InJ7BQDiUd9vl4wQ3HwIEwP1xpOXXqEL0PQ8KThyphenhyphenAz66vIX4Fnv2ksPY9S97MsKsy8wtd219le8u61-qfmrjqnMEBbtib4zevfGf8Fe11wF2IS8I1j-cnMXls/s320/IMG_4274.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHVFywWTT4wUV5zAAkDb_w8FlBXg1BrMqzWm8wRD_eBuyF2B3wvz7-K8taoTWA9rKtzd-rxpPwy-Gn9BdEHOK1oYmxx2PjL-UTc6v3HOOdaNUAB-dojYB7x3_oCLHYskZq9dDC-wNOZ67YBzvK4B7tRrSJ8t2TJByfN_XkohgHsfvaKvLGFPDx7C2_vay/s4032/IMG_4278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHVFywWTT4wUV5zAAkDb_w8FlBXg1BrMqzWm8wRD_eBuyF2B3wvz7-K8taoTWA9rKtzd-rxpPwy-Gn9BdEHOK1oYmxx2PjL-UTc6v3HOOdaNUAB-dojYB7x3_oCLHYskZq9dDC-wNOZ67YBzvK4B7tRrSJ8t2TJByfN_XkohgHsfvaKvLGFPDx7C2_vay/s320/IMG_4278.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIRlvfrbIFIrJpv3-gELrTuWwaRCstBXKdDtPXFPDRIhe2w2yGu73RsdvqWj2xGFoI9G2GJw7h8W6Zz-27AK0_gj4qZ3pvLP6Mfyaw8cK_TPyfGy7BSWcrtruJrc9DRiVTLtiKPM62GVqlazo4YZgPZpOIv9uPRqW5ZWo7uWdOsz2w5frQ52OY_X5Mqbj/s320/20240224_183335.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvCHsUvt_FPg08d-Ed-iLyqNAFEHusYyr42r-meP61VXyI6Q9VKjixlz71arDbM6nT8EBbFBIU7MFY8auN4bqCsdP2L4smxuTQLeU7OKEsF_3A5IiRdvHEvwx-EobOz7aLajZEGUGfoKecE7V9Og3x0-UUi5vD1XkeagZehLoctBf_08ng94Egb3fmZmF/s4032/IMG_4316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvCHsUvt_FPg08d-Ed-iLyqNAFEHusYyr42r-meP61VXyI6Q9VKjixlz71arDbM6nT8EBbFBIU7MFY8auN4bqCsdP2L4smxuTQLeU7OKEsF_3A5IiRdvHEvwx-EobOz7aLajZEGUGfoKecE7V9Og3x0-UUi5vD1XkeagZehLoctBf_08ng94Egb3fmZmF/s320/IMG_4316.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Florida day 3.</p><p>We had looked into taking the kids to Disney and othe theme parks, but the fact that Ollie is so small meant that he would not be able to get onto most rides and with the queues and cost we decided we would leave that for a couple of years until the kids would get the most out of it. We gave them other choices and they decoded on the Peppa Pig theme park. A much smaller park, but especially meant for kids like ours. They have a few good little rides, much smaller queues and even a cinema showing round the clock peppa pig episodes for when the kids get tired. </p><p>It took our two a little while to work out how a theme park works - choose a ride, queue, go on ride, get off, find another ride, queue, repeat. But they soon got the hang of it and by the time the first 'Peppa Pig live appearance came around', they had already been on about 5 rides. We then watched Peppa on stage before returning to more rides, lunch, more rides, another (the same) Peppa Pig live show, more rides and yet another (same yet again) Peppa Pig live show and then a final round of even more rides. We were the last people off the dinosaur ride after Hannah and I had also been on the last ride in Daddy Pigs roller coaster. It was a great little park for the kids and it was no surprise that they were a bit emotional to lave after such a good day. That night they slept well (after arguing about the beds of course!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N9jfMK4PYVNQaTG9K-3hWDDvvTYHw2YrGuoDvnvvxBVPkyweY0kHZuepYqK2yHecueS3cz4NB5CGAzeWncwdl4MhvcvDsCY1_722bXbbMIracjptbr7Z2_aNwNh5hjbvJG-r7MqLM69-py98pHlcl6yGOYXhuMIdH9LyCFD9TjDVohO3mRBeFRhkWwK1/s4032/20240225_105808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7N9jfMK4PYVNQaTG9K-3hWDDvvTYHw2YrGuoDvnvvxBVPkyweY0kHZuepYqK2yHecueS3cz4NB5CGAzeWncwdl4MhvcvDsCY1_722bXbbMIracjptbr7Z2_aNwNh5hjbvJG-r7MqLM69-py98pHlcl6yGOYXhuMIdH9LyCFD9TjDVohO3mRBeFRhkWwK1/s320/20240225_105808.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnR4zi4sROJ087EWqW5G5s0HhV1f_F8XdjgFCRzvX9LIv6pvZkYgVUfx9fCmUoyGxxlCGCT4rUjZL0rHnTPljik-HmTCkWGAGknGN6P9AyMtgHkwrEPF2Sz3JVKDjuzGATfT39qnu5feDGXufQhAdRnd3UC3JMdr7RRBuM_uKNlqt7UYtuj0V1MWVpSllM/s4032/20240225_110436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSdoZOQ2oLGgtLOrlW8BUqZ0ZojDBN6Nta_MSJL9osPKIr5BZekfuAd_ZTW-RwaxHMhsNlBl6QJBB0kOrRl6niLUKl13KbwbBWLDgZqgOeqmJ223UO1Tijch6VtrvVXUCt41J0l5SfqYxsN6CS1NRop3srB5NAdcHF1GmyWNNNib-OogO_FGUFzjKW_u9/s4032/20240225_155235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSdoZOQ2oLGgtLOrlW8BUqZ0ZojDBN6Nta_MSJL9osPKIr5BZekfuAd_ZTW-RwaxHMhsNlBl6QJBB0kOrRl6niLUKl13KbwbBWLDgZqgOeqmJ223UO1Tijch6VtrvVXUCt41J0l5SfqYxsN6CS1NRop3srB5NAdcHF1GmyWNNNib-OogO_FGUFzjKW_u9/s320/20240225_155235.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SReyEbuaJI4" width="320" youtube-src-id="SReyEbuaJI4"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W-f3EovwBPw" width="320" youtube-src-id="W-f3EovwBPw"></iframe></div><br /><p>Day 4 - I think.</p><p>Day 4 was moving day - we were heading to a different hotel over on the East coast in Cocoa Beach. We wanted to go to Kennedy Space Centre and relax in the pool or at the beach away from the hustle and bustle of Orlando. It was all pre-planned so we packed the car and headed to a different theme park on the way - 'Fun Spot Orlando'. Now this is a proper old-style park, again with lots of rides the kids could get onto and small queues as well as really good but reasonably cheap food, an alligator show that was part of the entrance fee and some really great, super fast double seated go-karts that the kids could ride as we drove! Some of the ride queues were actually non-existent and we actually spent a good while sitting by the kids' rides while Ollie and Hannah went from ride to ride, showing their wristbands to the staff member, who would then get them on, start the ride, let them off and them repeat again. The kids must have been on 20 rides a total of 60 to 70 times in the entire day. Honestly, at one point they were off the rides for about 30 seconds before getting back on again. They loved it all. There were a couple of good rides for us big kids too and we all enjoyed feeding the gators around dinner time - Ollie and Hannah throwing little fish straight into the gator mouths!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCnBgtu6cZKT8ZpYr1IoCEpBi6z6gx1hydMAUyTI31eJRrvKqxwPp3j5s76GuJSYqPggW8zc99llSWvknJVRir80Qmv6WUm_JrPNueB1zsqQWryHgSP3Z61lK4uKKYFHvpJmAg4u90_Yq0pcJpj7ECqNeRW6YgZDyetu_QRAQg53ikcaXftCCMV8CpMsX/s4032/IMG_4473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCnBgtu6cZKT8ZpYr1IoCEpBi6z6gx1hydMAUyTI31eJRrvKqxwPp3j5s76GuJSYqPggW8zc99llSWvknJVRir80Qmv6WUm_JrPNueB1zsqQWryHgSP3Z61lK4uKKYFHvpJmAg4u90_Yq0pcJpj7ECqNeRW6YgZDyetu_QRAQg53ikcaXftCCMV8CpMsX/s320/IMG_4473.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="3968" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvztdjvCKEo_jDBJ-I95jK0de4MbtbPYFYBK_fPji9ZqD2SNfoS7144DnLyT1lVJZYPs7z-G9E5seDoy18whBV8nuRaIlNdLFWVwXge4p0xYs98XIv0EBHkoRoeE60PHQgscGcbHoT0wIyqk1i8tHKdRz7ah41oJ-vdUjRzGmUienMtHI-XTenDwsoqDae/s320/20240226_113050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCHzJkbtoSdxPsqCyy_yeDcj3M26v4QA2KSn4OZCQZU_edVg6lUXeoUjN7-cYxhfy1_TtV-1AjAAvwTWE4W6hRfjtD4mCsw2bduuWyfIS5f6QUa5pu3_iwqvNmiZx5VYyc10SxgDZlIOripT_d7KNA6k-wH6UN_KfBajg7tezDIpuqJ7PJNx1TGg-RbvY/s4032/IMG_4381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCHzJkbtoSdxPsqCyy_yeDcj3M26v4QA2KSn4OZCQZU_edVg6lUXeoUjN7-cYxhfy1_TtV-1AjAAvwTWE4W6hRfjtD4mCsw2bduuWyfIS5f6QUa5pu3_iwqvNmiZx5VYyc10SxgDZlIOripT_d7KNA6k-wH6UN_KfBajg7tezDIpuqJ7PJNx1TGg-RbvY/s320/IMG_4381.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />After a full day at Fun Spot, we drove the hour or so to Cocoa Beach, stopping on the way to pick up dinner and arrived in time for bed at The Beachside Hotel. A lovely hotel with a 60s vibe, just a block from the beach and with a lazy river pool which the kids would spend a lot of time in over the next few days!<p></p><p>Day 5 MAYBE? Cocoa Beach </p><p>Today was spent just relaxing and having fun in the sun. Breakfast was included and was great - 56 menu items we were told and there was so much choice the kids wanted everything of course! After breakfast, they never went back to the room, but played in the big sandbox, swam and floated around the last river, made friends with other kids and had a brilliant morning. In the afternoon we took a short walk to the beach and got our first glimpse of a rocket as we could see Blue Origins, 'New Glenn' sitting on a pad just a couple of miles away. The kids loved the beach and ended up covered in sand and shells as they both decided that they should be mermaids!</p><p>In the evening we went to Noland Irish pub for dinner and ended up sharing a table with a nice couple from Virginia. Of course, the kids were a bit wild and knocked over a glass of water all over them, but they were really nice about it and as it was only water they didn't actually seem to mind too much. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQmsXi9cHFcb3dh6woRvUeEaAq4OaHxCmEqF-ZTJ-YhnaH6YUbArrvH5-jq3SsS8ZpgGDjhVp5bQb64axudz2QATEB1B12dDL3UHZa-qofwcjolIR0V8Svb-unFWyXqMLfVGVRu_3t_KWk7a1vukr4h_7-5AcFSvup4U8jUHJQsXWzaEF0GdLUvQEACQH/s4032/20240227_094459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQmsXi9cHFcb3dh6woRvUeEaAq4OaHxCmEqF-ZTJ-YhnaH6YUbArrvH5-jq3SsS8ZpgGDjhVp5bQb64axudz2QATEB1B12dDL3UHZa-qofwcjolIR0V8Svb-unFWyXqMLfVGVRu_3t_KWk7a1vukr4h_7-5AcFSvup4U8jUHJQsXWzaEF0GdLUvQEACQH/s320/20240227_094459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIDNtIBo2puPnjXIorAqtS3MTFPeFUITnUoATSjCFYH8HwHGpe8LBtT-_pHNGGHRXlrKaeyWdaXCeS66ElHa15Pe9BKRIB1WpJtaF1OoSd_GiS8QSyWGqgPSukZ6gmyjXccnSlpQmfDPbUAkuJAhUlvAnOCszRT1f6ZJimQgc1lHKWuM29nWUhryH7sUH/s3088/IMG_4580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIDNtIBo2puPnjXIorAqtS3MTFPeFUITnUoATSjCFYH8HwHGpe8LBtT-_pHNGGHRXlrKaeyWdaXCeS66ElHa15Pe9BKRIB1WpJtaF1OoSd_GiS8QSyWGqgPSukZ6gmyjXccnSlpQmfDPbUAkuJAhUlvAnOCszRT1f6ZJimQgc1lHKWuM29nWUhryH7sUH/s320/IMG_4580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWVLpWkQYnE" width="320" youtube-src-id="NWVLpWkQYnE"></iframe></div><br /><p>Day 6 - Cocoa Beach and Kennedy Space Centre</p><p>I like rockets and I hope the kids do too. So we had to visit KSC. The first half hour there was a dud though. The kids didn't seem interested and they were tired. But that changed when we went into the Atlantis space shuttle exhibit. Now I just wanted to see the Space Shuttle. but you have to sit through 2 short 6-minute movies before you do. I was a little annoyed but it was so worth it. The movies are great and build up to a crescendo and then the reveal. The screen you are watching disappears and the real-life - been to actual space - Space Shuttle appears like magic right in front of you. I will not even try to describe how good it is, but I was almost in tears at the reveal. It was brilliant. But the kids needed pees, so that came first before we had a good look around. It really is a great exhibit and included is the 'Space Shuttle launch experience' which unfortunately Ollie is too little for. I had done it a few years back, so Buffy took Hannah in and she loved it even if it was a little loud. Ollie and I were able to watch through the onboard cameras and see everything that happened which is a great touch for those that cannot do the ride. </p><p>We took the bus tour to the Apollo and Saturn 5 building, which the kids liked but didn't love. Returning to the main visitor area for the kid's play area, the Mars exhibit, some science shows and the IMAX cinema which was also brilliant. The kids didn't want to leave at the end of the day. It was a big turnaround and another great day out. We even had time for a dip in the lazy river when we got back and saw one of the Space X boosters in Port Canaveral on the journey home. Plus we found a special surprise that we planned for the next day....more about that in a minute. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTds8zgcaRZHuvdSbLH3gwV-5vb4zCfHfZYQ7gzwOCbsE6Cmr7SmRo9gTKeE8d0w4SeAH7-RaFSjikmZE6GD5iB4z5dif1Pf4daG-ypNwZzeJC4e9J-ppzHIqBNio79-8CfMWri0jSpDIMAxfAtWpVppt4JaPVtn647y_PP-jDS3MZLytieIp2AppVZjt/s4032/20240228_112821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTds8zgcaRZHuvdSbLH3gwV-5vb4zCfHfZYQ7gzwOCbsE6Cmr7SmRo9gTKeE8d0w4SeAH7-RaFSjikmZE6GD5iB4z5dif1Pf4daG-ypNwZzeJC4e9J-ppzHIqBNio79-8CfMWri0jSpDIMAxfAtWpVppt4JaPVtn647y_PP-jDS3MZLytieIp2AppVZjt/s320/20240228_112821.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ULXjQmfKaQcc1vg34NiuLYt4X-FIZyfvCBcg2itBdhTU1-nDYOjuXikxjObiHKA78ZkTFMvCQQT-oM67SfnNnTmUsOHrVAETn0oV_P6owtpEZkno46jnDvMu4u4bgUcmqM4TiArPtHznCiSwzW0Q0Kx_WGDSRo9e0ju7qYshCo6TNws6n6mAHp3SMHVE/s4032/20240228_115948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKo2PUfWKaZjJ99eUSLTrP7AGfr-J0DWnl2gmEB8AGGy3C5Et0fRpMe5aIh-iN4ZkOzsaavJsHLLgqtXkfvoVNsO5XNmeS84V7rt929sqdikNathM_e2rG3ldZfZoggUutZMAufggCw77sEDBkr4zBvv-_c_IWPlggp9Cwk5gN4WUl27JlmQhg-zUym3sm/s320/20240228_124756.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96bIVKckyemGvyl1ByAlbT-mZLDWCo1RH1i2Flzzg7TPv7M7ERQElnwrqZvWShx-RlEBcT2ifnjbCFw7goqlC3HKx-QZnQmMFRIENjoJy10AOI6hYdbFUUF2-enRIm7b88oKWnUAZS4q9d9iRK4ELkqrqHPRxAhfxVBNiLJDYAe3nMNznCcnhgf5QLabl/s4032/20240228_144537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96bIVKckyemGvyl1ByAlbT-mZLDWCo1RH1i2Flzzg7TPv7M7ERQElnwrqZvWShx-RlEBcT2ifnjbCFw7goqlC3HKx-QZnQmMFRIENjoJy10AOI6hYdbFUUF2-enRIm7b88oKWnUAZS4q9d9iRK4ELkqrqHPRxAhfxVBNiLJDYAe3nMNznCcnhgf5QLabl/s320/20240228_144537.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ9oTrx6UZOanP1_djrcx5c-13Doa8BsX7RsoNmpCY7CEi0FYcx0aMogds25o8Rnx2UaMWGljZOnx17xAGjAY4f4YPjdCGj7G6HpEGcPfr7hjf5qUmoEJZK0AzKt9uyU8Edz_WAlMKxavwHGjOXO9LwfSO8lnTNW3ORashOO8ycruLuE9LDSJwxu5yp3l/s320/IMG_4620.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEbOAaYHXqDgB9ZR2R2YIn1yJrrxr-hk3pm-paKftI-svI4zkBGM8cyx3MLX83Wlu7WX6cPnSos9YsTvzZKcivuRyXk4VGFlEi88rjQipxHFFlfi7Axi2DWbzkNP9q7SkZarG2d77Df0xjL5T4N4lSFhJYVtmU_D-XyRPWJvcjtV4Q3GKehtzF_6dSibC/s4032/IMG_4623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEbOAaYHXqDgB9ZR2R2YIn1yJrrxr-hk3pm-paKftI-svI4zkBGM8cyx3MLX83Wlu7WX6cPnSos9YsTvzZKcivuRyXk4VGFlEi88rjQipxHFFlfi7Axi2DWbzkNP9q7SkZarG2d77Df0xjL5T4N4lSFhJYVtmU_D-XyRPWJvcjtV4Q3GKehtzF_6dSibC/s320/IMG_4623.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YmOHkTyALlM" width="320" youtube-src-id="YmOHkTyALlM"></iframe></div><br /><p>Day 7 - One day left</p><p>I had really wanted to see a rocket launch while in Florida, but the only launch so far this week was while we were in Peppa Pig World! Luckily there was another due to take off this morning, but the weather was terrible and we didn't know if we would see anything. We drove up to Titusville which normally has a clear view of the launch pads and waited. But it was pretty muggy. A few locals were there too and told us where to look so at 1030am - right on time - we sat a Falcon 9 take off with Starlink satellites set for space! Now the clouds were low and we only saw about 15 seconds of the flight but it was worth it just to say we had done it once! The best bit was the sound of the engines which lasted a whole lot longer than we could see the rocket for! My camera work is aa bit shit but the launch takes place just after a minute into this video...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gUcoitXZEco" width="320" youtube-src-id="gUcoitXZEco"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>After the launch, we went back to Port Canaveral for the surprise we discovered yesterday - $20 helicopter flights! Yes, you read that correctly $20 for a helicopter flight. The kids were excited, Buffy was excited and even I was excited. I have been on a few Heli's in my time but not for a few years, so to get in one again was great. It was only a short flight but so worth it with great views on what was now a clear day and we saw the recovered Space X booster again from the air as well as bug cruise ships and a submarine base!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPq8L1ALHGM3Fe_y7UMz85_MgzuUWDLbE3TMIebZve3m4NMn3xR7SOHGcon1AQAJh0KcYF2G0fzCuqhCsvRP9HiBpETiyPznSmuM7sWgDt71VhrkZBUjPxXQD4pSw1HqCJGXAw_nasLWY7qQ8J_860xFT24qBBfS-K6ndmuq6TD31hntjyRh2VFf1WoAiS/s4032/20240229_112836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPq8L1ALHGM3Fe_y7UMz85_MgzuUWDLbE3TMIebZve3m4NMn3xR7SOHGcon1AQAJh0KcYF2G0fzCuqhCsvRP9HiBpETiyPznSmuM7sWgDt71VhrkZBUjPxXQD4pSw1HqCJGXAw_nasLWY7qQ8J_860xFT24qBBfS-K6ndmuq6TD31hntjyRh2VFf1WoAiS/s320/20240229_112836.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcVil-JGfg92aU7JQj4W4nLbLyyHK6OQQKOuOYD1kRyuQwQKAyIg5VsrDiubUzhObK7JmUnL_hTGS28PAvGBbuCOMdrAEK-Kmafi_tRBDuOByGRmD5zg0EFLHt8q1yUs58j7RV8Cx9DI72AJWAo_GQnxEE7T5iLRyo3Jbnb9YfbVxSFlqV1q1DoqiDopG/s4032/IMG_4646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcVil-JGfg92aU7JQj4W4nLbLyyHK6OQQKOuOYD1kRyuQwQKAyIg5VsrDiubUzhObK7JmUnL_hTGS28PAvGBbuCOMdrAEK-Kmafi_tRBDuOByGRmD5zg0EFLHt8q1yUs58j7RV8Cx9DI72AJWAo_GQnxEE7T5iLRyo3Jbnb9YfbVxSFlqV1q1DoqiDopG/s320/IMG_4646.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTx9OaRGGzKoTTgS2Zz7o0r6KrXp49hKC9qaPdzG4MdRRYBlQobrGtmEuIxJPgnOUKxYKf_Y3XOH_pfxsiEjrYqNM6H7Ali5spq3dDrWhkd8bQBrDEpTa6QO78nGHyayBOLILF_WvEpyte5UwMvh9DC5NOYV34ME6s_9HrwFxyCHLXQZfBjnWXSV2Jubt/s4032/20240229_114138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTx9OaRGGzKoTTgS2Zz7o0r6KrXp49hKC9qaPdzG4MdRRYBlQobrGtmEuIxJPgnOUKxYKf_Y3XOH_pfxsiEjrYqNM6H7Ali5spq3dDrWhkd8bQBrDEpTa6QO78nGHyayBOLILF_WvEpyte5UwMvh9DC5NOYV34ME6s_9HrwFxyCHLXQZfBjnWXSV2Jubt/s320/20240229_114138.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnQ0E26g_J2C1GCxqLk8ozHO62B0drs-OkHfhDeP_A3QlLiqGUei8gfusjf7Mp4N8Zyb2EppSrEoyrtyOZ6hzHymm_sDemjdbdLWEpJO9V-uMzRBOGY8WEFkZFblWMP19Q4a0PW1h2klW8U0R6s4udwVhMD0p6ZwWFo6lryOr6MxFAQQwgSjmvWr77DAF/s4032/IMG_4649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnQ0E26g_J2C1GCxqLk8ozHO62B0drs-OkHfhDeP_A3QlLiqGUei8gfusjf7Mp4N8Zyb2EppSrEoyrtyOZ6hzHymm_sDemjdbdLWEpJO9V-uMzRBOGY8WEFkZFblWMP19Q4a0PW1h2klW8U0R6s4udwVhMD0p6ZwWFo6lryOr6MxFAQQwgSjmvWr77DAF/s320/IMG_4649.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IdgMfLtJ64c" width="320" youtube-src-id="IdgMfLtJ64c"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npXmIGu1WvY" width="320" youtube-src-id="npXmIGu1WvY"></iframe></div><br /><p>That night there was a cancelled launch we had planned to watch it from the local beach, and Hannah especially was really excited to go to the beach in the dark and see the stars. So we took them down there anyway and had some fun listening to the sound of the ocean at night and trying to find shooting stars and black holes!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE0Zx-w6tTozHpC64NSMvGhmd3Cg_AXVXxBHodAVJOd0tduiAsAJTROvwGBgZ-r6MlQpztkcP9HGUVwqomkYyVUT2PiUwRph0hglBe2TV6ePe_Q8TPfyoSazishkrTz4bI9Ln063osrHt2M5YmtKOJJSiIBXP7QEngZySjsVczDqussTZBHF8ASI0AUDP/s4032/20240229_193539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE0Zx-w6tTozHpC64NSMvGhmd3Cg_AXVXxBHodAVJOd0tduiAsAJTROvwGBgZ-r6MlQpztkcP9HGUVwqomkYyVUT2PiUwRph0hglBe2TV6ePe_Q8TPfyoSazishkrTz4bI9Ln063osrHt2M5YmtKOJJSiIBXP7QEngZySjsVczDqussTZBHF8ASI0AUDP/s320/20240229_193539.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlykFMm0a66gO34HPd6SDns7bol_2JNgdDuxrhoY1KQPmuJ6shmY8Gku7QjJrGloNk24H_EQW8WBqzaHAi4qCWg7E_SR3OqhPxpp30UZdsBpwGrdzYLpnW5LiszmIYmbZP4hpFH9Bi6WyE6c7xiTGIctO5wh9BNbdamVmfL0Olxnr9fuhLVUB1mkvxh1s/s4032/20240229_193741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlykFMm0a66gO34HPd6SDns7bol_2JNgdDuxrhoY1KQPmuJ6shmY8Gku7QjJrGloNk24H_EQW8WBqzaHAi4qCWg7E_SR3OqhPxpp30UZdsBpwGrdzYLpnW5LiszmIYmbZP4hpFH9Bi6WyE6c7xiTGIctO5wh9BNbdamVmfL0Olxnr9fuhLVUB1mkvxh1s/s320/20240229_193741.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Coming Home.<p></p><p>Our last day in Florida - a good breakfast and a nice drive back to the airport at Sanford. Hannah and Ollie enjoyed playing with a little puppy that was also on our plane and we had time for a good lunch before boarding our flight. There was a bit of a mess up with seats as we were not sitting next to the kids, so we moved around and managed to get all together in the end. The flight was good and got us back to Winnipeg just a few minutes late. I used my PR card for the final time coming through customs as from tomorrow March 4th, I will be a Canadian Citizen and can apply for my Canadian passport after taking my Citizenship oath. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSoPo65rfwEJEhtL2bZyPCsuEdoOfNCa0eVXZyBxsamLGAji93zud-ioVQL_vr6YsY6AU-hOamocOy2X0R994VDtaE3UAJsygraHNSVeOwDI_oWGGZDwAL24DPM6Ly1B-yAGduBeZLTxqI9ltsS_aQL9KlQ42KZhEooNLjuRUruFsZVKPcZO7uqlaPXm_/s4032/20240301_120643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSoPo65rfwEJEhtL2bZyPCsuEdoOfNCa0eVXZyBxsamLGAji93zud-ioVQL_vr6YsY6AU-hOamocOy2X0R994VDtaE3UAJsygraHNSVeOwDI_oWGGZDwAL24DPM6Ly1B-yAGduBeZLTxqI9ltsS_aQL9KlQ42KZhEooNLjuRUruFsZVKPcZO7uqlaPXm_/s320/20240301_120643.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb2P3TSi5toZxRBAiYpPAMp7K_nJRb-q7eKOwA9YbW3Fwh4N2KYvE8ZOksT3kwsvRZZjINTtQrsPreENj_ZWYxkaZwxVZgmhoctcxI5BPeRpqwvwoRjpOfLiGTtyJwmoOUuzkei_mIKsdAf8hHh_DPOkQuZHbXZvGt1CW6AQLnFKE7nOJOs5r2E2AUM6E/s4032/20240301_120651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb2P3TSi5toZxRBAiYpPAMp7K_nJRb-q7eKOwA9YbW3Fwh4N2KYvE8ZOksT3kwsvRZZjINTtQrsPreENj_ZWYxkaZwxVZgmhoctcxI5BPeRpqwvwoRjpOfLiGTtyJwmoOUuzkei_mIKsdAf8hHh_DPOkQuZHbXZvGt1CW6AQLnFKE7nOJOs5r2E2AUM6E/s320/20240301_120651.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcVOAr1TPpciTUAUFP3jWoMV46vqG9QJd97AO9U5VijojLVQjgZ_5XaY2QynC89s54IkPHVtLySAGduxCQQ3VbSUVWAjZjzdo5IXq4fOjo-anwmuKOk3dBp50JFReW1OM1_yfQY2lgV-zlX-2rEPN_SGEdt_wpRkscN4L3vXlXUhb5FS9OnwUfO9Sl7OL/s4032/20240301_181425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcVOAr1TPpciTUAUFP3jWoMV46vqG9QJd97AO9U5VijojLVQjgZ_5XaY2QynC89s54IkPHVtLySAGduxCQQ3VbSUVWAjZjzdo5IXq4fOjo-anwmuKOk3dBp50JFReW1OM1_yfQY2lgV-zlX-2rEPN_SGEdt_wpRkscN4L3vXlXUhb5FS9OnwUfO9Sl7OL/s320/20240301_181425.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>It was a great Holiday - starting with a big bump but things got better. It's the best time we have spent together as a little family - the kids were great and played well with each other as well as making friends with other kids too. We even got to make friends with other adults too. The weather was superb, we rode a helicopter, saw a rocket launch and did so much swimming and playing and so so much more!. It felt so long - much longer than the 7 days Buffy and the kids had and the 6 that I got! We are already planning our summer with lots more days out and little trips. But for now we are glad to be home in our new little house and with the end of winter in sight!<br /> </p><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-50395955565017868102024-02-13T18:25:00.002+00:002024-02-13T18:25:39.710+00:00It is broken, but it will be fixed....eventually......probably...we hope.....<p><i>This post was started a couple of weeks ago.... The weather is not quite as good, but is still above average!</i></p><p>I may start with more news about the weather...... quite simply it's amazing - normally this time of year the average temperature over 24 hours is somewhere between minus 10 and minus 20 degrees C. That's average - so it gets a lot colder than that quite often. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg6s8Zq2P6TR9TceUyAlv6Tzw9WWvZEaZOfAgHDqys6wKeFKlSDcMeoLc90XRxcwXATkIOBI6yFt6_k5DcKfJ_YhwRQIi3DVVpB8RPihk-JhotSXsosWsunLFAPcwkngJ1irVACUMVDzdxKfMF9f-naMitoQXOd8616CQ2eXpewB2-CmaazpbRNdnq10EI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="640" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg6s8Zq2P6TR9TceUyAlv6Tzw9WWvZEaZOfAgHDqys6wKeFKlSDcMeoLc90XRxcwXATkIOBI6yFt6_k5DcKfJ_YhwRQIi3DVVpB8RPihk-JhotSXsosWsunLFAPcwkngJ1irVACUMVDzdxKfMF9f-naMitoQXOd8616CQ2eXpewB2-CmaazpbRNdnq10EI" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>However, at the moment it's T-shirt weather. It's above freezing and what little snow we had on the roads and sidewalks is melting away. There is no snow on most rooftops and that is great. Yeah, the car is really really dirty, but I don't care because my toes and fingers don't fall off or die when I go outside!</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-bX_W1VyQR2cpf1A1DgcVT2XfqF7MMJpUjop4qxvWKiaN0GKgEwj3d5soxfJGL0dRz9nPy_NKHZ6A5Dnr2FTT943I7JdxJztJEhb_QJLDeOcylz7jayc00y41OlKHuI5qNGsn57TwkLrNrZeRdDW6P9Ts2jSFOXPR1PgRadPmUaOk23Q21AvQnA7ZKGKD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="1221" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-bX_W1VyQR2cpf1A1DgcVT2XfqF7MMJpUjop4qxvWKiaN0GKgEwj3d5soxfJGL0dRz9nPy_NKHZ6A5Dnr2FTT943I7JdxJztJEhb_QJLDeOcylz7jayc00y41OlKHuI5qNGsn57TwkLrNrZeRdDW6P9Ts2jSFOXPR1PgRadPmUaOk23Q21AvQnA7ZKGKD" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Anyway, the nice weather started last week which coincided with getting possession of the new house. Did I say house? I meant 'building site'. </p><p>We got keys on 22nd Jan and had been warned that the inspectors had been pretty strict with the builders who had renovated this 115-year-old house and there was a 'bit of work' to be completed. But when I walked in at 7am on that day I didn't expect just so much work! There was dust everywhere, builders ladders, and huge big holes in walls, roofs and floors. The stairs to the 4th floor (<i>yes, we have 4 floors in our new house ain't we something special eh!?>!?! :-) ) </i>were open to the bedroom and the kid's closet below and have open walls to the side too. In the basement, the old stairs were still there but we had been told that they were due to be removed the next day and we actually put a ladder in there to allow us access to the basement without having to go through the attached garage to eth 2nd basement stairs in there (<i>yes, we have 2 sets of basement stairs and an attached garage in our new house ain't we something special eh!?>!?! :-)</i> )</p><p>There was electrical work to do and some plumbing before everything was going to work correctly so we were basically moving into half a house. </p><p>We had been packing up and tidying the old place for a couple of weeks though and did have a few days extra to get things moved. We had actually been packing up pretty much since we got the house back in mid-December so were ready to go once we had possession. We even roped the kids in to help tidy the old house and paint their old bedroom walls!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bkrHhIZpbMM" width="320" youtube-src-id="bkrHhIZpbMM"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7_l-gjWzSvg" width="320" youtube-src-id="7_l-gjWzSvg"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We started to move our boxes in on Monday when we got the keys but planned to actually move out of Westminster and into Aubrey on Thursday, with an overnight at Grandpa and Grandma's place to ease the burden of packing up and moving stuff in one day. </p><p>It got a bit more hectic when Buffy went to fix the old bathroom sink which wasn't draining very fast and she broke off the entire drain pipe! Luckily we know a good plumber and it was all fixed up again a day or two later. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1gHCCWT-uNmD1KNrRDqs8KjrQshsNlPLvt-3IGHJplU0a_2IuZ9JJISCXQVmvXcenEtFF2Tu0Uc9a2pR8jlmYA6TYM7BPWPGqsGOxy3JLtFfLFVbmfmhCxS_9Vgat0axN0yz6NzaORiEnFV5_EOOzMw8IIt4tExXklZ7odyuS-AbW-tq7H66-5vV24RZ/s4032/IMG_3803.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1gHCCWT-uNmD1KNrRDqs8KjrQshsNlPLvt-3IGHJplU0a_2IuZ9JJISCXQVmvXcenEtFF2Tu0Uc9a2pR8jlmYA6TYM7BPWPGqsGOxy3JLtFfLFVbmfmhCxS_9Vgat0axN0yz6NzaORiEnFV5_EOOzMw8IIt4tExXklZ7odyuS-AbW-tq7H66-5vV24RZ/s320/IMG_3803.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsqtmTAoT-kElVwHWuOfgbVNNv55RvflmEpo6fRiu59-8-zYF0C_zsiKXfVCONU4juYJfCYPtVMPs0eLmdGGH28YOAjN47YUDyUAL2fpWVY7eYzGtG_WdKRUYSArVVBHdN3JLl5JjTXzssFStGbEgLOxvhPjvrLkbnVYA2AOuz6P6sivKoqEG_Xn-h_c-/s4032/IMG_3804.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsqtmTAoT-kElVwHWuOfgbVNNv55RvflmEpo6fRiu59-8-zYF0C_zsiKXfVCONU4juYJfCYPtVMPs0eLmdGGH28YOAjN47YUDyUAL2fpWVY7eYzGtG_WdKRUYSArVVBHdN3JLl5JjTXzssFStGbEgLOxvhPjvrLkbnVYA2AOuz6P6sivKoqEG_Xn-h_c-/s320/IMG_3804.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWU11_Nq5hiIY0EKbK3AzWJv3X2JxOvoCsLuX3DTNjXl58obVj3uvI_tCzcpguMcQfVC1KlgC2AoPg_gchgylIVWS3MQzdLflyEFoKb8WNVTjeZ4R97vgxmWQzGBnJGlfmsPjulfaC3xf-0A4se-5pG8HkybNJgIeR9T-KRqqsD3R5uH9z2XQ6fPuP0XO0/s4032/IMG_3805.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWU11_Nq5hiIY0EKbK3AzWJv3X2JxOvoCsLuX3DTNjXl58obVj3uvI_tCzcpguMcQfVC1KlgC2AoPg_gchgylIVWS3MQzdLflyEFoKb8WNVTjeZ4R97vgxmWQzGBnJGlfmsPjulfaC3xf-0A4se-5pG8HkybNJgIeR9T-KRqqsD3R5uH9z2XQ6fPuP0XO0/s320/IMG_3805.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Here's the initial look around at the new place on day 1...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mcoJzi2NPB8" width="320" youtube-src-id="mcoJzi2NPB8"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iNcYlKhHMGk" width="320" youtube-src-id="iNcYlKhHMGk"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eZ_nXUu0BsQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="eZ_nXUu0BsQ"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-KxBoaXt8vE" width="320" youtube-src-id="-KxBoaXt8vE"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>We had been told that there might be building work ongoing until the 29th Jan, but today on Feb 1st we have been told that it will be another 2-3 weeks of drywalling, taping, mudding, painting and flooring before the house is actually 'ready'. Luckily, Paul, the guy who did the reno, is a nice bloke and has been great about listening to us and our input, keeping us in contact with all the contractors, and letting us know what's going on. </p><p>Well, anyone who has moved house knows what the score is and it's been a long 10 days. We still have a few boxes left packed as we don't want to get everything out whilst the building work is ongoing, but we have made a lot of progress - New chairs for the living room, a desk for my office, Buffy's office is set up in the attic. We put extra hidden drawers inside the big drawers in the kitchen to make more storage space and also added 2 slide-out bins for rubbish and recycling. The shed has been tidied so that we can move a lot of the outdoor stuff in there (<i>yes, we have a shed in our new house ain't we something special eh!?>!?! :-) )</i>We have a new doorbell, a new kitchen cart, a new dinner table and chairs and new shower curtain and rail and a new set of 4 counter stools for the breakfast counter <i>(yes, we have a breakfast counter in our new house ain't we something special eh!?>!?! :-)</i> 2 new bookcases and a huge 3 metre 5 person sofa for what will become the attic TV room and lounging area. <i>(yes, we have 3 sofas in our new house ain't we something special eh!?>!?! :-)</i>We have been really busy and spent a lot of money but it will all be worth it in a few weeks when we are settled. </p><p>As for the old house, just 24 hours after we left we did a walk round with our new tenants and they moved in last weekend, so now someone else lives there and we are very happy for them! The old house on Westminster Avenue is the 5th member of our little family. It is a great house and we really do love it, but this move was the right thing to do. Not only for the extra space in the house but for the extra area outside, the park across the road and the school so close by. In truth, this move was for the kids - not only so they have more areas to play and on a quieter road, but also financially for them in 20 years, they will benefit from the 2nd house and income from the rental. They might even choose to move out and into the old place as their first home if they want! They have both told us that they love that house and miss it, but they are also having so much fun playing in the new one and that will get even better for them when winter ends!</p><p>Here's a quick look around the old place after it was cleared out..</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/85nwCArlIRE" width="320" youtube-src-id="85nwCArlIRE"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Now here's a look at the new place with some actual furniture in - the kids are having fun trying to make the place messy while we are trying to make it tidy - just the usual things like putting all their cars in the fridge and turning the upstairs room into a pretend car wash. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQzZ5rrWMAXm7emgExNROBZ11qImV5qH1eXxdSuIdS4OwnmQXG80__WCGCQy-8vo1peTK3zKUiMNCDytDK4Sa8YwvQ-0K0ysWi2sOsqRlmcIFi0tEc4UAf6M4TWm_g7N0i6oCCzohEoIx_KGSyygeybs0-UNY1VfC3EphPUW2xSWHWNlLxkU0bDppOm6O/s4032/20240122_201803.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQzZ5rrWMAXm7emgExNROBZ11qImV5qH1eXxdSuIdS4OwnmQXG80__WCGCQy-8vo1peTK3zKUiMNCDytDK4Sa8YwvQ-0K0ysWi2sOsqRlmcIFi0tEc4UAf6M4TWm_g7N0i6oCCzohEoIx_KGSyygeybs0-UNY1VfC3EphPUW2xSWHWNlLxkU0bDppOm6O/s320/20240122_201803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxeSbN7O6dB0LPB5712vV5oQN6kQaQLT-N63N42KNR3qgYDK3FSdtHna-4ril8yHHc1ACAemjo-K3AfatNs0aWv97jrPTNpetM6fe5Z_Ac2U86Ln477iZ3HhJvviNmE8-_IKWa9nTrltCCXmiJGuPqVD6-IgKQM2pIqEHuAw-6uq_l4MGGivRhS5Q-4Ne/s4032/20240122_184601.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxeSbN7O6dB0LPB5712vV5oQN6kQaQLT-N63N42KNR3qgYDK3FSdtHna-4ril8yHHc1ACAemjo-K3AfatNs0aWv97jrPTNpetM6fe5Z_Ac2U86Ln477iZ3HhJvviNmE8-_IKWa9nTrltCCXmiJGuPqVD6-IgKQM2pIqEHuAw-6uq_l4MGGivRhS5Q-4Ne/s320/20240122_184601.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vJJJZSJvh_JbKPgGf5JyboaRV_K6HYPupCMi4Xe3NIwkfLcfVTqZH8LlHLnw12_Pn8BD5AoJ0nHfPvR2KsgW-2tdgkBiFG9W-F3vujNIL5t3mC_wrppB4kfWqiY-BqC9YI807qf9KjX-QR4Dshhh6cJyXetfTLMR8BFQcm5kJMAtTPT9y6bfDfZ_u5Kq/s4032/IMG_3913.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vJJJZSJvh_JbKPgGf5JyboaRV_K6HYPupCMi4Xe3NIwkfLcfVTqZH8LlHLnw12_Pn8BD5AoJ0nHfPvR2KsgW-2tdgkBiFG9W-F3vujNIL5t3mC_wrppB4kfWqiY-BqC9YI807qf9KjX-QR4Dshhh6cJyXetfTLMR8BFQcm5kJMAtTPT9y6bfDfZ_u5Kq/s320/IMG_3913.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNI3kmD-Eqq5nI3-0OESK8pG5m7rIGaVeexX9GnAxotfcwbU5ZmPF0IzNGCTv_DYu_dFaPTDmymXmO4IvE1CFVzqbF5IRPB4a9MCnt-4hWO8iiddkmFIjO1i87R6vyQHhAyZUgCtlYUQSO-WDRj9QSTbychDxh02wXqWEEVB0HzjYyQ0ecyUlhZf3TLGn/s4032/20240127_101303.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNI3kmD-Eqq5nI3-0OESK8pG5m7rIGaVeexX9GnAxotfcwbU5ZmPF0IzNGCTv_DYu_dFaPTDmymXmO4IvE1CFVzqbF5IRPB4a9MCnt-4hWO8iiddkmFIjO1i87R6vyQHhAyZUgCtlYUQSO-WDRj9QSTbychDxh02wXqWEEVB0HzjYyQ0ecyUlhZf3TLGn/s320/20240127_101303.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4XdsKZ7gZJOXWXaWLPD3OHkWrZ6BYLz8of_69piIK64JxR0IhycWm-d40qLha7dEXKXk5b9vZsfhZ3jIkvtWobBkNfEzTQPt7Jv5xANXFinm9cLMA8eUzcGMFRMJbRNEkmxiQPBqkzjlQ1To78nVVD6BQUI27i7A34hVKiLFRdGgMRYgsQWv7FhtzErY/s4032/20240128_112850.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4XdsKZ7gZJOXWXaWLPD3OHkWrZ6BYLz8of_69piIK64JxR0IhycWm-d40qLha7dEXKXk5b9vZsfhZ3jIkvtWobBkNfEzTQPt7Jv5xANXFinm9cLMA8eUzcGMFRMJbRNEkmxiQPBqkzjlQ1To78nVVD6BQUI27i7A34hVKiLFRdGgMRYgsQWv7FhtzErY/s320/20240128_112850.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wQJsyl-E-ohHaCHz0fFj9Etv3DXjtC0fzf_dqoGTPEl6h9LLS9ePN4b3RhH1j5TjcBphXmEQOpsWKmK1RDDX_9PMeVYCeUpsT5EfBkNRHkduRRf74-HKpUjPfI77LtamReMjoUyyqJeVAHBK_dvyyKyYxw-xkfCz99KhuaIFj9n8KieIoDEA3qkl1uqe/s4032/20240128_112901.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wQJsyl-E-ohHaCHz0fFj9Etv3DXjtC0fzf_dqoGTPEl6h9LLS9ePN4b3RhH1j5TjcBphXmEQOpsWKmK1RDDX_9PMeVYCeUpsT5EfBkNRHkduRRf74-HKpUjPfI77LtamReMjoUyyqJeVAHBK_dvyyKyYxw-xkfCz99KhuaIFj9n8KieIoDEA3qkl1uqe/s320/20240128_112901.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qF_Wen5vHU5rIbToE9T3iTrggk_OGfzuysjaUMMF229Lrjn4pYOkhLCJSrIThtjYbwmMLO4RFXpotXxGz_keWbCCy04P7HPl8KZiYPmP9G6U8k0MK2x3NORVoxAHEoHA-OxpxbA74T1thmTQ__mzHl7-sUqnEM5JhSL2VJQ_6kxhTr3cUEUd1AKEUW8q/s2400/Screenshot_20240128_130958_GENBOLT%20CAM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2400" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qF_Wen5vHU5rIbToE9T3iTrggk_OGfzuysjaUMMF229Lrjn4pYOkhLCJSrIThtjYbwmMLO4RFXpotXxGz_keWbCCy04P7HPl8KZiYPmP9G6U8k0MK2x3NORVoxAHEoHA-OxpxbA74T1thmTQ__mzHl7-sUqnEM5JhSL2VJQ_6kxhTr3cUEUd1AKEUW8q/s320/Screenshot_20240128_130958_GENBOLT%20CAM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElZUDfKiENDUlYZcENOGS2bLrguViZVE36cpxDJ4bE0v2KwTw9FjsJELezD7kYKveibYlLQOOQJAc0sNaayTEtKFHxtgXFfGM9zUAhf-eTBUPEGDcKsk87IhczoyTvOyWuYW_jOGvE2MQ4hBef1Eba7IcKqyyL838RN5eUCkQnQ5tAIkMcdvgRaMABMTA/s4032/IMG_3933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElZUDfKiENDUlYZcENOGS2bLrguViZVE36cpxDJ4bE0v2KwTw9FjsJELezD7kYKveibYlLQOOQJAc0sNaayTEtKFHxtgXFfGM9zUAhf-eTBUPEGDcKsk87IhczoyTvOyWuYW_jOGvE2MQ4hBef1Eba7IcKqyyL838RN5eUCkQnQ5tAIkMcdvgRaMABMTA/s320/IMG_3933.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Well, there has been much much more going on as well - family therapy sessions, gymnastics lessons, registering Ollie to start nursery in the fall and lots of running and illnesses! But I will leave you with two more photos - one of my teeth that cracked and fell out two days ago and one of the weird rubber hammock thing they put in my mouth to stop me 'drowning at the dentist' that being an actual quote from the dentist himself, who looked like a child, but did a good job. I have never had anything like this from a dentist before, but it was great and I actually nearly fell asleep while having my tooth fixed - </p><p>The tooth and its repair feel to me like a small metaphor for the move and the new house. </p><p><i><b>'It was broken and it got fixed and I actually enjoyed it while it was getting done! '</b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoHIEgfQAU1uQUN4ipHexF-OLznld_U3AAxPBsRdSgikQILYwsbLxKvwS0aFecZIAAK7c7SGACFXbR9APrDGHYmvCli7Yl1eoQE8U10NfBtQ0cKMRlIOebl2Y9q15YyHSjcHhAuHeab6rU2lA4wyFKj9bzFIm4e-J-fqxuY7XnInFQX5GVjwB2k-ej6oJ/s4032/20240131_190946.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoHIEgfQAU1uQUN4ipHexF-OLznld_U3AAxPBsRdSgikQILYwsbLxKvwS0aFecZIAAK7c7SGACFXbR9APrDGHYmvCli7Yl1eoQE8U10NfBtQ0cKMRlIOebl2Y9q15YyHSjcHhAuHeab6rU2lA4wyFKj9bzFIm4e-J-fqxuY7XnInFQX5GVjwB2k-ej6oJ/s320/20240131_190946.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpi4w5QzWKbfFFmcMNKIYEEGCp4SMTkCxLnuKiiZRmJCqtJB-kQUY-c3UubdcuRE-Q4TUYcjKLe_dmvc8WUsH5v8ZvtPLD3pKem3teTtvkGDyQUx_qREPY3vUWukHLGBJojbVxf-dzfDl1NOcQXWVHnoYqXp8jd_nvfDIGGULTHnqUvNH6iBW0r86Jooq/s3216/20240201_162929.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3216" data-original-width="1448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpi4w5QzWKbfFFmcMNKIYEEGCp4SMTkCxLnuKiiZRmJCqtJB-kQUY-c3UubdcuRE-Q4TUYcjKLe_dmvc8WUsH5v8ZvtPLD3pKem3teTtvkGDyQUx_qREPY3vUWukHLGBJojbVxf-dzfDl1NOcQXWVHnoYqXp8jd_nvfDIGGULTHnqUvNH6iBW0r86Jooq/s320/20240201_162929.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p>Update 13 Feb...</p><p>Well we still have builders in our house - to be fair, we actually don't have builders in our house because they keep not turning up. It is now starting to get a bit frustrating. Our 'bedroom' is in a shit state - ladders and dust everywhere while the drywall gets sorted out. The kids can't use their closet so still have some stuff boxed up. The basement stairs still need some work and then to be painted and tidied, as do the stairs to the 4th floor. Buffy and I are currently sleeping on an airbed (we have a good one luckily which is really comfortable) and haven't slept in our own bed for nearly a month. It's been a mattress on the floor or an airbed. After the walls and stairs get done and painted, we then have a carpet fitter coming in to redo the carpets that had to be removed. I don't think it will get done before we head off to Florida on holiday soon. </p><p>Here are a few updated pics...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTRWEud9IVJSjbL3SbqHKx99MSCl4oFNlsqRLTXr8LdVM_39qT-iPea4vkyyicxyLcOXDKxoxu5d3W6bse3vMcyCZWgsz4y2O97THu67JBnbYPGeQqYL2WOYUn-g5bwhbonNO_nHe7BDbp0apnyjcAtdz9jst_0tJIurqgj9bodqae5AW2nL0fJYV4r86/s4032/IMG_4063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTRWEud9IVJSjbL3SbqHKx99MSCl4oFNlsqRLTXr8LdVM_39qT-iPea4vkyyicxyLcOXDKxoxu5d3W6bse3vMcyCZWgsz4y2O97THu67JBnbYPGeQqYL2WOYUn-g5bwhbonNO_nHe7BDbp0apnyjcAtdz9jst_0tJIurqgj9bodqae5AW2nL0fJYV4r86/s320/IMG_4063.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sofa actually has another seat, but they sent the wrong legs for it, so that bit is just being stored for now!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQYvTdGGm4dapQQOXtP0WQOZF8X6lLega-mQiV-l8Dk55IOWjQOwrEbKALic93keFLuUK1Vi8OYsKzp6WsLhyphenhyphenJ8IQ1NqOLJdBHTvGCXLo1o-CpmNuqEFGdsruy2Uh09fTgPxzY1CjZlQ-iXPKVIS523Y9esJRigHGBExyrahbYOi7RkNrVGiAWqFSQhct/s4032/20240210_151707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQYvTdGGm4dapQQOXtP0WQOZF8X6lLega-mQiV-l8Dk55IOWjQOwrEbKALic93keFLuUK1Vi8OYsKzp6WsLhyphenhyphenJ8IQ1NqOLJdBHTvGCXLo1o-CpmNuqEFGdsruy2Uh09fTgPxzY1CjZlQ-iXPKVIS523Y9esJRigHGBExyrahbYOi7RkNrVGiAWqFSQhct/s320/20240210_151707.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 'bedroom' </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiLvZza1Fmr8IJzLwWR-aZrf03wjLPUre5LboHkU0y-TYK1zqTSHvjzAx6iy5MzBSadilqUnFbPHY0jX9tX4bDLCyyFIJlBBOYWXVIZBB5EB4yTpMb1FkOnP74SJ_Xf8VVbmAF0igdDnoMBM-JV3hkWBHmr5Y5UZzgOL248kRMqOTsGDJ7IC-x31lAFgg/s4032/20240209_181238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiLvZza1Fmr8IJzLwWR-aZrf03wjLPUre5LboHkU0y-TYK1zqTSHvjzAx6iy5MzBSadilqUnFbPHY0jX9tX4bDLCyyFIJlBBOYWXVIZBB5EB4yTpMb1FkOnP74SJ_Xf8VVbmAF0igdDnoMBM-JV3hkWBHmr5Y5UZzgOL248kRMqOTsGDJ7IC-x31lAFgg/s320/20240209_181238.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basement staircase</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRKMq2Zab2FggxjjlzeM9JugjDDrgMB9VTkmV-U8MNw6_3UGUjhZLKd2616mGbpP3n0VRMw_7ZJF7RWNDdzSxpxWC9i4nFJ-ZMu0_tGfWuuze-kFB1I7FKpDdLKdjnPzX-7s1YrJPOyBM_7D1q8VLqJzS4eeVwHzaj_Vx1lT69Mbuk48yJPPN-EYOB16R/s4032/20240209_181210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRKMq2Zab2FggxjjlzeM9JugjDDrgMB9VTkmV-U8MNw6_3UGUjhZLKd2616mGbpP3n0VRMw_7ZJF7RWNDdzSxpxWC9i4nFJ-ZMu0_tGfWuuze-kFB1I7FKpDdLKdjnPzX-7s1YrJPOyBM_7D1q8VLqJzS4eeVwHzaj_Vx1lT69Mbuk48yJPPN-EYOB16R/s320/20240209_181210.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got the kids their own TV - for the basement - The adult TV area is in on the Tippy Top floor as its become known. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlAm9CbCuIhZllJzAAJKSxtu_O9N2HcGh8Q3S_f3G1U03CtE8jJv_I9QsjBBgKIJJjnzEOWPpPFfc5rCDwXvecOX9h9KfoIBPw-42P0Vil6eqUnXhaZI0FUHW43-sJSOvAdryhFof5eVjbabLJNjADQAGL-rQEN0TJLiizOY63hxW6PcnYdAQvTMOAbUO/s4032/20240209_151137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlAm9CbCuIhZllJzAAJKSxtu_O9N2HcGh8Q3S_f3G1U03CtE8jJv_I9QsjBBgKIJJjnzEOWPpPFfc5rCDwXvecOX9h9KfoIBPw-42P0Vil6eqUnXhaZI0FUHW43-sJSOvAdryhFof5eVjbabLJNjADQAGL-rQEN0TJLiizOY63hxW6PcnYdAQvTMOAbUO/s320/20240209_151137.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifH9s4au6aC-R4CZAuWa6Z8-lle7A1s3dF0SYHxkdnCe3ixGtXSWwH5VHoJWuke-Zz-DrTJbw-uz8-It85HcqivMnGL67qvV6wq1a-zwxd0bHNgfOmuyWkp6z-s_P0n7SFnaFFfAjiHaGM46-2Z6TXA3fZoGuVXcuCHcz-6DuehEHFr4WkDj2nB5Vmy3-/s4032/20240208_115932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifH9s4au6aC-R4CZAuWa6Z8-lle7A1s3dF0SYHxkdnCe3ixGtXSWwH5VHoJWuke-Zz-DrTJbw-uz8-It85HcqivMnGL67qvV6wq1a-zwxd0bHNgfOmuyWkp6z-s_P0n7SFnaFFfAjiHaGM46-2Z6TXA3fZoGuVXcuCHcz-6DuehEHFr4WkDj2nB5Vmy3-/s320/20240208_115932.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This last pic is great - Hannah wanted to 'share' my home office, so we got her a little desk to 'work' at. Its so cool!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoW9K6y0HrmMTC_lgxExzIxHZvgzMJ_WchyphenhyphenNsES_7JRMjCHfUW9JqOVx1EOJRXp6SL7TjB0UA6LMyJIPKJZjrJAIEHcYLO8dJjnjud31qgpRI0pJEK5JU-jGDvgdr-FDuO-MdiWv1GMUVkTQHC-c9CsEFw3xBlsKUELqg5UHslLfJiFcFH4pKy9ECdUH6f/s4032/20240207_161024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoW9K6y0HrmMTC_lgxExzIxHZvgzMJ_WchyphenhyphenNsES_7JRMjCHfUW9JqOVx1EOJRXp6SL7TjB0UA6LMyJIPKJZjrJAIEHcYLO8dJjnjud31qgpRI0pJEK5JU-jGDvgdr-FDuO-MdiWv1GMUVkTQHC-c9CsEFw3xBlsKUELqg5UHslLfJiFcFH4pKy9ECdUH6f/s320/20240207_161024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-16700122985850870682023-12-23T15:22:00.000+00:002023-12-23T15:22:01.183+00:00Well that was a fucking crazy 2 weeks.....<p> Winter is weird this year.</p><p>It's 0 degrees C outside today with 'light drizzle' on December 23rd. </p><p>Normally we would be looking at a maximum of about -10 with temps down to minus 20 or lower at night, but this year winter has so far been really kind to us. We have had a couple of nice snow showers, but the snow is only about a cm deep and with the warm weather, the roads and pavements are pretty clear. It's a nice change from last year when we had huge amounts of snow. </p><p>It also means that when Spring arrives - in about 2 months, even if we have had a shitty January, it will have been a nice short winter. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjL8I3Hsmv84sakgDuCBRuEOrexqJ1Das5XnhXcMtprPGEHg8riwAcLBitC5owsc-jJxv-gB8SSDUq5Iq64KiqMX4dxLv9ex0uCLMy1nPc9vp6HL7M8QdnvuqcgPh6AZGsOtV9BhPqSPwzRenmHkeIRg6NZyZl_PlFgliDvCWf37LMGW9Dca2NFzy799KTw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="402" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjL8I3Hsmv84sakgDuCBRuEOrexqJ1Das5XnhXcMtprPGEHg8riwAcLBitC5owsc-jJxv-gB8SSDUq5Iq64KiqMX4dxLv9ex0uCLMy1nPc9vp6HL7M8QdnvuqcgPh6AZGsOtV9BhPqSPwzRenmHkeIRg6NZyZl_PlFgliDvCWf37LMGW9Dca2NFzy799KTw" width="140" /></a></div><br />I am not going to talk any more about the weather and in the episode I also am not going to mention the kids much. Instead, I will fill you in on the big news we have.....we are moving house!<p></p><p>Just two weeks ago Buffy was scrolling around the local house for sale, as she often does, looking at ideas for things to do in our house, when she came across a house just by Hannahs school, about a 5 minute walk away. Most of the houses in our neighbourhood (Wolseley) are built close to the house next door and most only have a little outdoor space for the kiddos to play in. But this house was different. It was on the corner and had no house right next to it on either side. What probably happened is when it was built the owners bought 2 lots and kept one as their garden. So this is a house on a street corner, with a big garden to one side of it (Remind anyone of 90 Moss Vale Road?) </p><p>The house had been flipped by a realtor, over the last few months and is pretty much ready to move into. It's almost the same layout as our house now, but ever so slightly larger, but also with a finished attic - so a huge open space for a great bedroom, office and tv space all combined into one!</p><p>We took a look with our favorite realtor Morwenna and knew we had to delve deeper, so a couple of days later we got a house inspection done and when the inspector told us he would let hs daughter live in te house, we knew we had to make an offer - Even though we weren't looking at moving.</p><p>So a couple if quick calls to the bank and we had a verbal confirmation that we could get the money if we needed it. </p><p>Then a quick play with some scenarios and spreadsheets gave up an idea of what we could afford and just 72 hours after seeing the house online we had put in our offer. </p><p>House selling over here works entirely differently than in the UK. Over here a house goes up for sale and has a date, normally less than a week, where buyers put in an offer. All offers are opened a couple of days later and presented to the seller, who then decides which offer to take and there is still a bit of back and forth as offers can be increased if things are looking close. So in the space of 45 minutes, we had a lot of back and forth between us and Morwenna and the selling realtor before we found out our offer was accepted and we had the house! Then we found a lawyer, got the paperwork signed and agreed on a date of Jan 22nd, to get possession! It's all a bit like a crazy roller coaster. </p><p>It was really cute when we told the kids because they didn't understand what it meant. They thought they would leave everything behind in the old house. So when Hannah asked if she could take her stuffies and we said yes, she was a bit happier. Then she listed her bed, her clothes, the toys and everything else in the house. After we said yes to them all, that we could take them she was ready to go!!</p><p>Anyway, here's a few shots of the new house - </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkzBaiT5vaNs1yJ2sjZIvWbklLz9x5ULOztSkxCcdTTqDf_ut7c4AbFpVkSbgy3VsAgL6Msi0XXKhcTOH5uxzM4FkSHaCOeHgUXGp7L5P9r1qxvFi_35daqDE8yHbjizo91lOCxUuhcNYSF5nzBkihWLL96WipoobOFEccUKiUqjRG8NUL0jN3f_cz09S/s4032/20231222_065430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkzBaiT5vaNs1yJ2sjZIvWbklLz9x5ULOztSkxCcdTTqDf_ut7c4AbFpVkSbgy3VsAgL6Msi0XXKhcTOH5uxzM4FkSHaCOeHgUXGp7L5P9r1qxvFi_35daqDE8yHbjizo91lOCxUuhcNYSF5nzBkihWLL96WipoobOFEccUKiUqjRG8NUL0jN3f_cz09S/s320/20231222_065430.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e1eSZSKtgT4Z9SpJ6ekNCB_qC-TmAiTEveGbqCFBBwxVuM-GGQKjfDAxg15Al5MHYZk5U5JlZ-PT7aa9qG6qXZMxKHE-hH0WeL_Bcn-2QKpWiLCcXbE29NZtnEsnECwluhDtmJM13oVRlPy19QIozeaJwEec4NWCvM2JPRmapm1ruVfURUU3d3lAxitQ/s4032/20231222_065804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e1eSZSKtgT4Z9SpJ6ekNCB_qC-TmAiTEveGbqCFBBwxVuM-GGQKjfDAxg15Al5MHYZk5U5JlZ-PT7aa9qG6qXZMxKHE-hH0WeL_Bcn-2QKpWiLCcXbE29NZtnEsnECwluhDtmJM13oVRlPy19QIozeaJwEec4NWCvM2JPRmapm1ruVfURUU3d3lAxitQ/s320/20231222_065804.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFBeNfDrr0jQRO2YueTWc9tJpYtoSS13apf72n9UBmuynYgme9wb0NhepW84jk5IhvaGldJO2Zs-zSgQPMpNHRQSQhp52RTG1YEWKdNaUoz0a6VSPNRcdtrFI9kjZXIykHiOC7nRshpB0D3S9RsXh3GlrVnOpgq6jijLBVGKdW6SHaW3clGT1UhQu91or/s1024/202330560_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFBeNfDrr0jQRO2YueTWc9tJpYtoSS13apf72n9UBmuynYgme9wb0NhepW84jk5IhvaGldJO2Zs-zSgQPMpNHRQSQhp52RTG1YEWKdNaUoz0a6VSPNRcdtrFI9kjZXIykHiOC7nRshpB0D3S9RsXh3GlrVnOpgq6jijLBVGKdW6SHaW3clGT1UhQu91or/s320/202330560_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41seSVXR8FfHCnGoRMMZ9LGAXLmES0APK5zd5TW6ZeW6_ftCLSKsGkeA7xUFWPFdMZGum5vjzkmo0gGY72NCAArJWcblrYnnclRcCzSZjI9VsjcNltGVa860cUrYKZF2KIKnP5ckwWcgEAI2QpozVYBQRYRbsMcxiQgdrrrOZxn-3eHNvDjEr2To0tP9x/s1024/202330560_32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41seSVXR8FfHCnGoRMMZ9LGAXLmES0APK5zd5TW6ZeW6_ftCLSKsGkeA7xUFWPFdMZGum5vjzkmo0gGY72NCAArJWcblrYnnclRcCzSZjI9VsjcNltGVa860cUrYKZF2KIKnP5ckwWcgEAI2QpozVYBQRYRbsMcxiQgdrrrOZxn-3eHNvDjEr2To0tP9x/s320/202330560_32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPj8UA_dxAOf7ZYkXzBBfpjww0W4CZvz5JevaDljBAqc8q1uBYmcA-OYOgu1BgaQqvq_dqmBVJMuaLg4Dgp8og0y2opGQR21qMJ7dFLWbr5G1FTNNJgkRAvZogDm0yK6-9wRkFfouDw7r3e0Ym7dLfC_Ecf8-MO82CSvbBvTGifbRxkp4Ri_2zhibAlHgx/s1024/202330560_38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPj8UA_dxAOf7ZYkXzBBfpjww0W4CZvz5JevaDljBAqc8q1uBYmcA-OYOgu1BgaQqvq_dqmBVJMuaLg4Dgp8og0y2opGQR21qMJ7dFLWbr5G1FTNNJgkRAvZogDm0yK6-9wRkFfouDw7r3e0Ym7dLfC_Ecf8-MO82CSvbBvTGifbRxkp4Ri_2zhibAlHgx/s320/202330560_38.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKUHzHS2oZexhQrgow2Wn4-Rj20cmKORJtCc3vXWr0xgRUOt0woy0P_PNBthDiSjyKK6ig5jHNUxQD6knWdw2QAeTlMUZhlgZbq7S72O7gijgsMtm5HqNP1LvybaVg4_baAwYa4oxz5p2teV1wFVdGy-5bQsMw-dH4GE4zXHdykwAyyr4QMEP4ivMLcpN/s1024/202330560_41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKUHzHS2oZexhQrgow2Wn4-Rj20cmKORJtCc3vXWr0xgRUOt0woy0P_PNBthDiSjyKK6ig5jHNUxQD6knWdw2QAeTlMUZhlgZbq7S72O7gijgsMtm5HqNP1LvybaVg4_baAwYa4oxz5p2teV1wFVdGy-5bQsMw-dH4GE4zXHdykwAyyr4QMEP4ivMLcpN/s320/202330560_41.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscQAhGtmLPu4tyMmu1qlvaui3OzsJBtIta-mL0K_kzgX-EMrGqzKS_u5hMU9QItpzT0Yx84vE7HNw9jC13qAf9JZbD0UlYkfBQt8r0XUW68eudrXjxgCx5_teFzKYRDiM4sii3WE5aeNgyxhMARXrlPU64iKAUgiOO4_YdcqzuW9QM3rk_XXcCvf9nqJE/s1024/202330560_42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscQAhGtmLPu4tyMmu1qlvaui3OzsJBtIta-mL0K_kzgX-EMrGqzKS_u5hMU9QItpzT0Yx84vE7HNw9jC13qAf9JZbD0UlYkfBQt8r0XUW68eudrXjxgCx5_teFzKYRDiM4sii3WE5aeNgyxhMARXrlPU64iKAUgiOO4_YdcqzuW9QM3rk_XXcCvf9nqJE/s320/202330560_42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I didn't mention that it's also across the street from a kid's park - in fact one of our kid's favourites parks! So that's good too. </p><p>Now all we have to do is work out what to do with our old house. We are lucky enough to not need to sell it, so have been looking to rent it out to help pay the new mortgage. It's been a whirlwind few days but just last night we had some good friends pop around to take a look and to be honest, they absolutely loved our little house - just like we do - and agreed very quickly to move in at the end of January. So apart from the paperwork, it's all sorted out. In just 12 days we have seen, and bought a house and got tenants for our old one! We move between 22 and 26 Jan, they move in on 31 Jan/1 Feb and everyone is a winner. </p><p>We will miss our little house here in Westminster and we will definitely miss our fantastic neighbours - especially Mike and Janis on one side and Paula on the other side even more. We have such a good group of friends and neighbours here that we can't move and not stay in touch with them all. Also as we are actually keeping the house there's every chance that in a few years we, or the kids, might actually downsize and move back in! This house is like one of the family now and we are so happy for our new tenants They are at the same stage of life we were at when we moved in 8 years ago and I know they will create so many great memories here!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzLimHSGhpeVrN4PmDAOpszR0TYVgkpGtsg0mClpvcfzwAseDZSVQV22STWMj79veP1CgvI9jz2U3fqW0ufMH9EqLmQYO0q2pRHheC2ff4C5cznm3ORG7c1rPeNTvrZRznjixKvJcGWndGteuM_GrG8XCYXR1GZvuOHzcx7C7Z5gnlvipyO4vX4zejim5/s4032/20231222_071344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzLimHSGhpeVrN4PmDAOpszR0TYVgkpGtsg0mClpvcfzwAseDZSVQV22STWMj79veP1CgvI9jz2U3fqW0ufMH9EqLmQYO0q2pRHheC2ff4C5cznm3ORG7c1rPeNTvrZRznjixKvJcGWndGteuM_GrG8XCYXR1GZvuOHzcx7C7Z5gnlvipyO4vX4zejim5/s320/20231222_071344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Buffy and I did allow ourselves an evening out to celebrate everything, so here's a photo of us raising our glasses to the house, to our friends and family and to you.... Take whichever one of these seasons' greetings and make it yours......</p><p>'Happy Holidays', 'Merry Christmas', 'May your days be merry and bright' or just 'hello'. </p><p>Thanks for reading and see you in the new year!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53W4zZ1PYtWN7cf7gjQ3m8vX9jt1JMHndfXASLqjpEmvym5lR-7mypOlldz_2GrcV-9uhDB4ShbkWDr_RDumqe0U0VLpFLhoQg7v3Pi0NvmmzYuSNC1OA4DZdoFbjWKYfnIV_oAUUlZiaHHLjWirlhDQtBEYec0DHbLCePTZiRgc_ng5DGkPrnCSOQ7bN/s3088/IMG_3196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53W4zZ1PYtWN7cf7gjQ3m8vX9jt1JMHndfXASLqjpEmvym5lR-7mypOlldz_2GrcV-9uhDB4ShbkWDr_RDumqe0U0VLpFLhoQg7v3Pi0NvmmzYuSNC1OA4DZdoFbjWKYfnIV_oAUUlZiaHHLjWirlhDQtBEYec0DHbLCePTZiRgc_ng5DGkPrnCSOQ7bN/s320/IMG_3196.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-88403804291476218922023-12-11T04:38:00.009+00:002023-12-11T04:44:21.239+00:00Culture, Brown Christmas and my wonderful arsehole kids. <p> Its December 10th and for once I actually plan to write and publish a short update all in one evening, Lets see how that goes eh!!</p><p>Well, its been a really uplifting few weeks - mainly because the frigid winter weather has evaded us for much longer than normal this year. Yes, we had some snow in October and Halloween was quite chilly, but the last 4-5 weeks have been amazing. Until a few days ago we were still getting above zero temperatures most days and even in the evening it was only dropping to minus 4 or 5. We have had a little snow, but the warmer weather has easily melted it away and so the roads and footpaths have been mainly clear! I have been out running in shorts and no gloves several times and its been lovely!</p><p>The winter HAS finally arrived though with a little winter storm this weekend where about 5-6cm of snow fell, but still it's not that cold and we are expecting a couple of days of 0 - 3 degrees this week, which should be enough to clear the paths and roads again. </p><p>People over here worry that there might be a 'brown Christmas', which actually just means 'Not a White Christmas' - I'll be honest - Give me a Brown Christmas any year - No snow to clear, good easy drives and a real British feel about the whole thing! I don't think it will happen but if it does you will hear about it first from me!! </p><p>This was our backyard about a year ago...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDB43IKYrLmMd8SxGcZWf60t19S2w33PWbYf5c6_0iX6dL4hxfysEpBlkvX6YgIdfbHajYsnETKKVbEvVgAsa5Kv56SsVkOFxePVDPkk5vF_Dodd4Qx5zs0LImO52HpEiG_nHI5KCCYS4I2_0FJ-p0CjC4FTnXkC6TXgTniIUBqhBpI14X3SZ3tursC1Zv/s4032/20221217_095829.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDB43IKYrLmMd8SxGcZWf60t19S2w33PWbYf5c6_0iX6dL4hxfysEpBlkvX6YgIdfbHajYsnETKKVbEvVgAsa5Kv56SsVkOFxePVDPkk5vF_Dodd4Qx5zs0LImO52HpEiG_nHI5KCCYS4I2_0FJ-p0CjC4FTnXkC6TXgTniIUBqhBpI14X3SZ3tursC1Zv/s320/20221217_095829.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>and this was our back yard two days ago....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhCqmaaUp2XBt47LeHAjXqfe7AQ9fTMmzyB0TRwqcqWjZXsVe23fKIWL_ffLAQ6C4hZOXqRYT7dgScCZGihUMSG0rwjvirUqlrTuzrNSry20hNJTlYVway1Eykz7sOLEJrsHfSqpQPPSAuuBxz9qjP-d7VrYUhFEOljo1Qc-ryAefklgLGuU5HMHv_7tM/s4032/20231206_221818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhCqmaaUp2XBt47LeHAjXqfe7AQ9fTMmzyB0TRwqcqWjZXsVe23fKIWL_ffLAQ6C4hZOXqRYT7dgScCZGihUMSG0rwjvirUqlrTuzrNSry20hNJTlYVway1Eykz7sOLEJrsHfSqpQPPSAuuBxz9qjP-d7VrYUhFEOljo1Qc-ryAefklgLGuU5HMHv_7tM/s320/20231206_221818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Like I said we have had a bit of snow now, but thats cool (Literally) It feels great to kow that we have got away with 4-5 weeks of winter without it actually feeling like winter! Only 3 months to go!! Also even when it has snowed - the kids are big enough now to help out clearing the white shite!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_huys8Pp4Zf2euDIBMUTxiZGqVoVS6gM9XM-f3e9cmWQySNl-j7C2pho8FZCbbssNtIl2tq3XL59y5fGI8EbztSURzFy2Cjm12K9Hw7b_m12u007xnVeAK6ritr4J3wMVZu69zG2NfyN9NcoNOwtD-8GVJYA62MzlH3A4ko6UqcQ4_8dg9kHKdMxhbzoa/s4032/20231126_095822.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_huys8Pp4Zf2euDIBMUTxiZGqVoVS6gM9XM-f3e9cmWQySNl-j7C2pho8FZCbbssNtIl2tq3XL59y5fGI8EbztSURzFy2Cjm12K9Hw7b_m12u007xnVeAK6ritr4J3wMVZu69zG2NfyN9NcoNOwtD-8GVJYA62MzlH3A4ko6UqcQ4_8dg9kHKdMxhbzoa/s320/20231126_095822.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnu3o2K0UTa81buTPj3iqzUyQImM9kpnTcS6I3Mjcg-l4_JAAVbkr7BL5SVnCRS9vwyaYiLLaeE5JlCxtPmqsNgFg9uWg8aBLxqtY1wTopRCtu8SF1sBgbWVvhdp1ZZA7Be7gXMqcSE8B71fGTrO1GpEsQTHt6ybJfSmZVHkTMZ60sDEF6d1vfILSLUqP/s4032/20231126_100134.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnu3o2K0UTa81buTPj3iqzUyQImM9kpnTcS6I3Mjcg-l4_JAAVbkr7BL5SVnCRS9vwyaYiLLaeE5JlCxtPmqsNgFg9uWg8aBLxqtY1wTopRCtu8SF1sBgbWVvhdp1ZZA7Be7gXMqcSE8B71fGTrO1GpEsQTHt6ybJfSmZVHkTMZ60sDEF6d1vfILSLUqP/s320/20231126_100134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwleBfxx-LUsqIVeKTSXWHzYwh3f66ZwqAQzMYJLrFYvY9EdlKwPbk_ZZ4eYJ6G2UfV9HIO3AGylapY94cgKq9uUQfFTrq9EdU2Ux5lhZyLLzCcba53xPtyKN3pZSI8g6ML6GP5E8lwZ-95z8XUfR720DWaV6TE-EqhtswAXWSGeavpdFPBbTQVEHviNs/s4032/20231126_100140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwleBfxx-LUsqIVeKTSXWHzYwh3f66ZwqAQzMYJLrFYvY9EdlKwPbk_ZZ4eYJ6G2UfV9HIO3AGylapY94cgKq9uUQfFTrq9EdU2Ux5lhZyLLzCcba53xPtyKN3pZSI8g6ML6GP5E8lwZ-95z8XUfR720DWaV6TE-EqhtswAXWSGeavpdFPBbTQVEHviNs/s320/20231126_100140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o0aOtalqhXw" width="320" youtube-src-id="o0aOtalqhXw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p>In other news, we have been busy being a bit posh and getting a bit of culture in! It tutrns out that instead of just going to the pub and getting bollocked, it's actually quite fun to do other stuff like look at art and listen to music - so we did some of that too....then went for beers afterwards!!</p><p>It all started because the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra was playing one of those concerts where they play the music to a movie, while you watch the movie on a big screen. It just turns out that they were doing Frozen! So we dragged the kids along on a Sunday afternoon and had a great time (Till Hannah had a bit of a breakdown after the movie) watching the film and listening to the live Orchestra, </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIniRVRmpblTWN6cWWYxtG6fnHH6jdl1sXUJ8aEjF8Ycnx5EZO3dY17mVeNCbA3vEbM2gcmxsjM6VHsO93EC6lWxIyk9V4jtaM9Rs-T46eGqDu5-j2EOMuvflNXtyfIMQkVcPBR9pg44Rsskp39N38ZRIlRw7aZBg6Im_t3vHOZ3_an9P-z3k2qMWSBxX/s4032/IMG_3012.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIniRVRmpblTWN6cWWYxtG6fnHH6jdl1sXUJ8aEjF8Ycnx5EZO3dY17mVeNCbA3vEbM2gcmxsjM6VHsO93EC6lWxIyk9V4jtaM9Rs-T46eGqDu5-j2EOMuvflNXtyfIMQkVcPBR9pg44Rsskp39N38ZRIlRw7aZBg6Im_t3vHOZ3_an9P-z3k2qMWSBxX/s320/IMG_3012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3XQ5hV5Pd1slNzVFdzKdnCa2Z-aL14G22UGHo-0MLm6-IhGXjGnUY26VlQTkKv02AB3Pd5x-eMjif9EIWH-glsLlumO0FGOKMNcT1SGNGC8IdSds5gTBLs_xlecS2nApXZVLYDBSOY9NsYeFb0EQGfARMkkatxMrXOoUpX3mrvBbHvmtAVKmZ-dMfRmT/s4032/20231126_135148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3XQ5hV5Pd1slNzVFdzKdnCa2Z-aL14G22UGHo-0MLm6-IhGXjGnUY26VlQTkKv02AB3Pd5x-eMjif9EIWH-glsLlumO0FGOKMNcT1SGNGC8IdSds5gTBLs_xlecS2nApXZVLYDBSOY9NsYeFb0EQGfARMkkatxMrXOoUpX3mrvBbHvmtAVKmZ-dMfRmT/s320/20231126_135148.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It was really good and so soon afterwards when the chance of another live music show for th kids came up we took it - This time it was Susan's choir, singing their Christmas concert and the kids came along and love that too (Till Hannah had a bit of a breakdown after the concert). <div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vj2UEnBVEd8" width="320" youtube-src-id="Vj2UEnBVEd8"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2F2vc2Cv99M" width="320" youtube-src-id="2F2vc2Cv99M"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><p>This past week, the kids have been left out a little and we did the culture trips ourselves!</p><p>Early last week we went to the Convention centre where the 'Beyond Monet', exhibition was on. It was just brilliant. A quick walk around and introduction to Monet (and Van Goch) so that you knew a little about the art and the history and then into a huge sports field-sized room with 20-foot high walls multiple projectors and a surround sound speaker system. On all the walls and the floor are projected artworks, but they are brought to life with movement and depth - a couple of examples being the windmills and lighthouse - The windmill sails actually turn as the artwork moves and the lighthouse light rotates blinding you with light and then darkness as the light moves away. There was so much to see and hear that we stayed a little longer than we were supposed to, but it was really really enjoyable and something I have never really seen before!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pROAVDioRZC6eqNwuEIu48GuWWp67j9YDmV9NLw0uvv8U4zwYlbCEmvyGQstPauKOI0toBjz6pNzuas4PL90rLQfeq1Lr4cQjrOqFME5BW1g_8aX9KDbRxWeK4X8AzJ-bQbDM0NFhXAgg-ga70g8eahrXdxjnkUvwJY-CJ-IB5PQuxJhTcZLCIQxgDDr/s11856/20231205_191119.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="11856" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pROAVDioRZC6eqNwuEIu48GuWWp67j9YDmV9NLw0uvv8U4zwYlbCEmvyGQstPauKOI0toBjz6pNzuas4PL90rLQfeq1Lr4cQjrOqFME5BW1g_8aX9KDbRxWeK4X8AzJ-bQbDM0NFhXAgg-ga70g8eahrXdxjnkUvwJY-CJ-IB5PQuxJhTcZLCIQxgDDr/s320/20231205_191119.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWSTty3IsLmwrd26WSPOti_kei6hR7OWAHPpA-8ldC2_BSJuM3MasQNl0vNQRPNaFt_gugMKN8ZSgDhAjChRcTruMLZDg-u2435QzDbvjjeyGVt64io7kP9UrTQKmCq8D69Jw-u3oCRMB0yodISFkYDxQTqSVdZOwSXn8SNyFOvzYAQWUflnqLuA44PuT/s4032/20231205_191828.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWSTty3IsLmwrd26WSPOti_kei6hR7OWAHPpA-8ldC2_BSJuM3MasQNl0vNQRPNaFt_gugMKN8ZSgDhAjChRcTruMLZDg-u2435QzDbvjjeyGVt64io7kP9UrTQKmCq8D69Jw-u3oCRMB0yodISFkYDxQTqSVdZOwSXn8SNyFOvzYAQWUflnqLuA44PuT/s320/20231205_191828.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRpEpLHwto7lJDRzoLyp02aCUB45eYAvjuKXoLO55WlIlKMc1D3VUs_GcfvrqmXsvKhHDFshZ3pAME9ou1WEQFn7_BQ9DQEn6C2qrY6GEVswxWUuWlkmGZ9PclUdsuZ9k8uh6I-aRhDgXLdWageiwGVYPh1X0j7RptLCBByc1o-yuUQOIl0k3Tt09wS3s/s4032/20231205_194447.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRpEpLHwto7lJDRzoLyp02aCUB45eYAvjuKXoLO55WlIlKMc1D3VUs_GcfvrqmXsvKhHDFshZ3pAME9ou1WEQFn7_BQ9DQEn6C2qrY6GEVswxWUuWlkmGZ9PclUdsuZ9k8uh6I-aRhDgXLdWageiwGVYPh1X0j7RptLCBByc1o-yuUQOIl0k3Tt09wS3s/s320/20231205_194447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoZDJ7Dyf0b2zjfic4LwoJUbVleiOEiVub4NgFXYX13wQFRBVOGZ1wSZzdmqQ0ymLRbxwMze2YDAWHW_YLoOTdye16NzueckU4hvbu6e4cCa-vt0M50TJRwgHIDfOO98Zu7tx3gXOBvU4Tokur33FRWqSxVvbG2fQIltrxH8prIbnq-7l-0yNUZD7bct1/s4032/20231205_194459.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoZDJ7Dyf0b2zjfic4LwoJUbVleiOEiVub4NgFXYX13wQFRBVOGZ1wSZzdmqQ0ymLRbxwMze2YDAWHW_YLoOTdye16NzueckU4hvbu6e4cCa-vt0M50TJRwgHIDfOO98Zu7tx3gXOBvU4Tokur33FRWqSxVvbG2fQIltrxH8prIbnq-7l-0yNUZD7bct1/s320/20231205_194459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r0lLZcoj-jU" width="320" youtube-src-id="r0lLZcoj-jU"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mM76TK2KQwQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="mM76TK2KQwQ"></iframe></div><br /><p>Our final Cultural trip for this year was to a local church where there was a candlelight concert playing. This is part of a series of concerts playing in various venues around the city over a couple of months. This one was a 4 piece string quartet playing the music of Hans Zimmer - famous for film scores such as Interstellar, Gladiator, The Lion King and The Dark Knight. But instead of a normal music venue, it s played in a more intimate place, and also surrounded by candlelight. Again it was REALLY good. We really enjoyed listening to the music as much as the quartet enjoyed playing it - they readily admitted it was nice to play something different from their normal music. You will probably recognise some of the music - The first is the crazy countdown music from Dunkirk and the last one is was from Pirates of the Caribbean.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yxw1404jA3s" width="320" youtube-src-id="yxw1404jA3s"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zvphuUkJbSk" width="320" youtube-src-id="zvphuUkJbSk"></iframe></div><br /><p>That pretty much sums up our last few weeks. </p><p>You will be glad to hear that Hannah has recovered well from the little breakdowns I mentioned earlier. She is just at the stage in her life when things get hard - she is very strong-willed and yet is still very little and finds it hard to control her emotions sometimes. But she is getting much much better about it with lots of talking and working together. We are also seeking outside help, not only for her but for ourselves too, so we can all deal with our issues a bit better and work together to help each other. Buffy and I are open to learning new things and ensure that we do our utmost best for the kids and our little family. There will still be times when we disagree and shout at each other, but with help (Therapy, if you are wondering) we are determined to do our best for each other. </p><p>I have just a few photos to share with everyone - One is of Ollie helping me unload the shopping cart. A couple of string-willed Hannah who went to her friends Princess themed birthday party dressed as the only Unicorn there and the last one is of me and Ollie. </p><p>It is my new favourite photo. </p><p>Taken at the choir concert, it's Ollie sitting on my knee, listening to the music, eyes closed. In this photo, I see his little hands just resting on hs legs as he leans into my chest with his eyes closed. I can only imagine what is going through his mind, but if it's 1% of the love I feel for him and Hannah when I look at this photo, then its a huge HUGE amount of love. This is without doubt the best part of being a parent to these two brilliant little kids. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TlivAIe2MI6P1wPYd0YWgus4kk3RJCjb_dc4f265MTJqIygdEgMTYxPugyL7c2unpqju169rBV25dBi57Vs7exc4N4qD9Pl44PJp43Ud_aqlQU0tz_16xUNKVdQU9l7-mqdI_4Xvn4tPBRkv4mzXTJa_btnhRw44SXvH8eQB6Sx4XqXqUiYxRbibXn2r/s4032/20231203_112326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TlivAIe2MI6P1wPYd0YWgus4kk3RJCjb_dc4f265MTJqIygdEgMTYxPugyL7c2unpqju169rBV25dBi57Vs7exc4N4qD9Pl44PJp43Ud_aqlQU0tz_16xUNKVdQU9l7-mqdI_4Xvn4tPBRkv4mzXTJa_btnhRw44SXvH8eQB6Sx4XqXqUiYxRbibXn2r/s320/20231203_112326.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJls4F8xZFJAqlJK-4m2GMbk9cBIuw99MmpFdfsE9FHq_CDQ5aIIKYQOX5PgahnhEhcYyVNenBAd0tglIpNQji-Yx1zebTTtw5wYsC9tuR2VFniTlCXgg6jwRcRXSUCrUZ_5EqynMj5lAM5VtN8ov7CGLNk2lrbGo19S_k-ZPUoZvQG1AcUUEBrlY1eXmV/s4032/IMG_3051.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJls4F8xZFJAqlJK-4m2GMbk9cBIuw99MmpFdfsE9FHq_CDQ5aIIKYQOX5PgahnhEhcYyVNenBAd0tglIpNQji-Yx1zebTTtw5wYsC9tuR2VFniTlCXgg6jwRcRXSUCrUZ_5EqynMj5lAM5VtN8ov7CGLNk2lrbGo19S_k-ZPUoZvQG1AcUUEBrlY1eXmV/s320/IMG_3051.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzzekbSWZlpqhaEoUiVR5LtxrdIy0m2Z47N4mnzIniZAN0TiaSigG8H9dTog3Dy636-QeJgFy-WY9oLVUxptXIzo-cUNAOwalKgqei2f4qXdWTdcfDPHDTYDHKVClZ0GIAi9XwGol7p-PcTrMPTYaNekovZyYayM3qySDt8jtoU5dglZKxz_fr5OxBuTR/s4032/IMG_3055.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzzekbSWZlpqhaEoUiVR5LtxrdIy0m2Z47N4mnzIniZAN0TiaSigG8H9dTog3Dy636-QeJgFy-WY9oLVUxptXIzo-cUNAOwalKgqei2f4qXdWTdcfDPHDTYDHKVClZ0GIAi9XwGol7p-PcTrMPTYaNekovZyYayM3qySDt8jtoU5dglZKxz_fr5OxBuTR/s320/IMG_3055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZfjH2h3jy_r_ZCsWA3bsXmBX3lkkkar3hyskLYl9d3K2Cy7tAIte3j6M-vlnTOP2LTSP_C5JGNVJ6xFOA8499QcBl-CPpUDjQtWvMJDhv2kJxFSEgLDiF5AEZokCowkYlxi0ZXCZUzAIJkl3x4U6zp5B1ZcU3IT2if_LmMVLtTbPOcJEa2XSFcvjCMsd/s4032/IMG_3045.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZfjH2h3jy_r_ZCsWA3bsXmBX3lkkkar3hyskLYl9d3K2Cy7tAIte3j6M-vlnTOP2LTSP_C5JGNVJ6xFOA8499QcBl-CPpUDjQtWvMJDhv2kJxFSEgLDiF5AEZokCowkYlxi0ZXCZUzAIJkl3x4U6zp5B1ZcU3IT2if_LmMVLtTbPOcJEa2XSFcvjCMsd/s320/IMG_3045.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-10255135655839310712023-11-20T20:42:00.000+00:002023-11-20T20:42:02.226+00:00October to November 2023<p>It's nearly Christmas - nearly......but in all honesty, Christmas just doesn't cut it anymore. </p><p>You see, living out here in the centre of North America, Christmas comes a very poor 2nd or maybe even 3rd or 4th best on the list of celebrated holidays. It IS an actual holiday I suppose and people get days off work to celebrate, but he biggest celebration happens just ...about..... today.....Halloween is definitely the number 1.</p><p>Halloween itself on October 31st is just really the culmination of more than a month's worth of craziness. There have been multiple parties for the kids, Halloween gifts, candy and decorations have been the main focus in so many stores for the last 4 to 6 weeks and there have been huge boxes of Pumpkins available outside every supermarket. </p><p>One of the best things about Halloween though is the crazy decorations and nights out, just to see and get involved in the Halloween feeling. This is the 4th year we have spent multiple evenings driving around the local neighbourhoods with the kids in the car like I explained a few posts ago, searching out the biggest and craziest Halloween decorations in people's front yards, on the boulevard and quite often on the roof!</p><p>There is even a full Winnipeg Halloween map on Google Maps which lists the hundreds of amazing shows put on outside houses all over the city. Now these are just the people who bother to add their display to the map - Every time we go out to see one or two of these, we normally see another 10 or 15 crazy houses on the way! It really is insane but also a lot of fun!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzfpmIDgsxDf7FT9GHl_bGdjbAXE1x4LlZdtGHMNYa4wqg5adaLsUfzajDoTQ9daUd-FkOxW4I5XjXpteTH5H9BjgCoXKaLyKHZHKV-zNSvKS0IHWj49e5qwhorJnkqKYG0rhUtLpPsIj6ystLdZPR6CphVgLaRgxkTaRbccR3GdCf0YP49urMLeFGS83i" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1178" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzfpmIDgsxDf7FT9GHl_bGdjbAXE1x4LlZdtGHMNYa4wqg5adaLsUfzajDoTQ9daUd-FkOxW4I5XjXpteTH5H9BjgCoXKaLyKHZHKV-zNSvKS0IHWj49e5qwhorJnkqKYG0rhUtLpPsIj6ystLdZPR6CphVgLaRgxkTaRbccR3GdCf0YP49urMLeFGS83i" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before the snow started last week, we found one yard with a full mini-fun fair complete with Ferris wheel and games all played by skeletons. It's just mental. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqyLJ0cn7GA0Xab_Ak3T1_GPcaHPwkUbXKyzbO5ZP4hfuw6KAeQdFYEaHD99hua3Fn_4tTt42QJWV6UMyB6bPN7GmexSNNIvjzIcJ39SFQA9tfyqe8jRteTxhWuMY07TtLxRPz3McX3aqLD2E5U42m9vqQmeHSxXamtKgHQU48hVxznClUqBUn0eKUBbj/s4032/20231017_172636.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqyLJ0cn7GA0Xab_Ak3T1_GPcaHPwkUbXKyzbO5ZP4hfuw6KAeQdFYEaHD99hua3Fn_4tTt42QJWV6UMyB6bPN7GmexSNNIvjzIcJ39SFQA9tfyqe8jRteTxhWuMY07TtLxRPz3McX3aqLD2E5U42m9vqQmeHSxXamtKgHQU48hVxznClUqBUn0eKUBbj/s320/20231017_172636.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rfJKRAbiiRRprDOnAFfm9X9dUPR2sTobP93r7ghR3JDNIDG_U0g6SnZsbrqnVxEvmM84LF-YgIRqOkACF_EWMzC3Esde61HpC3Ck6KYWhudObfN58OqxSARuc4K5DPwqJEKupbdxJ9if4JQih31np_0n5wxeUl1IX_TqtW5llfD6lnsOXQm5sUdkNJCA/s4032/IMG_2499.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rfJKRAbiiRRprDOnAFfm9X9dUPR2sTobP93r7ghR3JDNIDG_U0g6SnZsbrqnVxEvmM84LF-YgIRqOkACF_EWMzC3Esde61HpC3Ck6KYWhudObfN58OqxSARuc4K5DPwqJEKupbdxJ9if4JQih31np_0n5wxeUl1IX_TqtW5llfD6lnsOXQm5sUdkNJCA/s320/IMG_2499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Buffy and I also had a night out to celebrate the occasion - to a place called 'Heebie Jeebies'. It a temporary attraction built on farmland just outside the city -but it was amazing. Its a multi-million dollar locally run scare house - But with nearly 200 actors in professionally made costumes and masks that are actually made by real film and tv costume makers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The premise is that there are 6 'mazes' that you walk through and get 'scared' by the actors wearing the costumes and masks. We only managed to get through 4 of the mazes as we had to get home for the babysitter, but it was still a great night out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The atmosphere and the level of detail in the mazes is just amazing. From the maze where you carry a torch through dark tight wedged pathways to the 'military' maze where we got shot at by a zombie after crashing in through a broken elevator. There was also a really eerie maze where there were , mist-filled rooms, with a green laser light around my hip height, which meant you could not see the floor. In this maze, there were trees and bushes and it felt like being in a haunted Mississippi bayou, especially with the loud background noises and music. It really messed with your senses. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You aren't allowed to take videos or even photos in the mazes, but outside the mazes is an open area where some of the crazier costumed actors roam around chasing people! Here's a quick peek at that part.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QPSoAhvMKAw" width="320" youtube-src-id="QPSoAhvMKAw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7NxscSVG7c4" width="320" youtube-src-id="7NxscSVG7c4"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were also lucky enough to see a little glint of the Northen Lights as we left to drive home. In the next few months we are expecting a lot more northern lights as there is apparently a very high predicted winter for them this year, but this was a nice start and a good surprise. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiLfduxIQb3tS3YeGRDA2YvLOZQdeB8t7XY7tsTIMJRGve09OlU9-RrhFYim-mVKQ1d1KCQB8OG2pBjevfAF8ATm3X_0GrA5NrM6Tq0SNpyQbYqKbk52u4gYDiCsOgJEJ7ww8rqklFkiqh0J5kpcbM1zinl85cblPan-GbhXyJ34Cp0oOk1yoOKJtCO9P/s4032/20231020_203420.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiLfduxIQb3tS3YeGRDA2YvLOZQdeB8t7XY7tsTIMJRGve09OlU9-RrhFYim-mVKQ1d1KCQB8OG2pBjevfAF8ATm3X_0GrA5NrM6Tq0SNpyQbYqKbk52u4gYDiCsOgJEJ7ww8rqklFkiqh0J5kpcbM1zinl85cblPan-GbhXyJ34Cp0oOk1yoOKJtCO9P/s320/20231020_203420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just a few days later it was Halloween for real - It was pretty chilly this year, but the kids still had a lot of fun wandering the neighbourhood. We were out for about 90 minutes and the kids got cold and asked to go home to eat candy! We still have a huge box of it left in the basement now!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cxv8vMpy6Kg" width="320" youtube-src-id="Cxv8vMpy6Kg"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>We also took a while making pumpkins into a Unicorn for Hannah and some kid of car for Ollie, they ended up pretty good!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTi6rt6gQJwQVax9VUF6hEzSsnphm30IQIhyrj1OCspwd764OMYz2-B7IleLvV3bhnGmDpLOJPRwuH4UZBxc7l-7j20svUljJpFvOl1zU6qRflT53un9yb0invzDk44JhyphenhyphenvjWLo61Y2toMP2EpfL2SGx_ESeV8AacllYtn-cJxvzTu1mIBJAO1WU6rFFB/s4032/20231022_161004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTi6rt6gQJwQVax9VUF6hEzSsnphm30IQIhyrj1OCspwd764OMYz2-B7IleLvV3bhnGmDpLOJPRwuH4UZBxc7l-7j20svUljJpFvOl1zU6qRflT53un9yb0invzDk44JhyphenhyphenvjWLo61Y2toMP2EpfL2SGx_ESeV8AacllYtn-cJxvzTu1mIBJAO1WU6rFFB/s320/20231022_161004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69qNpwENEzRqCIOtYQPzg6gtx619dLyOImqSn8Lohpe-D6IwdTYwtqyQStGeleMkFH6RfEDJ4WMkPzIBuYrczBWTC8XRDhcTrYT8Aj_nmC-VIlF95zHTfSl5HaqfWaypMtRS88n5YXQ8o9CFklFlkmEZ6lz0aviad4W7NrBbvMQOmCWcxUUhB794LXlX7/s4032/IMG_2576.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69qNpwENEzRqCIOtYQPzg6gtx619dLyOImqSn8Lohpe-D6IwdTYwtqyQStGeleMkFH6RfEDJ4WMkPzIBuYrczBWTC8XRDhcTrYT8Aj_nmC-VIlF95zHTfSl5HaqfWaypMtRS88n5YXQ8o9CFklFlkmEZ6lz0aviad4W7NrBbvMQOmCWcxUUhB794LXlX7/s320/IMG_2576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8wUlYDORCf6gk57QHYUCRsb-f1nTkUWF3yZdqSCnkMfVF5T5Z-C1g3FVPYEw70a8LzDsPUPCgCiwrL0OO5NUoI_UtAEFiDsp_9Ak34c72sprIQPEkkaSeYNt33a9gNfFM6Gfz0cWa4ADAGDiN870JYCoFx30Dq0TJkImHYZvBQyKbLcEsJlm6Z7kQBDs/s4032/20231022_160953.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8wUlYDORCf6gk57QHYUCRsb-f1nTkUWF3yZdqSCnkMfVF5T5Z-C1g3FVPYEw70a8LzDsPUPCgCiwrL0OO5NUoI_UtAEFiDsp_9Ak34c72sprIQPEkkaSeYNt33a9gNfFM6Gfz0cWa4ADAGDiN870JYCoFx30Dq0TJkImHYZvBQyKbLcEsJlm6Z7kQBDs/s320/20231022_160953.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLP6qFTHqiTUDGuuuIC8WKgeIozfxarhmveOkYHhau1nqLlAsyFVte9bzbh7SgiRwVQi8sMoINK7KoOutwOxzBQlNxpjnBB3q3jehGpsUBKZvtOK5I-Kue1_SJmuUW85BY_7ucPZoffHUZU_HvgKZTD68-66npGmPaqZXRETG-Su3Di3sbOqiBOGlzLvz/s4032/IMG_2705.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLP6qFTHqiTUDGuuuIC8WKgeIozfxarhmveOkYHhau1nqLlAsyFVte9bzbh7SgiRwVQi8sMoINK7KoOutwOxzBQlNxpjnBB3q3jehGpsUBKZvtOK5I-Kue1_SJmuUW85BY_7ucPZoffHUZU_HvgKZTD68-66npGmPaqZXRETG-Su3Di3sbOqiBOGlzLvz/s320/IMG_2705.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhUIKplUT6P4-qCIpsj19HpfPDT1vfwxQq4HZn5GO-tWVY5xwOLh11PsxCAle-MmktZBG28P0DvuiyigcNeZ5I5VP__Y_rWzTG05VSd-8owwdVYelffAbHJf6fbnKMO4jhnn9sJuzxCGO2rTF12Cq2y9YpuuyN5nmg0TXr6EjPaIte0z_yA7dzNgSo4SB/s4032/20231031_232647.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhUIKplUT6P4-qCIpsj19HpfPDT1vfwxQq4HZn5GO-tWVY5xwOLh11PsxCAle-MmktZBG28P0DvuiyigcNeZ5I5VP__Y_rWzTG05VSd-8owwdVYelffAbHJf6fbnKMO4jhnn9sJuzxCGO2rTF12Cq2y9YpuuyN5nmg0TXr6EjPaIte0z_yA7dzNgSo4SB/s320/20231031_232647.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the start of November we had a lovely weekend away with friends. We went to a little 2-bed cabin in St malo, just 45 minutes south of Winnipeg with Adam, Alena, Joel and Byron staying in 2 other cabins right next door. We shared a hot tub and a sauna too, so in the evening we could relax with a drink in the warmth while the kids slept soundly in the cabins. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a really nice weekend, with good food and good friends along with a trip to the indoor pool at Steinbach where everyone enjoyed even more water based fun and the kids all loved the big slide. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back at the cabins, there was a 'yellow submarine' for some reason that the kids loved climbing all over as well as being spun around on the chairs and walking round with bags on their heads! Idiots!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e80NLwlkHPE" width="320" youtube-src-id="e80NLwlkHPE"></iframe></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v-BSVdqK2V4" width="320" youtube-src-id="v-BSVdqK2V4"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N_rrIZXauOs" width="320" youtube-src-id="N_rrIZXauOs"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For some reason, Ollie also really liked the kid-level microwave!! He could watch that for hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizejX5dzsUPuiNjgI9KokiiqmjAKzE_yhfypkwmdafg_Yxuvba60eBoscH7qaxcxTcMR2sUtT2KozkRh3RdDbBDnJ50_tKuQd-2TYg8jVqJjnuvxETTcKggr8Lb0H2hbj-LvOmjF6RncGptBMFQKlQ-kNTfXYKDD8e2fT4GFpI5YLHfKsXrj7onIyF0Qq1/s4032/IMG_2735.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizejX5dzsUPuiNjgI9KokiiqmjAKzE_yhfypkwmdafg_Yxuvba60eBoscH7qaxcxTcMR2sUtT2KozkRh3RdDbBDnJ50_tKuQd-2TYg8jVqJjnuvxETTcKggr8Lb0H2hbj-LvOmjF6RncGptBMFQKlQ-kNTfXYKDD8e2fT4GFpI5YLHfKsXrj7onIyF0Qq1/s320/IMG_2735.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYmA0_BpZ7UUgx1u9QBc0ZJOJnHGHh_OvUhlBYa6qohdhwW6u9kzCWDrklaYw-a1ViQMGc-Zps9O0NneyVhNISDuW8xgyuTmTntyH-Y-QaKAxNDrrwflQWV-CgXfI7lTuodreaaEbYuRW7teQq2RMdmlG1ycfRssBtYQobjUbpVKN0MxIpdI06CnA-H3-/s4032/IMG_2736.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYmA0_BpZ7UUgx1u9QBc0ZJOJnHGHh_OvUhlBYa6qohdhwW6u9kzCWDrklaYw-a1ViQMGc-Zps9O0NneyVhNISDuW8xgyuTmTntyH-Y-QaKAxNDrrwflQWV-CgXfI7lTuodreaaEbYuRW7teQq2RMdmlG1ycfRssBtYQobjUbpVKN0MxIpdI06CnA-H3-/s320/IMG_2736.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudumycFRuCsew8FHYwwwRcMZxXomXHE9Yp4pi_na9AI1W9kZiBGDI3DNr37ISxrMqDmQORyxP-AN2WZzrfEcHWkPqzYUeOrmIsMgKMPbToWGr5VSTNN4Vz0iaECTLpO12yrFRE40LU6f7iJTUDGBxhQ5Gbzj1OSnxB0RH3FBoyPgn1vIx3EMx3ke-xouf/s4032/20231104_111323.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudumycFRuCsew8FHYwwwRcMZxXomXHE9Yp4pi_na9AI1W9kZiBGDI3DNr37ISxrMqDmQORyxP-AN2WZzrfEcHWkPqzYUeOrmIsMgKMPbToWGr5VSTNN4Vz0iaECTLpO12yrFRE40LU6f7iJTUDGBxhQ5Gbzj1OSnxB0RH3FBoyPgn1vIx3EMx3ke-xouf/s320/20231104_111323.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo02fJnqdCZzlwQJD678Ogv5TbQFxkkfxMZ3fxmCk6W9CQYUTLrUd_vQXHBWxb_tjEQehGe9TqmNaT70kbq7AyfuWQA9SFv1XEQqyYc3RaSWxiJDVRLaiRMISCX_kk9MQix4GElG3e4jhIbII2pnwwvHJwVXMjMBDMzcVrvkFQa1T4Sa8ekgpG-mrbEXNs/s4032/20231104_110935(0).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo02fJnqdCZzlwQJD678Ogv5TbQFxkkfxMZ3fxmCk6W9CQYUTLrUd_vQXHBWxb_tjEQehGe9TqmNaT70kbq7AyfuWQA9SFv1XEQqyYc3RaSWxiJDVRLaiRMISCX_kk9MQix4GElG3e4jhIbII2pnwwvHJwVXMjMBDMzcVrvkFQa1T4Sa8ekgpG-mrbEXNs/s320/20231104_110935(0).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbHlgCs7K5OWUvDbcan_6eqzT9SfYGmKmkQG_qRshT_3YfRE1aY1YjeUw31hOfIySfNJ6_B8uxZPFjM9nRbCAM7PsHVET_Dh1crlx3PkQDNDaeoLKMchiJ6R0SFJPvKiyD87VBvuj-t6CEnL5Y63ryeyW6WIZXdsn9hocrIoSleb-SZ5K2e57ViJQuLAN/s4032/IMG_2801.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbHlgCs7K5OWUvDbcan_6eqzT9SfYGmKmkQG_qRshT_3YfRE1aY1YjeUw31hOfIySfNJ6_B8uxZPFjM9nRbCAM7PsHVET_Dh1crlx3PkQDNDaeoLKMchiJ6R0SFJPvKiyD87VBvuj-t6CEnL5Y63ryeyW6WIZXdsn9hocrIoSleb-SZ5K2e57ViJQuLAN/s320/IMG_2801.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CITw51wSTwUCSww0_jk5owUtnKtUun1820-BryOOasaOoRO-VzWjk9ALVNTu04PYdCEDDlwFymKHVjnJwzzNhkzHPwupH2u4BXdbr8Arbqna5vPp2VaFTQkKHgSvaC5MJ3aQJHrlM50Jgu8RDa5lbCQ_Y9_3aMd0ijwuIKVkOy5gm8qQlMHUmfzIHWSC/s4032/20231105_083809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CITw51wSTwUCSww0_jk5owUtnKtUun1820-BryOOasaOoRO-VzWjk9ALVNTu04PYdCEDDlwFymKHVjnJwzzNhkzHPwupH2u4BXdbr8Arbqna5vPp2VaFTQkKHgSvaC5MJ3aQJHrlM50Jgu8RDa5lbCQ_Y9_3aMd0ijwuIKVkOy5gm8qQlMHUmfzIHWSC/s320/20231105_083809.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJXhZcbgjKU3THTUInKBCAWqI14qOitRldxbo3_rJ9h3hl1Ui8HN2fcW4W_cy-Gqs2GUANtqVb8uq3zY7-C1kCRUIpbk9yQps6aJ-4lazhVHzkm0svdlJTJ9tP2lI3CJMbLGWexzA2u_QeGyNErgmWRw6YFIYF7Jw9177VcZvGNuhyphenhyphennBJh96zXfyR32az/s4032/20231105_101858.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJXhZcbgjKU3THTUInKBCAWqI14qOitRldxbo3_rJ9h3hl1Ui8HN2fcW4W_cy-Gqs2GUANtqVb8uq3zY7-C1kCRUIpbk9yQps6aJ-4lazhVHzkm0svdlJTJ9tP2lI3CJMbLGWexzA2u_QeGyNErgmWRw6YFIYF7Jw9177VcZvGNuhyphenhyphennBJh96zXfyR32az/s320/20231105_101858.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A surprise this month has been the addition of a new puppy to the family. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB4Fhb7wGCX7HI-kntqC6b55X08E-FAmmJIi0rJ0tridO78ZWjlWyqFh98LimN0SVVKZ8ZqLZlJFKcYp6Zsk_ahSpnwe7O1gNwccCMs9E7VKuenfq6iafrb71aqxGUedJou4xdRnTCvOTyXMRnTnOnp4kSTlO58m5s49f-spL3nOpSBfff5s8erQ37ROk/s4032/20231111_125420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB4Fhb7wGCX7HI-kntqC6b55X08E-FAmmJIi0rJ0tridO78ZWjlWyqFh98LimN0SVVKZ8ZqLZlJFKcYp6Zsk_ahSpnwe7O1gNwccCMs9E7VKuenfq6iafrb71aqxGUedJou4xdRnTCvOTyXMRnTnOnp4kSTlO58m5s49f-spL3nOpSBfff5s8erQ37ROk/s320/20231111_125420.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpmMG8tuiRjWTcQRcBpxuNnybbjaaSjys-GyHgRRqeCwIgSqKWLxcLN_qAjAFvEVlN6P8qW5Zk3gnlcqibRJ7WBKEuNO5F_N3fPvEd_KSblmsX1oKNro48wJcb4expmD4eYbkXTw_oBKRt1ioMfDPJJ9jKeMdPXxvPPhYcx0qlwhteSPdWcDmlDCBd9Lo/s4032/20231111_130848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpmMG8tuiRjWTcQRcBpxuNnybbjaaSjys-GyHgRRqeCwIgSqKWLxcLN_qAjAFvEVlN6P8qW5Zk3gnlcqibRJ7WBKEuNO5F_N3fPvEd_KSblmsX1oKNro48wJcb4expmD4eYbkXTw_oBKRt1ioMfDPJJ9jKeMdPXxvPPhYcx0qlwhteSPdWcDmlDCBd9Lo/s320/20231111_130848.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">'Indigo' is now in residence at Grandma and Grandpa's house and although apprehensive, we are hoping that Indigo will be a good opportunity for us and Hannah to get to know a dog from the beginning and be part of its life as it grows up. We welcome Indigo and really hope that with proper supervision and training for Indigo and for us, he could really help relieve some of the stresses we feel about being around dogs. We all want to spend time with him and it's really nice to see Ollie and Hannah have fun with him - albeit under supervision and mainly through the bars of his cage. It's the many other dog-related incidents that really stress me out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be open and honest and say that the last few weeks have been pretty stressful for us all in relation to Hannah's bite and injury. We have had to retain the services of a lawyer to assist with the injury claim and that has meant going over the incident itself, the plastic surgery operations and the multiple occasions that bring back the feelings of trauma and stress. Everywhere we turn there seems to be a new dog or a new puppy and there has also been one recent incident where we feel like a dog's happiness over a couple of hours was given much higher precedence than Hannah's and our mental well-being. I'll not go into details apart from saying that Hannah and I were basically sent to a different room while a dog was allowed to wander free around the house so IT didn't get upset. Sorry, but that won't happen again. It's not just about feeling safe at that moment but also about our overall level of stress and its effect on our lives in general. We suffer for hours and even days afterwards when we or Hannah are stressed and upset and it's not fair. After putting up with people just not listening or taking note of our obvious clues, I have gotten to the end of my tether and the next time someone wants to put their dog first I will just leave. I am not being sent to another room again so that a dog can feel happy. I want my kids and myself to not be stressed and upset. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If your child was being bullied, would you let the bully or the bully's family just wander around? Would you tell the child, 'it's ok, he's a big softy really, he won't hurt you'? No you fucking well wouldn't. You would make sure that the bully was kept well away from your child and would do anything A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G to protect your child. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, that's why I sometimes spend hours up at night, seething through my teeth, thinking and rethinking about episodes or planned get-togethers and planning on how I can make sure I am ready for the next time I see Hannah jump in fright as someone tells her it's just a 'friendly puppy'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be honest, I am pretty sure I have PTSD about the incident. I think we all do to an extent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you doubt me, then read this description of what PTSD is - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">People with PTSD have </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yep - that pretty much sums me up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Disturbing thoughts and feelings - Yep. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reliving the event through flashbacks and nightmares - Yep. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Feeling sadness fear and anger and detached and estranged from other people? Yep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Especially if your hairy fucking animal is let loose around my children.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When someone tells me that their dog is harmless and a big softy, it may well be true, but in my mind, all I see are the dog's teeth and then you can guess where my mind goes. These thoughts can last for hours and sometimes longer after being around a dog. So, from now on, if you don't listen to me I will pick up my kids and leave. End of. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We often get through days and sometimes weeks without any kind of memories or stress, and feel quite normal, but it is really easy for all that to be spoiled. Please listen to us and don't be the person that spoils it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think I a done with this blog entry for now. For obvious reasons, I don't feel in the right frame of mind at the moment to continue writing funny things about us or the kids. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See ya soon. </div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-14099484511762373152023-10-27T19:51:00.004+01:002023-10-27T19:51:56.339+01:00Going Home part 3 (the last bit) - The Wedding and then going home<p>Continuing our short trip to the UK. We survived London and Manchester and now headed down south to Wales.....There is a lot to chat about here, so we had best get started!</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything that had happened so far was a bonus. we didn't actually go home to see London, spend time in Manchester, visit United or talk about oranges at 2.30 a.m. But we were lucky enough to have time to do all that AND get to the wedding in Wales too. We were actually lucky to be in the UK at all, as only a few months ago I only had 2 days of vacation left for the year and didn't think we would make it. But luckily. after one of our bosses retired at work, his taskings were allocated throughout the rest of the section and as part of that, I was able to negotiate an extra week off work! Brilliant - just in time for my nephew's wedding! </p><p>To add some context, the bloke getting married is Michael (Mikie), the oldest son of my big brother Gareth and his wife Tracey. Gareth joined the army 3 years before me. When we were both in the army, I would spend a lot of my time staying with Gareth, Tracey and the two kids Michael and James (James is the one who now works at United) I used to love staying at all their different houses and am very grateful that my older brother was so generous to let me stay so often. I always used to try to pay my way by buying beers or dinner, but I probably never said a real thank you - So very publicly now - Gareth and Tracey - thanks so so much for every time you let me stay. I absolutely loved every minute and I especially loved spending time with the kids. </p><p>We had some fantastic times together with too many stories to tell here. But when Mikie (Now a fully grown adult) said he was getting married I would have done anything to be there for him, just as I will if Jimbo gets wed in the future too. </p><p>So as we drove south from Manchester to deepest darkest Wales, it was with all this in mind. I hadn't actually seen Mikie since before I went travelling in 2010, so a long long long time ago. Luckily technology and particularly WhatsApp. with our very graphic and silly 'Man United' group that everyone chats on pretty often, we have kept in touch, but neither of us could remember the last time we actually saw each other.</p><p>I was very excited to arrive at Llantilio House - the venue of the wedding and our accommodation for the next three nights. You see, everything was even more special than I have already mentioned. Not only were we invited, but our Hannah (Hannah 1) had been asked to be flower girl by Mikie Bride to be, who was also called Hannah (Hannah 2) and as we were the only people at the wedding with kids, we had been invited to stay at the venue with the bridal party and the parents of the happy couple. It was such a lovely gesture and one for which we cannot begin to express our utmost appreciation.</p><p>We drove across the cattle grid and along the driveway to the house to see Gareth and Tracey had just arrived ahead of us and Mike was there giving his parents a big hug. As soon as we got out of the car it was our turn as me and Buffy also got a huge hug from Mikie. It was the first of many many hugs over the next 3 days and absolutely lovely! Those missed years just melted away and Buffy who had never actually met Mikie before was immediately at ease and happy. We were all happy - It was great to be there! </p><p>We came into the house and met Hannah2 and all the family before Hannah2 showed us up to the room we were staying in - a huge beautiful open plan room with so much space for the kids and an ensuite bathroom too. It was the start of a wonderful 3 days. </p><p>That evening we sat around playing with the kids and had a couple of beers and pizza before a reasonably early night. Everyone was a little worn out and that combined with the clean clear Welsh countryside air wore us all out. Even so, we were still some of the last people up as most people got to bed before us in preparation for the wedding set up the next day.</p><p>On Friday we would have loved to get involved in the set-up of the wedding and stuff, but the kids were chomping at the bit to go out and do something and they would have just got in the way, so we decided to get out and see something..... First stop, a proper Welsh castle. </p><p>I have definitely visited Raglan Castle before - probably about 40 years ago. We did a lot of castles as kids and having holidayed in this part of the county a few times, I am sure we have been here. But for our kids, it was a new experience - visiting a building that this over 100 years old is unusual, so seeing a castle that's between 600 and 800 years old was a bit special. They both surprised me here, being really interested in the castle and its history as well as loving finding the dungeons and the scary old tunnels that lead from room to room. Hannah also noticed the fireplaces in the walls up high and correctly assumed that the floors had gone. They also laughed at the soccer ball that was left in the moat as well as pretending the old wooded wheelbarrow was a racing car! I think their favourite part was finding a treasure chest though!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYAP3k1ykCdwTvouPrSR1qliNiHfO9PXNTrR9z_WmCH-E7JmSlS9UUH5fluiOxlZ0V93p1nGPymJBiwyI-mDNV1i1azZsSva8RdDfFE0A_-nnkLP4jq8FO_yTSIMUDtOZxzgmyc31a2IMxC4BJDe9MYFicSPLqOJibYlCmJBjWHaAo2vDvYs4EerkIzQU/s4032/IMG_2269.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYAP3k1ykCdwTvouPrSR1qliNiHfO9PXNTrR9z_WmCH-E7JmSlS9UUH5fluiOxlZ0V93p1nGPymJBiwyI-mDNV1i1azZsSva8RdDfFE0A_-nnkLP4jq8FO_yTSIMUDtOZxzgmyc31a2IMxC4BJDe9MYFicSPLqOJibYlCmJBjWHaAo2vDvYs4EerkIzQU/s320/IMG_2269.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzq9K21nIWWBdpRzb9QY33hUV4_WnazPX4K7Oxbe_fm-OyT56cPoT_TU5udAyoMw4cj_fWeDKYw2Aa6LifG1HUL3keTEXY2cpk0cPA8eD47S-N87soVk3R4qm1C4ikATH_77FoFRU59RUW0gHfBdMleIjvswgUWvun5jlD6evZc2yxy-Y8zXg6DzsEaMB/s4032/20231013_111111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzq9K21nIWWBdpRzb9QY33hUV4_WnazPX4K7Oxbe_fm-OyT56cPoT_TU5udAyoMw4cj_fWeDKYw2Aa6LifG1HUL3keTEXY2cpk0cPA8eD47S-N87soVk3R4qm1C4ikATH_77FoFRU59RUW0gHfBdMleIjvswgUWvun5jlD6evZc2yxy-Y8zXg6DzsEaMB/s320/20231013_111111.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJwCth1GJcMHeQnwKnlLKCb3MlAvYgJ93-KaOZjJUNZ6xPlynjOutJqxp-W6DLP-Tul7E0Kw90d0uGr_fHEW3V9GR1UqDXVQwysqLnbhCV08fVRVj9RJqGcbHZ9u95_J4k4VZFrzeR5vfOuSz661Yg6sLNoAJ6QNQYf6DyzddXp32hx5kYlIukzhcpnQ8/s4032/IMG_2271.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJwCth1GJcMHeQnwKnlLKCb3MlAvYgJ93-KaOZjJUNZ6xPlynjOutJqxp-W6DLP-Tul7E0Kw90d0uGr_fHEW3V9GR1UqDXVQwysqLnbhCV08fVRVj9RJqGcbHZ9u95_J4k4VZFrzeR5vfOuSz661Yg6sLNoAJ6QNQYf6DyzddXp32hx5kYlIukzhcpnQ8/s320/IMG_2271.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5i_R9HylLpdsOTTkxbaOAAew180fmJkI2SnUed8y0LU_zbSdWmXQOUOMVFOOQnnNcKeLUj3I5tCRkuacaexW8m9JZ3n62TvZty0O7c_b43t974XhfGOcEOfRtPPE2lnGjzlL9BaPezs3qJ9Xpf6jAOMqZG0TYY4cH6BwhjV-x0Sf6q3ojM8nZHKqR2kq/s4032/IMG_2273.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5i_R9HylLpdsOTTkxbaOAAew180fmJkI2SnUed8y0LU_zbSdWmXQOUOMVFOOQnnNcKeLUj3I5tCRkuacaexW8m9JZ3n62TvZty0O7c_b43t974XhfGOcEOfRtPPE2lnGjzlL9BaPezs3qJ9Xpf6jAOMqZG0TYY4cH6BwhjV-x0Sf6q3ojM8nZHKqR2kq/s320/IMG_2273.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjfGI-1okRjx2SnGKOyk20oxkzfyw7Ttz6Rjtp6dArYKcM0jmqMSIrDtxS_w_Ni39i9H6C6xqgqNVWEzszaOhyphenhyphenJ63XYKV5NkTcIZzOWqVpNEW7EmHG8GBGMubN1zYBKa9ZZzXPLFEaRNfs_3K3KRV9wvmzbVmEt54Up1EqDPK_IyDyFsxLQAS6g_Wm-3e/s4032/20231013_113145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjfGI-1okRjx2SnGKOyk20oxkzfyw7Ttz6Rjtp6dArYKcM0jmqMSIrDtxS_w_Ni39i9H6C6xqgqNVWEzszaOhyphenhyphenJ63XYKV5NkTcIZzOWqVpNEW7EmHG8GBGMubN1zYBKa9ZZzXPLFEaRNfs_3K3KRV9wvmzbVmEt54Up1EqDPK_IyDyFsxLQAS6g_Wm-3e/s320/20231013_113145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nkvfLl71MZt_BqC4glMwb1Gr_XSOHB9im16bMeZ88PCLv5p2wsjGGc58LCVQSQNFQjABaMBSuRAAw89CQT_gsX5kwXDo4Ps-Yh26PhuKMjFbHD00qRTPzoz3HO3wM5wlZtLYq8mQ-CD7XVVDjCUzk2FKm-7Xw1LeOu68uDXoRw29q32IJo6WA0e-_rma/s4032/20231013_113709.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nkvfLl71MZt_BqC4glMwb1Gr_XSOHB9im16bMeZ88PCLv5p2wsjGGc58LCVQSQNFQjABaMBSuRAAw89CQT_gsX5kwXDo4Ps-Yh26PhuKMjFbHD00qRTPzoz3HO3wM5wlZtLYq8mQ-CD7XVVDjCUzk2FKm-7Xw1LeOu68uDXoRw29q32IJo6WA0e-_rma/s320/20231013_113709.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIU9IlcHFF__oWHV5cPcdka3N5BarKdofsgbrk85HLvDnHTfV9uKGtEQ3VdXv5ZSY8nsuwly7m9AEOAzDFdLBeAF9BTyuDVAQR3tFK9OMCVYgdXkyf6m0oCjHNCOXCuB9T3Sj_cg7cXZl4q2DSCBDfeJP7mautVuL1XljKFvzi2-Oatpu0Fg2jtza5HAw4/s4032/IMG_2278.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIU9IlcHFF__oWHV5cPcdka3N5BarKdofsgbrk85HLvDnHTfV9uKGtEQ3VdXv5ZSY8nsuwly7m9AEOAzDFdLBeAF9BTyuDVAQR3tFK9OMCVYgdXkyf6m0oCjHNCOXCuB9T3Sj_cg7cXZl4q2DSCBDfeJP7mautVuL1XljKFvzi2-Oatpu0Fg2jtza5HAw4/s320/IMG_2278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEDw9yPUxpEwCm6bsNcBNJuQKJB0uGFPxnkN14yLfyVNq82ixqqT1JMnNs5GciOMIITXvY83WsPrn2UQUq_wSYTC5AbvHMyCYJ_vqTikwNM2QTNu6dhCaN39iuE8E6UIcdATTL_Ln1mebg_CKS4tRHPOo7VHfyErDoraP9d-LIMTbj2iLMqfFWcb5DExh/s4032/20231013_115843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEDw9yPUxpEwCm6bsNcBNJuQKJB0uGFPxnkN14yLfyVNq82ixqqT1JMnNs5GciOMIITXvY83WsPrn2UQUq_wSYTC5AbvHMyCYJ_vqTikwNM2QTNu6dhCaN39iuE8E6UIcdATTL_Ln1mebg_CKS4tRHPOo7VHfyErDoraP9d-LIMTbj2iLMqfFWcb5DExh/s320/20231013_115843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FceilNMxcUo" width="320" youtube-src-id="FceilNMxcUo"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6nUY2SZaZx0" width="320" youtube-src-id="6nUY2SZaZx0"></iframe></div><br /><p>Before we had left the wedding venue Tracey had suggested a farm visit - apparently, there is a farm (also near Raglan) that has an indoor children's play area. So with the weather closing in, we thought we might as well give it a try. What a good decision that was. </p><p>The play area was actually the size of most indoor playgrounds, with all the usual soft play stuff, slides and climbing nets. But there was more than one play area, there were 2, sorry3, sorry 5 different kids' soft play areas, all huge and all with separate trampolines and also animals to feed including goats m, donkeys and even Emu! There was also a chip shop/burger van inside for lunch. We didn't even get to the outdoor play area with even more trampolines a zip line and pedal go-karts. There was simply too much to do and the kids LOVED it. We had originally planned for about 45 minutes to an hour, but eventually stayed 2 hours and had to physically drag the kids away from the play stuff and a new friend that they made while playing, so we could get back to the venue for the evening! What a great find - thanks for the heads up, Tracey!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtB3eMlmvwT6JsHqSy6K8QrbT6PqBlaDNvhKGv8u__GiSlwF0tmAeufU32EfXquow1WPM6TxkD4K4qADRMGjp5XxnAzAztGuBqujsVoHVDU5lzT531sI9cOWZrbx-5UDN57trATvGTXTym2nbzZMipV_jGbwouQKI5Fv4_5Pooapc4tglij1an0tvB-LO/s4032/20231013_123532.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtB3eMlmvwT6JsHqSy6K8QrbT6PqBlaDNvhKGv8u__GiSlwF0tmAeufU32EfXquow1WPM6TxkD4K4qADRMGjp5XxnAzAztGuBqujsVoHVDU5lzT531sI9cOWZrbx-5UDN57trATvGTXTym2nbzZMipV_jGbwouQKI5Fv4_5Pooapc4tglij1an0tvB-LO/s320/20231013_123532.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YP6UxTakoErUUntyjD66Po2DlntExgRPmIUI-i1rxUHmPL9-jMdEDNa5GfHIrIbWEsy4wKRPzVu8qoeS8F1FpBjwzQrjLTjuzPNfajMzjD4j0RGtdz6StwGEiBb1OiF6pCuwBMPXIdAcbSBlHOJE8w8XZ8okkugb-xrflMTPdAV1j6o4s3BpJZZGl8aP/s4032/20231013_124253.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMavsckxoHVkJd0csoKAJxH1MBWxtOsHnz9kAhVXIBzxPsyRgPJM_NDxyBDJI3ebyGUtYcFDCPzGmy_I10AbsXMb7QnoM_7JxrwU6ZerBVWl7rBDyz-2xZx8QXukFJ0fcmzydu2bALQtt8YAO9EShxfIYN09Uj73HnYBrn9a20XnQxVE0NATPz-VjD0BSE/s4032/20231013_133101.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMavsckxoHVkJd0csoKAJxH1MBWxtOsHnz9kAhVXIBzxPsyRgPJM_NDxyBDJI3ebyGUtYcFDCPzGmy_I10AbsXMb7QnoM_7JxrwU6ZerBVWl7rBDyz-2xZx8QXukFJ0fcmzydu2bALQtt8YAO9EShxfIYN09Uj73HnYBrn9a20XnQxVE0NATPz-VjD0BSE/s320/20231013_133101.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube
_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2o9SxqoG_Hc" width="320" youtube-src-id="2o9SxqoG_Hc"></iframe></div><br /><p>Back at the venue Mikie and Hannah2 had arranged for caterers to bring some food for everyone staying as well as a few close friends and family who were staying over in Abergavenny. It was a nice night but the kids were being a bit crazy and noisy and I think a few people wanted a quieter evening, so there were two groups of people - one group in the lounge enjoying a quiet drink and the rest of us in the kitchen having a bit more of a rowdy time. The kids weren't really being allowed into the lounge to play area and Hannah at just 5 years old was a little sad and actually made a sign and stuck it on the door after being asked to not go in there. In her own writing, it basically said' Not allowed to stop kids in here' or something like that. She then stuck it on the closed door to the lounge! Everyone mellowed out by the next morning, so it was all good, but I think it would have been nice to be able to mix a little more on that evening. I think everyone had a good time though. We did have a lot of fun though and I even managed a few minutes with Mikie outside later in the evening. It was a beautiful evening and there were stars everywhere, so we spent a little while watching them and just chatting - it was lovely to spend some time together!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiaHLpn1SEqUEPHyQqS39xLbdD23wROk887rEhAggS1sR2TejE7WdRz7uq__M5j9kJzxrvjpFgOVd9yN9utdZEX7k5eQ3MU7OYhVMkpDlju_qobRLXZSvNNlCy6hkT4C8nyzWB-g5N3GAlq3cFb5aSUHgE5KYrPjzU5TbHR0ClzUFfx-JN4HgRFVuvQUn/s4032/20231013_210907.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiaHLpn1SEqUEPHyQqS39xLbdD23wROk887rEhAggS1sR2TejE7WdRz7uq__M5j9kJzxrvjpFgOVd9yN9utdZEX7k5eQ3MU7OYhVMkpDlju_qobRLXZSvNNlCy6hkT4C8nyzWB-g5N3GAlq3cFb5aSUHgE5KYrPjzU5TbHR0ClzUFfx-JN4HgRFVuvQUn/s320/20231013_210907.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ-u097m_ovCq341PSMxugyQIcEuOu5JjN_nbLuCjx7wWTV7M5UlYpIt5Knn2Sgod5sWA3rlTeeo2ni7D-Dkdw5kCBApgU55kcUW2wrb_gFa6LCAzZZyWSPGParMCIidlO7Sb__nDTHRmQ7k8_9FdW3cSdZjsuy5h_DLha4WgPHyrbebMRQLKWjun9c11/s4032/20231013_182712.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ-u097m_ovCq341PSMxugyQIcEuOu5JjN_nbLuCjx7wWTV7M5UlYpIt5Knn2Sgod5sWA3rlTeeo2ni7D-Dkdw5kCBApgU55kcUW2wrb_gFa6LCAzZZyWSPGParMCIidlO7Sb__nDTHRmQ7k8_9FdW3cSdZjsuy5h_DLha4WgPHyrbebMRQLKWjun9c11/s320/20231013_182712.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LAcSvkH6LAokAwGZIcLZ0mFKjgDBxBsFosXdNX4SJqOjZEZ-xwCwkTkUKFI9iIzuvmwskrnrMT7HI-l82zRLNgRKcLIYxTyNb5vF2TYWOQgO6gVF6Lo-u6M9dWIpFB7B9peym0zX7Xp-BwKhevXj_Mn8avdPNFiQrWbAstVEzZ1lks69pTUJ3apZlOW-/s4032/IMG_2327.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LAcSvkH6LAokAwGZIcLZ0mFKjgDBxBsFosXdNX4SJqOjZEZ-xwCwkTkUKFI9iIzuvmwskrnrMT7HI-l82zRLNgRKcLIYxTyNb5vF2TYWOQgO6gVF6Lo-u6M9dWIpFB7B9peym0zX7Xp-BwKhevXj_Mn8avdPNFiQrWbAstVEzZ1lks69pTUJ3apZlOW-/s320/IMG_2327.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Wedding day!</p><p>The next day was fabulous. Buffy and Hannah went into town first thing to get their hair done - Hannah's first trip to a salon! Ollie and I wandered around Abergavenny and had a bit of breakfast from Greggs as well as making friends with locals and having a dance in Poundland!</p><p>Then back to the venue and time to get changed. Hannah as a flower girl had been invited to get ready with the Bride and Bridesmaids and she loved it. It more than made up for last night's misunderstandings and she was treated like a princess! Ollie and I got ready together upstairs - donning our matching shirts and bow ties. </p><p>Hannah stayed with the bridal party until the wedding started while there's of us mingled with family and friends in the beautiful old stable and the gardens, playing a bit of croquet and other games whilst enjoying a cocktail and drinks before the ceremony started. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIPzcekJ-vGpaLEADECzmnXXSv4urn73Bks_b864CjibOElNdbGOIpeTBZB_QVKw0_v6JzooigYWfX-uz3DUFTj9ENa3sBC1zxWxcWYG4AMmU9uVEMaaucg178LvMebRFYpczBSW6RaHnPs3jlSR_X1AyPlEGY3VfQLKP_rZZp3NnjZBjBH9LwsCBDyV9/s4032/20231014_093715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIPzcekJ-vGpaLEADECzmnXXSv4urn73Bks_b864CjibOElNdbGOIpeTBZB_QVKw0_v6JzooigYWfX-uz3DUFTj9ENa3sBC1zxWxcWYG4AMmU9uVEMaaucg178LvMebRFYpczBSW6RaHnPs3jlSR_X1AyPlEGY3VfQLKP_rZZp3NnjZBjBH9LwsCBDyV9/s320/20231014_093715.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYFtkiazHzioaaDKuBK5pRgTGwdtlybt8_lR3RlseUUnUh8SktlWy9IHOuznLHkXXX2DKsqi_REaQMdTLSrRozcRKC7gAjnX30LIyqixGmYMffWH_faH1dGKapqUehWMfBUMvz45kEDG54UuTksJsjEF4X2mrkgozdFosPLMPty-HjxzRADG5VxfTsEeT/s4032/IMG_2338.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYFtkiazHzioaaDKuBK5pRgTGwdtlybt8_lR3RlseUUnUh8SktlWy9IHOuznLHkXXX2DKsqi_REaQMdTLSrRozcRKC7gAjnX30LIyqixGmYMffWH_faH1dGKapqUehWMfBUMvz45kEDG54UuTksJsjEF4X2mrkgozdFosPLMPty-HjxzRADG5VxfTsEeT/s320/IMG_2338.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYIzgWcU757XhYec4tLKK8L8sMCOZGYqoiATLYUi8Eb60CHs8CuHT0Lhcqf2JwlIDjIWIWblvk9r1XwpxVmv1EtPCHEynJbqJWSOCg4agSu3Tdw_Zo_klQ9GYzgNDgK2ZQOo7_nOKEVJD8SiPFG7opQBPAM8TA2aOsTgOwAgUBGTO1AwIHuMH-ho4pcvS/s4032/20231014_124954.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYIzgWcU757XhYec4tLKK8L8sMCOZGYqoiATLYUi8Eb60CHs8CuHT0Lhcqf2JwlIDjIWIWblvk9r1XwpxVmv1EtPCHEynJbqJWSOCg4agSu3Tdw_Zo_klQ9GYzgNDgK2ZQOo7_nOKEVJD8SiPFG7opQBPAM8TA2aOsTgOwAgUBGTO1AwIHuMH-ho4pcvS/s320/20231014_124954.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p>When the ceremony started we couldn't be more proud. Hannah cam in holdionh hands with Fi, one of the bridesmaids and did a great job as flower girl. Then the ceremony started and it was beautiful. The wonderful venue was decorated with soooooo many flowers and it looked stunning. The bride and groom are so obviously in love and they both looked amazing as did everyone! It was a lovely warm and wonderful ceremony. Everything was just perfect. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gCl8lh1FDac" width="320" youtube-src-id="gCl8lh1FDac"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptBzJ-EKxkuN8ixN5y3ajlc3IoeBhh2Wqx711MbmxsmCkSlPnDEPu2eS03NfkcGZsnh04du1WX1OSU3ZsLdafXuNfB9d-X4xqvMa6aUMzrgVs91korQkcMTnGVgv67NH_VzKZjz_tjbbM86W8kg9Jmwuik782uPDGwqbW3GVHx_qQpdoQzHlqPNcFDnRG/s4032/20231014_132033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptBzJ-EKxkuN8ixN5y3ajlc3IoeBhh2Wqx711MbmxsmCkSlPnDEPu2eS03NfkcGZsnh04du1WX1OSU3ZsLdafXuNfB9d-X4xqvMa6aUMzrgVs91korQkcMTnGVgv67NH_VzKZjz_tjbbM86W8kg9Jmwuik782uPDGwqbW3GVHx_qQpdoQzHlqPNcFDnRG/s320/20231014_132033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wIMwUWqruJuAGQa_WdP9crQJbg3p-Ni1RpObqfSa796XI3EDtpixhA34-B9rYRQre9gDtzOsDplg3Ip1VQ4-7TvnUiYqAwnmhNdiE87JqhsrzyVKAa_Pp7dp5TCVbgweOihabtPEEDUpNbmlsQfucfHPrgO_V8e4_X_FtYda_NxpyYR5hLQA56R7TV49/s4032/20231014_132043.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wIMwUWqruJuAGQa_WdP9crQJbg3p-Ni1RpObqfSa796XI3EDtpixhA34-B9rYRQre9gDtzOsDplg3Ip1VQ4-7TvnUiYqAwnmhNdiE87JqhsrzyVKAa_Pp7dp5TCVbgweOihabtPEEDUpNbmlsQfucfHPrgO_V8e4_X_FtYda_NxpyYR5hLQA56R7TV49/s320/20231014_132043.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwqmQhFdMiyF3BkOBMArM08Z8tv5HQeneTEqrZq-Mnwkp-5yEx8RsXN8dIwS3DyFI7MHR7NWY7zJ6Sp60Xt7KU77JCXkvJDKB0OGAWKZhsB7la0xSgyA5Vy4alxDBG21iGQqkJ8G8CgyIKOBFV-lduK1jQX5Dz2lEcfzkLoqT6sYM_0Vc7Mcq3XKmI14n/s4032/20231014_132728.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwqmQhFdMiyF3BkOBMArM08Z8tv5HQeneTEqrZq-Mnwkp-5yEx8RsXN8dIwS3DyFI7MHR7NWY7zJ6Sp60Xt7KU77JCXkvJDKB0OGAWKZhsB7la0xSgyA5Vy4alxDBG21iGQqkJ8G8CgyIKOBFV-lduK1jQX5Dz2lEcfzkLoqT6sYM_0Vc7Mcq3XKmI14n/s320/20231014_132728.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAZw262HnDS8R4E694lvSY5pdcCpqMj_t0-A6BPbkXt0NBihT5v9EetegUP2E_7uuP-DDjLZLCqmcHv0WtgjFrKgVXY8GSEZlx0cDBBkYzau3ThCCj4OlzNza8XzMzYar8EXfpVDyW0iR20kNd_RE0ZxfdcjT5ZVjxaLZvjZJ1C8i-PCziYnZ0uFOlVXz/s4032/20231014_132736.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAZw262HnDS8R4E694lvSY5pdcCpqMj_t0-A6BPbkXt0NBihT5v9EetegUP2E_7uuP-DDjLZLCqmcHv0WtgjFrKgVXY8GSEZlx0cDBBkYzau3ThCCj4OlzNza8XzMzYar8EXfpVDyW0iR20kNd_RE0ZxfdcjT5ZVjxaLZvjZJ1C8i-PCziYnZ0uFOlVXz/s320/20231014_132736.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfzJKGf-YyqhCJ5qvE6vbK_-8piNqrGuPMMzS0oZH15u9p1dr9mMNRy7aNLyKM2j94aKQV50b8uakmyQ37-vGWz472sj5HBI1jXfYNXek_6xF_rxxCsPr6gMaq2wb4r0oftKpvE7-Yhyphenhyphened8H-P-AUjkaYiKXdYbsu1AMy0jeX6nM8E7Bemy-HWj1UIfQe/s4032/20231014_132837.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfzJKGf-YyqhCJ5qvE6vbK_-8piNqrGuPMMzS0oZH15u9p1dr9mMNRy7aNLyKM2j94aKQV50b8uakmyQ37-vGWz472sj5HBI1jXfYNXek_6xF_rxxCsPr6gMaq2wb4r0oftKpvE7-Yhyphenhyphened8H-P-AUjkaYiKXdYbsu1AMy0jeX6nM8E7Bemy-HWj1UIfQe/s320/20231014_132837.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWP8brUA8mkdvgWtRVpitNskrpq6EFB521zq0SZhXUXpShKUUksgNDL6pbjTnEPawvUjWHQk1NVhjvHxliTrYcw5gtL9iFywrbC21k6YSd768rbE3zn_zt3oMUFkZiGOsjNNhq-BJFlLpKJt5xvY1aylyAhIVoQ4475-OHND8_Tsfpzl-06rz7XU3njUWF/s4032/20231014_134049.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWP8brUA8mkdvgWtRVpitNskrpq6EFB521zq0SZhXUXpShKUUksgNDL6pbjTnEPawvUjWHQk1NVhjvHxliTrYcw5gtL9iFywrbC21k6YSd768rbE3zn_zt3oMUFkZiGOsjNNhq-BJFlLpKJt5xvY1aylyAhIVoQ4475-OHND8_Tsfpzl-06rz7XU3njUWF/s320/20231014_134049.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8Zt3AhTJ81jrH_Y_LUgsKvRvpcSItXgA_MyHlBrwfeSXmZHHOpWj0FfJB1ayeBQ-_Uv_C8nEfm5vgdMzPTK4sW1_qvLSc_ujhC-SMuIgIO_3niznXqocqhYdUzmW8qgERzoDl24MbiWLUCA1-qCeSaDh3GUbhTZVX426kjWv0dp2x7copI-GyJUuPsUo/s4032/IMG_2345.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8Zt3AhTJ81jrH_Y_LUgsKvRvpcSItXgA_MyHlBrwfeSXmZHHOpWj0FfJB1ayeBQ-_Uv_C8nEfm5vgdMzPTK4sW1_qvLSc_ujhC-SMuIgIO_3niznXqocqhYdUzmW8qgERzoDl24MbiWLUCA1-qCeSaDh3GUbhTZVX426kjWv0dp2x7copI-GyJUuPsUo/s320/IMG_2345.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><p>After the ceremony, there was plenty of time for everyone to mingle, and have a drink, photos were taken of everyone and there were lots of games to play as well as a male voice choir and a harpist. The kids made friends with everyone and were actually pretty well-behaved, which was nice!</p><p>The good vibes continued into dinner which was just delicious! Probably the nicest wedding food I have ever had and lots of it! </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVIrySUa6OLlJVFAp1GYyRIs-nkWqvuvUw8B5AE17QY5EZVmc_xzNSXLTn0uNJNWyaTWDgrsrAcmcL68iHAvbplQ-gx7n6pTKPF8KF4CfzZaTQZ-bZlbkOFqmTlsM9nRdVq9ZU5iIe2h7lPYhfjFSYg5EUwX59AAkPen9Y-7eE49c2ATY3gzG9cQCOmdk/s5896/IMG_2352.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2713" data-original-width="5896" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVIrySUa6OLlJVFAp1GYyRIs-nkWqvuvUw8B5AE17QY5EZVmc_xzNSXLTn0uNJNWyaTWDgrsrAcmcL68iHAvbplQ-gx7n6pTKPF8KF4CfzZaTQZ-bZlbkOFqmTlsM9nRdVq9ZU5iIe2h7lPYhfjFSYg5EUwX59AAkPen9Y-7eE49c2ATY3gzG9cQCOmdk/s320/IMG_2352.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was loads of time to relax and mellow out, so we took the kids upstairs for a little while for a break and to get a bit of a rest before the dancing began - and there was a LOT of dancing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first dance was really nice - and we were all invited onto the dancefloor to join the happy couple. I don't think there were more than 5 minutes in eth whole night where either us or the kids weren't dancing. It was a really great night. Absolutely everyone danced with both our kids at some time but I have to mention Jordan, who had a special little bond with Ollie as they messed about together copying each other's breakdance moves. He is expecting a little on of his own and he is going to be a great dad! There are too many photos and videos to post but here are a few highlights.... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclvoWq4MM4tzE4nKBFfuumqYrUpuD18wt-C2p5cyDVETai_IhoucsXS8xQfiTb8MSzf2d96mhy1AYO4ORmI7Ia66sM3hzJg4PTdZdkIS-44dycUGmetkSPOlcYheWpvzonHD8U2hjKOlXUmn2EN6ARB-2DfflWblXjKIamJM269yuVmUkazm65eVezx4D/s4032/20231014_201255.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclvoWq4MM4tzE4nKBFfuumqYrUpuD18wt-C2p5cyDVETai_IhoucsXS8xQfiTb8MSzf2d96mhy1AYO4ORmI7Ia66sM3hzJg4PTdZdkIS-44dycUGmetkSPOlcYheWpvzonHD8U2hjKOlXUmn2EN6ARB-2DfflWblXjKIamJM269yuVmUkazm65eVezx4D/s320/20231014_201255.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNWAMxGZWNgy1a9OKjIS7dFZVGJ6wEwGYTq7vIvLT7fD7k1HEKWV2yEiJddAg6PBQfddXz1DmxD0LbOZefiwUbOy5bvCv4Sxw2xOnre7xKx5F-k8J-Jl-2QQlWYrGoF7pGMTr7ZAxMx4LvbEb2EYeIw69n5fj4GAKOFLOxNu5PUhWwdwL84x4wfGhdvMf/s4032/20231014_201425.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNWAMxGZWNgy1a9OKjIS7dFZVGJ6wEwGYTq7vIvLT7fD7k1HEKWV2yEiJddAg6PBQfddXz1DmxD0LbOZefiwUbOy5bvCv4Sxw2xOnre7xKx5F-k8J-Jl-2QQlWYrGoF7pGMTr7ZAxMx4LvbEb2EYeIw69n5fj4GAKOFLOxNu5PUhWwdwL84x4wfGhdvMf/s320/20231014_201425.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCdvgdb8RmJOSmtSVBungmQ5Fq9vSu4KECNfgkX7utRQwpqLO9OA0192uTJXic75mIgct1sji4ktuA_NUIDGuaTj08x5VgG8YXVXvk-UCGEts2ens-_T3LcajyJ_ABCW0tuR7qj0-LNqkxSVgSorKShyZLxpwdwT-zZRwb_S9GgJNr69xFF49ftORx5qx/s4032/20231014_202301.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCdvgdb8RmJOSmtSVBungmQ5Fq9vSu4KECNfgkX7utRQwpqLO9OA0192uTJXic75mIgct1sji4ktuA_NUIDGuaTj08x5VgG8YXVXvk-UCGEts2ens-_T3LcajyJ_ABCW0tuR7qj0-LNqkxSVgSorKShyZLxpwdwT-zZRwb_S9GgJNr69xFF49ftORx5qx/s320/20231014_202301.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXHNAQE-EyRFS6znYzFJpEL_g5pKAwNPDJ4rEE5PjgCOlBC1FTdugng8FJ4_4PHZDgEHNlc4KWoRnR42gaTK0aSDSC4WfPJsz7eEx3Nhyn_xn_TghNpWkcP9ejyNYN_YkLV2WTPuUzYXEGVYfJAU3xG9lEQF41ysilezq0AejFIBgjOLNtbwr9A_31AKe/s4032/20231014_212707(0).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXHNAQE-EyRFS6znYzFJpEL_g5pKAwNPDJ4rEE5PjgCOlBC1FTdugng8FJ4_4PHZDgEHNlc4KWoRnR42gaTK0aSDSC4WfPJsz7eEx3Nhyn_xn_TghNpWkcP9ejyNYN_YkLV2WTPuUzYXEGVYfJAU3xG9lEQF41ysilezq0AejFIBgjOLNtbwr9A_31AKe/s320/20231014_212707(0).jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwSvCwPULgmniWe67A3mJkoO3qdd2m0u2fTGjZ8QoqB2dD1QA8OvSYT18egg4uX0kfYNEpBqL3S0fmPFEs6Q2qCb7fgdUZZ93jDLVBBjRRKQE3D6RNvENDZKAt2sy57W1uYgsB3aenoYfPRKdMIP5biD0XbJQPkYbe-S9IShXNjAgd-ZnZhzXJITmvp8_/s4032/20231014_213232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwSvCwPULgmniWe67A3mJkoO3qdd2m0u2fTGjZ8QoqB2dD1QA8OvSYT18egg4uX0kfYNEpBqL3S0fmPFEs6Q2qCb7fgdUZZ93jDLVBBjRRKQE3D6RNvENDZKAt2sy57W1uYgsB3aenoYfPRKdMIP5biD0XbJQPkYbe-S9IShXNjAgd-ZnZhzXJITmvp8_/s320/20231014_213232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejxbXMcOJsNAyHgwuxTYS_HnmnyrXsOIhDqDKdv7BRcOBrpz03On4R-1W1z4PaEAkx79dvCjvd8jgc7dgSwri2OQmWP1brqFdjCbSSTLhMDpNSF5qB-uPBg48t-vlfpJtho1hAkyOGYqYToVTVvNpCgF7zQ03F6TgxzghFNXcFrmQOqOLeQBfYQ5xZ3qR/s4032/20231014_213311.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejxbXMcOJsNAyHgwuxTYS_HnmnyrXsOIhDqDKdv7BRcOBrpz03On4R-1W1z4PaEAkx79dvCjvd8jgc7dgSwri2OQmWP1brqFdjCbSSTLhMDpNSF5qB-uPBg48t-vlfpJtho1hAkyOGYqYToVTVvNpCgF7zQ03F6TgxzghFNXcFrmQOqOLeQBfYQ5xZ3qR/s320/20231014_213311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3G_bCYe53bCg7Hi-gUT0M6y8Q3oWhQQA4b_k-fpLh4jprbQz8B4Aob0tiSKmPMrM0wJ9aGnVG37c85xTVO_R8ONbhNI4ORAGyxzeQbbVjn6mdm-mHEXseZCz1pMkpGm1Xk7FFswBE2OtmVA7VYQ6IrwSS8xqI6tUEQ1Udmj07C7W434FJVhoiUjCleLm/s4032/20231014_214728.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3G_bCYe53bCg7Hi-gUT0M6y8Q3oWhQQA4b_k-fpLh4jprbQz8B4Aob0tiSKmPMrM0wJ9aGnVG37c85xTVO_R8ONbhNI4ORAGyxzeQbbVjn6mdm-mHEXseZCz1pMkpGm1Xk7FFswBE2OtmVA7VYQ6IrwSS8xqI6tUEQ1Udmj07C7W434FJVhoiUjCleLm/s320/20231014_214728.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9PGNL5A94uc" width="320" youtube-src-id="9PGNL5A94uc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z6JnyittEog" width="320" youtube-src-id="z6JnyittEog"></iframe></div><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-u1luzxEqY" width="320" youtube-src-id="F-u1luzxEqY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next morning was our last one with the family. We all felt a little sad that the trip to UK was coming to an end. We packed our stuff and spent a long time in the car park of the venue chatting with friends and family. I don't think that anyone really wanted to leave and it took a long tie for goodbyes to be said alongside photos and hugs. It had been a great wedding and it was now over and time to head home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After our 4th or 5th goodbye and hug we finally jumped into the car and headed back west towards London.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V2LYaeVQQexRYLOnb1Oz6lSpt9ZkF7KGae5zpw7_7X5_EFW-cEVIWYrby9upx3MjjY6WMNASyBOYfP2PuCK2evdPwF2Ycr8N6MT5jkbDN39b6X8QEM5__FA02XDiZAHehzldrtIdebVr_A_xSksBHYDSjDYKJOx-kqscEI3X7RkmDHLnnFWWwrEVFVej/s4032/IMG_2380.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V2LYaeVQQexRYLOnb1Oz6lSpt9ZkF7KGae5zpw7_7X5_EFW-cEVIWYrby9upx3MjjY6WMNASyBOYfP2PuCK2evdPwF2Ycr8N6MT5jkbDN39b6X8QEM5__FA02XDiZAHehzldrtIdebVr_A_xSksBHYDSjDYKJOx-kqscEI3X7RkmDHLnnFWWwrEVFVej/s320/IMG_2380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMZDhV9sXRsXaZnu-CIG-9HerdAUMF-xWniPdiw0AvWez_YntjvIxLiipVE24nJMUSQ38rg01DMQzKTSMKvGMrToPHuRYUjznLw8UwyEzvpQVh5hNYcQdKEu0MfiHLdjNNhv9wI3voXxubt20DH2Et2yTTxIwUmH3Adux_ympryMoLKK8rrIydyH5FA83/s2048/group%20shot%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="2048" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMZDhV9sXRsXaZnu-CIG-9HerdAUMF-xWniPdiw0AvWez_YntjvIxLiipVE24nJMUSQ38rg01DMQzKTSMKvGMrToPHuRYUjznLw8UwyEzvpQVh5hNYcQdKEu0MfiHLdjNNhv9wI3voXxubt20DH2Et2yTTxIwUmH3Adux_ympryMoLKK8rrIydyH5FA83/s320/group%20shot%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4PTUUXP34ypOwOF3XOCVsUrd0w2PpyyexOVIF780iGSzOl_MyjBZ2WjJanwHt0l2H0pGEi0dxG_aap-jdO_n_4YEJeA8CnYSd1U1X6dBc0Bk-tqjLvb8te9_-DZ9uwYivUwB4iD4ggwpJlDOhAltNQmqJNGKLo3Ley3WiDQBw3AKWmB9dnL6sE9DpW7j/s4032/IMG_2391.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4PTUUXP34ypOwOF3XOCVsUrd0w2PpyyexOVIF780iGSzOl_MyjBZ2WjJanwHt0l2H0pGEi0dxG_aap-jdO_n_4YEJeA8CnYSd1U1X6dBc0Bk-tqjLvb8te9_-DZ9uwYivUwB4iD4ggwpJlDOhAltNQmqJNGKLo3Ley3WiDQBw3AKWmB9dnL6sE9DpW7j/s320/IMG_2391.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyodMkueB5DXpMIs84x2YnnGpI6wWepi8moMAIA3FEqeiQFDO3hBT-RZdEAxbh1ianVQFWJ1mkKa6pJdOgL7Yy17yuIsi1q_xfpv8Z00vBgCI2-cNmHsbotceR1TUrIbHaZ_V-PRZs6W0vgYWELcSaOoahbY4sDF9MLkUdikv710f2RwKisWnv3Z5JcZ-/s4032/IMG_2392.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyodMkueB5DXpMIs84x2YnnGpI6wWepi8moMAIA3FEqeiQFDO3hBT-RZdEAxbh1ianVQFWJ1mkKa6pJdOgL7Yy17yuIsi1q_xfpv8Z00vBgCI2-cNmHsbotceR1TUrIbHaZ_V-PRZs6W0vgYWELcSaOoahbY4sDF9MLkUdikv710f2RwKisWnv3Z5JcZ-/s320/IMG_2392.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SUE1_RASgB5vww9ruIXR3r_GXtxe2uz5Ajw6WV84adgh4DrtbEE-PdxFwghkBbETt1YWkXtRqJXiCx-ZWBafUD8Fv8TiyZVefdwXWavc6Oy2VA3XnVMK67M5irmRdYFQk8ReRNbgO9MhBEOrCW4XTSFbNlFD7sxafHnwIxQyOt02c0psYha4XkAiNHcN/s4032/IMG_2389.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SUE1_RASgB5vww9ruIXR3r_GXtxe2uz5Ajw6WV84adgh4DrtbEE-PdxFwghkBbETt1YWkXtRqJXiCx-ZWBafUD8Fv8TiyZVefdwXWavc6Oy2VA3XnVMK67M5irmRdYFQk8ReRNbgO9MhBEOrCW4XTSFbNlFD7sxafHnwIxQyOt02c0psYha4XkAiNHcN/s320/IMG_2389.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our last afternoon and evening were still pretty good. Sad though we were we made the best of it by stopping for a couple of hours in Windsor, to see the castle, feed the swans and have some fish and chips. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then once we had moved into our hotel for the night my old Army mate Dan, popped by to say hello. He had travelled down for the evening on the train and we spent a great couple of hours having dinner and catching up in eth hotel bar/restaurant/ play area. Luckily we had picked a good hotel where there was plenty of room to play and things for the kids to play with, so we used the photo booth, played some fussball, tried to steal the fluffy pillows and had the usual game of hide and seek - Dan really got involved with all of it and after the kids finally went to bed we had time for a couple more peaceful drinks before he got into an Uber and made his way back home. All that was left was for me to head up to bed and set an alarm for the morning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyr_cqIDAgkzHXSAvxtVQYSAcreCooXzLPUMt8S-UF2SAZS7hj6U4C9y46kmH4CO_mNN__Gwz7DeoCb9qJh90XO5y_D372ZW06Ebaasy0ufjPFfmSBSxwxN4rfUer5EZQP84ByvmadNTV3KvJ7M2_KzDbEhJ4BbYxOsdibQ78RcRkRxvYyJ66L5ea7Q6N/s4032/20231015_152551.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyr_cqIDAgkzHXSAvxtVQYSAcreCooXzLPUMt8S-UF2SAZS7hj6U4C9y46kmH4CO_mNN__Gwz7DeoCb9qJh90XO5y_D372ZW06Ebaasy0ufjPFfmSBSxwxN4rfUer5EZQP84ByvmadNTV3KvJ7M2_KzDbEhJ4BbYxOsdibQ78RcRkRxvYyJ66L5ea7Q6N/s320/20231015_152551.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOQOvtO3eT-8eoESl83OA2f44iP2Vq0MHFcH6gpTcFTiCn1dop2d2L_Llnil45juZn7YvoApJ5kIhMPhDViQS36I0mLOcky0Sq0zWhrHFuoUslDgE9xUKeqAUt96Q1VOg55l7h08sCejszjvz2uECQT_91SSOCOb0TV6y39gf_-FJ2LnZAplvpiXKSSzT/s4032/20231015_153119.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_U7QvKKVLIJPbtmj6g18LwLpJRXNQ-WDQIzKIfSyJxqoML898XL7p9GQM6X4kKWCh4Y-AyozK0alAEEaJtK1VDKm2WF4XpbdFx7ayaiiXm_DUrht_Yn21pFBDzxIHaUQgq9moad5ckAgbC6vU5q1bKfRTOb-5xjx9M-KWpt5jJlkohgC5GUmZSxkPmExf/s4032/20231016_080825.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_U7QvKKVLIJPbtmj6g18LwLpJRXNQ-WDQIzKIfSyJxqoML898XL7p9GQM6X4kKWCh4Y-AyozK0alAEEaJtK1VDKm2WF4XpbdFx7ayaiiXm_DUrht_Yn21pFBDzxIHaUQgq9moad5ckAgbC6vU5q1bKfRTOb-5xjx9M-KWpt5jJlkohgC5GUmZSxkPmExf/s320/20231016_080825.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAlg_xETSmj_aqb0lNfGuUJ_N_WHVRkhrp0Y5cEFySUnD6eKe0snC8YeM0SWwrL6LJ0DsurIp8ctSHqPaO9gwZR3H8EGKEvqz4wIu164hm3pmCdorEJnJGh6uPeMeMPi1sdUsShRRDDJx-ewrlNNEoPXmiFO6-CUey-gpT4pG-dIiba5lOKDpHFVTNLf9/s4032/20231016_080909.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAlg_xETSmj_aqb0lNfGuUJ_N_WHVRkhrp0Y5cEFySUnD6eKe0snC8YeM0SWwrL6LJ0DsurIp8ctSHqPaO9gwZR3H8EGKEvqz4wIu164hm3pmCdorEJnJGh6uPeMeMPi1sdUsShRRDDJx-ewrlNNEoPXmiFO6-CUey-gpT4pG-dIiba5lOKDpHFVTNLf9/s320/20231016_080909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The trip back to Canada went entirely as planned, a little to well top be honest as we had expected more delays and queues, but the airports were clear and we had an easy trip. The kids liked playing at the play area in Heathrow but not so much at eth pretty terrible one in Toronto. There was a lot of hanging around during which time the painter's tape came out and Buffy built a race track for Ollies cars while Hannah drew and played. All too soon (17 hours from stat to finish) the wheels were hitting the runway at Winnipeg at about the same time as Ollie finally fell asleep. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHVESneghOeSo7M_RTTVdXvFnHNoXIm5knRQGrHVQzsvhtmZ5lPO2W3JEe1NYRW3DSH3ADpRDHvqcIxNPit9DYyZHN2Rm7HlpaKDXTG1XYKEno5vvGGhkCD7OXe8se5GXdlSD_lqnj0sYqenNRvFJ8NXkc-3Hc056ZCrxiRJ1WR8yxr_kc7mcvnjV1Gmt/s4032/IMG_2450.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHVESneghOeSo7M_RTTVdXvFnHNoXIm5knRQGrHVQzsvhtmZ5lPO2W3JEe1NYRW3DSH3ADpRDHvqcIxNPit9DYyZHN2Rm7HlpaKDXTG1XYKEno5vvGGhkCD7OXe8se5GXdlSD_lqnj0sYqenNRvFJ8NXkc-3Hc056ZCrxiRJ1WR8yxr_kc7mcvnjV1Gmt/s320/IMG_2450.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinB7ggWFo5g6DLTxArddoYvIHkB3MSDvAEce2vo93kzQq2fpWP3AxPtFBm-heNpGkapF2oyCV_AGZXeVW6XHDjl2-KkFIX8un6Rny17fPrsHaxgafresK82eWRDLZzKusOKQGQwbjfCAWYAg9XIfughU4S9-xS5Xd1wMlneyaE-zgWaQFr11dljyDs81o/s4032/20231016_155827.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinB7ggWFo5g6DLTxArddoYvIHkB3MSDvAEce2vo93kzQq2fpWP3AxPtFBm-heNpGkapF2oyCV_AGZXeVW6XHDjl2-KkFIX8un6Rny17fPrsHaxgafresK82eWRDLZzKusOKQGQwbjfCAWYAg9XIfughU4S9-xS5Xd1wMlneyaE-zgWaQFr11dljyDs81o/s320/20231016_155827.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDtQTHFM9yxp_O3zfNe6gW8WQhqMfa9VM84h-bAOkCTVVxFRc0iZbIBO8ubcYhmgUFbF9tKmeRAdBoq-nmUbW_KQUW9Z1qKOJWWeECTDkW0Mw5KV8pCWdKuAhhQTfBEzOKZ7KPx_9OOBP2IAHnuJO4lKXZVbkAMN2g9OYjnyrZm6OeBCfjd7TW6S-5GRA/s4032/20231017_035201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDtQTHFM9yxp_O3zfNe6gW8WQhqMfa9VM84h-bAOkCTVVxFRc0iZbIBO8ubcYhmgUFbF9tKmeRAdBoq-nmUbW_KQUW9Z1qKOJWWeECTDkW0Mw5KV8pCWdKuAhhQTfBEzOKZ7KPx_9OOBP2IAHnuJO4lKXZVbkAMN2g9OYjnyrZm6OeBCfjd7TW6S-5GRA/s320/20231017_035201.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back Home</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Susan was there to meet u and after a short trip home it was time for bed and to dream about the good times we had just had. It was worth all the hassle, work and expense - If you have a little bit of cash lying around, don't buy something you don't need - go do something - take a holiday like we did. It was bloody brilliant. I miss my brothers more now than ever, I miss pubs, chippies and small houses. But we are home and we are happy with good memories and soft beds. Winter is coming, so that's got to be dealt with, but we have a lot of plans for the next few months, so keep an eye open on here for updates soon!</div><br />rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-27679237953307273462023-10-22T20:46:00.005+01:002023-10-22T20:46:44.967+01:00Going home part 2 - 'Oop North' - <p>Approximately 2.30am. I am sharing a bed with my snuggle partner..3 year old Oliver Aspen. He is very happy to be sharing a bed with dad all night.</p><p>Buffy and Hannah are asleep on airbeds next to the bed Ollie and I are in. (I find out later that Buffy is actually wide awake and hears this whole conversation)</p><p>Ollie ever so slowly turns to face me, his nose practically touching mine. He has a wide mischievous grin on his face. Very slowly and quietly, in an exceedingly well-controlled whisper, he asks me a very important question...</p><p><span style="color: #ffa400;">'<i>Do you like Oranges?</i> '</span></p><p>Me - '(Thinking What the actual Fuck?) Err, Yes?</p><p><span style="color: #ffa400;"><i>'Do you like the inside or the outside?</i>'</span></p><p>Me - I like the inside...</p><p><span style="color: #ffa400;"><i>'Do you like cars</i>?'</span></p><p>I cannot help but giggle and Ollie joins in. This is ridiculous. But I LOVE every second of it. </p><p>This is also the story that will be told the most about our trip to the UK, even though so much more happened.....</p><p><br /></p><p>Monday morning in the UK, I collected our rental car from Heathrow Airport while the kids slept in after the crazy day out in London. I was up around 7 a.m. and on the tube to the airport less than 20 minutes later, then I jumped on the car rental transfer bus and arrived for my 9:30 am pick-up just a little after 8 a.m. Luckily, I didn't have to wait as the great Enterprise rental staff met everyone off the minibus and were happy for me to take the car right then. They have a really cool system now that basically everything is done on a tablet, including scanning my driver's license and paying by credit card, so there are no queues or waiting for multiple printouts. The longest thing I had to wait for was for the guy to go and get the toddler car seat for Ollie. But I was out of there by 8.30 and back at the Airbnb by 9 a.m.</p><p>We got the car packed up and were just about to get the kid's shoes on when Ollie puked on himself, so we had to unpack again to get him a fresh set of clothes before we could finally get off. Ollie was fine by the way, probably just a bit of reflux!</p><p><br /></p><p>Unusually for the UK, the drive up to Manchester was fabulous. We didn't have one set of roadworks or any crashes or traffic issues to deal with at all. So we arrived a little early at my brother's house. Chris was working from home and was in the middle of a virtual meeting when we arrived, so he clambered down his stairs and let us in whilst pointing at the Bluetooth headset he was wearing and ran back upstairs! We made ourselves a brew in the kitchen and said hello to 'Frank', Chris's quite shy pet dog. </p><p>Once Chris finished his meeting he came down to say hi and meet the kids, which was lovely. It's so great that the kids are finally meeting my two brothers and a shame that my mum and dad are no longer around to do the same. Chris showed us our room and then went back to work while we settled in! IN the wardrobe we found Hannah's dress for the wedding, which we had ordered and had delivered to the house. She was very excited to try it on and the smaller size of the two we had ordered fitted perfectly, so luckily for her she has that and a bigger one to grow into!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqEK3ermJhnM43D3rUebac_xFj80xSWMb3vo3mNPYm0BOgl3taJZxzz2b0IMfjns9BR5Af_lJbZsNFak-YeThfmS_ksSuGkuafO8wpzRDkPeNk9icQvzWmM1yUgTc7AXgvdtmxRTVDXRxW3ZpIyCXow8dZ8R9eN0jFZ3-IV8jiulMTuewrjYNyFawMYtQ/s4032/20231009_151458.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqEK3ermJhnM43D3rUebac_xFj80xSWMb3vo3mNPYm0BOgl3taJZxzz2b0IMfjns9BR5Af_lJbZsNFak-YeThfmS_ksSuGkuafO8wpzRDkPeNk9icQvzWmM1yUgTc7AXgvdtmxRTVDXRxW3ZpIyCXow8dZ8R9eN0jFZ3-IV8jiulMTuewrjYNyFawMYtQ/s320/20231009_151458.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDACWhP3UdyO0QMr8MMnYPS6IuFU8TVmVai63EIiEWUA6ssRsFxdNhKyBLfFOrm_RWS4RGmiOTvHWdJ5ihNhpzd7kVyfvWAFMS4EzOhwXLetYC_gLE7XHAPKhVOXq9Cebr8jhRf4y3cPQh_WnbnreNbV810hg3lIFxo_dUSDak5S4a-2AUf0Q7RBAXZPJ/s4032/20231009_151503.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDACWhP3UdyO0QMr8MMnYPS6IuFU8TVmVai63EIiEWUA6ssRsFxdNhKyBLfFOrm_RWS4RGmiOTvHWdJ5ihNhpzd7kVyfvWAFMS4EzOhwXLetYC_gLE7XHAPKhVOXq9Cebr8jhRf4y3cPQh_WnbnreNbV810hg3lIFxo_dUSDak5S4a-2AUf0Q7RBAXZPJ/s320/20231009_151503.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Once we were all settled Chris grabbed Frank's leash and we all went out for a quick dog walk around Duttons Pond, a small nature area near Chris's house. The kids enjoyed running around, got to feed some local horses and loved being out of the car after the journey up! Then back to the house to meet up with Chris's wife Emma - who is definitely now more like our sister really - and then I went out with Chris to pick up a Chippy dinner for everyone! The kids loved that there was a TV in every room and Hannah especially loved watching the weather report every time it came on!<p></p><p>Emma's youngest son Adam came home for the night and spent ages telling us all about his job - he is a runner for TV shows, spends a lot of time working around celebrities, and knows some of them quite well. Adama was still a kid and at school the last time we saw him but has grown up into a really good bloke, so it was really nice to chat and catch up with him and his girlfriend while we were there. It was a lovely first evening in Manchester, just sat around chatting with a couple of beers and when we went to bed we all slept very well......for a bit. </p><p>Hannah and Ollie both started with a blow-up mattress on the floor next to our bed, but somehow halfway through the night they managed to swap sides and blankets and everyone got a little bit confused about where they should be. So before it got too loud with people getting upset we pulled Ollie up onto our bed. But then he wouldn't settle and I went onto his blow-up for a bit, until it was quiet. I clambered back onto the bed and Ollie started moving and messing about again, so Buffy tried the blow-up instead. This seemed to work as Ollie went down pretty quickly after that and we stayed like that for the rest of the night. (During the night was when the now infamous 'Orange' conversation occurred!</p><p>For the next 2 nights, Hannah was happy with her blow-up, so Buffy and I took turns sleeping on the other blow-up, whilst Ollie shared the bed with the other one of us! It's not a huge bedroom either so we had our legs actually under the bed. But I know we all spelt well and it's great that we all enjoyed being together in the same room so much. </p><p>On Tuesday we went out in the car and drove about 20 miles north of the city, out into the beautiful rolling hills of the countryside to visit one of Buffy's best friends - Kate - who Buffy met whilst travelling. </p><p>Kate, her hubby Mark and their son Clarey live in a lovely old terraced house with a big back window overlooking the valley and a canal. They were great hosts, getting out lots of games (including a weird squirrel puppet thing) and books for the kids as well as a few bags of Pickled Onion Monster much for me and the kids! We had a lovely spread for lunchtime sandwiches and then headed out for the afternoon to wander along the valley. The kids got to wave at the trains as they went past and we played in a park and visited a garden centre - which was actually really impressive with a big kids play area and a pumpkin patch with tractor all set up for Halloween! The kids enjoyed playing and obviously enjoyed another ice cream on the way home on what turned out to be a glorious October afternoon!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfagqfoxmAx2Mou1VuKVpQLjmiTGgwUx0YIUShUygOSSKstuxSA1ia23PiLi-l8ZxPjWZTPDxZhlBqBTq6GU3Mi3eav3qZCOT_y6i7s9JhaZMIDw9xJXT1-vLdVc5Kh4d2n0-6R6yjswW53MCuB3JLuPeU1vFVk43TC3PQVIfV6xyGTFLd_jNRn8UHv4D/s4032/IMG_2195.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfagqfoxmAx2Mou1VuKVpQLjmiTGgwUx0YIUShUygOSSKstuxSA1ia23PiLi-l8ZxPjWZTPDxZhlBqBTq6GU3Mi3eav3qZCOT_y6i7s9JhaZMIDw9xJXT1-vLdVc5Kh4d2n0-6R6yjswW53MCuB3JLuPeU1vFVk43TC3PQVIfV6xyGTFLd_jNRn8UHv4D/s320/IMG_2195.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6l1iAEaW8RKwn4i_086USzZiy2zzeJIYrpvJ-pOhrxpAkKoKM1vczud_kCf00HD-ZBg_3ChTXgS3U_USr3lHGoK1EvThxTc19KMBZ4w3BwCGGxMj-IESc86c2c-jqbkpt3UYdb3qT71ExZ4aB23JLgD7i1gCwGjYSQhFyEO6vGTA4YrfROAZyZQEVWlS3/s4032/20231010_125810.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6l1iAEaW8RKwn4i_086USzZiy2zzeJIYrpvJ-pOhrxpAkKoKM1vczud_kCf00HD-ZBg_3ChTXgS3U_USr3lHGoK1EvThxTc19KMBZ4w3BwCGGxMj-IESc86c2c-jqbkpt3UYdb3qT71ExZ4aB23JLgD7i1gCwGjYSQhFyEO6vGTA4YrfROAZyZQEVWlS3/s320/20231010_125810.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK6An_78pJnWUnE9wTIsfsCN_sJL952fR2aNgG_LdlBIWPpMtm8_TP6vm-zUcbduOTZ6KP6Ax5poUfgJHd5wjknVthvD3BGhIvOkGqjLmxYqdYLCxddxg9COh3nY2SHks2BrUL_f4yWNJJY4OQGNr5u8IHJ-gA7JU6gB-DZphNMY_9pqZiXe2g5Pyhgyd/s4032/IMG_2198.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK6An_78pJnWUnE9wTIsfsCN_sJL952fR2aNgG_LdlBIWPpMtm8_TP6vm-zUcbduOTZ6KP6Ax5poUfgJHd5wjknVthvD3BGhIvOkGqjLmxYqdYLCxddxg9COh3nY2SHks2BrUL_f4yWNJJY4OQGNr5u8IHJ-gA7JU6gB-DZphNMY_9pqZiXe2g5Pyhgyd/s320/IMG_2198.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaLIn_aQol8d8DLa1rhxVzPEjQhNdABsK-EgXq0nTv6vMpdScIg-ywv8Vd45ic5vsP8TlkA3ChzyAOzNPioygD4_mYkuKAEvgtZenqQARijPiBAjAUow5NrRWdeQrsJe8x3QIACa8wL2PO02P8aWY_Eko3oaMfiThhV7jdGpOo8tQPK7m1FsMoAPyq4G_/s4032/20231010_134831.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPaLIn_aQol8d8DLa1rhxVzPEjQhNdABsK-EgXq0nTv6vMpdScIg-ywv8Vd45ic5vsP8TlkA3ChzyAOzNPioygD4_mYkuKAEvgtZenqQARijPiBAjAUow5NrRWdeQrsJe8x3QIACa8wL2PO02P8aWY_Eko3oaMfiThhV7jdGpOo8tQPK7m1FsMoAPyq4G_/s320/20231010_134831.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUufsT3BGsL1nETN3hDzdE2G0wrS4wQ4JXiFVJsxsFK9mwctS02QSvCJJLayNJLWzHwT5srjqniUp-UMExHhniiVMn0wR993EdHTdPG6UaAofHMIPirHNJ4yZK08r5_p-L4yyiyGC_ZiXJ2nYNs8xH_eQ0oT9n__6HKJSDXFHYW_v2_4gr_aj6dEe6KgnZ/s4032/IMG_2201.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUufsT3BGsL1nETN3hDzdE2G0wrS4wQ4JXiFVJsxsFK9mwctS02QSvCJJLayNJLWzHwT5srjqniUp-UMExHhniiVMn0wR993EdHTdPG6UaAofHMIPirHNJ4yZK08r5_p-L4yyiyGC_ZiXJ2nYNs8xH_eQ0oT9n__6HKJSDXFHYW_v2_4gr_aj6dEe6KgnZ/s320/IMG_2201.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbu4XoRSGHz35FwcCDZjcFYcONQFsI76Lj98PwmX-Hx_sOLAUTc5mt4FhUS6LOUhPDgaBnADts_IFTcvEYsELU32k0JMnsFG0czkc6wqgw6E2wfHOO8rKMjl7WWqYBvbV7qqFJu96-7od65udNoKcouZgpv_lJjl2N4CeDaWIoDOX7lfOfrk7qjshyIuG/s4032/20231010_142642.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbu4XoRSGHz35FwcCDZjcFYcONQFsI76Lj98PwmX-Hx_sOLAUTc5mt4FhUS6LOUhPDgaBnADts_IFTcvEYsELU32k0JMnsFG0czkc6wqgw6E2wfHOO8rKMjl7WWqYBvbV7qqFJu96-7od65udNoKcouZgpv_lJjl2N4CeDaWIoDOX7lfOfrk7qjshyIuG/s320/20231010_142642.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdj7FYY7g2eKMA2nh5NNZaVpPru5ljoni_5NBua0QB7rkkO16f0rKk-1SlS6UlRyUDsYCm03-5kanQRtc4oWl5CTqmElYi26qg6TObAuwkFOT6DZvcqqObpEhOHstipag8K1Na9gIVshae0f8ZChgFdswwvVQVkXXq9S_rY9ZSLDed1P3h34OKrDylQLZc/s4032/IMG_2208.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdj7FYY7g2eKMA2nh5NNZaVpPru5ljoni_5NBua0QB7rkkO16f0rKk-1SlS6UlRyUDsYCm03-5kanQRtc4oWl5CTqmElYi26qg6TObAuwkFOT6DZvcqqObpEhOHstipag8K1Na9gIVshae0f8ZChgFdswwvVQVkXXq9S_rY9ZSLDed1P3h34OKrDylQLZc/s320/IMG_2208.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc09vcNMFFrW8OOw3vORjv8wHw75hFkHajVhgRSaj2PzOdNyUfq3y12ZT1mafODze0QvsV8lsoPoyKaJo0BW3wH4a2tlOnHsk8zRg_dNSiPWT-9VpaGVRSyAPrniCqiZAxckj9VO3e20xVAzsQeaTyDJs4J0IEGAqBQ_r9ljg74XnF40vsNvZ-nDttDv9Y/s4032/20231010_142834_Original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc09vcNMFFrW8OOw3vORjv8wHw75hFkHajVhgRSaj2PzOdNyUfq3y12ZT1mafODze0QvsV8lsoPoyKaJo0BW3wH4a2tlOnHsk8zRg_dNSiPWT-9VpaGVRSyAPrniCqiZAxckj9VO3e20xVAzsQeaTyDJs4J0IEGAqBQ_r9ljg74XnF40vsNvZ-nDttDv9Y/s320/20231010_142834_Original.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We had a lovely surprise when we arrived back at Chris and Emma's house in Manchester. Gareth and Tracey were there waiting for us! We hadn't expected to see my oldest brother and Tracey until the wedding later in the week and it was so nice that they came back up to Manchester for a couple of extra days. Just like Chris and Emma they hadn't met the kids before and one thing we really wanted was to spend some quality time with my two brothers and Tracey and Emma, so to be able to be in the same house all together for a few days was just wonderful! </p><p>Anyway, there wasn't anything else we could really do that night than grab the kids and head to the pub with my brothers! I honestly cannot tell you how nice it was to be all together and out down the pub enjoying a couple of pints together, having a bit of dinner and with the kids too! We took some drawing stuff for Hannah and Ollie's car mat and cars and they were pretty happy just playing and eating while the big kids caught up. It was all over too soon though as they started to get tired so Buffy, me and the kids jumped in an Uber to get them home quickly, while everyone else walked. By the time everyone got home the kids were nearly down and we enjoyed the rest of the night in front of the telly together!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JUCaETIC_ZWSwCvKII0sn_kxeyqOdI7hWwIqrSeZ43sxVfZ6YIAVUdRnNQZR8OmE2ZE8g398scM98sPTgbpvyMxRRV4nd47hnhd4eIIb_57cuu1r26JFwGJ9sZOgsoQyLzh_H0pC6iEh1hBxEJLorfUBkVFmwJSwZE9rQIlOFBkQQwkfcnogQ_xUxuvv/s4032/IMG_2209.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JUCaETIC_ZWSwCvKII0sn_kxeyqOdI7hWwIqrSeZ43sxVfZ6YIAVUdRnNQZR8OmE2ZE8g398scM98sPTgbpvyMxRRV4nd47hnhd4eIIb_57cuu1r26JFwGJ9sZOgsoQyLzh_H0pC6iEh1hBxEJLorfUBkVFmwJSwZE9rQIlOFBkQQwkfcnogQ_xUxuvv/s320/IMG_2209.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSeQO9jeYSjV3eO6dOjtIDXUlZNzLEg7ngQz2XAtUxYY31F9AypI84EMiDDorUd_yDUIBIhhq1pFUlMu20QKV3zpSVXzjUyRYSAD2t0RIenBV21EoHIpFd7-Xns4Vgwmz9JhPEsaLPGcYDNrwXHOLmZZ_Rc8Lt5khN4vMkbqwpwytDTfDasIOobL5yrM7/s3840/D4BD4C23-4733-41F0-B876-6E2ADC00873C.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSeQO9jeYSjV3eO6dOjtIDXUlZNzLEg7ngQz2XAtUxYY31F9AypI84EMiDDorUd_yDUIBIhhq1pFUlMu20QKV3zpSVXzjUyRYSAD2t0RIenBV21EoHIpFd7-Xns4Vgwmz9JhPEsaLPGcYDNrwXHOLmZZ_Rc8Lt5khN4vMkbqwpwytDTfDasIOobL5yrM7/s320/D4BD4C23-4733-41F0-B876-6E2ADC00873C.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDD3PZC_p0t9mu6YE8AzojWsmXOAjo44_4EYNlzPzThdd_NFv0yZ1OaRYvSdLNfQi2ZJaMldRcFRAxq12c0mOwzJ8h5VDOGwHddBn8U3QA66sjaniWgtN8TIWiUd8QY1ICNg5IKmgBH3u0FyYyEjq-C7Dt7F8wyQ2OteWN2cgzdkyN04gYuPvCgwTYzOe/s3968/20231010_202958.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3968" data-original-width="1784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDD3PZC_p0t9mu6YE8AzojWsmXOAjo44_4EYNlzPzThdd_NFv0yZ1OaRYvSdLNfQi2ZJaMldRcFRAxq12c0mOwzJ8h5VDOGwHddBn8U3QA66sjaniWgtN8TIWiUd8QY1ICNg5IKmgBH3u0FyYyEjq-C7Dt7F8wyQ2OteWN2cgzdkyN04gYuPvCgwTYzOe/s320/20231010_202958.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p>Wednesday was another big day. My nephew James (Jim) got a new job about a year ago and it's a job that, to be honest - we all absolutely love! James works at Man United - he arranges and takes tours around the hallowed turf that is the Theatre of Dreams - Old Trafford. As I say quite often - he literally has the keys to United. </p><p>Now he had very kindly arranged a complimentary tour for us and the kids and we thought we would just be part of a larger normal tour group. But that didn't happen! Instead, James walked us in, got us our passes and then took us on an extended behind-the-scenes tour of the ground. No more add-ons or people - just the 4 of us and James with Old Trafford at our leisure. It was surreal as James unlocked doors, and took us out into the stadium bowl and under the stands. The kids were just mental, running around like idiots, but with no one else around they had the freedom to do so. He even explained about the weird Garlic machine that puts garlic on the pitch - for whatever reason it does that! The whole place smelled like a good Italian restaurant!</p><p>We stopped in the museum to look at the trophies first and then made our way around to the East side of the stadium where we entered the dressing room. We had the whole place to ourselves for about 40 minutes before the 'real' tour group arrived. So we did what you expect - we played hide and seek -in the United dressing room! What was happening?!?!? haha, it was brilliant. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXusKJ7nD9rZQGAafSDYm8vTrMpDabUBXCMfTKPTSF8MRliN-FMfDNgt_9GkehRXc4ve45U7zM7HnLcEEbYMwDDpkMXYaC7O9Sm1oMA4fbU7zoZBwSNprVH2MfngOkAmkQxly5GBM7xpuXfKx87acZr0dduDetCCT9maOz-2dHG_MrBWkuf9ghqInO3Ps/s4032/IMG_2214.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXusKJ7nD9rZQGAafSDYm8vTrMpDabUBXCMfTKPTSF8MRliN-FMfDNgt_9GkehRXc4ve45U7zM7HnLcEEbYMwDDpkMXYaC7O9Sm1oMA4fbU7zoZBwSNprVH2MfngOkAmkQxly5GBM7xpuXfKx87acZr0dduDetCCT9maOz-2dHG_MrBWkuf9ghqInO3Ps/s320/IMG_2214.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1Z4koJrhEgmaIVGVswJvCdYNpCOqSbzAcAn8p5-9nVZJD2zXvQaTdc0l8ZyMNJVS5IYQE388LA-QOAfNrmjvOgd3TNl5Z0rSQTfIIgx9LE27f6nmJsp5iz9HUNZmFLY9tH2nYOIY3hYGZv2XuhujXMwznFuFPQBRrIFwTNrWVdS3byHcipa45FzZ7Vkm/s4032/20231011_100136.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1Z4koJrhEgmaIVGVswJvCdYNpCOqSbzAcAn8p5-9nVZJD2zXvQaTdc0l8ZyMNJVS5IYQE388LA-QOAfNrmjvOgd3TNl5Z0rSQTfIIgx9LE27f6nmJsp5iz9HUNZmFLY9tH2nYOIY3hYGZv2XuhujXMwznFuFPQBRrIFwTNrWVdS3byHcipa45FzZ7Vkm/s320/20231011_100136.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1YLg6mwc9UvH6EhifTchlRWoTjipX56w3Av1HHt4XtdD4pS350uF7aSqxKdIkso9ESSIIe0pr6eDA8w7sK_JIqz1uhnRuzWaGuiKJnXfmTXWkF-xbfqrdUVmVFexZ_76qp41oOoE83VYxGlJUVRZUIyDXeBjCi-FpHW7p6XJ4Fk04QVp5irJsbiKI4ir/s4032/20231011_102314.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1YLg6mwc9UvH6EhifTchlRWoTjipX56w3Av1HHt4XtdD4pS350uF7aSqxKdIkso9ESSIIe0pr6eDA8w7sK_JIqz1uhnRuzWaGuiKJnXfmTXWkF-xbfqrdUVmVFexZ_76qp41oOoE83VYxGlJUVRZUIyDXeBjCi-FpHW7p6XJ4Fk04QVp5irJsbiKI4ir/s320/20231011_102314.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUnbQPwUJhuP0CWqRla1Q09YAwAZ-TJK_3kBsOpFfth6oo3gNtIekeonsHX_mszmPzv1FKuOIC6-b2RjMMRACw4TR5fVL2U7_y7_YgAJubZQ7iMoMXvZbV5PKnSQ-t92geoQxOHCXvPXhcaLFWiutcPyG78CpCtGSoOQb-JafAKdbSZVh3eYlsAn-64F2/s4032/IMG_2223.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUnbQPwUJhuP0CWqRla1Q09YAwAZ-TJK_3kBsOpFfth6oo3gNtIekeonsHX_mszmPzv1FKuOIC6-b2RjMMRACw4TR5fVL2U7_y7_YgAJubZQ7iMoMXvZbV5PKnSQ-t92geoQxOHCXvPXhcaLFWiutcPyG78CpCtGSoOQb-JafAKdbSZVh3eYlsAn-64F2/s320/IMG_2223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ugZE248v9eI" width="320" youtube-src-id="ugZE248v9eI"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/080LLBZ6Z2E" width="320" youtube-src-id="080LLBZ6Z2E"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yle4-O7Tkbs" width="320" youtube-src-id="Yle4-O7Tkbs"></iframe></div><br /><p>From there we headed out into the famous tunnel, where you see the players gather before the game starts. It's also where the infamous music is played from as James showed us - pressing the button to start 'This is the One', the anthem that plays before the games and one of the bits of music that was played at our wedding!</p><p>After that, we took the kids to the dugouts where they played for a while trying every single seat. At one point Ollie copied Arsene Wenger by wandering off and finding himself stuck between the two sets of opposing seats on what is now affectionately known now as the Wemger Platform!</p><p>Finally, we went to the press box and had photos taken signing a fake united contract before we all jumped back in the car and headed back to the house for a well-deserved break. It was a fabulous and amazing tour and we cant thank James enough for coming in on what was a day off for him and showing us around!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MHhgj3JVOa8" width="320" youtube-src-id="MHhgj3JVOa8"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N3svMjNJymw" width="320" youtube-src-id="N3svMjNJymw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDDuh_DMb1xue-aYBg9g6dIuId4lc-AUl7eIQklNOEW7gjFr51DS2n2L0tvN2Ozmj9hAPeA5FXfCZvH4JBRvWYZQwbFfiYdXEZ05liYdTdiYSs5iw6qt4M_klA3SHT84nxzgWc9hOJVUJQv5y9kJDvTCQWb2h7on-UmBjcXLjhodX4MS8kBNBCHTgrx1g/s4032/IMG_2226.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDDuh_DMb1xue-aYBg9g6dIuId4lc-AUl7eIQklNOEW7gjFr51DS2n2L0tvN2Ozmj9hAPeA5FXfCZvH4JBRvWYZQwbFfiYdXEZ05liYdTdiYSs5iw6qt4M_klA3SHT84nxzgWc9hOJVUJQv5y9kJDvTCQWb2h7on-UmBjcXLjhodX4MS8kBNBCHTgrx1g/s320/IMG_2226.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWl2JPRfVsg2Z4vwk28sgM74D0Ckf2-IlcUzwvEk5kw0k565oGkCiioeiWGWyy9evxzP7YhgLPe5vjgAiaOQMJKjmMNy3WJzl4Jmzh71VVOXefEwWll3tedH8x4aQU0DOp7Z7sBDcCPlhl03JTQ26xZDIuD7cjGqTYVouG79_O1tUSKqqY9AZYoxOe60zq/s4032/IMG_2233.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWl2JPRfVsg2Z4vwk28sgM74D0Ckf2-IlcUzwvEk5kw0k565oGkCiioeiWGWyy9evxzP7YhgLPe5vjgAiaOQMJKjmMNy3WJzl4Jmzh71VVOXefEwWll3tedH8x4aQU0DOp7Z7sBDcCPlhl03JTQ26xZDIuD7cjGqTYVouG79_O1tUSKqqY9AZYoxOe60zq/s320/IMG_2233.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr8fXmXbMtjO9gtVgnw1fohTetFlBMkON7xLCeUiXZae-KquLlR0soHJUu-cz7h3erhmzuNXimeqFPbZb5nVNb25DoIYW6IpMOMdsRew0xpdaE7pgWddeTJ1Ugbjvy4ECejf9WGPfeusISvkufLaA8eLUQ6fxsMtYXJ1_1mtlUBbv1UWAaoixhImH_5MQ/s4032/20231011_111028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpr8fXmXbMtjO9gtVgnw1fohTetFlBMkON7xLCeUiXZae-KquLlR0soHJUu-cz7h3erhmzuNXimeqFPbZb5nVNb25DoIYW6IpMOMdsRew0xpdaE7pgWddeTJ1Ugbjvy4ECejf9WGPfeusISvkufLaA8eLUQ6fxsMtYXJ1_1mtlUBbv1UWAaoixhImH_5MQ/s320/20231011_111028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The day just continued to be great too, because that afternoon we met up for lunch with one of my oldest and best mates - Chuck - and his new wife Joanne. We had a lovely lunch in one of the new pubs in Urmston before heading back to the house for a catch-up and a brew due to eth poor weather. It was so lovely to spend the afternoon with Chuck and Jo and they also brought pressies for us and the kids, which we made good use of as Hannah led us all through an hour of crafts - cutting and sticking bits of paper and pictures together around the kitchen island. Jo and Chuck were great sports and joined right in making them firm friends with both of our kids forever!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnph2eHeEFwVIHi2NP3pcCK50Et9stPO1hndiI_YeT2YUekOzsXJC4U6swN0O9wj8-7mQHyaBakpZUj46aWVl6itjS0O0ElTzzfTwEG79rDI1I4Qvzjuijat9CzzBWaa3YkjhikvtDZ7F6-1Um-1BtB8gdt8KRLCdb1IQz92hW8l3TgAuqfLbvyDdJwCn/s4032/IMG_2239.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnph2eHeEFwVIHi2NP3pcCK50Et9stPO1hndiI_YeT2YUekOzsXJC4U6swN0O9wj8-7mQHyaBakpZUj46aWVl6itjS0O0ElTzzfTwEG79rDI1I4Qvzjuijat9CzzBWaa3YkjhikvtDZ7F6-1Um-1BtB8gdt8KRLCdb1IQz92hW8l3TgAuqfLbvyDdJwCn/s320/IMG_2239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHo4bi_r11MQ3H2Buru4MeMxGCgJm2cmVZFZ2JIZa1OPWr7m4cIJnlIlcaHXXxQA80TvOw-mfTlm6o9_ZPZDMZaOqG33PbfQnkRMNZb2G-fUmNPBQcuK-Ad2t2Oid9c8Pk6FUQNKg3SC5RYkHTMrUKk5pK-TLsMAKy7V9_3FSZFMi_yUyMxjBxlBKBgaYj/s4032/20231011_163946.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHo4bi_r11MQ3H2Buru4MeMxGCgJm2cmVZFZ2JIZa1OPWr7m4cIJnlIlcaHXXxQA80TvOw-mfTlm6o9_ZPZDMZaOqG33PbfQnkRMNZb2G-fUmNPBQcuK-Ad2t2Oid9c8Pk6FUQNKg3SC5RYkHTMrUKk5pK-TLsMAKy7V9_3FSZFMi_yUyMxjBxlBKBgaYj/s320/20231011_163946.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEM86fFzhq-8pUPjZhupDPFbKjKoQztUYPnHd1LfvXP7v7Zt_S-RqOk2bCy2pujVAzyF_c5pIavmquNwcONxNxVlnB1NEflpD2DSP0Fi4YaB0xxjui4Pmy4sHBwrXlBtyF-BYmszOyfcDUToRhZtujfKXFVnGdJXQF1iYJ3KZrrQ2b1yKh23Tmj8p0gTi/s4032/IMG_2240.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEM86fFzhq-8pUPjZhupDPFbKjKoQztUYPnHd1LfvXP7v7Zt_S-RqOk2bCy2pujVAzyF_c5pIavmquNwcONxNxVlnB1NEflpD2DSP0Fi4YaB0xxjui4Pmy4sHBwrXlBtyF-BYmszOyfcDUToRhZtujfKXFVnGdJXQF1iYJ3KZrrQ2b1yKh23Tmj8p0gTi/s320/IMG_2240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Sadly it was all over too quickly though. It was really great to see Chuck again and to meet Jo for the first time in real life. She is absolutely lovely and they both seem really happy together. It's so great to see my old mucker settled and happy!<div><br /></div><div>That night was spent at home, Chris made a really tasty huge chilli dinner for us all and then we sat down to watch a bit of telly. Everyone had been watching a show called 'Car SOS' earlier and there was an episode where a JCB digger gets fixed up - No everyone knows Ollie loves his diggers, so very kindly everyone agreed that we would watch the whole episode with the kids they loved it - Ollie also thanked everyone by handing out snacks as he wandered around the front room! I cannot accurately describe how nice it felt to be just vegging out, in Manchester, with my two big brothers and the family. When we came home for Chris and Emma's wedding in 2017 we weren't able to stay as they already had a houseful of people, but this more than made up for that. It was fantastic and I loved every minute. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cQOKo3smdL0" width="320" youtube-src-id="cQOKo3smdL0"></iframe></div><br /></div><div>Sadly this was our last night in Manchester. We had another great night's sleep and got a bit of shopping in early the next morning to buy to get some new clothes for the kids. Then just before lunch we jumped back in Rosie the rental car and headed south to Wales!</div><div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p><p> </p></div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-48076146958712121522023-10-20T03:14:00.004+01:002023-10-20T03:15:40.389+01:00Going home for the 1st time in 6 years - 'darn souf'<p>The last 10 days have been crazy. It's so crazy I will have to take some time to fill in all the details. But to generalise - my nephew (from Dubai) had a wedding (In Wales) So we flew to the UK (London) and then visited friends and family (In Manchester). I was happily surprised to see my oldest brother and wife there too (From Sydney) before we actually made the wedding and returned home (To Canada) via Windsor and London where my other army mate (From Buckingham) popped by for a pint. </p><p>It's been an emotional, tiring and brilliant week and a bit.....</p><p>We packed all our clothes, wedding stuff, the kid's books and some toys into 2 carry-on bags and made our way to Winnipeg for the first flight to Montreal. Our flight from there was overnight and would land in London at 9am. We couldn't wait till 4pm to get the kids to bed, so we rented an Airbnb for 3 nights including the night we flew, knowing that without checked luggage we had a better chance to get the kids to bed for the afternoon. </p><p>The flights were great with the lids happily playing, reading and watching a bit of the in-flight entertainment, The kids were also lucky enough to be invited onto the flight deck when we landed and although Hannah was a little nervous, Ollie was definitely not - he ended up sat in the pilots seat wearing her hat quite happily! The kids also 'helped' push each other in the stroller. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKe89KKIZjtBpVUotf73qmjPKO4-2PBlgFRXqm0BumAOOsx5FhNLYiSDddijf3x1YddCkgZXwC9iX8G4C8eFRzgouQGbXH3aR8mxuRCcBEwWOeB_QRcUj5pkMPdjh8DIzp_tApIVdTb64UfdNjsdgQR9QbxvjS1ljVuGOCzy7gTASv0Awp3KyCpy2ddsF/s4032/IMG_1937.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKe89KKIZjtBpVUotf73qmjPKO4-2PBlgFRXqm0BumAOOsx5FhNLYiSDddijf3x1YddCkgZXwC9iX8G4C8eFRzgouQGbXH3aR8mxuRCcBEwWOeB_QRcUj5pkMPdjh8DIzp_tApIVdTb64UfdNjsdgQR9QbxvjS1ljVuGOCzy7gTASv0Awp3KyCpy2ddsF/s320/IMG_1937.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWy0qHcUNJIY3o08jsaDIrKFTq8unv0ud6gXznkLgesTw3LnhfRcheFH-QohhzHqc92qJQOLbH2oq8388oouSCnc9W81uLvXHS-x1NunfxxTm3VvCuDKRmZtuCrnSxKvdHUQsGOnA14i0flRVTRaehNgeV37hEDGfWhJ5HBRjJHnnvA7lQB2IkkbZiwbx/s4032/IMG_1941.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWy0qHcUNJIY3o08jsaDIrKFTq8unv0ud6gXznkLgesTw3LnhfRcheFH-QohhzHqc92qJQOLbH2oq8388oouSCnc9W81uLvXHS-x1NunfxxTm3VvCuDKRmZtuCrnSxKvdHUQsGOnA14i0flRVTRaehNgeV37hEDGfWhJ5HBRjJHnnvA7lQB2IkkbZiwbx/s320/IMG_1941.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuUhyphenhyphen3MdhEWeSJkY4br1nbYiUqpnM979Ez4Bxt2qR4ZOmYeBUo0hWqO1yxraLMI82Fk_VOOdfvZgqs9SQWMnR9aH5K-8rky51cP46v21Uh5yPhpwJGRQ-DD5RNUhT0Afs5tMf3vD_A5IjT09ohJCvC9B9r-Jbbzfdrqz9SE6InYkJWWNLnJFte89Ztcmt/s4032/IMG_1943.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuUhyphenhyphen3MdhEWeSJkY4br1nbYiUqpnM979Ez4Bxt2qR4ZOmYeBUo0hWqO1yxraLMI82Fk_VOOdfvZgqs9SQWMnR9aH5K-8rky51cP46v21Uh5yPhpwJGRQ-DD5RNUhT0Afs5tMf3vD_A5IjT09ohJCvC9B9r-Jbbzfdrqz9SE6InYkJWWNLnJFte89Ztcmt/s320/IMG_1943.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjOh7UdLmKCw8vuDxILYz6M_t426zOkYk49F95KKeGH0x3jEez3vnu0mvemMgQ-Lf7Kso3oAQ453RDXcEWHz0OX1YMInLDOrtVkMtcc2q4OIO75_CbXT3wyOucNS_Kn6ui7EX2SRVXLmHRX2oxxcGOA-PLcresNhgZpOFvc_dFcxGI7uYaJ78hGoIpjCS/s320/20231006_194640.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtG0sxnlqw0Ln0Eaw-MdZet8epQZOaXyd_VgTatpuk1trLzb75W3FBojo6plRvmMm8SReNLIqBkVWO1bUbkdGMLVeWy2k2l6yr_M910l0FxVDQP0VqQT7F0QAsVSunPLRSymcvOSMWXlluA208wusJDj2b_n4GJeR_slWoQHzzMtpwnggMvUKd1Ji3xlZ/s4032/20231006_194728.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtG0sxnlqw0Ln0Eaw-MdZet8epQZOaXyd_VgTatpuk1trLzb75W3FBojo6plRvmMm8SReNLIqBkVWO1bUbkdGMLVeWy2k2l6yr_M910l0FxVDQP0VqQT7F0QAsVSunPLRSymcvOSMWXlluA208wusJDj2b_n4GJeR_slWoQHzzMtpwnggMvUKd1Ji3xlZ/s320/20231006_194728.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiUrVDO4UYjsl2cB4bFuMeFWC5WVZn1HL-eAUI1m0dm4sZwnMtCQbEAPnZGiVpnNpy93Uh1qTTzlRY0fESAUlO12qRngPgUl6_Hu-wygqUtUSFsZGHbkDl1U-A9R8-g8ZiQEdb6aiXxdvZ1XEUxxIUpNQib3enxW4hNNatjem-Or1O3sfQLbqN2EaZl6l/s320/IMG_1935.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJhN0Yazcm7kHS73U4Fi-V86-91Ct9mIXXGZYPq6f0aKuEC6tQ4hIZBvS7qUoMFl8VJmbIUs_AiKvn9TNeNjxtaAL00zljHNFC8_oe2AWP4ReiT0UQzwXY1ymENehk7fKyprbNWKGAZc2vQSdforqxidAGyk-1dIvoROmU8ndgz5vUsnFelTdTPRMS9M8/s4032/IMG_1955.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJhN0Yazcm7kHS73U4Fi-V86-91Ct9mIXXGZYPq6f0aKuEC6tQ4hIZBvS7qUoMFl8VJmbIUs_AiKvn9TNeNjxtaAL00zljHNFC8_oe2AWP4ReiT0UQzwXY1ymENehk7fKyprbNWKGAZc2vQSdforqxidAGyk-1dIvoROmU8ndgz5vUsnFelTdTPRMS9M8/s320/IMG_1955.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92I51Wbp8D3LUPD8AUgmRqqnPALsX11OnoN1iGEuEB3nzww9962fhazx2R7lJMhSNoYycRQoT1OWoiHsG3V1kthPG3o2q6ksUvtWa3uk3QctrYsONieAp9DBsZNUbDhBmDZqptrFviW5rbLUi69EC-LGJTIXkcAkSSoP0y81xEBbJrzjGgBPVWaznAT9n/s4032/IMG_1957.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92I51Wbp8D3LUPD8AUgmRqqnPALsX11OnoN1iGEuEB3nzww9962fhazx2R7lJMhSNoYycRQoT1OWoiHsG3V1kthPG3o2q6ksUvtWa3uk3QctrYsONieAp9DBsZNUbDhBmDZqptrFviW5rbLUi69EC-LGJTIXkcAkSSoP0y81xEBbJrzjGgBPVWaznAT9n/s320/IMG_1957.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>As we came into London we flew over the city seeing all the usual sights before landing on time in Heathrow. Getting out of Heathrow took longer though as all the stairs, elevators and escalators were busy and with the two kids it was a long way for them to walk. We eventually made it to the underground station though and the kids were so excited and surprised when the train came shooting out of the underground tunnel!</p><p>We expected the kids to go straight to sleep, but of course, they didn't, so it ended up being a waiting game till they finally had a nap after lunch. It did allow us to get some shopping in from the local Asda as well as picking up a 15quid car seat for Hamah from Argos, that would have been 90 quid to rent for the week!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3q6em_Hj8UYnGNzvqlAkW2HT-afIQvCip4GWD-qJHAs4zHmz4SAGgRjzfk_AfD1YknBtJPA9YxQUd8iYBLhQ7MqeRCWsN4lneggkR1hHL2reTahW58aIKDJCyIECAVqTG9C7QuNPTak65AoYUhIthygBe-Enm7CNVFvqQ5EB3BECPXCNQlflPxWKrYa2Z/s4032/20231007_043008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3q6em_Hj8UYnGNzvqlAkW2HT-afIQvCip4GWD-qJHAs4zHmz4SAGgRjzfk_AfD1YknBtJPA9YxQUd8iYBLhQ7MqeRCWsN4lneggkR1hHL2reTahW58aIKDJCyIECAVqTG9C7QuNPTak65AoYUhIthygBe-Enm7CNVFvqQ5EB3BECPXCNQlflPxWKrYa2Z/s320/20231007_043008.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sN0oIvbviLGWtIXCFhKo9Ws0lT7k2rT_KM4PeXYP6Cn5AWTfCG4XDc_OROd-u-XT5TBaqvONSIGJGp1WEdPES_r9CdMaXc_v2XY8coWxWO8APtVq1IWzYSkPLOau2h9FXcr9Dm7vOF-o7t_h7buTBHL_Z8LNn5b9Y9R5GXR9gUImBscyydqM71iMXAQA/s320/IMG_1964.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSSDhjjUxdxZGE5yXyo1o3xbj-8_y4oaHdS8B6nn7H0kbCeSSQ8ORUGdK3DvM3n0xJJSyfVQrV-2Qr3HS_YvbfzL_ecpdfdpVuGyjDTh9Dif2cL9ZB2v41n9X57X1Mt4i9p5tJNHvxwijHgg_Zy1LV0v7RrxHzAe1fXUkqfLsYVRWf5HuVxPOF4nPponX/s4032/IMG_1986.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSSDhjjUxdxZGE5yXyo1o3xbj-8_y4oaHdS8B6nn7H0kbCeSSQ8ORUGdK3DvM3n0xJJSyfVQrV-2Qr3HS_YvbfzL_ecpdfdpVuGyjDTh9Dif2cL9ZB2v41n9X57X1Mt4i9p5tJNHvxwijHgg_Zy1LV0v7RrxHzAe1fXUkqfLsYVRWf5HuVxPOF4nPponX/s320/IMG_1986.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xc2Jq-S6kWm9vIhtw-QvEZAYmT568vL7mhnZQwC96oe3RQ8ua5xvrOfLQ863sCs_B7xNXgPqzskpYbjOYu3bqeLEImkXPR_xbtdOunzTZIvkrHCtQAyfh6zQBjlzmydrUv4ZbQbyozm5O6pj-HxVy21VMkMit9stJa7FdB2RJs8oqsiYuUMXjJXWNYrz/s4032/IMG_1992.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xc2Jq-S6kWm9vIhtw-QvEZAYmT568vL7mhnZQwC96oe3RQ8ua5xvrOfLQ863sCs_B7xNXgPqzskpYbjOYu3bqeLEImkXPR_xbtdOunzTZIvkrHCtQAyfh6zQBjlzmydrUv4ZbQbyozm5O6pj-HxVy21VMkMit9stJa7FdB2RJs8oqsiYuUMXjJXWNYrz/s320/IMG_1992.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxutLlsRhydAhVEdFPrKp8rr3LmAv4IquOUKg9TWn6II70eT3QfE6FFXnWN2sFrJOD2BK0UBlQlnK3tYrJGwVIHgAHRM2fRVimzaXi5cQ3oPJ5az5rMWE8h2fOcUs9g9YfeQuW8SnJuejD1ENx_Au_6wnGEbac8MoSNTahsbEksI-lrgLI6gqYsI4zsep5/s4032/20231007_110814.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxutLlsRhydAhVEdFPrKp8rr3LmAv4IquOUKg9TWn6II70eT3QfE6FFXnWN2sFrJOD2BK0UBlQlnK3tYrJGwVIHgAHRM2fRVimzaXi5cQ3oPJ5az5rMWE8h2fOcUs9g9YfeQuW8SnJuejD1ENx_Au_6wnGEbac8MoSNTahsbEksI-lrgLI6gqYsI4zsep5/s320/20231007_110814.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>After their nap, we headed out to a local park., It was a beautiful warm afternoon and they loved the 'slightly more dangerous than Canadian parks' park, with its metal climbing frames and death slide! Then a quick Mcdonald's for dinner was followed by a couple of pints in the pub garden of the pub that was quite literally 10 seconds was across the road from our AirBnb. The kids faked us into thinking we would have an easy night as they fell asleep by 10, but woke up again by 12 midnight. I eventually read books to them till they both fell asleep around 4 a.m. Bloody Jetlag! We thought the next day might be a write-off because they would be tired, but it turned out to be fantastic...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5tUtgCz_rVaSdkHsNwdgum-VoLc42gVGJ8Jkl3dF-hRvH7kioQQjnOWVt2o1nb7UzOLZ-96ZB1ttWad_5X6Jwk-0dJlUZfflsMX-RW-wvTkLc6hW6ZMUdLeE_1hYtYp56JgWevoJNI4-yOTBMXqx7b-vWwTE0anebRcVRhv7IEzu860HY3e_Of22sA2Y/s4032/20231007_174539.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5tUtgCz_rVaSdkHsNwdgum-VoLc42gVGJ8Jkl3dF-hRvH7kioQQjnOWVt2o1nb7UzOLZ-96ZB1ttWad_5X6Jwk-0dJlUZfflsMX-RW-wvTkLc6hW6ZMUdLeE_1hYtYp56JgWevoJNI4-yOTBMXqx7b-vWwTE0anebRcVRhv7IEzu860HY3e_Of22sA2Y/s320/20231007_174539.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZLcoMjHPEUzNxhMt5Nv1_iY4zahM0OEaCZxO5slPlhmPdFhoU-VXe8pgbYTu4TWCDThAy1goKgwzO_T1eKPMfbouKobe58g6w3a2pL01DmtKj_s4Eljo5IHVdDAj4n2Mq3PU3llgIBPrL8afoHfr0Gc-5ZLtXvD2Hl3Tsj_rM4G7GXYatT7Gd-TxTjza/s4032/IMG_1993.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZLcoMjHPEUzNxhMt5Nv1_iY4zahM0OEaCZxO5slPlhmPdFhoU-VXe8pgbYTu4TWCDThAy1goKgwzO_T1eKPMfbouKobe58g6w3a2pL01DmtKj_s4Eljo5IHVdDAj4n2Mq3PU3llgIBPrL8afoHfr0Gc-5ZLtXvD2Hl3Tsj_rM4G7GXYatT7Gd-TxTjza/s320/IMG_1993.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kjA4Y0U3HnBGeIeT5F4CdpoZ5gPE4WctjupX0gfvV5dz1LuGuC_AaBqiKIrMz0JSZ8JQJpwul2w4vNSUyNxSAP_DcOvFsFxL0JwU3C-pqhy8ClWWJMHQiH6B2_MNgWI2vPldeta4yYWRym2aRpYaqxLn3tpbV5y7XyZ5s-_wIsN4wyt_dFoD8kNoDq9D/s4032/IMG_2017.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kjA4Y0U3HnBGeIeT5F4CdpoZ5gPE4WctjupX0gfvV5dz1LuGuC_AaBqiKIrMz0JSZ8JQJpwul2w4vNSUyNxSAP_DcOvFsFxL0JwU3C-pqhy8ClWWJMHQiH6B2_MNgWI2vPldeta4yYWRym2aRpYaqxLn3tpbV5y7XyZ5s-_wIsN4wyt_dFoD8kNoDq9D/s320/IMG_2017.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWCUCxstsB0tMTEdgyAHdBt_C-OBzYJptQADpPyUIvrCdxLLOXp0qiw89OrmBpvjiNawMYcQBqr5r9Pl79Mpz8gULqWT-bwmj4aPWYRkcnfIA1Ok03JwyYNbOyxDQ8XypPKmcCZsvZyXc6BOT7rgKJz4tkoRt1hF4cuvn9_LVtmEQdN2Exd3hzLQz-oms/s4032/IMG_2019.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWCUCxstsB0tMTEdgyAHdBt_C-OBzYJptQADpPyUIvrCdxLLOXp0qiw89OrmBpvjiNawMYcQBqr5r9Pl79Mpz8gULqWT-bwmj4aPWYRkcnfIA1Ok03JwyYNbOyxDQ8XypPKmcCZsvZyXc6BOT7rgKJz4tkoRt1hF4cuvn9_LVtmEQdN2Exd3hzLQz-oms/s320/IMG_2019.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoYRNeLiEHWY6jTc90gelJPnlLTrr7wYBddFyAnnUY7LUcX2wFotilzm4feW9XtNthlEBLZ8t4lqrPGy9WNmlsXF6Zb0s9FXo7EjkOX7SUYTzS8U19HFZT-n91dJ-RE_ZOaipPzBwWhlgffdUoyVxIdSpjyk9X15o2gwc5uDuUCP4Cgss22f_9W_he9fO/s4032/IMG_2021.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoYRNeLiEHWY6jTc90gelJPnlLTrr7wYBddFyAnnUY7LUcX2wFotilzm4feW9XtNthlEBLZ8t4lqrPGy9WNmlsXF6Zb0s9FXo7EjkOX7SUYTzS8U19HFZT-n91dJ-RE_ZOaipPzBwWhlgffdUoyVxIdSpjyk9X15o2gwc5uDuUCP4Cgss22f_9W_he9fO/s320/IMG_2021.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ4sIP9U6ciES5QowwrkupOnY6xaaz3fdqJa8hSqDYjDGxbBd-A_tKapUxTX1gfvDyPcU8tIAqYyo4B-Cu-kVENEfNGch3ShMKWN3cOsZz6el7gcKv0Yl90RTLAakbn7AW0nLMfZSWVCveh3WlK7PpYeU64gobVtR4Byq9vkHK3DJMOm2iY9V0SeZyLyV/s4032/IMG_2022.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ4sIP9U6ciES5QowwrkupOnY6xaaz3fdqJa8hSqDYjDGxbBd-A_tKapUxTX1gfvDyPcU8tIAqYyo4B-Cu-kVENEfNGch3ShMKWN3cOsZz6el7gcKv0Yl90RTLAakbn7AW0nLMfZSWVCveh3WlK7PpYeU64gobVtR4Byq9vkHK3DJMOm2iY9V0SeZyLyV/s320/IMG_2022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><b>A quick one day tour of Londonium....</b></p><p>The kids slept in till about 10am, but woke happy and ready to go out for the day. It was another lovely sunny warm day, so we headed out to the Underground station and rode the train all the way to Westminster emerging into the crowds of people admiring Elizabeth Tower - commonly known as Big Ben - and the lovely warm sunshine. We had booked a ride on the London Eye while we travelled on the tube and had about an hour to get across the river, so took a wander along the embankment enjoying the sites and trying to get Hannah to walk instead of hogging the stroller! I ended up carrying her for a bit, but when we saw the carousel on the South Bank and they had a ride they cheered up and started to enjoy themselves. </p><p>The wait for the London Eye looked long, but we were surprised to actually get on it early and only had to queue for about 10 minutes, The ride was actually really good and we all enjoyed the sites and trying to play hide and seek in the glass bubble! An Ice cream followed after we got off the eye and then we jumped on an Uber Boat for s quick 30-minute ride up the Thames, past the sites until we got off in front of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Hannah recognised the bridge from the Legoi model we still need to finish!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm3RwKDa8giS_QCQh5oSSmzNkD6DgXEcx2CPSXI5jZg4bPIDvosxmMvw3d6THp9zO7c2qP2q3SN3GjIgZ5nMiyobdIFR8qpqlo5ERDTWh6iuHkxdDuXTUCbJ8oJzvpoAPYFZ6OrGTgXN9UYGojhSPrKiHU8dLi_JkD2t8-KAwmrrMB1qTftujOqAL8dGD/s4032/IMG_2146.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm3RwKDa8giS_QCQh5oSSmzNkD6DgXEcx2CPSXI5jZg4bPIDvosxmMvw3d6THp9zO7c2qP2q3SN3GjIgZ5nMiyobdIFR8qpqlo5ERDTWh6iuHkxdDuXTUCbJ8oJzvpoAPYFZ6OrGTgXN9UYGojhSPrKiHU8dLi_JkD2t8-KAwmrrMB1qTftujOqAL8dGD/s320/IMG_2146.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnwXqoFWFoq-ePnysD7ptl1fvP7FIaXBq95lPO3YFNR8srfXyNbQsMchh424sBWtqa3e24SaUEcmL1Wet-5qABnqSIAXh59vlxTSqM9c1cvnTttuxdkvzr67_BuBrUjNLNvOr9136cev7kXN4irVtalPsNeTu6j7aFJ9on4AELVdFUglWOvbPbTFt3tNN/s4032/20231008_150302.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnwXqoFWFoq-ePnysD7ptl1fvP7FIaXBq95lPO3YFNR8srfXyNbQsMchh424sBWtqa3e24SaUEcmL1Wet-5qABnqSIAXh59vlxTSqM9c1cvnTttuxdkvzr67_BuBrUjNLNvOr9136cev7kXN4irVtalPsNeTu6j7aFJ9on4AELVdFUglWOvbPbTFt3tNN/s320/20231008_150302.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYrjLLUDchgQOdLu82Vh13WpkkytWVUbdy9yBl0syNEX9mOgEgbfSZDdu_x2w1WPqlJp1Ssbz2UILS2VjP3J6-K3oxsYjh_Fvcn-cBTVi53IUX99SYabviv_mivrNAheO7Dug43fMMhsqW7qz8cmuRMtKTEzQM97WoIEpZU1H2c7yH2TJ0wfTdU7zbPGw/s4032/20231008_144515.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYrjLLUDchgQOdLu82Vh13WpkkytWVUbdy9yBl0syNEX9mOgEgbfSZDdu_x2w1WPqlJp1Ssbz2UILS2VjP3J6-K3oxsYjh_Fvcn-cBTVi53IUX99SYabviv_mivrNAheO7Dug43fMMhsqW7qz8cmuRMtKTEzQM97WoIEpZU1H2c7yH2TJ0wfTdU7zbPGw/s320/20231008_144515.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sujtA_dRY1UUnPPbto7VVehXeceWIoIL9PgpYvvlIFQXP2d_V3spZbe2v1jOahL6094b6Bl06pqJ3Kz5Vov-Nj_JbrBWTmzge7qQA8Zf8XSxvg6m7UpCo-Va1HFIRvpczDelmj9BXgRIhYUaAthWMOiQZKJLwauZgW1mr04TbALklBVKa1rO60XeVHTZ/s320/IMG_2023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwCaeFOBujNjuUZLiZvLWl_AOSNGT5T-A-jFQvzd3GCfcExiQIwL8vnZey2JCcUhTD23dE39NkBkFoz7fMx3fQsaETLqv-MhUee04zIzAMe98whv7YyEfok-PFMQrP3DDSgASbP82UOpVgscyHoeHG3CV5ifwQu1EjPqwPDrEU0pKkFwPGy9qie-prIGD/s3216/20231008_121949_Original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3216" data-original-width="1448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwCaeFOBujNjuUZLiZvLWl_AOSNGT5T-A-jFQvzd3GCfcExiQIwL8vnZey2JCcUhTD23dE39NkBkFoz7fMx3fQsaETLqv-MhUee04zIzAMe98whv7YyEfok-PFMQrP3DDSgASbP82UOpVgscyHoeHG3CV5ifwQu1EjPqwPDrEU0pKkFwPGy9qie-prIGD/s320/20231008_121949_Original.JPG" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It was nearly time for dinner (and a pint) so we strolled a little away from the crowds and eventually stopped at a pub near to 'Monument', where we had a lovely dinner and a drink - as well as the kids being crazy and playing games as normal. Ollie has a new game whereby he puts out his arm and stops people going past with his 'barrier' until they pay him (pretend money is fine) It's really funny when he tries to do it to strangers or to all the cars going past as he did here!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kq81rSZgJb8" width="320" youtube-src-id="kq81rSZgJb8"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQUZ6QKPnWA_NiA9-LjTvrg5S49xTqNZjiZzP4UWZ3jCnfL8Z9kCkefgWYtFOuNRsEsz6DAxeM0Ssi1As2S0Dp70ja6TPBFjTlLnYAACqXmGHpNgf9nt_baa7le74h460Ndz-m6EXTXPKhHqDIUtVBOPblPsZzv0PBrYuHYSG0tPvIs6Xu_atWH4e5UoD/s4032/20231008_150727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQUZ6QKPnWA_NiA9-LjTvrg5S49xTqNZjiZzP4UWZ3jCnfL8Z9kCkefgWYtFOuNRsEsz6DAxeM0Ssi1As2S0Dp70ja6TPBFjTlLnYAACqXmGHpNgf9nt_baa7le74h460Ndz-m6EXTXPKhHqDIUtVBOPblPsZzv0PBrYuHYSG0tPvIs6Xu_atWH4e5UoD/s320/20231008_150727.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvdpPunbQpeGbDQv2w_pyWtoSk2FxDKwR-Kvhfl1RBm0M2n7Kjy01JMJlGI3NfvQpe_ws1Bhs8VSrUaNV1SZ-p3q8lDcsLrwD-S-7AWyaMPXu1J-IfNmVR9nlT59EyikVz7Ed_iOxigCv71uMAydfikt6JHKed-fF-xSc6VLop1hfMTcvoskwKK-KT_Ev/s4032/20231008_152521_Original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvdpPunbQpeGbDQv2w_pyWtoSk2FxDKwR-Kvhfl1RBm0M2n7Kjy01JMJlGI3NfvQpe_ws1Bhs8VSrUaNV1SZ-p3q8lDcsLrwD-S-7AWyaMPXu1J-IfNmVR9nlT59EyikVz7Ed_iOxigCv71uMAydfikt6JHKed-fF-xSc6VLop1hfMTcvoskwKK-KT_Ev/s320/20231008_152521_Original.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />The kid's final wish for the day was to ride on the top deck of a double-decker bus, so we got on the busiest bus ever and took a ride to Covent Garden. It was still a lovely day so we spent a while watching the street performers while eating the 3rd or 4th treat of the day - a full box of popsicles from a local Tesco store!<p></p><p>Finally, it was time to head home and we grabbed a tube back to the Airbnb in Hounslow. On the way Ollie invented a new game - I would sing - 'What do you see, what do you see' and he would tell me what he sees out of the window. Until he got sill and every answer became 'poo poo' and a huge laugh from Ollie. Some passengers on the train didn't see the funny side - Bloody Southerners!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa00sdZZW13-yumXZXHQE20kl5K4xDqyC3__TMR9SBwp8DEeTIcHzboG1ON6F9Ue7x2BGSrj6XY_oNjdpFmooCXhF0TIHXHCh2vt0bhbY68bJh5kJqkBSwaDc0mNu0fDdEOXaSYTMX4sL78oTleDLTVSPCBzJujjxdkh1WPuwhaVeyzUAsuofWzy9JZeM/s4032/20231008_163128.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBa00sdZZW13-yumXZXHQE20kl5K4xDqyC3__TMR9SBwp8DEeTIcHzboG1ON6F9Ue7x2BGSrj6XY_oNjdpFmooCXhF0TIHXHCh2vt0bhbY68bJh5kJqkBSwaDc0mNu0fDdEOXaSYTMX4sL78oTleDLTVSPCBzJujjxdkh1WPuwhaVeyzUAsuofWzy9JZeM/s320/20231008_163128.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u5GdTSatNmd7g6U7csJH9gNY5ZqVVh328mXAir1t0bAv7cvFPh7ESUZCe1n9spaoDXhvHMdpAUM2jdIL9n414Vbw9eNdN7lEImTNj5XmCftu1ruMHOJt2E_P6cPLneca_k5nsDjYzXAe0PStq8NI_rK4uMzdYrOJsCrVUu1QQvDIrkR4KJesG31kXcLY/s4032/20231008_163132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FJQQIKi4ghZNrpBb8yfC3iD8QIcO-CZGfOdT81-6I6OwL0Nw4yLZyuw7-7I9gbQ3CHpqMLYeV310Lz65Zc8V9f3K3hYo2luQRLz3E07OomU7q80SMxUZxo2k6KH0kJ4hqS1S3cjYtbsWyGaZKdkshgtQCCYhJ8ULdwtGabUx5ZMia1gcAb0T_xO1EW7Q/s4032/IMG_2180.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FJQQIKi4ghZNrpBb8yfC3iD8QIcO-CZGfOdT81-6I6OwL0Nw4yLZyuw7-7I9gbQ3CHpqMLYeV310Lz65Zc8V9f3K3hYo2luQRLz3E07OomU7q80SMxUZxo2k6KH0kJ4hqS1S3cjYtbsWyGaZKdkshgtQCCYhJ8ULdwtGabUx5ZMia1gcAb0T_xO1EW7Q/s320/IMG_2180.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6q29yAuJSqk3v9v4qGyU4phD19BZDoLU0cA204DTv271hAkmqWoJh8sMbbBzR7xJXnIGzVc8IsQKarkcEuKfYIK__S4ngOha5OfX0fuf9PPqgDIZoeMuWge5sxvD6wFXFIr3noBx9MjGI0a0Rpu-lnk0fe7E4e2M60XNkrLawOyqyVj3XArrnxRaJMJ2/s4032/20231008_174927.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6q29yAuJSqk3v9v4qGyU4phD19BZDoLU0cA204DTv271hAkmqWoJh8sMbbBzR7xJXnIGzVc8IsQKarkcEuKfYIK__S4ngOha5OfX0fuf9PPqgDIZoeMuWge5sxvD6wFXFIr3noBx9MjGI0a0Rpu-lnk0fe7E4e2M60XNkrLawOyqyVj3XArrnxRaJMJ2/s320/20231008_174927.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course, we couldn't finish the day without a quick stop at our favourite beer garden again - I don't know how but the kids got their energy back fast and spent a good hour running around the place - I don't know where they get it from! I was knackered. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_h03CK_dsdcGU73Bq-SyD2WjAl7FD75Ax972tLdbBBlz97gEa-Ba3pHSyjToQKkE8mCqkiZQDt1s2Z4AV2BaR9_6_Fw5bTFhI0GaTqZPP-Spv8amJ6YlsYUHZnj_7wCsJ3b6B1006Pq-cQZCSvQh6U5EtnFUAK6_KLsTIE2iyUwb4EPYLBSHOtWH361lM/s4032/IMG_2183.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_h03CK_dsdcGU73Bq-SyD2WjAl7FD75Ax972tLdbBBlz97gEa-Ba3pHSyjToQKkE8mCqkiZQDt1s2Z4AV2BaR9_6_Fw5bTFhI0GaTqZPP-Spv8amJ6YlsYUHZnj_7wCsJ3b6B1006Pq-cQZCSvQh6U5EtnFUAK6_KLsTIE2iyUwb4EPYLBSHOtWH361lM/s320/IMG_2183.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwj3kCaZGPV_nWb5J6sT81D_airUmJf_yoQrk8GmXUd_n_bnJPCafqFU7Rk47xPzstbiscpwcEd1PdrhwMtNsLec_lpzUBZtFpJlSwsFt1Bf7Q9WproMOt_wcUJ8DCH7rY-sXRAhp1VCQCpNkpPSfA8IxsyOsNXEXjNIvhu3G6A25R9rixb-oiBBOTHfV/s4032/IMG_2184.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwj3kCaZGPV_nWb5J6sT81D_airUmJf_yoQrk8GmXUd_n_bnJPCafqFU7Rk47xPzstbiscpwcEd1PdrhwMtNsLec_lpzUBZtFpJlSwsFt1Bf7Q9WproMOt_wcUJ8DCH7rY-sXRAhp1VCQCpNkpPSfA8IxsyOsNXEXjNIvhu3G6A25R9rixb-oiBBOTHfV/s320/IMG_2184.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They did go down pretty quick when we eventually got to bed though. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyaVs1CyNTBxA7P8Qky-1BjAX_N3QMKAzZKDlAT58rRLyCV2e7bq-dNPmf1KctskiqmptRi4_BV_3QD9ut2bgtnl1Fll015qRoxzOuPkLN388ADHgugFA3qifd0vBBlhr3Y2G2Q_9Z3ZRPPeNi54kg6sNJTtWtq6D3pZShnMdf1TPc_F-XKoYcuXfV4Ep/s4032/20231008_210923.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyaVs1CyNTBxA7P8Qky-1BjAX_N3QMKAzZKDlAT58rRLyCV2e7bq-dNPmf1KctskiqmptRi4_BV_3QD9ut2bgtnl1Fll015qRoxzOuPkLN388ADHgugFA3qifd0vBBlhr3Y2G2Q_9Z3ZRPPeNi54kg6sNJTtWtq6D3pZShnMdf1TPc_F-XKoYcuXfV4Ep/s320/20231008_210923.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Next morning - Monday - I was up early and back on the Tube to Heathrow to collect our rental car for the next week - Things were getting more exciting as today we headed for Manchester!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>One thing I noticed about being back in the UK is how small everything feels. It all feels about 3/4 the size of things over here. Especially roads and pavements sidewalks) It actually feels a little like being on a movie set where it's all scaled differently. I never noticed when I lived there. It made me wonder of that's why UK is such a popular tourist attraction - because its just small and cute!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-88197496745093580392023-10-05T22:02:00.005+01:002023-10-05T22:02:43.020+01:00Its been a summer....and now here comes the rain!!! (Plus the best/worst photo I have taken in a while)<p>It's a year this week since I found out I had Pneumonia last September. I can remember just how fucked I felt back then and now I feel pretty good. Yeah, my arms, shoulders, knees and back all ache and hurt most of the time, but I did my longest run in about 7 or 8 years last week - 10km - which was pretty good. I have actually already surpassed my number of workouts from last year - up to today I have been out 161 times this year, but the combined time is 3790 minutes, which averages out at about only 23 1/2 minutes per workout. I think I will start to decrease the frequency and increase the average time a little. My body needs the rest days now - I am not 23 any more! It's crazy to think I started running regularly when I signed up for the army in early 1987, so I have been a regular runner for over 36 years - and the longest time I have gone without really running was last year when I didn't do much more than a slow stroll for about 6 weeks because of pneumonia. Crazy shit man! </p><p>Well, this time of year is great but also shit in different ways - The weather and atmosphere outside is great - warm sunny days and great sunsets (it's actually pissing down as I type this but whatever) - the leaves falling, pretty colours everywhere and my birthday too - But it's all a precursor to the winter that is just around the corner. I think winter will be a good one this year though - it will be cold as fuck, but the kids are big enough to play out in it a bit more and at least know and tell us when their little fingers and toes are frozen and about to fall off! We also have a new gadget to help blow away the snow - not an actual snow blower, but a leaf blower, that should be enough to ease my backache by blowing the light fluffy snow away. We have actually been using it as it was intended - as a leaf blower - this past week - by 'we' I mean me and the kids - they have enjoyed messing about with it, blowing the leaves I have already tidied, back around the garden and generally having a good time playing outside in the cool weather. Sometimes they even let me sit by and watch! They both take turns blowing shit everywhere and finding Ladybugs too! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x11Kovokcf8" width="320" youtube-src-id="x11Kovokcf8"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f9eZPB3wITU" width="320" youtube-src-id="f9eZPB3wITU"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Du_Wc6Vy8IE" width="320" youtube-src-id="Du_Wc6Vy8IE"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mdL3DUdlE8LbvRpV1oInXpBfC9yVYBjOYVZzjlTA9R8sNtpt8Vo4e1g_4wft6EDyREXrIg0uFliuKtGGXFfysr6sFgA33GzCfDdQ-YXiVqe40x0U-O8k0DGl2x8CNN-2TJYplbmQ_klgQ5OjGEQnpVQziHtZ-Eu5yOVOiJxNUjmsbyQPCuxayUstK2M5/s4032/20230927_172345.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mdL3DUdlE8LbvRpV1oInXpBfC9yVYBjOYVZzjlTA9R8sNtpt8Vo4e1g_4wft6EDyREXrIg0uFliuKtGGXFfysr6sFgA33GzCfDdQ-YXiVqe40x0U-O8k0DGl2x8CNN-2TJYplbmQ_klgQ5OjGEQnpVQziHtZ-Eu5yOVOiJxNUjmsbyQPCuxayUstK2M5/s320/20230927_172345.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBXAtTwglfozHDrDRaxVWHJiQQ39uiFwFGIVXvZENBPK2upgJLtIZk4_mcOBXqQ1msHwkhtHErVV3_6SDT9AAOv5rC_ngcl1Axvrz6ILNq8KnSmOQqB3iot8Bixog4YSWAt-p8R4dBSj2IqqL6H4LawA-oMVosi_cY9jwDExzVLGip48vVOsTezMgDKUC/s4032/20230927_174957.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBXAtTwglfozHDrDRaxVWHJiQQ39uiFwFGIVXvZENBPK2upgJLtIZk4_mcOBXqQ1msHwkhtHErVV3_6SDT9AAOv5rC_ngcl1Axvrz6ILNq8KnSmOQqB3iot8Bixog4YSWAt-p8R4dBSj2IqqL6H4LawA-oMVosi_cY9jwDExzVLGip48vVOsTezMgDKUC/s320/20230927_174957.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXzD48bg8WB2UvyeQuyO6CFILzCKhkLNs76lSrpxzNr41xKEVGwayY7J9_QEsAqQpvFXvXjsb2Jr9n22OdUV1puFHq0wsPS4xJYxJQ-Y8i7x6cwInbs2fa3WRLWcddOUPKxLFp8NmYaLYyr7dEwsicMr_0kr40WDlzF3ePTr66xpQrgs8ojbQ0m0mQzKS/s4032/20230927_175031.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXzD48bg8WB2UvyeQuyO6CFILzCKhkLNs76lSrpxzNr41xKEVGwayY7J9_QEsAqQpvFXvXjsb2Jr9n22OdUV1puFHq0wsPS4xJYxJQ-Y8i7x6cwInbs2fa3WRLWcddOUPKxLFp8NmYaLYyr7dEwsicMr_0kr40WDlzF3ePTr66xpQrgs8ojbQ0m0mQzKS/s320/20230927_175031.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzefW1saLJnxu0vpWiBN-H7V4wsIaUtEB4iAaFzw6ENlDdeKbgVTw4Vo2XYMfkk2Ut06MSWq5Xkhi9av91BAl9IEL_zEGuYptOf7L6WL1xlGefygxbzotMpayKCrr9IP9K0EtmvFMc5-nhjYSJB8w2KBLAgTcOOzwRApmkQP6o4hR_KmMB9HCqrrkwEBr/s4032/20230927_185604.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzefW1saLJnxu0vpWiBN-H7V4wsIaUtEB4iAaFzw6ENlDdeKbgVTw4Vo2XYMfkk2Ut06MSWq5Xkhi9av91BAl9IEL_zEGuYptOf7L6WL1xlGefygxbzotMpayKCrr9IP9K0EtmvFMc5-nhjYSJB8w2KBLAgTcOOzwRApmkQP6o4hR_KmMB9HCqrrkwEBr/s320/20230927_185604.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5bIm9o8PmpsQIxDWgaLFq2t6xSkABj0gXdZMjNFNBvAG_cflsJEGLGjCqc7uve48vwsWsYxwZwY0erNMQus_-0E7gLEgb1zFOIgdpOjpFk14_WiPfos4diXmH0SUFlGCw3SRU-t7ghMi_Xd-XazsmPZeoxPWpCLiesvkxYXF3LUlZksQ3E4bBDq0CG8r/s4032/20230927_185946.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5bIm9o8PmpsQIxDWgaLFq2t6xSkABj0gXdZMjNFNBvAG_cflsJEGLGjCqc7uve48vwsWsYxwZwY0erNMQus_-0E7gLEgb1zFOIgdpOjpFk14_WiPfos4diXmH0SUFlGCw3SRU-t7ghMi_Xd-XazsmPZeoxPWpCLiesvkxYXF3LUlZksQ3E4bBDq0CG8r/s320/20230927_185946.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Things are feeling good at the moment - Hannah is enjoying being back in school so sees her friends most days and had a couple of them over for lunch the other day before spending most of the afternoon playing at their house two days later. Ollie is a little maverick - doing pretty much what he wants and enjoying almost all of it. He is eating like a horse at the moment and if he continues I suspect he will have a growth spurt and start to catch Hannah up in height and weight.</p><p>They both got me some cool stuff for my birthday a couple of week back - Some Ollipops (Lollies) from Ollie along with a softie rhino toy, some cheesies, a new 'toilet' car (Ollie loves his cars) and one of those ball things that get bigger when you pull it (Oooer missus) - I have hardly seen any of my presents because they have been playing with them all and taking them to bed! At least I get to read the newspaper that Buffy bought me (and a subscription for a weekend paper every weekend that I can read with a morning coffee- if I ever get a chance!) Thanks, everyone. </p><p>I also got to go out for beer and a pizza with the kids and Buffy on my birthday, plus the kids got to climb all over the cool grass balls at the forks, before coming home in time for Ollie to help me blow out the candles on the awesome cake that Buffy baked</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKvfH1mUnoMxCvwghGUk5-0Qsh0z0yWYReaQf8X29ZBdfe6U1dWxtmqVqSw53_ncTzmB0lDT0ao-dbRFYcuFwjvC8jVx1gtEWhSokRsWOT_wY5PQZubiJ3mBg0mROQsJElfAHQoG52dEpBwJPBNM155xhuFFyAbX1YfHnyY8Tyn5Gtwlz2L3tk6sv0kG1/s3520/IMG_1573.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="3520" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKvfH1mUnoMxCvwghGUk5-0Qsh0z0yWYReaQf8X29ZBdfe6U1dWxtmqVqSw53_ncTzmB0lDT0ao-dbRFYcuFwjvC8jVx1gtEWhSokRsWOT_wY5PQZubiJ3mBg0mROQsJElfAHQoG52dEpBwJPBNM155xhuFFyAbX1YfHnyY8Tyn5Gtwlz2L3tk6sv0kG1/s320/IMG_1573.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vuBCB_Wg5r34frlHtLG9ZN0DKy9hkCisIFKaOwaI1JyICWkVu0D6oU4e-mwd5ekjKc3J8zcyNZOMqq-TYRlbTYZrTKeiVZzd1yUgh2ro62emhI4EfRQi4rkfkSI-wffEYuFGHZ5GVe5CYNAQ-QMVppacZ2QrmirrwdeKH-E6V7eJ-wqoovZ685AXoGT5/s3520/IMG_1576.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="3520" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vuBCB_Wg5r34frlHtLG9ZN0DKy9hkCisIFKaOwaI1JyICWkVu0D6oU4e-mwd5ekjKc3J8zcyNZOMqq-TYRlbTYZrTKeiVZzd1yUgh2ro62emhI4EfRQi4rkfkSI-wffEYuFGHZ5GVe5CYNAQ-QMVppacZ2QrmirrwdeKH-E6V7eJ-wqoovZ685AXoGT5/s320/IMG_1576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbrNc-AAFs0NKBu4dha45NT9vyqNAwqrmyEy9wVHFAyDXClsxUQPW6JI1SFnAIKcM7-u0MN-MVhWHstubb0UjQ3hKxNXPOEyWbXK9Iodkm-819J-DpjudVvPs9LZPKJG_c5mNx_OfKLvD7ucAe5rvV_TOwKaVfqAjMDSM0So7-OeP4a6SBWs7c46mjGlE/s4032/IMG_1581.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbrNc-AAFs0NKBu4dha45NT9vyqNAwqrmyEy9wVHFAyDXClsxUQPW6JI1SFnAIKcM7-u0MN-MVhWHstubb0UjQ3hKxNXPOEyWbXK9Iodkm-819J-DpjudVvPs9LZPKJG_c5mNx_OfKLvD7ucAe5rvV_TOwKaVfqAjMDSM0So7-OeP4a6SBWs7c46mjGlE/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYPLA2IGX-XGWrM4MWMHQANEbIGLW4Z5gK-uwb0eI3tZCOLPfseiw0o72TSrWSfZ1AHZabZwlJHIJL61hJAdQPzN0524UJUfmqvQYJ2kqbpW7PfPlKHRv26ulmJmKhmnRRNdCrIL__Vlx7C2NqyEQ4Kqzt2YijjQ43n0uar2QRpdyF8KT9i-fulU-ldkz/s4032/IMG_1585.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYPLA2IGX-XGWrM4MWMHQANEbIGLW4Z5gK-uwb0eI3tZCOLPfseiw0o72TSrWSfZ1AHZabZwlJHIJL61hJAdQPzN0524UJUfmqvQYJ2kqbpW7PfPlKHRv26ulmJmKhmnRRNdCrIL__Vlx7C2NqyEQ4Kqzt2YijjQ43n0uar2QRpdyF8KT9i-fulU-ldkz/s320/IMG_1585.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wIQXoKWnb_7NNvbChM9wYxrSIlV1a3O6hkOygIjpizqiv7jOvWK4gYYYrPdiuomHGu05OCwt1o-QNocce6glxr1b7NYxZ9KZqnjRWFmhkPKcp9-FoWim4IiCGYizaZ7FCXtayzB1xQLbyU1mM-uD9xHC5ezJsBbL6be-VO31e1gAmahvPq8tJPGC_wx6/s320/IMG_1590.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN2KQSRZaJPlXUMvTXngQALvPa2mTpvubYkk39lFE8OumGIbDBFMSm3nfG2bmvHUI7INg7qd9Fkncke3DUyHmxQZwMNUq5wAtYQXR7WPlwYm3FNoZhT7q43-67guaDAhFqu3ke0XvCqxZ8dI1NLohXJTB78PTH6EvadNzm01mCoxQiN0_BhZj5X5LRE75/s4032/IMG_1598.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN2KQSRZaJPlXUMvTXngQALvPa2mTpvubYkk39lFE8OumGIbDBFMSm3nfG2bmvHUI7INg7qd9Fkncke3DUyHmxQZwMNUq5wAtYQXR7WPlwYm3FNoZhT7q43-67guaDAhFqu3ke0XvCqxZ8dI1NLohXJTB78PTH6EvadNzm01mCoxQiN0_BhZj5X5LRE75/s320/IMG_1598.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CGP0xhk2FFStMeSwnXYKu7QbMIQ5ECkhI2_aghwhp5vP_qrikUfwfNDtXKZUnFCmvWVb_x5Ab-9qDnzAirIoAI_D1t4XZbdS_0y6QiYtsw_u9GPNkLqN8LtVcwFCV91xrRwVi6PBBQhel7jy-Dzv2bhnCikPQZJtnkPfDONaPnrE_N45HPLiNFt9BPVk/s3520/IMG_1602.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="3520" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CGP0xhk2FFStMeSwnXYKu7QbMIQ5ECkhI2_aghwhp5vP_qrikUfwfNDtXKZUnFCmvWVb_x5Ab-9qDnzAirIoAI_D1t4XZbdS_0y6QiYtsw_u9GPNkLqN8LtVcwFCV91xrRwVi6PBBQhel7jy-Dzv2bhnCikPQZJtnkPfDONaPnrE_N45HPLiNFt9BPVk/s320/IMG_1602.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfckwzmn-vtpSxDrWhJM1l9S62aY_kOMXyLRsz72Rvb3FTaaI7Ro7KyzCdTD8pf5UGkUCmcAszANgtxaocH5siPgPYBHZ7FQ_XBzx3N5ljNU_Elanb7U-fiV7duj5fkE-Oyi7oyYQ7jKyNKJw7Hnx-KC_g9drRq-nNwD3pWT2VVPjPibqxaIf5DcqElfvW/s4032/IMG_1608.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfckwzmn-vtpSxDrWhJM1l9S62aY_kOMXyLRsz72Rvb3FTaaI7Ro7KyzCdTD8pf5UGkUCmcAszANgtxaocH5siPgPYBHZ7FQ_XBzx3N5ljNU_Elanb7U-fiV7duj5fkE-Oyi7oyYQ7jKyNKJw7Hnx-KC_g9drRq-nNwD3pWT2VVPjPibqxaIf5DcqElfvW/s320/IMG_1608.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />In other news, we have also started the kids in a weekend music class - on Saturday mornings for 45 minutes each. We are trying to give them a chance to try lots of things while they are little so that when they are old enough they can choose what they want to actually do for a real hobby or sport or whatever - Hannah has done dance class and soccer so far along with swimming lessons, which will continue for her and start for Ollie in the new year. We are also getting them into gymnastics in the new year which should be fun - Ollie is doing headstands all over the place and they both swing like crazy on the little indoor trampoline as well as climbing and hanging on all kinds of stuff, so we think they will love Gymnastics when it starts in January.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yVZezpOM1-G2wVh7qHZXux1eE_ZwZ-O-qdFJVRrHqjzdNzwWqDzG0PrDXCDWUxTNN5XNacdME_vxaSDaOG3qU18G4Fje75U5VCOBh16xGUBmuVE5BohJhyphenhypheneYSgk8i6VuxA0Lns2-3oNl1YoxtNqCpCrbxT5g81at8cy8Czj-puega1OxcBK1ZsgnJnpK/s4032/IMG_1553.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yVZezpOM1-G2wVh7qHZXux1eE_ZwZ-O-qdFJVRrHqjzdNzwWqDzG0PrDXCDWUxTNN5XNacdME_vxaSDaOG3qU18G4Fje75U5VCOBh16xGUBmuVE5BohJhyphenhypheneYSgk8i6VuxA0Lns2-3oNl1YoxtNqCpCrbxT5g81at8cy8Czj-puega1OxcBK1ZsgnJnpK/s320/IMG_1553.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNV8Q9OXpOv0Pp9FWjaqXEYVhyuRhlFxEAHcdkwPiL6jXcqBbSpjK7koB6WkQf2QtVmK_7zlGJHqYK9U1D90gYZPqK4mnKFqUMMbuwwOQvc4aIgKxmGpyH3ZMNTKtleA1BY67huzxxGEq_0jJ_8on9jr-LI3RegSw9A9ZYrv4CTAyeuN6oJR4d8hEd_WG6/s4032/20230916_115517.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNV8Q9OXpOv0Pp9FWjaqXEYVhyuRhlFxEAHcdkwPiL6jXcqBbSpjK7koB6WkQf2QtVmK_7zlGJHqYK9U1D90gYZPqK4mnKFqUMMbuwwOQvc4aIgKxmGpyH3ZMNTKtleA1BY67huzxxGEq_0jJ_8on9jr-LI3RegSw9A9ZYrv4CTAyeuN6oJR4d8hEd_WG6/s320/20230916_115517.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p></p><div>Back at home, we had noticed a lot of movement again in our back porch as the ground settled under it, so we got our builder friend back in to jack it up a little. The ground in Winnipeg moves a lot with the mud and weather, so it's not unusual, but it was fun to watch the porch rise up on a car jack! This is what it looks like under there!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvoF6j7RN12UD6BQw4zC_E8B_NK6BqCbKHg8lQH7g2RVIfKd1UffIU9HJ6WOg48D0gJudlQhap81xFkBgzI6SB1YYbHzj9LwlgZUAQp6_jC78vBY9sSClXaQY_a2UmvpSCNpbJKdDn2FXiGfyDAUUat1cbfzRQW6RlmQyw0Btg98HIGWJbaBtQWPJG-2Z/s4032/20230915_163823.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvoF6j7RN12UD6BQw4zC_E8B_NK6BqCbKHg8lQH7g2RVIfKd1UffIU9HJ6WOg48D0gJudlQhap81xFkBgzI6SB1YYbHzj9LwlgZUAQp6_jC78vBY9sSClXaQY_a2UmvpSCNpbJKdDn2FXiGfyDAUUat1cbfzRQW6RlmQyw0Btg98HIGWJbaBtQWPJG-2Z/s320/20230915_163823.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuaCMl5oJ2UoIYh58rpQe1GYtraQZob1P6iVxoco-7fVXID5NlJVJc3ejRelFxYjNFrMhmGdwbYpEnn2bhPc8GOxoswP8zwTKjx5FCYEO01WUwelh0j8aYKVkMhih_Bc2YOpMNBVUKN8MMzfgeWciz1ZV6cqsgcQyrB3lugFCIPIIJ3oAXJc1zSU89pfO/s4032/20230915_163819.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDuaCMl5oJ2UoIYh58rpQe1GYtraQZob1P6iVxoco-7fVXID5NlJVJc3ejRelFxYjNFrMhmGdwbYpEnn2bhPc8GOxoswP8zwTKjx5FCYEO01WUwelh0j8aYKVkMhih_Bc2YOpMNBVUKN8MMzfgeWciz1ZV6cqsgcQyrB3lugFCIPIIJ3oAXJc1zSU89pfO/s320/20230915_163819.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qUuy7b185YM" width="320" youtube-src-id="qUuy7b185YM"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I was lucky enough to get some really good photos of the kids this past week too. It's not often they sit still long enough or don't pull a stupid face. The light outside and inside was so good and the kids were in a good enough mood to actually smile. </div><div>One of the photos, though, the first one here, is the clearest photo I have ever got of Hannah's scar. It is unbelievable that it has cleared up so much since the bite. We see it every day and are used to it, but this photo really brought it back to me how much she will have to deal with in the future - her friends now aren't really at the age to pick on people who are different, but when it looks this clear, I can see that she may well have to deal with a lot more as she gets older. </div><div>It really makes me mad and very sad to think about what she will probably have to go through because of it. I hope she is stronger than me when she has to deal with this The picture is so clear you can actually see the marks made by the sutures that were put in. She is still so beautiful though!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFpL8B1RerlgI4-VsodE2XqY98h6WDi5ObEq09ClSy9uP03Co-qyoBL9cJvQFE95U2PokT5E9aNkj3yU9a71Q8HKlZkNK0DEOIv8_1NqDl_g_Ft_MRYxhNB7jPEF6G59Q6d738yPxHHcqWDeJvuwDzyTR0WndywYBJtKokZiEccaWU9PBKpcCHG5hKaDM/s4032/20230925_175646.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFpL8B1RerlgI4-VsodE2XqY98h6WDi5ObEq09ClSy9uP03Co-qyoBL9cJvQFE95U2PokT5E9aNkj3yU9a71Q8HKlZkNK0DEOIv8_1NqDl_g_Ft_MRYxhNB7jPEF6G59Q6d738yPxHHcqWDeJvuwDzyTR0WndywYBJtKokZiEccaWU9PBKpcCHG5hKaDM/w288-h640/20230925_175646.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The other photos I took of the kids this week make me feel a little more happy with Hannh being crazy and Ollie getting his hair cut!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuaKqBwu_Ps4U8_7j_sxUYgeVsrxG5aToDcftKPbCCmKpHHMGPshzFO9glFDyRHNTu_iEjJWUaWgQxMG8hEBocWilL0EmvtjN3cj8VkorhtOa18r0i7K3pN3VZzIJapYGB99Wt4Mg24g4zWZ2u4ZfPyZMoEA6UfQnKZUw3Eh0H4rOaA30NqL4L2nH0kXe/s4032/20230926_183922.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuaKqBwu_Ps4U8_7j_sxUYgeVsrxG5aToDcftKPbCCmKpHHMGPshzFO9glFDyRHNTu_iEjJWUaWgQxMG8hEBocWilL0EmvtjN3cj8VkorhtOa18r0i7K3pN3VZzIJapYGB99Wt4Mg24g4zWZ2u4ZfPyZMoEA6UfQnKZUw3Eh0H4rOaA30NqL4L2nH0kXe/s320/20230926_183922.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBXW9NYgVCVXEfKG3uBKjGreCTigWjdpzS2ucdVLRHfea1lXLW6DyO5_aujPNtgC74kFjqvVNNxxdpnfs2NXWI57_QEs9cRb5CTXn91qG3sf7Stp0v1KRqB59qT-437SZyRNPkBWDQ2JekEk2fNKzU2IjzBm6bZq30Px5XJx-nOk90k1CgdF_tQE3_nzr/s4032/20230926_183936(0).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zbgzGcy1yCqD9d2fCHM77m-fryzdiSmmjf882Q7MRf1gwxIXiHu2mjnJHqGJZqnihe8Ohg-uCDz0PXZ8yPSqBJKbwLMwXzdTqFXOTBfguwJMubtsbMivpSBooGzJCPoY2DoBt6kQjeiFPjyuawp7NIbBlWe6eekwhvYDonS6RcXUPoLjaa2ePsZaodqu/s4032/20230926_183944.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zbgzGcy1yCqD9d2fCHM77m-fryzdiSmmjf882Q7MRf1gwxIXiHu2mjnJHqGJZqnihe8Ohg-uCDz0PXZ8yPSqBJKbwLMwXzdTqFXOTBfguwJMubtsbMivpSBooGzJCPoY2DoBt6kQjeiFPjyuawp7NIbBlWe6eekwhvYDonS6RcXUPoLjaa2ePsZaodqu/s320/20230926_183944.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8H7QdO9EHrh_4cEqWGw4gzbBNNImA7Aoh50ydEh_9Q2RFju3EtIfbLSeccPPs4fYKQiUN1cvDCupsYTL5M4rWKaC9KjDrKz7dLcKtv9uhiKy8iTjlN1Rt-1zO8m5OT3f2he5zwzs-C0_z2bkBvr4_A_2lvqJT3sgn0HK67rkCdCUF186srBUD5g-EZsH/s4032/20230926_094158(0).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8H7QdO9EHrh_4cEqWGw4gzbBNNImA7Aoh50ydEh_9Q2RFju3EtIfbLSeccPPs4fYKQiUN1cvDCupsYTL5M4rWKaC9KjDrKz7dLcKtv9uhiKy8iTjlN1Rt-1zO8m5OT3f2he5zwzs-C0_z2bkBvr4_A_2lvqJT3sgn0HK67rkCdCUF186srBUD5g-EZsH/s320/20230926_094158(0).jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEILeEhVcPzTVMZlMb7VcoFbFrzvlL10ed_g_aCzdB4ksj76HEK2ahxFV1vKuMK_8x6EqMVyuIdlx7QYXjENqTwptLB-HxfqmKdjiHJ9XX3faIt3jalms2YGFxi5NYvnP28q0ZeOlBlVLc3V5ohcBWw1JpPfiepq_iVtv25lE-lnbz-jOm9gAf1hHwYwa/s4032/20230926_094159.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEILeEhVcPzTVMZlMb7VcoFbFrzvlL10ed_g_aCzdB4ksj76HEK2ahxFV1vKuMK_8x6EqMVyuIdlx7QYXjENqTwptLB-HxfqmKdjiHJ9XX3faIt3jalms2YGFxi5NYvnP28q0ZeOlBlVLc3V5ohcBWw1JpPfiepq_iVtv25lE-lnbz-jOm9gAf1hHwYwa/s320/20230926_094159.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirG045tFTQ6ZMHsBFzFuoNSMe-lb6UrtKdf3kc6Z0ZFhX7CrsU2-nJ7I2O7AG0Fn5sBdYlqufPbR5AnH-pAhF_tLxNbusqNnGDy_JxdNKwoZ27VLrGpYysCe_0grP1ZekLaUorJfhut3OG2wvvKCsY9BrWscmjA_ukdHLWLczb6eNSyy5Mei__5MTbCamW/s1780/20230926_094158~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1780" data-original-width="1299" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirG045tFTQ6ZMHsBFzFuoNSMe-lb6UrtKdf3kc6Z0ZFhX7CrsU2-nJ7I2O7AG0Fn5sBdYlqufPbR5AnH-pAhF_tLxNbusqNnGDy_JxdNKwoZ27VLrGpYysCe_0grP1ZekLaUorJfhut3OG2wvvKCsY9BrWscmjA_ukdHLWLczb6eNSyy5Mei__5MTbCamW/s320/20230926_094158~2.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivypToInly8na_9IwqIbsnTNhAXEbtj73RLGk3ItT6rBESPUafvoQW28D1C-4hEQQ9TjMXcCtrHqONk8LNr0QBhFJhMb1FIg3P5QgCGKbWzd8ifhABFQYWVzd7437UFHDL1IVvDFvxd75bVXQIkTtDIXRcSP5qVWPp0AZt6zgcy0e00E2-TKs2lm59r88/s4032/20230926_094154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivypToInly8na_9IwqIbsnTNhAXEbtj73RLGk3ItT6rBESPUafvoQW28D1C-4hEQQ9TjMXcCtrHqONk8LNr0QBhFJhMb1FIg3P5QgCGKbWzd8ifhABFQYWVzd7437UFHDL1IVvDFvxd75bVXQIkTtDIXRcSP5qVWPp0AZt6zgcy0e00E2-TKs2lm59r88/s320/20230926_094154.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The kids have been playing out a lot as have we - I got to clean all the leaves out of the gutters and we have had so many trips to different parks so that the kids can get as much outside time a possible. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gKT_JgcNRpQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="gKT_JgcNRpQ"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zTDaUF2dcaQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="zTDaUF2dcaQ"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We also took advantage of free entry to the Manitoba Museum over the weekend - The kids had never been to a real museum so we wondered how they would like it. It turned out they liked it a lot! </div><div>From the big dinosaur fossils and skeletons, s to the small indigenous model villages and especially the full-sized ship - 'The NonSuch'. We stayed at the Nonsuch exhibit for almost an hour - clambering all over the ship and waiting for the sound effects of the days to change to 'Thunder and lightning'. It was really fun. Then when the kids were tired out we sat in the front row seats of the old-style 1920s cinema watching a couple of Buster Keaton silent movies, which had both kids laughing out loud. They were tired out by the end of the day, but as we only managed to see half of the museum, we think we will go back again soon!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEvEJH2fvvwb7RRu6qtiPwPb2P1R7QxZ8xkPVijJeOx_0iEEEM0EppOCFkdvCjSr7sdlfoCeTDFDadlrR0UAWrwwocpKgeLM5aylYWvKcCm1BGkJcHfCLYjUd1uyNTcarR5ZfQzET_I_RfB1PcPU-FkxquUDAHdd6Hbh8yszxDoNkFXsWHhW0kvWvJczf/s4032/IMG_1832.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEvEJH2fvvwb7RRu6qtiPwPb2P1R7QxZ8xkPVijJeOx_0iEEEM0EppOCFkdvCjSr7sdlfoCeTDFDadlrR0UAWrwwocpKgeLM5aylYWvKcCm1BGkJcHfCLYjUd1uyNTcarR5ZfQzET_I_RfB1PcPU-FkxquUDAHdd6Hbh8yszxDoNkFXsWHhW0kvWvJczf/s320/IMG_1832.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd6l_hA3XMYHrJbs55UF2TzF2F-hdnOKhm-O_H5wDeUdpQreBYtYG-opRINCSTZBtcopL6vbt0emlN_d7OAfC63LPstOVOW1Npc8Xq580rKZKD1q1Oq0Xc4Gws8-DHsUTLT_TENfyDQdS6FlqZ1Wp_HszwJKKqDLXZhLe-SX71mm25AecKI4aDcvSBvub/s4032/20231001_111537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl0LBR-kW3LXnLdIf1kpdA74iC2vsINzoTOrP0icQlxt6QdECPMxxx6BUE7ZOe5z6kLLCyZmGBiQx6zPrUfByThqSU8B7FROoFcK72sLdp7tzzivkIYgl-TFvAnQqjRCrxbQc72DBV2FJju-DQKK9EHzAjXd5TC8MqXHVdidkST-ubWpZVMSMzIX94wDr/s4032/20231001_113633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl0LBR-kW3LXnLdIf1kpdA74iC2vsINzoTOrP0icQlxt6QdECPMxxx6BUE7ZOe5z6kLLCyZmGBiQx6zPrUfByThqSU8B7FROoFcK72sLdp7tzzivkIYgl-TFvAnQqjRCrxbQc72DBV2FJju-DQKK9EHzAjXd5TC8MqXHVdidkST-ubWpZVMSMzIX94wDr/s320/20231001_113633.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6KtFKGo2OPELUMEMjhSjuWjNZTNPhnLOg46T_ZQ1b0qvDOKWROs0vCiAyf2q-MR787rka9HztbWGp1KQUKosHnTBzy_yxs8Wj-gZeFR2h3bKG3Wd_izZlUKdUguNU6rlmnCyBZJISpfOL5NG-xkyhCGMSks1gFmNw9aCl5MddSVTgMgOmBpD99pxWCqv/s4032/IMG_1838.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6KtFKGo2OPELUMEMjhSjuWjNZTNPhnLOg46T_ZQ1b0qvDOKWROs0vCiAyf2q-MR787rka9HztbWGp1KQUKosHnTBzy_yxs8Wj-gZeFR2h3bKG3Wd_izZlUKdUguNU6rlmnCyBZJISpfOL5NG-xkyhCGMSks1gFmNw9aCl5MddSVTgMgOmBpD99pxWCqv/s320/IMG_1838.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyl57I2iXu7g7hlxrF5Hz3e311OUDwTHc4BxALiKjSRNgWyCSS92mwVtBcUyhH2yS_9VS88dlKL763uYnIQmBvDXZVjbXVB4EFwpvIHw20irEEK836BS-W391HQVOuqHqpJctdjxGORI7rMRhay8wCat2CJHmNsyAugogqqIvJ9Um5i3_lNhCsoTCZq8Ye/s4032/IMG_1840.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyl57I2iXu7g7hlxrF5Hz3e311OUDwTHc4BxALiKjSRNgWyCSS92mwVtBcUyhH2yS_9VS88dlKL763uYnIQmBvDXZVjbXVB4EFwpvIHw20irEEK836BS-W391HQVOuqHqpJctdjxGORI7rMRhay8wCat2CJHmNsyAugogqqIvJ9Um5i3_lNhCsoTCZq8Ye/s320/IMG_1840.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihiMGX-DOkMpd1Vw8K4q9mtkJCSHvsKIoYoaPXjbqvH_z75CYLShJ6E11WsdwLEsxv3KuEFcflXTSUqu70iJgzNg3Zars1O5XeJwvfHC1H52fHC93KS5isrQLWwst1jWWed64fE85c55otFwxU9m6bQ_7YnucRBVI0oZYyE3GTXMAx6uYXO2nSRKMQQrG/s4032/IMG_1843.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihiMGX-DOkMpd1Vw8K4q9mtkJCSHvsKIoYoaPXjbqvH_z75CYLShJ6E11WsdwLEsxv3KuEFcflXTSUqu70iJgzNg3Zars1O5XeJwvfHC1H52fHC93KS5isrQLWwst1jWWed64fE85c55otFwxU9m6bQ_7YnucRBVI0oZYyE3GTXMAx6uYXO2nSRKMQQrG/s320/IMG_1843.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b8_W9xYxWu4" width="320" youtube-src-id="b8_W9xYxWu4"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Buffy also took the kids out to celebrate the Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Saturday, while I was on call for work. They went to Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre - an indigenous centre whose name translates as 'We all work together to help one another'. </div><div>The kids had fun learning about indigenous beliefs and traditions and why 'Orange Shirt Day' happens - they even got to do a smudge and drink moon water! (Plus they got free Oreos) Apparently, they had a really good morning and would definitely go again!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAc2y0IK4tElu5rO9Bgj5BhlG4vcHYGLNLyhjGwpgEcCoYwPBEv83FJxFWDKp2e0qfZvn9t4ohEp8fEmHWHcRVdzx1TcbcTN0Qli1GQy4KH3Zy-d7yJ8ZQzCzMCQ9RhR1t3Q0bSMm7Rc4SpRMFFL61tR8R8xNOPC-o0P9kG3-oVimyfdkLeNKJkpQ6Zx8/s4032/IMG_1811.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAc2y0IK4tElu5rO9Bgj5BhlG4vcHYGLNLyhjGwpgEcCoYwPBEv83FJxFWDKp2e0qfZvn9t4ohEp8fEmHWHcRVdzx1TcbcTN0Qli1GQy4KH3Zy-d7yJ8ZQzCzMCQ9RhR1t3Q0bSMm7Rc4SpRMFFL61tR8R8xNOPC-o0P9kG3-oVimyfdkLeNKJkpQ6Zx8/s320/IMG_1811.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvb0j_r-s-kk3EkVtBPa5nJ0pvBo00f1KFRLdNYyoyzFXa6O7WA0EppTS1umjo_sV8mqxTbNKz0GcXZ8Qz7UAkPi1VmwR084B-tv99EhOWNaGJmZT__OpI2OXu4_iYqchS1Po_NGKuPvqFSMxP5-qRcYEc0uxJD0EO8imlDp6iOZc5KchBrHPLEaj-WGF/s4032/IMG_1814.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvb0j_r-s-kk3EkVtBPa5nJ0pvBo00f1KFRLdNYyoyzFXa6O7WA0EppTS1umjo_sV8mqxTbNKz0GcXZ8Qz7UAkPi1VmwR084B-tv99EhOWNaGJmZT__OpI2OXu4_iYqchS1Po_NGKuPvqFSMxP5-qRcYEc0uxJD0EO8imlDp6iOZc5KchBrHPLEaj-WGF/s320/IMG_1814.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXb2Sj3ofDun7yuNu09mIbHYd4BoEE0iSQJp5i7uQu2SfhJIaBUrA7RQiHtaWBLiWE-9husEayHgURi6JMIYCODUgjEfn840UOivBUtJWuRD1TEuxl8J4nLooqcSshfObZFHdcBPDmWofQ1UHvfV0HuiJXirU06pgXvMEWxSUIoez6jqxKsWLBL9kIRO7c/s4032/IMG_1817.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXb2Sj3ofDun7yuNu09mIbHYd4BoEE0iSQJp5i7uQu2SfhJIaBUrA7RQiHtaWBLiWE-9husEayHgURi6JMIYCODUgjEfn840UOivBUtJWuRD1TEuxl8J4nLooqcSshfObZFHdcBPDmWofQ1UHvfV0HuiJXirU06pgXvMEWxSUIoez6jqxKsWLBL9kIRO7c/s320/IMG_1817.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7ojens1TMY6JZBw3shj8WmjLbTmTUaglwzfu-R-QCr1nEr99eqIGtgsSADkP-6F8q4DRyyF9gRc1jhuHhQjFbosgwj7deulrDqWpkx5fnieRvbfulYKSVtlCy4jfHZGN-WgwI0qgEhb7BVBNFDyqBa9uGiLNgHZPzmg-0UV70UTV6VsEixO-PEzb-YAj/s4032/IMG_1818.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7ojens1TMY6JZBw3shj8WmjLbTmTUaglwzfu-R-QCr1nEr99eqIGtgsSADkP-6F8q4DRyyF9gRc1jhuHhQjFbosgwj7deulrDqWpkx5fnieRvbfulYKSVtlCy4jfHZGN-WgwI0qgEhb7BVBNFDyqBa9uGiLNgHZPzmg-0UV70UTV6VsEixO-PEzb-YAj/s320/IMG_1818.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I started this post by saying about summer being nearly over - well one thing that is really cool about this time of year is the rain. We don't get as much rain as the UK, and I miss it a bit. But this morning was just amazing. I went out for a run at about 7 a.m. and was enjoying the drizzle and distant lightning from a faraway thunderstorm - but as I ran it got closer and the rain got heavier and before I knew it I was soaked to the skin and running through flooded streets with thunder and lightning and winds and just the best rain falling. I felt so alive it was fantastic. I can't describe how that kind of thing makes me feel, but I have been in a great mood all day because of it.. Here's a quick look at what it was like - sorry for the short videos - my phone kept getting hit by the rain and would go crazy!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDxtIiuH4zOYQCmoL-pwEWDf5yEXJd5W1EFeJAKZQNG65TlEvlwvTTvwX_faH_BaxyuXdcwWg7GZQAUQofQRsHwqUsSMJ4NcDmFQa1y1ew_xSTv3-l4ijQ9_TYRyet-cfPTqz8R_o-VCTmvBKT1XfwCBMBAOuhr-SAiPdxG1E1Gi-Zrblzq_Czp5KhN4P/s4032/20231003_072846.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDxtIiuH4zOYQCmoL-pwEWDf5yEXJd5W1EFeJAKZQNG65TlEvlwvTTvwX_faH_BaxyuXdcwWg7GZQAUQofQRsHwqUsSMJ4NcDmFQa1y1ew_xSTv3-l4ijQ9_TYRyet-cfPTqz8R_o-VCTmvBKT1XfwCBMBAOuhr-SAiPdxG1E1Gi-Zrblzq_Czp5KhN4P/s320/20231003_072846.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgtqAeOQKScGNCY844I2DflI8Mbe0Ppc-F7C4DnfKAtR8I6zZdfNXvguoP7vxYcFFTEzxBopMfLW9R35ZYfC8I3QZ5t_R7mnM42a7xOQFNamvID74ABQdaIDOrzbPmazT1gvHgM2kagD5M80EsCU9qj2Wo3Pa6DMp-8N70RbEZtcTwLdEOa2nmIxjNQZB/s4032/20231003_072843.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgtqAeOQKScGNCY844I2DflI8Mbe0Ppc-F7C4DnfKAtR8I6zZdfNXvguoP7vxYcFFTEzxBopMfLW9R35ZYfC8I3QZ5t_R7mnM42a7xOQFNamvID74ABQdaIDOrzbPmazT1gvHgM2kagD5M80EsCU9qj2Wo3Pa6DMp-8N70RbEZtcTwLdEOa2nmIxjNQZB/s320/20231003_072843.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my feet in a puddle!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PYjLSsb2E5A" width="320" youtube-src-id="PYjLSsb2E5A"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9I5xMUkBI8A" width="320" youtube-src-id="9I5xMUkBI8A"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UHYanuzrG40" width="320" youtube-src-id="UHYanuzrG40"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, it's now October and over here at least that means - Halloween. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The kids love love love love love love love love love love love love Halloween and we have a little family tradition whereby we go out at least one evening a week in October and look for cool Halloween setups - last night was our first ride out for this year and it didn't disappoint. We found a couple of good displays and can't wait to get out again really soon - especially when it starts to get dark and all the lights and displays are lit up properly!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrijGZeppq95ZPdJIz0529hA2JXLcN4MkwIFVjzrL8GB5UEONY8LWtQKN1p9Zk17wt8tG6QDsYGNbdW9hcUGGB9ruzti15zSKcn_oVsn8CITy9ssDIB4fJZL95BzoTMSayXoYnSRqG_GUW3wMXZpOok1sahyphenhyphen9fsxIrNnHBrsUiA3A_z9Yb3CdrUBRwsi-/s4032/20231003_172736.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrijGZeppq95ZPdJIz0529hA2JXLcN4MkwIFVjzrL8GB5UEONY8LWtQKN1p9Zk17wt8tG6QDsYGNbdW9hcUGGB9ruzti15zSKcn_oVsn8CITy9ssDIB4fJZL95BzoTMSayXoYnSRqG_GUW3wMXZpOok1sahyphenhyphen9fsxIrNnHBrsUiA3A_z9Yb3CdrUBRwsi-/s320/20231003_172736.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFqHKHoa0NrZp9ZkiAaZmkbGNFh6dY0hf5Oktj6ntPPhrmL7Gf7JyK08uBFx5BmjF0bHuNC0v8eF3T-QWKDCW88YS9PY3VG82pIJR8NWdOTIUAv7SqmLvU7o3cFXiZ46yTfc-ibs2LkuV73efManjyTEUlj8dMBrRnTofrjUiq3Y19DSczrmktSREQhJI/s4032/20231003_172715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFqHKHoa0NrZp9ZkiAaZmkbGNFh6dY0hf5Oktj6ntPPhrmL7Gf7JyK08uBFx5BmjF0bHuNC0v8eF3T-QWKDCW88YS9PY3VG82pIJR8NWdOTIUAv7SqmLvU7o3cFXiZ46yTfc-ibs2LkuV73efManjyTEUlj8dMBrRnTofrjUiq3Y19DSczrmktSREQhJI/s320/20231003_172715.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlnX5wuiIuNKApEnRQAN2CM8b51k1HvcObK-xva_2s14E8CV2BiZSaSbVVySF2NscGBgVsR8iUtXkff9WsSZ2cajRC2ZUuKmExtnHhg4lU2Qw498fqkZ_Aovh0Ku1MegJpZqMdpmSgvzm_wy2KS753sRRVk6oQtEAXDMJUNlnxR0nHtYJo0cgxVtlCiDP/s4032/20231003_172342.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvlnX5wuiIuNKApEnRQAN2CM8b51k1HvcObK-xva_2s14E8CV2BiZSaSbVVySF2NscGBgVsR8iUtXkff9WsSZ2cajRC2ZUuKmExtnHhg4lU2Qw498fqkZ_Aovh0Ku1MegJpZqMdpmSgvzm_wy2KS753sRRVk6oQtEAXDMJUNlnxR0nHtYJo0cgxVtlCiDP/s320/20231003_172342.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y9nRztXK2mc" width="320" youtube-src-id="Y9nRztXK2mc"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div><div>I will leave it there for now I think. Ill be back again in a week or 3. There's not much planned between now and the end of the month really. It will probably be just a quiet couple of weeks - vegging out. Just the usual.........See ya then. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-14808479350938051542023-09-13T03:12:00.000+01:002023-09-13T03:12:08.145+01:00Sunflowers, bad guys, Ollies halloween party and an afternoon together. <p>I told you I would be back sooner rather than later. </p><p>For the last few weeks of summer we have been getting out and about a little - (again) </p><p>I finish work at 3pm on a Friday, so we took the kids down to the Forks for the late afternoon and dinner, They had seen the splash dash tour boats last time we were there and wanted a ride, so we decided to take them on a tour. It's only 30 minutes, but the boats are really comfortable and it's actually really interesting to see the city from a different angle. Seeing the coloured high water marks, hearing about how the floodway was built and how it has saved the city from floods on a few occasions as well as the history of the rivers and the surrounding sites and buildings was really cool. The kids loved the boat ride too as well as feeding the ducks at the end! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBeWMqFQqSXEQHxDhRykWJxNkE6_pnUUICFMkff9n357PhCigj6iiSC1JzgrTY3DPYhfRBQGDwUg4FCxaQmrS5VhERdVgjNKYTxcVdSe2n3YAIyr0VRyBbOZ0CPR_jXK6HvUZ6tMFEVSl8WS91s7TO3ixBdHvJ9yTnzJvi0lcfMsJD_Oy7UR2c0sQd_8r/s3088/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBeWMqFQqSXEQHxDhRykWJxNkE6_pnUUICFMkff9n357PhCigj6iiSC1JzgrTY3DPYhfRBQGDwUg4FCxaQmrS5VhERdVgjNKYTxcVdSe2n3YAIyr0VRyBbOZ0CPR_jXK6HvUZ6tMFEVSl8WS91s7TO3ixBdHvJ9yTnzJvi0lcfMsJD_Oy7UR2c0sQd_8r/s320/IMG_1029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZM2Z6VLFxBpz7PEOskOYqCLTJMPUK98tpSqANzT63KsSx3hmoxOdEyBUIY8G_sWydMwvTUThohaT1LutJ9JQPtATtgS9YsJLFg7tqVPR1BK7s_gUd2FV1zlhfmEgQ7_4NUJqAnLT_4Buyj5FlVZVFhaQZuV_Nb_c--zotdzbglxDRt92anAbozvwa59I/s4032/20230825_164810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZM2Z6VLFxBpz7PEOskOYqCLTJMPUK98tpSqANzT63KsSx3hmoxOdEyBUIY8G_sWydMwvTUThohaT1LutJ9JQPtATtgS9YsJLFg7tqVPR1BK7s_gUd2FV1zlhfmEgQ7_4NUJqAnLT_4Buyj5FlVZVFhaQZuV_Nb_c--zotdzbglxDRt92anAbozvwa59I/s320/20230825_164810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucD4NiVGnLfrwUjTpiv0KvbPJaR0VGToT-R1g0fr52L2NaeBvRv6jcJUHJR9cSmic-tRlhXxEO7s4gCeDm4WyNw1-86J5ogCAJuwjDReG4btX_-2JaaaVSRturXpoMrZFK8cPjiY3hLdIsKccazxZMPeQFA6DykTL0bJjwaz34_slbF8czOB-oOH7hYgS/s4032/20230825_165603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucD4NiVGnLfrwUjTpiv0KvbPJaR0VGToT-R1g0fr52L2NaeBvRv6jcJUHJR9cSmic-tRlhXxEO7s4gCeDm4WyNw1-86J5ogCAJuwjDReG4btX_-2JaaaVSRturXpoMrZFK8cPjiY3hLdIsKccazxZMPeQFA6DykTL0bJjwaz34_slbF8czOB-oOH7hYgS/s320/20230825_165603.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGo0c2JpmbK1mdLjKqVMZPhnySD0yaoRPJYzrqyMWljL3Dad2XAnB4mdtTI_S49GTSoiB0y28s5vhzJWdeR1mRifvnhDvwOd57wSmF2PW8ft2A-kco9IxUFFnVfc-3C6SjLfm06GCuRV3ScmvFn_rOpnyy-yCTdZpK2esJodmBDBFoNg90zsPheRMLfD4/s4032/IMG_1050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGo0c2JpmbK1mdLjKqVMZPhnySD0yaoRPJYzrqyMWljL3Dad2XAnB4mdtTI_S49GTSoiB0y28s5vhzJWdeR1mRifvnhDvwOd57wSmF2PW8ft2A-kco9IxUFFnVfc-3C6SjLfm06GCuRV3ScmvFn_rOpnyy-yCTdZpK2esJodmBDBFoNg90zsPheRMLfD4/s320/IMG_1050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZoJwezEJ4CA" width="320" youtube-src-id="ZoJwezEJ4CA"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>After the boat tour, we took a look around the Oodena Celebration circle, with its sculptures sundial and 'observatory'. Hannah really liked seeing the sculptures and running around the grass slope! Ollie just loved wandering around! Then a beer and some pizza for dinner before heading home. A really nice afternoon out that we all enjoyed. It was really nice that the kids now are able to wander around without being constantly carried or screaming to be carried. Life is finally getting a little easier. </p><p>The good weekend continued into Saturday - we took a trip out to Deer Meadow Farm, where you can pet the farm animals including sheep, goats, chickens and little horses. There is also a tractor ride through the forest to feed the Fallow Deer (and watch them poop, which makes the kids laugh), They have also just built a brand new kids' play area with climbing walls and loads of slides, plus a bouncy castle slide too! One reason to go this weekend is SunFest - a huge field of Sunflowers that you can walk through in a maze to find a viewing platform where you can look over the entire field. It's beautiful to see and on the lovely sunny afternoon, the kids loved it all. Hannah was great and loved the goats and sheep as well as letting the chickens peck her feet and Ollie decided he would have his own little adventure telling me to go my own way while he wandered off to explore the sunflower maze on his own!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmBmDuNgFWNVQW-B4sjLuYh_h11J09pkLp9n-eEoVWP-lKqXkx3jBdebdbvI3dAhCocOFiPFnRJynaIW_QXonnW1PDRoZZuXE_pQUHRLrp8EvCzZjwVxXLJtGwX4jDqzN0AlXMDOy5ELqeTedh5fyosp37YPcU37FzRA1cqcl58s44dBevk5uK2sBUyJq/s4032/20230826_141622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmBmDuNgFWNVQW-B4sjLuYh_h11J09pkLp9n-eEoVWP-lKqXkx3jBdebdbvI3dAhCocOFiPFnRJynaIW_QXonnW1PDRoZZuXE_pQUHRLrp8EvCzZjwVxXLJtGwX4jDqzN0AlXMDOy5ELqeTedh5fyosp37YPcU37FzRA1cqcl58s44dBevk5uK2sBUyJq/s320/20230826_141622.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLcEbaWsLpw_3N0B1MFxUCg1OMxJMLkwybssWFisotMIrLzRqf3qTUuxJ35amRKQ1B3zDfGdRVSynFMxwEW_b_NPtGm01xvOk7tRUzb7osxCem3xVhJ6gUqrc5KJVMN352-B8tTVanL2zQMn18Hr2Utb8XDeLHkjNn217WkWVkboXnHbjWDn_ClcZQqke/s320/20230826_142017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif11e5PGrNa2jJnblYM_xx3PbuxyYea2uhL64G1Gxeg4MOYKWEufl09m2egRbSNkhFCWHigfukawEaG4RWb4-OjsV8k7lMNhUqVykJ3yrSD7xNGf19ElxHq-o8mTBPJG7NvHIwUR82G9ZTVU9q9r42ZLlaU7_1XT8vmanBHwG-Y-HQsBg3teZlWCWQ41B5/s4032/20230826_142941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif11e5PGrNa2jJnblYM_xx3PbuxyYea2uhL64G1Gxeg4MOYKWEufl09m2egRbSNkhFCWHigfukawEaG4RWb4-OjsV8k7lMNhUqVykJ3yrSD7xNGf19ElxHq-o8mTBPJG7NvHIwUR82G9ZTVU9q9r42ZLlaU7_1XT8vmanBHwG-Y-HQsBg3teZlWCWQ41B5/s320/20230826_142941.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5y6M3ga5c9Nmhu71tp1LUNqaIZr0DXpukBsrsHKoXVg3J5AGJpepsuYGJat5b7iMO9Yu00YBOtyBThBtZz9sWr3t5bKAGKBIp-KW2NULPH--tYK75YF0guvUYGBq070QmqCD1_7ZlK82bV_ZCTnaYv9UJnsPHSDz_R5iq-kiqOR7cxBApZZsRC-kue8o/s4032/20230826_144150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5y6M3ga5c9Nmhu71tp1LUNqaIZr0DXpukBsrsHKoXVg3J5AGJpepsuYGJat5b7iMO9Yu00YBOtyBThBtZz9sWr3t5bKAGKBIp-KW2NULPH--tYK75YF0guvUYGBq070QmqCD1_7ZlK82bV_ZCTnaYv9UJnsPHSDz_R5iq-kiqOR7cxBApZZsRC-kue8o/s320/20230826_144150.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkdbdHH9HqSCBo0fXHKkYBARpAWTN_FmQjfukDoH3hOQw876eXbwSDPlFcYazc3x0dd0cHr8XNEMnxGm5ITQVIMokfUAvrsTJdXrEraXxnAWkCZI-Qlt4P8MqpgFEt6AhrB27BkAdVtCynhj5g87HMrkmcK71IKpx2QGhevTPqMQrCcqk2Yce-QOim-EI/s4032/IMG_1139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkdbdHH9HqSCBo0fXHKkYBARpAWTN_FmQjfukDoH3hOQw876eXbwSDPlFcYazc3x0dd0cHr8XNEMnxGm5ITQVIMokfUAvrsTJdXrEraXxnAWkCZI-Qlt4P8MqpgFEt6AhrB27BkAdVtCynhj5g87HMrkmcK71IKpx2QGhevTPqMQrCcqk2Yce-QOim-EI/s320/IMG_1139.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q0WUamP6y3M" width="320" youtube-src-id="q0WUamP6y3M"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z3V_Sbhzt6E" width="320" youtube-src-id="z3V_Sbhzt6E"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Up until now, we have always done something in the morning and put the kids down for 'quiet' or 'nap' time just after lunch, So this was the first time we have actually planned to go out before lunch and let the kids enjoy a longer day out. They are knackered now but had a really good day. We gave them an extra special treat and put mattresses in the basement, where they fell asleep pretty quickly!</p><p>Sunday was the culmination of our big weekend - Our 2nd annual trip to the Prairie Dog Railway - a wonderful train journey on an old train built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this year we were actually being pulled by the old Steam Train and had chosen the weekend of 'The Great Train Robbery'. We collected our tickets when we arrived and Ollie took charge, carrying the tickets, showing them to the conductor and even getting them clipped once on board. It's hard to believe he is still only 2 years old. He is so independent and confident. </p><p>The train ride started and as we steamed through the countryside, about 8 or 9 masked 'Bandits' rode up on horseback brandishing their six-shooters and made the train stop - Then after making sure the passengers were subdued they boarded and came through the train - collecting money from the passengers,(which actually went to a Cancer charity). </p><p>Luckily the Sheriff was on board and he rounded up the bad dudes and arrested them, walking them through the train for all to see, then we continued on our way to our stop at Grosse Isle, where the kids could pat the horses and rid the mini train as well as look around the old station and buildings. Then after Ice creams and a bit of a singsong, we got to look at the Steam engine footplate for a look at the furnace before getting back on board for our journey home. The kids were absolutely knackered by now, so we ended the weekend with a Shaun the Sheep movie and a bath before bed. It has been one hell of a full weekend, but we managed to get through it without any real breakdowns and without having to carry the kids. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmUm_P5GUN-0NJ9bC34FHvdN5DEFGJd0wdS_9u6UubVR0rL23tjQKLmsN7EUyvCD_tF0vVV5cFQgid2RgII5QojfcsyjMDLZTBFNv6H59rO2oopMoFGzWnOxBh1wMOEUFuKe-P7xHlR3wbtOWdH7dk6JC4FYeDIFhZeQcBRvvaQfuX7TtS2UUHyr2WTr3/s4032/IMG_1145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmUm_P5GUN-0NJ9bC34FHvdN5DEFGJd0wdS_9u6UubVR0rL23tjQKLmsN7EUyvCD_tF0vVV5cFQgid2RgII5QojfcsyjMDLZTBFNv6H59rO2oopMoFGzWnOxBh1wMOEUFuKe-P7xHlR3wbtOWdH7dk6JC4FYeDIFhZeQcBRvvaQfuX7TtS2UUHyr2WTr3/s320/IMG_1145.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyBMgDhgK7NL9XMqeWFt-qOeypZobo0zykiN3V3jU8afFIMyxNvTQNc6cNPyFuBi0JdcJW2uOT8nQvxym6qex3jRp6FOGOnA1hp3D4ejmuIGlt4pGfq9_1DaAonABZsOmBylCQ1I6DQxBA1iTntkI2v9ONQfHQQp-q847K4OKk9BgSerSEU5ZXAU7TwNh/s4032/IMG_1152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8PJOmJVacDJbXrlq7OLhWLq-fk5feWYhKG_k29t1vzQJJrFSb91qohXCyOyuPG3O4fUBookWY7wEY0kBt2HQ-kGyQ6FKQpFjM2FDe9VThya2K_YtHJXJU4fSmUazYMG5bXtcPnmfnwInJ81C3DBTSyFb6K4m4mUM6PA9Bgyz0vjpbElc3q-E10LDKos1/s4032/IMG_1195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8PJOmJVacDJbXrlq7OLhWLq-fk5feWYhKG_k29t1vzQJJrFSb91qohXCyOyuPG3O4fUBookWY7wEY0kBt2HQ-kGyQ6FKQpFjM2FDe9VThya2K_YtHJXJU4fSmUazYMG5bXtcPnmfnwInJ81C3DBTSyFb6K4m4mUM6PA9Bgyz0vjpbElc3q-E10LDKos1/s320/IMG_1195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uxoj9-L6MWU" width="320" youtube-src-id="Uxoj9-L6MWU"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7DPca04SSTY" width="320" youtube-src-id="7DPca04SSTY"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JgHeMCAF6rg" width="320" youtube-src-id="JgHeMCAF6rg"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>During the days that followed we pretty much just mellowed out. Alana and Stef came over for a drink and a backyard fire on Monday - to celebrate their engagement. Ollie and Hannah played around the house - Ollie is especially crazy about cars at the moment so spends most of his time making car parks! We paid for a babysitter later in the week so Buffy Alena, Byron and I could have a night out at the Torque pub quiz and then we got packed up for the last weekend of the summer out at the cabin. It was a biggie though because it was Ollie's 3rd birthday and our 7th wedding anniversary!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNkkJAB-C8mC9KEuUx6ODIDSqKtsrHNL0AEh2AOBiUMtus-d7v-Eu9qcvx71RlT_raCZntrhrAcrsv8l5Vy4TRbRCfoNFPJM8rvECmIlvKNbfm3rNww_PQPLOugKiQOT1QzojeCjojyGHmSDAv4ysw3G_dgY0Qb_RSX1tO7Z7y__c0RI4Wt-djlG9EtIZ/s4032/IMG_1272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNkkJAB-C8mC9KEuUx6ODIDSqKtsrHNL0AEh2AOBiUMtus-d7v-Eu9qcvx71RlT_raCZntrhrAcrsv8l5Vy4TRbRCfoNFPJM8rvECmIlvKNbfm3rNww_PQPLOugKiQOT1QzojeCjojyGHmSDAv4ysw3G_dgY0Qb_RSX1tO7Z7y__c0RI4Wt-djlG9EtIZ/s320/IMG_1272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Ollie's birthday came first on Sep 2nd. We did presents in the morning - especially nice was the presenty that Hannah chose - a make-up set. Ollie loves to borrow and play with Hannahs's make up, so she got him one and then he spent the first few minutes putting his make-up on Hannah! So sweet! Unfortunately Pat and Erika couldn't make it out as Austin was a bit ill, but we still made it fun for Ollie!<p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFxcwn_UFpH-YrmAMPYzynmjtdMZawkacSsyENFQWTFaE62gNCw8LxXKusQb26t4-EnwwF53bO94zcCGvemrA_OPh-RcnHFKoKyhjSN__DOzFXWU60kopv_sHFhGXiHek6IwgUNn6hqcU8cn2rqAExCpq0qfo69-m7Jn1MCbqmpX_LP6o_AC2jvpzlVdw/s4032/IMG_2254.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFxcwn_UFpH-YrmAMPYzynmjtdMZawkacSsyENFQWTFaE62gNCw8LxXKusQb26t4-EnwwF53bO94zcCGvemrA_OPh-RcnHFKoKyhjSN__DOzFXWU60kopv_sHFhGXiHek6IwgUNn6hqcU8cn2rqAExCpq0qfo69-m7Jn1MCbqmpX_LP6o_AC2jvpzlVdw/s320/IMG_2254.HEIC" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHfA2Fo0wRuIuOqpyBCJLDc0po7zJanDhXIBYXpwHgvcLgRZry8Rx3XVxa17Nlci_BbddAPbA4v-dkLZpmf6OibRadelwZtccFMQywQPKeCGWz49KIjk0j-ScVsM4aOaGWlHG1h5urbJdYuu6d9ikI8r1J4mtyyrWOLbrXGW_NAfiaGIhuqJsQmC_KAQg/s4032/20230902_083225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHfA2Fo0wRuIuOqpyBCJLDc0po7zJanDhXIBYXpwHgvcLgRZry8Rx3XVxa17Nlci_BbddAPbA4v-dkLZpmf6OibRadelwZtccFMQywQPKeCGWz49KIjk0j-ScVsM4aOaGWlHG1h5urbJdYuu6d9ikI8r1J4mtyyrWOLbrXGW_NAfiaGIhuqJsQmC_KAQg/s320/20230902_083225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6pklLOYswWk" width="320" youtube-src-id="6pklLOYswWk"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TZz316A2k5A" width="320" youtube-src-id="TZz316A2k5A"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>He has been asking for a Halloween party all summer, so we got Halloween decorations, Susan made a treasure map and scavenger hunt combined with some trick-or-treating and Sandy, Nancy, Meagan and Brent popped over to join in the fun. Ollie had his presents in the morning and a bit of a play on the dock. Then in the afternoon, he got dressed up as Superman and along with Hannah they went from cabin to cabin knocking on doors and collecting treasure and treats - even popping by to the Biffy (toilet) to get treats from me! The kids had a wonderful time and after singing Happy Birthday and eating cake they were ready for bed!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrrzB5il-Zg7E02-JokVgtk_7BdkfhN8-GnoK9iddgpwnVWcj1dJE5SIpo4ywgHA7usZbjpRL6Hv9ONkzofP9Bu_bdj2-Vaz7MXFzXNlYHJv4fIssSUp6huqdko_yLmXs7dVdjnWbSec0qG6IFAp9GB4bl6clGPcNtr5GE3PwzlUImMbkCr99f2T38wfL/s4032/20230902_081019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrrzB5il-Zg7E02-JokVgtk_7BdkfhN8-GnoK9iddgpwnVWcj1dJE5SIpo4ywgHA7usZbjpRL6Hv9ONkzofP9Bu_bdj2-Vaz7MXFzXNlYHJv4fIssSUp6huqdko_yLmXs7dVdjnWbSec0qG6IFAp9GB4bl6clGPcNtr5GE3PwzlUImMbkCr99f2T38wfL/s320/20230902_081019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhCCA9nDdvupdOfVpCrmlCQvQNR90Myz3bShA50idrc6DsH8SARKaxvaV5l2dDCi12j7LmNeK0WGsNEpBLMIqgsbRfsLv_2YgfKdUlTJmUlZb0vrVrJTMkD47KrVb27-2Q-BDW-jsGqlFCqv1ZycfpffNcjlNxKbBq7OMJ9W-drLY4kqm6ZQdPtVAzhlz/s4032/20230902_094416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JEi07pWfjz4" width="320" youtube-src-id="JEi07pWfjz4"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbmvQHLA7xw8o2wehgD40YpZK14LjRAEZt7Z53KdTnn6Acomg5gl6Y5gkeiPQz0m1myyTsw6qru_6QNy0Pg0Hf8SBwVrAbmftjtM8BX8wBDU0OuEYEvVuhytz9xZsKJh_8WRyrNi2Wit2Q076SmeNyX-NV_Q5T2Coj8dT8qQoyzpEpW_Kup_p3eV-Y852/s4032/20230902_175013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbmvQHLA7xw8o2wehgD40YpZK14LjRAEZt7Z53KdTnn6Acomg5gl6Y5gkeiPQz0m1myyTsw6qru_6QNy0Pg0Hf8SBwVrAbmftjtM8BX8wBDU0OuEYEvVuhytz9xZsKJh_8WRyrNi2Wit2Q076SmeNyX-NV_Q5T2Coj8dT8qQoyzpEpW_Kup_p3eV-Y852/s320/20230902_175013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>On Sunday Susan and Jon kindly took care of the kids while Buffy and I went out for the afternoon for an enjoyable hike on a local hiking trail, before heading into Kenor for dinner and to swap our 7th anniversary (Copper) gifts. We decided to wander out onto a boat dock and time stopped when Buffy dropped her gift and it very nearly ended up at the bottom of the lake. Luckily it didn't so we could laugh about it later while we sat with a beer back on the swim dock at the cabin and enjoyed a late evening swim. We got back just after the kids went to bed and found out they had enjoyed a lovely afternoon and evening with the oldies - including getting some really professional face painting done by Grandma!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX3vfR5y9uza6HQQZ_DCdUF3ww2EmnlBIIfaEogAWfTjzidJq8JHqCfPF5SpjEc6W-l8PIBak5yu1qZIgmjVI_cHqxlY5yHQz-FHh_G99IgohgzmY_KLML6rkzUlDQ5mD-QCOIdO8K9wSXm-3UbQPtrPv3VNMNsxolALcdVxsQ7P3MLp07_8xouc5Hy5j/s4032/20230903_154610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX3vfR5y9uza6HQQZ_DCdUF3ww2EmnlBIIfaEogAWfTjzidJq8JHqCfPF5SpjEc6W-l8PIBak5yu1qZIgmjVI_cHqxlY5yHQz-FHh_G99IgohgzmY_KLML6rkzUlDQ5mD-QCOIdO8K9wSXm-3UbQPtrPv3VNMNsxolALcdVxsQ7P3MLp07_8xouc5Hy5j/s320/20230903_154610.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNLNwK6JZT5Lj31nXWKfRfwsNdJ7yQdeBgBdJM5BLM2w4gHHT56RdI_KDEi_ko4QdGg3X0i4zAMCKR6auEUnLvBDMT-klT6P-njNc_Si7v90smQptM0dGCCGp7rzUfwHDHjHRiSXNXCAeD_epDVCd65CCdbjQEBaHdmTWBOqVXm57WR8rxyFmr0BIGr2j/s4032/20230903_171250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNLNwK6JZT5Lj31nXWKfRfwsNdJ7yQdeBgBdJM5BLM2w4gHHT56RdI_KDEi_ko4QdGg3X0i4zAMCKR6auEUnLvBDMT-klT6P-njNc_Si7v90smQptM0dGCCGp7rzUfwHDHjHRiSXNXCAeD_epDVCd65CCdbjQEBaHdmTWBOqVXm57WR8rxyFmr0BIGr2j/s320/20230903_171250.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Monday was our last day, so we messed around for the morning, including swimming over to the old boat dock with the kids - the old dock has now been renamed 'Uni-Island' and may even get a slide on it for the kids sometime in the future. We packed up our stuff from the summer and somehow squeezed it all into our car for the trip back to the city. It's been a weird summer out there - The kids have had a lot of fun, and we did get to spend more time on the dock and swimming than last year but it feels a little lonely out there - There haven't been many visitors at the cabin so most of the time it's just been us and Jon and Susan. I hope next year there are more people out there. At least there may be more raccoons to play with if the ones that have suddenly appeared on the island survive the winter!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUJ-MyQ0PiCTUY9dSjcgU1gliop3BvCH2JOdap1HZF75wDxpaG8hpVt1PrgK-gImKnBLkR9T35-ACDKhGwD8-GtYps1Q0LXnOhkhpJwpAxTkjl0vxLnIdwPTL134nieLJIQ5OycjW-9yMwyz5sg_Nq7RoVbRA6zHw2rQm7SYxDY9o8wJOw6dufkX6wzLF/s4032/20230903_125256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUJ-MyQ0PiCTUY9dSjcgU1gliop3BvCH2JOdap1HZF75wDxpaG8hpVt1PrgK-gImKnBLkR9T35-ACDKhGwD8-GtYps1Q0LXnOhkhpJwpAxTkjl0vxLnIdwPTL134nieLJIQ5OycjW-9yMwyz5sg_Nq7RoVbRA6zHw2rQm7SYxDY9o8wJOw6dufkX6wzLF/s320/20230903_125256.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHLDPZvNsV3_6MoXBeyVvq8Xv1h0umcgbvh2zBL4AS_GXltDPBhVj15RpAil-M5QeScQqR_-DXMa1wdBSW5o8W6r0CNf9W8DXH9ciP6JpzlAkuQi1v7jRmV9hP6sxSrPl8QgXndqBL5_MISJVr9Vw2kLj2pzrwydZkUUIqL5BVdKIpuOcl0eDwUOs-Gp6/s4032/IMG_2295.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1Ou6CoDRqDafTcSBE-lQwLAlhpBQUuTo6P1x3iAnSrd7_xKyrHgyHC_wAIZkiKXK9QMwQfekV1Wd8P7AIAnqIXbk-JSlxj2yaIEnn0wllOROupxScJ4M0OVKzXgLoMQPGhTE0BdcaajJHPwEOjPLBuegPOu_YBdifdYWxmkEHxkSxsI0PSLXemXzJWtm/s320/IMG_2343.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyr4d9NvOtnJyteWSb_-eFwOstfl4204TVfdiARJGhghO_cVfVif4qa-BH8yKaKsnD7UIF9SrJSoBjLPN0KHRa4uHA-0LXn5BgBdkcdESmgbAME6XvlgCf763IF7MF9lV11W8SAv3teA8eYrsbSTE_PP-7LUaPR_wNAno6pocr5xdjoHClLNzwLpLciSOE/s4032/20230904_123812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyr4d9NvOtnJyteWSb_-eFwOstfl4204TVfdiARJGhghO_cVfVif4qa-BH8yKaKsnD7UIF9SrJSoBjLPN0KHRa4uHA-0LXn5BgBdkcdESmgbAME6XvlgCf763IF7MF9lV11W8SAv3teA8eYrsbSTE_PP-7LUaPR_wNAno6pocr5xdjoHClLNzwLpLciSOE/s320/20230904_123812.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Its always sad to leave the cabin for the final time in the summer, but hopefully, Pat, Erika and Austin can get out more so the kids can play together and maybe we will be able to bring some friends along for a weekend or two, but this year it's been difficult for us to get anyone to do anything. People seem to have become not only unreliable but unwilling to plan ahead. Whether it's been to the cabin, camping or just days out we have been let down so many times by so many people recently that it's become very frustrating. </p><p>People don't seem to reach out to us to do anything together and when we reach out to them we get let down more often than not. There have been some good days with friends, but it feels like they are few and far between. When you combine that with our unusual family situation (We have half as many friends and family as most people, because I am not from here. Plus we both work from home a lot so see the kids during the day Monday to Friday too) we find ourselves hanging about with just our kids a lot more often than nearly all other parents that we know. </p><p>We are incredibly close with Ollie and Hannah, which is awesome, but spending so much time with them creates a bit more stress and frustration when we see so many other parents having 'free nights' out or having days out together with their family and friends and their kids. To put things into perspective, the afternoon that Susan and Jon gave us for our anniversary last Sunday was the first time ever we have had a weekend afternoon without the kids. Before that, we had a babysitter over for a couple of hours before or after lunch just a couple of times and Jon and Susan babysat for the evening or had the kids stay over at theirs while we had a night out. </p><p>While we were doing the short hike could feel the stress and frustration get less and less as we spent a lovely anniversary afternoon together. By the end of the evening, we felt as close to each other as we had in a couple of years. It was lovely. It's not wrong of us to wish to be able to do that a little more often and I hope we get the chance to do something similar in the future as well as get more time to spend with friends. I'm not trying to be controversial, cause arguments or blame anyone - we love our kids and we love each other, It was just nice to get the time to share those feelings with each other without thinking about kids or that we have to be home. And if somehow we can spend more time around friends without being let down so often, that would also make us feel a bit more 'adult'. </p><p>Anyway, that's enough of that - what happened this last week......</p><p>Well, back in the peg it's been full-on busy again...</p><p>Hannah started her second year at Laura Secord School - doing French immersion class in the mornings. She loves it so far and seems very happy - if a little tired. Buffy had a well-deserved night out with Meg and Brent and another night in with her musician friends, while I took the kids and stayed at Susan and Jon's empty house for the night. We had a lovely time there and took a trip south out into the countryside on Saturday, where as soon as Hannah smelled eth cow poop she exclaimed - The countryside stinks! We had already time in a park we like to visit where they can ride their bikes on a kid-sized road and this time a kind dad let them both try out his kid's electric rid on ATV!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgBSpZ4J4SDkJFk_PTNJpHDMLxFq2avcMoyorFcQD7KfIXT4jDJDW9idwYARpj_4hMzQAC0Ulo1dN9Oj9FtQUYUsOmfuJ-gu1hpkX_jLLDiBVbcKgCVs59YOu1znpMxRXi1E1bWDvaqAZThECnrG6RlY_n-kugd3ljxadYFy0pXgerR5ZgWM-UZtGDVHT/s4000/IMG_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgBSpZ4J4SDkJFk_PTNJpHDMLxFq2avcMoyorFcQD7KfIXT4jDJDW9idwYARpj_4hMzQAC0Ulo1dN9Oj9FtQUYUsOmfuJ-gu1hpkX_jLLDiBVbcKgCVs59YOu1znpMxRXi1E1bWDvaqAZThECnrG6RlY_n-kugd3ljxadYFy0pXgerR5ZgWM-UZtGDVHT/s320/IMG_1473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK13r7eiJh9g6eQQ9U2hG2Xrp7w0-RJEwz-_0FEa-hzcZ8qeNUbL5BaSKpi4BJ05D4HgZsgLtGoLEpZ4KqAIzIPntSgEZCy16zQHHnjOCtvFX27k35OigMe3VRl9uXH6VGhLoRPt_y-RIMBePnQQ2oryy1YiFuE07swUt5OjPlHqh-qlJU4qKysxCVJ1m/s320/20230908_185300.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZmDUKaCrm8uPM60C2RjLZHKYKMjVy3UFS3Znj4JCPWUqXx3nrv_qRZD8y12DVXig7xy_L2CSxw6he8nvElZ2TK4vFKYaWwTcEc6ciA8wIZ_9_WQGdzRgj3glI5WZQLtPSYtR1C2yKwrolfEuUuaIpfd9tAK1_sXrLA0SX_A5_fmtPUtnj6hOCZY8KZzS/s4032/20230909_110233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZmDUKaCrm8uPM60C2RjLZHKYKMjVy3UFS3Znj4JCPWUqXx3nrv_qRZD8y12DVXig7xy_L2CSxw6he8nvElZ2TK4vFKYaWwTcEc6ciA8wIZ_9_WQGdzRgj3glI5WZQLtPSYtR1C2yKwrolfEuUuaIpfd9tAK1_sXrLA0SX_A5_fmtPUtnj6hOCZY8KZzS/s320/20230909_110233.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Vy5-wM5KJw" width="320" youtube-src-id="-Vy5-wM5KJw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6LwFV8GRXnw" width="320" youtube-src-id="6LwFV8GRXnw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw58UAq7ZNww7rJcWSzz_v1feTgHJNosTiANYxMlHOTTROrL4UcOEdSOIz7jEMBPCE9slY4qua7b44HgsuqPpt196ntbMSiRv5r919X7QKI1PmgJduQd2IVYLaDWZqrQ4Y9ubfBZlms10ErWNFDoLs2GlLp3QOLZehlDXOlnsGOA7BJhnXo_NeBv1EN86/s4032/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3019" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw58UAq7ZNww7rJcWSzz_v1feTgHJNosTiANYxMlHOTTROrL4UcOEdSOIz7jEMBPCE9slY4qua7b44HgsuqPpt196ntbMSiRv5r919X7QKI1PmgJduQd2IVYLaDWZqrQ4Y9ubfBZlms10ErWNFDoLs2GlLp3QOLZehlDXOlnsGOA7BJhnXo_NeBv1EN86/s320/IMG_1523.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TOj5n2qhXmU" width="320" youtube-src-id="TOj5n2qhXmU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That enough for this post, I think. There are exciting times ahead and a big trip we are getting ready for. It's sad that summer is nearly over again, but we are happy together in our little foursome. We look after ourselves and each other. The kids are good at recognising when we need a break and are getting better at playing together and on their own when they need to. I know I am biased, but our kids are head and shoulders the best kids you could meet. Other kids are available but ours are the premium top dollar, crazy but clever, cute and awesome version! </div><br />rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-66272723251898747602023-08-24T04:33:00.000+01:002023-08-24T04:33:06.380+01:001500 Photos and 64 days squeezed into whats left of the world wide web - and toddlers saying they love cold beer!<p>There is a theory that as you get older that time gets faster and the days just seem to pass you by... There is more about this on this link...<a href="https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2019/no-not-just-time-speeds-get-older/">https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2019/no-not-just-time-speeds-get-older/</a></p><p>I am using that as an excuse as to why I am unable to keep up the blog as often as I used to - That plus many other factors including - </p><p>I am fucking useless. </p><p>Kids are a pain in the arse. </p><p>I work too much. </p><p>The house is a mess. </p><p>Drinking beer is more fun.</p><p>My back hurts. </p><p>No one reads this anyway. </p><p>My eyes are tired.</p><p>I have to colour in a life-sized drawing of a 3-year-old. </p><p>Snuggles with the same 3-year-old. </p><p>Hannah has gone missing (She is actually on my back but I am not allowed to tell you that)</p><p>Hannah is in a mood because I told you.</p><p>It's dinner time. </p><p>I have to pick up the food from the floor after dinner.</p><p>I have to heat the food from the floor before I can eat it. (This is a lie, I ate it cold)</p><p>I forgot. </p><p>The kids are too much fun - much better than typing. </p><p>Raaaaaw Dinosaur!</p><p>That's just the excuse for now. </p><p>Luckily, I had a few minutes while taking a constitutional and with the aid of technology, I have written most of this by recording as I talked, transposing it to text and pasting it here! Teck-nol-oji is fecking marvellous!</p><p>So here are the last two months squeezed together in one big messy lump - sorry its a bit of a list - keep your eye out for the videos of the drinking beers at Folk Fest if you get bored! </p><p>The last blog post was posted in the middle of June. So much has happened since then.
Hannah finished her first year at school with a little concert, where she and her class were all amazing and everyone sang and danced for all the parents. (No photos of that as we arent allowed to post pics of other kids) But here's my two messing about on stage and a Hannah self-portrait!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl_NkIZzUD9t1MFJz7eHmZNmaSekW3QD6UMcHD4Y48E86OJ5Zq1Wi_J3S840cnYZMc4GQjFwXNZyDqrZC50H-qdPWcXnlFNyldcGeE5B8b49UkGmOZwy3FMA11NHe3cjr0_VimJPt0UmsgDv_TaYFiToqvjX1lhXvEmjieZl0rHCAIDzDnwjkJbzMH5E2/s4032/20230623_111726.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl_NkIZzUD9t1MFJz7eHmZNmaSekW3QD6UMcHD4Y48E86OJ5Zq1Wi_J3S840cnYZMc4GQjFwXNZyDqrZC50H-qdPWcXnlFNyldcGeE5B8b49UkGmOZwy3FMA11NHe3cjr0_VimJPt0UmsgDv_TaYFiToqvjX1lhXvEmjieZl0rHCAIDzDnwjkJbzMH5E2/s320/20230623_111726.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZU9HZGq4KX_u42Jhv7UkKgOxJ1fRrF2vgBfQNs5ZkXzs8brkDYTzhduTd8Tr5NTLwKdkXTBrqQYleVYe2yg_LbI2T5-6AJDJvL23WgVmffPc6CnsWuTgVPy6_znQmZOkXux1O77VsAzuF-JnjSjLapLBewWMtVXW0z0nvztx_Xbfb7BsTL2FKhJwfWToH/s4032/20230623_110928.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZU9HZGq4KX_u42Jhv7UkKgOxJ1fRrF2vgBfQNs5ZkXzs8brkDYTzhduTd8Tr5NTLwKdkXTBrqQYleVYe2yg_LbI2T5-6AJDJvL23WgVmffPc6CnsWuTgVPy6_znQmZOkXux1O77VsAzuF-JnjSjLapLBewWMtVXW0z0nvztx_Xbfb7BsTL2FKhJwfWToH/s320/20230623_110928.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Then at the weekend following that, we had a little birthday party for Hannah at home in the afternoon, but in the morning we went to Car Town where Hannah and Ollie got to race toy cars around some 'roads; complete with traffic lights and a roundabout. Hannah didn't like it at first, but eventually found a nice little pink ATV she could ride while Ollie, who was too young and wasn't allowed to drive cars, got in a car and drove them anyway because Ollie doesn't care what adults think or say and most adults let Ollie get away with everything he wants! He is a charmer!.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">And then Ollie was driving around and Hannah was driving all around and they were fantastic. They had so much fun driving around this little car town place we had to drag them out of the cars at the end! </p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYr8bAOqMtpInBBRVaThFwM0_ItSbg32Yb4q0U4HgN3FHbPW_Ukuvjy9xZXGhDncXWdU3d14FTqfSOv4WSLDpvj8bkmGEIgjtfANRtkFMmguk2WI7poeri4IyjXlRpgcJHrE92ItKFeiralKDyefKaDskKbtm7xIo_wPZuLqo4MF64fXmGS-6uCPcNdd78/s4032/20230625_104850.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYr8bAOqMtpInBBRVaThFwM0_ItSbg32Yb4q0U4HgN3FHbPW_Ukuvjy9xZXGhDncXWdU3d14FTqfSOv4WSLDpvj8bkmGEIgjtfANRtkFMmguk2WI7poeri4IyjXlRpgcJHrE92ItKFeiralKDyefKaDskKbtm7xIo_wPZuLqo4MF64fXmGS-6uCPcNdd78/s320/20230625_104850.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpapRzNdf4a_8pohnMtkq9T7muH8WbyIdQUcMDGXKLuGi7zdYi3VNaQ1jJI7-x9zr_4skj0YTM3SA-3MT-pGma_dPdJ4JwhDdVJnKy1QOq2BzR0MBHXMUZqN1jpc12VJipsPKhyyEGMrfGp8C9s5_2u6liGRaL-oqgTn9NcI4Jt7RkFYcpXPeD_OlPlDeN/s4032/IMG_9639.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpapRzNdf4a_8pohnMtkq9T7muH8WbyIdQUcMDGXKLuGi7zdYi3VNaQ1jJI7-x9zr_4skj0YTM3SA-3MT-pGma_dPdJ4JwhDdVJnKy1QOq2BzR0MBHXMUZqN1jpc12VJipsPKhyyEGMrfGp8C9s5_2u6liGRaL-oqgTn9NcI4Jt7RkFYcpXPeD_OlPlDeN/s320/IMG_9639.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiAGi8oZP696zpKjB_YJcfz1I1tfXm7CyvR9qKyOryMCJFAxMLuwR6Wjjn0I1DAiUY7hF_qyqpz3zpH_HwDfRqvDDXPMuzzsZOdafU5MLLtcVfUTeISUd1H0RSnfKCokJ0kCETGqI0fbMAP6ask9oAQZBCJ0oX4UmYxQu08imcacdG0ZtD-aUz0eg4dYi/s4032/20230625_113544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiAGi8oZP696zpKjB_YJcfz1I1tfXm7CyvR9qKyOryMCJFAxMLuwR6Wjjn0I1DAiUY7hF_qyqpz3zpH_HwDfRqvDDXPMuzzsZOdafU5MLLtcVfUTeISUd1H0RSnfKCokJ0kCETGqI0fbMAP6ask9oAQZBCJ0oX4UmYxQu08imcacdG0ZtD-aUz0eg4dYi/s320/20230625_113544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXAluXJrzqrggsTHcgqJD43YpOOILufeJ2MJD7tjGcEmccCb8ry_G3rKVhlB2hhUmcZxNzsjDAMqY3996Xb7GgKtFHBng9xN1Rjdo2PUi6LSeCVozjP7049hrRVxfain022VqMOac8A6Czmwj6RxbbIrkz_bCE01AYB517JI6Xfj2QnL_FgoUNFyRGzax/s4032/20230625_114819.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXAluXJrzqrggsTHcgqJD43YpOOILufeJ2MJD7tjGcEmccCb8ry_G3rKVhlB2hhUmcZxNzsjDAMqY3996Xb7GgKtFHBng9xN1Rjdo2PUi6LSeCVozjP7049hrRVxfain022VqMOac8A6Czmwj6RxbbIrkz_bCE01AYB517JI6Xfj2QnL_FgoUNFyRGzax/s320/20230625_114819.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/naTRxLPwrvI" width="320" youtube-src-id="naTRxLPwrvI"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hnuK2HUYkuM" width="320" youtube-src-id="hnuK2HUYkuM"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the afternoon we had Hannahs's birthday party part 1 - with a theme of Unicorns and dinosaurs!- Hannah made some of her own welcome decorations and big gangs of people and kids came around. They played in the backyard
with the paddling pool balloons. There were cakes, games and lots of craziness - the weather was perfect so everyone had a great time. One person maybe had a little too much fun as they were sick on the way out - luckily they had just eaten a bright coloured cake, so the sick was like a rainbow on the floor!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXlUmltNkGRqdjjc7T9S-nuQkA1REWHDzbT8spV0NtVfyNDzLs3oRG5f879rTbTIbLhJ9-2IlDsyl4Nzn01BxbOcexqAcpCuSvdFT-8RQK0R8Bkivojt9xQbWImTFTVdxzfutiv3lNIH0Wsph5KQbLL3RLrOKYpTVnCYpPBiODZA8CVFNnH5jKAAgSHf0/s4032/IMG_9651.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXlUmltNkGRqdjjc7T9S-nuQkA1REWHDzbT8spV0NtVfyNDzLs3oRG5f879rTbTIbLhJ9-2IlDsyl4Nzn01BxbOcexqAcpCuSvdFT-8RQK0R8Bkivojt9xQbWImTFTVdxzfutiv3lNIH0Wsph5KQbLL3RLrOKYpTVnCYpPBiODZA8CVFNnH5jKAAgSHf0/s320/IMG_9651.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTJ_KnHDu4w4bMdjIwHeBMxyTqF689mKDf-qf0yKu2n4SwaHdeHxhyKWshn2AzlHtYCqMGKUhMTHIidJWJixlcRNv01Dd5G_vIQLJ0BfX2LoIXHQVKNww0eLqW2zPu666i0S3qcQwZtvq9TDYuOtJ5H5HRmVgDCwJtds21CyxN0EglueTkc98May2Gmi1/s4032/20230625_150708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTJ_KnHDu4w4bMdjIwHeBMxyTqF689mKDf-qf0yKu2n4SwaHdeHxhyKWshn2AzlHtYCqMGKUhMTHIidJWJixlcRNv01Dd5G_vIQLJ0BfX2LoIXHQVKNww0eLqW2zPu666i0S3qcQwZtvq9TDYuOtJ5H5HRmVgDCwJtds21CyxN0EglueTkc98May2Gmi1/s320/20230625_150708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qCuXEImxWlBOxbi7khqrZq-LatBSZm5yefe0RwPFL38wXQ30sCFfGImwMRxdipTYBColX4m1O_iwgbge0oEOvSDVd7m2Yok7RKXLLncxv_8FNObKmxTO4HOmfox9yXX8ZqBXrqyi2c0OqiH8dAj1mo_M4BjrOkqRP44LXfelZj4tbKz0NKKbL-sU6sKH/s4032/20230625_161245.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qCuXEImxWlBOxbi7khqrZq-LatBSZm5yefe0RwPFL38wXQ30sCFfGImwMRxdipTYBColX4m1O_iwgbge0oEOvSDVd7m2Yok7RKXLLncxv_8FNObKmxTO4HOmfox9yXX8ZqBXrqyi2c0OqiH8dAj1mo_M4BjrOkqRP44LXfelZj4tbKz0NKKbL-sU6sKH/s320/20230625_161245.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaWjZi4fKTfpUUtKccX5pAeXgnnEOHELpwvkVSRX78At805YuwPLKMEtqD0U8xZ51dysHsTmQ0AO5B-ROKfhOBQv5mZGXGGTK5dpWMl_kYoEEohNKJjwz2vFJVylVXsTvJTv8k0VwK3dBId6q85uDRl4IUkDv_xbWy30j1gtS6Pa65zYEoO_A61bTCDFQ/s4032/20230626_065633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaWjZi4fKTfpUUtKccX5pAeXgnnEOHELpwvkVSRX78At805YuwPLKMEtqD0U8xZ51dysHsTmQ0AO5B-ROKfhOBQv5mZGXGGTK5dpWMl_kYoEEohNKJjwz2vFJVylVXsTvJTv8k0VwK3dBId6q85uDRl4IUkDv_xbWy30j1gtS6Pa65zYEoO_A61bTCDFQ/s320/20230626_065633.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1S3q95ulk8I" width="320" youtube-src-id="1S3q95ulk8I"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">That was the end of June - The next weekend was Hannah's real birthday weekend out at the cabin. We went out and had some fun out there. Pat and Austin were out for the weekend. So we had a
trip to the beach with all the kids and Hannah had a family birthday party out there with lots of presents. It was a good weekend. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY5UH3Q5YpJjvkqxElqCdF2v99DC3uXPR6-YOk1N9KLV56g27JlEpjFb1LeOaiDlYWFeLaK8BBmkghDXpiZ9ry4U12F6LV6-bBqGwP0nDytgCSAGeiIxfh1v02izTP8emtynzKIyCj91J9Omgk1oSzRuBLTD1n94SRy5WUnCZukMJgmaENGxCRwzsOqv1/s4032/IMG_9787.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY5UH3Q5YpJjvkqxElqCdF2v99DC3uXPR6-YOk1N9KLV56g27JlEpjFb1LeOaiDlYWFeLaK8BBmkghDXpiZ9ry4U12F6LV6-bBqGwP0nDytgCSAGeiIxfh1v02izTP8emtynzKIyCj91J9Omgk1oSzRuBLTD1n94SRy5WUnCZukMJgmaENGxCRwzsOqv1/s320/IMG_9787.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaiXALytQrFFFKojwEQSHBXwVkk1SCv1sVyqKCGvQhSupkUeAal3lzTGDdYfOIUrLZi4NtXhyDW2jMdWF8GL_wOtpXf7dVidtSGUX3T9j2jXpUQ8uXBk77MeI4AuDX9ktc2RGRP0C7NQCJNYw4-CkyObbokan4Td2mDP1_3muD_8WrsDz9tjLddZRI0Df/s4032/20230702_160033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaiXALytQrFFFKojwEQSHBXwVkk1SCv1sVyqKCGvQhSupkUeAal3lzTGDdYfOIUrLZi4NtXhyDW2jMdWF8GL_wOtpXf7dVidtSGUX3T9j2jXpUQ8uXBk77MeI4AuDX9ktc2RGRP0C7NQCJNYw4-CkyObbokan4Td2mDP1_3muD_8WrsDz9tjLddZRI0Df/s320/20230702_160033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaPf8DhjxIs_vUIbrVUJ7UtomPelutzd1TchH40ihu2hV4qSLikSLKdfffIfiiWm4YplUNzoq_Uel9cd9rQG6nVqqJVORavneoHgOrL1rrj9YkT0B-b7LEjVbv4fbOfD7-j5eZQ-zo9n-EZwKJo4jwoxHPwM_jccQHqtmm7BUwlbTfLElToZtfNCcW9_y/s4032/IMG_9809.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaPf8DhjxIs_vUIbrVUJ7UtomPelutzd1TchH40ihu2hV4qSLikSLKdfffIfiiWm4YplUNzoq_Uel9cd9rQG6nVqqJVORavneoHgOrL1rrj9YkT0B-b7LEjVbv4fbOfD7-j5eZQ-zo9n-EZwKJo4jwoxHPwM_jccQHqtmm7BUwlbTfLElToZtfNCcW9_y/s320/IMG_9809.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXsSd0VPAm8Q2R1m5apA9W2ZaN-SZ6u4-0tm5vy27sPbvToydkxCv9U391fJw7CaAiJYK9YDNX2zesamKouPxulZ3UTtjpF9E_1Y8A4VAWOnZTQvKFzHW5ykbHnTCIsQZrLywmMSahRBMn3FXn-NYEVZPglcRbV9gx-qk9gD2wbZO9UX74qGrUxcqkywf/s4032/IMG_9817.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXsSd0VPAm8Q2R1m5apA9W2ZaN-SZ6u4-0tm5vy27sPbvToydkxCv9U391fJw7CaAiJYK9YDNX2zesamKouPxulZ3UTtjpF9E_1Y8A4VAWOnZTQvKFzHW5ykbHnTCIsQZrLywmMSahRBMn3FXn-NYEVZPglcRbV9gx-qk9gD2wbZO9UX74qGrUxcqkywf/s320/IMG_9817.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ollie also started potty training.... hahaha - I will say nothing more about that because he is a stubborn little bugar and still pees and poos pretty much where and whenever he pleases a month later!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-nNGdWV_QY57n1vOCIp8tiBO-inxdbx2ZI6XpCXwM5z2Sg8PDQ4pXOo1k2Q1S4TvdsZxLpPboNly64sfkznfD_HT9aQm5ePpRNp6vlMGSuCMceqTZkvjx_XO_u1e2pLyDceiNKXhTcT8Una_RX0lBuE0rlhISbauL8nzC0Fz2PrdMBA8m3YZaM2rMVLT/s4032/20230716_111403.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-nNGdWV_QY57n1vOCIp8tiBO-inxdbx2ZI6XpCXwM5z2Sg8PDQ4pXOo1k2Q1S4TvdsZxLpPboNly64sfkznfD_HT9aQm5ePpRNp6vlMGSuCMceqTZkvjx_XO_u1e2pLyDceiNKXhTcT8Una_RX0lBuE0rlhISbauL8nzC0Fz2PrdMBA8m3YZaM2rMVLT/s320/20230716_111403.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Back in the city, the weather has been great during summer so there have been lots of trips to parks and lots of play dates for the kids. They have been learning to play tpgather a bit more and to share each others stuff. Ollie even gets to use Hannah's make up!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RWO-y49QwSdP_XvqO28ywu70mvLbvGVj0yt-PBAPnhOObdhkqtlB0PDsQFjD5bkNQX8QSu3NzQ8X0R9xEm6ny5eKGfXQ2n4KLglHDlBZMjd8nCOdU6QDUZEHohTAQIHdyRAdhYXp8QQMwey5z87z6e5PLlhnLhmzEZSYY3vDMKzby59BNBiUBuPl8X_D/s4032/IMG_0187.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RWO-y49QwSdP_XvqO28ywu70mvLbvGVj0yt-PBAPnhOObdhkqtlB0PDsQFjD5bkNQX8QSu3NzQ8X0R9xEm6ny5eKGfXQ2n4KLglHDlBZMjd8nCOdU6QDUZEHohTAQIHdyRAdhYXp8QQMwey5z87z6e5PLlhnLhmzEZSYY3vDMKzby59BNBiUBuPl8X_D/s320/IMG_0187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>They have both been really good at learning to ride their bikes too. Hannah on her bigger bike with training wheels and Ollie on his little no pedals push bike. A couple of weeks ago he was pretty slow, but suddenly he worked it out and now there is no stopping him!!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oI7U7KU1aY4" width="320" youtube-src-id="oI7U7KU1aY4"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C9xC7sosJOo" width="320" youtube-src-id="C9xC7sosJOo"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R_F-VoAqKxo" width="320" youtube-src-id="R_F-VoAqKxo"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">As normal I have taken a few days off this summer - Particularly when they arent in daycare (they only do two days a week) So on one of these days off we had a day trip out to Selkirk to what I
think is probably one of the biggest splash pads in the world. It's like a
hundred metres across. It's almost like a man-made lake with a huge sand pit around the water. So we
spent a lovely warm day out there having fun in the sun and then stopped for burgers and hot dogs on the way home at the Half Moon Cafe, which is awesome. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnC-K0Isx6bS1IlqngSyTpXS5M8dcIqv6EHhNx_EymcU92MNx6ashuco-dDnW0aBbfZ2s7pFIPeQDV7CuREYKz2bWxBnXUrKPzS6mWiOw-GGXAt5ooh4bR-7SYuMLzhZZpb53JbCkBG7qcCJtPeEpMSCPM4w7mkTra03-f5rZGJHhj4vz6_3ziuCyiaBA/s4032/20230721_125023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnC-K0Isx6bS1IlqngSyTpXS5M8dcIqv6EHhNx_EymcU92MNx6ashuco-dDnW0aBbfZ2s7pFIPeQDV7CuREYKz2bWxBnXUrKPzS6mWiOw-GGXAt5ooh4bR-7SYuMLzhZZpb53JbCkBG7qcCJtPeEpMSCPM4w7mkTra03-f5rZGJHhj4vz6_3ziuCyiaBA/s320/20230721_125023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIrjgtnlhieN6NY2tQTcDaGknoq9FBbozafI5yA8_9V4YqC7_crEGdiKYMyrVFuTeUQS_mBDiPfT0FI3hUNr6_qsEPZbZ621UJ8B5w37WTv5q5C7uvF-0jJGwc05nezqYC4xLrXCuqog72sG81QArTYcbLgkI8rPaA7U-_4nLltNSNZ8qQS3R-2ZHJlk_/s4032/20230721_132003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIrjgtnlhieN6NY2tQTcDaGknoq9FBbozafI5yA8_9V4YqC7_crEGdiKYMyrVFuTeUQS_mBDiPfT0FI3hUNr6_qsEPZbZ621UJ8B5w37WTv5q5C7uvF-0jJGwc05nezqYC4xLrXCuqog72sG81QArTYcbLgkI8rPaA7U-_4nLltNSNZ8qQS3R-2ZHJlk_/s320/20230721_132003.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQG7eVU7SWqwBdpYU7-kdL-dgopYURZIbVjU3nyUHCg9tXpP18ElDvgJowfyESy8C7rcPQwJQfBvpGvsj9ZYUlBpt_zSatcNES3jZ492G3tz0ZFjUpJwXDS3X4_jUH0rtjlj8GhtGC5M6KG0lP1irChzi2IaIpdtYHvzFbQI-9QWvS_wWUzdLPkOJ40kd/s4032/IMG_0251.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQG7eVU7SWqwBdpYU7-kdL-dgopYURZIbVjU3nyUHCg9tXpP18ElDvgJowfyESy8C7rcPQwJQfBvpGvsj9ZYUlBpt_zSatcNES3jZ492G3tz0ZFjUpJwXDS3X4_jUH0rtjlj8GhtGC5M6KG0lP1irChzi2IaIpdtYHvzFbQI-9QWvS_wWUzdLPkOJ40kd/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5UCDWWMLsw4459u2Xr1KLmCepqjtqvQmnQN_3H7AjsRniKp5J7ot9oJMNApdSPaEfOK_UnTabtkjykFR6a6sZvCXg4VS8aPXpUpMKZeS7QQXaWutRu_v4phGuoXZHyi2zLT2sUtIDi3PC2MawW7lh3uyRhMUwUFyEkrjHc30cvkJG6dChK9y-D_hCXLR/s4032/IMG_0258.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5UCDWWMLsw4459u2Xr1KLmCepqjtqvQmnQN_3H7AjsRniKp5J7ot9oJMNApdSPaEfOK_UnTabtkjykFR6a6sZvCXg4VS8aPXpUpMKZeS7QQXaWutRu_v4phGuoXZHyi2zLT2sUtIDi3PC2MawW7lh3uyRhMUwUFyEkrjHc30cvkJG6dChK9y-D_hCXLR/s320/IMG_0258.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF5ZfVt5H__c65OSUckXxk_BLKwnAouAf3PdjuPeIwxZ5urE-HvmQaBH6uzzeSnLimcVENwoSzFlxJGznRDeApeah5I-r0eGLLkPb6iVX2KVyuYjn_-t3QG7p_tOoDvq2Zmm9PBTUe7tjQk-OijPMLmVLkeqtAEcQDi65ZXQ2x12f3SgkL57W326qhT3c/s4032/IMG_0263.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF5ZfVt5H__c65OSUckXxk_BLKwnAouAf3PdjuPeIwxZ5urE-HvmQaBH6uzzeSnLimcVENwoSzFlxJGznRDeApeah5I-r0eGLLkPb6iVX2KVyuYjn_-t3QG7p_tOoDvq2Zmm9PBTUe7tjQk-OijPMLmVLkeqtAEcQDi65ZXQ2x12f3SgkL57W326qhT3c/s320/IMG_0263.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I nearly forgot to tell you about folk fest - We didn't camp this year but Buffy and the kids did Friday on their own, travelling on the bus from town and then we all went out for Saturday and Sunday. There is far too much to tell you everything but there was lots of dancing, hair dye, crafts, ice creams, beers, and costumes - too many photos - so here's a quick sample....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-_6GbDjnJP55-MJwCMR9BHQ9NG7NOhUcF9gOkb4u76T2pWgimX7yQ3FdpDdvwtUuio3xC8TIWbb1mO1ku327bLmYIbEEbPU8dhmy4C6I2bwp8x7gbRz_ILrVLkjxr95BXoNiGx644vflNh7-CwJmnOsNXAEPJ2blVKs5GS6EMe5YPEvNpda1RIlxcVZm/s4032/IMG_9910.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-_6GbDjnJP55-MJwCMR9BHQ9NG7NOhUcF9gOkb4u76T2pWgimX7yQ3FdpDdvwtUuio3xC8TIWbb1mO1ku327bLmYIbEEbPU8dhmy4C6I2bwp8x7gbRz_ILrVLkjxr95BXoNiGx644vflNh7-CwJmnOsNXAEPJ2blVKs5GS6EMe5YPEvNpda1RIlxcVZm/s320/IMG_9910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2JkEQiXo6EmJ1-s5xdT5SNIY8-vlIq4ccKruKHSK6eUnRX4RSGDkt5g83hl0YD_fBuw-zTQ0sNXRV0x4hUKYM2jnzfxpWDIOR1ZBa_wV-E0QvaDEn5xLnxfsr9jti6PeF937495bGOgDh38_nG8c8_e2N_hMuZYi5ktSvJKHySyj-y_GScL4BcGV9aa1/s4032/IMG_9912.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2JkEQiXo6EmJ1-s5xdT5SNIY8-vlIq4ccKruKHSK6eUnRX4RSGDkt5g83hl0YD_fBuw-zTQ0sNXRV0x4hUKYM2jnzfxpWDIOR1ZBa_wV-E0QvaDEn5xLnxfsr9jti6PeF937495bGOgDh38_nG8c8_e2N_hMuZYi5ktSvJKHySyj-y_GScL4BcGV9aa1/s320/IMG_9912.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtH0ZiBuPNwJDbSFwgEHL8kJXtMVaJZN6H6MyV5_UxeGNPs_rbsTwlWfKERqgP39MXGK2Yb0k0mMxmwhOjglciJkYAWMqIn3P1vE-dwqC6WOuFFBmAZ6O2Rjpi_Nvf74gieuClZN1UQ9wLcPfD6oTzrVJiRyEIlD57OWZboQHDbN6KrNHM7eWXY9ubmKU/s4032/IMG_9949.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtH0ZiBuPNwJDbSFwgEHL8kJXtMVaJZN6H6MyV5_UxeGNPs_rbsTwlWfKERqgP39MXGK2Yb0k0mMxmwhOjglciJkYAWMqIn3P1vE-dwqC6WOuFFBmAZ6O2Rjpi_Nvf74gieuClZN1UQ9wLcPfD6oTzrVJiRyEIlD57OWZboQHDbN6KrNHM7eWXY9ubmKU/s320/IMG_9949.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpBxhNf2qZOEh3qU0J_ZSs6AP5rn1ZyA9Wm3mcLFjNgTd2oRXdXd9npvEl8MO8f4xIfDQpJyAR09IL_9sXQVB17UtLncpQchOUjOYLKLnwU7hBz3NfAjGwPBU0hK1VKOOcg_FZ3kEE2yup_tG3-JnMvHySf9HRMGQ_qlcqYH6ikSHjbNBnkFWeH0mejcv/s3088/IMG_9955.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpBxhNf2qZOEh3qU0J_ZSs6AP5rn1ZyA9Wm3mcLFjNgTd2oRXdXd9npvEl8MO8f4xIfDQpJyAR09IL_9sXQVB17UtLncpQchOUjOYLKLnwU7hBz3NfAjGwPBU0hK1VKOOcg_FZ3kEE2yup_tG3-JnMvHySf9HRMGQ_qlcqYH6ikSHjbNBnkFWeH0mejcv/s320/IMG_9955.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWDOvd3BDtFpyQoD0sM-frv_42kqQ-6Q_YyqWGB_oudju7QydhZTSV7TIr-o00xHk_S34VlHCopX6vuUL3NNGdANOfaq4Ch1jezw7-IzlQuu-sJvqIMeNyHs59oZR_q1BsTU5jK8eE5hJsKUXVjswX8PtbpmTOzwWwJ07IDW23kHEX6GfHz4QJ6qxP1hB/s4032/IMG_9976.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X6gRHsnZ3sw" width="320" youtube-src-id="X6gRHsnZ3sw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2L1Eye2nTtA" width="320" youtube-src-id="2L1Eye2nTtA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ay-yxiDy1hQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ay-yxiDy1hQ"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Xnl3ZfsdoA" width="320" youtube-src-id="1Xnl3ZfsdoA"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Towards the end of July we had some more hot, hot days, so we went out to the cabin again. the kids actually got to stop and sit on the big green chair by the restaurant that we drive past every time. we had a lovely afternoon on the dock with Grandma and Grandpa, Ollie decided to jump in the lake (He asked us first and then jumped in all by himself) and we had a big fire for the first time in abouteight years. Grandma and Grandpa got to sit outside with the kids and everyone enjoyed having a big fire.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOQMXRwTnyJHZDPdVBpU397A533jcQUekX3JjMw7lyG1hNJ-7SC_YWfRl9XBCwWSODeFaQaYshBbRj_pECBPbe0_EinQq-RBvfpDCvdkxNKY_VEOITsPZum6ILMq0YWkdaRIUaOJTd-3_4nSl7sZ2CIn-R7COLdYPW4v2MO49AojyWLoYJ92tRnhpFOOp/s4032/IMG_0383.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOQMXRwTnyJHZDPdVBpU397A533jcQUekX3JjMw7lyG1hNJ-7SC_YWfRl9XBCwWSODeFaQaYshBbRj_pECBPbe0_EinQq-RBvfpDCvdkxNKY_VEOITsPZum6ILMq0YWkdaRIUaOJTd-3_4nSl7sZ2CIn-R7COLdYPW4v2MO49AojyWLoYJ92tRnhpFOOp/s320/IMG_0383.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12LdMWRIm9GroYKYEXefoSETzpI2S9QjAdkqSYF7KD1uuONAoKJTVTesSL73rJuIMdVWvKLHEtJ9BOy93PcoWyJnIsMG-Lcm8G-EDNo-EDdJkCInayUNK51wy_0TNCku7a319LZ6lwDMaArfFcZghAdDd7ke1VVLvJvoca3Aa25OdxAtyy0DVJWeaA981/s4032/IMG_0386.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal">Back in the city, We had an afternoon at Adam and Alena's new house after they had moved. The kids loved playing in their huge new garden. That was great. I got to speak to Gareth on the phone as well cause my phone accidentally called him from my pocket. We also had a night out at the local night market with the kids. Oliver had his first ride on the back of my bike while Hannah rode on the attachment on the back of Buffs bike and the kids had candy floss for the first time ever (Cotton candy). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObzEbOWKpRylewUomh-ca5yg3B3s4oTt_pAz_1hgSQYzVLvy3KngFWdkdaxVg3kS2YK4gVEsFtWdziKeZOogg3TkBM8gqUgjwhvXoN4cojs4IBeKdck1uO4C5IhN_9P_2j2QAnOsUCIqGB3PnhQefakL69KCieVstZbuKegcdMVrWNo4ihMEpuwPhO0CT/s4032/IMG_0598.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObzEbOWKpRylewUomh-ca5yg3B3s4oTt_pAz_1hgSQYzVLvy3KngFWdkdaxVg3kS2YK4gVEsFtWdziKeZOogg3TkBM8gqUgjwhvXoN4cojs4IBeKdck1uO4C5IhN_9P_2j2QAnOsUCIqGB3PnhQefakL69KCieVstZbuKegcdMVrWNo4ihMEpuwPhO0CT/s320/IMG_0598.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qjdvuSgkwppVOSDrHabUgBzB-feTzifEBrR-EFERMpfzN58t6blzzBwyJIj1oPFQMS9wtfqgklCJeK1936m6-nHZziqTE0szEiOeJf0nOWWmiew5GC0YUVrTp6WL744slja-w2Chwnr6yGsr4vm0HJahkYRcX4_pGK7e-e-IpGG64vfVlhtK9UWi3K9E/s4032/20230803_181632.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qjdvuSgkwppVOSDrHabUgBzB-feTzifEBrR-EFERMpfzN58t6blzzBwyJIj1oPFQMS9wtfqgklCJeK1936m6-nHZziqTE0szEiOeJf0nOWWmiew5GC0YUVrTp6WL744slja-w2Chwnr6yGsr4vm0HJahkYRcX4_pGK7e-e-IpGG64vfVlhtK9UWi3K9E/s320/20230803_181632.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszEO1RwWIx6wCoBPbinpX3oBq667d70c05SEcQ8cLmP2RDq0Te2suGkDrZ4wY3pKKF3iA6jWECG1jUq4gGSQ84Ehc8znb5PrNmK71FKKy9-tFVHmjCkN2by-k1WC_yHZL9hh5pLB44UNIk9aoOnpM2i3h5j9ufWyB_rqv1gOzTBjLc5qYdB2tm_A0HFX5/s4032/IMG_0603.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszEO1RwWIx6wCoBPbinpX3oBq667d70c05SEcQ8cLmP2RDq0Te2suGkDrZ4wY3pKKF3iA6jWECG1jUq4gGSQ84Ehc8znb5PrNmK71FKKy9-tFVHmjCkN2by-k1WC_yHZL9hh5pLB44UNIk9aoOnpM2i3h5j9ufWyB_rqv1gOzTBjLc5qYdB2tm_A0HFX5/s320/IMG_0603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEyeicxppSIjdFOr37dGVmo8ZmV4G8H0qYJZN9BjacDchqIjgBOONOobi7pL0RHCyHrH2T1zc-29Hl_ZaZto0JRGUb2kLAiFbkyz5UVLEK5zK7kcTlwX4W9eNs2npv0lUhQw5YJFSslmXHeYW1FEJXpzeokbP6eb5BQOEmzrXwCqQa6mUqrOm6ldOhlHw/s4032/20230803_185946.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEyeicxppSIjdFOr37dGVmo8ZmV4G8H0qYJZN9BjacDchqIjgBOONOobi7pL0RHCyHrH2T1zc-29Hl_ZaZto0JRGUb2kLAiFbkyz5UVLEK5zK7kcTlwX4W9eNs2npv0lUhQw5YJFSslmXHeYW1FEJXpzeokbP6eb5BQOEmzrXwCqQa6mUqrOm6ldOhlHw/s320/20230803_185946.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3FMV-K7KmXEW8MGzoZ-1ji0ozOGPPtSV0xh9HDaXQnyCixGjCnFTRXWT0V9ekB32kKWKvPj1OyuCApUg0t3d_iegdEbbUf_vVpOKaSCnMTWQvq6WlrT_9MZ-szHeOqdFdfEtitIVfOmJyz0ATPZJTrUneJtXgVMCOLB60DI1thXpnrHSdSl09CmnTHvc/s3088/IMG_0613.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3FMV-K7KmXEW8MGzoZ-1ji0ozOGPPtSV0xh9HDaXQnyCixGjCnFTRXWT0V9ekB32kKWKvPj1OyuCApUg0t3d_iegdEbbUf_vVpOKaSCnMTWQvq6WlrT_9MZ-szHeOqdFdfEtitIVfOmJyz0ATPZJTrUneJtXgVMCOLB60DI1thXpnrHSdSl09CmnTHvc/s320/IMG_0613.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We have also had a big party in the front yard as well. The neighbours got together and invited a load of people around in all the front yards. They are all open so we formed one big yard and we had about thirty people with all the kids playing together and burgers and food and drink. I was actually on call but didn't get any calls for the whole day, so it was a really good Monday afternoon of the August long weekend. It was funny at the end because Ollie helped our next-door neighbour Paula tidy up and carry things back int oher place. He disappeared into Paulas house with her and we found him being shown around asking questions like he was buying her house!</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuG-d-RCBDwZr4QbqEh42vy6BuyGpYpIxVQxKOkl5PBIzV74fnJhC1DGS-KxSlwaMS7RCs44IQR7yUCg9otRvPHfSyeIE_vxYwYW_fgWoQHpTDTSWWeRTY0im7_kypTaAtYQbIzv4GzpXI_VHQoE_3pCVsOPmHq2dsOsF6J6gfq5aL5Tt3oDe9oKfEa3b/s4032/20230807_154442.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuG-d-RCBDwZr4QbqEh42vy6BuyGpYpIxVQxKOkl5PBIzV74fnJhC1DGS-KxSlwaMS7RCs44IQR7yUCg9otRvPHfSyeIE_vxYwYW_fgWoQHpTDTSWWeRTY0im7_kypTaAtYQbIzv4GzpXI_VHQoE_3pCVsOPmHq2dsOsF6J6gfq5aL5Tt3oDe9oKfEa3b/s320/20230807_154442.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0jrFRAvmFoIPHC_8i2GkyJpFygtkl_dEtemRETcS-XZjx77Il4XxDZuopoGSceh9E6xLfClLUahVd1guaPYcgtAySFUQKrXj0Jzm_vrFoDYwtVBsfm5-KoJvSQGJvmsnsmjS3KRSAGmWPt4lf8SmFd0Rb5OM072C08cbL4xt4xh_gBkElfgvZjWwXy6H/s3088/IMG_0720.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2WHmZmpSYz5FPgqOK3B3QVdelwm6FbTZgmBMQDoqshq97VNXq_fauvoSgbGn0SoERgVks_VsZWE9IA0cdz_Q6VsVvvso8V2Mvjo0d-_YNdfjLHDtVYCcJtZcf8OFodiMyetKme9iDG8QebCwhwH2rBdSiSo70j3lIwfmCdMVH1jvySsnXSbdz3y1dscV/s320/19785d4d-99bd-4ebd-9a97-6e12f048c9fa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9jYDxUpODU9X7X3SHtGkTKzt-NIKFVH4d6lspl5S_Mg8yvtn1J9ZKK6PvNxQ0vyprISE0exynwpryv70z42cuUMpC4w3jdA3wIN2oLbzfQXQOKBxpxzT3YQq_HlYE4hgkBipcoi1fSiriMoIWSsEX0jw4E_OIbnVGvSujP9EZz2Py9lHNRt6jJMvYgRu/s1920/b558f297-659d-4212-bdc0-f6f640b47c2d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9jYDxUpODU9X7X3SHtGkTKzt-NIKFVH4d6lspl5S_Mg8yvtn1J9ZKK6PvNxQ0vyprISE0exynwpryv70z42cuUMpC4w3jdA3wIN2oLbzfQXQOKBxpxzT3YQq_HlYE4hgkBipcoi1fSiriMoIWSsEX0jw4E_OIbnVGvSujP9EZz2Py9lHNRt6jJMvYgRu/s320/b558f297-659d-4212-bdc0-f6f640b47c2d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <o:p></o:p><p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We have also been camping - Out at Grand Beach on the shore of Lake Winnipeg We were supposed to go for three nights but we went out late and only went for two nights because the first night it was really rainy in the afternoon. So we decided to wait for things to dry off and went early Saturday morning.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">When we got there, we got the tent up and the new bug tent too for the kids to play in and to eat in,. We didn't actually need a bug tent because the bugs were amazing this year. There weren't any mosquitoes at all. We spent most of the mornings playing and riding bikes in the campsite and the afternoons on the beach. There was a big sandcastle competition on, so their kids got to see all these cool sandcastles in the shape of whales, dogs and even a flip flop! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">At night, we had bonfires. We played in the hammock, We did some chalk pictures. We played on the park. One of Hannah's friends, Bowie, came out with her mum and spent the afternoon on the beach with us, doing some surfing and playing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The last day was a beautiful day on the beach where we spent all afternoon before driving back into the city in the evening,<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3L9ZbwiO2smqrrndJ4OVLURYtXt6dSEicTfTBVmOzWOZXrIdE681IUfnylwvf-ebcKbSAMayY4sCN-QPRdJHCyog1cuePq22F4ttUsUli9SbRZcEn9a6MzXIcFag1EKce66eYjajmw3w9rO5kN8YNJIGN8m2BPEAzsL1qntkR6nWoKWW_BEZU2NB9UVF/s4032/20230810_211148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3L9ZbwiO2smqrrndJ4OVLURYtXt6dSEicTfTBVmOzWOZXrIdE681IUfnylwvf-ebcKbSAMayY4sCN-QPRdJHCyog1cuePq22F4ttUsUli9SbRZcEn9a6MzXIcFag1EKce66eYjajmw3w9rO5kN8YNJIGN8m2BPEAzsL1qntkR6nWoKWW_BEZU2NB9UVF/s320/20230810_211148.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02-KVNCN7Nk4W93BOmsHoRS7n4xRts8vE25A6hThBCELvD0U-NY9Lei6smerPz1wK9gB8qn7H3a0ct-WQHoPgkQ6FkIBIXqr-OtvfC15dkVQMXDYkHjiJNKz8RUhcRemBOh8CmfaWoSlZxwDXh2Yw3fQj7Uk1mXoDZc90ic0j7mjSP89nvSHzagq3Sb3p/s4032/IMG_0856.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02-KVNCN7Nk4W93BOmsHoRS7n4xRts8vE25A6hThBCELvD0U-NY9Lei6smerPz1wK9gB8qn7H3a0ct-WQHoPgkQ6FkIBIXqr-OtvfC15dkVQMXDYkHjiJNKz8RUhcRemBOh8CmfaWoSlZxwDXh2Yw3fQj7Uk1mXoDZc90ic0j7mjSP89nvSHzagq3Sb3p/s320/IMG_0856.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Now we are back in the city - The kids and Buffy stayed at the cabin for a few days last week while daycare was closed - they even went on their first hike up Ernies trail, joined by Grandpa - a good mile-long trail up a hill to a cool viewpoint. They did so well!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T8OBaShKh9mqwdkoTGrMiVrEUUQjMrOOwKSnwi6Wx3GeUvMPYXGWbrpsRSgZeCZOHKP5HDEexx9i6Ni2Uvro-ANWDFmBh63Z8LQU6SXmDvphfrSJouwYt7Jy14Mi3wezl_lHSRxkYEk_2c-RLccFUDOazVIYJXN00E3R33lfOKF9PqqN6ZjU9mW8ln0W/s4032/20230815_190321.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T8OBaShKh9mqwdkoTGrMiVrEUUQjMrOOwKSnwi6Wx3GeUvMPYXGWbrpsRSgZeCZOHKP5HDEexx9i6Ni2Uvro-ANWDFmBh63Z8LQU6SXmDvphfrSJouwYt7Jy14Mi3wezl_lHSRxkYEk_2c-RLccFUDOazVIYJXN00E3R33lfOKF9PqqN6ZjU9mW8ln0W/s320/20230815_190321.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcqW3SpyUIyspnsmuBxKbTo0hvZUOGqV_SLFZB4LPFYSFNhvrkWTbqEisKeB7ttkJrT3WShR9NTQQzDMwp1yz4duteLjGIeq0zf8PsYkqDNfiuCzinTQ1yxJ6i-42wmXFcNZokQaF6eZfCAWnq9rJUEEeKUZhgyoHhsROlXKgYRM5Lobs3sycqZg1BJ35/s4032/IMG_0877.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEhJAilSvfmwF3Vurtk_QGMNS76sETiZae75ROzCeG66Uw980di0wBA-PicRrdhPxT0_QCfM7uge2Q4o9kQBXvN8vgTphmCSOxw7NSTyWJgnwqhueQf3GXxoFgn7n6gxBAFtghQKS802f17la6c_6BS6SgGSghcpR4RvY48UD1okEwg2eCKQj9Ec77PUi/s320/20230819_171308.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqUoX0AeVxeF-2xMmR8C1hYbSdgwMIJUPoJVEIpxHeDBgOGZHTcsv7VuDSQWrLS-i4nj40nXjTZL1WbCbUx9LKP2xlUyT8vFtleP1kdqIgnyA91YwojTp2yGk4iTgYq384Pb7ymj5MyZNrsBQ67ELBe7nlgSurRVviCA8wI2tpopdV45Hha_6XbOCjmQg/s3088/IMG_0999.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqUoX0AeVxeF-2xMmR8C1hYbSdgwMIJUPoJVEIpxHeDBgOGZHTcsv7VuDSQWrLS-i4nj40nXjTZL1WbCbUx9LKP2xlUyT8vFtleP1kdqIgnyA91YwojTp2yGk4iTgYq384Pb7ymj5MyZNrsBQ67ELBe7nlgSurRVviCA8wI2tpopdV45Hha_6XbOCjmQg/s320/IMG_0999.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Now we are getting ready for the end of summer and a few quick weeks of Autumn before the winter heads our way again. Ollie even has a new Orange coat already! It's been hectic crazy summer and you can see why I haven't had time to write this garbage blog in a while! I will endeavour to get it done quicker next time - there are adventures ahead and I want to share them all!</p></div><br />rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-25434842861986839012023-06-21T03:36:00.001+01:002023-06-21T03:36:16.615+01:00June - Pride, dancing, soccer and just having fun with Hannah and Ollie!<p>One weekend in June - or was it May? </p><p>Have you ever baked a cake or made dinner and it looked like a real turd - until you worked some magic on it and made it somehow resemble something you might actually eat? Then when presented, the human beings gathered around to eat, chomp and scoff the food so quickly and happily that you know that it was actually great?</p><p>That was our weekend - but without the food - although we DID have some food too...</p><p>Anyway, we had originally planned to go camping with friends, but due to their family stuff that got cancelled and replanned into a night at the cabin. But THAT got cancelled because out at the cabin, the mosquitoes are quite literally eating people alive and we didn't want screaming itchy kids all weekend (or being bitten to shit ourselves) So it was changed to an afternoon at our place - BBQ, kids playing in the paddling pool - all the usual stuff for a summer weekend afternoon. But that got cancelled too because our friends got ill! Now we were a bit peeved at the circumstances here, having already got ready and changed plans 3 times. So we put out a couple of last-minute invites to neighbours, to see if they wanted to save our weekend and share the food we had got for the BBQ. No one replied. </p><p>We were by now getting very peeved. Did nobody like us? Did nobody (more specifically) like me? At least put up with me and come see Buffy! But we had no reason to worry as our neighbours actually did replay a short while later and were pleased and happy to come over with their kids and enjoy some food (that actually did not look like turds - except for the hotdogs, which are brown and sausage-shaped do actually sometimes look a bit turdish, but taste great!) We had a wonderful afternoon as did the kids, playing together in the little pool, spraying each other with water bottles and enjoying the weather. It even cooled down a little which was nice. Our neighbours from the side and across the road brought their kids, lots of additional food and we had a wonderful afternoon! So thank you to our guests for coming and saving our Saturday!</p><p>On Sunday morning, as we had planned to be camping and then planned to have been at the cabin, but actually done neither of these, we had pretty much planned. So the first thing we did was dig out the Hotwheels stuff we had been keeping hidden in the basement for about 10 months. We had bought a few boxloads of various Hot Wheels tracks and cars and been keeping it for when the kids were ready to p[lay and for when we had no other plans and wanted to keep them amused - so out it came and it was an instant hit! The kids have been playing with it none stop and would prefer to race cars down the track rather than pretty much everything else - including eating and sleeping. Cars have been crashed, jumped through the toy Frozen castle and raced around the small piece of figure 8 track. </p><p>Ollie loves to sit high up on the window ledge while Hannah passes him cars to release down the sloped track. So far we have given them just a small piece of track and they do not know just how much we have left in eth basement! It's a lot!!!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmjoNwvZgcJqQQvweNe998lBG-c6voEKsT42wS4Wwd6totYDKzzQdfZObMAlJOTDuuePfku1w_JomBzvpL3Tw2CNmOnRhlf91Ca7Fh5aau70Otu6-VEUckArjKXdWWswuoJ8y7-13SY_VqunJZTpGBht2VrmEB4KfrS7GHURKkccTwPgvBcFFKbGVNw/s4032/20230604_093708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmjoNwvZgcJqQQvweNe998lBG-c6voEKsT42wS4Wwd6totYDKzzQdfZObMAlJOTDuuePfku1w_JomBzvpL3Tw2CNmOnRhlf91Ca7Fh5aau70Otu6-VEUckArjKXdWWswuoJ8y7-13SY_VqunJZTpGBht2VrmEB4KfrS7GHURKkccTwPgvBcFFKbGVNw/s320/20230604_093708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MY1NkQQE1d8" width="320" youtube-src-id="MY1NkQQE1d8"></iframe></div><br /><p>Anyway, this was all to keep the kids amused early morning before the real thing we had decided to do that day - Mine and the kid's first-ever visit to a PRIDE parade. </p><p>It turned out to be a great day - It was hot and humid, but that just gave our kids the opportunity to go around and help everyone keep cool by spraying them with water! Our kids made so many friends and as you would expect from Pride, everyone was super happy to be there and having a good time - so we all had a good time too! Ollie particularly loved seeing eth Fire Truck with its rainbow flags and we even spent ages playing and Hannah swimming in the fountains and pools right on Memorial Boulevard - so much so that the parade kind of started and we didn't really see much of it as it left. It was a lovely morning though and we all enjoyed ourselves!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLn7p1lxrEmHlbveGxesjWmHLpEbYPVZegReBXmWdIj0gksZxn3DFdU_YTxpFTIY7uRaZoI675xklCLKS6_SPN4bO-oSRjfTdmRyZFQaJKc9LgWLIAlNbi72ilHourJObmCvO1a0WAYlWK-WsRuEvkZVc7eZRxKLys_wK9qOY4zzZGEfHS45237sjqtEe/s4032/20230604_105132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLn7p1lxrEmHlbveGxesjWmHLpEbYPVZegReBXmWdIj0gksZxn3DFdU_YTxpFTIY7uRaZoI675xklCLKS6_SPN4bO-oSRjfTdmRyZFQaJKc9LgWLIAlNbi72ilHourJObmCvO1a0WAYlWK-WsRuEvkZVc7eZRxKLys_wK9qOY4zzZGEfHS45237sjqtEe/s320/20230604_105132.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRw0IB0zzDyra1FClURgL-ZEqDRnuAmn6q5drq9o8ZXCgJwHcX4FurlEi3LrW-oHqBKvMumfaMthqOBJfcYaf_PIKlznb0PduofIwvcVm5Q-m_xwZpQnApeNkK3sPIyJRlRwcr261HMdBYeOILYf12gSx2qvBTmjTgQ5-a70pEc8TtYuOrrF_3B6q_Z0c/s4032/20230604_105129.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOhVGzXtTSyOITwuqPNk6gavR4WXj_6y7urfttdvmC-1HJtsZy3ybfTbud0jvYdfAxwi6eznmH2rnRcbHidLBcpCTA4N1DNglQzm3KHZHwqRzHLFVqSporiJS9a8o0cAb5014Hc6-8G90A63LncfWg3ov1MubNUoXu-qqTs3sVGsLSiXQX0AohKmfPR_6/s320/20230604_105801.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsuR9cN09oz6Ikg-baTivzQmfpcnaL_n-UrlqzwQffoN2DywWreHmre12R1QCbLEF7ES7Z0jZsq12Z8Rt1dLwVdQCKK_O4ENPsCJM2FZ-Tkh0CBgkinZWF3pj3qmE4hAKfzvXV08nd3Yn0rzSoPnBNTvS0MJoul2GLKLjYQLDL1V_aYqFDrT3XdwYUQFY/s4032/20230604_110016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsuR9cN09oz6Ikg-baTivzQmfpcnaL_n-UrlqzwQffoN2DywWreHmre12R1QCbLEF7ES7Z0jZsq12Z8Rt1dLwVdQCKK_O4ENPsCJM2FZ-Tkh0CBgkinZWF3pj3qmE4hAKfzvXV08nd3Yn0rzSoPnBNTvS0MJoul2GLKLjYQLDL1V_aYqFDrT3XdwYUQFY/s320/20230604_110016.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4buvqhB1-kaokC6I-fAxp9jqKRrRZuyaQ76AF6XsIxVbWngJkCswu6T1Lp3fDiIAZ2XxuOAcjFFRsZo0UHmqch-AEH1s3PgHM2kbxTdVl5F3EdkKJtoyWs0reD71nA0tVF9Bo_KO8Z-onXWMKPcBGrLyVbm_Rgsy1JhV99s0nX5F8kejXGigkjSz-DDL/s4032/20230604_110057.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4buvqhB1-kaokC6I-fAxp9jqKRrRZuyaQ76AF6XsIxVbWngJkCswu6T1Lp3fDiIAZ2XxuOAcjFFRsZo0UHmqch-AEH1s3PgHM2kbxTdVl5F3EdkKJtoyWs0reD71nA0tVF9Bo_KO8Z-onXWMKPcBGrLyVbm_Rgsy1JhV99s0nX5F8kejXGigkjSz-DDL/s320/20230604_110057.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4AqYZxkubJmzdDsLr0kUOIv1Kpc0TAkK2tN6COkddXrLRp7rj3EQsdpLbWlUOsopBrTO9gz3ptlaZTKoiATACqqsf2qj8XyzH0jCoaNtHQlA-Wv6UiGaYEOoBrR3Wg20ZqljC18K_ncrcw36F7LHvQVVE2oCkabzrKlje9fxywplRApbI7kBPHHfRpt2/s4032/20230604_111552.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4AqYZxkubJmzdDsLr0kUOIv1Kpc0TAkK2tN6COkddXrLRp7rj3EQsdpLbWlUOsopBrTO9gz3ptlaZTKoiATACqqsf2qj8XyzH0jCoaNtHQlA-Wv6UiGaYEOoBrR3Wg20ZqljC18K_ncrcw36F7LHvQVVE2oCkabzrKlje9fxywplRApbI7kBPHHfRpt2/s320/20230604_111552.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6BkT4B3wqapKKaFE9U2HMv0p3HYKFAMyUgidxdE1WsNtiK5UMkdW-Ij1tz6iZBTQIwOlY__iHyBECKrPxl3tVpDjGFKiOKJgtvgjQyUufo1bLeEwBKrtJHwT9ZGtH0cHJTz_Xo1XUcidYQ4pWr5hmgLS1uAeIcLPHc_lHySgT5jmcayTD889l38vLWLb/s4032/20230604_111646.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6BkT4B3wqapKKaFE9U2HMv0p3HYKFAMyUgidxdE1WsNtiK5UMkdW-Ij1tz6iZBTQIwOlY__iHyBECKrPxl3tVpDjGFKiOKJgtvgjQyUufo1bLeEwBKrtJHwT9ZGtH0cHJTz_Xo1XUcidYQ4pWr5hmgLS1uAeIcLPHc_lHySgT5jmcayTD889l38vLWLb/s320/20230604_111646.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p>The following week, as well as more soccer practice and playing in the park, it was the week of Hannah's dance recital. She has been doing 'Creative Dance' since September last year - her Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa. She loved going every week and the recital is the climax - dancing in front of a crowd of hundreds on stage at the 2300-seat Centennial Concert Hall. She admitted to being excited, but also a little scared - but she needn't have worried. She and her classmates did great and we were so proud to see her up on stage - dressed as an alien and dancing with her classmates. We were very proud parents!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOy2AKul933dFCnCx7tRS0tRdYhbtZ_feDdsWTNZdqd-iyjnbeArinWBiJQe-KIptyLAPXHIFop15Qo5LpJumxvMvDJuytI-NY97MlQ_wP0glCqYMdK5v-MhxqNXfEqTb3eqkjrXKQjbWRI3jRbt7zZaD_qIysjYl1Gq5vAsF-uTJGCfNNPNnwYQbUXGrk/s4032/20230611_124828.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOy2AKul933dFCnCx7tRS0tRdYhbtZ_feDdsWTNZdqd-iyjnbeArinWBiJQe-KIptyLAPXHIFop15Qo5LpJumxvMvDJuytI-NY97MlQ_wP0glCqYMdK5v-MhxqNXfEqTb3eqkjrXKQjbWRI3jRbt7zZaD_qIysjYl1Gq5vAsF-uTJGCfNNPNnwYQbUXGrk/s320/20230611_124828.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7Mxdx2VlvNAlQDhG7iMGk9z9EYTPE9nRAI3W7JOS6qcDWuL_JXjMFiJ_97hR-3tlhmxiU38V1mvQmt8sWGDSXi5_pNCRuMnJ9XYl5_YcWBAMZAUUhpL6dTgVBAmm3VTQBEByyBEOoBL0-SRb3fDthFYZG0x_NVKbenFqt_mM4rd2MQMVySo1RawOVOHV/s4032/IMG_9482.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7Mxdx2VlvNAlQDhG7iMGk9z9EYTPE9nRAI3W7JOS6qcDWuL_JXjMFiJ_97hR-3tlhmxiU38V1mvQmt8sWGDSXi5_pNCRuMnJ9XYl5_YcWBAMZAUUhpL6dTgVBAmm3VTQBEByyBEOoBL0-SRb3fDthFYZG0x_NVKbenFqt_mM4rd2MQMVySo1RawOVOHV/s320/IMG_9482.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking the bus to the concert hall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0kEWQkkcqNvZ5XY3goLLklSYxecxYzj37V53fpWGukaBaUHqEh3sa6BV2Q6PiXqB_PjjhycLYcJrwsD20ZaGNf3MqO_rFuOLs6eYPp6VF4iOkMkqp7iMwkmQSyaNRY7zV6pTP0XY5V80gdHRl-mzfJEHpkqBHj_tQtEwpD1Uaeyr5WpfVd7RNtkwCjw8/s4032/20230611_133913.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0kEWQkkcqNvZ5XY3goLLklSYxecxYzj37V53fpWGukaBaUHqEh3sa6BV2Q6PiXqB_PjjhycLYcJrwsD20ZaGNf3MqO_rFuOLs6eYPp6VF4iOkMkqp7iMwkmQSyaNRY7zV6pTP0XY5V80gdHRl-mzfJEHpkqBHj_tQtEwpD1Uaeyr5WpfVd7RNtkwCjw8/s320/20230611_133913.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paparazzi photos!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTy-50U6aJxrlfS16oeqAefMEKl_8rtQ5Vq_RmPO5sskLGJBgiiOguUypil5_T3LAPKCSjkEWFXwskSjd4y1gaKJYyxkNtIZgfRG0y1yaneVgaA-4l2zE0SVzT_q-to_rwLWpWnQlu5gsdhzeVLMlstScfF1zsaJnXdj3OqbKh6mO1Lbr5JYplnmo31aL/s4032/20230611_133923.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTy-50U6aJxrlfS16oeqAefMEKl_8rtQ5Vq_RmPO5sskLGJBgiiOguUypil5_T3LAPKCSjkEWFXwskSjd4y1gaKJYyxkNtIZgfRG0y1yaneVgaA-4l2zE0SVzT_q-to_rwLWpWnQlu5gsdhzeVLMlstScfF1zsaJnXdj3OqbKh6mO1Lbr5JYplnmo31aL/s320/20230611_133923.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrutzM-2okIRhbcNVa8kkH-I5eqJe0oSk-rktW-P0LyXMsoreZuB3KY0ylliFRKVqQSQblbnZEb0MlIkfZIZO_sZ2x1wjakaEAJALCuUWzpEWp3AFvKQ8YKgAvaXx77UGr_hdsFvIpyKa_RNyc5_icIERwzxiGvL37v0i1TAqykEsggmaaPABFwLO1PIS/s4032/20230611_133921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrutzM-2okIRhbcNVa8kkH-I5eqJe0oSk-rktW-P0LyXMsoreZuB3KY0ylliFRKVqQSQblbnZEb0MlIkfZIZO_sZ2x1wjakaEAJALCuUWzpEWp3AFvKQ8YKgAvaXx77UGr_hdsFvIpyKa_RNyc5_icIERwzxiGvL37v0i1TAqykEsggmaaPABFwLO1PIS/s320/20230611_133921.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-jyacaVDfJHTJe7ScxbjTn3jKxWF2MjAbdazVZU0DanjfiYbzrknwGPrerhvVnoWcmrKKW41UbGu61k11SJua_lCJpHv5Yr4IXIqgGXJ0C-wuAcxXA3yNAqWyB50elbHCT4MkYNU7nNBN2FEzTU8KtPTyu5rWU_DOt6vcWdUOrafe3fkPUxX7Awmm-gQ/s4032/20230611_140812.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-jyacaVDfJHTJe7ScxbjTn3jKxWF2MjAbdazVZU0DanjfiYbzrknwGPrerhvVnoWcmrKKW41UbGu61k11SJua_lCJpHv5Yr4IXIqgGXJ0C-wuAcxXA3yNAqWyB50elbHCT4MkYNU7nNBN2FEzTU8KtPTyu5rWU_DOt6vcWdUOrafe3fkPUxX7Awmm-gQ/s320/20230611_140812.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY0Xx9KMU6pVSSUCgUuPGKWAn2gRWm5wzjgCV5NRiO_XC32Um8PuY5Lz4JSz80EJU4iWDWAgoeuOHYetZMsFd6a5jjVi7LVQmnJChv-I9qiOCwXkOfV3BrfQfwKyPdXXak1r4fmfgV8OnPwzi_MufXpQM1YLclBH5lBxozy7ybF3hmb3yHitG9S70Du01/s4704/20230611_140604.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3808" data-original-width="4704" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY0Xx9KMU6pVSSUCgUuPGKWAn2gRWm5wzjgCV5NRiO_XC32Um8PuY5Lz4JSz80EJU4iWDWAgoeuOHYetZMsFd6a5jjVi7LVQmnJChv-I9qiOCwXkOfV3BrfQfwKyPdXXak1r4fmfgV8OnPwzi_MufXpQM1YLclBH5lBxozy7ybF3hmb3yHitG9S70Du01/s320/20230611_140604.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamh9NI5PIXzzfgtyZhfLBjxiXBHllXj4uao8-DUD4AedxekpyraS3MvFrwYwf-A82Kc0Pgi_BfTT7sKDMVJA2KiTQjNQMn_dvzutIIzN_NtjYoGNxeK5ZJRGgnNZwpYA0asNWOB_cvo0bp1OedRhIrvWDn0FJMkLk1eRCQOVBnM8YwWzKYXNeeMHPTSzg/s4032/20230611_152420.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamh9NI5PIXzzfgtyZhfLBjxiXBHllXj4uao8-DUD4AedxekpyraS3MvFrwYwf-A82Kc0Pgi_BfTT7sKDMVJA2KiTQjNQMn_dvzutIIzN_NtjYoGNxeK5ZJRGgnNZwpYA0asNWOB_cvo0bp1OedRhIrvWDn0FJMkLk1eRCQOVBnM8YwWzKYXNeeMHPTSzg/s320/20230611_152420.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcQ9vky5892WjUHLYLbxd-0JaN7nfRQW6LMHk_TkVWiQWgdPybLuixIVumXdL4jMsXfWTgy6HeZOcv_oRCsGAI_iPpJue_wSwtk48NFMbDzRPxl4AxYcn6zqf0lWF8VJKNMXBKKU8jiOlspMjlc19JQrdSMmTX6qKSqE8XaDa4FmxeJPlZfJFQEg3igG4/s4032/20230611_152525.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcQ9vky5892WjUHLYLbxd-0JaN7nfRQW6LMHk_TkVWiQWgdPybLuixIVumXdL4jMsXfWTgy6HeZOcv_oRCsGAI_iPpJue_wSwtk48NFMbDzRPxl4AxYcn6zqf0lWF8VJKNMXBKKU8jiOlspMjlc19JQrdSMmTX6qKSqE8XaDa4FmxeJPlZfJFQEg3igG4/s320/20230611_152525.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p>Heres the video of the dance - Hannah is 3rd from the right!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r9BQD-N-ZXY" width="320" youtube-src-id="r9BQD-N-ZXY"></iframe></div><br /><p>and afterwards with Grandmas flowers!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjHGTj_NrADTVHwKcQT_3kMcCoZnN4LzU1ThFAJJWbmmlqVDUnoHFOl0vieZMx2WXVQQm1gqtvDjwEJdzjZTV7GfaMg14SbTeQGm0T6JqWXOlKxGqco-3eWEwbyA9wccWIVHiQAbnQ_8l_bo9Yo_WG2C6vcIcRK_jpLbQGfquB6RsjyO9b-fzGTXh2x9N/s4032/IMG_9492~2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjHGTj_NrADTVHwKcQT_3kMcCoZnN4LzU1ThFAJJWbmmlqVDUnoHFOl0vieZMx2WXVQQm1gqtvDjwEJdzjZTV7GfaMg14SbTeQGm0T6JqWXOlKxGqco-3eWEwbyA9wccWIVHiQAbnQ_8l_bo9Yo_WG2C6vcIcRK_jpLbQGfquB6RsjyO9b-fzGTXh2x9N/s320/IMG_9492~2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Ollie has had a great few weeks too - He isn't old enough to take soccer training yet or dance, but he steals the show everywhere he goes and often steals Hannah's friends! Quite often he starts to play with Hannah and her friends but he is so goddam cute and fun that the bigger kids flock around him and end up playing with him instead of Hannah! He says both Bowie and Astrid, Hannah's best two friends at e school are his best friends too! He comes to soccer practice and spends time playing on the play structure climbing things that 5 years olds wouldn't go near. Then he comes across and kicks a ball about with me for a bit! He is so blooming great! I love him so much - he is irresistible and when he wants a snuggle at night, I will happily lose sleep to cuddle up to him!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DcYvEl2p14P-qJTkg0AXoIGWOgQaEQGmCu1s7t-aqT_NtZcbSAHbhWw_EWEeljMx6-TkjQqhXeaYPSJktEYFPmqKwpr0fKIVwHjQtEm00eM3P7PL_KtSG8LUYErs0-IEE4XzRKPc4abrNy2tFM0gaxArKE5a4XLndCFAHySQkX-BXLFKWt5yLdtcfnHj/s4032/IMG_9547.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DcYvEl2p14P-qJTkg0AXoIGWOgQaEQGmCu1s7t-aqT_NtZcbSAHbhWw_EWEeljMx6-TkjQqhXeaYPSJktEYFPmqKwpr0fKIVwHjQtEm00eM3P7PL_KtSG8LUYErs0-IEE4XzRKPc4abrNy2tFM0gaxArKE5a4XLndCFAHySQkX-BXLFKWt5yLdtcfnHj/s320/IMG_9547.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPL3k4idzI1ybX6IGU4rDIipgxlYE88w9t-IzWCGGKpb_CS_vCFFpAflXDiYE31IvztvTcpTFJUuZ_7BQYrbYDh8WtF1E2YQvPjsUnH7kdya4ygBUdGyD-pvRmZGB5XM1IV4rELZUI57JewHP6i9JjDf0Ri0fiDKrUjZ3MC6X6_7JCnDcw7G5c6iFKt1S/s4032/20230614_184852.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPL3k4idzI1ybX6IGU4rDIipgxlYE88w9t-IzWCGGKpb_CS_vCFFpAflXDiYE31IvztvTcpTFJUuZ_7BQYrbYDh8WtF1E2YQvPjsUnH7kdya4ygBUdGyD-pvRmZGB5XM1IV4rELZUI57JewHP6i9JjDf0Ri0fiDKrUjZ3MC6X6_7JCnDcw7G5c6iFKt1S/s320/20230614_184852.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMsMZpCmEv_mKR9hMBfHf3BgtwXKAzUPNc2wSKROD3PLWg6WQvu6s-LWmag8WG-HLHEj7Qeo4B1nntL5ropqXC8UmAOvoCojIvFxKJTcLQhvITdsuJoqvX_14lsNnHJUJpbK_G9NF5aBXInT8ihaTnilgwZPOPE86nOcLalC5f3DnG0o7UPCDuwX-MEa3/s4032/IMG_9501.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMsMZpCmEv_mKR9hMBfHf3BgtwXKAzUPNc2wSKROD3PLWg6WQvu6s-LWmag8WG-HLHEj7Qeo4B1nntL5ropqXC8UmAOvoCojIvFxKJTcLQhvITdsuJoqvX_14lsNnHJUJpbK_G9NF5aBXInT8ihaTnilgwZPOPE86nOcLalC5f3DnG0o7UPCDuwX-MEa3/s320/IMG_9501.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing on our car with Hannah and friends!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPwUqeEpi5VylRCZ2syg32vQRPo75g0rqzMajBGPmvxqIwaaxTA19m1p46KDR6kQW5HSPG8_ZnZOT-In6nrYykqVxZpwneQ0B4r3_4xuOzlKql0BDyJdZZPKEUhewJn4quSZU4woTSKvOE2xKxBEozIUlU00XeKKPWcDjZzirDqjWDym1kSjICFhy68Om/s4032/20230611_133829.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPwUqeEpi5VylRCZ2syg32vQRPo75g0rqzMajBGPmvxqIwaaxTA19m1p46KDR6kQW5HSPG8_ZnZOT-In6nrYykqVxZpwneQ0B4r3_4xuOzlKql0BDyJdZZPKEUhewJn4quSZU4woTSKvOE2xKxBEozIUlU00XeKKPWcDjZzirDqjWDym1kSjICFhy68Om/s320/20230611_133829.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His normal stance is with his hands behind his back - He is in charge!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRA9-yMgs9detA5CsUY-fsE8VciEoBr-bFLNafPJrChpU8v3T4kJ7CV5mMPvTrnphe2HTzOGecgj7HM6AGbRgEI4B13KbCAmAAISCFLPaKO5FHMONSVHwiSpEgYGHIpex-R8q8jWhO1_b60tLdHMDSSPsimjyaW5iAIb3LUyqaVxipFkNPjp_q6WnKZVH/s4032/20230610_151608.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRA9-yMgs9detA5CsUY-fsE8VciEoBr-bFLNafPJrChpU8v3T4kJ7CV5mMPvTrnphe2HTzOGecgj7HM6AGbRgEI4B13KbCAmAAISCFLPaKO5FHMONSVHwiSpEgYGHIpex-R8q8jWhO1_b60tLdHMDSSPsimjyaW5iAIb3LUyqaVxipFkNPjp_q6WnKZVH/s320/20230610_151608.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surveying his domain!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ1MUiHLOK5MxgFri8V6X3r_2fcqP1XIkJSDhqZrY0-n-D0xsR_pES4B2DFFxptaacfx4san3FzhoMf8GEUqgMCY5gX1Wm7mYXyWgt8Jb9nm8kFW71WygiCfkjqjYE0E_VRzlaE3-iB8POQLs1v7N75z5MuMC-KkNWK2L3QmS2vSKjaY6wiVeX7cHRWhx/s4032/IMG_9464.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ1MUiHLOK5MxgFri8V6X3r_2fcqP1XIkJSDhqZrY0-n-D0xsR_pES4B2DFFxptaacfx4san3FzhoMf8GEUqgMCY5gX1Wm7mYXyWgt8Jb9nm8kFW71WygiCfkjqjYE0E_VRzlaE3-iB8POQLs1v7N75z5MuMC-KkNWK2L3QmS2vSKjaY6wiVeX7cHRWhx/s320/IMG_9464.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going in for a hug with Cousin Austin!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS0kTXl81jzEbN91cIVFEcZiKUM-zKX4yxeVJfc6HFukARZahwynIej9fESaVgULnq25rIDJi-IPkJKlGf3w9OlzJ2GxRQrsNHhdvTrjz39k7sMhZnW8hNvOATIr8QT27a2z6A0Xs3r__PjCld0JyOoyPNiI5KHjfaw2tuh9T6skC-llhGupmbMlx3KBe/s4032/IMG_9441.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS0kTXl81jzEbN91cIVFEcZiKUM-zKX4yxeVJfc6HFukARZahwynIej9fESaVgULnq25rIDJi-IPkJKlGf3w9OlzJ2GxRQrsNHhdvTrjz39k7sMhZnW8hNvOATIr8QT27a2z6A0Xs3r__PjCld0JyOoyPNiI5KHjfaw2tuh9T6skC-llhGupmbMlx3KBe/s320/IMG_9441.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit56s-u471TVziO6j8UaXgIo46ekR0YuZFW-inxwrz7Td-RCDFh_po9Ts7MhFoh33n4JOw10vmXLsJ6t6kX61sKxYY6fKCecwReGco0EzjEjPUPRL9L2ztJoS4E3LdAqkLwvshHXNiX6w8XvtYBb-pOYVKc_CsDhgYZebVH4CiP57Ky0wZaOychWD7SNP4/s4032/20230608_181556.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit56s-u471TVziO6j8UaXgIo46ekR0YuZFW-inxwrz7Td-RCDFh_po9Ts7MhFoh33n4JOw10vmXLsJ6t6kX61sKxYY6fKCecwReGco0EzjEjPUPRL9L2ztJoS4E3LdAqkLwvshHXNiX6w8XvtYBb-pOYVKc_CsDhgYZebVH4CiP57Ky0wZaOychWD7SNP4/s320/20230608_181556.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsHjAlveDS6YoIMe2CKMguCso4WIkbIfiqlatZicqLmeCcpB3TVPZohHa9kyXZXQn2KR8zzJvDypeUiQrq0aEmq7e4v5y9fOKHiWB4BEpSUrMt9bs5bd9aaGymVNQUWxs7j1aHQ3P0AF5gleykzcKHPnmhBrhsbKbtJ5FZ60t1NRo020rFAqQC0B1-G0n/s4032/IMG_9408.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsHjAlveDS6YoIMe2CKMguCso4WIkbIfiqlatZicqLmeCcpB3TVPZohHa9kyXZXQn2KR8zzJvDypeUiQrq0aEmq7e4v5y9fOKHiWB4BEpSUrMt9bs5bd9aaGymVNQUWxs7j1aHQ3P0AF5gleykzcKHPnmhBrhsbKbtJ5FZ60t1NRo020rFAqQC0B1-G0n/s320/IMG_9408.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0tZg-4mTCw4ZyrQ_EefD7knzQPVUTNUuIriRFWDNw8T7vQm6buPCzpNCagSVidPGRCu6YRzOLabefqpGywN8iJ-oscy7uT2eX8OEWJevwfvjmBGNEa4G8j4As5EJeoMEAHdrQjEWXCfFRdNZu6AXnnwj5lm8WRd5WWJuk6-P6jpMNH83NF4Bhk1cjoPO/s4032/20230604_110056.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0tZg-4mTCw4ZyrQ_EefD7knzQPVUTNUuIriRFWDNw8T7vQm6buPCzpNCagSVidPGRCu6YRzOLabefqpGywN8iJ-oscy7uT2eX8OEWJevwfvjmBGNEa4G8j4As5EJeoMEAHdrQjEWXCfFRdNZu6AXnnwj5lm8WRd5WWJuk6-P6jpMNH83NF4Bhk1cjoPO/s320/20230604_110056.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br />Watch these videos and tell me he isn't just the best!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p3B90F5qGHk" width="320" youtube-src-id="p3B90F5qGHk"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pgs-sxsDGQY" width="320" youtube-src-id="Pgs-sxsDGQY"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hsrbHC1HaR4" width="320" youtube-src-id="hsrbHC1HaR4"></iframe></div><br /><p>Unfortunately, the last few days have been hard for Ollie - He caught some kind of bug and has had a fever for the last 3 nights. Last night was particularly hard as he wouldn't take medicine and we had to pretty much hold him down to take it - he was burning up and I ended up with him in the cool basement just holding him while he slept. I got almost no sleep and had to take the day off sick to get some rest and help look after him again today. Thankfully he seems a lot better tonight and has gone to bed with a temp of under 100 - much less than the 104 and 105 we had yesterday and early today. Hopefully, he will be back to himself tomorrow. </p><p>Hannah meanwhile is in fine form at the moment. She is being crazy and cheeky, but the right side of both. She is growing and changing so fast. It's amazing that she is 4 years old and wakes in the middle of the night and will sit reading a book to herself. She picks up books she has never seen and just reads them - word for word. She sits at dinner and discusses her day like an adult and then calls me a poopyhead before laughing out loud and hiding under the table! She is so much fun, but also so grown up. She actually helps with shopping - paying with our credit card sometimes and using the self-scanner herself at eth supermarket. It's her 5th birthday in 10 days and as we will be out at the cabin, we are having a birthday party at home this weekend. I'll post about how that went next time! For now I think it s time for some sleep.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-50009791532224455072023-05-28T04:25:00.001+01:002023-06-05T17:25:34.676+01:003 months - shortened, reduced and curtailed<p>Just for info and so that you know that I am not mad - the first part of this was written about 6 weeks ago. I just aint had the time or gumption to write much since then. I will give you a tiny hint below when you reach the bit that is written now - in May.... </p><p><br /></p><p><b>March to April 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Release the hounds!!!!</p><p>Welease woderick!</p><p>Let them fly....</p><p><br /></p><p>Whatever you might think I am on about, it's probably wrong. Or its right. </p><p>I am actually sitting at the kitchen table, with the beautiful radiation from the big ball of gas in the sky reaching its wonderfully warm tentacles through the window and onto the ageing saggy skin of my boney-looking hands. This is a good thing because not only does it mean the snow clearing is over for another 6 months to be replaced by cutting of grass that grows like the hairs on an old hooker's thighs. But it means that my poor aching head, tortured with the screams and shouts of my wonderful amazing and very loud children, will finally receive some respite between the hours of 5pm and 7pm as those tiny little sweet parasites can now venture into the big bad outdoors for more than 11.4 seconds without their fingers, toes and ears literally freezing and dropping off. Yes, spring is here and after 3 or 4 minutes, spring will be replaced by summer. If you do not live in Winnipeg and have never experienced the joyous delights of seeing 5-month-old discarded rubbish appear from under grey slabs of solid ice or the satisfaction of walking on hard pavement instead of slippy wet slush. The magnificent sight of diggers and dump trucks appearing like long-lost cousins, to randomly close roads and fill in the lake-sized potholes that have appeared on even the newest roads. Then, in my non-humble and completely biased opinion, you haven't lived my old son. </p><p>It is better than childbirth. </p><p>It's more exciting than putting your Uncle Arthur in a watermelon and wobbling him about. If you know what I mean. </p><p>Sunshine and Sweetpea can go outside again. </p><p>Winter. is. over. and. it. can. fuck. right. off. </p><p>(Cue wibbly wobbly time dilation scene from Waynes world and fast forward to the present day....)</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, here we are again - in the present day. I am working in our upstairs office and can hear a certain 4-year-old girl downstairs singing her head off! Hannah is just so much fun when she is in this kind of good mood. She is still a 4-year-old and almost incapable of listening to instructions and is also permanently a millisecond away from a breakdown, but she is getting much better about these and they do occur less often and have less virility than they used to. She is our little girl but is growing up fast and like Oliver, I already miss her as she is now. She is doing great and making lots of friends at school. We often walk home with her and other parents as a gang of kids run ahead or ride ahead on bikes and play together on their way home. We have also started to have other kids come around our house for lunch as well as Hannah goes to their places sometimes to play with her friends. It's a different world than it's been for the past 3 years. The horror of Covid and being stuck in the house for days on end without seeing other people have passed us all by and those of us that had to deal with pent-up kids at the same time now have that extra special feeling of freedom. Its a joy to behold! Add that to an organised and mature (sometimes) 4-year-old who is able to go and spend time away from us with her friends and suddenly we have a few more minutes of rest each week. It's not much, but it's a start. </p><p>It won't be long till she tells us she is going out and will be back later, but for now, we help to arrange things with the other kids and their parents. </p><p>Hannah has also just started playing timbits soccer. This is a 6 week-organized soccer training camp for kids that run 2 evenings a week in May and June. Hannah has her own boots and shin pads and plays in the 'Yellow' team - who have nicknamed themselves 'The Golden Trophies'. She has been really enjoying the training so far and has done really well. It's a bit tough when they play a little game at the end though because she is so knackered after running around for 40 minutes and she is a year younger than some of the boys she is playing with, so they are bigger than her and faster, plus they have been playing for a year already having been in the lower level last year. This is Hannah's first year so she is still getting used to it. Its funny hearing her tell the coaches that it's a pitch 'not a field' and her dad has told he that - plus a few other English-isms that put her apart from the 100% Canadian kids. I am so proud of her when she says things like that. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R123IPLylh1QVl9Q9uGjRUjsguqBLCyNLfBFn7hIoAKY7nephU3IoSNFp4dkREMODdA03GNAdR5MRB1nxllHyTWdquLG42PcymLrF0fElKZbdVdZn6-J39IjPH_Ssy3yl-mOT5M-GZKe0mRsURMp4eXhmJq_qg5Oohm6hJqylEOemFVX_jyUAwtDag/s4032/20230515_180610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R123IPLylh1QVl9Q9uGjRUjsguqBLCyNLfBFn7hIoAKY7nephU3IoSNFp4dkREMODdA03GNAdR5MRB1nxllHyTWdquLG42PcymLrF0fElKZbdVdZn6-J39IjPH_Ssy3yl-mOT5M-GZKe0mRsURMp4eXhmJq_qg5Oohm6hJqylEOemFVX_jyUAwtDag/s320/20230515_180610.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJkUlgfNnzv5J0x6mLu7KNE_AGeIKyUvEmsl2LFRDI3uXav-GPi54xMdhgFeD4qYqUFZJuyfwgzMivDscrH2m3eOU3IOzmSGkQ7VagnYPjM08ilrO72nFrRGLFv0CMM3ppjSZ9Nhrp6B-gbz4FYDTjRZzGuFfWp8FAa6dzXNJCsl6QDISY2fBYdLesw/s4032/20230515_180437.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJkUlgfNnzv5J0x6mLu7KNE_AGeIKyUvEmsl2LFRDI3uXav-GPi54xMdhgFeD4qYqUFZJuyfwgzMivDscrH2m3eOU3IOzmSGkQ7VagnYPjM08ilrO72nFrRGLFv0CMM3ppjSZ9Nhrp6B-gbz4FYDTjRZzGuFfWp8FAa6dzXNJCsl6QDISY2fBYdLesw/s320/20230515_180437.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRUKElddfJ4VOkqpxKU2QgVoCQfH6qunWKuIVeeBzAHSQI2gu0fNUufduVNeHAcFqqkE0wUME8usah1axuPyvo7nV9zrSq2O3sTQc2Eu8BkLtGiO-8mM87XW6ItkhZw4lY7I3xvLo_tzh2HJcz_qux1iyvkdoZPLAAgBZNzXeK68ogFomZBLl9CBjnQ/s4032/20230515_180313(0).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRUKElddfJ4VOkqpxKU2QgVoCQfH6qunWKuIVeeBzAHSQI2gu0fNUufduVNeHAcFqqkE0wUME8usah1axuPyvo7nV9zrSq2O3sTQc2Eu8BkLtGiO-8mM87XW6ItkhZw4lY7I3xvLo_tzh2HJcz_qux1iyvkdoZPLAAgBZNzXeK68ogFomZBLl9CBjnQ/s320/20230515_180313(0).jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Here she is in training taking a shot, scoring and celebrating!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dS9gDjPqGkc" width="320" youtube-src-id="dS9gDjPqGkc"></iframe></div><br /><p>Last weekend was our first trip to the cabin this summer. It feels so different this year because Ollie is out of his crib and sleeping in a big bed - he is also now so able to play with himself and with Hannah that a trip to the cabin feels like a little vacation again rather than the constant monitoring of the kids which we have had to do for the last 2 summers, There is a little play area with swing and slide, as well as a climbing frame and monkey bars and Hannah, goes there at least 456343253 times a day. She is now able to swing herself on the swing and her new favourite game is to hang on the rings and kick the shit out of the tree stump that is just out of reach. Ollie loves playing on the smaller swing and taking walks through the woods. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-pEDhL1zdvGWgciTnMVu2nA2OTPlW6Wm6D_n0NYTGLWozE_1Of3TkeKZaK_2_KWBvxY8bKszttAkeZEWoORmfYsVFiX5gRMgLquqAwQAe6g5RJZppq47tw_MhhEUCcGI5MFXWOQWHZjTMS9oes3wcaPlkBYo_aMNkQNwlx2hjX3FdCFspggfiedyog/s4032/20230521_172522.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-pEDhL1zdvGWgciTnMVu2nA2OTPlW6Wm6D_n0NYTGLWozE_1Of3TkeKZaK_2_KWBvxY8bKszttAkeZEWoORmfYsVFiX5gRMgLquqAwQAe6g5RJZppq47tw_MhhEUCcGI5MFXWOQWHZjTMS9oes3wcaPlkBYo_aMNkQNwlx2hjX3FdCFspggfiedyog/s320/20230521_172522.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysT0p2Fagrtf4RrONcad_RuWx2B0Ra5FNX-ExzKZIvzzc-XXrWAOuFw5YGDOW1pQn7y5n_-fsBtEyCP-84tl2AO--zFC_GNysP80aHQE1gpfosPDt_f1-bkc0ALgPVZu2xDN2bUyNovBoKgkrT_7x06dqQgzMjLs-HB8u2uHcy62l8U_IQNOqdsYyzw/s4032/20230521_172507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysT0p2Fagrtf4RrONcad_RuWx2B0Ra5FNX-ExzKZIvzzc-XXrWAOuFw5YGDOW1pQn7y5n_-fsBtEyCP-84tl2AO--zFC_GNysP80aHQE1gpfosPDt_f1-bkc0ALgPVZu2xDN2bUyNovBoKgkrT_7x06dqQgzMjLs-HB8u2uHcy62l8U_IQNOqdsYyzw/s320/20230521_172507.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNxuz59cA6ZMEp2ZAR-F2QsvxBAHncpuK-1fVPPCpeLIYQ01AFHpQfUN7BgiIMHWqon6Prl0bSsijuaDANH9p4MGafe3I_fkrkgXgK4N61SzBkMA9GkTnqmLiXEV0KfSd3Bdw7zHHY_gQ8k3E2mTpCpszzWqt0AWGjD7ie3pnbG1zBnKR_DZ0jBI0AA/s4032/20230520_172909.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNxuz59cA6ZMEp2ZAR-F2QsvxBAHncpuK-1fVPPCpeLIYQ01AFHpQfUN7BgiIMHWqon6Prl0bSsijuaDANH9p4MGafe3I_fkrkgXgK4N61SzBkMA9GkTnqmLiXEV0KfSd3Bdw7zHHY_gQ8k3E2mTpCpszzWqt0AWGjD7ie3pnbG1zBnKR_DZ0jBI0AA/s320/20230520_172909.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hpeTap697N8" width="320" youtube-src-id="hpeTap697N8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9n4cU87S6a0" width="320" youtube-src-id="9n4cU87S6a0"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Back in the city and both kids are loving the nicer weather. Hannah is spending plenty of time riding her new bike, after outgrowing her little one. Ollie is very happy to walk anywhere and explore whenever he gets the chance. He does have a little bike too but is still getting used to it at the moment. His favourite thing at the moment is climbing anything he can - he is definitely fearless and just a few days ago, he found himself clambering about 8 feet high on a horizontal ladder meant for kids much much bigger than himself, but he did it and loved it. If he does fall, which he does sometimes, he is pretty quick to get up and carry on. Good lad!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0z0kQMEYfSmY8TolPDkWdTwP0aGfQR61FWZ31Vor-1zk93SADuPDaDRAqm0hfMXnJqHdYPMEDHbZHlPSJRVMwPnEBsCyK1GPiwTuDi4FzDgaEnbeBc2QtKkoqfpMKztxDph_9daSy-JEeK8IEPOpE-Pbd-7-AbnJr3ctoJk_Wuv2hZatvuEFKhfyzw/s4032/20230429_165547.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0z0kQMEYfSmY8TolPDkWdTwP0aGfQR61FWZ31Vor-1zk93SADuPDaDRAqm0hfMXnJqHdYPMEDHbZHlPSJRVMwPnEBsCyK1GPiwTuDi4FzDgaEnbeBc2QtKkoqfpMKztxDph_9daSy-JEeK8IEPOpE-Pbd-7-AbnJr3ctoJk_Wuv2hZatvuEFKhfyzw/s320/20230429_165547.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLU1EPERP8IYo10D2SJKdgFZlZKpi6cifH23S5jZ3IQR-F-BkaTKm4tXfAoCWC7ZC107lgpRnrQUDD-BI_Yj_63ONxnOQAGM1wP4UHGzSulfuORCgFzAhAU3oMJkWkx6ea6dI_xVO1A5QDx5U51q6qhp2wZRisXt7Jsgofzwpvjro8AVQNe5yfX3lUQ/s4032/20230430_110607.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLU1EPERP8IYo10D2SJKdgFZlZKpi6cifH23S5jZ3IQR-F-BkaTKm4tXfAoCWC7ZC107lgpRnrQUDD-BI_Yj_63ONxnOQAGM1wP4UHGzSulfuORCgFzAhAU3oMJkWkx6ea6dI_xVO1A5QDx5U51q6qhp2wZRisXt7Jsgofzwpvjro8AVQNe5yfX3lUQ/s320/20230430_110607.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaUbw6zT-oVu6x40GrbXy1DsUmYIP_7NPMhfZ5tfAOZjUzZq7J6jhm4RNQpcFHHn5nXqSRMB-GjRnk3Ytv6wlWq14JhyO53xbYL7SX9Qbxvj2APs1qQ8mOGarVh_Nv8rdMBH79KRVGptwewGvckGI6DOeghiAv-tiuKDqk_lKk1nFwAU1PzHk9E13bQ/s4032/IMG_8992.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaUbw6zT-oVu6x40GrbXy1DsUmYIP_7NPMhfZ5tfAOZjUzZq7J6jhm4RNQpcFHHn5nXqSRMB-GjRnk3Ytv6wlWq14JhyO53xbYL7SX9Qbxvj2APs1qQ8mOGarVh_Nv8rdMBH79KRVGptwewGvckGI6DOeghiAv-tiuKDqk_lKk1nFwAU1PzHk9E13bQ/s320/IMG_8992.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>A couple of weeks ago we took Hannah to a skate park (on her old bike) and she loved riding the 'mountains' and was actually really good. Ollie, true to type, spent his time mostly climbing things. They both love getting out and doing cool things, whether it's riding bikes, climbing, playing in Home depot on the tractors or spinning on chairs. They obviously fight sometimes, but they also have a lot of fun together</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vbAolq_cAvs" width="320" youtube-src-id="vbAolq_cAvs"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5p8QWdFA61k" width="320" youtube-src-id="5p8QWdFA61k"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6C00NrkNZP4" width="320" youtube-src-id="6C00NrkNZP4"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sp2-VpBgfXw" width="320" youtube-src-id="Sp2-VpBgfXw"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Just last night it was Buffy's last choir concert of the season and we took the kids with Grandma and Grandpa to watch. I expected to be bringing Ollie home early, but he did brilliantly and lasted the whole concert, clapping along after the songs finished and sharing a chair with Hannah for the last half hour. They also loved the free red candy which stained their hands and tongues! Then after the concert was finished our kids had to go on stage and try to give a concert of their own (Ollie does love singing and loves to belt out a tune in the back of the car!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zi7E-jqy8tbPxE67LofqZJo8WT8kLecitn19UWS5QXwqCPe0VWbYCTEius17zY7fT3TYMI8tRCXl7x6yoWTpnUBKJRl4PnI6k7lB7x5RBMwtzWuF4CdKeBC75PDmHUAwn3EYylcKSZfGgaD_jAvNZVp2k-vWYXA9vvhUjBXPeTzgOqJMIykezaz1Hw/s4032/20230526_205344.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zi7E-jqy8tbPxE67LofqZJo8WT8kLecitn19UWS5QXwqCPe0VWbYCTEius17zY7fT3TYMI8tRCXl7x6yoWTpnUBKJRl4PnI6k7lB7x5RBMwtzWuF4CdKeBC75PDmHUAwn3EYylcKSZfGgaD_jAvNZVp2k-vWYXA9vvhUjBXPeTzgOqJMIykezaz1Hw/s320/20230526_205344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_1X_y0gldvSMULvsQQl1Ruucs8EYOO9SuMSY8zmwxWFgnqnr4DHwkPe1FOkNKwYnNeDXt-Z8IMqMcO_86Nc4tMUXRBEzZpEGiYWN1c75Z6HZ56p9ogXXlfp-Ry3qYuOaLYbqTY-spnuz7BCvTWr87hFSQh2OSqTU7rMkphAXLDzSdcU4ohzkw5jyYQ/s4032/20230526_192649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_1X_y0gldvSMULvsQQl1Ruucs8EYOO9SuMSY8zmwxWFgnqnr4DHwkPe1FOkNKwYnNeDXt-Z8IMqMcO_86Nc4tMUXRBEzZpEGiYWN1c75Z6HZ56p9ogXXlfp-Ry3qYuOaLYbqTY-spnuz7BCvTWr87hFSQh2OSqTU7rMkphAXLDzSdcU4ohzkw5jyYQ/s320/20230526_192649.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVkCWNnO2a3HGtSjB1WTnXbV-K4W3eJWK1xr-h3Gb-lWDu1l3omIT1IjvYEzDc_thCXpgtMtJbYkeqdfxE42MK_a1le0t9IASrmY1cUbmdn4kkexQP9Fu9Jd-OA7ipeH229yGszMYw3uQRr-tuqoMH0E_BdEutbL7UetCHsjM3M89zH_IIqzzEIXDWQ/s4032/20230526_192602.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVkCWNnO2a3HGtSjB1WTnXbV-K4W3eJWK1xr-h3Gb-lWDu1l3omIT1IjvYEzDc_thCXpgtMtJbYkeqdfxE42MK_a1le0t9IASrmY1cUbmdn4kkexQP9Fu9Jd-OA7ipeH229yGszMYw3uQRr-tuqoMH0E_BdEutbL7UetCHsjM3M89zH_IIqzzEIXDWQ/s320/20230526_192602.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvXQvKMqSKStvtFPB6tKzUi78kn-8OCHUqFHoklzDPILm0WtBp9N-ZsJscq5l_yLHBB_6UP0aJ6GF3s2XyucKNvkt8CXKVF9drwZS2ENMTg1TRNlVF9nlUiEGcCNjvr_W4f5A2oz3FX37FELkX2cc4TZEKnICB-qQOcRRoPFev3Sn0YJJsoMr7h4Ceg/s4032/20230526_192211.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvXQvKMqSKStvtFPB6tKzUi78kn-8OCHUqFHoklzDPILm0WtBp9N-ZsJscq5l_yLHBB_6UP0aJ6GF3s2XyucKNvkt8CXKVF9drwZS2ENMTg1TRNlVF9nlUiEGcCNjvr_W4f5A2oz3FX37FELkX2cc4TZEKnICB-qQOcRRoPFev3Sn0YJJsoMr7h4Ceg/s320/20230526_192211.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/biVzcSfv0KM" width="320" youtube-src-id="biVzcSfv0KM"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tr2RGQ1hfow" width="320" youtube-src-id="tr2RGQ1hfow"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qdYlD8Utw-E" width="320" youtube-src-id="qdYlD8Utw-E"></iframe></div><br /><p>A couple of weeks ago it was mothers Day. The kids were so excited and did a great job making Buffy breakfast in bed and delivering it alongside a whole pile of flower-themed presents they had chosen themselves. Buffy had decided that she would like to spend the morning with the kids and visit the Snake Pits - about an hour north of Winnipeg, where thousands of snakes gather this time of year to mate (and get looked at by us weird humans) So we piled into the car and took a nice drive North. The kids (again) were great. Playing with the snakes and being really careful not to hurt them. Its times like this when I am so proud of our kids, they can be really grown up and great when they want to be (They can be arseholes too, but that's kids for you)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IRyYlDAkhp3sGdKPBomda5uw6KknnwXp_6d6xoNAbpKoHc2ikY1iX1KMHtl7fyAkqfDnU1wj9aQZhOttJEulKU9lVhBNmj_yGsX9hsc4nOrpMmiwr0Qzw5ut3QqC9bPYMTcajqz-0FlnA2SH_dkke5UdNgIlK_SswvSNAFWUgNm3IGhi0oSO3g84Ew/s4032/20230514_114242.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IRyYlDAkhp3sGdKPBomda5uw6KknnwXp_6d6xoNAbpKoHc2ikY1iX1KMHtl7fyAkqfDnU1wj9aQZhOttJEulKU9lVhBNmj_yGsX9hsc4nOrpMmiwr0Qzw5ut3QqC9bPYMTcajqz-0FlnA2SH_dkke5UdNgIlK_SswvSNAFWUgNm3IGhi0oSO3g84Ew/s320/20230514_114242.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzAO9O9c9PhW--FhZjORaU2MmGA189-SAlj6MIXR9jvn7gpzqhj8wwqY_pfA3V_DrLp8-m8wb3fFkJCziZZjlJnBVXopbHe4az_5GzR-J6NPpr1Cj7_njI1GZIVIwkKDvMKguFu-Inaqosxmp7xPA3eRXKfn7opdZTsX1EJdAoZDW3PnNeimFJQPUig/s4032/20230514_114214.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzAO9O9c9PhW--FhZjORaU2MmGA189-SAlj6MIXR9jvn7gpzqhj8wwqY_pfA3V_DrLp8-m8wb3fFkJCziZZjlJnBVXopbHe4az_5GzR-J6NPpr1Cj7_njI1GZIVIwkKDvMKguFu-Inaqosxmp7xPA3eRXKfn7opdZTsX1EJdAoZDW3PnNeimFJQPUig/s320/20230514_114214.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3NWRzZnHQK_Bd5xHy02O7wpAydOmBhIkg7vlsaWkTeRD_0ILrSwXLsz_DtE61nOic-wRpyXB1ZEQdXkTvhAsipV9jHqT1EChKFmgAnrnNWYYbDf2gcccmCoAT4ToT8HQ7vPQK2zgVRJsiRzEpJB6kebqsd1SzvFAM9Q2bnXsiaT-V5zmhh13cyE_8A/s4032/20230514_114208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3NWRzZnHQK_Bd5xHy02O7wpAydOmBhIkg7vlsaWkTeRD_0ILrSwXLsz_DtE61nOic-wRpyXB1ZEQdXkTvhAsipV9jHqT1EChKFmgAnrnNWYYbDf2gcccmCoAT4ToT8HQ7vPQK2zgVRJsiRzEpJB6kebqsd1SzvFAM9Q2bnXsiaT-V5zmhh13cyE_8A/s320/20230514_114208.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYAxcWpLar6oVTnq4nkdbxrtPYvfdHwmG6weWOi9sIdNqzWbPBAdZ4qKMz0yRUkYbq8hxtArJxmjFdVrtEEHEjgzYF6bfQxiKEUen4d_B7Y1bFlytiQLV92q_Rq9vg3vrfZl9_tGMVOMfyMc8icE0-J9W548DghRNmnw_ZGSYHp73yspXKdc3vhs5Pg/s4032/20230514_114132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYAxcWpLar6oVTnq4nkdbxrtPYvfdHwmG6weWOi9sIdNqzWbPBAdZ4qKMz0yRUkYbq8hxtArJxmjFdVrtEEHEjgzYF6bfQxiKEUen4d_B7Y1bFlytiQLV92q_Rq9vg3vrfZl9_tGMVOMfyMc8icE0-J9W548DghRNmnw_ZGSYHp73yspXKdc3vhs5Pg/s320/20230514_114132.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVXhGIY2TH96PpNGl0B6ENSeB2U20aXvIx-IdBPxVdT232YM8W1z7LCdLbfM7Ohm6JhYid24i2Ohqq13IegK3HZuUMMQQu0vV7H8-qIBwtbe5_le1Vn7VlNrCPXrggqsGssdBQDVW8xqJi3B1WCvxYta5owfhxAsviFZ8QagzPth9EYLSHyXwWWfTFg/s4032/20230514_111117.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVXhGIY2TH96PpNGl0B6ENSeB2U20aXvIx-IdBPxVdT232YM8W1z7LCdLbfM7Ohm6JhYid24i2Ohqq13IegK3HZuUMMQQu0vV7H8-qIBwtbe5_le1Vn7VlNrCPXrggqsGssdBQDVW8xqJi3B1WCvxYta5owfhxAsviFZ8QagzPth9EYLSHyXwWWfTFg/s320/20230514_111117.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQikWJ5H4GLFxymLQdctHWrmeKRAyvFZLzJATtGwdiw8oJaqmBUcnB99bRkj8K06WEYlqLmKPOxzU7FZOs68day0LAFZKv1ZJrpG1w3zYxKd8SaWd4lJkmgUx31zhDKbYLidHoP7qw-kjCHLbYr70H5XUbHf0P5xwoUL0WoAwmfPe-zkdsjNbAc0nZA/s4032/20230514_111108.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQikWJ5H4GLFxymLQdctHWrmeKRAyvFZLzJATtGwdiw8oJaqmBUcnB99bRkj8K06WEYlqLmKPOxzU7FZOs68day0LAFZKv1ZJrpG1w3zYxKd8SaWd4lJkmgUx31zhDKbYLidHoP7qw-kjCHLbYr70H5XUbHf0P5xwoUL0WoAwmfPe-zkdsjNbAc0nZA/s320/20230514_111108.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsz8hESymRaO3WCMorGS9-vm89KBhdHXyoU7Rn1geotNCGIqsd0bKf91fnUTvmoSbVmyoQn6lBDSdh90N-j6wrUKlAxMqV57MQVfvlDtB7dtpBI0X0fqvrSC0whHbYnW31i0RTukVBFVqFnFb26zABLUS5GuAA_1tIQ-seTWHfroV3U2ucHFOeq5zqw/s4032/20230514_084614.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsz8hESymRaO3WCMorGS9-vm89KBhdHXyoU7Rn1geotNCGIqsd0bKf91fnUTvmoSbVmyoQn6lBDSdh90N-j6wrUKlAxMqV57MQVfvlDtB7dtpBI0X0fqvrSC0whHbYnW31i0RTukVBFVqFnFb26zABLUS5GuAA_1tIQ-seTWHfroV3U2ucHFOeq5zqw/s320/20230514_084614.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcukYB780hofs4_e-a4geit0KbeyHKECRoEsrxfLfy198LZWJte1ZFepkFqakvl6wMDJ0sBXWjrJJDBzeDu2QwL-CloHc3Kc0P8h7JngSEOqqQdzgM5I_G7rRE5TMhVqWOinisiQtADvr44XRBzXbzyxqxns-wKVBOEWNbRMRBtwQacLhdRG_5TMKPg/s4032/20230514_084610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcukYB780hofs4_e-a4geit0KbeyHKECRoEsrxfLfy198LZWJte1ZFepkFqakvl6wMDJ0sBXWjrJJDBzeDu2QwL-CloHc3Kc0P8h7JngSEOqqQdzgM5I_G7rRE5TMhVqWOinisiQtADvr44XRBzXbzyxqxns-wKVBOEWNbRMRBtwQacLhdRG_5TMKPg/s320/20230514_084610.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>All in all it's been a pretty good 3 months since my last post. I am not going to 'Instagram' it as perfect though. Work, (especially for Buffy) at the moment is busy and the constant frustration and jealousy we feel when we hear of every other parent of every other kid we know, having the luck to have 2 full families (grandparents from both sides) offering free child care almost every day whilst we are obviously hampered by the fact we don't get that. We are constantly juggling work times and time off to be able to keep the house tidy, get the shopping done and get Hannah to soccer, swimming and dance class. Jon and Susan did take the kids overnight a couple of weeks back whilst we went to Joel's Lawyer theatre show and it was so nice to wake up for once without the kids. We are lucky though for the same reasons - We both get to spend much more time with our kids than anyone else we know. We are really close with both our kids - Ollie, especially at the moment loves to hug and snuggle and I would really miss that. Even when I am at work, I often work at home and get to teach the kids how to make coffee which they love because they get a chocolate biscuit afterwards!</p><p>It is hard and it is tiring and frustrating and I often hate myself for getting angry at the kids, but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. We get to see our kids all day and spend time with them in good and bad ways. I will leave this post with one last story about Ollie, he just made e smile so much!</p><p>Just a few minutes ago Ollie called me upstairs to take him to the bathroom for a poop. He didn't have a poop, but after sitting on the potty for about 2 minutes, he stood up, turned around and with a big smile grabbed hold of his own knob ( Peeenis as he calls it) in his hand and made a long slow 'pssssssssssss' noise , whilst pretending to stand and pee in the potty whilst waggling his bum- 'Just like you dad' he said with a big smile!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-27510205938664952142023-03-09T05:02:00.003+00:002023-03-09T05:02:45.892+00:00The Davey's Part 8. The end and the beginning. <p>This is the final part of the Davey story. We have covered a lot of ground in the last few months and I only wish I was a better writer and had more memories - But I am pretty pleased with the outcome, I think it gave a good insight into our little family and how we became who we are today. </p><p>This final instalment will look into the 5 of us and how we eventually left (or not in Chris' case) Manchester and how our family of 2 adults and 3 kids became dispersed around Europe and then the world!</p><p>As I am writing and I am my own favourite, I will begin with myself.</p><p><b>Rick.</b></p><p>As the youngest of 3 boys, I was the last to leave school. I spent the final year doing as little as I could - which was pretty much what I did my entire school life after I had been promoted a year in Primary school, because I was so clever, only to have to repeat that year again as I was too young to be accepted to the secondary school. I spent a lot of that last year at St Hughes kicking a ball around the playground on my own as I had already completed everything I needed to do a year earlier. So my attitude waned and that continued right up to I left school - But only at school - when I am left to my own devices and to get on with stuff I want or feel the need to do I do it. So out of school, I was working on all my paper rounds still and also in the supermarkets. I earned all my own money and was the only kid in school to ride there on a moped - most walked and others had bikes - but I was the only one in my entire year who had a motorbike. It was a crap one, but it was paid for by me and I was proud to do it myself. </p><p>This was it - My red BSA easy rider. Gareth had a blue one the same a few years earlier ( see later) and Dad got this for me and I paid him for it in cash. Admittedly the helmet was more expensive than the bike, and that was a birthday present. But I loved this thing!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl9Z58dN6-BiTduPmpZCblmykImeflBS_qN33-OFUgz_Dk-WEq2MQB-7DZq1n4_m7Y7gnYkdkOfsL4yhogxQVMTHabWxsHJm7pKeevHdi9U4BhBZ2xilYHNIrEiiUuTatdmfhLWyS1zl7QH-RpemvlZvcqzSWA4QQto9eve1jyXjHoRfSZZgfYnXoDw/s1686/img140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="1175" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl9Z58dN6-BiTduPmpZCblmykImeflBS_qN33-OFUgz_Dk-WEq2MQB-7DZq1n4_m7Y7gnYkdkOfsL4yhogxQVMTHabWxsHJm7pKeevHdi9U4BhBZ2xilYHNIrEiiUuTatdmfhLWyS1zl7QH-RpemvlZvcqzSWA4QQto9eve1jyXjHoRfSZZgfYnXoDw/s320/img140.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEius5iXD4rhAfSnDLMnYJ8CoNSl2fJC_SpdBmSA8TKMwR8leLiYJIBn0smlmg4T-r_iajUdFHB1JqGsGHxJSbEAOFvqkTLoIvX3rtR-JHL6PHrpLFzDoyckhKwYZgLCdjtRnnSt-VyjyTqrCpY0Fg0QRb0mEENCAMLbqUtL8Sesda9E_WMpT00RRtppYQ/s1813/img140a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="1813" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEius5iXD4rhAfSnDLMnYJ8CoNSl2fJC_SpdBmSA8TKMwR8leLiYJIBn0smlmg4T-r_iajUdFHB1JqGsGHxJSbEAOFvqkTLoIvX3rtR-JHL6PHrpLFzDoyckhKwYZgLCdjtRnnSt-VyjyTqrCpY0Fg0QRb0mEENCAMLbqUtL8Sesda9E_WMpT00RRtppYQ/s320/img140a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I even did my paper round on this for a year or so. </p><p>I have never told this story before.....One morning I left the helmet on the back of the bike like it is in the photo above while I went into the paper shop to collect the papers for my round. When I came out the helmet had gone. I was gutted. I looked around but there was no one about so I had to start the round with no helmet and explain my stupidity to dad when I got home and that the helmet had been stolen. </p><p>A few minutes into my round I rode past a local school and in the distance, across the playing fields I could see someone sitting in a doorway, with a red bike helmet. I had to get it back so I locked up my bike and walked straight towards the person. When I go there it was a fully grown man, much bigger than me and he looked like he had been sleeping rough for a few days at least, I strode up, shitting myself and said - 'That's my helmet, I am taking it back'. For some reason I will never understand, he stood up looked down at me and said' OK', handing the helmet back. I took it and walked calmly away, got on my bike and rode off as quick as I can. I never told mum and dad and made sure to never leave it lying around again! </p><p>In my final year at St Pauls, I took 8 CSEs and 5 GCE (O-levels) I was actually the last person to ever take an O level at that school as they were replaced by GCSE the next year and I was the only person to take O level Geography, which was the last O level of that year! A little bit of history! </p><p>I used to skive off school quite a lot and do my own thing. I don't know if mum and dad ever found out, but I did get caught on the day that prefects were to be chosen. I wasn't there to hear but apparently, my name was called out in assembly to be a prefect, but I was skiving off THAT DAY and got caught because I wasn't in assembly. Needless to say, I didn't get chosen as a prefect after that! (If you don't know what a prefect is, look up Prefect school UK, on google)</p><p>I already had a job lined up when I sat my exams, as I had been accepted into the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army. I never imagined where this job would take me and that it would last just over 23 years, but at the time I had nothing else planned, so it was just what I did.</p><p>I left school after my exams and continued to work in Gateway supermarket and even on my paper round until a week or so before I joined up on September 2nd 1987. I should leave myself there and maybe talk about what happened at home before all that, </p><p><b>Gareth.</b> </p><p>Gareth was 3 years ahead of me at school and even though I sometimes saw him with friends at home I don't really have any memories of what he did in the last year at school. I do believe that he was actually chosen as deputy head boy - I am sure he will correct me if I am wrong! (<span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gareth - Not
very much really, I’d discovered Girls and beer by then hence me having to Join
the army lol) </span>Gareth definitely had mates who were into bikes and I remember his BSA easy rider and another motorbike too, which I believe he rebuilt - <span style="color: red;">(Gareth - That bike came up from London… Uncle Tony had it in his shed. The idea was to get it on the road but by the time I could afford the Insurance, I'd joined up. I sold it to a middle-aged fella who about a week later had an accident on it and died.)</span> - Rebuilding the bike was at least good practice for his life as a vehicle mechanic. </p><p>I do have some photos of Gareth with his bikes. He looks way cooler on his BSA than I ever did - except for when he has a Golliwog stuffed down his jumper! Also in that photo look at how good dads garden got after us kids grew up and stopped ruining it for him!</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xrULa-IVXRD5obk4fitoFkv6ALrUOh7XScYiAvlMEPT06iA-kt7xASnwQUOKYEafrvpnR2C4WcgZxpGCM2HnkHBnvwoSQIsrC2YdgkjhuaHvi3zW44s9GwvWO_g2lY5C4lqG6gbwSpqJu9M19rhQmOOPuKMyxXfB9HgIeg_O6PWu3jSWKyiu-Xp9fw/s1444/g%20bsa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1444" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xrULa-IVXRD5obk4fitoFkv6ALrUOh7XScYiAvlMEPT06iA-kt7xASnwQUOKYEafrvpnR2C4WcgZxpGCM2HnkHBnvwoSQIsrC2YdgkjhuaHvi3zW44s9GwvWO_g2lY5C4lqG6gbwSpqJu9M19rhQmOOPuKMyxXfB9HgIeg_O6PWu3jSWKyiu-Xp9fw/s320/g%20bsa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGaKSRZWevA6yysAko8jQvj6bLvNCJeufq47CdTzkJKs_m5okDx6HLuKj7_jdo8lFcHiSAZbMCvEsiI_eeaRl4HiYE1bw0PtGXIm2XX0XzYyP6d4yhRpJiQQBnEenE7FrguKezE6nl6KRIaQ1e_aCcLmHXJz6JQZdPvAbLJ49JDPNdNJKy9vRpcw2rg/s1492/g%20bsa%20golliwog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="943" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGaKSRZWevA6yysAko8jQvj6bLvNCJeufq47CdTzkJKs_m5okDx6HLuKj7_jdo8lFcHiSAZbMCvEsiI_eeaRl4HiYE1bw0PtGXIm2XX0XzYyP6d4yhRpJiQQBnEenE7FrguKezE6nl6KRIaQ1e_aCcLmHXJz6JQZdPvAbLJ49JDPNdNJKy9vRpcw2rg/s320/g%20bsa%20golliwog.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8ISUZ6Pq-XoOQ5lwRxB1acqvo5a-Ko4qoHkvSo2RcQNVjU6W9dHvAKF4ckzCNkYyG9V5JvmwtZg_M9gE3-MbBZo6y04gyVPwFqfFooS9dvb1NR-B0HJR2SlT8EKF2fkI258uIWyXzeQdZKBSx9uFD-GOnFMy6HD0gLdD0sm5zZzQ81ZdmcqJF93NoA/s1545/g%20honda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1545" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8ISUZ6Pq-XoOQ5lwRxB1acqvo5a-Ko4qoHkvSo2RcQNVjU6W9dHvAKF4ckzCNkYyG9V5JvmwtZg_M9gE3-MbBZo6y04gyVPwFqfFooS9dvb1NR-B0HJR2SlT8EKF2fkI258uIWyXzeQdZKBSx9uFD-GOnFMy6HD0gLdD0sm5zZzQ81ZdmcqJF93NoA/s320/g%20honda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Incidentally, Gareth now has a super new motorbike which he rides around the wonderful roads of Sydney Australia with Tracey on the back!</p><p>I seem to remember Gareth having a pretty hard-looking Leather Jacket for his bike, and at roughly the same time I believe he started to try to play the guitar, but maybe that's just a bad memory of mine! He still worked in the supermarket until he joined the Army as a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers in January 1984. </p><p>I remember the day that Gareth went for his army interview, which would have been in the summer of 1983. Mum came home from shopping and found a suitcase on the front step and thought Gareth had been accepted and was leaving the same day! It turns out that wasn't the case, because inside the suitcase mum discovered our video recorder. It turned out that mum had just happened to get home and come in the back door as the burglar stealing the video was leaving the front door. Luckily he dropped the suitcase and ran off to leave mum to drag the case back in and wonder what the hell was going on! <span style="color: red;">(Gareth - <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">They
also poisoned poor Rassie and he was never the same after that)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>Gareth was accepted into the army though and left home in January 1984. During his time in training, he met and fell in love with Tracey, with whom they had two brilliant kids. Michael and James, who to this day are still both crazy and amazing and great people! One of my biggest regrets is going on a school trip to the Lake District instead of attending Gareth and Tracey's wedding. I was a silly young teenager and shouldn't have been so stupid. If you look back at photos of their wedding now I can't believe I didn't go. What a selfish little prick I can be sometimes. </p><p>Here's a photo of Gareth and Chris with Tracey and her little sister Keri. A photo I really should have been in!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrnhwLY8SxYSrnmn9Y8gmC8TgHE7YQjczLVCF1xBDE2V7cNOGMZAvbSKmovQXq5nBjkuhmcTnHc7vCZzB6yo-oND8fMV3ZBnwdNeWZfb4PxWcXua4Xrhy7TkWHIcE2hAaxyiQT6kzouv5R-s1N2VjMgclKv2pCuf_N3Sq2kkx_ezK_5hvJbme499gqA/s1361/gt%20wedding%20bros%20pic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1361" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrnhwLY8SxYSrnmn9Y8gmC8TgHE7YQjczLVCF1xBDE2V7cNOGMZAvbSKmovQXq5nBjkuhmcTnHc7vCZzB6yo-oND8fMV3ZBnwdNeWZfb4PxWcXua4Xrhy7TkWHIcE2hAaxyiQT6kzouv5R-s1N2VjMgclKv2pCuf_N3Sq2kkx_ezK_5hvJbme499gqA/s320/gt%20wedding%20bros%20pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>There was another wedding in the family in which Gareth had a major role to play too - one that I actually made it to this time. Aunty Catherine married Andrew in Old Trafford and Gareth played the role of Chauffeur - driving dads Ford Cortina and playing the role whilst dressed in his No2 Dress. It was a great wedding day and one that saw all arms of the family meet together in Manchester. </p><p>I wish I still had photos of that day but I couldn't find any, unfortunately! I wonder if Gareth, Chris or of course Catherine and Andrew have any.</p><p>Anyway, that is the story of how Gareth and I both left Manchester to join the army - next up is Chris!</p><p><b>Chris.</b></p><p>Chris still actually lives in Manchester, a fact that I am jealous of as I still love the city even though it's pretty much unrecognisable from when we were kids. </p><p>Chris continued to work in Urmston Market till he left school. After Gareth and I had left Chris remained living in Manchester although I believe he actually moved out of 90 Moss Vale Road for a while. Chris's best mate, still to this day is Paul Davidson. I actually went to school with Paul's little brother <strike>Pete</strike> Phil (I had to be corrected on this by both Gareth and Chris - Sorry Phil I got you mixed up with the old Dr Who - Peter Davidson. Sorry mate!) and both brothers are pretty close to us all. We all keep in touch and often when I came home in the 90s I would hang about with them if Chris was working. Paul even let me and Buffy stay in his house for the week of Chris' wedding!</p><p>Now I am not sure of all the facts here, but this is how I remember things. I hope Chris will correct any errors I make.</p><p>Chris also thought seriously about joining the army. He attended a weekend introduction at an army base under the Severn bridge, but he didn't like it and decided against joining. </p><p>If I remember right Chris and Paul rented a house on the outskirts of Sale for a while around the time I joined the army in 1987, and Paul and Chris enjoyed the life of free and easy 20-somethings with money to spend and places to go! Chris had been working for Trafford Leisure as a lifeguard in sports centres on the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) and I believe they offered him a full-time job on his 17th birthday, mistakenly thinking it was his 18th birthday. He took the job and worked his way up through the management levels over the next few years. </p><p>Chris's story from about then weaves in with Mum and Dad's own departure from Manchester. So Il will now introduce mum and dad to the story.</p><p><b>Mum and Dad. The house and the Bungalow.</b></p><p>Mum and dad were at this point empty nesters in a big house in a big city and when dad was offered early retirement, (<span style="color: #2b00fe;">Chris - he retired on his 50th Birthday</span>) he decided to take it. Mum and dad had always loved Skegness and decided to move back there permanently around 1992/93 (<span style="color: #2b00fe;">Chris - actually July 1991</span>). They found a Bungalow that they liked and attempted to sell the house in Manchester. But selling houses in the UK is completely different from selling houses here in Canada. In Canada houses normally sell within a couple of weeks of being put up for sale, but in the UK it takes a lot lot longer. Mum and dad had a few low offers that they turned down and eventually, needing the money to buy the bungalow in Skegness, came to a deal with Chris to sell it to him to live in with his future wife Julie, while mum and dad moved, Then Chris and Julie would sell it for a realistic asking price and pay the remainder back to mum and dad. Everyone wins. </p><p>But everyone didn't win.....as the house took literally years to sell and I don't believe the real asking price was ever met. There were certainly stresses for everyone involved and when 90 Moss Vale finally sold it was a big relief. </p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Chris - The House was originally valued at £65k – dad was offered £60k the first week it went up for sale but decided not to take it, the 1990 housing crash hit then and they had this issue of being about to retire but unable to sell, I was in Manchester needing a house as I was not moving with them so I offered to buy dad a bungalow until he could sell Moss vale road, but for tax reasons I was then persuaded to buy the house – it then took 6 years to sell as a huge loss against the £60k dad was offered originally</span></p><p>Chris and Julie then bought their own house in Flixton and brought up their kids, Abigail, Peter and Joe there, before eventually splitting up around 2008. </p><p>Chris then met and fell in love with Emma around 2013/14 and they were married in December 2017. Buffy and I were actually staying with Chris in the UK during the formative years of their relationship and we can happily say that we love Emma a whole damn lot! I am very happy to say that I actually made it to their wedding!!</p><p> Here are a couple of photos from the day itself!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNV8t4UJ5R013ITdNk4RH6BFW4VsjFM-uzjrf_xsBH0tvLtaOYN3IwtdAUh2bVu62GzchHd1az1Q0iyBizi_Zk5TCQdrJYQbmWlColG6yva9_Mr4zPBM8IQNoO9QVr4Ls0rU4bBy1Tv_YRsziQSqerv-83h_4wfJ2b02ivy3VrgfmFg-KnOguuwt_1A/s3648/Chris%20Emma%20Wedding%20(52).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNV8t4UJ5R013ITdNk4RH6BFW4VsjFM-uzjrf_xsBH0tvLtaOYN3IwtdAUh2bVu62GzchHd1az1Q0iyBizi_Zk5TCQdrJYQbmWlColG6yva9_Mr4zPBM8IQNoO9QVr4Ls0rU4bBy1Tv_YRsziQSqerv-83h_4wfJ2b02ivy3VrgfmFg-KnOguuwt_1A/s320/Chris%20Emma%20Wedding%20(52).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgxfuo9QJJRnL0r9u1wUVKXdHe-rvU9IWe0dWViY_1yDGUezJeNnOhAeTBYyNrZ6jlrF-MdLGINsbu9ljQMUQ-h7Tk8FpHs0IpXbWjXnQKv2PQFhaLIC76iXXsQlF5Q4eub_jTaz5hlvtHGAu2D3efAW5WIBRQiOuU-QR69hkEFwZxkXsINNGqfXWwg/s3648/Chris%20Emma%20Wedding%20(68).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgxfuo9QJJRnL0r9u1wUVKXdHe-rvU9IWe0dWViY_1yDGUezJeNnOhAeTBYyNrZ6jlrF-MdLGINsbu9ljQMUQ-h7Tk8FpHs0IpXbWjXnQKv2PQFhaLIC76iXXsQlF5Q4eub_jTaz5hlvtHGAu2D3efAW5WIBRQiOuU-QR69hkEFwZxkXsINNGqfXWwg/s320/Chris%20Emma%20Wedding%20(68).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Mum and dad moved permanently to Skegness around 1991 or 1992 and bought the bungalow at 4 Melbourne Drive. </p><p>Then after Chris and Julie sold 90 Moss Vale Road it was been dramatically altered time and time again and at one point looked like it was almost derelict. No one looked after the house like our mum and dad did. Now the old house has been extended and is a huge 7-bed monstrosity with a concrete yard.</p><p>But that doesn't matter - what matters is the memories WE all have of our time growing up there and in Newport and Skegness. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIC3aImP_vyF2Hpgzu3p5eJsmTD6zsYMgzyHuRwDbucVTV-j9rr6rgNlaigUIYCkFv8z2yrTjn9612idqKNhxZCwq1wJ03tJDpcsojCVJskm_qEu9qY5TVyWqr6YPkfKl09lojVRjCpsh86ponFCdeRd3oAbmaVDDv_QY4FvpNyd9u9vkzy7iiVFoxw/s1153/90moss.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1153" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIC3aImP_vyF2Hpgzu3p5eJsmTD6zsYMgzyHuRwDbucVTV-j9rr6rgNlaigUIYCkFv8z2yrTjn9612idqKNhxZCwq1wJ03tJDpcsojCVJskm_qEu9qY5TVyWqr6YPkfKl09lojVRjCpsh86ponFCdeRd3oAbmaVDDv_QY4FvpNyd9u9vkzy7iiVFoxw/s320/90moss.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrzO83Dzez433WWvUyvxJ0qnf-xXqhvGFXaHHMicAo6Wn5HU3jQGHtUKGE6Jkn7ax-myLezf3vZbmn_CbH75jk7U5QkEJbx_xdwVzn2cYFNJjIFGDp_g2QCIMl6URFEiKcXuG61CbnhIEyB7QqCdc_72JyWM_s5_tcqg0Khz8zJN0YiWnRGv7VdlhIA/s476/13478_31677920_IMG_12_0000_max_476x317.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="476" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrzO83Dzez433WWvUyvxJ0qnf-xXqhvGFXaHHMicAo6Wn5HU3jQGHtUKGE6Jkn7ax-myLezf3vZbmn_CbH75jk7U5QkEJbx_xdwVzn2cYFNJjIFGDp_g2QCIMl6URFEiKcXuG61CbnhIEyB7QqCdc_72JyWM_s5_tcqg0Khz8zJN0YiWnRGv7VdlhIA/s320/13478_31677920_IMG_12_0000_max_476x317.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>On a different note, 4 Melbourne Drive in Skegness was the perfect little house for mum and dad, and once they had added a conservatory at the back it got even better. They still had some old friends in Skegness from years before and made lots of new friends too with the neighbours and dad's jobs. Dad went through a number of different jobs in the next few years, from running a car spares shop to managing an arcade and finally settling into working at a label company. He always liked to keep himself busy in the evenings and weekends and so in the garden he dug out and built a goldfish pond as well as making the gardens beautiful with flowers and plants all over the front and back gardens. </p><p>Here's a page from their photo album showing what they did in their first few weeks back in Skegness!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGl8g69fXr-oE2op22nKuNgwAQ8XuBRWaaLI-K3VXzny1ybf_EhoYWorp3KB7-U32AmdEv96kiTULEMDrPkANh_HbCef-jRJaB8F6HMJPgBsVfr8vupeNF-jL9jGtvh8kEJRu1qsTMeftlLDTPp6DwKNftAZq3zdOs55BcwxOxwtMpJti24tTiTnTHw/s3469/mum%20and%20dad%20skegness.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3469" data-original-width="1670" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGl8g69fXr-oE2op22nKuNgwAQ8XuBRWaaLI-K3VXzny1ybf_EhoYWorp3KB7-U32AmdEv96kiTULEMDrPkANh_HbCef-jRJaB8F6HMJPgBsVfr8vupeNF-jL9jGtvh8kEJRu1qsTMeftlLDTPp6DwKNftAZq3zdOs55BcwxOxwtMpJti24tTiTnTHw/s320/mum%20and%20dad%20skegness.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br /><p>Mum and enjoyed chatting with friends and neighbours as well as keeping up with what 'us kids' were doing. For a couple of years, mum and dad's lifelong mate and cousin Tony and his lovely and brilliant wife Joyce move in just across the road and they really enjoyed having them so close. </p><p>All 3 of us kids - Gareth, Chris and me, were lucky enough to meet and marry great strong women. Mum and dad loved Tracey from the moment they met her and they were still alive when I brought Buffy home to the UK and when Chris met Emma. They would be very happy for us all now that we are grown, up settled and happy ourselves. </p><p>They were happy in Skegness and when they both died in the summer of 2014 we spread their ashes on Skegness beach. It is exactly where they wanted to be. I took some photos of the garden just after dad died and it was just beautiful.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hG7eHJItg8zbnto2K020QBDwHkBjt35M7S4oqqUwyfTsTO_GCHl6muX74ckWaXF2yf_DJwdT6wZGoJrZS92_84I6wRoSql4yDyWIxMVaZxkFL84nv5iZI33xSkKLu3tK1l-UPFAcbl_NVeVa3VOOwdzveF4ffgGsNAmNdgrSjUT5X1VGiMwzgT9nnw/s8249/IMG_1468.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1939" data-original-width="8249" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hG7eHJItg8zbnto2K020QBDwHkBjt35M7S4oqqUwyfTsTO_GCHl6muX74ckWaXF2yf_DJwdT6wZGoJrZS92_84I6wRoSql4yDyWIxMVaZxkFL84nv5iZI33xSkKLu3tK1l-UPFAcbl_NVeVa3VOOwdzveF4ffgGsNAmNdgrSjUT5X1VGiMwzgT9nnw/s320/IMG_1468.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50cnpOMYB3WH0SFAIQ4wgD36aXYCGlA9kAkJt0D5u9Nmezp26f5BKyUqwVQSXOLFg-dwQMqRtb40pfyQiVXr9icWiUnERPotiuGZyv2syc5SJoI3micosXTfQVGc2cObsbbBfj7I8KAPs19U4LejMv4mn-wsAvAkAOC_7aFgUeGBFximvJlIwOZTGHw/s2448/Week%2040%20to%2042%20May%20to%20June%2014%20(59)%20(Copy).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="2448" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50cnpOMYB3WH0SFAIQ4wgD36aXYCGlA9kAkJt0D5u9Nmezp26f5BKyUqwVQSXOLFg-dwQMqRtb40pfyQiVXr9icWiUnERPotiuGZyv2syc5SJoI3micosXTfQVGc2cObsbbBfj7I8KAPs19U4LejMv4mn-wsAvAkAOC_7aFgUeGBFximvJlIwOZTGHw/s320/Week%2040%20to%2042%20May%20to%20June%2014%20(59)%20(Copy).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hqxmwvK2_esLKxStK1Wxbsyuew2oa_-QTLkbWjiBd2iVeSYZqwmfjXnQGIphmfI9Gjjg3TmZHX2NhOxSAu1DdsPSmiBnhvPAi2lsqfIjGOAMrChG9WHTQ0-XhhhpZ-_leQEqW7aIk2mw98JDwmtAX8yAmxx4jZyMXSZ1dbMBH4cfpJz8LbbTNHpCjQ/s2448/Week%2040%20to%2042%20May%20to%20June%2014%20(62)%20(Copy).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="2448" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hqxmwvK2_esLKxStK1Wxbsyuew2oa_-QTLkbWjiBd2iVeSYZqwmfjXnQGIphmfI9Gjjg3TmZHX2NhOxSAu1DdsPSmiBnhvPAi2lsqfIjGOAMrChG9WHTQ0-XhhhpZ-_leQEqW7aIk2mw98JDwmtAX8yAmxx4jZyMXSZ1dbMBH4cfpJz8LbbTNHpCjQ/s320/Week%2040%20to%2042%20May%20to%20June%2014%20(62)%20(Copy).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>That pretty much completes the Davey story - at least the story of mum and dad and their kids, with our journey from Skegness to Newport to Manchester and us three boys becoming proper adults!</p><p>There are other Davey stories that are still to be told though. Abigail, James, Joe, Michael, Peter, Hannah and Oliver - I am sure they have tales they would like to share. The 7 cousins range from 35 years old down to just 2 and 1/2 which is crazy!</p><p>I hope one day soon we will all get together again - with Gareth, Tracey, Chris, Emma, Buffy and me alongside the 7 crazy children (most are fully grown adults themselves now) we have. Opportunities are coming and I know that the Canadian branch of the Davey clan is looking forward to getting together with the Dubai, Sydney and Manchester branches. It will happen soon I am sure and then we will be able to sit down, drink in hand and take a new photo of us all. But for now, I think it's right that I end the story with one of my favourite photos ever. </p><p>I don't remember why or how or when we took this photo, but in the old days, you when people could just park their Mini Metro and Peugeot 205s and Mercedes cars right in front of the most famous Football club in the world and take a photo, that's what we did. </p><p>Old Trafford, Manchester, sometime around 1991 or 1992. In sunglasses. </p><p>It doesn't <u>always</u> rain in Manchester.</p><p>The Davey Boys. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaaNBn4jlk1aCW_haewmNa_Uy-D9DpfuPMD853qyoe1kpqtQzF7ADD10W54MJhEo5_3S64dl-uTOjebjaC6Jt151GaQ4tgygNvd7xiLiyfj-pQbwROYCItqw5WlMJJG5yuUf-ehHmGMHV2x5XxPK1XiYdhY-takiSev5CZz_pDzlRDaitu7uwTDIjtA/s1758/cars%20at%20ot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1758" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaaNBn4jlk1aCW_haewmNa_Uy-D9DpfuPMD853qyoe1kpqtQzF7ADD10W54MJhEo5_3S64dl-uTOjebjaC6Jt151GaQ4tgygNvd7xiLiyfj-pQbwROYCItqw5WlMJJG5yuUf-ehHmGMHV2x5XxPK1XiYdhY-takiSev5CZz_pDzlRDaitu7uwTDIjtA/w400-h269/cars%20at%20ot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-85747861271655675512023-02-23T04:16:00.004+00:002023-06-05T17:28:30.835+01:00Feb 2023 - The curious case of the expensive cocktails and the creepy coat woman snow shovel mystery.<p> It is getting harder and harder to keep up with things on this blog - what with work, kids, tiredness and life in general, creating these posts and doing any kind of meaningful blogging is way down the list of important things to do. </p><p>Luckily, one other reason that this post is very late is that we have actually been away on holiday - which felt amazing and was very well needed after the last few years. </p><p>There have been other things going on as well though, so I will attempt a little overview of everything else before telling you about our holibobs....</p><p>Back in Winnipeg, it was time for Susan and Jon's lodger for the last few months - Kenjo, to finally return to Germany. Hannah really liked him and they often played together. Kenjo was a really good lad and he will be missed. He even bought Hannah a really nice present - a small Frozen themed lego set that they had fun building together!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBTPXRHu6s-c99ZprLEE4zYuF0RY6ZOolgjpxE8hipqg3cwcW3VhVCNTalbwKCaaiIx6CoVlCZWKfmFhJUkvx3jjnX-pFTO1sp4U0d7lX2lVrj_fAvAAkyLS_gwg0FVLA8_cAbvfHgM68d-_fRHB9o8pP0WB1Xpgop1KQE6_UE389wsGxAroukwOdVw/s4032/IMG_9550.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBTPXRHu6s-c99ZprLEE4zYuF0RY6ZOolgjpxE8hipqg3cwcW3VhVCNTalbwKCaaiIx6CoVlCZWKfmFhJUkvx3jjnX-pFTO1sp4U0d7lX2lVrj_fAvAAkyLS_gwg0FVLA8_cAbvfHgM68d-_fRHB9o8pP0WB1Xpgop1KQE6_UE389wsGxAroukwOdVw/s320/IMG_9550.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y290j_uoFD10tLDTKe6TVet-uh6GcIhMzrvkRELP33p6I59MFKmBzgVDJ1gnKU4VQZkeCyqEalfLKczKoIg9yvQPfuLHZg3VT0nNHWE9DRm8bnRpnYY9XHe9xFthj9bdgolWahfUqHJQfMtOk534jQUVgDRucsq0cwQJPS77ex0awDn-yotsyZ3Vgg/s4032/IMG_9546.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y290j_uoFD10tLDTKe6TVet-uh6GcIhMzrvkRELP33p6I59MFKmBzgVDJ1gnKU4VQZkeCyqEalfLKczKoIg9yvQPfuLHZg3VT0nNHWE9DRm8bnRpnYY9XHe9xFthj9bdgolWahfUqHJQfMtOk534jQUVgDRucsq0cwQJPS77ex0awDn-yotsyZ3Vgg/s320/IMG_9546.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Hannah has also started the next level of swimming lessons and it is the best yet - she really seems to enjoy these ones and is doing brilliantly at the moment. She even practised on holiday in the pool, but more about that later...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h-O8TdCZ4wK13wJHdjaAv4QsniS4wLOi4IpsDUxFWSUs4l468aPo2KUukSLB_0NNfqQfFNscDQiUjgO4YfTml8D-TM4mPhCR-qrl-2h3da5JkXkIDTicQe0-J_uxnPwkplH5BG_HY-DTdmKRi8vQGbiIGwK_Zm_d3r5SJNbVgwtNP9UGHV2o4jkguQ/s4032/20230121_155111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h-O8TdCZ4wK13wJHdjaAv4QsniS4wLOi4IpsDUxFWSUs4l468aPo2KUukSLB_0NNfqQfFNscDQiUjgO4YfTml8D-TM4mPhCR-qrl-2h3da5JkXkIDTicQe0-J_uxnPwkplH5BG_HY-DTdmKRi8vQGbiIGwK_Zm_d3r5SJNbVgwtNP9UGHV2o4jkguQ/s320/20230121_155111.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDty4RopENydrh8TSE5qTC79J817UtTUhccLS9JzD4I58cgik4XJtLF8fkg11Rsp_aTX6Z_vb1zIksgaUo1q1dgA_nyHlyDCRxqQ4-pmD2xjFEEgm3PrDGUMYJ501fdv1gkoHX-05mfdrujTh0_rWfaxM_IAE4_ho8EIeCKmxNqiR6w2S7mtSHG6Umw/s4032/20230121_155516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDty4RopENydrh8TSE5qTC79J817UtTUhccLS9JzD4I58cgik4XJtLF8fkg11Rsp_aTX6Z_vb1zIksgaUo1q1dgA_nyHlyDCRxqQ4-pmD2xjFEEgm3PrDGUMYJ501fdv1gkoHX-05mfdrujTh0_rWfaxM_IAE4_ho8EIeCKmxNqiR6w2S7mtSHG6Umw/s320/20230121_155516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Ollie has also been really busy. He really REALLY likes his little cooking set and has been helping Buffy cook for real in the kitchen. He also really enjoyed the night when we looked after Cousin Austin and they got to play together a whole lot. They are definitely going to be big buddies when they grow up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQxLefvVkZyPK7z3kUPCZfNMnUidrHHPXMbOXUafGAJrio_EnEOqbgi6YYlGCo6P3RWbDrYu3Qpbxxuobj9ydHsYTOn851dEmRgzpg1T_U8vbwXqKkjWlEwIh5bktDvRsRTwiu0KVOoFvP393L2Fct9aPspsES3eOXbkCmCWM52GEkyjKPtw1b0ByIg/s4032/IMG_7472.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQxLefvVkZyPK7z3kUPCZfNMnUidrHHPXMbOXUafGAJrio_EnEOqbgi6YYlGCo6P3RWbDrYu3Qpbxxuobj9ydHsYTOn851dEmRgzpg1T_U8vbwXqKkjWlEwIh5bktDvRsRTwiu0KVOoFvP393L2Fct9aPspsES3eOXbkCmCWM52GEkyjKPtw1b0ByIg/s320/IMG_7472.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEX-csW-0e9IZYUSRkO6hTIdXxwW0eRqkGpZL9xWNrsroMz6UUvRJ468CxU_jcMZzzZ9gbnZ1zH6tB6U0RAUAGT9UfOXS_6F875y2BtCpd36HeF__KrMjIIekYfF8LIeRJzQ8aPPaSadQnEEIgkmNGf-x5UFF7kWsmBGnt0bQ6V0_CUNpP1ia8h_Wwg/s4032/IMG_7499.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEX-csW-0e9IZYUSRkO6hTIdXxwW0eRqkGpZL9xWNrsroMz6UUvRJ468CxU_jcMZzzZ9gbnZ1zH6tB6U0RAUAGT9UfOXS_6F875y2BtCpd36HeF__KrMjIIekYfF8LIeRJzQ8aPPaSadQnEEIgkmNGf-x5UFF7kWsmBGnt0bQ6V0_CUNpP1ia8h_Wwg/s320/IMG_7499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaw_GOyD5HjNq3iG6ZbvhhbZ_lcE54Jow2jWNLGKR1M1zoj3ckhXAudP9u5PpUeZOK5-rqtF2gCf9w9EmmqDSjnAJwrPJ01iQbLdxtHDFN5apeeJw583HXboiQh_Gmmz0Lq8giPF5uoa8PNbUCq9ZMHIOrqRPnb5JluyuwAsag31vev7xvPkWjik0xA/s4032/20230122_080025.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaw_GOyD5HjNq3iG6ZbvhhbZ_lcE54Jow2jWNLGKR1M1zoj3ckhXAudP9u5PpUeZOK5-rqtF2gCf9w9EmmqDSjnAJwrPJ01iQbLdxtHDFN5apeeJw583HXboiQh_Gmmz0Lq8giPF5uoa8PNbUCq9ZMHIOrqRPnb5JluyuwAsag31vev7xvPkWjik0xA/s320/20230122_080025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One other thing we did before the holiday was to take the kids to the airport for a look around and play so that they were familiar with the bag check, and security and we hoped it would make it easier for Hannah to use the toilets if required. She wasn't happy about that part....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/avgYLmrYUkE" width="320" youtube-src-id="avgYLmrYUkE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Luckily the actual airport and aeroplane part of the trip couldn't have gone better. Both kids did great, playing and behaving for the most part and not having any accidents or issues. The only bad part of the journey to Mexico was a bit of miscommunication on arrival when we were trying to contact our Airbnb host on the app and they were trying to contact us on Whatsapp. This meant a 30-minute wait, within 10 feet of an inviting swimming pool, while we finally got our communication worked out and finally got the apartment key. After that, the holiday was a blast. There's too much to tell but here's a summary.... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 2 bedroom apartment was great, with a huge balcony where Ollie loved to watch the traffic go past underneath. The kids shared a bedroom, meaning that Buffy and I got our own bedroom too. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Days were spent swimming in the pool, playing on the beach and wandering around on 5th Avenue, with the kids taking turns for shoulder rides or pushing and riding in the stroller. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We ate out on the first night at a Mexican restaurant and this was probably a mistake as the kids tired quickly and had to go home to bed. I ate the rest of the meal and suffered from my overuse of hot sauce, which gave me the runs for a few days. I didn't feel ill, but did spend one day out with a converted diaper down my shorts just in case I sharted!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That day was the first day that we had a rental car and drove down to see the Ocenside ruins at Tulum. A great day where Hannah loved spotting lizards and we all enjoyed the drive out of town. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second day with the rental car was a drive north to Croco Cun Zoo, where the kids got to play with snakes and lizards, parrots and Mackaws and a really cool walk through a Crocodile enclosure as well as stroking a small croc! The kids loved it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During the holiday we also arranged for a Babysitter to come around for a couple of nights and put the kids to bed, while Buffy and I got to play adults and actually go out. These nights were great, even when we somehow forgot to check prices and drank our way through four cocktails that each cost more than our combined meals! Expensive, but great!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On one afternoon wander with the kids Olllie was presented with a free pineapple by a local Mexican farmer who had a truckload of them - we all enjoyed the nicest pineapple we have ever had when we got home for dinner. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We played in parks, met loads of nice people and really enjoyed not having to wear 4 layers of clothes just to go outside. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the last full day, we were also disappointed that the kid's pool was closed for cleaning for a couple of hours, but we were allowed to take the kids up to the adult-only rooftop pool where we had a lovely swim that morning!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are a few random holiday memories to look at!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4bpHVRSak9_9H3bqT_i-W26ey0FL6Y19lhGt7K8f6BEqDULmH0Z_wNopYaYr6bQ74A3LvOb91y-3OSMKvlx6sq66XZmubPsEEHrcFt-PJVYSHK1ww5Dasgt8xW_HL1Szfj6Gqc0toQOspZqHxn8lWVUpX1XXFZCTptT3F-mj9xUcjJqFgjiWpFOQnA/s4032/20230203_074945.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4bpHVRSak9_9H3bqT_i-W26ey0FL6Y19lhGt7K8f6BEqDULmH0Z_wNopYaYr6bQ74A3LvOb91y-3OSMKvlx6sq66XZmubPsEEHrcFt-PJVYSHK1ww5Dasgt8xW_HL1Szfj6Gqc0toQOspZqHxn8lWVUpX1XXFZCTptT3F-mj9xUcjJqFgjiWpFOQnA/s320/20230203_074945.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4mj6iFwcLd2MgUsZXpAPypC-M5PywQ9gqnsiUBkUTYfhs8_piXKqdZx2CmpZ8-hNdio50_95lXlCNI7jY4vr90gOZkDAxh3hSgZREDKjGT5lRB4nkD5T8nTco397C8cgZkg4tNNWYkF2HQ_VFN7-5uYVWnMmeKj4VG3_47bUIwup2DnuYfO9_9mSVA/s4032/20230203_115237.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4mj6iFwcLd2MgUsZXpAPypC-M5PywQ9gqnsiUBkUTYfhs8_piXKqdZx2CmpZ8-hNdio50_95lXlCNI7jY4vr90gOZkDAxh3hSgZREDKjGT5lRB4nkD5T8nTco397C8cgZkg4tNNWYkF2HQ_VFN7-5uYVWnMmeKj4VG3_47bUIwup2DnuYfO9_9mSVA/s320/20230203_115237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vnj_RA3UzRuGwZ68dSGxSlKZBAjCfANO3-sPZWmEe6hxchLf7s365t_nx7_JGt0eMsy0M57V2_F903epeAZfNE3XSC1wkc_HCAlzXV7XEgJBcxQ8KGDD374ZQw0EwgeQ7bqB-fbDi0NEZ4TKhdgXxGPuGYe0Ny0TJtMwL3N35huvzXO7gJRZ_gUPjQ/s4032/20230203_123253.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vnj_RA3UzRuGwZ68dSGxSlKZBAjCfANO3-sPZWmEe6hxchLf7s365t_nx7_JGt0eMsy0M57V2_F903epeAZfNE3XSC1wkc_HCAlzXV7XEgJBcxQ8KGDD374ZQw0EwgeQ7bqB-fbDi0NEZ4TKhdgXxGPuGYe0Ny0TJtMwL3N35huvzXO7gJRZ_gUPjQ/s320/20230203_123253.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtN8u1Sf85-HXgmWy5r1o6GW48p_y_TZg8zj9IAQCbn4ssAyNpLi7TgO3sCEM9W4uH_kFTKyfOu1EEnO3RP5eMnnCQ5KWnWbmaT3k4NS22hlGPI3iyZRXBFodbt2eLI1YMblMP8VB0Xwx4SY84DwAFYHMU4z0qcYXmz1scaKuOKMeDNHDTJpuS4BjzVA/s4032/20230211_190531.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtN8u1Sf85-HXgmWy5r1o6GW48p_y_TZg8zj9IAQCbn4ssAyNpLi7TgO3sCEM9W4uH_kFTKyfOu1EEnO3RP5eMnnCQ5KWnWbmaT3k4NS22hlGPI3iyZRXBFodbt2eLI1YMblMP8VB0Xwx4SY84DwAFYHMU4z0qcYXmz1scaKuOKMeDNHDTJpuS4BjzVA/s320/20230211_190531.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHQURA0HHS4_EXAvyZaovuQlTrFrc8nxDdQNj-dH7_wwMIyFXnHs-T56Rs-rXyHxPXV6TQ9oh-R7m4PBkPpiVINX7EezYIFp8doSU3n2wqAdSx3C9mUEmm0siFJhZfNzBaJunC3LnPAMnG7IXm_Sv2GnuK87EumLzdeS95AgLeMvO3gcPH7K0ULL_uQ/s4032/20230212_100420.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHQURA0HHS4_EXAvyZaovuQlTrFrc8nxDdQNj-dH7_wwMIyFXnHs-T56Rs-rXyHxPXV6TQ9oh-R7m4PBkPpiVINX7EezYIFp8doSU3n2wqAdSx3C9mUEmm0siFJhZfNzBaJunC3LnPAMnG7IXm_Sv2GnuK87EumLzdeS95AgLeMvO3gcPH7K0ULL_uQ/s320/20230212_100420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One shit, but ultimately satisfying thing that happened while we were away, was when I got a notification of movement from one of our security cameras at home. I had only put the cameras in a few weeks before Christmas, so we were pretty pumped when all this happened.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I logged into the camera app and saw someone casing our house to see if we were home and leaving the snow shovel across the door and some mail hanging from the mailbox. The woman in question will forever be nicknamed creepy coat woman, for the slow methodical way she moved and the big thick coat she wears,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We guessed that she would return the next day or night and if nothing had moved, would presume we were away and break in. So, we got in touch with our neighbours on the Whatsapp groups we started a year or so ago and later in the day, we let our next-door neighbours into the garage remotely from Mexico to move a few things around and make it look like we were home. This is after other neighbours had already removed the shovel and mail. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then that night I was ready and waiting when the notification went off again. I watched the same creepy coat woman case our house out again and try the door. Then she actually lay down on the deck. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was watching live 3366 kilometres away and decided to speak through the camera. I and said 'I see you, go away'. She flinched immediately, got up really quickly and ran off!! Technology is wonderful (as are our neighbours!) I was elated and it took a while to calm down and go back to sleep, I also kept logging back in to make sure she didn't come back. She didn't. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxChl1fS4sXUunz05Ne4AZjOhQo0J6GEAN1aJoUXFDtdktezPvmPgX5JBgUWaTq0JO_W1H_zODYRGUH6weCvfqd885VLAd5vzpKGOCnQ3jDKy_1aSocFPxc4_uLlGWs3gJCo8C1XZBYhPsCeyedh4D5lmqmjKRbalfo4vPv3AF6Qci5KcZ0UI8r2FTAw/s2400/Screenshot_20230208_143241_Blink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2400" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxChl1fS4sXUunz05Ne4AZjOhQo0J6GEAN1aJoUXFDtdktezPvmPgX5JBgUWaTq0JO_W1H_zODYRGUH6weCvfqd885VLAd5vzpKGOCnQ3jDKy_1aSocFPxc4_uLlGWs3gJCo8C1XZBYhPsCeyedh4D5lmqmjKRbalfo4vPv3AF6Qci5KcZ0UI8r2FTAw/s320/Screenshot_20230208_143241_Blink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-yfifDPrF0EA56nfdFDP9TF9z-rNEqgovyfdYD9e6kzgG5OzWMT6xR1Fu1SWx_3NyZxmypvMDKaIrtNbxbknkBl3UpsigR_RlLm3uc93Psrdy-S7j7LDiHhET0KaniP97BTuqqSGaRe5OUM4jQ-CBZC25I1HTKVZmwg9xCb2IpOhWyoGN93fs9US5g/s2400/Screenshot_20230208_143244_Blink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2400" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-yfifDPrF0EA56nfdFDP9TF9z-rNEqgovyfdYD9e6kzgG5OzWMT6xR1Fu1SWx_3NyZxmypvMDKaIrtNbxbknkBl3UpsigR_RlLm3uc93Psrdy-S7j7LDiHhET0KaniP97BTuqqSGaRe5OUM4jQ-CBZC25I1HTKVZmwg9xCb2IpOhWyoGN93fs9US5g/s320/Screenshot_20230208_143244_Blink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-fqG97Tr3olZSsuFedaI7_SmNh8q47UV-MAJfKDWPjnaIm6xnlfzrLHEbTHxgdiAsdmg1G6lL9cHwEqOtvjr2gBhO4PHLCPz03DCjzmah-AthhnCRDrvD8iSMkufUl6kRG5zNjiYNayQj62e2tjqMwQUxe9JszE-9QkAgiRRNW5Zqhy_uLv3AP1TNw/s2400/Screenshot_20230209_021128_Blink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2400" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-fqG97Tr3olZSsuFedaI7_SmNh8q47UV-MAJfKDWPjnaIm6xnlfzrLHEbTHxgdiAsdmg1G6lL9cHwEqOtvjr2gBhO4PHLCPz03DCjzmah-AthhnCRDrvD8iSMkufUl6kRG5zNjiYNayQj62e2tjqMwQUxe9JszE-9QkAgiRRNW5Zqhy_uLv3AP1TNw/s320/Screenshot_20230209_021128_Blink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HEc25DKniFo" width="320" youtube-src-id="HEc25DKniFo"></iframe></div><br /></div>Just two nights later however I was surprised again by the notification of movement,. I woke up nervously and looked to see a dodgy-looking cat scoping out the front door!!! haahaa Bloody felines!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l7ytxrzxhqODoI0YehUHw9RGPr3_y3xu0opxHWRiaLZjxqMPRFU25kWcUTOel49VWCRr0SflYQqOE5jcAtWEqkfT2AZxtj7fusmME2rNr50vG1qxcheY6oqeDqk_pQHiWrmiNosx7XluzPJnu3omCvoky8tt4nwcHn9aGdmumLCAFQ1TKPnI0-aG8w/s2400/Screenshot_20230211_075423_Blink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2400" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l7ytxrzxhqODoI0YehUHw9RGPr3_y3xu0opxHWRiaLZjxqMPRFU25kWcUTOel49VWCRr0SflYQqOE5jcAtWEqkfT2AZxtj7fusmME2rNr50vG1qxcheY6oqeDqk_pQHiWrmiNosx7XluzPJnu3omCvoky8tt4nwcHn9aGdmumLCAFQ1TKPnI0-aG8w/s320/Screenshot_20230211_075423_Blink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We didn't let the local hoodlums and cats spoil the holiday though and continued to enjoy ourselves until it was time to get packed up and go home to Winnipeg the following Sunday.. Both the kids loved Mexico and we have decided that we will have a winter holiday again every year unless we cant! Next year Florida maybe? Just don't tell creepy coat woman when we are away!</div><div><br /></div><div>The journey and flight home were pretty good - a long day, but Buffys' genius idea about taking painter's tape with us definitely helped. All week we had a small train track stuck to eth coffee table in the apartment made with painter's tape, complete with train wash, tunnels and bridges. Now on the way home, the two-seat tables were lowered and a new train track was created complete with the wobbly bridge between the two trays. Ollie loved playing with both of these and from now on, painter's tape will always be in our 'going away' bag!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziFWW2X4BgcvSpKVkMfcr4o9K_KGSiI_hR6LHwTQybeD88WOwxR8R4rhi5oPFb34-QowAyJ2yFMPBSiOxS9IICiCYGgbKuFqSWqJplj7e1p6JYmSdNbE0NO3UipjvG6QgjeQXZAGESRZ1cXuLlDmOtHCXNqOpojYqxGWRoYpZWXpdjKkg4AYw8NLszA/s4032/20230208_181013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziFWW2X4BgcvSpKVkMfcr4o9K_KGSiI_hR6LHwTQybeD88WOwxR8R4rhi5oPFb34-QowAyJ2yFMPBSiOxS9IICiCYGgbKuFqSWqJplj7e1p6JYmSdNbE0NO3UipjvG6QgjeQXZAGESRZ1cXuLlDmOtHCXNqOpojYqxGWRoYpZWXpdjKkg4AYw8NLszA/s320/20230208_181013.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpTbaPa5yvFzUurywSMyWnitmRt7D1bj6ZbHOCqCb29zqXSE95l_TLgPxbxRpd2DoVW8VHdP7PPcFeO7TW16HvGC29l8jYfWVcKhTNlX7-oZ3Qi02to8JhhgExNVIyXh6aWQEJxyJB_sD_A9OobQAtTzV5gdki_3XP5Szk_MUE173nqDkkn9ct4TKzA/s4032/IMG_7956.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpTbaPa5yvFzUurywSMyWnitmRt7D1bj6ZbHOCqCb29zqXSE95l_TLgPxbxRpd2DoVW8VHdP7PPcFeO7TW16HvGC29l8jYfWVcKhTNlX7-oZ3Qi02to8JhhgExNVIyXh6aWQEJxyJB_sD_A9OobQAtTzV5gdki_3XP5Szk_MUE173nqDkkn9ct4TKzA/s320/IMG_7956.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>There are lots more stories we could tell you - about chilli jam, the bumps, elevators and escalators and a very crazy slide to name but a few. If you want to know you will have to ask!</div><div><br /></div><div>Back at home, we decided that the kids sharing a room had been such a success we should do it for real and so Oliver's bed was moved into Hannah's room and the Nursery was converted into a very nice home office. So we are all now very happy - except when the kids have singing contests at 10pm and 5am! Bloody kids!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWBZtOSoSrPrDh7A7OGjiNCEt745P9ZBL5QGT89lcgIz6O8r2mKa6T5QpGdIhwftVAMqlkcnnI2S-p_w4Yirs4rTt_1lrG_BFUiSg2sYKiGTzC8WC-0BLXOgMaw9WwtPWxVMQrUIauauZvWiT4zEhl5lXMHQuRUfy9zgsDCPPugGBaXD6wpkRRaJ7uw/s4032/20230213_175153.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWBZtOSoSrPrDh7A7OGjiNCEt745P9ZBL5QGT89lcgIz6O8r2mKa6T5QpGdIhwftVAMqlkcnnI2S-p_w4Yirs4rTt_1lrG_BFUiSg2sYKiGTzC8WC-0BLXOgMaw9WwtPWxVMQrUIauauZvWiT4zEhl5lXMHQuRUfy9zgsDCPPugGBaXD6wpkRRaJ7uw/s320/20230213_175153.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwU4NQ8r5QjMLWCYBQ0kPmP1FFkY4RBU_cdPhlp5BQcDQTaowStmed3XnthPuh1UqKpY3IITBU-V04_wjWH9eozH47zJH2I9JZbHqXE066RXHuTikBTCT-Jr0Winh23yF5jOnXdGScVEVMDi_C2CgUbdyhKERLwKq7spumpLexoNNn-s7mJGoGIJJ8A/s4032/20230213_191345.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwU4NQ8r5QjMLWCYBQ0kPmP1FFkY4RBU_cdPhlp5BQcDQTaowStmed3XnthPuh1UqKpY3IITBU-V04_wjWH9eozH47zJH2I9JZbHqXE066RXHuTikBTCT-Jr0Winh23yF5jOnXdGScVEVMDi_C2CgUbdyhKERLwKq7spumpLexoNNn-s7mJGoGIJJ8A/s320/20230213_191345.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAG5LZvPRZYa-B-WCtif1V7m4hIO3ORnd3o9ArfRTj9IbAqyET68hk9mvlTQjEP8-z7mQsgHoZE8Biuqkv7U1UNq-3IiNnQD82ezRY9DIaZbL5Tc2Gin0xKJqj20_BrpECZnk6Sy-x23n9cuZCzcyDOIBkiH0Kzkzcqs97JuJRjMxJsimGZJ2OXXv9w/s4032/20230213_195139.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAG5LZvPRZYa-B-WCtif1V7m4hIO3ORnd3o9ArfRTj9IbAqyET68hk9mvlTQjEP8-z7mQsgHoZE8Biuqkv7U1UNq-3IiNnQD82ezRY9DIaZbL5Tc2Gin0xKJqj20_BrpECZnk6Sy-x23n9cuZCzcyDOIBkiH0Kzkzcqs97JuJRjMxJsimGZJ2OXXv9w/s320/20230213_195139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYyL3vhUEWCnNoVWwEYmamJjqnBKokFXSxrF2aAzMzWbGg_YMMU--QHmrklK-zT34C1UCEztFeYX-1ULsti45eoLrlUqKqzmC5CVirAO8QGhvYKjkz4UFgkia7kYE6HCweIUDrF94dZxt-qN_pw5osHvLL7rogT0X-pS78b7A4to97BqAPCN5cmzfrQ/s3088/IMG_7975.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYyL3vhUEWCnNoVWwEYmamJjqnBKokFXSxrF2aAzMzWbGg_YMMU--QHmrklK-zT34C1UCEztFeYX-1ULsti45eoLrlUqKqzmC5CVirAO8QGhvYKjkz4UFgkia7kYE6HCweIUDrF94dZxt-qN_pw5osHvLL7rogT0X-pS78b7A4to97BqAPCN5cmzfrQ/s320/IMG_7975.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfwdGWX2Ov86-9YHUwc_FesNg_arQiHwM0HpGDC8SE0rcLK2zezCiglWoALcEWKcbNTSH-hEGgmdyh4ncBQhwUq9C1QsI1KSn7uX7WklofaOdbmRQxNNe8rfF4gfWs8kfykYV-9WXmH66Y8FKtIb2bb-IxlTFIfp5FgEssutj5H4ddEQW4FCJ2w2xOw/s4032/20230216_132333.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfwdGWX2Ov86-9YHUwc_FesNg_arQiHwM0HpGDC8SE0rcLK2zezCiglWoALcEWKcbNTSH-hEGgmdyh4ncBQhwUq9C1QsI1KSn7uX7WklofaOdbmRQxNNe8rfF4gfWs8kfykYV-9WXmH66Y8FKtIb2bb-IxlTFIfp5FgEssutj5H4ddEQW4FCJ2w2xOw/s320/20230216_132333.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Its nice to be back at home now. Winter is at its deepest depth of cold with tonight approaching minus 40 degrees, But there are only a few weeks left and then the sun will melt the snow and summer will arrive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hannah is enjoying school again and is pooping properly. Ollie is enjoying daycare now and is apparently getting much more involved with other kids - He has always been very independent there up to now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are planning for the next year or so and due to costs and lack of holiday time won't be going too far away for another year, but are hoping for a bit of weekend camping and days out with the kids. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The holiday was the longest we had ever all spent together day after day with just us 4, and it actually went really well. We can definitely cope with the kids now and even though they are fuckin mental - like all 2 and 4 year olds, they are growing up fast and doing pretty great. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hannah had her first dentist trip last week with no problems and Ollie is going this week for his first check-up. All in all, life is pretty good at the moment! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTqKFbGA9pp_PHW6pn_MOE-B7TtejNIE641-LA76NoYG2CsanTT7mUZ6Dz1NBZxp6DFtYOTqfS_lCm9GF5k32I4GiuUtzVcmLx0-qh7LDuTQkHTTb5858Bvgr9wT-abiF4c87q949sA7wJgtLYs9RXON_xRa0i9jYm-Ew6co3r8Y5oH61w94g1dy4Jw/s4032/IMG_8009.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTqKFbGA9pp_PHW6pn_MOE-B7TtejNIE641-LA76NoYG2CsanTT7mUZ6Dz1NBZxp6DFtYOTqfS_lCm9GF5k32I4GiuUtzVcmLx0-qh7LDuTQkHTTb5858Bvgr9wT-abiF4c87q949sA7wJgtLYs9RXON_xRa0i9jYm-Ew6co3r8Y5oH61w94g1dy4Jw/s320/IMG_8009.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-6634054002536861352023-01-16T02:28:00.002+00:002023-01-16T02:32:03.325+00:002022 ends and 2023 Begins - no funny title today! (Still have the usual bad spelling and grammar though - nothing changes!)<p>If you dont want to read the boring stuff, just flick down the page and watch the video of the kids singing in the car - about 1min 10 secs in is the best place to start.......</p><p><br /></p><p>Tomorrow Jan 16th it will be a year since Hannah was bitten. </p><p>I don't want to dwell on this too much, and I dont enjoy writing about itbut I can't help but think about that night in the last few days and weeks. It seems to jump out at me everywhere as do the local neighbourhood dogs as I go for my runs. Every run I seem to go on nowadays a dog either gets in my way on a long leash or runs around my ankles as I try to get past. I suppose that this was always the case, but being a dog lover till a year ago, I probably didn't notice or care as much as I do now. The incident changed me from a dog lover to a dog worrier. I no longer see every dog as a fluffy bundle of fun to play with but as a set of teeth to protect myself and most importantly my kids from. It's not nice thinking this way about an animal that I see many times a day, but that is how I feel at the moment. In my way of thinking it's better to be permanently on the defensive and be prepared for something to happen, than try to get over these feelings and 'back to normal'. I am not going to avoid dogs and Hannah doesn't want to either, but we always make sure she is aware if a dog will be at a house we visit and that we are there for her if she needs picking up or protecting. Its just the way things are now. We actually went round to some friends today and they habe a nice dog. But Hannah was very unsure about it when we got there and I couldnt even get my coat off as she gripped me tightly around my neck. She calmed down reasonably quickly when teh do went outside to play but continued to ask where it was and making sure Buffy or I was neaer to her. Ill fully admit I was on edge and it took me longer to calm down. I am not going to mention names on here, but thanks to our friends for toadys visit and thanks for bing understanding about Hannah, the dog and me. </p><p>The last year has been hard in relation to friends, family and dogs and I don't expect it to get any better. Everyone has tried to be careful with Hannah, us and the dogs and we really appreciate that, so I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has helped out and tried their best to keep their dogs under control or out of the way. I also wanted to let everyone know, that we will not just get over this and it may be this way for years to come. I especially DO NOT want to get over this if Hannah hasnt. It is entirely up to her how she wants to be around dogs and I will back her 100% in every way. I think that being alert and aware if the dogs and more particularly of how Hannah is feeling is very important. so I will try to think like her and if need be put myself in harsm way to make suer she is ok. </p><p>Ok, that's enough of that then.... onto the crazy stuff..... us and the kids......</p><p>My last post was on December 9th, so I will use my magic time machine and transport you and me back to last year and see what we were doing then...</p><p>Well, the first significant thing I see in my magic time machine (Looking back through Googe photos) is that I finally completed this year's Ice sculpture - complete with a mini-robot on top, so that this year is the largest ever at just a little over 11 feet tall. Inside the tree-shaped structure is a wifi enable lamp which changes colour on command and can be made to flash or breath or just stay steadily one colour. I think this is the best lighting I have had on any sculpture for the last 6years and I thought it was brilliantly original until I found another similar sculpture just a few streets away last week - oh well - great minds think alike!</p><p>This is mine (before the Robot was added)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YAXaAQpOTSU" width="320" youtube-src-id="YAXaAQpOTSU"></iframe></div><br /><p>and this is theirs..</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xsAO5n59lCM" width="320" youtube-src-id="xsAO5n59lCM"></iframe></div>Mine IS bigger, but theirs was made from round-shaped bricks so it's even stevens. <div><br /><p>Around the same week that was finished, we took a trip out to Winnipeg's newest tourist attraction - The Leaf. It's a biodome (actually 3 different biodomes) built in Assiniboine park near the Zoo and it's pretty cool. Inside there are loads of interesting plants and trees, good walking paths where the kids loved playing hide and seek a huge indoor waterfall and a butterfly garden too. This is such a cool place to visit in the depth of winter and the day we went it was about minus 30celsius outside, so to be in a lovely warm garden wearing a t-shirt and watching huge fish swim around a lovely pool it was a little surreal to look up and see the massive curved roof with huge hanging icicles at edges. What a good addition to things we can take the kids to (and ourselves obviously too, as there is also a really good restaurant and bar inside too!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsO7AN8qchy4FYg9gk1uKYM1xSKYVUQLEo3fKS5lKFqCVqTn9ElqQZ42ge7qRn27-m4cVHQEb8ZJ_hqfBbW3_M5e5yEfhqzNH3oBQREmI_3fAMzl06EkbVTJrAufyz7g5AKxbTPOkfBN_x8fy_ZTQMxQ9vcbowu7f_qHpH5Y2OI0DigrN6oy4FNV2aQ/s6784/20221218_103624.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3792" data-original-width="6784" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsO7AN8qchy4FYg9gk1uKYM1xSKYVUQLEo3fKS5lKFqCVqTn9ElqQZ42ge7qRn27-m4cVHQEb8ZJ_hqfBbW3_M5e5yEfhqzNH3oBQREmI_3fAMzl06EkbVTJrAufyz7g5AKxbTPOkfBN_x8fy_ZTQMxQ9vcbowu7f_qHpH5Y2OI0DigrN6oy4FNV2aQ/s320/20221218_103624.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmyxOpp4TLH8bUjtlOktovIUPqmmZGX8WhsljQ6l1kNULQ_Qm2BJCZDc7m9o4DDWdMU2wpziIjgZQ9InyrbKf2wSPpjs39EEGbsyZ9D83qp7PDxj0QhxkoCFL7l-ge6FJzCNX_Kj6m76UY7vxkaZwhwggikJqFZHwjd2JHIezsaMZ1IgQi33lHFp8BQ/s4032/20221218_104247.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmyxOpp4TLH8bUjtlOktovIUPqmmZGX8WhsljQ6l1kNULQ_Qm2BJCZDc7m9o4DDWdMU2wpziIjgZQ9InyrbKf2wSPpjs39EEGbsyZ9D83qp7PDxj0QhxkoCFL7l-ge6FJzCNX_Kj6m76UY7vxkaZwhwggikJqFZHwjd2JHIezsaMZ1IgQi33lHFp8BQ/s320/20221218_104247.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the waterfall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLkMta_zjNuIYoBcKm9DG0IdAoiKPBSoRaUlvBppsU1kSZl1dlmWCbvjdtQY4d6ZINu2y1UV2xYu-5OpJ3qk5eMWFINm4Tg_QVbfeIUuwh3fJ7-pdaVx7iVcGUhcYS0TCC-7v8YsdaqHOrRio4Rkn_FuogevnudGkVZ2n635KMIZXGjPbMGdfLdvBZQ/s4032/20221218_104251.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLkMta_zjNuIYoBcKm9DG0IdAoiKPBSoRaUlvBppsU1kSZl1dlmWCbvjdtQY4d6ZINu2y1UV2xYu-5OpJ3qk5eMWFINm4Tg_QVbfeIUuwh3fJ7-pdaVx7iVcGUhcYS0TCC-7v8YsdaqHOrRio4Rkn_FuogevnudGkVZ2n635KMIZXGjPbMGdfLdvBZQ/s320/20221218_104251.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9eIqe3oT72Q7K8naepZVhqU9Vi3MsrU9wX7ANkao7L2_eM871UjoF_J6sojrZa2qSMgAuyu4hZu5XAJB0aQ8FYkLKXMG2uhFT99Xjfs8E9dhcUHo3m2agmXQO6ZGNEnQ16IuxVkStf1FS4q5N6xUglnKl5J38L138_sZFC72xdLQeKHLg2YIpqbeqw/s4032/20221218_104503.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9eIqe3oT72Q7K8naepZVhqU9Vi3MsrU9wX7ANkao7L2_eM871UjoF_J6sojrZa2qSMgAuyu4hZu5XAJB0aQ8FYkLKXMG2uhFT99Xjfs8E9dhcUHo3m2agmXQO6ZGNEnQ16IuxVkStf1FS4q5N6xUglnKl5J38L138_sZFC72xdLQeKHLg2YIpqbeqw/s320/20221218_104503.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMmck2u9TwYwNvQn9OkosC-5AJk4CuoTo7x2qoVaJp6TxBP7rbVLjlMSaJudxqd7duK-vnrq3USOAunlRoK46ojnLFdlyLUJtPOhqCItfKEAVrOoB-SAN7_-Mbp4vYDAgfhCX1SCZOmS_gh75DMqICZB1bASoQgvNAIkk49GMhmlYA_XeR8KsTLtjWw/s4032/20221218_110338.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMmck2u9TwYwNvQn9OkosC-5AJk4CuoTo7x2qoVaJp6TxBP7rbVLjlMSaJudxqd7duK-vnrq3USOAunlRoK46ojnLFdlyLUJtPOhqCItfKEAVrOoB-SAN7_-Mbp4vYDAgfhCX1SCZOmS_gh75DMqICZB1bASoQgvNAIkk49GMhmlYA_XeR8KsTLtjWw/s320/20221218_110338.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie loved it!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG5VY-qafH78SElvWKOKCz3rqrIAGBrQPJGcMTg8B9BQfTxrgvcRoZ5esh_2cTVJZX8gyEJEobqhNFpWJBF3Zt3fTBpTWg_kN0rhKuEyu32CP74DUdlMsHcgC5o_ZO2qh_WyzRGJcVbklFyJkHyD_w6Tw4OL833UihDSGam3JpJiM0d60I0osHi8gOA/s4032/20221218_110646.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG5VY-qafH78SElvWKOKCz3rqrIAGBrQPJGcMTg8B9BQfTxrgvcRoZ5esh_2cTVJZX8gyEJEobqhNFpWJBF3Zt3fTBpTWg_kN0rhKuEyu32CP74DUdlMsHcgC5o_ZO2qh_WyzRGJcVbklFyJkHyD_w6Tw4OL833UihDSGam3JpJiM0d60I0osHi8gOA/s320/20221218_110646.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Next on the agenda was Christmas, which this year was actually pretty great. I didn't really enjoy last year as the kids were still a bit too young to appreciate things and I found it pretty hard to keep calm with al lthe complaining from them - plus covid was still ongoing so there was nowhere to take them and we spent a lot of it inside at home or at Jon and Susans. This year was great as we got to visit friends and family as well as a proper Christmas day out at Meg and Brents after the kids spent the morning opening and playing with their presents. <p></p><p>Ollie and Hannah also got involved in picking little presents for each other as well as Buffy and I, so everyone got the excitement of opening presents as well as seeing the delighted or dumbfounded faces as the gifts they gave were opened in front of them! Heres a few highlights..</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfW9urvkB6d7CIQwQOHzIij02ySGEN7UDLHoo_asHMTZJfnDEQPlcIXy6Ll9JSWVGRNEc93vYB4AqwbvISw2D9NErnvTeA_s5pM4FDx609z-xpyiASxACUZNH8dL_YpMD9dKv516ax_QBdk-ZdMZ8uhcrWgsJL0IaZNzjhkxpMKjLFu6VGXDFYCg19g/s4032/20221225_094417.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfW9urvkB6d7CIQwQOHzIij02ySGEN7UDLHoo_asHMTZJfnDEQPlcIXy6Ll9JSWVGRNEc93vYB4AqwbvISw2D9NErnvTeA_s5pM4FDx609z-xpyiASxACUZNH8dL_YpMD9dKv516ax_QBdk-ZdMZ8uhcrWgsJL0IaZNzjhkxpMKjLFu6VGXDFYCg19g/s320/20221225_094417.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAutM4JpJTViluvyXR7f05hWOcLmv4rBh8SftS5thSWQU62OAqhc7oaJu8RztK0rT7BLrvDOuUhIQhzfVrKqI7E4-EbxHTYNo-mFou2Ycivm5GQzkHiKANogPifgwkw-JJQWU35BL-7_-Dw4byy9-rWXH2C0hBCIiNlpkJ6P0f9E5hWSc9tIas5BZpA/s4032/IMG_6831.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAutM4JpJTViluvyXR7f05hWOcLmv4rBh8SftS5thSWQU62OAqhc7oaJu8RztK0rT7BLrvDOuUhIQhzfVrKqI7E4-EbxHTYNo-mFou2Ycivm5GQzkHiKANogPifgwkw-JJQWU35BL-7_-Dw4byy9-rWXH2C0hBCIiNlpkJ6P0f9E5hWSc9tIas5BZpA/s320/IMG_6831.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2fHqGUqG9NOnfFIxjhK6FkM_9mPRhjcLmNDtVl-nmTVFudPXE4UHoDieB2ZTsWnRU8biH05JsLV3keba-lHiHtA_rO96eqxwRVDHxbQp_oEhWqFl4zYVof38t262EHHQa18vu1rjS8zYc3-4SHdmiG6iD_nVxgVx0JKi08i3DBhBp9izdG0BFuhKMw/s3648/20221225_110807.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2fHqGUqG9NOnfFIxjhK6FkM_9mPRhjcLmNDtVl-nmTVFudPXE4UHoDieB2ZTsWnRU8biH05JsLV3keba-lHiHtA_rO96eqxwRVDHxbQp_oEhWqFl4zYVof38t262EHHQa18vu1rjS8zYc3-4SHdmiG6iD_nVxgVx0JKi08i3DBhBp9izdG0BFuhKMw/s320/20221225_110807.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wJfeHfGSR3s" width="320" youtube-src-id="wJfeHfGSR3s"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I1bhNtRpMwo" width="320" youtube-src-id="I1bhNtRpMwo"></iframe></div><br /><p>For some reason too, Hannah decided to put on her sunglasses and do some tap dancing in the kitchen a day before Christmas.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pTXZEf9Q5n0" width="320" youtube-src-id="pTXZEf9Q5n0"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>I also took the kids out for our big Christmas food shop a couple of days before Christmas- which was fun when they started singing frozen songs in the car again! </div><div>THIS IS THE VIDEO YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR!</div><div>Wait till 1min 10sec</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V7EN-ImfbbI" width="320" youtube-src-id="V7EN-ImfbbI"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, the Christmas afternoon and evening was a big get-together at Meg and Brents - there were about 16 of us this year and we all enjoyed a good meal and some fun times. The kids enjoyed sleeping in the basement and actually slept in past 8am on Boxing day which was a lovely surprise for me and Buffy who were on the sofa bed in the same room. We were expecting 6am not 8, so that was wonderful. The kids had a lovely time showing off and playing with cousin Austin too!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFYc_LS87tbME3YygarEhZHiRqV7xCNTXAdte99b2B6l7fU5sVIZ68GrkesT-Jhob8Z2txqdx0XY4RJjLijZL5VT7DVtYl67-7noAbaojah-cdEdW3CtId9EZjofQOGRB5E9wJukewCSyq2Tc6xMxyMmxlNPoepOWbUSmnAS1UDPI4Ylwyq5OXiVe7A/s4032/20221225_141753.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFYc_LS87tbME3YygarEhZHiRqV7xCNTXAdte99b2B6l7fU5sVIZ68GrkesT-Jhob8Z2txqdx0XY4RJjLijZL5VT7DVtYl67-7noAbaojah-cdEdW3CtId9EZjofQOGRB5E9wJukewCSyq2Tc6xMxyMmxlNPoepOWbUSmnAS1UDPI4Ylwyq5OXiVe7A/s320/20221225_141753.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its amazing how much shit you need for one night away with two kids!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-peJcaia3slNUSifG8eQh77oqAOZYGpCTvcrMdXog6GbYzp0iQqsJLuLq5x2vjajG0eg3xgSg2sJ0V8liCLR5r6uCnFseftAs8d505_yxdFsIblwUxyWMSZ2WToVoEStWOl3WKn-RpLgzLuI2u_cnz5s2j5veZvuuuQWI1oCR6afGCv-lWYZKt321eA/s4032/IMG_6861.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-peJcaia3slNUSifG8eQh77oqAOZYGpCTvcrMdXog6GbYzp0iQqsJLuLq5x2vjajG0eg3xgSg2sJ0V8liCLR5r6uCnFseftAs8d505_yxdFsIblwUxyWMSZ2WToVoEStWOl3WKn-RpLgzLuI2u_cnz5s2j5veZvuuuQWI1oCR6afGCv-lWYZKt321eA/s320/IMG_6861.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckqWfbKNGEZMIHTzwC7Z7FfC5GyBe_2XJqmOPPYQaPK8OZleJoTDybPc1R4Ydk9AY2sm21kRWDadjfuWAFp7huner7sedXCZ1R8-KkhtsHcIbKnAX99XYVcdvVPFTe_VdtYx1MbQpMHj1dRJHEKuGGYEcJ8-b9VR2nF0hu6m8VFqdxTwDzrEB_eGIdQ/s4032/IMG_0577.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckqWfbKNGEZMIHTzwC7Z7FfC5GyBe_2XJqmOPPYQaPK8OZleJoTDybPc1R4Ydk9AY2sm21kRWDadjfuWAFp7huner7sedXCZ1R8-KkhtsHcIbKnAX99XYVcdvVPFTe_VdtYx1MbQpMHj1dRJHEKuGGYEcJ8-b9VR2nF0hu6m8VFqdxTwDzrEB_eGIdQ/s320/IMG_0577.heic" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie and Austin - like twins!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamj-WxNzZ5l-D4MEf5vqOhmEsjYgVJjUaWZGmRe553WZX2xOOnOVxvB3iaLFStCE3mVW24UC8H7cxJ-G9uO9DGJe42JPYhhRSyCjeSx_xqQNKFb_-8dOtBrrUxCIYR-y8p_KnvqDEveoLZ9QYZMiLV49HdWECL_KtuLn3RCPdAyKKi-6EavFUYa5RhA/s4032/IMG_6867.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamj-WxNzZ5l-D4MEf5vqOhmEsjYgVJjUaWZGmRe553WZX2xOOnOVxvB3iaLFStCE3mVW24UC8H7cxJ-G9uO9DGJe42JPYhhRSyCjeSx_xqQNKFb_-8dOtBrrUxCIYR-y8p_KnvqDEveoLZ9QYZMiLV49HdWECL_KtuLn3RCPdAyKKi-6EavFUYa5RhA/s320/IMG_6867.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMwkNIp0AO7GoZAMxbqwplcUOQtnrlYgs4Wr3kkkAl1W9c0CyZZBBIxU4vWirXWVFvAoaEEbY4zVcurlmuMskgBR7iBIghz-VPFD2MVuRN7op9PodTkol8Qi4aQdWUKno1niXC611cFftdBMG7uN5Wx16Uv4_eJ_i-Dlmu1If80SLYWJ9lKLlqMZCA/s4032/20221225_210859.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMwkNIp0AO7GoZAMxbqwplcUOQtnrlYgs4Wr3kkkAl1W9c0CyZZBBIxU4vWirXWVFvAoaEEbY4zVcurlmuMskgBR7iBIghz-VPFD2MVuRN7op9PodTkol8Qi4aQdWUKno1niXC611cFftdBMG7uN5Wx16Uv4_eJ_i-Dlmu1If80SLYWJ9lKLlqMZCA/s320/20221225_210859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQAxVwPM5MW0Dlagck2IV08C4K7Kx4SJGgSjlil0eQ83FMPnE2akGMkGQyrvW05mmwzAYCvCTFOwFfVqxSm8USSisdGFwOsqgKC8nM_3axPyVv0rbvKmecltTSWeY6kFlCVccFKTxt9FxTQcAYwIjxUd0tK9s0OhTItQfhLxhQ-iP5m3i0l2hHKznOw/s4032/20221225_185949.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQAxVwPM5MW0Dlagck2IV08C4K7Kx4SJGgSjlil0eQ83FMPnE2akGMkGQyrvW05mmwzAYCvCTFOwFfVqxSm8USSisdGFwOsqgKC8nM_3axPyVv0rbvKmecltTSWeY6kFlCVccFKTxt9FxTQcAYwIjxUd0tK9s0OhTItQfhLxhQ-iP5m3i0l2hHKznOw/s320/20221225_185949.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing on the weights before bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTKSOa-9vL3axEu2SD1apAMS2993QkbO4TFDlsetS0j4gu1FDmd5kXsoWWEm7tRnDnMQq_o4YiPSatSdfqVXHJ7cjvvzEUfNhS2MKF7ihrZYoeh41lZWXbz1ymCGw2lBYb6M5XuHvNAAQqqIhDICEwPl-1DKCLawSCeHkjUIoAnG3CeQg_wo8PTebtA/s3141/20221226_104523.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="3141" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTKSOa-9vL3axEu2SD1apAMS2993QkbO4TFDlsetS0j4gu1FDmd5kXsoWWEm7tRnDnMQq_o4YiPSatSdfqVXHJ7cjvvzEUfNhS2MKF7ihrZYoeh41lZWXbz1ymCGw2lBYb6M5XuHvNAAQqqIhDICEwPl-1DKCLawSCeHkjUIoAnG3CeQg_wo8PTebtA/s320/20221226_104523.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching 'Frozen' (What else?) on Boxing day</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It was actually a really nice Christmas week this year - My work was great and allowed everyone to take the week between Chrostmas and New Year off, so we had a really great week together - Chrostmas at home and then to Meg and Brents - then to Jon and Susand on Boxing day for Family presents and a day together the kids went to daycare for a couple of days which gave me and Buffy two full day at home together - which is teh forst time forEVER, and we took advantage by having a lie in each and popping out for lunch together as well as massages and a lot of just vegging out!</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to a party at one of the neighbours houses the day before New Years which was really nice - especially the punch - which I may well have had a teensy weensy bit too much of!</div><div><br /></div><div>On New Years eve the weather was lovely - just about -6 or 7 and so we took the kids to see the 8pm fireworks at the Forks - before whoch the enjoyed a dance at a kids dance party. It was all a really nice family week - Here are a few higlights- including me getting my toenails done by Hannah!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3J330z7Pm4wMkPDjocUSBFO2lo50DSoTj-myfTeJ-rKbm3u2nkc8JUzPIwP02kiJMOfbEcyNc1s1xj-4kubBR69SchboSa7tWgHDmv2Mv8TxFTuYtdvA9ZyOdg8Uvy8njIatDjNAPKqpICJ4DtXspgTQM9BwYgEf3Q63BfuuXp70r0AqDOe0lKitzqg/s4032/20221228_174557.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3J330z7Pm4wMkPDjocUSBFO2lo50DSoTj-myfTeJ-rKbm3u2nkc8JUzPIwP02kiJMOfbEcyNc1s1xj-4kubBR69SchboSa7tWgHDmv2Mv8TxFTuYtdvA9ZyOdg8Uvy8njIatDjNAPKqpICJ4DtXspgTQM9BwYgEf3Q63BfuuXp70r0AqDOe0lKitzqg/s320/20221228_174557.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpkigdjxYoX8DfARZ7eQfbP0MhkX4eDqYp1IgHN-jrvdGnfF7ECHGjtoKXvHvs_gSLLBB3hWehhag_SH438ZSiRITs3oAsKmht72xJSsE-yXfeG_w_mKepMXZjqgiZdJMDg6ONOFUhGPsYCBWEmX9bFrAv5nL6Q4X_dYiSOTWGSsr1WhrnmTCxRaQ7A/s4032/20221226_163341.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpkigdjxYoX8DfARZ7eQfbP0MhkX4eDqYp1IgHN-jrvdGnfF7ECHGjtoKXvHvs_gSLLBB3hWehhag_SH438ZSiRITs3oAsKmht72xJSsE-yXfeG_w_mKepMXZjqgiZdJMDg6ONOFUhGPsYCBWEmX9bFrAv5nL6Q4X_dYiSOTWGSsr1WhrnmTCxRaQ7A/s320/20221226_163341.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fwP4iyvzMMuUD3QpVId9rTifMrsoTx0BEB4dkVHH917MbufCMPF-hgt91lAQ1wGZ9BqTc3lXx-_vxEK5x42mT5S46dSF0-omrwcvYpMdnARzQ-4jpB5andlzyHdBBBXeVFnbrlDHArsglDoud0nRBZsssNq12UeE7AnxYY17LGJO5KYevBJnM_yJUw/s4032/IMG_6906.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fwP4iyvzMMuUD3QpVId9rTifMrsoTx0BEB4dkVHH917MbufCMPF-hgt91lAQ1wGZ9BqTc3lXx-_vxEK5x42mT5S46dSF0-omrwcvYpMdnARzQ-4jpB5andlzyHdBBBXeVFnbrlDHArsglDoud0nRBZsssNq12UeE7AnxYY17LGJO5KYevBJnM_yJUw/s320/IMG_6906.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eoxwcRAlOc4TtArqSm5wdlmq-q8wkzlReYwuA7RAJS8DKZ8fd0KW78DHLMqflK3CnTpEnn9-pGxwmuY5bjkgLL2pqcHckxp9S70QQAMeVl8iLgP-Dgzzn8lMJWEumGGlIqEAX7HNOWcbkhxnFk6GAhhh98N2MfD3kX-60FwX0OecNiZ0j-V43TERXg/s4032/20221230_161313(0)~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eoxwcRAlOc4TtArqSm5wdlmq-q8wkzlReYwuA7RAJS8DKZ8fd0KW78DHLMqflK3CnTpEnn9-pGxwmuY5bjkgLL2pqcHckxp9S70QQAMeVl8iLgP-Dgzzn8lMJWEumGGlIqEAX7HNOWcbkhxnFk6GAhhh98N2MfD3kX-60FwX0OecNiZ0j-V43TERXg/s320/20221230_161313(0)~2.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNMP9WtpQ7ewnD9oQr0rGYvL679NCH6FSsdh7ZplyR-E8lLIfCG_5P3FRu8PZhjR3cEXLTYwynDhzEunfySANpZr2TnrPTJGU6qozERm234lUMBzD_6FRP4FfQ8W3SQPUUj66P66MnXbEehGiwXzuK89_wzyYM1iyymYXjU0HqGZ5XlndGR1c2qYQLg/s4032/20221231_112823.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNMP9WtpQ7ewnD9oQr0rGYvL679NCH6FSsdh7ZplyR-E8lLIfCG_5P3FRu8PZhjR3cEXLTYwynDhzEunfySANpZr2TnrPTJGU6qozERm234lUMBzD_6FRP4FfQ8W3SQPUUj66P66MnXbEehGiwXzuK89_wzyYM1iyymYXjU0HqGZ5XlndGR1c2qYQLg/s320/20221231_112823.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiA7ZndoSEJXAwQj3WVsciLcz4-OGUPzktaEHS_PlbhGSai216JwAyRvT5br83FO1jm5GtyRLmHxLGZaC936o6-lPAjgRj0s_SrIyz6zjuGyr28gvDTx5_Aqe_dfaX6kKm4jA_W6aUJalaDLRXVGZl5rrp4fSCb8Sztwnl64dN8oMWoj6jFjMQApEVlw/s4032/20221231_184029.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiA7ZndoSEJXAwQj3WVsciLcz4-OGUPzktaEHS_PlbhGSai216JwAyRvT5br83FO1jm5GtyRLmHxLGZaC936o6-lPAjgRj0s_SrIyz6zjuGyr28gvDTx5_Aqe_dfaX6kKm4jA_W6aUJalaDLRXVGZl5rrp4fSCb8Sztwnl64dN8oMWoj6jFjMQApEVlw/s320/20221231_184029.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRc85P0_I6PFf5DhqWb_3x3g-QgCMWMai4IQ-l8sDGAFZDGxfUcheTfKRw9bbKcxdD1iEmClUdM5l4TdIr8zaKxsQrIhdDVl61Urcoq8tQ8tSv-fI1lYWwjCOLeTDvTvHc4fcm6iWks-kNjtrtv8vNwbte6dUkqEuCO9oobHlhJM6Uqu7hFi7j_6BTw/s4032/IMG_6955.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRc85P0_I6PFf5DhqWb_3x3g-QgCMWMai4IQ-l8sDGAFZDGxfUcheTfKRw9bbKcxdD1iEmClUdM5l4TdIr8zaKxsQrIhdDVl61Urcoq8tQ8tSv-fI1lYWwjCOLeTDvTvHc4fcm6iWks-kNjtrtv8vNwbte6dUkqEuCO9oobHlhJM6Uqu7hFi7j_6BTw/s320/IMG_6955.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLUZb-YicC0XxCXrNxHydo2x3JryPsmcY12UXWxFJp92EL8nmRwIqE2BbEZxmR53rJ0U0EarQnrTz6mC5-U9jiHoz83Egc4ZQkvhVs5KhWkRy4RgLNQ4lKby4tx2Cs5CfXoF_q0x6rCN3APKdFR7Ixyj-zINWPD-3blaI39zPceg6X334sFVFx-Qwiw/s4032/20221231_184928.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLUZb-YicC0XxCXrNxHydo2x3JryPsmcY12UXWxFJp92EL8nmRwIqE2BbEZxmR53rJ0U0EarQnrTz6mC5-U9jiHoz83Egc4ZQkvhVs5KhWkRy4RgLNQ4lKby4tx2Cs5CfXoF_q0x6rCN3APKdFR7Ixyj-zINWPD-3blaI39zPceg6X334sFVFx-Qwiw/s320/20221231_184928.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><p>New Year came and went and luckily, the weather has been pretty good here for the last week or two - Its been hovering around minus 15 or so, but actually reached 0 today - which is crazy as January and February are often the coldest most extreme months and minus 30 or below isnt that unusual. Its been lovely and as there hasnt been that much snow fall either, the roads have been pretty good and my back isnt as bad as there hasnt been that mich snow shovelling to do! The weather has made everything really pretty and so I actually took a few photos as it was so nice!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn1H9sKmPp1TPaRmX_SU7WpOuJMSVNMoJB3aLdJTRQDZq30J8DqOgS21h6OHfr6kibEqxASV7i6HXL_Tl5ohZdSZkKB5OZ0vhCOB50R_4qu5-P0VhDCRzwUtWNvp_14lWs8xOPP52uv6g4nG3eMdpKl3A2AsXGh_30US4b73ayuCwWQlx7frqnggXhQ/s1820/20230104_085955~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1811" data-original-width="1820" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn1H9sKmPp1TPaRmX_SU7WpOuJMSVNMoJB3aLdJTRQDZq30J8DqOgS21h6OHfr6kibEqxASV7i6HXL_Tl5ohZdSZkKB5OZ0vhCOB50R_4qu5-P0VhDCRzwUtWNvp_14lWs8xOPP52uv6g4nG3eMdpKl3A2AsXGh_30US4b73ayuCwWQlx7frqnggXhQ/s320/20230104_085955~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCvla6U0Q4CtJLvfc6gnGi6EfX5N_bSBEuJ9YBQb2lh6Y29rx4k9eeV_rZqCrRXyfnND6z5b_w72xzUR-diz2l7r1ujqQfO1TCIEmyxH7LVbFOjeKmYn7c5HXCExDKmxVspD8FhBZCsZeQKuDu9bARGK7YugJdr4hxZAEQKRdxd73Igr3mTztSLIZmA/s4032/20230104_105122.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDCvla6U0Q4CtJLvfc6gnGi6EfX5N_bSBEuJ9YBQb2lh6Y29rx4k9eeV_rZqCrRXyfnND6z5b_w72xzUR-diz2l7r1ujqQfO1TCIEmyxH7LVbFOjeKmYn7c5HXCExDKmxVspD8FhBZCsZeQKuDu9bARGK7YugJdr4hxZAEQKRdxd73Igr3mTztSLIZmA/s320/20230104_105122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCkKmLfzXhyWDTU6wnzugEN06-BKGWzmKG442ypxGtcK0SQQK7rr5ErFdgf3w2aH1Gsx5X4oYjIOTkXWv92zNmR4487E4q-FHvywKiSEDk06dHVPc3zz31AIRRVDNZPptdfsPLL_4CepIHm0ijRRvfiavUScu42zdyHOSxJFDvCqLFQ6-pxFllcvkYg/s4032/20230104_105813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCkKmLfzXhyWDTU6wnzugEN06-BKGWzmKG442ypxGtcK0SQQK7rr5ErFdgf3w2aH1Gsx5X4oYjIOTkXWv92zNmR4487E4q-FHvywKiSEDk06dHVPc3zz31AIRRVDNZPptdfsPLL_4CepIHm0ijRRvfiavUScu42zdyHOSxJFDvCqLFQ6-pxFllcvkYg/s320/20230104_105813.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeAlolsDs96qDLR4FNFrr6VdwsIudTcDO_MO1QHVYM5biS8K1XNlI3Etz9g6DHg8uM7BvzjrkQl_ZEXjG7IyebEQ7xkfr1ixYIT7xRXgaRuSeEoV8tTzBWO8EATsdRL2tk7uRxXhOWafn8PpoewEmTmOnbCzUb8sJdedbxGF46RzSkSkYYbqxUp4GVQ/s4032/20230104_110018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeAlolsDs96qDLR4FNFrr6VdwsIudTcDO_MO1QHVYM5biS8K1XNlI3Etz9g6DHg8uM7BvzjrkQl_ZEXjG7IyebEQ7xkfr1ixYIT7xRXgaRuSeEoV8tTzBWO8EATsdRL2tk7uRxXhOWafn8PpoewEmTmOnbCzUb8sJdedbxGF46RzSkSkYYbqxUp4GVQ/s320/20230104_110018.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kvnFEr4PpZ41eLyLbwntP4cTdM72q4WEzmTKHhHZL7gESekKFWbDau6Q4IQZOynt555_jX52jwhJSSV6uNQLlAYoZ9hVU4urMqj66td4TrXu06TnVcMlNgKT35kLaScMkKEb-27WBsFwDI-oMHoj6lJ5hxSm1qv3JLCBtutdWGY525fzD31oJiRVQg/s4032/20230104_104938.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kvnFEr4PpZ41eLyLbwntP4cTdM72q4WEzmTKHhHZL7gESekKFWbDau6Q4IQZOynt555_jX52jwhJSSV6uNQLlAYoZ9hVU4urMqj66td4TrXu06TnVcMlNgKT35kLaScMkKEb-27WBsFwDI-oMHoj6lJ5hxSm1qv3JLCBtutdWGY525fzD31oJiRVQg/s320/20230104_104938.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p>One really cool thing that has happened is how Hannah has responded to Christmas. She seems to have really enjoyed giving presents. (she actually wrapped up a load of toys from around the house into tea towels the day before Christmas and gave them out on Christmas day to us all!) </p><p>She enjoyed it so much that she cant stop now - twoce this week I came home and it was 'dads birthday' again and I had drawing and boxes of toys to open. She even saw a cute soft Robot at the Thrift store and talked Buffy into buying it for my 'birthday'. It was so loveley and I was s surprised and proud of her. She is really doing a great job of sharing and doing things for other people at the moment. It really melts my heart!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Mqd9l2nzxOVzX053p7j-OiR9QlBAg9yNLEVQL_chwKsFcaurauQWh22lHZpXfEOfAdSkm9nqWdwKeb2iafh4HkQbFfPOkXT839hZKvHFhVMeT3MCRNxNNmsJORXdaYti1V0V0QFgEw1vIlOWUH-39v8AMhVuVlX5Gtj2WTZqp1LJ0GhBt5tfTbmlIA/s1918/Screenshot_20230104_161743_Photos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1918" data-original-width="890" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Mqd9l2nzxOVzX053p7j-OiR9QlBAg9yNLEVQL_chwKsFcaurauQWh22lHZpXfEOfAdSkm9nqWdwKeb2iafh4HkQbFfPOkXT839hZKvHFhVMeT3MCRNxNNmsJORXdaYti1V0V0QFgEw1vIlOWUH-39v8AMhVuVlX5Gtj2WTZqp1LJ0GhBt5tfTbmlIA/s320/Screenshot_20230104_161743_Photos.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2qhJ36PYZzY9Fq4HmtKf1fSTwVVfxwnNNvMnDHfJ2pjJ8K2KoodizhyJnHArDgXizd8NM4fKlsnfHlsYQF8Kuu5P_fNwamOxREgzmEMICGcakbuPxTJd8kXiSqjBBc7kdHIW2xpT-uAK24En43mCDVxlDOO_Fya2Fv2N34cnmOmeOw11LTF3e3Xp7w/s4032/IMG_7098.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2qhJ36PYZzY9Fq4HmtKf1fSTwVVfxwnNNvMnDHfJ2pjJ8K2KoodizhyJnHArDgXizd8NM4fKlsnfHlsYQF8Kuu5P_fNwamOxREgzmEMICGcakbuPxTJd8kXiSqjBBc7kdHIW2xpT-uAK24En43mCDVxlDOO_Fya2Fv2N34cnmOmeOw11LTF3e3Xp7w/s320/IMG_7098.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI8OLKITcSvSUxDfqNzKwGFB8LOIin96xtRaYGpHJFvtU9o8AJJTw-yGcWvSzhnm9--FgbThzx8vHnP3tjdFaw1S1hkn3E-jCwXd2FrTQ2udjxTYeAmXH3hcpIpmlxU87KzrZYjrFelQHpMJn2V4lOs1z6JgmSeuxc6fEvmXrvXJR6fV_Hppt5QmCyQ/s4032/IMG_7313.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUI8OLKITcSvSUxDfqNzKwGFB8LOIin96xtRaYGpHJFvtU9o8AJJTw-yGcWvSzhnm9--FgbThzx8vHnP3tjdFaw1S1hkn3E-jCwXd2FrTQ2udjxTYeAmXH3hcpIpmlxU87KzrZYjrFelQHpMJn2V4lOs1z6JgmSeuxc6fEvmXrvXJR6fV_Hppt5QmCyQ/s320/IMG_7313.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p> Ollie on the other hand is just crazy! He is throwing homself off the sofa and climbing everything he can - He is a proper little boy at the moment and he is so much fun to be around! One of his Christmas presents is a little Cash register and he spends a lot of his time with that or in his little kitchen doing his 'work' s he says! You will be sitting there and he suddenly turns up and asks is you want pizza - then goes away and pretends to cook it all before inviting you to sit down and he serves it to you - usually with sugar- he is so much fun and they are getting along pretty well at the moment too!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvVBZcwARTwWQ_qabNJV6yErDSPzMjZYSP5HTyYuE2p95CZyQ1eLubRy4O-SI8m67z3mHklMjYXugV6766cMBSPvBYJBUGB-pYWgdxxa7C-OEbhVvdP85Lck32JRJvn0d8XxWTj_JcijKCdWMeTIlcb-NG7coxVfk0FOl8UFy07pDhkOPxe3Na92u-A/s4032/20230115_125609.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvVBZcwARTwWQ_qabNJV6yErDSPzMjZYSP5HTyYuE2p95CZyQ1eLubRy4O-SI8m67z3mHklMjYXugV6766cMBSPvBYJBUGB-pYWgdxxa7C-OEbhVvdP85Lck32JRJvn0d8XxWTj_JcijKCdWMeTIlcb-NG7coxVfk0FOl8UFy07pDhkOPxe3Na92u-A/s320/20230115_125609.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3Raui1DJZ9HTkFZB5f7FVro_3f5koDrpVpzcOqUplSZuNRAW2QRojgNNrPkqTJsyD_Mg8co-QFYFCbF3dOVfd_xcVj9zDB-CDAqSJJOkZE1CdFBIi01I5irIGV5P4c_EDonoBGPIVT2FXoAotInfvjG54wLdt6-Kque89ILsgiHwYiOQC20r99bOTg/s4032/20230111_174824.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3Raui1DJZ9HTkFZB5f7FVro_3f5koDrpVpzcOqUplSZuNRAW2QRojgNNrPkqTJsyD_Mg8co-QFYFCbF3dOVfd_xcVj9zDB-CDAqSJJOkZE1CdFBIi01I5irIGV5P4c_EDonoBGPIVT2FXoAotInfvjG54wLdt6-Kque89ILsgiHwYiOQC20r99bOTg/s320/20230111_174824.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvf4GYOyUgnGBgKon3m-P_mKp42wj1HL06YELH3cnk1yCrZ9yayHJ6vjzW91BBv-NXDyJ7TqHsCz4lOFovCfZAZsTl4jbBXdTCylV6hm6Y-2WmpGDwSvZd37J84S9QYkO0uHBWySyI70fNzQQyoSQV0RY57fURLF3unNlNfZzCHIP-knjklq07gQQzuQ/s4032/IMG_7066.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvf4GYOyUgnGBgKon3m-P_mKp42wj1HL06YELH3cnk1yCrZ9yayHJ6vjzW91BBv-NXDyJ7TqHsCz4lOFovCfZAZsTl4jbBXdTCylV6hm6Y-2WmpGDwSvZd37J84S9QYkO0uHBWySyI70fNzQQyoSQV0RY57fURLF3unNlNfZzCHIP-knjklq07gQQzuQ/s320/IMG_7066.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pAyL4WvQOxFotWDIafTqbzXt7Rbw8s3JI0rFnHRg8kmTKkyKV9ExJnES9Z9AjcILxMl4Xl-tBK1JLxfn0OTaGaKfNtbc4y2fMPIw_8m-Q4_Nv141Q91joKHNaerYxVjzWBSXPVfxlD0xlTZ56lgyRYy3NffSIWZACMfsCaBHbIzg7HtIxoTCiw53FQ/s4032/IMG_7063.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pAyL4WvQOxFotWDIafTqbzXt7Rbw8s3JI0rFnHRg8kmTKkyKV9ExJnES9Z9AjcILxMl4Xl-tBK1JLxfn0OTaGaKfNtbc4y2fMPIw_8m-Q4_Nv141Q91joKHNaerYxVjzWBSXPVfxlD0xlTZ56lgyRYy3NffSIWZACMfsCaBHbIzg7HtIxoTCiw53FQ/s320/IMG_7063.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5NSR56Aaxpxu0-hxKUEjlgLN9hwdh2RWSQwOnzJ1sk7-lEbP5b_uLwom6wgpeSf68QSNx-FLr533bJzTsUmMLtfhU4Q6wFUOZw9k7Ep6oJpoaBKfmaJMbsaRtS2LhKnyPIK43fyaada1i9_qrV6J2LTTvSWh3vCnkUoZ_-2YR6pBdDvpiTzXxldMhw/s4032/IMG_7062.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5NSR56Aaxpxu0-hxKUEjlgLN9hwdh2RWSQwOnzJ1sk7-lEbP5b_uLwom6wgpeSf68QSNx-FLr533bJzTsUmMLtfhU4Q6wFUOZw9k7Ep6oJpoaBKfmaJMbsaRtS2LhKnyPIK43fyaada1i9_qrV6J2LTTvSWh3vCnkUoZ_-2YR6pBdDvpiTzXxldMhw/s320/IMG_7062.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Thats all the news for now - We have an exciting few weeks coming up as we are off to Mexico soon - Ollies first time away and Hannah and ours first trip for 3 years. Its been a long time coming and we really cant get there soon enough. I will leave you with this last photo though... It is Ollie yesterday when United beat City in the Manchester Derby. He is going to be a big Football fan I think!<p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSGiJ51Z1W39RP3ZnNw7xSrU8jvBbQHCBsJyn_Xs3jo5VYVWqXEkKHvJefcAdLpsVan9KXF_QFpF8nFFcJbIQwTnhl269Dc_kqWXxwUTy7c3B_o1KPmE6qMbYUY-nGmVHP_gmTpu5ggE5s5F_6VjAt07H8MYVTsf5CQkAfTHdY1xg7CwWUKBycxJ6RQ/s4032/20230114_081345~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSGiJ51Z1W39RP3ZnNw7xSrU8jvBbQHCBsJyn_Xs3jo5VYVWqXEkKHvJefcAdLpsVan9KXF_QFpF8nFFcJbIQwTnhl269Dc_kqWXxwUTy7c3B_o1KPmE6qMbYUY-nGmVHP_gmTpu5ggE5s5F_6VjAt07H8MYVTsf5CQkAfTHdY1xg7CwWUKBycxJ6RQ/s320/20230114_081345~2.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p></div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-30292206355042402582023-01-05T02:59:00.005+00:002023-01-05T03:26:42.337+00:00The Daveys Part 7 - More Memories from Manchester.<p>I have always had vivid dreams and I consider myself lucky that I often remember them in minute details. One weird thing tends to crop up in my dreams more than anything else though - our old house in Manchester at 90 Moss Vale Road. </p><p>Sometimes it's just part of a normal dream - being used as a familiar location for some kind of wild adventure. But often it is something darker. I find myself waking up screaming - I am not afraid to admit this - I have nightmares still, and Buffy can verify the hurried breathing that often precedes an early morning scream! But more often than not, my nightmares are based around the house at 90 Moss Vale Road. It's weird to think that I only lived there for 11 years before I joined the army in 1987 and yet now, 35 years later, this normal-looking house forms the background to the worst fears playing out in my dozing state. </p><p>I suppose it might be to do with the timing and when we lived there - It was where most of my childhood memories stem from and therefore where most of my learning took place. There are so many memories of the house, the garden and the surrounding area embedded into my mind, it probably makes sense that this is the place my brain decides to enact its terrors while I sleep! That's not to say I actually have many actual bad memories of 90 Moss Vale Road though - on the contrary, as I look through old photos, all that comes to mind are good and interesting things and so I thought I should start to wind down the Davey story by mentioning a few of these!</p><p>One of the biggest memories of 90 Moss Vale Road is the motorway. I mentioned in an earlier post that instead of houses facing us from the opposite side of the road, we had a 30-foot high yellow stone wall, atop which was the M63 motorway. </p><p>One really interesting thing happened in the mid-80s - the motorway was only two lanes wide and was filling up with traffic daily, so they decided to widen the entire thing to 3 lanes. Now, for a lot of the road this just meant adding another lane at the side of the current 2 lanes - maybe digging up part of a field - But for us, we had the bridge over Winchester Road (We lived on the corner of Winchester and Moss Vale) and so we wondered how they would widen this bridge without having to close both roads for weeks.</p><p>It turned out that they closed the road for just one weekend - Friday night till Sunday night and in that time, they brought out bulldozers, which quite literally knocked down the old bridge in a couple of hours. They then put metal beams across the chasm and in a little over 24 hours built a whole new 3-lane motorway (6 lanes in total) before re-opening the Motorway and Winchester Road in time for Monday morning rush hour. It was a great weekend, spent out in the garden watching the machines demolish and rebuild the road. Here are a few photos of the weekend...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlUEQzNGQvTOcJyRmE2kVmWcma5Twi8vNdVM1P5nsqjhFmZ0drvHUF2hXcVMQM4u6IVlH6pheNJSuP1VPw-aciuljjAO197rD352MPNKZ7v0yYuGFbFhLrbk4lellOlmH0dO4r3aqjl4s-QlISEiN_st0-rsi8AHSn3qGTSFWLAg_fXh7hwDC3DdC3A/s1683/diggers%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="1683" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlUEQzNGQvTOcJyRmE2kVmWcma5Twi8vNdVM1P5nsqjhFmZ0drvHUF2hXcVMQM4u6IVlH6pheNJSuP1VPw-aciuljjAO197rD352MPNKZ7v0yYuGFbFhLrbk4lellOlmH0dO4r3aqjl4s-QlISEiN_st0-rsi8AHSn3qGTSFWLAg_fXh7hwDC3DdC3A/s320/diggers%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizh5sqvIpQgh38ieC0rTuJcJjNzO_psoPjyuqayCfJzzpB9FM7eO2ZddXVChOl6WIaHvRLcZBvjyFXmRUDHzwA_cI4r47Rt9b8Zy4OUWr0BzoHoXGxsIXfwu104onRoVkGoWnNH21KaSjUzvkv8I18eNF_yBTTot8ewD9vmmwkFtMi_USV9nWymid6aQ/s1725/diggers%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1725" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizh5sqvIpQgh38ieC0rTuJcJjNzO_psoPjyuqayCfJzzpB9FM7eO2ZddXVChOl6WIaHvRLcZBvjyFXmRUDHzwA_cI4r47Rt9b8Zy4OUWr0BzoHoXGxsIXfwu104onRoVkGoWnNH21KaSjUzvkv8I18eNF_yBTTot8ewD9vmmwkFtMi_USV9nWymid6aQ/s320/diggers%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrikN2RfjbHeoei0os4IOqxK6j2e_WOnjwz0RHbBUsrapd7nRe7tu8ntHfJfoX5xKVpMLYsiYF_EM5UXwtIJ6ss5pN0Dy6g3J93UhBVNccOXGRlt0XFpfmk6DORPRlBaZkHGVv6-BhHi4fjng6v_fM4Y8nruudmgmGHqX-rUC1lQNlAM7fCb8mw0zcaA/s1725/diggers%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="1725" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrikN2RfjbHeoei0os4IOqxK6j2e_WOnjwz0RHbBUsrapd7nRe7tu8ntHfJfoX5xKVpMLYsiYF_EM5UXwtIJ6ss5pN0Dy6g3J93UhBVNccOXGRlt0XFpfmk6DORPRlBaZkHGVv6-BhHi4fjng6v_fM4Y8nruudmgmGHqX-rUC1lQNlAM7fCb8mw0zcaA/s320/diggers%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVinmnvFEiaT2it03A680AK4qbS-IUR2uffRJKrEb-ITAj7oFZQPbRL_wRPjER79BY3imq3NPO6qLACwOlYokUmvQbzKSFclAQSOWQ1JVaH5URQq9fVOadpuVj1FhVe0fy5PUSENPAhNU0CftWmzspHTugxV7XTDCkKTWkpK7smQh1Z2W_RmEjA08Fg/s1641/diggers%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1641" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVinmnvFEiaT2it03A680AK4qbS-IUR2uffRJKrEb-ITAj7oFZQPbRL_wRPjER79BY3imq3NPO6qLACwOlYokUmvQbzKSFclAQSOWQ1JVaH5URQq9fVOadpuVj1FhVe0fy5PUSENPAhNU0CftWmzspHTugxV7XTDCkKTWkpK7smQh1Z2W_RmEjA08Fg/s320/diggers%205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXlXjcNIC5HSO9KKIlK5foKXlP7t-Rom2_I3PSZiVQDsQfPtXKxEWX5b7-XUA43kaG5Znd0u8F24oJ059KO3KE3bkjcREfdzPnsC2QRsUoJ2JGMAquCy2pfIf_cqI2OJuOhoePe1IoDa9jsc1lMRjrLlfKB3IsITfAQbrYsKBWFsADpGfzpt9_ErX7w/s1775/diggers%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1775" data-original-width="1154" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXlXjcNIC5HSO9KKIlK5foKXlP7t-Rom2_I3PSZiVQDsQfPtXKxEWX5b7-XUA43kaG5Znd0u8F24oJ059KO3KE3bkjcREfdzPnsC2QRsUoJ2JGMAquCy2pfIf_cqI2OJuOhoePe1IoDa9jsc1lMRjrLlfKB3IsITfAQbrYsKBWFsADpGfzpt9_ErX7w/s320/diggers%206.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjPAzgKbR-c5i6oF04g6IC_Y-XRJPR7b9rQtiGtJOXGprphX398hl0U3EZBqJg3my6Fls4XkIDIy-BTXwCGuse3k91FU9elYbrW5x2inRCxp5wH_H5Lu3Vu6jyakhmZe9oq668kCrb1bqPVZe1yguu-FXhroX9hqphhFjJlxFv7zGRXvsS4tHWnoNAA/s1683/diggers%207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1683" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjPAzgKbR-c5i6oF04g6IC_Y-XRJPR7b9rQtiGtJOXGprphX398hl0U3EZBqJg3my6Fls4XkIDIy-BTXwCGuse3k91FU9elYbrW5x2inRCxp5wH_H5Lu3Vu6jyakhmZe9oq668kCrb1bqPVZe1yguu-FXhroX9hqphhFjJlxFv7zGRXvsS4tHWnoNAA/s320/diggers%207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>One other thing that happened with the road widening was that all the houses on Moss Vale Road were given upgraded windows because of the increased traffic noise - We had had double glazing put in when we moved in, so now we had triple-glazed windows!<br /><p>There were lots of other fun memories of the roads around our house too - I remember one summer the road at the front of the house flooded in some incredible rain - we spent a couple of hours one afternoon paddling along the street avoiding the traffic coming around what was a blind corner at the time and Rascal loved getting dirty in the deep mud we had in the garden, before dad had planted his vegetable garden a couple of years later.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9SPkY_mamoS8BuII7hhutTJ6utApSu7JcqdpGr_gb9nFddEU92DUMzV9vITpkO_E8Yn-WeVKTe6vMj_tAo4FHvM9zxlC0t1_NdASKVnFFk-lyF_6dygBVtedb9Bkvy9K3kqBCHK84tVHXKjUqUDkBcz2D0G4BCL7clk5R3nDwI3l31ekYIrZ0MQq1g/s3125/floods.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3125" data-original-width="1279" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9SPkY_mamoS8BuII7hhutTJ6utApSu7JcqdpGr_gb9nFddEU92DUMzV9vITpkO_E8Yn-WeVKTe6vMj_tAo4FHvM9zxlC0t1_NdASKVnFFk-lyF_6dygBVtedb9Bkvy9K3kqBCHK84tVHXKjUqUDkBcz2D0G4BCL7clk5R3nDwI3l31ekYIrZ0MQq1g/w262-h640/floods.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br /><p>The corner of Moss Vale and Winchester has a lot of memories. Not only because our house was right on the corner, but because both roads were pretty busy we had our fair bit of action there. </p><p>One morning in winter - probably about 1983 or 1984, we were getting ready for school and we heard a loud bang at the front of the house. A car had come around the corner and slammed into our front gate post, which at the time was a pretty significant 5-foot high solid brick construction. It had happened a few times before as the corner can be tight and people often misjudged it. But when a second car hit it again a few minutes later we had to stop to watch. Someone had minor injuries in the 2nd crash and so an ambulance was called. Before it arrived there was a 3rd and maybe even a 4th crash. It turned out the cold weather and rain had caused a sheet of black ice to form on the road and we could only laugh when the Ambulance finally turned up and ended up also skidding on the ice and smashing into our hardened gate post! It was a fun morning. I believe there were about 7 or 8 smashes including the ambulance before the ice eventually melted away. I wish I had photos, of that day - all I have are happy memories of waiting in anticipation for the next car to turn the corner and smash!!!</p><p>This photo of me was taken with me sitting on the gate post - you can see how significant it was!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1b8vvoCa_6HXojboRutnqmreWzE-bPhWQ5J0X7AP8DACzGH5Iy_dlu4Q2oOipwLgh_9CQbYqrXiVN2Dh0fCk3FuYkQ2foz1-RyroLm7Yb98XqVOidGyxnRtngtN1DXCms9uUYudy1OIGLQ-ybOpHzUCHqiYkq1b5j1zWGKJD5_BXB02o22Jhx40yGEA/s1297/dimg121.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1008" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1b8vvoCa_6HXojboRutnqmreWzE-bPhWQ5J0X7AP8DACzGH5Iy_dlu4Q2oOipwLgh_9CQbYqrXiVN2Dh0fCk3FuYkQ2foz1-RyroLm7Yb98XqVOidGyxnRtngtN1DXCms9uUYudy1OIGLQ-ybOpHzUCHqiYkq1b5j1zWGKJD5_BXB02o22Jhx40yGEA/s320/dimg121.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br />Another time we had a small van burst into flames just a few yards down the street and watched as a Fire Engine came by to douse the fire. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxJl7xoyZAc4ohHvWqeozTEPLz9d5H3xfj6noNkg7FojMmZ9eEdW8-h8y6SeIrDQsTebUZUEY9WCzRS4ppe2nw9DVYWxDhoy6Dnr9Mx7fhdCCIJcr1l3eJUBIS7F1JTI7_2JlMckZW0ToWjCieWoPj8_06tke_4DUki2D8_aWjARcJjey8SLtAoYTaQ/s2068/fire.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2068" data-original-width="1276" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxJl7xoyZAc4ohHvWqeozTEPLz9d5H3xfj6noNkg7FojMmZ9eEdW8-h8y6SeIrDQsTebUZUEY9WCzRS4ppe2nw9DVYWxDhoy6Dnr9Mx7fhdCCIJcr1l3eJUBIS7F1JTI7_2JlMckZW0ToWjCieWoPj8_06tke_4DUki2D8_aWjARcJjey8SLtAoYTaQ/s320/fire.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>One of the saddest crashes though happened late one Saturday night. A driver coming up Winchester Road completely missed the left turn onto Moss Vale and somehow ended up on its roof by our back gates having knocked down the beautiful red telephone box that sat on the corner next to the house. It was really sad because they replaced the Traditional red phone box (Model k6) with some weird American-style yellow phone booth. It just wasn't the same and it was so bad I don't even have a photo of it - Just the before and after of the old wonderful phone box and the car on its roof!</p><p>Here is a before, during and after photo of the phone box!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeQYx6H3B8CyquwoAZoqUGuRdu-XHs5WBuvbW4BNwHJBiGxqD3wnv2bqfMQjh4gEv9Ha0n-_DOMYqAgd88_O9lW9y0sHSzkr97Y32qRdzskbGPBCXwJ5vBVzXGWFyHQ3SuxhvWdwg25ZwE_SvdBcjCvM5UCGKztYDJ3JkQHTcgTycyGzGkAo1Xp8ZbQ/s1255/m63%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1255" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeQYx6H3B8CyquwoAZoqUGuRdu-XHs5WBuvbW4BNwHJBiGxqD3wnv2bqfMQjh4gEv9Ha0n-_DOMYqAgd88_O9lW9y0sHSzkr97Y32qRdzskbGPBCXwJ5vBVzXGWFyHQ3SuxhvWdwg25ZwE_SvdBcjCvM5UCGKztYDJ3JkQHTcgTycyGzGkAo1Xp8ZbQ/s320/m63%20view.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QydVMHrER88cJ9i815mv7gaRcz0SZ2rG5jcPubkLksDZI1tRRJLXlTBdAkWjBZieQdcUVWcueufmTplveYfHd24WKy6yTahzfzya2t8lyBl3PjA7FPaX4Nj015CDmO-QJu-ud9hOGz_0wFsMt_-yx0nWrpur8LhrKYIr9Mfoj5A0wLg5hMP_8CmD8w/s1226/car%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1226" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QydVMHrER88cJ9i815mv7gaRcz0SZ2rG5jcPubkLksDZI1tRRJLXlTBdAkWjBZieQdcUVWcueufmTplveYfHd24WKy6yTahzfzya2t8lyBl3PjA7FPaX4Nj015CDmO-QJu-ud9hOGz_0wFsMt_-yx0nWrpur8LhrKYIr9Mfoj5A0wLg5hMP_8CmD8w/s320/car%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNatF1k7avRM3kMfACA9xgBAvPBMVOv7ZEbb-L1Eugw67wT_5pJBB2y8NRyHXuqqZFLR8htymG8CjBrZfQesGsiKixvU1hwWbNafpgkkM1tXs9ZAyKYew5nEgtsABjdjC5j898owwY5ruHgcXuQpxjW7h4LzDMYEgH4mueJafRa6wnDw-12cxqaqZ7PA/s1183/car2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1183" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNatF1k7avRM3kMfACA9xgBAvPBMVOv7ZEbb-L1Eugw67wT_5pJBB2y8NRyHXuqqZFLR8htymG8CjBrZfQesGsiKixvU1hwWbNafpgkkM1tXs9ZAyKYew5nEgtsABjdjC5j898owwY5ruHgcXuQpxjW7h4LzDMYEgH4mueJafRa6wnDw-12cxqaqZ7PA/s320/car2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div>This is the only photo I could find of the style of phone booth that replaced it. It's the only one I ever saw anywhere - probably because it was so crap!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhznjnQOsn7EPeDGtlV_oZwzSfZX-SPmw31V2GF8FCRIvjNv-EOogtAK04rdPImij3KdIJx6GD3s2iZd6T38kIJjW4Gv_w66yP5KYQyKc6IOph0uXwDabq_hHW8zcdNx_myRJFjkbnAvT-4b1gZXNLrpj7IWzL-ieOVID5ynZXmUz60G-Yd0s6PpUiKw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="394" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhznjnQOsn7EPeDGtlV_oZwzSfZX-SPmw31V2GF8FCRIvjNv-EOogtAK04rdPImij3KdIJx6GD3s2iZd6T38kIJjW4Gv_w66yP5KYQyKc6IOph0uXwDabq_hHW8zcdNx_myRJFjkbnAvT-4b1gZXNLrpj7IWzL-ieOVID5ynZXmUz60G-Yd0s6PpUiKw" width="135" /></a></div>I did some more digging and discovered it was called an Oakham Kiosk - Primarily put in places where vandalism was an issue! Heres some info on them if you are interested!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.britishtelephones.com/kioskbooth.htm" target="_blank">https://www.britishtelephones.com/kioskbooth.htm</a><br /><br /><p></p><p>I have so many memories of the house in Manchester it would be impossible to recall them all. I wish we could go back and take more photos and even some videos but of course, that's impossible. </p><p>I have memories of dropping darts from the upstairs landing whilst Chris stuck his head out on the ground floor, dodging the projectile until I paused and dropped it a few seconds early, scoring a direct hit in his head! (Or did Chris drop it in my head?) <span style="color: red;">Gareth - I remember dropping darts into Chris's head too. </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Chris - has memories of both Gareth and I doing it </span>The only consistent things in any of these memories about dart dropping, are that darts were dropped and that they were dropped into Chris's head! Poor Chris - hahaha</p><p>Then I remember chasing Chris around the house after playing with football cards and his slamming his bedroom door on the little finger of my left hand. Blood seeping down the painted woodwork - to this day the finger on my lefthand is visibly thinner than the one on my right!</p><p>Mum and especially dad were constantly moving things around the house and painting or decorating - The living room became the dining room, then the sofa was moved, then mum and dad swapped bedrooms from front to back and then Gareth or Chris moved rooms - it was endless, but it did feel like things were always being updated. </p><p>The TV was also changed quite often - We had a deal with Radio Rentals in the days before people actually owned TVs'. We rented ours from the store in Stretford ( <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Chris - It was originally from Radio Rentals in Urmston, not Stretford - The building that is now the Wetherspoons pub!) </span>and I remember as we went from a standard TV with push buttons on top that you had to get up to change channels, to one with a wired remote control - a cable snaked from the TV across the floor to the remote control that dad usually held, to change between the 3 possible channels - BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. Then in 1982, everything changed when Channel 4 started. It was unbelievable to see the 4th channel and soon we also had a remote control without a cable too, so you could change without ever leaving the sofa! Technology back them was amazing!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaxabgUcNEHh1a_IDafwIowVqP1vykzp55MoZx43gvXheL0S1nQTnqN17IrMNVyK1aZAuP9w70_TeAEFtPRAPKYDWYdM2-pMAB5Q3qyIbdizd_BnfbXpLdSV_Ouj0DzJZkD2dg69tiCPiF6yOTncWo-YF9vG6vGbW4NvNlX7AT5aXaPL8RKU6yXyxqw/s1723/tvimg108.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1723" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaxabgUcNEHh1a_IDafwIowVqP1vykzp55MoZx43gvXheL0S1nQTnqN17IrMNVyK1aZAuP9w70_TeAEFtPRAPKYDWYdM2-pMAB5Q3qyIbdizd_BnfbXpLdSV_Ouj0DzJZkD2dg69tiCPiF6yOTncWo-YF9vG6vGbW4NvNlX7AT5aXaPL8RKU6yXyxqw/s320/tvimg108.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This was one of our televisions (we got an updated one every couple of years) I don't know if this one had a remote or not, but like all of them, it was on wheels so we could swing it around and watch TV while having dinner!<br /><p>Then came along Video Recorders - Of course, they were too expensive to buy, so we got ours from Radio Rentals too alongside a new TV package. </p><p>I actually remember the first two movies we rented when we got our Video Recorder - Jaws and a movie called Used Cars - a terrible movie about dodgy car salesmen, with a few too many boobs in it for kids - definitely picked by dad I think! </p><p>Of course, the Video Recorders as the name implied, were supposed to be for recording TV, so we would all have our own personal VHS Video Tape and would be able to program the video to record whatever TV shows we wanted unless someone else had already set it to record theirs! </p><p>There were definitely times when there were clashes and things got unprogrammed and someone got pissed off at missing a TV show and back then, it might never be shown again! The clocks on the videos weren't that accurate either, so quite often we would miss the last 2 or 3 minutes of a TV show and never find out what happened! Or you would make sure to start the recording early anfd finish it late, which was fine if no one else wanted to record anything. If they did then the timings would clash and someone would be unhappy! You kids today don't know how lucky you are with Netflix, Amazon Prime and all the other millions of channels and streming options out there as well as the bottomless pit of downloadable free stuff that is available.</p><p>This isn't a great photo below - But in the corner on the right-hand side, you can see the old top-loading video recorder inside the wooden shelf/security device made by dad. This homemade wooden shelf was supposed to stop it from getting nicked by burglars, but I remember at least once it was gone one morning after we got broken into. </p><p>When we went on holiday, dad used to actually remove the video recorder and put it inside mum's wheeled shopping trolley and hide it under the floorboards in the pantry while we were away! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBG9GgKYIFLwY8OUw8PicdD1giS-J3UO7iNcAP19H-nHQSbAZIxoxdQpZMk9k99OEJa_T9SsterOtBO2AmbCrDwTqyxSwzDbgHV46MHpTFimATtMBxnyZ2VMWx04sL5jlhoh93og2TmzAXWIhUZOx5zZb_UoFD7UJJSdg7mVWLWXsmBUtLDduude6hw/s1677/img139.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1677" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBG9GgKYIFLwY8OUw8PicdD1giS-J3UO7iNcAP19H-nHQSbAZIxoxdQpZMk9k99OEJa_T9SsterOtBO2AmbCrDwTqyxSwzDbgHV46MHpTFimATtMBxnyZ2VMWx04sL5jlhoh93og2TmzAXWIhUZOx5zZb_UoFD7UJJSdg7mVWLWXsmBUtLDduude6hw/s320/img139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Also, check out the old Telephone on the table and the really big stripy settee and chairs.</p><p>There were some times when the TV didn't get moved around to watch during dinner - well two times - one was when our snooker table was set up. </p><p>The snooker table was bought as a joint Christmas present between the three of us and was a 5-foot-long table. It normally stood folded up in the corner of the dining room out of the way. It would be moved out once every few months and stay in place for a week or two, while we played tournaments and invited mates around to play. The dining table would get folded away instead and we would eat dinner in the front room instead - so the TV didn't have to move! (<span style="color: red;">Gareth - I ruled the world on that snooker table!)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6x1BvfbiRokkP28RbCCnLbNHFhCd2Wl3CrIX35hoiwTqvPx_PvRUccTuHfuPs__a-Lb-ONlIgayUPzXCrZ4cqOUOjsQz63odeeekeVwM3oCXCVZhQIcwkAGF9JtMfTVhCKSRytUPyoIwzWyaWPE8kFGh8pojUIjpcXkdvFs0OwVnKmuyS1WCb8I8Rw/s1476/snooker%20table.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1476" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6x1BvfbiRokkP28RbCCnLbNHFhCd2Wl3CrIX35hoiwTqvPx_PvRUccTuHfuPs__a-Lb-ONlIgayUPzXCrZ4cqOUOjsQz63odeeekeVwM3oCXCVZhQIcwkAGF9JtMfTVhCKSRytUPyoIwzWyaWPE8kFGh8pojUIjpcXkdvFs0OwVnKmuyS1WCb8I8Rw/s320/snooker%20table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The other time the TV wasn't switched around for dinner was Christmas - Now Christmas was a pretty good time on most years. Nan, Catherine and Brenda would come around to ours for most of the day and we would play with our new gifts until dinner was ready at 3pm - in time to watch the Queen, before tucking into dinner. (Maybe the TV got swung around for the Queen? I don't know!!) Dinner was always nice at Christmas then we would veg out in front of the Christmas day TV until everyone went home and it was time for bed. </p><p>One year, after Gareth joined the army there was a big Christmas bust-up - As far as I remember Gareth had asked for a sandwich before dinner and dad had commented, 'It's like a kick in the teeth', or something similar, as he was the one cooking dinner. A shouting match followed and then Gareth stormed upstairs followed by dad and more shouting through a slammed bedroom door. </p><p>If I remember right Brenda and Nan decided to go home and had to be fchased by someone to bring them back in time for dinner. It all calmed down by then, but years later it's still a good family Christmas memory! </p><p>That's pretty much all my memories of daft little things that happened in the house!</p><p>One thing I promised I would do in an earlier post was to mention a little more about The Farm - It was discussed in an earlier post about holidays, but it was a constant in our younger years and a huge part of our lives as we grew up.</p><p>Mum and dad remained friends with Robert and Dorothy for years and years and still met up with them once or twice a year until well into the 2000s. We would visit a couple of times a year and loved our holidays there. Sometimes we would stay in the farmhouse itself and at other times we would take the caravan and park it up there. But the one thing we would all agree on was we loved our holidays there - </p><p>Lots of time was spent swimming and splashing in the River Ellen, Playing hide and seek in the evenings around the farm - hiding in the barns and under tractors or wherever we could - playing with the two farm kids, (Robert and Dorothy's kids) who lived there and worked on the farm year around - Helen and Andrew. They were a little older than us, but they always played and had fun with us. </p><p>We got rides on hay stacks on Tractor trailers and got to feed the cows and help with milking as well as playing with the house dogs (The farm dogs were wild as fuck and would take your hand off, but the house dogs that lived in the actual house were great!!) They were great times and we all have great memories of our times there! Our holidays there really taught us a lot about how different living in the countryside was and definitely meant that to this day we all still have a soft spot for the Lake District. </p><p>Here are a few pics of the fun we used to have!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro0o8J_0IDrSOGRLNPxjgfLzy3VOHKPMCRY65HLb-WDfRy4dEh04-YC0Mx2QrjS_ZTV5eP0XQXhNOybymIlbtyWOCJxaB5NQUdYrzabUoZLOWJxbN5Nd_un7O_yuIEB0N3KpnumLpMe8d7218Ur5sBEqRPCnXP0eW67roddPoZxWC29VqlCfcrnBaXw/s1225/river.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro0o8J_0IDrSOGRLNPxjgfLzy3VOHKPMCRY65HLb-WDfRy4dEh04-YC0Mx2QrjS_ZTV5eP0XQXhNOybymIlbtyWOCJxaB5NQUdYrzabUoZLOWJxbN5Nd_un7O_yuIEB0N3KpnumLpMe8d7218Ur5sBEqRPCnXP0eW67roddPoZxWC29VqlCfcrnBaXw/s320/river.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-VbqFGcEZzWT5RvBcq6KUAsd7-obQBVQb_0sCNgfJspWTHpAMtX0OX8E0udWbnV4D5g_YOan9Hbhtdbwyb0wDlkr-_yu1uu7IPwMXAwY1RIQesra5Crr4swDxMi-_g2tbyUcTLP5kpgxviloknkPAC2s23vSA6ZJn_4YOJ7N1VePmKAbxxlCtuBBIg/s1028/Playing%20in%20the%20river%20Ellen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="1028" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-VbqFGcEZzWT5RvBcq6KUAsd7-obQBVQb_0sCNgfJspWTHpAMtX0OX8E0udWbnV4D5g_YOan9Hbhtdbwyb0wDlkr-_yu1uu7IPwMXAwY1RIQesra5Crr4swDxMi-_g2tbyUcTLP5kpgxviloknkPAC2s23vSA6ZJn_4YOJ7N1VePmKAbxxlCtuBBIg/s320/Playing%20in%20the%20river%20Ellen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTG34V7QmDUUJwyenUmOoDJ63hoRYg5EdfZuKAKSQNeopX8J302jFkTjkrrVUSa1eb3IwA8d--H1iDf_tC99HmVuKOqUSel3tQMOVCMFDHhGuy2p_O7qlUvmxzC8Bdd454gIKVxRbqKFx3tQIrWAUySV2_aytmJak7vx89AhPs6CUpQIEaoKp5bPvsNw/s1269/farm%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1269" data-original-width="997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTG34V7QmDUUJwyenUmOoDJ63hoRYg5EdfZuKAKSQNeopX8J302jFkTjkrrVUSa1eb3IwA8d--H1iDf_tC99HmVuKOqUSel3tQMOVCMFDHhGuy2p_O7qlUvmxzC8Bdd454gIKVxRbqKFx3tQIrWAUySV2_aytmJak7vx89AhPs6CUpQIEaoKp5bPvsNw/s320/farm%206.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx3Wj0EycR2xmlGq_BGP9VeMZ9D5c6Vi_xRfNy43eNcGVOLlWoTeHtovgv2M-drQlmSyRqo0dTzEhxYfvdRawLRZtMMgLaTZB0gm464Ru2KjtNK56AHbBl3E4IaV-zXIi9JCEP04PGgMpvyuVFXKoc6PM46iVMzsTtHTzDuBHgndQ9JbKCRN0x2y-fA/s1257/farm%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1257" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx3Wj0EycR2xmlGq_BGP9VeMZ9D5c6Vi_xRfNy43eNcGVOLlWoTeHtovgv2M-drQlmSyRqo0dTzEhxYfvdRawLRZtMMgLaTZB0gm464Ru2KjtNK56AHbBl3E4IaV-zXIi9JCEP04PGgMpvyuVFXKoc6PM46iVMzsTtHTzDuBHgndQ9JbKCRN0x2y-fA/s320/farm%205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1256" data-original-width="985" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nf788fXhV8UCJrnvQfkUUvTG27vAtvcDSCZFFT-H4EHb_-yfo3WnFezAzeYY7HXzL68Ic0kLxbbwneJmQNDzexhI3J39YXKBuckIrEUL6Z-MNjnfe5FsHNIjS79m8mfZOLaZFUmMZclpPkK3gmUlv9Vez4lafudoMOnKVAHXlDfUgQe9oC2ZX2fG6g/s320/farm%203.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEoxXJJauvNsYp7k8w7vJVeZTn4toX_l3tDAFv7UwKzv3s4UYZdrQ0NCRj9zAlH3ILrDUDJB7bTrXDh2GuXWOfc0BUPgu3wb-bTldCp_L8rmAzw7Bkz3cTBMmzvhEElEvpIpcuxeffo2vuxa1gCcOUpAWTbXxAKEtTvyrbOpAeWMqi9wG95whrfQS8g/s1299/farm%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1026" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEoxXJJauvNsYp7k8w7vJVeZTn4toX_l3tDAFv7UwKzv3s4UYZdrQ0NCRj9zAlH3ILrDUDJB7bTrXDh2GuXWOfc0BUPgu3wb-bTldCp_L8rmAzw7Bkz3cTBMmzvhEElEvpIpcuxeffo2vuxa1gCcOUpAWTbXxAKEtTvyrbOpAeWMqi9wG95whrfQS8g/s320/farm%202.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>There are so many memories of our time in Manchester and the places we visited in those years that I feel like this story could go on forever, but I am afraid it will just become a list of what we did and vague recollections of it. <p></p><p>What I set out to do when I started this 'Davey Blog', was to give a fun and interesting look into the history of our family alongside some of the photos I scanned from mum and dad's old photo albums. </p><p>It would have been a shame for these photos and memories to have been forgotten forever like so much is nowadays. I think I have almost achieved everything I set out to do. </p><p>I have to end it somewhere though and so the next update will be the final part of the Davey family story. I will talk about the last few years in Manchester and how the Davey family 'nest' at Moss Vale emptied as we 3 boys (and Mum and Dad surprisingly) spread our wings, departed and began the next stage in our lives!</p><p><br /></p></div><br />rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-62281223533702790422022-12-09T18:51:00.000+00:002022-12-09T18:51:07.707+00:00Fractals within my goopy mucus filled mind-mind<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b> 5.04</b></span></p><p>That's what I see when I open my right eye and glance, without moving my head, at the small wooden triangular-shaped clock, that sits across the other side of our bedroom. The numbers are illuminated in red - a colour that will no doubt remain in the corners of my tired bloodshot eyes for the 18 hours and 56 minutes that remain of today. If this was the old movie - 'Groundhog Day', then the numbers would slowly flip over and an alarm would sound, as Bill Murray clambered out of his bed once again to live the same day over and over - But for me, I stare as the numbers silently advance to 5.05 or is it S.O.S? What could SOS stand for right now? Snot Ooze Saliva? Sticky Oral Substance? Yep, my second mind-mind decides that this is the perfect description to match the three-letter abbreviation just before the numbers/letters perform their silent 'flip' and change once again to 5.06 or 'SOG'.</p><p>This is our lives at the moment - I refer to 'our', in a couple of different ways - Our - as in our little family, all of us suffering for the umpteenth day of house sickness. I also refer to the 'our' in terms of myself and my mind, which at times like these, feels much more like its own being - It wakes up when I try to sleep and gets excited about the most ridiculous things at the stupidest times - It as if someone else is controlling my thoughts rather than me actually doing it myself. I actually which one of me is writing this right now!?!?</p><p>The 'Rick' side of my mind wants the 'Mind' side of my mind to shut the fuck up and stop talking, so that the rest of me can at least try to get some sleep, but the mind-mind reminds me that this isn't going to happen. Because he is enjoying himself and also because of the sticky green beings that have taken up residence in my itchy throat and within the seemingly endless sinus cavities just above the ridge of my sweaty nose and behind my 'clock number red' coloured bloodshot eyes. </p><p>My actual real mind (I think) is thinking back to the start of September when I got Pneumonia and the 6 weeks of illness and coughing that followed - After just a short week of freedom from the lurgy, another virus or whatever it was, found its way into our little hovel and infected me and Oliver at first. Buffy and Hannah followed a few days later. For a couple of weeks, our house reverberated to the sounds of hacking and coughing, sneezing and wheezing! We really should all have been sponsored by 'Kleenex', until we ran out and started on the toilet roll and Paper Kitchen towels, which really do a good job at removing soft wet skin from the round point nit at the end of your nose! </p><p>Thankfully, after a couple of horrendous weeks, we all recovered and had a week of freedom before some other infection manifested itself into poor little Ollie's throat - he got it bad the second time and passed it along to all of us again - meaning Hannah missed school, Ollie missed daycare and Grandma days and I had to take a day off work 'unpaid' due to not having any sick days left. During that time, I spent the day with the kids transforming the front room and dining room into a huge blanket fort, whilst making frequent trips to the kitchen to grab kitchen paper towels to wipe various running noses. Buffy had some time in bed from where she worked when she could. Here's the fort we built!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPLfT8Wkni_H7WzHT8nfTXqrv9ToMunq61HxBwpPYQM1T3pPtAiJ5JtfEUml6hP7P7nR-TC-rdTy3w-pDlxklSBRcLqpeyMCWQmZCifQVjVLxv5VDzkokoy5yUhp6eDfcPC5ox92FB5tgsM04nUj0_mrSVvLyMoa2kz182fDPqDKAFkoE9aecO_AIoA/s4032/20221128_090821.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPLfT8Wkni_H7WzHT8nfTXqrv9ToMunq61HxBwpPYQM1T3pPtAiJ5JtfEUml6hP7P7nR-TC-rdTy3w-pDlxklSBRcLqpeyMCWQmZCifQVjVLxv5VDzkokoy5yUhp6eDfcPC5ox92FB5tgsM04nUj0_mrSVvLyMoa2kz182fDPqDKAFkoE9aecO_AIoA/s320/20221128_090821.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgto7ZSeMY5rqfvDAuL5p6tS3o1dA78Wa038F9PKYU15UJK9_-O_Zde1JQ0MHvU26iHPH378cyAgTwgM9Pi692w4GggmCUXKSbWOqZUeVetzgK0EEaTBxCiijlpq9hxd0rL7ASkR5GPIZctcJ2ebO7pVVh0q1363TW6FOVUGW70fZig6eeeJWclQY5sJg/s4032/20221128_092450.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgto7ZSeMY5rqfvDAuL5p6tS3o1dA78Wa038F9PKYU15UJK9_-O_Zde1JQ0MHvU26iHPH378cyAgTwgM9Pi692w4GggmCUXKSbWOqZUeVetzgK0EEaTBxCiijlpq9hxd0rL7ASkR5GPIZctcJ2ebO7pVVh0q1363TW6FOVUGW70fZig6eeeJWclQY5sJg/s320/20221128_092450.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iIq3h_-Vbm-xGBc8PU4e3xFUEcNjk7Vf2zZb1VbwZGKJo-F91AuwvC8Gk6132DGeZUV0uqZF6g-k-DRuZtbPxAZLncJm_jreH9TBydcRLrd0hy5JY0bav4GeOpbAt6j8G3hpMRg2IT1Ls1dlPhHHF-dzQepdDxsQfPRZjvS_t42v5pfBNXFGz6bFrQ/s4032/20221128_101508.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iIq3h_-Vbm-xGBc8PU4e3xFUEcNjk7Vf2zZb1VbwZGKJo-F91AuwvC8Gk6132DGeZUV0uqZF6g-k-DRuZtbPxAZLncJm_jreH9TBydcRLrd0hy5JY0bav4GeOpbAt6j8G3hpMRg2IT1Ls1dlPhHHF-dzQepdDxsQfPRZjvS_t42v5pfBNXFGz6bFrQ/s320/20221128_101508.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-q7MRmZKyLwdnW2V7lAoV9EZcRXwfckncbJVMrcnuqjFBxxh9saQ7CSkyKAbkSR_ozPypNJ9Ulg4YZRs5hXPuItAiLK2VMAxcXxM9PvajN4IhoqVCQs-DBz-_QDKfZZqSZEFJ4jWyvEb7tSsnCnZxj7IuhG8DRb3pRAD5ticyz9fmFmEQldptaXAtQ/s4032/20221128_101851.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-q7MRmZKyLwdnW2V7lAoV9EZcRXwfckncbJVMrcnuqjFBxxh9saQ7CSkyKAbkSR_ozPypNJ9Ulg4YZRs5hXPuItAiLK2VMAxcXxM9PvajN4IhoqVCQs-DBz-_QDKfZZqSZEFJ4jWyvEb7tSsnCnZxj7IuhG8DRb3pRAD5ticyz9fmFmEQldptaXAtQ/s320/20221128_101851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ql-0bTutyw" width="320" youtube-src-id="3ql-0bTutyw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FqMfvJTNCHw" width="320" youtube-src-id="FqMfvJTNCHw"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Luckily, these illness's somehow checked the calendar, we all share, before arriving, and were not present when Hannah was due to go to the hospital for her first round of plastic surgery on her mouth injury. She did an amazing job and actually had a pretty nice time at the hospital until they took her away for the surgery itself. Then, when she came out she was a little groggy and we had to wait about an hour before she could get dressed into her clothes and we could take her home. It was a bit funny as the nurse said that she wouldn't be able to leave till she was walking around by herself - we tried her walking and she was very wobbly and unsteady, like a drunk early on a Sunday morning, but the nurse said 'Yeah, that's good enough and discharged her immediately!</p><p>The surgery itself was a great success - Dr Price - a really soft-spoken, South African plastic surgeon, with great taste in clothes- is very happy with the result, as are we. The large protrusion at the corner of Hannah's mouth has gone completely. The area is still very red though and we know (we are now experts on how and why scars form and heal over time) that over the next 3-4 months the redness will continue and may even become more obvious, but once the body stops reacting to the injury, the scars will reduce and fade away. Add to that the twice-daily facial massage and scar cream that we do with Hannah (Oliver gets to join in too as they watch short videos as we do 'cream time'.) and we know we are doing all we can at the moment to reduce the long-lasting effect of the dog attack. </p><p>We have to return to see Dr Price again in 3 months for a check-up and then we wait to see what other procedures Hannah may need in the future. </p><p>Here are a few photos showing before, at the hospital and afterwards. You can see the difference!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvQFkc1iJ6teaP1H3ydA2GLGLXXSaJdXF8IC3vGzq9Nytrf7gsUfGIyyz2SmVFCKBXBNEQFIWcY7B5BQEKHv6Vc-4723T24FGpg5-PREoQCc9fu8ylg-q-QKGIs6wnqpDmvYU8jIfNhJu0R_v4hvOnZHuj9HWh0UJdDP7XNyJVjEwN8ZObGBqfztcPg/s4032/20221119_115534.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvQFkc1iJ6teaP1H3ydA2GLGLXXSaJdXF8IC3vGzq9Nytrf7gsUfGIyyz2SmVFCKBXBNEQFIWcY7B5BQEKHv6Vc-4723T24FGpg5-PREoQCc9fu8ylg-q-QKGIs6wnqpDmvYU8jIfNhJu0R_v4hvOnZHuj9HWh0UJdDP7XNyJVjEwN8ZObGBqfztcPg/s320/20221119_115534.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IDC8MhByRAIYzmm7tYEdgV8G94OUrt2YfXxzm8d53x0-MG5kS0l3Jl2TBeVPluD6_XYZbii_0ztj6V5DplSX42wufRwzFjfm2iavVetPWk9TBF2SCcqJJhgNDLzx7n_Iqnaxof8CscsIFXbnVinelMS_eNX7B-Xe8SF09b4uoJEYS7ur4gPM-O0f5g/s4032/20221119_115517.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-KFsHxyV5MTWeio0IulxFwCnw2iTmJ7vijOTKmUAJjZb-TQItDKoFyr7hKWXKHH236tzioOhvCiNG17jCUZ6UDV7YLiPN7E217nHYbEZTPNDIugAxa3utiDXdtCQqoGp3jBKhLFOSDwe__SuCAQZRHv2YcPg5TWooOnTZZWmSC-rjrNHApk-dXh04g/s4032/20221203_173242.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-KFsHxyV5MTWeio0IulxFwCnw2iTmJ7vijOTKmUAJjZb-TQItDKoFyr7hKWXKHH236tzioOhvCiNG17jCUZ6UDV7YLiPN7E217nHYbEZTPNDIugAxa3utiDXdtCQqoGp3jBKhLFOSDwe__SuCAQZRHv2YcPg5TWooOnTZZWmSC-rjrNHApk-dXh04g/s320/20221203_173242.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUG4sX_zZF5wY6MqGbdaiCDSa8Si_fh9r3pAVmRWtJMOPsvnUd1_VXh7xIJeqy0UCSBB8y2K4kR4jF6fUX6AgHeXqJcbMN-9o-Fo2RdgQYIM59z8GIuHHT9WntUqqRubqtTH9cJWHGLCk9XLPUYdb1k5cHm_zHElJSC54JRFe4zVX6NsO5H-XjpA_bUA/s4032/20221203_173245.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUG4sX_zZF5wY6MqGbdaiCDSa8Si_fh9r3pAVmRWtJMOPsvnUd1_VXh7xIJeqy0UCSBB8y2K4kR4jF6fUX6AgHeXqJcbMN-9o-Fo2RdgQYIM59z8GIuHHT9WntUqqRubqtTH9cJWHGLCk9XLPUYdb1k5cHm_zHElJSC54JRFe4zVX6NsO5H-XjpA_bUA/s320/20221203_173245.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I digress - As I said the surgery took place in a rest period between illnesses. Once Hannah was out and back home, we were infected once again and poor little Ollie had it worse than all of us - AGAIN! </p><p>Luckily, Hannah seems to be escaping this outbreak and has continued to go to school as normal. Ollie had about 5 days between getting well and getting ill again - I have had this sinus monster pushing the taught skin off of my face for about 10 days now and it is quite literally doing my head in!</p><p>We have been ill so much we have also had to cancel 2 nights out due to the kids or Buffy and I or all of us being ill. We only get a couple of nights out a month as it is, so we are now desperate to get the fuck out of this house!</p><p>Anyway, back to last night and the clock, sleep mind-mind thing- </p><p>I was up with Ollie, as he woke up crying and stuffed up around <span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>2.27</b></span>am. I managed to get him back down, but the process of cuddling him to sleep in his bed means I have to lean down over the side of his safety barrier, and the pressure on my sinuses increases tenfold. So, when I get back in bed I am completely stuffed up with nasal sprouts!! However, my mind-mind doesn't mind, as it gives him/her/it the opportunity to catch up on whatever the fuck it is they want to sort out or just to entertain itself!</p><p>So last night my mind-mind did the following thinking:-</p><p><b>1</b>. It worked out a way to run a power cable for our newly installed Security cameras without having to drill through any walls! This is so the batteries that power them don't die too fast in the frigid cold weather. I won't give you details, but it is genius!</p><p><b>2</b>. It sang a lot of Frozen songs - 'Let it go. 'Do you want to be a Snowman', 'For the first time in Forever'. The inside of my head was a Kristen and Idina (Anna and Elsa) fan club for hours. That is not surprising as Hannah and Oliver love the movie and Hannah has taken to becoming Elsa at every opportunity. She even has 4 'Elsa' dresses that she wears - two of them are actual proper 'Princess' style dresses - (one of them that Buffy wore as a toddler! ) Till it got really cold she also said that she liked the cold and didn't have to wear warm clothes outside. This changed quickly at -37 degrees Celcius! She also has an Elsa doll (Ollie has Anna) and a couple of Frozen books alongside a Frozen-themed quilt!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhbvsF0wYbDSOeFwZdyVORa7tHFLFS4AuX3L7ddH_mySC4hOLJfCHtSF3qLPICSxMcco0gd78YmeHp7K72IpkU4q2NsrEwn1d5DPD1zewHa4gPT7LhEsNFuBeuNBL4pLnkPKCb_Ar3pz5EdbO_6sVMvVYDvkSr6VQVhsdJtEYHWMH2iBW0wauZaLavA/s3968/20221119_195833.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2232" data-original-width="3968" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhbvsF0wYbDSOeFwZdyVORa7tHFLFS4AuX3L7ddH_mySC4hOLJfCHtSF3qLPICSxMcco0gd78YmeHp7K72IpkU4q2NsrEwn1d5DPD1zewHa4gPT7LhEsNFuBeuNBL4pLnkPKCb_Ar3pz5EdbO_6sVMvVYDvkSr6VQVhsdJtEYHWMH2iBW0wauZaLavA/s320/20221119_195833.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Elsa doll</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CPvfDxk3G_ux6Y_Y35ceqQPLhpp1faImNO2bMoIi1pMgZZY5W7rujL6l1hjmLlurtCt6mgbennTG9laF5IivpqkRFRRcucDZVNAGQ9wORhUn0HOmjAnacEQGeFs1vMChnMf-pPsJR5CLWO7LeqIEEmRXCeN_ak6_Y6CZxIMxwc9nNZYhTNXA6EPKOA/s4032/IMG_6282.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CPvfDxk3G_ux6Y_Y35ceqQPLhpp1faImNO2bMoIi1pMgZZY5W7rujL6l1hjmLlurtCt6mgbennTG9laF5IivpqkRFRRcucDZVNAGQ9wORhUn0HOmjAnacEQGeFs1vMChnMf-pPsJR5CLWO7LeqIEEmRXCeN_ak6_Y6CZxIMxwc9nNZYhTNXA6EPKOA/s320/IMG_6282.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Frozen dress</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZY0Z8wpwZQ1xI4Sbx24o8FWa55BitVm8erKY0D91SkP-SY_pvuAQAyF9Hm3XeiRePSbl7f28vp99UFzHR4mp2S9ERbXnC2L-2TgxKTrv7TK0FQjE6twTkXdmlSNnih9mu2CBoz-QUlVUfKA3m8mQXNDolWdnWwPKlbnSffNyhSAi4onn0oN4syxJncA/s4032/20221106_152235.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZY0Z8wpwZQ1xI4Sbx24o8FWa55BitVm8erKY0D91SkP-SY_pvuAQAyF9Hm3XeiRePSbl7f28vp99UFzHR4mp2S9ERbXnC2L-2TgxKTrv7TK0FQjE6twTkXdmlSNnih9mu2CBoz-QUlVUfKA3m8mQXNDolWdnWwPKlbnSffNyhSAi4onn0oN4syxJncA/s320/20221106_152235.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one doubles as a Frozen dress too </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT_iR-I_3MBwv0gNlb8zek-vPwc9takRQXi-dKw5_NkkT3BhdfkebeuvcsEtV26oeLbElHPq26Bfcp1ynl7JDKRDd7eodwORAWhGai6Mex9UQD34QBbBDAaMU1joja-tfAWz-UlOP3xItJtfXLOichdWdVe4x0BErRWiJMewTgJcMpvT-BpmMAqIypA/s4032/IMG_6128.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT_iR-I_3MBwv0gNlb8zek-vPwc9takRQXi-dKw5_NkkT3BhdfkebeuvcsEtV26oeLbElHPq26Bfcp1ynl7JDKRDd7eodwORAWhGai6Mex9UQD34QBbBDAaMU1joja-tfAWz-UlOP3xItJtfXLOichdWdVe4x0BErRWiJMewTgJcMpvT-BpmMAqIypA/s320/IMG_6128.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is another version of an Elsa dress - worn here with a homemade queen's crown!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwC6cjbegQu7lQt0Fr6GOIp9RAnwGAjzdMBOMzV1lDSGTJrfvHaBsnfQJuRe-SSMtAlr3lwGhJOfymI6MJkA5ivQwMtD0dTemWZF58N8iNaRsw85EZe_aFO95jxbOFQK2VR0uDtzw3RvHO0_Ys17mS2uILY3lar_s34LEyL14d7yqjBKyVbCnoQVjTfw/s4032/20221202_180744.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwC6cjbegQu7lQt0Fr6GOIp9RAnwGAjzdMBOMzV1lDSGTJrfvHaBsnfQJuRe-SSMtAlr3lwGhJOfymI6MJkA5ivQwMtD0dTemWZF58N8iNaRsw85EZe_aFO95jxbOFQK2VR0uDtzw3RvHO0_Ys17mS2uILY3lar_s34LEyL14d7yqjBKyVbCnoQVjTfw/s320/20221202_180744.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing the Christmas tree in an Elsa dress!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/thQhB5eQSpU" width="320" youtube-src-id="thQhB5eQSpU"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3i6Q22RuuEbH6Cv6lHPPMp4fCPOL0rdckzkvzKX8oCSJ0BGmKpl6eYOrXMrLYh6MDqP2G6A7Ow6FfYRgfpBwzqv0nrl8wPO5nLlBm6ar-M6VWCqys0oDjLCd8Owjt5DlLWEr8kuSpAfak7L4s2kk-nV7jYwdT28cKBHLiZmHq89_IQ1jh-7bJxIoJow/s4032/IMG_6631.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3i6Q22RuuEbH6Cv6lHPPMp4fCPOL0rdckzkvzKX8oCSJ0BGmKpl6eYOrXMrLYh6MDqP2G6A7Ow6FfYRgfpBwzqv0nrl8wPO5nLlBm6ar-M6VWCqys0oDjLCd8Owjt5DlLWEr8kuSpAfak7L4s2kk-nV7jYwdT28cKBHLiZmHq89_IQ1jh-7bJxIoJow/s320/IMG_6631.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjE8CnLHp2goiDeirhfil_qrnYI7GWvZQkmN5E_oDBPJMNiR8AHAQ9y365mayZNv1jbW_F0AX3O5sNHSoqHtV5zaDyC_eQ_uCQNnllX8Dh3mrNpOBRIfv6VU8PPVhwQWI7UpB_VZUvuCjVXViZ4U4SBNm66HLlClVi9S1Lv5FfnUAIPX72uejoU2ckqA/s4032/IMG_6634.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjE8CnLHp2goiDeirhfil_qrnYI7GWvZQkmN5E_oDBPJMNiR8AHAQ9y365mayZNv1jbW_F0AX3O5sNHSoqHtV5zaDyC_eQ_uCQNnllX8Dh3mrNpOBRIfv6VU8PPVhwQWI7UpB_VZUvuCjVXViZ4U4SBNm66HLlClVi9S1Lv5FfnUAIPX72uejoU2ckqA/s320/IMG_6634.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin Elsa's</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ40QSKPRvhb-rt5SJLPpMivRL2__YdVqOYoaUwzZfnK9LqCHtZDdtO5IyzMPMqGPjW3mMrfyjgZiR8AeUcGnK29Sjzvv4BroSVq0iCXPMAnPKmw9lhgHeL_NDL4vcAM0nZdlLWPaxv22AaJkQQa55z5bFsE9UyVMoQRBvbfB5n2bLg32qAkQ9rGUE_w/s3088/IMG_6288.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ40QSKPRvhb-rt5SJLPpMivRL2__YdVqOYoaUwzZfnK9LqCHtZDdtO5IyzMPMqGPjW3mMrfyjgZiR8AeUcGnK29Sjzvv4BroSVq0iCXPMAnPKmw9lhgHeL_NDL4vcAM0nZdlLWPaxv22AaJkQQa55z5bFsE9UyVMoQRBvbfB5n2bLg32qAkQ9rGUE_w/s320/IMG_6288.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollie in his Anna cloak!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Ollie also has his own Elsa dress too and an Anna dress and cloak - he much prefers Anna! He also chooses 'Fwozen', whenever it's his turn to pick music when we are in the car or just having a dance party! Hannah/Elsa prefers Sandstorm by Darude at the moment! </p><p><br /></p><p>My mind-mind kept singing over and over again and especially repeated the bit where Elsa stamps her foot during 'Let it go' and the Ice castle grows around her. She then sings about Frozen Fractals. I swear since the kids started to listen to this all the time, I have started to notice the word Fractals every bloody where! I think it's going to be my word of the year! Watch this (2.21 to 2.51 is the best bit)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dr57W6R1qVE" width="320" youtube-src-id="Dr57W6R1qVE"></iframe></div><br /><p>I must admit, Frozen is actually really good - Sometimes the music is still playing in the car after the kids get out!</p><p><b>3.</b> My mind-mind thought about just how many foods are actually finger-based and others that should be but aren't! You get Fish fingers (obviously) Kit kat fingers and Lady Fingers, plus chicken fingers too. But why aren't sausages called meat fingers? It really doesn't make sense - Also why are fish fingers called fish sticks over here? Would you prefer to eat 'sticks' or 'fingers'? At least the fingers have a little bit of meat on them. </p><p><b>4.</b> My mind-mind also designed a new type of bed for people with coughs and colds. I will explain this one in more detail...</p><p>Last night the clock said<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"> 3.11</span></b> as I lay there on my right side. My right nostril being gravitationally underneath my right had the pleasure of being filled to the brim with the sticky green mucus that apparently fills my entire head! </p><p>My right arm was giving me diverging signals - My forearm throbbing due to the tennis elbow which I currently suffer from, and my wrist and hand were numb from bearing the weight of my head on the pillow. So I decided to flip over. This 'Flip' is the best bit of being stuffed up. </p><p>As I quietly turned my body over, the slow release of phlegm, mucus and green glue from my sinuses began. Very slowly, gravity worked its magic and the goo manoeuvred from one side of my face to the other. There is a very short but magnificent moment when the substance is 'inbetween' nasal cavities -</p><p> This is freedom. This is release - For just a few seconds I can breathe - with both nostrils! </p><p>It is the best feeling. It's like the best ending to the best movie you have ever seen - joy and relief abound! Only for it all to suddenly disappear as the goop monster rears its ugly head once again and the nose treacle starts to fill up the crevices inside my face! I breathe no more through my nose, but instead through my tired dry chapped lips. </p><p>Anyway - my mind wondered and wandered through this scene again and again last night as the big red numbers glowed in the corner of my eye <b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">3.34</span></b>- pulsing and measuring the ever-decreasing time until my scheduled meeting with the kids around <b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">7.55</span></b>am! My mind-mind thought back to one of my dad's old stories about creating the first ever penny falls with a windscreen wiper motor. Then the light bulb lit! My mind-mind had designed a new bed for people with colds. </p><p>The bed would have a soft cushioned area for your head to hold it still. The bed itself rocked side to side powered by the windscreen wiper motor. However, this motor would be timed to exactly match the magnificent moment of freedom and 2 nostril breathing as I described above. It would slowly rock the bed, not allowing enough time for the nose-mud to settle in any cavity left or right or both - instead, the disgusting mucus monster would remain in the centre of the sinus area, unable to flow left or right as the constant rocking motion created a kind of alternate gravity, stopping the nasal flow and allowing the sleeper to breathe - b---r---e---a----t----h----e.....gently and slowly, and enjoy a deep restful sleep, assisted by the gentle rocking motion. I think this is just genius and I am off out to remove some windscreen wipers from the first car I find!</p><p>So that's it. That's what my mind does when I am not able to sleep. I am sure I am completely normal and my other mind-mind is a pure genius or pure evil, but maybe that's not the case. Either way, I am enjoying a nice cup of hot lemon and hoping with all hope that in a few weeks when our flight to Mexico is due to depart Winnipeg Airport for the sunnier and warmer climes of Playa Del Carmen, we are all well enough to be on the fucking thing!</p><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-11686770858147063532022-11-22T02:31:00.005+00:002022-11-22T02:31:47.047+00:00Ill, trips out, climbing, fire trucks and Halloween!<p> Whenever I start a new post I take a look at the previous couple and see when they were posted. This leads me to begin with - 'It's been a while, or something similar as it always takes me longer nowadays to write anything than it used to. This is actually a good thing though because mostly it means I haven't had time because we have been busy with work - earning cash, or busy with the kids - having fun and watching them grow. That is mostly the case on this occasion. I took a long while to recover from my bout of pneumonia - After first feeling ill a week into September I eventually felt recovered enough to go for a slow run on November 8th -2 months after it all started, I tell you what -If it was a choice between Covid and Pneumonia, I will take Covid every time - Pneumonia is a bastard!</p><p>Hopefully, that's all behind me now - I just came back in from my 3rd run in just over a week. It's a really pleasant -4c outside and with very little wind it's really nice running weather. There has been plenty going on to talk about since my last entry here.....</p><p>At the end of September Buffy and I completed our Therapy sessions which we started after the dog bite. We talk a lot to each other about the incident and our feelings and reactions to it and although we still have flashbacks and our thoughts around dogs we don't know might be considered extreme, we felt the current therapy had taken us as far as we needed. In the last couple of sessions the Therapist suggested a night out for us, with friends, so we arranged to go to a Blue Bomber game before it got too cold. I was still low on energy because of the Pneumonia at this point, but it was a really nice night out with Lisa and Dylan, friends we made when doing the pre-birth training course before Hannah was born. For me a night of live sport is really good fun, so we really enjoyed the Bombers smashing Saskatchewan at the stadium at Uof M. Incidentally the Bombers play in the Grey Cup this coming weekend as they go for their 3rd Championship in a row!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREYRZf6jqI7EXZHd-ZrVd8aiu7j6wmSIxaQkSed7_bbIUDI2dH0FN73qpHKAJv_Nzjq0Y0o7uFndX_bT_da9jpUFSB-lER5CTtmIPkXTXw2RhhnDJVCtblhUMS9QpJ-A9Oqd1GKhlJSQxkBDNY3NPcrznppG1cpiDyJtCNryKjiLT1yrpnnr9rvS_NQ/s4032/20220930_190003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREYRZf6jqI7EXZHd-ZrVd8aiu7j6wmSIxaQkSed7_bbIUDI2dH0FN73qpHKAJv_Nzjq0Y0o7uFndX_bT_da9jpUFSB-lER5CTtmIPkXTXw2RhhnDJVCtblhUMS9QpJ-A9Oqd1GKhlJSQxkBDNY3NPcrznppG1cpiDyJtCNryKjiLT1yrpnnr9rvS_NQ/s320/20220930_190003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dz6Y9J9FtDpCRPSd__wxASiFs4AWlCz1La3H4aGu5k51_B1jsINmlcRb5lMppcmHLNoQN_CAKicM1J-YMoy4Xfzxp3yikGJAVQmT0esm_4_9FaqnqLUP4G5Gs203J3jtaYu9JrVc0-LZx-5yAu_xK7eFXl_PMg15YRblaoFemocZ2s06pphk4mRzJw/s3088/IMG_5277.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dz6Y9J9FtDpCRPSd__wxASiFs4AWlCz1La3H4aGu5k51_B1jsINmlcRb5lMppcmHLNoQN_CAKicM1J-YMoy4Xfzxp3yikGJAVQmT0esm_4_9FaqnqLUP4G5Gs203J3jtaYu9JrVc0-LZx-5yAu_xK7eFXl_PMg15YRblaoFemocZ2s06pphk4mRzJw/s320/IMG_5277.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtCYqM7nsNARbEiLIGvRx-QBz84Kfjm88J8_vRki5SNab0-Vh5Uu7K08qaW94NkESzKnnJDh6k2ttKyYvMGmkgGQMpPxeePSxmL3X9QBEWJkrHpyFWwfvJuFBk6NGDrIGaJSby0gXSlzfBCwUnaMbiC2lOSAUz6mmBnfbd9ItdLr1gs-429rSbVzQfQ/s4032/20220930_214021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtCYqM7nsNARbEiLIGvRx-QBz84Kfjm88J8_vRki5SNab0-Vh5Uu7K08qaW94NkESzKnnJDh6k2ttKyYvMGmkgGQMpPxeePSxmL3X9QBEWJkrHpyFWwfvJuFBk6NGDrIGaJSby0gXSlzfBCwUnaMbiC2lOSAUz6mmBnfbd9ItdLr1gs-429rSbVzQfQ/s320/20220930_214021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>October was really pleasant - The weather was lovely for most of the month, so it gave us the opportunity to take a few trips out to local parks and spend some extra time outside with the kids. They got the chance to wear their new cool Sweaters a lot too as well as try out some of their winter gear like hats and gloves before it started to get too cold. One of our trips out was to Kildonan park and the Witches Cottage they have there...the kids loved the curly staircase and the spiders!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HMQ6l6uoImHzQv1tcMkr9ax1ENMszczW5o_EjsZXnKQUIGVvjpFtSukZfb_le6QSeEz1OXKggLP78YpHPxzd2x6seiOprNbOnpkgX3p0Nx2RfDDBsvc1M4XPWyeCYRQhT4-wQ3IYl0KXOBOMHS9uswLopMmIP5jfyPD_p5luH0-0n-7iniNOBRJ4fQ/s4032/IMG_5331.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HMQ6l6uoImHzQv1tcMkr9ax1ENMszczW5o_EjsZXnKQUIGVvjpFtSukZfb_le6QSeEz1OXKggLP78YpHPxzd2x6seiOprNbOnpkgX3p0Nx2RfDDBsvc1M4XPWyeCYRQhT4-wQ3IYl0KXOBOMHS9uswLopMmIP5jfyPD_p5luH0-0n-7iniNOBRJ4fQ/s320/IMG_5331.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwTmAuX6EKWmkd4O5u2vuWh2PvjFqkl7lVZpMsKVKG0XLPEgAhpfCiBoFCaIExmsOYN5VaumlcCgCLpBpVh0JQycWYehD0uLxcVEfXfhKGtwU0QCsS6r-WMJ4fzMZbtW2neujrxEn0fXeAonz7zGsrfKL6nRvWydpkOtK2ZMPJ326sq9f_CoLnrGqcg/s4032/20221002_163847.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJPgfdeC1ID5cOO4uEQajA9B0vbOOYDIfURHEXo-ldKpwucvyeymKQe2mTEPHIo9au4rWAnEp7pbKXjhf-Wmzlb5fNakZcxcnuSyvqJ88ecQJE7-8HeZ3kr3jm4Kpu5uAAoaNUsbXXWxHPAkntY1_0qKWXDaC9SKjPwySDOs6ZvlHB6aE8Zy2jBgvRQ/s3088/IMG_5412.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJPgfdeC1ID5cOO4uEQajA9B0vbOOYDIfURHEXo-ldKpwucvyeymKQe2mTEPHIo9au4rWAnEp7pbKXjhf-Wmzlb5fNakZcxcnuSyvqJ88ecQJE7-8HeZ3kr3jm4Kpu5uAAoaNUsbXXWxHPAkntY1_0qKWXDaC9SKjPwySDOs6ZvlHB6aE8Zy2jBgvRQ/s320/IMG_5412.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>We also had a trip to the little Airplane park, which they both love so much!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80TNyXO-ry4Nmooolcm4Umfa0P9r547mYakXWu59CoanGYzSwosns8B1iPTIJGXJRUYlsChz9ATfWaDI9gmqlVVuFkwu3SbjnzDSSNHsadb3s4Szpw4i0jwLaC6bKUAcZmS8Q4jz1RWMQs4cEBKWfhK_f3Kq9OCp02jS-Q5aS1pS7yUQoE00FFCrtbQ/s4032/IMG_5424.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80TNyXO-ry4Nmooolcm4Umfa0P9r547mYakXWu59CoanGYzSwosns8B1iPTIJGXJRUYlsChz9ATfWaDI9gmqlVVuFkwu3SbjnzDSSNHsadb3s4Szpw4i0jwLaC6bKUAcZmS8Q4jz1RWMQs4cEBKWfhK_f3Kq9OCp02jS-Q5aS1pS7yUQoE00FFCrtbQ/s320/IMG_5424.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3AZsSh6bMtVw666VjxtX4mRQpFv-o1kWfQRybOHKnj3yZrOuhqPnCYYrNZrnYCh1xuWFl9eGG_9dq6bpx1wuwg_gQ4rwCykZ6zwd-1Pc0ghzfBnJe4W1Kh3CPBDAMLkwVLcSPlvaiaSfbU_YXxJFaHp8vRVXTEdWmP8dFzfzJoyVpvv4ZuyhnLTshA/s4032/IMG_5435.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3AZsSh6bMtVw666VjxtX4mRQpFv-o1kWfQRybOHKnj3yZrOuhqPnCYYrNZrnYCh1xuWFl9eGG_9dq6bpx1wuwg_gQ4rwCykZ6zwd-1Pc0ghzfBnJe4W1Kh3CPBDAMLkwVLcSPlvaiaSfbU_YXxJFaHp8vRVXTEdWmP8dFzfzJoyVpvv4ZuyhnLTshA/s320/IMG_5435.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>We got to spend a lot of time in eth back garden playing in the Autumn leaves before the snow came and Hannah also has a new Hobby - we have started to take her indoor climbing, which she seems to like and we plan to continue ot over the winter, along with the dance lessons that Grandma takes her to and the swimming lessons with mum, Hannah is a busy little girl!!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNrgOQiM3FtngQscxkk0dWhJcUiMNY-Ezz2mKXfXG9ZyAW0x-HHNnLQINIvEJkpyvzUtBRa31tw88DYB0u1RjNyHuEFSFkGS_ma1TnZCVyjq3NEqxpyBijG4_aY2xL85jsMxODhEnUOakudkOfb388GgUQrUeidZUAFBrz8NsvWZcVwLyahEHkPBTmA/s4032/IMG_5455.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNrgOQiM3FtngQscxkk0dWhJcUiMNY-Ezz2mKXfXG9ZyAW0x-HHNnLQINIvEJkpyvzUtBRa31tw88DYB0u1RjNyHuEFSFkGS_ma1TnZCVyjq3NEqxpyBijG4_aY2xL85jsMxODhEnUOakudkOfb388GgUQrUeidZUAFBrz8NsvWZcVwLyahEHkPBTmA/s320/IMG_5455.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14LVFlB8-XwogS7c1q80P5awTmmxEPuiXmAo0YTxOBdoV9azmoOpw28fOfxhgADOtsTDkZHNQ-cHLtcf4uPyQfd8YnTaecPrZKSm5t9IUyMXVxL4jiwgf34nbMZ5t6zBqym0vtrOwInX_Q3RowdTyxkRTs6Qi6GaRG2sxK0RQcWv3oE0lC9UfTtdfXg/s320/IMG_8686.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><p>We had another fun day out later in the month when all the local fire stations had an open day. We took Ollie and Hannah along to the Station on Portage avenue and had a great time. Clambering over the fire trucks, getting told off after bibbing the horn and Ollie and I were actually on top of a Fire Truck (where we were not allowed to go) when a real call came in and the FireFighters started to load up into the truck as the door opened. We managed to climb back down just before they sped off to the call. It was pretty funny, but also highly dangerous - I blame Ollie and I blamed him again later when I go told off for trying to get Hannah up there when the Truck had returned. These kids are a bad influence! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLPQ4U3NgFA7gkCQhj7I02QV2gIQ7wf3ExIfX1fG0nc9wOvxAr8w5T7xxrdwZR4lq_8EAVLE6LumSP9emKty-zqVjtqdXL9rvHrxXxu3sbIIBt9-nIk3U9Wenx1vI4mstCajlg_-npe_Zcuncw5ut6n9JHzcX6ZwyJ4QpoeY37Kpdzlwvjt63i_KQWA/s4032/20221015_120236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLPQ4U3NgFA7gkCQhj7I02QV2gIQ7wf3ExIfX1fG0nc9wOvxAr8w5T7xxrdwZR4lq_8EAVLE6LumSP9emKty-zqVjtqdXL9rvHrxXxu3sbIIBt9-nIk3U9Wenx1vI4mstCajlg_-npe_Zcuncw5ut6n9JHzcX6ZwyJ4QpoeY37Kpdzlwvjt63i_KQWA/s320/20221015_120236.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7JnU8uEm88qB8LDhja_N_4wUwoxnkknG3IEWS54MqLPAWMKA2bf43OiMLU3dOLT1oL5WFumQcNe2tFn6ndoQWgnO9sk3pLtdUVJE49jKEQKWAjas3j3ajMuFl0g3vZsUaAxjPO1e9xcSj225sV9YUjZbpMPKdO9lCXyPma2hSu2gwVcMONfpwMUj0w/s4032/20221015_121401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7JnU8uEm88qB8LDhja_N_4wUwoxnkknG3IEWS54MqLPAWMKA2bf43OiMLU3dOLT1oL5WFumQcNe2tFn6ndoQWgnO9sk3pLtdUVJE49jKEQKWAjas3j3ajMuFl0g3vZsUaAxjPO1e9xcSj225sV9YUjZbpMPKdO9lCXyPma2hSu2gwVcMONfpwMUj0w/s320/20221015_121401.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the roof f the Fore Truck just before the call out!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6CGiM_Z-eR0_HauOT93XjaTNrGCH372QoZZpAFr2w8HdV2arxYruga52wFmetnTVTryBRbgDhO-oSoBKJZRwjzbzM7r-tmQLbi45-8tpbLloCFBH_I3A7GmyV0XRt6DsCLSqaoCSFYAirnezxf4oKSpDdiD_2Yf7MkasvKXDC71th_wahZGDtZ0UrA/s4032/20221015_121949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6CGiM_Z-eR0_HauOT93XjaTNrGCH372QoZZpAFr2w8HdV2arxYruga52wFmetnTVTryBRbgDhO-oSoBKJZRwjzbzM7r-tmQLbi45-8tpbLloCFBH_I3A7GmyV0XRt6DsCLSqaoCSFYAirnezxf4oKSpDdiD_2Yf7MkasvKXDC71th_wahZGDtZ0UrA/s320/20221015_121949.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLi4bsBl6ypHP5P0UOxOgstMtJMvHvktykDRHfywIaJ0l_N1-2JAU1D9xjIClyavkVWDEHuR2eZ0fkTgo5L9HKyL4fvUrrm3wp1I-LZ01CAv92Qw8Ii0gOqjY4hMeq7f4iNsiGFtgHmSRvBgBA9beS32F60a-2-qOjBpZFVzTKUI66eYxsYRQ5hCL5g/s4032/20221015_123802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLi4bsBl6ypHP5P0UOxOgstMtJMvHvktykDRHfywIaJ0l_N1-2JAU1D9xjIClyavkVWDEHuR2eZ0fkTgo5L9HKyL4fvUrrm3wp1I-LZ01CAv92Qw8Ii0gOqjY4hMeq7f4iNsiGFtgHmSRvBgBA9beS32F60a-2-qOjBpZFVzTKUI66eYxsYRQ5hCL5g/s320/20221015_123802.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> Halloween was a blast this year. Honestly, for anyone from the UK, Halloween here is unbelievable. For weeks before the actual night, people have huge Halloween displays in their gardens and on the night itself it's like being in a Hollywood movie. Hundreds of families and kids wander around the neighbourhood in and out of gardens where nearly every house gives away tonnes of candy to the kids. People sit in their yards with fires blazing away and all kinds of ghosts, ghouls and monsters everywhere. It's really crazy and with kids it is actually unreal and kind of fantastic. There is far too much candy for the kids to ever eat, so it gets put in eth basement and given out as treats for the next few months! Also, there is a huge Halloween party every night at the Zoo for most of the month. Its called Boo at the zoo and as well as monsters graveyards and entertainment there is a free fun fair and rides for the kids, plus a dance stage which Ollie love love loved this year!. October is a big month over here and the kids (and parents love it). This year Hannah dressed as a bug (a dragonfly we think) and Ollie was a spider!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIv4W5YWKtpsWO8WSrtR6E5ioVU_CZ7Yju1xpRzUvCcm2Ye6-dvSs0YdC0UKE8d_KmPnvQ-34eigeIqkAoIxfjYc2rLSDNz2FQI39q3HUYzc3agJ0LJTO20FI0AuI1kKI4somlaUhkZnzz1bhVDDvBGuvv4ieLkaxfiKNc3RYbEqd3JrVLx4dxhLlUqQ/s4032/20221019_185425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIv4W5YWKtpsWO8WSrtR6E5ioVU_CZ7Yju1xpRzUvCcm2Ye6-dvSs0YdC0UKE8d_KmPnvQ-34eigeIqkAoIxfjYc2rLSDNz2FQI39q3HUYzc3agJ0LJTO20FI0AuI1kKI4somlaUhkZnzz1bhVDDvBGuvv4ieLkaxfiKNc3RYbEqd3JrVLx4dxhLlUqQ/s320/20221019_185425.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjz4Gr1WcCWSbPMV_CzOpyCL-rxJstyKaH0TSe9OS3yvj_6yAK5zEOX-O_sg6q96wLppBINqEOiatZWi3y3cpKw0BnuB-QLzF--d0fFzEUdibKsnkzB3wdKyXhNwu3e9bE4wlBuFcC2tpdtQwczJ7zesy-7nKQQyNbP8pfH7rAida__0SHB9voDU4BQ/s4032/20221031_173610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjz4Gr1WcCWSbPMV_CzOpyCL-rxJstyKaH0TSe9OS3yvj_6yAK5zEOX-O_sg6q96wLppBINqEOiatZWi3y3cpKw0BnuB-QLzF--d0fFzEUdibKsnkzB3wdKyXhNwu3e9bE4wlBuFcC2tpdtQwczJ7zesy-7nKQQyNbP8pfH7rAida__0SHB9voDU4BQ/s320/20221031_173610.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5jnHPe8GtL0Vla57esz0FA8MJbTN4ssczTdcexcbo4iOpRldkiTHjTuT-8eoZaim3xNop1W0gakI9kztsRnffXMTtA0W5nm3lMrJR03Nx8Um1sXi1aHmo4_Go6dthjENnirwrb5YudsoqHTgDA2R4CPw4BOqDwvwJiUEhVhBXcAM1Gu5zPcQlR_A3g/s1792/IMG_5970.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5jnHPe8GtL0Vla57esz0FA8MJbTN4ssczTdcexcbo4iOpRldkiTHjTuT-8eoZaim3xNop1W0gakI9kztsRnffXMTtA0W5nm3lMrJR03Nx8Um1sXi1aHmo4_Go6dthjENnirwrb5YudsoqHTgDA2R4CPw4BOqDwvwJiUEhVhBXcAM1Gu5zPcQlR_A3g/s320/IMG_5970.PNG" width="148" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcb5LZDjQKR4GDoAbzqaxYc0Fyyu5KSOOlY1gf8KDlOJv9nC0I71sKk0Wmd3CNd3gDjFe1ljGgeOSt23qf6WaNUneS4ReyIjsrHDQJvwjRPrt7i_r59cR9grgwYsP0IMJvR_yCfketoKysECQDZIudepP0Ayaii8QyAcNdd9azDWaQiJtQUD0nat7AQ/s320/20221020_200050.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/85DgwjIa3qE" width="320" youtube-src-id="85DgwjIa3qE"></iframe></div><br /><p>We also managed a quick weekend away at the start of November - Just an hour's drive away to Portage and the same Airbnb we stayed in back in March. Hannah and Ollie loved playing games on the old arcade machine, watching movies from their bed before sleep and enjoying swimming at the indoor fun pool. It was a nice weekend away and Buffy and I also managed a couple of relaxing nights in eth hot tub while the kids slept and the first real snow of winter fell around us!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAklvEg9lS8H62lHE7L2femDID_y32YJKDQ7QnNqPCxAUDywOSv6uVFQqwny-HU6NDcVnU1ddOct3S_xvdyP32ac45YIELOl-3u8ff_P2rUWLSu5Yjhn3BCPxiNCSODETSJfsmyDDB44m8nzKWQB-GpRqn2goj6I1wqFxnZJroB6rwa9EWI3ECDbqig/s4032/IMG_6020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAklvEg9lS8H62lHE7L2femDID_y32YJKDQ7QnNqPCxAUDywOSv6uVFQqwny-HU6NDcVnU1ddOct3S_xvdyP32ac45YIELOl-3u8ff_P2rUWLSu5Yjhn3BCPxiNCSODETSJfsmyDDB44m8nzKWQB-GpRqn2goj6I1wqFxnZJroB6rwa9EWI3ECDbqig/s320/IMG_6020.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the pool to open!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ01tXjQdRd-fLg2swTQet9NdQVbNkXBk00QUyzDCq38y_4y6JAli7rLCitLYkGq9Sr3prahM0FE4RDgRxqGbICz-TYLCLMpi4KMCZqCDipDLa6SJ1uAVN7mh1xhO6cXnXucv8h87OfEhucFPjJPgJ79pjxd300L6sEuCQ90do1FIj5G3sEqGX9bD6A/s4032/20221105_083910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ01tXjQdRd-fLg2swTQet9NdQVbNkXBk00QUyzDCq38y_4y6JAli7rLCitLYkGq9Sr3prahM0FE4RDgRxqGbICz-TYLCLMpi4KMCZqCDipDLa6SJ1uAVN7mh1xhO6cXnXucv8h87OfEhucFPjJPgJ79pjxd300L6sEuCQ90do1FIj5G3sEqGX9bD6A/s320/20221105_083910.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_X3hnP2RCxNwrK7yKi4K8ClSMYbDOLFxqdeYLcQ4JoLU9PLzp6-3tHb2pK_bH8KeJfcZhrVY5e5zMWNbqhEJpdWqNmyEMV7DyuFSbAtIgCKoD6aZDR0i7LoIoSscg08wbCw1msECTqW4NetZNHWPX9Nw14usqhkcqhDVrrh3Y-eecfdSt5nRDoC75g/s4032/IMG_6029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_X3hnP2RCxNwrK7yKi4K8ClSMYbDOLFxqdeYLcQ4JoLU9PLzp6-3tHb2pK_bH8KeJfcZhrVY5e5zMWNbqhEJpdWqNmyEMV7DyuFSbAtIgCKoD6aZDR0i7LoIoSscg08wbCw1msECTqW4NetZNHWPX9Nw14usqhkcqhDVrrh3Y-eecfdSt5nRDoC75g/s320/IMG_6029.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52ewdWK9ob91krCWFq8iY3k7dDNjCu9Q1-g86Z8S2fzBgcHeDkwLDaENbDWDC06K5Y3VVpMve_kkBbXGUHI-CQdGB9AC520dTzoLdaR5x1yXSSlnZLAy4Px_uujk-aXTF1bkqv1kZr6FFNdgKkipbkXnvcSOibbhx0EVVOOjrI8oKTbwRXMsjkTr6sA/s4032/IMG_6052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52ewdWK9ob91krCWFq8iY3k7dDNjCu9Q1-g86Z8S2fzBgcHeDkwLDaENbDWDC06K5Y3VVpMve_kkBbXGUHI-CQdGB9AC520dTzoLdaR5x1yXSSlnZLAy4Px_uujk-aXTF1bkqv1kZr6FFNdgKkipbkXnvcSOibbhx0EVVOOjrI8oKTbwRXMsjkTr6sA/s320/IMG_6052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movie time!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The kids are absolutely crazy at the moment. Hannah changes her name every day - From Elsa to Sky or Bob the builder or whatever - She renames Ollie and me and Buffy too sometimes so we have no clue who we are or what we are doing. They are playing together a lot more now and are able to have their own little conversations too. Ollie is learning to say 'NO' to Hannah which is great so she doesn't always get her own way. One of their wonderful little weird things is bringing their kid's soft chairs into the bathroom to brush their teeth -No idea why, but it is fun!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tGEo8R20wA1wH0bZSozMTMgjaQnCGVbMpa--YJIIv2yqM0XvueLnhv_hQAkDv6X9NdGh5g2k91xQl0xJn3MqU5VhoFGvLr7c5jRo09odtqckEOtRxY0-bAddiQtQunhbQ3A4pOLce5HbD529X2gW3RwyG7lDO6y1047BQuVI3k1F83LwmqrATN59Hg/s4032/20221023_193156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tGEo8R20wA1wH0bZSozMTMgjaQnCGVbMpa--YJIIv2yqM0XvueLnhv_hQAkDv6X9NdGh5g2k91xQl0xJn3MqU5VhoFGvLr7c5jRo09odtqckEOtRxY0-bAddiQtQunhbQ3A4pOLce5HbD529X2gW3RwyG7lDO6y1047BQuVI3k1F83LwmqrATN59Hg/s320/20221023_193156.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WQc16DMnUqw" width="320" youtube-src-id="WQc16DMnUqw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It's been a hell of a last few weeks as you can see and it doesn't stop..... </div><div>Ollie is now ill (again) and coughing so is off Daycare for a few days. </div><div>We are trying our best to keep the two of them apart as much as we can because we really don't want Hannah to get ill as she is going int Hospital on Wednesday this week for her first plastic surgery. </div><div>There is a lump in the corner of her mouth where she got bit due to where what was left of that side of her mouth was sewn back together. This is misshaping that side of her mouth, so the Doctor is going to try and cut it out. We are hoping it all goes well, but are worried, tense and nervous for her even though she is being so fucking brave about it. We have a book called 'Franklin goes to Hospital' which is so fantastic. Franklin is a turtle who breaks his shell and has to go get surgery to pin it. It has been a huge help in letting Hannah know what is going to happen. She has admitted she is scared but is being so open and brave about it, she is inspiring! We are probably more nervous than she is! Shei s looking forward to 'vegging out' for a couple of days while she recovers at home!</div><div><br /></div><div>Hopefully, it all goes well. Keep your fingers crossed!</div><div>Anyway, I will leave it there for this post. Here are a couple of last pics of the kids from the last week - including, Ollie sitting in a chair on a chair, Hannah on the bus and in our England shirts to wear for the world cup!.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17SaRlPCJw1yeCl36z50IT_IbZOvRRwCkZOHI3JQb8_Mt9zFtA91JubQTiH7r21MqF6sjzA1Kp_5WX9QIL6gXjB0OOxswUA-FMcXNVY-agZqbeY5Egu6Mpf8Q7DEhTTwprd5wZ_7EOEo_hPumZZhjxqYBjl7M_nkDQUT5E0IbdyHXAL8wC5MhncvCTQ/s4032/20221119_093112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17SaRlPCJw1yeCl36z50IT_IbZOvRRwCkZOHI3JQb8_Mt9zFtA91JubQTiH7r21MqF6sjzA1Kp_5WX9QIL6gXjB0OOxswUA-FMcXNVY-agZqbeY5Egu6Mpf8Q7DEhTTwprd5wZ_7EOEo_hPumZZhjxqYBjl7M_nkDQUT5E0IbdyHXAL8wC5MhncvCTQ/s320/20221119_093112.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IEmqWht5IUY_zIPi92ijdNE3LNUZJ89Ss3alEIMYRJzOi21VmySeAV3QYAZrV2AEMkzwOfZpINhiaOP2txlYtVYeVI10IAsFg4Kejvs7xhBkvj5bfERDrqT2jYhuP-RVNyBJXVS5FUEMLuin845NKCpbfaQyZ-aqpaQKF6SzehoZf5fA1RAK97thgQ/s4032/20221113_154028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IEmqWht5IUY_zIPi92ijdNE3LNUZJ89Ss3alEIMYRJzOi21VmySeAV3QYAZrV2AEMkzwOfZpINhiaOP2txlYtVYeVI10IAsFg4Kejvs7xhBkvj5bfERDrqT2jYhuP-RVNyBJXVS5FUEMLuin845NKCpbfaQyZ-aqpaQKF6SzehoZf5fA1RAK97thgQ/s320/20221113_154028.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT4s7KE47fLrN-iF0msJ-SpIrpHCqNat2IishAXakLmW13Pv7xpiOF9_MeT6M5Y6Q8bQBZ3zm9Qv6hZiJ6G4ndQY4DIEdGeWEAu--9p8lD4QGZVT_T-QfhIFVu-CZNfvRoy8UIRrglh0NOv1WhVWLX7KFOLI--8GPJfU4_IuCxtKQAFKdCx_AdTADiA/s4032/20221119_115535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT4s7KE47fLrN-iF0msJ-SpIrpHCqNat2IishAXakLmW13Pv7xpiOF9_MeT6M5Y6Q8bQBZ3zm9Qv6hZiJ6G4ndQY4DIEdGeWEAu--9p8lD4QGZVT_T-QfhIFVu-CZNfvRoy8UIRrglh0NOv1WhVWLX7KFOLI--8GPJfU4_IuCxtKQAFKdCx_AdTADiA/s320/20221119_115535.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-59289445330186589632022-10-13T04:24:00.004+01:002022-10-13T04:24:19.073+01:00The 'Daveys' part 6 - Caravan holidays - plus the 'bike' controversy!<p>It's been a while since I had a chance to update the Davey family story. But here we are again, sitting with a cold drink and able to look through some of the notes I made a few months ago. </p><p>One of the first things I remember after moving to Manchester was dad getting ill. I don't remember exactly when it was as I was still little, so it could have been as early as 1976, but I think it was more likely the following couple of years. <span style="color: red;">(Gareth )I think it was ’78 or ’79.. I was defo at St Paul’s. He’d have been 36/37 </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">(Chris )agreed.</span><span style="color: red;"> </span></p><p>Dad was only in his mid to late thirties. I am hoping Gareth and Chris may know a little more detail. Dad had gotten ill quite quickly and I remember him spending a lot of time in bed and lots of visits from the doctor. He was diagnosed with Meningitis<span style="color: red;"> (Gareth he had Shingles at the same time which made it worse)</span> and really was very ill. He spent quite a few weeks holed up in the back <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) front</span> bedroom at home as we went on with our normal lives, albeit whilst being quieter around the house so as not to disturb him. <br /><span style="color: red;">(Gareth)</span> <span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
did have his mucky mags to keep him company lol</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>He did get better but hardly drank any alcohol anymore after the illness and there were times when dad would have to step back from situations and go and have some time by himself as he would get quite stressed and suffered from headaches. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">(Chris) He used to take distalgesic tablets for the headaches which can make you very sleepy </span>Sometimes you could actually see the veins in his forehead almost popping out. I remember one time in particular when on holiday, dad got very stressed with us kids, I think it was something to do with eating lunch and being in wet swimming trunks, <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mum had asked how many
poached eggs I wanted and because I asked for x3 he threw a massive wobbler and
stormed out </span></span>but dad lost his temper and drove off in the car. He came back a short while later and when I think about it now, I can remember how upset he actually was. I think he was as upset with himself as he was with us by this point. He just struggled sometimes to deal with situations like this. <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) He said he’d driven at a telegraph pole to commit suicide but stopped ‘Just in time’ yeah right ... dramatic Dad-anory right there 😊</span></p><p>We are all thankful though that he survived the Meningitis/Shingles and had another 35 years with mum and us after getting better.</p><p>One of the things we did quite a lot of was going on Holiday. A year or two after arriving in Manchester mum and dad bought a 'Lunar Moonlight' caravan. I recall dad wanting to call it 'The Loony Van' and there was even talk about having that written in big letters on the front - Luckily it never happened! </p><p>The caravan cost <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px;">£1000, </span>which doesn't sound like much, but as it was only a couple of years after mum and dad had paid <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px;">£</span>9000 for the house it was a significant outlay. Parking and getting the caravan out of the garden became a family event. The caravan was parked between the garage and kitchen, leaving just a few feet to walk between. <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) We had to move the shed as it was where the caravan was to be parked when it first arrived. </span>But the driveway and gates were in front of the garage, so the caravan was pulled out forwards, then swung at an angle, passing within millimetres of the side of the garage and the kitchen, before being swung around again to sit straight in the driveway. The back gates were removed from their hinges and everyone took a corner of the van and slowly it inched out to be hooked up to the car which was parked on Winchester Road. </p><p>Here's a photo of the van in its later days, Chris sat on top giving it a clean and Gareth in the cool Sunglasses at the back. You can see it has been pulled forward from beside the garage and the gates we removed every time we took it out are in the photo too</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUmE1zYWzycJpGiDmXFzV2b3Efv-uj0Aez_JjY9-K7E4SaprG-ADW2Zf8pYU3hEQQtZ_8vC5zs3FIzmI11Q3ng6gEGu5CRe8AM7TNrqDqDzHZ7YnzEPvG-BFGZdZa_VEFSzwq0dRxv8iRUjVo7zYPumRV15QZOurlNJGp64my__9zwnLVwqqQ4PvIBg/s1469/cleaning%20the%20van.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1469" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUmE1zYWzycJpGiDmXFzV2b3Efv-uj0Aez_JjY9-K7E4SaprG-ADW2Zf8pYU3hEQQtZ_8vC5zs3FIzmI11Q3ng6gEGu5CRe8AM7TNrqDqDzHZ7YnzEPvG-BFGZdZa_VEFSzwq0dRxv8iRUjVo7zYPumRV15QZOurlNJGp64my__9zwnLVwqqQ4PvIBg/s320/cleaning%20the%20van.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The caravan was a 5 berth, with two double beds - One where the dining table was and one was a converted sofa at the back. The back of the sofa pulled up and became a single bunk, above the sofa which had been converted to a double bed. There was, amazingly, room for a small sink, tiny gas-powered fridge, fireplace and a bathroom with the world's smallest handwashing sink and a travel toilet portapotty that had to be emptied about once a week and was only really used for emergencies and during the night. It didn't happen often but when anyone needed to poo in there, they had no real privacy. The door might have been closed, but you could hear and smell everything and sometimes even feel the caravan shaking!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sk3dpH79iyRdFY7Dne3HqF-9U5W5KGOY0IhhmkxuS5RnwJ6tLmMwd3YrHAes3riUBfYXycyn8r-fHbwfPOpFzJlDpBk4ZFXR8E9bVUS8t5-Qu_lnDiuOzDIYt0scM-KH5Rzgyn4mCCITmfozW0VWiiBRE_ba4sgE388ICD75_VDvIZpBKPirlZs3dQ/s1472/mum%20asleep%20invan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="962" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sk3dpH79iyRdFY7Dne3HqF-9U5W5KGOY0IhhmkxuS5RnwJ6tLmMwd3YrHAes3riUBfYXycyn8r-fHbwfPOpFzJlDpBk4ZFXR8E9bVUS8t5-Qu_lnDiuOzDIYt0scM-KH5Rzgyn4mCCITmfozW0VWiiBRE_ba4sgE388ICD75_VDvIZpBKPirlZs3dQ/s320/mum%20asleep%20invan.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum asleep on the main double bed - where the dining table normally was. It looks like a typical rainy day!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The day before a holiday we would be given a drawer each from the 3 drawer cabinet and would fill it with our clothes for the holiday. Under the two double beds was storage which would be filled with everything we took away - clothes, toys, games, food, bedclothes and dishes. The floor space was left for bikes, and bigger items like the awning, maybe a spare tent, sun loungers deckchairs and once we even took Gareth's moped, drained of fuel and wheels removed so that it fitted inside the caravan! Mum and dad were really good at filling the caravan with everything we needed and lots of things we didn't!</p><p>This is Gareth on his moped on holiday after putting it back together after it travelled in the van! Gran and Aunty Brenda came along on this holiday by the looks of it as you can see them mellowing out!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-0_Jvz1tvd_y5NZO2caEYfRi_2F-WOyjLyH1zw2gzY1iLpQXor45DNUQ2ZrZjJuMtORB1qwLX4xa-Rs2cKyZWEfymBQ5lJbl5zAtO15e_4K9G8_C4qvUI6P_mlAaOPYohqir-GMX-Rfu_TbH1ETuLgbSgl6SUtJ61l67RyCKALkvyoCy9PjyDPjsjA/s1528/moped%20on%20holiday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1528" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-0_Jvz1tvd_y5NZO2caEYfRi_2F-WOyjLyH1zw2gzY1iLpQXor45DNUQ2ZrZjJuMtORB1qwLX4xa-Rs2cKyZWEfymBQ5lJbl5zAtO15e_4K9G8_C4qvUI6P_mlAaOPYohqir-GMX-Rfu_TbH1ETuLgbSgl6SUtJ61l67RyCKALkvyoCy9PjyDPjsjA/s320/moped%20on%20holiday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Dad didn't want to sit in traffic all day on the way to a holiday, so the night before we went away was really exciting. Everything would be packed and we would head to bed early, knowing we would be woken up to go on holiday really early the next morning. </p><p>Sometimes, we would be up at 4am and after a cup of tea whilst the last items were packed, the caravan would be hooked up to the car and we would be on the road before 6. A holiday in Scarborough, Filey, Skegness or Sutton on Sea would take between 4 and 5 hours to drive to with the caravan, and so around 7.30 or 8am we would routinely pullover on a layby <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) always at the same place near Pontefract in between Ferrybridge Power Station and where about 5 train lines converged at Knottingley so he could watch the trains.</span> and mum and dad would take a break to make Bacon Butties and another cup of tea, as well as Rascal, getting time for a run about and a pee. This routinely marked the start of our summer holidays and just thinking about this brings back so many great happy memories. </p><p>When Gareth was older and able to he would help dad with the driving too <span style="color: red;">(Gareth </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">help my arse… I had to
drive every bloody mile once I'd passed my test !!)</span> - I remember once Gareth aged about 17, driving the car and caravan through the tight turns in the town of Louth in Lincolnshire whilst dad sat and helped with directions. <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) I</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> was always a better
driver than him lol</span></p><p>This is a photo of a Bacon Butty stop!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DxOdSSQgv85PUqhfXjMYnoFx1udFtVUy3qKTmx1IrOZD_zjjt7cVCekz87Z_ePwKRE3hHnqGqSKQPBLv7F1muXPu_oxxg4a2f0myqiWRVDKxd3PsZ3JALROnCu7bhRSMNthjHuvm2_MsU3DER11MsdGc5Iab6_8fTuyyWiSr34TmPBZVtGKdB_Gtdw/s1481/layby%20stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1481" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DxOdSSQgv85PUqhfXjMYnoFx1udFtVUy3qKTmx1IrOZD_zjjt7cVCekz87Z_ePwKRE3hHnqGqSKQPBLv7F1muXPu_oxxg4a2f0myqiWRVDKxd3PsZ3JALROnCu7bhRSMNthjHuvm2_MsU3DER11MsdGc5Iab6_8fTuyyWiSr34TmPBZVtGKdB_Gtdw/s320/layby%20stop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We would normally have a two-week holiday during the School summer holidays and most of these were taken on the east coast. We revisited a great Caravan club site in Sutton on Sea for at least 2 or 3 years. Filey and Scarborough were also great destinations, sometimes with Catherine and Nan or Brenda and Gran joining us for a week by hiring one of the semi-permanent larger caravans on the same campsite. </p><p>We all loved the family holidays - days spent wanking <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">NOT ME!!</span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Chris) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">NOR ME – I Never wanked in the country </span><span style="color: #38761d;">(</span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Rick) - Haahaa yeah this was a spelling error that just had to be left in)</span> <span style="color: #38761d;"><i>WALKING</i></span> in the countryside and playing cricket on the beach at Sandilands as the tide came in. Sometimes stopping in a pub beer garden while mum and dad had a small beer each and we would sometimes be lucky enough to get a cider! </p><p>We played with other kids on the campsites, we played as brothers <span style="color: #2b00fe;">(Chris) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">and fought-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ha ha</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span>too and in the evenings we would play as a family. Sometimes board games or more often card games. I am sure we played a lot of Whist, although I admit I have never played it since. But the memories of it are all so good. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x6KvIWEDcx7xj1umDWRJxflCDIgkkEGqwILaQEaBKprAOer09BPMj4ZyOzeS5rPtqZTRr4nIK0UKm1Wp-6iu20chIvoHdL229CZCavlRbXIDXqgeSUPlhYmBAD7r8exrmQpdrZRaL4osrNMoQxqJYUNStuZDyquwsjD9xlNNREnl_y-cGggT_QISvg/s1291/Typical%20caravan%20set%20up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1291" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x6KvIWEDcx7xj1umDWRJxflCDIgkkEGqwILaQEaBKprAOer09BPMj4ZyOzeS5rPtqZTRr4nIK0UKm1Wp-6iu20chIvoHdL229CZCavlRbXIDXqgeSUPlhYmBAD7r8exrmQpdrZRaL4osrNMoQxqJYUNStuZDyquwsjD9xlNNREnl_y-cGggT_QISvg/s320/Typical%20caravan%20set%20up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Here's me and mum playing a game in the van.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vRbacct9m4w51Zi17I3CbGPrbThM8vRFURr_ud5lx1nTMcNwiUeu3frZ5CAMIjKpWZwrWi4SY6mPh0B-AEjvMxQN0mkoC6_vsw5aGWgQbKWWbt9NqpnrHhLbNwK_Pz0-l7cmaW2GT9R6NatY49BQyOSnjBm7JOrfPVDjICWLRYySAuQTxPDwFJJEqw/s1715/me%20and%20mum%20games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="1715" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vRbacct9m4w51Zi17I3CbGPrbThM8vRFURr_ud5lx1nTMcNwiUeu3frZ5CAMIjKpWZwrWi4SY6mPh0B-AEjvMxQN0mkoC6_vsw5aGWgQbKWWbt9NqpnrHhLbNwK_Pz0-l7cmaW2GT9R6NatY49BQyOSnjBm7JOrfPVDjICWLRYySAuQTxPDwFJJEqw/s320/me%20and%20mum%20games.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>In the caravan, we also had a small black and white TV. Dad had wired up a car battery for power and with the huge TV aerial we took away with us, we could sometimes sit back and watch a bit of TV together before bed. Quite often this ran down the car/caravan battery and the picture on the TV screen would actually shrink as the power got less and less until we were staring at just a small white dot and listening to the TV like it was a radio. The next day dad would haul the battery into the back of the car and it would be hooked up to charge while we had a day out - driving to charge the battery as much as driving to go somewhere different. </p><p>In the UK, the schools also have a week or two off at Christmas and the same around Easter, depending on when Easter falls in the year. We never went away in winter, but at Easter, one of our favourite places was a campsite dad discovered in the Forest of Dean, just on the edge of the Welsh Border near Chepstow. <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a Civil Service
Motoring Association Only Caravan Park called Whitemead Park near
Coleford/Parkend</span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">https://www.whitemead.co.uk/) </span>This was a wonderful campsite on the edge of the forest, with rolling hills and lots of things to do including a swimming pool and playground.</p><p> I remember going swimming one chilly morning with dad, Gareth and Chris and dad actually breaking the thin layer of ice off the water in the pool. There were so many cool and interesting places to visit and see down there - from the Severn Bridge to lovely villages like Symonds Yat and all the wonderful trails and walks. We would love the fresh air down there and we visited a number of times. <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">There
was also a Nuns retirement house down there near Whitchurch where we used to visit
Sister Emelda, who used to live a little way along Moss Vale Road. lol</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>Sometimes we would even go away for a weekend or a 3 or 4-day trip closer to home. One place we would visit was a small site called 'Gravestones Farm'. It took a couple of trips there and a couple of games of cricket to realise it was called Gravestones Farm because we were actually pitching the caravan in what was on the old Graveyard!</p><p>This was near the small village of Pickmere - a small lake and village just half an hour away from home - Yep, you really don't need to go far to have a good holiday! At the time Pickmere, the lake had a small fun fair at one end with a little old-fashioned arcade, dodgem cars, a couple of kids rides and small motorboats that you could hire and drive around the lake, We had some wonderful days down on and near that lake when we were kids. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3CL9EJWbXWVAF6n5yasyCMLojxTOUIpMt3Fu0mfKa3aGigsGuOqJ1K8QnN2xIlOHpJ6k7nTyM-HRrdqnr4nC7SejNGYR4eDupnz2Kk3AZS5Lh9sKu86t_tqh5WiJb1flqNXEWK7oOQPlBKfVf9GCB6FZKzfssyBcI42v19COFhAEk83W9dhXn7FlZQ/s1485/pickmere%20boat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1485" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3CL9EJWbXWVAF6n5yasyCMLojxTOUIpMt3Fu0mfKa3aGigsGuOqJ1K8QnN2xIlOHpJ6k7nTyM-HRrdqnr4nC7SejNGYR4eDupnz2Kk3AZS5Lh9sKu86t_tqh5WiJb1flqNXEWK7oOQPlBKfVf9GCB6FZKzfssyBcI42v19COFhAEk83W9dhXn7FlZQ/s320/pickmere%20boat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>One of my favourite places to go for a few days was Southport. It used to be a lovely little seaside town with the flattest largest beach you could ever imagine and again only an hour's drive from home! It's not nice clean sand though, it's mainly squidgy brown mud and quite dangerous when the tide comes in.</p><p> But staying in a little caravan site by the beach and visiting the little arcades and cafes with mum and dad and Gareth and Chris as well as nights in the caravan, often while the rain fell on the metal roof brings back some of the best memories I have of being a kid. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">(Chris <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">we saw a massive thunderstorm over Blackpool from the sandhills once,
and got flooded out the next day),</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>We were really lucky that we all got on pretty well and we were given time to play and discover things by ourselves as well as being able to go away so often for what were really cheap holidays. I would guess that in the 10 years or so between getting the Caravan and when I joined the army in 1987, we probably went away in it at least 25 times, maybe more!</p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC7NDX66dflv3xFTyvfmdQ1Yed7tuSgcsyf2v-5ss86y3i3GLjyw2-ljIAq4iD_qOZMlX_XIsVMVe68pPi1_X-p2jAVbu2mJLVs8OtWPtuU3pWXU91O3hLL6UpOTM7bAsG4TsrOIe1NPL-xQt-ZZSk2QFLDdh4ToM-HGQK0e1X_w_9slU0XiDtBqdCQ/s1490/mum%20rain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1490" data-original-width="902" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC7NDX66dflv3xFTyvfmdQ1Yed7tuSgcsyf2v-5ss86y3i3GLjyw2-ljIAq4iD_qOZMlX_XIsVMVe68pPi1_X-p2jAVbu2mJLVs8OtWPtuU3pWXU91O3hLL6UpOTM7bAsG4TsrOIe1NPL-xQt-ZZSk2QFLDdh4ToM-HGQK0e1X_w_9slU0XiDtBqdCQ/s320/mum%20rain.jpg" width="194" /></a></p><p>Here's mum outside the caravan in the rain in Southport. You can see the big TV aerial we used to take with us. On this holiday Rascal found a ten-pound note whilst running crazily on the beach and dad hung it out to dry - It got nicked off the line!! <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s
the closest I've ever been to Liverpool lol</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>We did a lot of other things during the holidays too - Playing with mates obviously and sitting at home watching the crap Children's TV that ran from about 9am to noon every day. </p><p>One of the cool things we did get to do during the school holidays, was going to work with dad every now and then. Sometimes we would just hang around in his office and go through the old cabinets of photos that were taken when new roads were built so that the surveyors had photographic proof of where checkpoints or trig points were located. We always used to dig out the photos of Norwich Road and the house that Grand and Aunty Brenda lived in. It was really interesting to see the old photos of it and the surrounding areas. </p><p>Dad would often go out of the office and do some actual surveying - finding and checking trig points or making changes to maps when roads were widened or rerouted. One of my favourite days out with dad was when we went to St Margaret's Church just outside Altrincham in Cheshire. For some reason, dad had to get onto the church tower roof <span style="color: red;">(Gareth)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">often there was trigonometry
points up there with a known height and position the public couldn’t play with so
you could see and therefore map the local area</span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">-</span>- so he took me up with him. I think I was probably about 11 or 12 and I loved being up there - so high, but also somewhere where you aren't really supposed to be able to go. It was so exciting and I felt sorry for normal people with normal jobs, who just spent their days sitting at desks. </p><p>Dad had a cool job and got to go to all kinds of places you don't normally get to! This is the church we climbed on top of as it looks now - </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYPJcVsYfTy0ILPfODIRPpIebwBhTolbasQbm9jvAh8iIWuO27GR8mUQ3vOC3M9uiS996wffNrVLBbw1skmu1hL7FbTJ3q-dBLIvQPcXTs1W6oVEe6mjS3Tct2c50KP9pHUujI12hcumElrp2rPaCnbM4lh0YwDl9bmxJTA-QhL0r9rF65n3kmfd-few" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1257" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYPJcVsYfTy0ILPfODIRPpIebwBhTolbasQbm9jvAh8iIWuO27GR8mUQ3vOC3M9uiS996wffNrVLBbw1skmu1hL7FbTJ3q-dBLIvQPcXTs1W6oVEe6mjS3Tct2c50KP9pHUujI12hcumElrp2rPaCnbM4lh0YwDl9bmxJTA-QhL0r9rF65n3kmfd-few" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I think mum and dad really enjoyed their few years living back in Manchester. We were growing up and they had mum and dad's family all living close by. We often went to Nan's flat on the 9th floor of Empress Court. Nan had a budgie called Joey - Which I am sure was 'replaced' a number of times over the years. Catherine still lived with Nan when we moved to Manchester but by the time I left to join the army, Catherine had married Andrew (in 1986) and moved out to a house in Stretford where they still live! We spent lots of time at Aunties' and Uncles' houses and visiting friends that dad worked with or who they knew from some other place. </p><p>We even had a magician Uncle called Uncle Bunny - He wasn't really an uncle and I have no idea where mum and dad knew him and his family from,<span style="color: red;"> (Gareth) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">One</span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> of the neighbours in
Skegness used to run a B and B in their house for talent that was playing in
the Embassy or Caravan parks to stay in. Dad met Bunny through them., </span>but for a couple of years at least we saw him and his wife and kid a number of times! They were good times. </p><p><span style="color: red;">(Gareth) </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
remember Bunny from when we lived in Skegness (we left in ’73) and then he
lived in Clyde Rd in Chorlton / Didsbury for a while when we first moved to
Manchester. He went to live in the West Indies after marrying Nikki (his glamorous
assistant) in the early 80s. The photo below is from when he came back to visit.</span></p>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">He was on a few tv shows too… Bunny Neill, h</span><span style="color: red; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">ere's a webpage all about him! </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://magicweek.co.uk/magic_articles/article_bunny_neill.htm">Article -
Bunny Neill (magicweek.co.uk)</a></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are a couple of photos of Uncle Bunny and his wife with us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFawENJyoMX-Aa_yEgN_gABq0Zl4wgJ-F0uc3_pGOLXY2egDtrQ1NmrVtloEgntZdAAV7WeVxynq4iGv3dE4r4L3b0Gc9vwMgQgB2AasIrpdSeenwuTioOMFv9wel1wNrTyfktcNJiXz4l2KMB4oySALOSh4nriMT3px6AzPnFweECFLpaDXbVYVhmXw/s1492/uncle%20bunny%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="1492" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFawENJyoMX-Aa_yEgN_gABq0Zl4wgJ-F0uc3_pGOLXY2egDtrQ1NmrVtloEgntZdAAV7WeVxynq4iGv3dE4r4L3b0Gc9vwMgQgB2AasIrpdSeenwuTioOMFv9wel1wNrTyfktcNJiXz4l2KMB4oySALOSh4nriMT3px6AzPnFweECFLpaDXbVYVhmXw/s320/uncle%20bunny%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcxERDNTz8bYpdU3zdb9QqTZhLAiIk-f0Caxgzqf3zPbw1XGJr9ZtlKBrRaDhTOVeZBLQTq4oEe1te13okXV5YpbdhisOwh8H0ujx59vNLJ-OyavthZ-3KM0SHv6_7PjzbNmVuIeuiY3cLz_U_O-cGuLJ1kghs74iVFqTinz9-KQBrI8lW4MH26SbKQ/s1496/uncle%20bunny%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1496" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcxERDNTz8bYpdU3zdb9QqTZhLAiIk-f0Caxgzqf3zPbw1XGJr9ZtlKBrRaDhTOVeZBLQTq4oEe1te13okXV5YpbdhisOwh8H0ujx59vNLJ-OyavthZ-3KM0SHv6_7PjzbNmVuIeuiY3cLz_U_O-cGuLJ1kghs74iVFqTinz9-KQBrI8lW4MH26SbKQ/s320/uncle%20bunny%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here's us as a family at Nan's flat for dinner - <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PvM7YTox8W1Fv967VK2-O1zOr_1bRx1TUhceMNgtdii6jZgqnFN0NxyegpMm_n4UXl_1I869z2gBB5VRZ1bPIt97vexTcH1cNdabdTKRVQy5KGM2ff32cIxJDEBNa7Zo_6N2zQeqyDPFFfatqDxx_AydExQl_MyV2ax4vaZeXmCmJIMN552WQzBTkw/s2550/nans.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="2550" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PvM7YTox8W1Fv967VK2-O1zOr_1bRx1TUhceMNgtdii6jZgqnFN0NxyegpMm_n4UXl_1I869z2gBB5VRZ1bPIt97vexTcH1cNdabdTKRVQy5KGM2ff32cIxJDEBNa7Zo_6N2zQeqyDPFFfatqDxx_AydExQl_MyV2ax4vaZeXmCmJIMN552WQzBTkw/s320/nans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Dad was always pottering with something - I have lost count of the times he decorated the house, scraping paint off the doors or putting up wallpaper. The garage was full of spare bits of cars he had owned and he was always playing with whatever car we had - The Hunter, the Cortina <span style="color: red;">(Gareth </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bought off my school
teacher Mr Cunningham) </span>or later the Mini Metro. </p><p>Then when we got old enough to have cars he would show us how to fix and maintain them too. If I remember right he once towed Chris in a car back from somewhere on the south coast - maybe Chris can elaborate on that story? <span style="color: red;"> (Gareth)</span> <span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
towed ‘our’ Polo back with me Tracey and Michael in once from Corley Services
near Coventry after my camshaft went. (I fixed it obviously lol )</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Chris) He n</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ever towed me – but when I wrote my mini off he bought me a Morris
minor and I went to meet him in Southampton to collect it – staying at Gareth’s
in Windsor on the way – we also rebuilt the mini in skeg when the engine mounts
failed</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>The garage at home was small and full of stuff - Dad would reverse the car in and then have to clamber over the passenger seat to get out of the passenger door, but that was all just normal to dad and to us when we were kids. This was the inside of the garage - It's remarkable how much stuff dad got in there and it's cool how similar my garage looks today at my house in Winnipeg!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzC2ZSKuzOupHVaveennBqDORDuj6FtpUh6haVKpQT13rSbwDaA9jkTO_MehR2kQBpT-hYxluA8qkq7U2DDx-rC2imhB7BoxXNjBIASS95buCE90JlHn6EMJcRQSJ9OIaBht8ByeOBN-Zoiqur0rJysOHAkb9NH6bVAvA66ExPVbX4QP0polykfsOa_Q/s1695/dads%20garage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="1695" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzC2ZSKuzOupHVaveennBqDORDuj6FtpUh6haVKpQT13rSbwDaA9jkTO_MehR2kQBpT-hYxluA8qkq7U2DDx-rC2imhB7BoxXNjBIASS95buCE90JlHn6EMJcRQSJ9OIaBht8ByeOBN-Zoiqur0rJysOHAkb9NH6bVAvA66ExPVbX4QP0polykfsOa_Q/s320/dads%20garage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>One last thing I want to mention in this post is the most controversial and annoying thing that ever happened to our little family - New Bikes. </p><p>Sometime around 1978 or 1979, mum and dad bought us all new bikes. But they didn't know how much hassle it would cause in the next 40 years - we still argue about it today! </p><p>Chris was given a wonderfully cool, tough-looking boys' bike - a bright orange Commando - what could be wrong with that -<b> A COMMANDO</b> - It sounds and looks so cool. <span style="color: #2b00fe;"> (Chris)</span><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">– </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">it still hurts
doesn’t it .. ha ha ha </span><span style="color: #38761d;">(Rick and Gareth) yeah it does Chris! haha)</span></span></p><p>But for reasons, we will never determine Gareth and I were not so lucky. At least my new bike was gold - even though it was a Raleigh 18 - essentially a girl's bike complete with a little shopping basket holder on the back. </p><p>Gareth had it even rougher - as the oldest kid, he was given a Blue Raleigh 14 <span style="color: red;">(Gareth, actually a Raleigh 20) </span>- another girl's bike! We never discovered why these girls' bikes were chosen <span style="color: red;">(Gareth )<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mine was so that I could
share it with Mum… I would use it for Papers then Mum would use it for work/shopping</span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span> or why Chris got the cool bike, and I am joking about it now, but we were really happy at the time to have brand new bikes <span style="color: red;">(Gareth) I <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">bloody WAS NOT!)</span></span>- But it is just one of those mysteries that will never be solved - Why did Chris get a Commando!?!? <span style="color: #2b00fe;">(Chris) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wish I knew too.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">(Gareth) I saved up and bought myself a 10-speed racer after Dad said no… hahaha</span></p><p>Here we are on that fateful day riding our new bikes!</p><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF84HkNqWziX-QVSIeuitSdt2TU0O50UEwDFoMYDWIo_qkL1mmuiQzs0SiKl8foQSg2eD3oTAjfxHsAsjctW47QMjWxEJ4gjx92OBz9GlT33rkuqeCoQ6qHs9vWsm9tkMK7M34esOkVwLn8zxiW-RHAAOIc9U8-DWnewwPouNNGcgW2YTiV_VGUu8rZg/s1245/GARETH%20RALEIGH%2014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="993" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF84HkNqWziX-QVSIeuitSdt2TU0O50UEwDFoMYDWIo_qkL1mmuiQzs0SiKl8foQSg2eD3oTAjfxHsAsjctW47QMjWxEJ4gjx92OBz9GlT33rkuqeCoQ6qHs9vWsm9tkMK7M34esOkVwLn8zxiW-RHAAOIc9U8-DWnewwPouNNGcgW2YTiV_VGUu8rZg/s320/GARETH%20RALEIGH%2014.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhNRY3BoCE2y09aX1BmL3T143cQdp7bR4dwiUJNRoYWw9KKG8bggobwZgZXL8MYT4woumNU0mwUIXAh_WjKcliccZBHjZtN7Iu9nPbgTfHuJEBOC4Atvd7q5Rx3DRFYYUXv4fwH2zP6bFr-kdRflGWGXSCuZm1Beslcaf7OHVaxgcenDCMkyUFWq_yA/s1256/rICK%20rALEIGH%2018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1256" data-original-width="1008" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhNRY3BoCE2y09aX1BmL3T143cQdp7bR4dwiUJNRoYWw9KKG8bggobwZgZXL8MYT4woumNU0mwUIXAh_WjKcliccZBHjZtN7Iu9nPbgTfHuJEBOC4Atvd7q5Rx3DRFYYUXv4fwH2zP6bFr-kdRflGWGXSCuZm1Beslcaf7OHVaxgcenDCMkyUFWq_yA/s320/rICK%20rALEIGH%2018.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5joc9KpMMDf9mOy75M-utM_72cf4deui5Ty5-f0xXjjCJ5DCFB7ja_IwneQovLFaAhyvrIRLVPAA-2K_BRQOmM_kwcEoivdBcft2S5Ps40Dj3W9Mh_rNUlaOnhdML6nTCkIB8ksoeeT9nV_gIV85oT-pu2ykYkkDBoapH2B2ItKuuzuJUGQ9cAKAQlQ/s1249/CHRIS%20COMMANDO.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1249" data-original-width="1002" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5joc9KpMMDf9mOy75M-utM_72cf4deui5Ty5-f0xXjjCJ5DCFB7ja_IwneQovLFaAhyvrIRLVPAA-2K_BRQOmM_kwcEoivdBcft2S5Ps40Dj3W9Mh_rNUlaOnhdML6nTCkIB8ksoeeT9nV_gIV85oT-pu2ykYkkDBoapH2B2ItKuuzuJUGQ9cAKAQlQ/s320/CHRIS%20COMMANDO.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGRYYLv-J_mQ5zZVo8yuoKo1EDAzWkcXcz-_OwIJP4jdcwhJ15eo6scgpDKMqjXhFHTsMUUFAYLCXk0t0sAAhZpRm8JT0tW5IUhA3fV_KnBdfkN1gWdFoccFXCn5bWCuFn-pHIyUA52tGdQ1MI38E8fVleRAbcOV5cH0HEeZvPpMF8Da0RKsL8qrLKA/s1285/ALL%203%20TOGETHER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1285" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGRYYLv-J_mQ5zZVo8yuoKo1EDAzWkcXcz-_OwIJP4jdcwhJ15eo6scgpDKMqjXhFHTsMUUFAYLCXk0t0sAAhZpRm8JT0tW5IUhA3fV_KnBdfkN1gWdFoccFXCn5bWCuFn-pHIyUA52tGdQ1MI38E8fVleRAbcOV5cH0HEeZvPpMF8Da0RKsL8qrLKA/s320/ALL%203%20TOGETHER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are photos of all of us posing happily (Kind of) on our bikes...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-qjHkC916G8K7MNE06SP0mdjMsT0YdHj-xrZjmwzw5RRoUz5HTMtz_U5HK8lLwwhe2FFn3-Y2maQqlH-tjjIhkRpW8a7x7tMWARU8OCdGrgi3ecusTUMWosqM0v1SVJK74p-HvFc8RWVMYkmhlVq3kIIIKX0ZEFP8FYeVk-SHAwb4HMkIznSLHBXDg/s3239/all%203%20bikes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3239" data-original-width="1287" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-qjHkC916G8K7MNE06SP0mdjMsT0YdHj-xrZjmwzw5RRoUz5HTMtz_U5HK8lLwwhe2FFn3-Y2maQqlH-tjjIhkRpW8a7x7tMWARU8OCdGrgi3ecusTUMWosqM0v1SVJK74p-HvFc8RWVMYkmhlVq3kIIIKX0ZEFP8FYeVk-SHAwb4HMkIznSLHBXDg/s320/all%203%20bikes.jpg" width="127" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p>Gareth's bike looked like this but was blue.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiXXcqAIw3AuwGU5WTOtudZKsQACqDG11e3XPDbCtUZGWdoMrpYFKTUd4zlA7MZyvtaSDvzut1H_xd38mKRw72lzczXVitVp_-PaSvrFUg0o2KjJt3JMf0EDNAhiRor1-NfARO7gOUB5uB3TwJHV2fBEJ6MeDTlUJR40KH5COgR6H8WbYKdr1Y9r2mMQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="636" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiXXcqAIw3AuwGU5WTOtudZKsQACqDG11e3XPDbCtUZGWdoMrpYFKTUd4zlA7MZyvtaSDvzut1H_xd38mKRw72lzczXVitVp_-PaSvrFUg0o2KjJt3JMf0EDNAhiRor1-NfARO7gOUB5uB3TwJHV2fBEJ6MeDTlUJR40KH5COgR6H8WbYKdr1Y9r2mMQ" width="320" /></a></div><p>He eventually bought himself this bike to replace it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBavm3kNY0hvpMLiFdkD18zryw10aiH-WU6d4emjVv5ReM4uVhtpbLDiVo5spxW5FkvCeKA5bDK9gZ7zGiBd9RRHBFsGSIY2IFRiwrlnIFNhpSAftcmzhEzy1xiJblGT7n0iRLRvlVaq3N4gZKdSYGGMX2xpb315sejaWEEcA_6wdNIeNX9JVhLz9J0g/s1237/gareth%2010%20speed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1237" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBavm3kNY0hvpMLiFdkD18zryw10aiH-WU6d4emjVv5ReM4uVhtpbLDiVo5spxW5FkvCeKA5bDK9gZ7zGiBd9RRHBFsGSIY2IFRiwrlnIFNhpSAftcmzhEzy1xiJblGT7n0iRLRvlVaq3N4gZKdSYGGMX2xpb315sejaWEEcA_6wdNIeNX9JVhLz9J0g/s320/gareth%2010%20speed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Ricks Looked like this..</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7hOyltRYOORBuUixZymlNmmy6ACAZeDgt_wqd0epRzZNG264lyr55sK0Lb3aU5AfW1iLI17FeSQfC1u4GlBUbY7fJ-2xhxJjlmMVV2tXlLKUW9uJb_92dLMLV70qfpZyvSqgfxrHOE8zsPBVc0X7lbvX5Q732PtqHxz4AU6YVnmVocvls5hpF15q16A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="595" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7hOyltRYOORBuUixZymlNmmy6ACAZeDgt_wqd0epRzZNG264lyr55sK0Lb3aU5AfW1iLI17FeSQfC1u4GlBUbY7fJ-2xhxJjlmMVV2tXlLKUW9uJb_92dLMLV70qfpZyvSqgfxrHOE8zsPBVc0X7lbvX5Q732PtqHxz4AU6YVnmVocvls5hpF15q16A" width="320" /></a></div><br />and this was Chris's Commando with twistgrip gear change and everything!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibDIoXl-IFkUv1z5JIBJ8m8BSue-Ozt4wlyHOLm9IV583Vz2evfarFCkFJNTyCCT2hcX9j2igwMBizcY9QcS_eJg3V6O8dmjssGnTDKB1xkmnswKxVvQS4Jq1KqGiT7hSTZLM_d-wP4DTqfLwKJ-KmBVb7Y4uPKwYMjYkrDaqJ4GfZJjo2VBsQqVTnIA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="784" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibDIoXl-IFkUv1z5JIBJ8m8BSue-Ozt4wlyHOLm9IV583Vz2evfarFCkFJNTyCCT2hcX9j2igwMBizcY9QcS_eJg3V6O8dmjssGnTDKB1xkmnswKxVvQS4Jq1KqGiT7hSTZLM_d-wP4DTqfLwKJ-KmBVb7Y4uPKwYMjYkrDaqJ4GfZJjo2VBsQqVTnIA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p>That's it for this update. I will finish at that controversial point for now. I expect there will be one or two more posts to complete the story. I have a load of unused photos to look through and a couple of pages of notes, so I hope to get the next one posted in a month or so!</p><p>Thanks as ever to Chris and Gareth for the help and notes!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-44318171092866015182022-09-27T04:18:00.001+01:002022-09-27T04:18:16.390+01:00September - Its been a long couple of weeks.....<p>Hello everyone. This is going to be a quick update as I haven't had much time to make any real notes the last few weeks. It's been a long couple of weeks.</p><p>I had been running and training for my annual BFT which I normally do on my birthday - The BFT if you remember, is a mile-and-a-half-timed run that we used to do in the army. Under 10 mins 30 secs is a pass for soldiers under 30 years of age and so far, up until this year, I have never failed to achieve this mark. </p><p>It was Tuesday 6th Sep when I took a test run and got a time of 10mins 42 - Not bad at all! </p><p>But when I woke up for a run two days later I had a pain in my chest (No drama here, it wasn't a heart attack - it wasn't that exciting!) Anyway, the pain persisted and I was short of breath for a couple of days and so went to the Doctor on Friday afternoon. After blood and urine tests they found nothing wrong and sent me away to come back if things didn't get better. </p><p>Things didn't get better. </p><p>Over the next 12 days, it got better for 6 hours then worse again. Nausea like you feel before getting ill was almost constant, with just a day on the Satur when things felt great - to confuse me - before getting very much worse the next day. Headaches, backaches, elbows, wrists knees and ankle aches were getting worse and I also had constipation - which wasn't pleasant!</p><p>Eventually, after working from my bed for a Thursday and Friday and then taking a day off sick - far too late, I arranged another doctor's visit when I was at my lowest ebb and this time they did a chest X-ray. </p><p>The Doctor almost danced into the room I was waiting in and sang far too happily, 'You have Peneumonia', before happily showing me the spots in my chest X-ray giving away the diagnosis. </p><p>I must admit I was a bit relieved as I dint know what was wrong with me and Pneumonia is relatively easy to fix with a bit of rest and Antibiotics. </p><p>I have been on the Tablets now for 6 days and have 4 more full days to go. I am feeling a whole lot better, but am still worn out and have the shittiest cough. I am still working from home and will do so until eth cough clears up.</p><p>Anyway, that's my part of the story of the last few weeks. </p><p>It did get weird on Sunday when Buffy woke up puking and was ill for all of Sunday and leading into Monday - we were like zombies trying to keep the kids amused and I am sure they enjoyed eating popcorn and watching Frozen 3 for the 10th time. Amazingly we ALL managed a 2 1/2 hour middle of the day nap - ALL 4 OF US! These things just don't happen, so that was some kind of miracle!</p><p>The biggest other big news we have to talk about is Hannah - she has started Nursery, which is amazing! She is loving going to school every morning and has made some good friends there. She is excited to go every day and seems to really love it. This is her first-day pic...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KSjGGVWIgUlgFsndEfCMlUL89GoDoy_wHwXjwdxA_qHrp6pP8ESuN4gdxoeswyp-BTozXrJAvmS41F73E0sSlnH5cETtEfki_V03wXftxiM_4-YlqBqU3emvO-9AImgpzm4XPldlEnGwvoi4EwHvfavILxCDSuJtR_9EPajfJai8K0a13eVYXkRKWg/s4898/IMG_7205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3266" data-original-width="4898" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KSjGGVWIgUlgFsndEfCMlUL89GoDoy_wHwXjwdxA_qHrp6pP8ESuN4gdxoeswyp-BTozXrJAvmS41F73E0sSlnH5cETtEfki_V03wXftxiM_4-YlqBqU3emvO-9AImgpzm4XPldlEnGwvoi4EwHvfavILxCDSuJtR_9EPajfJai8K0a13eVYXkRKWg/s320/IMG_7205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Is that not the best first-day pic ever? Yes, it is!</p><p>In other news - Ollie is crazy, loves chocolate biscuits and sleeps on Window sills. Hannah liked the spotty make-up that she did for school and is a cheeky little scamp, but can also now use the toilet without help!</p><p>We had one final weekend at the cabin, where even though I felt unwell, we celebrated my birthday with a big cake and actually got to spend a short while on the dock, now it is finally out of the water!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEfEVOxNMcpaE9HbtuM4_7IMpmeWGO7NCs9OPwIFUTR8gXbV17I_M8wVsdD1K2SwjB1R0AyZplJoe1iDtiNbs6gagl_nQTd01qJUSCmUdTlgn0zQ9EYCckwC0T8Yo2odnC8CNyonWpo9FjCSDLdXBuZK6e5SvNnkQzoilU5Zh28C5JL_wOOKuOPRSKA/s4032/20220915_190839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEfEVOxNMcpaE9HbtuM4_7IMpmeWGO7NCs9OPwIFUTR8gXbV17I_M8wVsdD1K2SwjB1R0AyZplJoe1iDtiNbs6gagl_nQTd01qJUSCmUdTlgn0zQ9EYCckwC0T8Yo2odnC8CNyonWpo9FjCSDLdXBuZK6e5SvNnkQzoilU5Zh28C5JL_wOOKuOPRSKA/s320/20220915_190839.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBRdEza0yJPUuWpin6euTwysM5boBFfSIImpmda9BgXIgZOxeZBf3z-xYYMNw_aG-B4iyubwhp2EoCD3dOUXCdqT0gvQREnRyZCZXRKn8yl5Ia7hC-3fLzJHB7RqfgSmHg-wkPacyPksiPJ7I6zredGp4a-b4AUn5nKM7nRBMJ-3xEeSMbSG2cuPYJw/s4032/20220916_084806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBRdEza0yJPUuWpin6euTwysM5boBFfSIImpmda9BgXIgZOxeZBf3z-xYYMNw_aG-B4iyubwhp2EoCD3dOUXCdqT0gvQREnRyZCZXRKn8yl5Ia7hC-3fLzJHB7RqfgSmHg-wkPacyPksiPJ7I6zredGp4a-b4AUn5nKM7nRBMJ-3xEeSMbSG2cuPYJw/s320/20220916_084806.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAmcwkplGs0VsACMwd53-ksmfrr0pujjrBrIn6RVUAumpTyYvrLg6aTAwosaAV6iqcFFFWAskkGc68O3Ooma21OkpjcHdgA7NxMwanC2dNoBPMcahiddMDDgpc8qdrXPDkqabovJ-DzJxzqvj0lg6hXnyUQFq78Dd2mRE2KiLUE7wJqXIkLJU6zXzzQ/s4032/20220917_121301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAmcwkplGs0VsACMwd53-ksmfrr0pujjrBrIn6RVUAumpTyYvrLg6aTAwosaAV6iqcFFFWAskkGc68O3Ooma21OkpjcHdgA7NxMwanC2dNoBPMcahiddMDDgpc8qdrXPDkqabovJ-DzJxzqvj0lg6hXnyUQFq78Dd2mRE2KiLUE7wJqXIkLJU6zXzzQ/s320/20220917_121301.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Gvitn1McDojfcg7wmfL_1nCxUOtZJoa-ClBpXzYVnCtQoS---Krs-82iqIkJ080lb38DDFZRWGjfzoSkAXJoPkov7FU-9tKrkJ3m2vQk87IZcPMrhIf-P1MeKO1_-rnx-IPR2hLIThwYSxw0nhN5oU2S6yh5XCN9nle_MhEqbl76mrAUJwdxLCAzA/s4032/IMG_5036_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3Gvitn1McDojfcg7wmfL_1nCxUOtZJoa-ClBpXzYVnCtQoS---Krs-82iqIkJ080lb38DDFZRWGjfzoSkAXJoPkov7FU-9tKrkJ3m2vQk87IZcPMrhIf-P1MeKO1_-rnx-IPR2hLIThwYSxw0nhN5oU2S6yh5XCN9nle_MhEqbl76mrAUJwdxLCAzA/s320/IMG_5036_2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCEr2gi95a-lgeevmDGe11j8gdP8IZgoulHUW0_wqvmMaQLEPrk1xaVDVNXFdhLZYP67aR3z1ZuUoFtmVuxeKBnd4vmUM7FYnwfnV_p-3quyUTOTJQvWF7Ah86zID66x-wYKdfXtPSEoPiyhbzoscGufLJyAsrHt6amcxjCkdVyC9dLcKZCP31U6u_A/s4032/IMG_5062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCEr2gi95a-lgeevmDGe11j8gdP8IZgoulHUW0_wqvmMaQLEPrk1xaVDVNXFdhLZYP67aR3z1ZuUoFtmVuxeKBnd4vmUM7FYnwfnV_p-3quyUTOTJQvWF7Ah86zID66x-wYKdfXtPSEoPiyhbzoscGufLJyAsrHt6amcxjCkdVyC9dLcKZCP31U6u_A/s320/IMG_5062.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8Vn8Y6KHmWQjcrGoVJNSZyQ0sKUjOre-Ua8K9JPc6jjWKBdRHhhGFOyae3-b41ppVAgguV0a6jK2JaaBriJhMoKjLmFgwocnQ1Tvtl6vzyDYJZnlNL4PvnKVN9xRFuBBFIn5YxbcLk1_ZlwyWK7cPXNsVGca3WZSMZKNKUpbq59Mt6LZRBUAL-W2UQ/s4032/IMG_5093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8Vn8Y6KHmWQjcrGoVJNSZyQ0sKUjOre-Ua8K9JPc6jjWKBdRHhhGFOyae3-b41ppVAgguV0a6jK2JaaBriJhMoKjLmFgwocnQ1Tvtl6vzyDYJZnlNL4PvnKVN9xRFuBBFIn5YxbcLk1_ZlwyWK7cPXNsVGca3WZSMZKNKUpbq59Mt6LZRBUAL-W2UQ/s320/IMG_5093.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I am off to bed now, it's gone 10pm and that is late for me at the moment. Hopefully, in the next post, there will be no more Pneumonia and lots more fun shit from the Kiddywinkles!</p><p>See you soon!</p><p><br /></p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-52317695422298515872022-09-03T02:46:00.005+01:002022-09-03T02:46:41.836+01:00Good times with the kids, goodbye Cuddy, and Happy Birthday Oliver<p>It's Friday 2nd September and todayis Oliver's 2nd birthday...</p><p>The last few weeks have been like the kind of typical Hollywood-style fantasy that you see in movies but rarely happens in real life. </p><p>Luckily I do believe this may actually be real life and therefore we have been living the dream!</p><p>We booked ourselves a campsite up at Grand Beach, the same place went to last summer. Last summer we went and enjoyed camping with the kids but the beach weather wasn't brilliant.</p><p>Last year the 3 days at the beach were - windy, rainy and cold or a mixture of all three. This year the weather was a perfect 26/27 and no wind at all.</p><p>The beach itself is actually on Lake Winnipeg - not a sea or an ocean, but a freshwater lake. A fucking big freshwater lake but a lake anyhow. You wouldn't know you weren't at the sea apart from the taste of the water. It is so big that the horizon far far away if still the lake, so the feeling is the same as at any sea beach. </p><p>The sand is also fabulous. It's one of the nicest sand beaches you could ever imagine - soft dust like white sand that feels wonderful between your toes and even when it gets in your shoes it doesn't hurt. It's like talcum powder. Yes, it does get everywhere in the car, but it blows away like fluff</p><p>Now, camping in the Canadian shield can be a nightmare with bugs. particularly if the weather is wet, which this summer has been. But these particular mosquitoes on these particular days were a bit strange and apparently in a different time zone. Normally the mossies are a nightmare at dawn and dusk. But for some reason these mossies took a lie in every morning until they became a nightmare at 1030am, just as we were leaving for the beach and they started and finished early in the afternoon too, being a nightmare from about 3 to 5pm, when we were heading out for the afternoon after Ollie's nap and having dinner - away from the campsite. So the bugs didn't really bother us too much apart from when we were setting up on day 1 and leaving on day 4 - both times when the kids just played in thw car out of the way anyway!</p><p> Day/Night 1. Crazy kids and bed-hopping. </p><p>We arrived at the campsite a got set up. The kids aren't really useful to help out at the moment so they played in the car and went to the park while the tent and beds were all put together. </p><p>Then we had dinner around the campfire before bed. The kids were on their new inflatable beds for the first time and it was the first time they have been together in a 'room' when Ollie hasn't been in a crib of some sort. We put Ollie down first and Hannah an hour later after eating Marshmallows around the fire and they didn't sleep for the next two hours! They were so excited that they talked to each other and ended up throwing their shared push light between the two beds while giggling their little hearts out for ages. Buffy and I stood outside the ten watching the trail of light move around the inside of the ten as the lamp was thrown back and forth. . They both eventually got so tired they just fell asleep around 1030 and we followed them to bed soon after.</p><p>We had 2 hours of good sleep before Ollie woke up crying and screaming for nearly two hours, swapping between me and Buffy on our bed, back to his own bed and back again, eventually going back to sleep in his own bed just before 3am. but while they got some sleep Buffy and I definitely suffered from a lack of it. </p><p>Day 2/Night 2. Bike to the beach and a trip back home.</p><p>We took the wagon with us to the closest beach while Hannah rode her bike. Unfortunately, a mix-up between me and Buffy meant we left the buckets and spades behind and had no toys for the kids to play with on eth beach itself. </p><p>Luckily we found a discarded red cup from someone's beach party and used that as a makeshift shovel as Hannah and I dug holes and buried ourselves in the sand. Oliver was more than happy to throw stones into the water and run along the beach.</p><p>We spend the whole morning there and were pleasantly surprised at the gorgeous 25 degrees that felt more like 27 or 28 and the lack of any real wind. The odd cloud kept us cool from the heat of the sun, so the weather itself was perfect. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjkUOZWcOP3oJjS0UaouegJV7qVcisxj_RJGxhYB2Q494ph4edtsPSqbpJtwYq2j4Mf4ZnFK72KwjNG3bGHKzsCLuo7YFKf4iU03X9bK2v3-AQjkt6IiMB7xar3Lk88a8nIEdb7o3Yw6SwJ3quhaV_O3tvaej7tJY37XOR5JWAHkCg-bIJ_FJkSitmA/s4032/IMG_3874.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjkUOZWcOP3oJjS0UaouegJV7qVcisxj_RJGxhYB2Q494ph4edtsPSqbpJtwYq2j4Mf4ZnFK72KwjNG3bGHKzsCLuo7YFKf4iU03X9bK2v3-AQjkt6IiMB7xar3Lk88a8nIEdb7o3Yw6SwJ3quhaV_O3tvaej7tJY37XOR5JWAHkCg-bIJ_FJkSitmA/s320/IMG_3874.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtexOjat6lezPUaxQNoDpp8Ea_SYf-E_tOCArDO7oOBG9CySTyywm9rZAqF7Rx0eAD5R9uageCi7if7xyyP77ygFd269i8aYgWY9-0AU8Q3JfWICJBKGZStYS6CVNnIU0NfHkiv7qfykp0t3vAITclzLFFNl5IEOkDEMqL7odmR4gPgDTmheGrQHI63g/s4032/IMG_3872.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtexOjat6lezPUaxQNoDpp8Ea_SYf-E_tOCArDO7oOBG9CySTyywm9rZAqF7Rx0eAD5R9uageCi7if7xyyP77ygFd269i8aYgWY9-0AU8Q3JfWICJBKGZStYS6CVNnIU0NfHkiv7qfykp0t3vAITclzLFFNl5IEOkDEMqL7odmR4gPgDTmheGrQHI63g/s320/IMG_3872.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtBgjNhAYs_NijfggtQWV0ee8U54WXkOOt3B_RnDakf5g-60sXdXuzvj84ujcBVC_9NdAGsNmYmL_U1h97XeGNF83Tt08RziqTIVJxWe5AF5Ve74HdLbc5Icgmv3uHl1qhgZMuPeMhcrazkFmUjDu6YI2mI_LV--H7V950ctoNg9ByH69CRsbHKVBOg/s4032/IMG_3889.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtBgjNhAYs_NijfggtQWV0ee8U54WXkOOt3B_RnDakf5g-60sXdXuzvj84ujcBVC_9NdAGsNmYmL_U1h97XeGNF83Tt08RziqTIVJxWe5AF5Ve74HdLbc5Icgmv3uHl1qhgZMuPeMhcrazkFmUjDu6YI2mI_LV--H7V950ctoNg9ByH69CRsbHKVBOg/s320/IMG_3889.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFp34CtpHOAcmrNtV_rF3PcbNkMtuwXGMqOafzN73n5BSXr6Y5VmyQgitIJ6SFTbYIQI9HpY7MkDlmCimm3xZhTFCP3h69dxCVtzPgFJq99-haWkyE7JKc6HIY4pcCphQrxc6nzCVlrKpKnZPwkOSk28oh-iQPl72hBVxH3J8EVfNgt6jcAL1ZuwsRg/s4032/IMG_3901.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFp34CtpHOAcmrNtV_rF3PcbNkMtuwXGMqOafzN73n5BSXr6Y5VmyQgitIJ6SFTbYIQI9HpY7MkDlmCimm3xZhTFCP3h69dxCVtzPgFJq99-haWkyE7JKc6HIY4pcCphQrxc6nzCVlrKpKnZPwkOSk28oh-iQPl72hBVxH3J8EVfNgt6jcAL1ZuwsRg/s320/IMG_3901.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRNgd1phUm7JvLmEr7f9z3y45-wlpY2JCQ99O5-l3U0LNaCOrNnGEs4aPftsmM-5PuAbxWB_GppL6L8oAkHDGq-j2H9Wn0hG-NdxxEBxVZQnbopa1zHE5SGd5rqk4-nwJIGsYVf1JoD3-xsK4xNH-zHKzpuk9Y8npm4H4zwCTk5xe059PrCFyMX381Q/s4032/20220815_140636.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRNgd1phUm7JvLmEr7f9z3y45-wlpY2JCQ99O5-l3U0LNaCOrNnGEs4aPftsmM-5PuAbxWB_GppL6L8oAkHDGq-j2H9Wn0hG-NdxxEBxVZQnbopa1zHE5SGd5rqk4-nwJIGsYVf1JoD3-xsK4xNH-zHKzpuk9Y8npm4H4zwCTk5xe059PrCFyMX381Q/s320/20220815_140636.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>After Ollie's nap we headed into the small town to take the kids to the little play park and have hotdogs and burgers for dinner. On the way back we realised we had left Oliver's water bottle at the cafe and had to head back there, after waiting for 10 minutes for a dump truck to move out of the road. Then the hardest part of the day....We had decided that another night of Ollie being up for 3 hours was not feasible. </p><p>So I chose to drive him home for the night to sleep in his own bed and bring him back the next day. Fully refreshed and with his travel crib which we know he sleeps better in. So we drove the 80 minutes back to Winnipeg. Watched the huge grey clouds turn black and listened to the warnings of baseball-sized hail and possible tornadoes in the vicinity of Grad Beach, where Buffy and Hannah were staying overnight in the tent.</p><p>Ollie and I got home and I put him to bed just as the rain started in Winnipeg and I called Buff and Hannah to see how they were doing. It turned out that they were fine and the worst of the weather was definitely in Winnipeg as we had a huge 4 - 5 hour thunderstorm with huge amounts of rain, while Grand beach had a couple of minor showers. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Adh_ZyZEzYA" width="320" youtube-src-id="Adh_ZyZEzYA"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Day 3/ Night 3 Perfect beach day and Bears at the campsite </p><p>Ollie and I left home and arrived back at the tent before 10. We quickly packed up and headed to the other end of the beach, where there is a boardwalk, vendors and toilets. We were the first people on the beach on what was the perfect day. A little warmer than yesterday, dry with a slight breeze that was enough to keep you cool as it blew off the water, but not enough to move a grain of sand. It was the perfect day to spend at the beach. Today we remembered the spades, buckets and toys we even took spiderman and a couple of mini diggers for the kids to play with and they loved it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Zu843OpguEHcfJePIJqdmUilTb3pmFfu7IjlqRlvAHll2UluqWyddj7S7sQU-h3Iw4KyZDmeEfRRv-E_05-6f4KqWrR9M60hmHle76mflZr2tPS4bEXgYSE2PA_BM7wpj7SaLOVquogJbsdbq7bhy0-lGIABftzZOJwkoyQsctHZnoqy7he-HelUVg/s4032/20220817_113649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Zu843OpguEHcfJePIJqdmUilTb3pmFfu7IjlqRlvAHll2UluqWyddj7S7sQU-h3Iw4KyZDmeEfRRv-E_05-6f4KqWrR9M60hmHle76mflZr2tPS4bEXgYSE2PA_BM7wpj7SaLOVquogJbsdbq7bhy0-lGIABftzZOJwkoyQsctHZnoqy7he-HelUVg/s320/20220817_113649.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDThAl8oRZp0FZdA_rKbyRgV3zfC3vNDCln1oQFF5AX3B1K2JDvKqZiN8dUDo53gaHk_9XJSgDiqZ1TBj0ZALL9XOIUAcNoL7Dm6FI3r0gPNNl9biGFN6h2M9MwkrAcTV_e1U_qpAro-Zw2LQZ6RI51CRJWCrPQU9yarREDCzGE9bnWYHLtTmYZeK7A/s4032/20220817_113759.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDThAl8oRZp0FZdA_rKbyRgV3zfC3vNDCln1oQFF5AX3B1K2JDvKqZiN8dUDo53gaHk_9XJSgDiqZ1TBj0ZALL9XOIUAcNoL7Dm6FI3r0gPNNl9biGFN6h2M9MwkrAcTV_e1U_qpAro-Zw2LQZ6RI51CRJWCrPQU9yarREDCzGE9bnWYHLtTmYZeK7A/s320/20220817_113759.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczKhbbMPsVyeNfniUZ9RyUBmW4taWUg6paUGRjhLcOxB41PtCCvm5V75jVN5kFpXuRwG8Kldb34drsorEXThMbgVYz1m9Nx9E4KYuqTAdblp71whG1U8XsQSSenUE0afBdqjVUqgy3rfNubsMdb6ozfm7SaDCf69CC9O4ZecI_Aj4DGtKQtQ7wV91_Q/s4032/20220817_113040.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczKhbbMPsVyeNfniUZ9RyUBmW4taWUg6paUGRjhLcOxB41PtCCvm5V75jVN5kFpXuRwG8Kldb34drsorEXThMbgVYz1m9Nx9E4KYuqTAdblp71whG1U8XsQSSenUE0afBdqjVUqgy3rfNubsMdb6ozfm7SaDCf69CC9O4ZecI_Aj4DGtKQtQ7wV91_Q/s320/20220817_113040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The kids are growing up well and this was the first ever day that Buffy and I had time to relax on the beach while the kids played a little by themselves It was bliss. </p><p>We swam, the kids played, the kids paddled and we played with them. We spent time on the swings and the slide and the only bad part was when the wagon hit a hole and fell over on the way back to the car while the kids were riding in it. They were fine although a little shocked to fall out, it was the only downside to a wonderful day at the beach. We even remembered that Spiderman had been left in the sand so Buffy ran back to pick him up from where he was poking out of the sand feet up! It was such a good day, that after Ollie's nap (When I had a rest and Hannah and Buff played) we went back to the beach again and had dinner there. </p><p>Unfortunately, because the car was full of beach stuff we had left the cooler at the campsite. When Buffy got back to put Ollie to bed, the cooler had been tipped over and our food and drinks were all over the ground. Buffy wondered what had happened but suddenly realised that a bear had smelt the sausage inside.</p><p>The huge teeth marks in the cooler kid gave that away! Note - Do not leave a cooler on the campsite! We were lucky that the cooler had been left outside the tent and the only damage was the bitemarks, which make a good story! </p><p>Ollie went to bed after some milk and Hannah, Buffy and I spent a lovely couple of hours around the campfire then we all went to bed and slept pretty well. No big wake-ups or screaming for anyone!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube
_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-jmbm_oXSZQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="-jmbm_oXSZQ"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Day4 -Pack up and go home (Not till we do the beach again!)</p><p>On day 4 we decided to go to the beach again. The weather was just too perfect to do anything else/ So while Buffy kept the kids amused I packed up the tent and beds into the car. The kids were being dicks for the first real-time this week, but after they calmed down we finally got them ionto the beach again around 1030am. </p><p>More swimming, playing and digging as well as water gymnastics and borrowing shovels from other kids (Ollie) meant the morning flew past and all too quickly it was time for lunch. We had some really tasty Tacos before packing the kids into the car and starting the drive back to Winnipeg. We were all so happy and tired, but glad to have had a wonderful few days together. </p><p>I have been all around the world and have been to some fantastic beaches in the Meditteranean, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Croatia, Spain and the Caribbean, but I have never spent 3 consecutive days on the same beach with the perfect temperature, the weather, the cool, calm water and the kids being good fun without being crazy. </p><p>It honestly was the nicest and most perfect 3 days on the most perfect beach. It was just wonderful. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7n-gD9V2cTGnsklClc3HEcetNcsYaj1kzYRZfsRKV-lVd0aAVK8ikWMocSBeKigY5tt7MTTzE-A-OUkx-tSe1vwUSo6EkLVdfWix7Kmrrc9JUdTH4uVgHFBjqLKNd5dhsacJr8o90uayTKiDD9ARHrYmkbBvBMDRB8sS91AfWJPQwEqn99Zg2x1-xw/s4032/20220817_113851.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7n-gD9V2cTGnsklClc3HEcetNcsYaj1kzYRZfsRKV-lVd0aAVK8ikWMocSBeKigY5tt7MTTzE-A-OUkx-tSe1vwUSo6EkLVdfWix7Kmrrc9JUdTH4uVgHFBjqLKNd5dhsacJr8o90uayTKiDD9ARHrYmkbBvBMDRB8sS91AfWJPQwEqn99Zg2x1-xw/s320/20220817_113851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUBo9d3XdZI3z3BIFFrpSizwqVn0jg0niKdv_3PI37pzzpY7ahagOWLPYxzFKLSWqIymaEBtMOcFBBhtR_NT4IRyJASv7R7IJDmv2JNSwmp3BBuHo7jxCvLXYqfn1w6BCenzcK5IVxV-MzjBM4WsEbKd3TRn74l344YRUcjRTiYMMj7YNkFnegx6Zjw/s4032/20220816_201945.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUBo9d3XdZI3z3BIFFrpSizwqVn0jg0niKdv_3PI37pzzpY7ahagOWLPYxzFKLSWqIymaEBtMOcFBBhtR_NT4IRyJASv7R7IJDmv2JNSwmp3BBuHo7jxCvLXYqfn1w6BCenzcK5IVxV-MzjBM4WsEbKd3TRn74l344YRUcjRTiYMMj7YNkFnegx6Zjw/s320/20220816_201945.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihatgPuJbmgn31GlThJpELlCxZMditGfLUGYLbxQEFsOaahDE6VS-OeExgWCSOvbHE93R1IBwTB4cOXV6M5SJUzJX_A5voFTN1Y4y82Z-m9Ot6CM1LmCw4QZc5rejQW_RMGwq6zE9NDAQeddvnJZW4bADhAxfBPlMwTcomKKELmp3zJyDrDvFxbqC1pg/s4032/IMG_3961.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihatgPuJbmgn31GlThJpELlCxZMditGfLUGYLbxQEFsOaahDE6VS-OeExgWCSOvbHE93R1IBwTB4cOXV6M5SJUzJX_A5voFTN1Y4y82Z-m9Ot6CM1LmCw4QZc5rejQW_RMGwq6zE9NDAQeddvnJZW4bADhAxfBPlMwTcomKKELmp3zJyDrDvFxbqC1pg/s320/IMG_3961.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhDXvItsThgpsHG2c1AWeCvqFahQTJAoLFGIl1TvtHiEK5bjMSsQ1WypSJHOeGf8N9oP2nqEGdIxsO-zdc9a2QAwQD3Gs_FBeL3UmEwiX-IfQTTUFxHp_tIuBwj_Sgblca1EjaeCkcawsBn1PgeUTBR3E9ZBaEd0tHPmuQg6QYqh2L5Y0UrMpDCRkrA/s4032/20220815_160639.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhDXvItsThgpsHG2c1AWeCvqFahQTJAoLFGIl1TvtHiEK5bjMSsQ1WypSJHOeGf8N9oP2nqEGdIxsO-zdc9a2QAwQD3Gs_FBeL3UmEwiX-IfQTTUFxHp_tIuBwj_Sgblca1EjaeCkcawsBn1PgeUTBR3E9ZBaEd0tHPmuQg6QYqh2L5Y0UrMpDCRkrA/s320/20220815_160639.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiIoHjU3OH-UZWi07cjw-MgiiI2yLy6B2NFsakcCLRsRUUj9K5jNfRV2fu-2NKiBff3WCaW0CuA5GMbk06f6GzYIem2TqYsArov-RKb6uojBMwazV1ktoHNeWyiYowm6BlBIVNJFPPe5ZqCnHnNDDRM1SrJJSA6tjiQEl8Xo1nPur45XpMYPtJJu-vA/s4032/20220815_160410.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiIoHjU3OH-UZWi07cjw-MgiiI2yLy6B2NFsakcCLRsRUUj9K5jNfRV2fu-2NKiBff3WCaW0CuA5GMbk06f6GzYIem2TqYsArov-RKb6uojBMwazV1ktoHNeWyiYowm6BlBIVNJFPPe5ZqCnHnNDDRM1SrJJSA6tjiQEl8Xo1nPur45XpMYPtJJu-vA/s320/20220815_160410.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p> Back in the city things are changing - Hannah starts Nursery school in just over a week and also starts dance lessons, bought by Grandma and Grandpa as an early Christmas present. She is so excited about both and loved trying on her new leotard for dancing! Ollie also loves dancing as you can see from the video earlier - ollie dancing with me by the beach!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8k_F7tnwcKQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="8k_F7tnwcKQ"></iframe></div><br /><p>There have been so many highlights - Trips to the park, rides on the bus, tattoos, canoe trips, zoo trips, loads of ice creams! Its been a crazy but brilliant summer so far...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6juuhMk6b-cucL0U3bJ1_CQ3VcLJGsZ58UVqc2rYoV-2bGsPeTxYJi6nUpyvsgh-lan2trKphzqysYPkh2pN-YbaQ5IixhWXE4d6w8DBkOeczbnXMPhktdj63Rzj8hPXvIbwcfWBGc0GDnrOdAz5yZOdldAAZBb_Ox4zgITMXVmd-d0Rz8ANDuW-iAA/s4032/IMG_4035.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6juuhMk6b-cucL0U3bJ1_CQ3VcLJGsZ58UVqc2rYoV-2bGsPeTxYJi6nUpyvsgh-lan2trKphzqysYPkh2pN-YbaQ5IixhWXE4d6w8DBkOeczbnXMPhktdj63Rzj8hPXvIbwcfWBGc0GDnrOdAz5yZOdldAAZBb_Ox4zgITMXVmd-d0Rz8ANDuW-iAA/s320/IMG_4035.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDqimxml7SfWqgW2JYj6u717IdeY8jm0QE3tgmW3fKinocMPs05kemlo5VXlFwXh5Y89xSnxQ-5_wEac9pspCnZzBFGmn1rqKViaGwwhkI6FE2WYDNGdlHxWk5a8O2GnCCqGTZ2C3f5UelnpjtacGyMDxMJjbK96HD-2pcizVDyrw-2FTktJSxS5-AA/s4032/IMG_4037.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDqimxml7SfWqgW2JYj6u717IdeY8jm0QE3tgmW3fKinocMPs05kemlo5VXlFwXh5Y89xSnxQ-5_wEac9pspCnZzBFGmn1rqKViaGwwhkI6FE2WYDNGdlHxWk5a8O2GnCCqGTZ2C3f5UelnpjtacGyMDxMJjbK96HD-2pcizVDyrw-2FTktJSxS5-AA/s320/IMG_4037.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsI4e_8wXuZacOq6Udd5O1YN8K3QM5Bm7pJNjfPcJPikwlDnR9yswsjSwH73yfM2FQBtCfI2z6LcIHpol5NQRaMsUMTr23eAe94nzCNgeqeB2aXNDmZm9wepUG0yp8S381kFIPb79pwid53z9l0I0_k0wZDE5Jll0V9qQJMUety1HkStJF815WpzvR-w/s4032/IMG_4050.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsI4e_8wXuZacOq6Udd5O1YN8K3QM5Bm7pJNjfPcJPikwlDnR9yswsjSwH73yfM2FQBtCfI2z6LcIHpol5NQRaMsUMTr23eAe94nzCNgeqeB2aXNDmZm9wepUG0yp8S381kFIPb79pwid53z9l0I0_k0wZDE5Jll0V9qQJMUety1HkStJF815WpzvR-w/s320/IMG_4050.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV_vQX3o0W9vJsqP_v6dfI26mlPjkpTeVJqchvti_SKQkvn11ml7o3ybLPUWm924qGCBSiAcDmU40XlTwxEkYVzo5v_UpkwPFcGIUCULBCQkTSQ5fStlTT5Yoh5DkVdvrhIStYy5-9RANQiDi5ZIHWKRFAcDD27gTICYaNmSZ8uMI-r-eEJlC8KPbyA/s320/20220820_115248.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yO4-W9IL4mfAjUqimBYAP4Zh2oi10ytw8kouy_Dzb8H-b2asa-QHIgVy4eSCP_dNLPGkWMNczXwQjw-EdNi7U8uteAE2MjzezLK_hT-diKjI37z40-teN-vQIirq79Lx8HTwmzqscAFVpbyqBPxN13OgVBeTnfSH6jq6ciBKXVLsiPi9RUae5s7Zxg/s4032/IMG_7767.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yO4-W9IL4mfAjUqimBYAP4Zh2oi10ytw8kouy_Dzb8H-b2asa-QHIgVy4eSCP_dNLPGkWMNczXwQjw-EdNi7U8uteAE2MjzezLK_hT-diKjI37z40-teN-vQIirq79Lx8HTwmzqscAFVpbyqBPxN13OgVBeTnfSH6jq6ciBKXVLsiPi9RUae5s7Zxg/s320/IMG_7767.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f4lToAd_Chz9OMDUtUzo8kn1ITp2It2KtPtYUYoiKdtm1IUK2Qt1D267RPrw76m7LeEf_JtfB-j-uWo3GSSDwNgli4qz9gysiGO4H1dRGeBK8Oe9nPhJggr3nCBDckgWswmBcNrLZG6LYNmdV9PcYPXYnYxxl8k5C2JrmrgvYbFo-QGzbe87LkDviQ/s4032/IMG_7769.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f4lToAd_Chz9OMDUtUzo8kn1ITp2It2KtPtYUYoiKdtm1IUK2Qt1D267RPrw76m7LeEf_JtfB-j-uWo3GSSDwNgli4qz9gysiGO4H1dRGeBK8Oe9nPhJggr3nCBDckgWswmBcNrLZG6LYNmdV9PcYPXYnYxxl8k5C2JrmrgvYbFo-QGzbe87LkDviQ/s320/IMG_7769.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K9noFrbPrAc" width="320" youtube-src-id="K9noFrbPrAc"></iframe></div><br /><p>We also had the chance for Jon to take the yearly family photos at the cabin - which was nice - he did a great job as usual and here are some of the best ones!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vByK8hq5-QELP8_J6OXX9sZGSH2QUY9hACAYTJ-Zz4B9wq_hWe4TRy3LTwaslc8lQJkZv9RTUGw7oAOd2THLk0_mChp4Rk-SRd6Kny12FZm1jN47qr-C_JA1ETvyw6QkPM7anf6V1Cg-P3nkMUY5J7quKr17IcYNwZ0Dp2roeqBjKu2HaX9zEtZtHQ/s4288/DSC_0042.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4288" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vByK8hq5-QELP8_J6OXX9sZGSH2QUY9hACAYTJ-Zz4B9wq_hWe4TRy3LTwaslc8lQJkZv9RTUGw7oAOd2THLk0_mChp4Rk-SRd6Kny12FZm1jN47qr-C_JA1ETvyw6QkPM7anf6V1Cg-P3nkMUY5J7quKr17IcYNwZ0Dp2roeqBjKu2HaX9zEtZtHQ/s320/DSC_0042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPLgtvhDcRd2L6zYPIz-gXHHxmKufIlM-SC9pww419YFVrS68hC7Z3jpcJPqN1QReLh6USZj8UkgxkCraYNfU5CBFpcowGpyq6O5zjMY-ZSVjwTh0efWJIz1yIRBduv0Qba86IWtWQmzt7kzEe2wDhqBAyvEaXYS9g9oUMdkn64M8K50dEd8mOfKQyg/s4288/DSC_0053.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4288" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPLgtvhDcRd2L6zYPIz-gXHHxmKufIlM-SC9pww419YFVrS68hC7Z3jpcJPqN1QReLh6USZj8UkgxkCraYNfU5CBFpcowGpyq6O5zjMY-ZSVjwTh0efWJIz1yIRBduv0Qba86IWtWQmzt7kzEe2wDhqBAyvEaXYS9g9oUMdkn64M8K50dEd8mOfKQyg/s320/DSC_0053.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZsHKiXvmZHoTmAYdpwtgYajAeU8uqb27C-D-F9GZ0ZnFrIne3dQRN-ECgGoyId-LbPf_HzN2W2V4jeXVce0g6nydVjeuLsbBbmmoLYVirWUD9uyODxTzGoy9459oMgoU4blkd6sS43-2V280u7J8YgkvWC5BfQRmApM08FIOfN0ZY4sJWoCEAVBqMg/s4288/DSC_0060.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4288" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZsHKiXvmZHoTmAYdpwtgYajAeU8uqb27C-D-F9GZ0ZnFrIne3dQRN-ECgGoyId-LbPf_HzN2W2V4jeXVce0g6nydVjeuLsbBbmmoLYVirWUD9uyODxTzGoy9459oMgoU4blkd6sS43-2V280u7J8YgkvWC5BfQRmApM08FIOfN0ZY4sJWoCEAVBqMg/s320/DSC_0060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp0-vh1YY7WASSQlNbGI63xfYVJJOgd3agm9UObqcQVsSnhKU_h1ijpgaj0B38OJLe3-eCWjBgvkvwCqM8NmB0lGlor_F1VyXyx8GchcfQq8l1cgVEoZdQpWc91XRnt6TvKz1B5p2FMtpBHM6DApKm0Ov5-SmSsqJ8hMRlKs5KbFdbbmCO0_aA5F5FA/s4288/DSC_0071.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4288" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp0-vh1YY7WASSQlNbGI63xfYVJJOgd3agm9UObqcQVsSnhKU_h1ijpgaj0B38OJLe3-eCWjBgvkvwCqM8NmB0lGlor_F1VyXyx8GchcfQq8l1cgVEoZdQpWc91XRnt6TvKz1B5p2FMtpBHM6DApKm0Ov5-SmSsqJ8hMRlKs5KbFdbbmCO0_aA5F5FA/s320/DSC_0071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>On the same afternoon, I took some photos and it turned out that these were the final photos of Cuddy. Unfortunately, being so old and ill he had to be taken to the vet just a week ago and it was decided his standard of life was so low, that he would be better off being put to sleep. He was a great old dog and was so good around the kids he really will be missed, He helped Hannah so much getting over the bite. She was sad that he was gone, as were we all, but he will not be forgotten. See you on the other side Cuddy old friend!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E7ARqJQCDCGQdiSL8tFdx9wv8MqAceHFvpZ1DVQQT_Wzfo7VTs4mEd6pK2n_GWwTjJzZZoMYqWptKHi_ZwIP4rCFpNO8nJgL96TZOiKf7HRxsSYHQWJxQ8pY89QRVZiXBOxGG91tUmmHosQz-3bOT7AAwaF2hUNAg_20x9RZwNOoJP3Co-li0uTzDg/s4032/20220821_102007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E7ARqJQCDCGQdiSL8tFdx9wv8MqAceHFvpZ1DVQQT_Wzfo7VTs4mEd6pK2n_GWwTjJzZZoMYqWptKHi_ZwIP4rCFpNO8nJgL96TZOiKf7HRxsSYHQWJxQ8pY89QRVZiXBOxGG91tUmmHosQz-3bOT7AAwaF2hUNAg_20x9RZwNOoJP3Co-li0uTzDg/s320/20220821_102007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XEzjJByovutIcszLswS07Or_7eZNt9d9orXlmq1OVoCa6gglk2nmkTu15dzuIZM41e7Cy8m7LXLifWl0b61GC-8CZUM0U_e9I7W5vzJlEDxEMl71DFnAq8R7p5mKBlFCPIMjQ8epAaGkC0L2dcW46OT_aVzCmgifCnfL88CjhHjWbavC-wF5wnJLPw/s4032/20220821_101958.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XEzjJByovutIcszLswS07Or_7eZNt9d9orXlmq1OVoCa6gglk2nmkTu15dzuIZM41e7Cy8m7LXLifWl0b61GC-8CZUM0U_e9I7W5vzJlEDxEMl71DFnAq8R7p5mKBlFCPIMjQ8epAaGkC0L2dcW46OT_aVzCmgifCnfL88CjhHjWbavC-wF5wnJLPw/s320/20220821_101958.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p>We had an early birthday party for Oliver last week as some of the family couldn't be here today for his actual birthday - so like Hannah - we had two celebrations - It's like living with the queen! (2 of them) Grandma made a brilliant Digger-themed cake and it was great to see everyone here. Ollie loved the attention - even singing Happy Birthday to himself over and over again. One thing that we are noticing more and more is the two kids playing together and being around each other more. Hannah made him a card and got him a stuffy Spiderman for his birthday and he loved both. They are growing so fast and its sad to think they will not be always like this - But it's also great to get past the hard parts and more and more we are noticing tiny moments when we can sit back and relax while they play!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5acQkHqomDN5es1TzPNs1DIK_XjHUKKF-v0Xu6vsn4-hdz2cuH_4VtzLZ8c6iVK6c4Lfai26-aiuTEtqhx9adoPr2LTlRxLdANsQ5t50BXJEXMlkMd4JVfZp4_cJp9mJuTXmsu3_EffK7FLbsBRvgvaxlhnq_kCzIswxT5divMStBuiVgwl7-XCitQ/s4032/IMG_3805.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5acQkHqomDN5es1TzPNs1DIK_XjHUKKF-v0Xu6vsn4-hdz2cuH_4VtzLZ8c6iVK6c4Lfai26-aiuTEtqhx9adoPr2LTlRxLdANsQ5t50BXJEXMlkMd4JVfZp4_cJp9mJuTXmsu3_EffK7FLbsBRvgvaxlhnq_kCzIswxT5divMStBuiVgwl7-XCitQ/s320/IMG_3805.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDXX2uRXYDdpCN8hJsdzRgRny-eq73Xp0GlRK4RnWdr9D8JBP1Nx1FLPU4sXL49XaZm0fspE0veltG9Td_Sxk7coURCN4FXCLssGzRo9ccrNavOl31vv51Pr0JS-7AYOBNwcQDS6Z_xrmdcVMBenrCzKX4H0yO8tnPIUAcO6Fy9IeHzHbnRju4bKeKQ/s4032/IMG_7773.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDXX2uRXYDdpCN8hJsdzRgRny-eq73Xp0GlRK4RnWdr9D8JBP1Nx1FLPU4sXL49XaZm0fspE0veltG9Td_Sxk7coURCN4FXCLssGzRo9ccrNavOl31vv51Pr0JS-7AYOBNwcQDS6Z_xrmdcVMBenrCzKX4H0yO8tnPIUAcO6Fy9IeHzHbnRju4bKeKQ/s320/IMG_7773.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-2stoi4DUbQTFUhsSPAe-3xXF43gtP1SGgU0csFXSpi2RumQn7liIprLoEAFy7Uahicb0Ve0SwKjcFZaq7ZWYQoK-x726KG3mlv86fqibVpPEheHFcC8KfPVdLeIdlRx5yppKp_4UQHsNKN5oCotoDc96-U-2rAU2nVcd63nGjdWW6zen951sqcisg/s4032/20220821_101730.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-2stoi4DUbQTFUhsSPAe-3xXF43gtP1SGgU0csFXSpi2RumQn7liIprLoEAFy7Uahicb0Ve0SwKjcFZaq7ZWYQoK-x726KG3mlv86fqibVpPEheHFcC8KfPVdLeIdlRx5yppKp_4UQHsNKN5oCotoDc96-U-2rAU2nVcd63nGjdWW6zen951sqcisg/s320/20220821_101730.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bdlq9706RBMZFLuIg6mgMYGgPJphOceb8dawusJ7IAW4FkUMSeBoEeXdUy2jqU__EjNPAHPO-XcHVBPBMDdzOuQoHXIgBL_DqCR2ar0KhiqE665jyhjgbYk4pTcGxPdKt5b_9W4JfkWRMgXMDA75JSp_zOK0P6MTIjQZXdVLuwgS2ZnSmte27Azk1A/s4032/20220822_175028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bdlq9706RBMZFLuIg6mgMYGgPJphOceb8dawusJ7IAW4FkUMSeBoEeXdUy2jqU__EjNPAHPO-XcHVBPBMDdzOuQoHXIgBL_DqCR2ar0KhiqE665jyhjgbYk4pTcGxPdKt5b_9W4JfkWRMgXMDA75JSp_zOK0P6MTIjQZXdVLuwgS2ZnSmte27Azk1A/s320/20220822_175028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXlzPVuf4w0OVQelzmTqryn7R354p0AZ3_tewQqGejZR7tx_dVS0fqgg44GYoTqzf_hjdG5n7UO2A--JCMA2jKV_tmxZSEznDmqNqxlOtx9VokKZuj0KhyVsjQdM2BJPSbX4fI9Q-GIlVCen9fM9gswAJMcm2NRSfPtKVROwx7_jhb4nz_o_g4vzA6Q/s4032/IMG_4309.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXlzPVuf4w0OVQelzmTqryn7R354p0AZ3_tewQqGejZR7tx_dVS0fqgg44GYoTqzf_hjdG5n7UO2A--JCMA2jKV_tmxZSEznDmqNqxlOtx9VokKZuj0KhyVsjQdM2BJPSbX4fI9Q-GIlVCen9fM9gswAJMcm2NRSfPtKVROwx7_jhb4nz_o_g4vzA6Q/s320/IMG_4309.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Wtfb8dmWr0" width="320" youtube-src-id="1Wtfb8dmWr0"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iHUn78jXBME" width="320" youtube-src-id="iHUn78jXBME"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>After the traumas of late 2021 and early 2022 - when we were both struggling to cope with work, the kids, covid and the rest of the world - Things are actually looking up. </p><p>We are looking forward to better times. We are both enjoying the kids, enjoying the summer and most things look rosy! The kids are also enjoying being around us and each other. There are still tears of course - the kids still hit each other and argue and scream - But they are kids and that's all normal. Hannah's night terrors have almost stopped entirely. </p><p>Oliver is talking properly and is out of his crib and loving his full-sized mattress. As I said, Hannah starts Nursery school in just over a week and that gives us all more time for work and play. </p><p>It's good being together and we are all pretty happy. Winter IS coming again soon, but that's ok. We are making plans to get away before and after Christmas and also making plans for the next couple of years - so watch this space!</p>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-77565579394620238512022-08-23T21:58:00.004+01:002022-08-23T21:58:52.560+01:00The Daveys - Part 5. Rascal and a little about our Grandparents.<p><br /></p><p>After the move up to Manchester, our family got bigger again - by one - but it wasn't a little brother or a little sister. It was the craziest, most loyal and awesome dog of the 1980s. </p><p>I'm not sure why we decided to get a dog but one weekend, dad, us three kids and Aunty Catherine (Dad's younger sister) piled in the car and went out to buy a dog. I do have a vague recollection of getting to the dog shop (Not sure where we actually bought him from) (<span style="color: red;">Chris - </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Manchester Dogs Home) </span>( and seeing two little Jack Russell terrier puppies. One of them was so cute and cuddly that just about every other family would have taken him. But we were interested in the crazy little puppy. The one who wouldn't sit still and wagged his tiny little docked tail as fast as he could. </p><p>He probably picked us rather than us picking him. It was just meant to be. </p><p>On the way home, we talked about names and I am sure I came up with the name Rascal, but I may be wrong. I also remember that Catherine held Rascal on her knee and from then on, Catherine was absolutely adored by him and I am sure the feelings went both ways. </p><p>One of the cool little things we know about Rascal was that he was born on Feb 14th, Valentine's day and if you looked at him, he had a black heart on his side. It was pretty cool. </p><p>Here is how he looked on the day we got him. You can see the heart on his side in the first photo.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACx0Xq6BjjsPRi6-xlIgVdqObGzUgHeMlOx-6LvXrL6n45KUK4-cOco33Q5oEt2fqQ4Yv6YUhYuB8GKQRPJAEmnCTsji56bryjKukjhGfpwgCa0X5BgMTzCKfRHqU6V3WR2UiE6LhJxVrzj81RhQGiiJ57uzMAGsDUa_a6zMXqobyvh3OaZqWclVDyQ/s1180/ras%20day1%20again.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1180" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACx0Xq6BjjsPRi6-xlIgVdqObGzUgHeMlOx-6LvXrL6n45KUK4-cOco33Q5oEt2fqQ4Yv6YUhYuB8GKQRPJAEmnCTsji56bryjKukjhGfpwgCa0X5BgMTzCKfRHqU6V3WR2UiE6LhJxVrzj81RhQGiiJ57uzMAGsDUa_a6zMXqobyvh3OaZqWclVDyQ/s320/ras%20day1%20again.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiuvCCsM9cqjBQNbopfT4-aIPGW7J-O6LJEY7IHQ0uCIa5_h99HbipD33rfSaD3ADMeMq-jKTDoE2aKqFOPAfUCiCyIhxbmRyGyKjTaq1l2VXn9Vf7FifXsfuEcOVsqjRGMIFGEqUG-w3P_HoCTb21lrRV5DCTWiak_Rz2HMOWraRDx8l86FxsJlrQw/s1250/ras%20day%201%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1250" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiuvCCsM9cqjBQNbopfT4-aIPGW7J-O6LJEY7IHQ0uCIa5_h99HbipD33rfSaD3ADMeMq-jKTDoE2aKqFOPAfUCiCyIhxbmRyGyKjTaq1l2VXn9Vf7FifXsfuEcOVsqjRGMIFGEqUG-w3P_HoCTb21lrRV5DCTWiak_Rz2HMOWraRDx8l86FxsJlrQw/s320/ras%20day%201%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjEA13o8rV_bz2tHN-gRY5cbCp9fmjJyc6QCQf26UK_lB7p97UtQBTqag0aQwPsWo0f1cnI4Bo2tQfoB9DWok_3ieD2LLwWWUaZaBCW78yAXCWDhzJyAJxbUx-m0PyYxqFqKbl8jHw2VpNlrT-ryVgc6VMjYDwzU3holIMVjdvr-ESvDLkKaV2Afo1g/s1232/ras%20day%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1001" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjEA13o8rV_bz2tHN-gRY5cbCp9fmjJyc6QCQf26UK_lB7p97UtQBTqag0aQwPsWo0f1cnI4Bo2tQfoB9DWok_3ieD2LLwWWUaZaBCW78yAXCWDhzJyAJxbUx-m0PyYxqFqKbl8jHw2VpNlrT-ryVgc6VMjYDwzU3holIMVjdvr-ESvDLkKaV2Afo1g/s320/ras%20day%201.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5k6V-ZFjCEIOFSSaCWb21f4W80--_hG-ZsvtI0UVDwocAlQgs4a9YnPHTn1puB8txI9wfOyY5IYxmBc6uffykTi1dsbKmwhp9tW2Bee8oQkHCcbMBlr0h-l0cjVF9A6FbOpchJAkuF4WWS04mDrGukhJXVmDoz6K8AZp-_P5GUryKRdz_5Pm92xRu-A/s1263/img148.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1263" data-original-width="1041" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5k6V-ZFjCEIOFSSaCWb21f4W80--_hG-ZsvtI0UVDwocAlQgs4a9YnPHTn1puB8txI9wfOyY5IYxmBc6uffykTi1dsbKmwhp9tW2Bee8oQkHCcbMBlr0h-l0cjVF9A6FbOpchJAkuF4WWS04mDrGukhJXVmDoz6K8AZp-_P5GUryKRdz_5Pm92xRu-A/s320/img148.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Catherine</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p>All of us 3 kids loved Rascal from the start. We would probably all say that we were his favourite, but to be honest - Rascal was dad's dog. There are so many photos of Rascal and dad and in all of them, dad looks happy and peaceful. I genuinely think that dad got the same joy from raising Rascal as he did doing his gardening and he certainly got a lot of peace and satisfaction from them both.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgiD3Vw9bnI-EAVyb8qS_BEYSsyWTi_GLCfT3Ijj2JLDQ7vJp0LnoveW9fMgl_0i_9yj_BvBzh-ALzNVhiBCVWtwUMQZm3KlqCnag1HxgmM8YEHyT1lwDd0aUxoMZmMx1wMxSuw32yvkMP3S9-UNZ6jfB1MHQ6T2Iso3T6kQsZiVJp8nqp0KP69A2WA/s1767/dad%20and%20ras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1767" data-original-width="1169" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgiD3Vw9bnI-EAVyb8qS_BEYSsyWTi_GLCfT3Ijj2JLDQ7vJp0LnoveW9fMgl_0i_9yj_BvBzh-ALzNVhiBCVWtwUMQZm3KlqCnag1HxgmM8YEHyT1lwDd0aUxoMZmMx1wMxSuw32yvkMP3S9-UNZ6jfB1MHQ6T2Iso3T6kQsZiVJp8nqp0KP69A2WA/s320/dad%20and%20ras.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApLD6343LUA72XoYjqLC6tZZ408xnLHwEdqdWaHqfqZZKiJX3FRe7CrcwoqELR_h5S8UiEVIGEYAEBGAOF6tKevs8RKqFRZB-AoHc-4OOx8JGjg2qal2D6NMf4KijYt93avqjo3tVHUylN5spxl2Zbt1BAjWKaEROnw7Vf0Tto9TTpvlSUUT3bYwSqA/s1632/ras%20and%20dad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1159" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApLD6343LUA72XoYjqLC6tZZ408xnLHwEdqdWaHqfqZZKiJX3FRe7CrcwoqELR_h5S8UiEVIGEYAEBGAOF6tKevs8RKqFRZB-AoHc-4OOx8JGjg2qal2D6NMf4KijYt93avqjo3tVHUylN5spxl2Zbt1BAjWKaEROnw7Vf0Tto9TTpvlSUUT3bYwSqA/s320/ras%20and%20dad.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rascal though didn't really have any favourites (apart from Catherine) He was genuinely just one of the family. He was involved in everything: days out, us kids playing, shopping, and drinking tea. (<span style="color: red;">Chris <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’d say mum was his favourite. She was the only one
he would drop everything to go to.)</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we were young kids and evenings were often spent in front of the telly, we would easily drink a couple of cups of tea each every night and once the dregs of the tea were all that was left, Rassie would go around everyone's cup and slurp out whatever was left. It was only when I grew up and he was long gone that I remembered he also spent ages every night licking dads feet. So he would lick dads feet and then drink from everyone's teacup. Someone would then take the teacups and make another cup of tea. So now we were all drinking tea with the extra taste of dads feet and dog tongue. I can not get this out of my mind now! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">\</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I said Rascal would also help with the shopping - carrying stuff from the car to the house as we unpacked, His favourites were the red Fig Rolls packets. He would also eat from bowls, plates and even cake mixers. It's no wonder he ended up a bit overweight in his old age, and it's a miracle we didn't all get ill (Although we did have worms as kids, so that was probably something to do with the dog! But we didn't really care. He really was just one of the family. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissyqdy8FPHBNR20c-AbP88Yp94EI14dShRHpKWzUokkqiKPWa5uEurm0UjEqWjYFgwDvyOrwv3etbWfalJ_cznqbCOdda11PFucAhiKK1C0LQdIOKZTwvEwY8q3paM7RGiOjcfjduOtmGrjfJiQJBVJK8KT5CWr5yfAkiK4IDL5Yw5gnddLX2DtdKiQ/s1016/fig%20rolls.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1016" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissyqdy8FPHBNR20c-AbP88Yp94EI14dShRHpKWzUokkqiKPWa5uEurm0UjEqWjYFgwDvyOrwv3etbWfalJ_cznqbCOdda11PFucAhiKK1C0LQdIOKZTwvEwY8q3paM7RGiOjcfjduOtmGrjfJiQJBVJK8KT5CWr5yfAkiK4IDL5Yw5gnddLX2DtdKiQ/s320/fig%20rolls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping with the shopping</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHerwsyl_hU3AbugK0rLzpFZx4Z73qZ7RiAx8ROmKt4bImlxuHAwsS_nYYpEJ5P4L0vUqxI7AjCyXBECUuJEXOlYsInBPJv-6QsmRhpYcZ_0E8aEnhaL-V6d9QiMqvlfZKpnzQ0-piKBwkVwxuJ2C4ZmZeMpW-709YQ-T0bQDNDJzhUHYnWLjndblqw/s1254/ras%20cake%20bowl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1254" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHerwsyl_hU3AbugK0rLzpFZx4Z73qZ7RiAx8ROmKt4bImlxuHAwsS_nYYpEJ5P4L0vUqxI7AjCyXBECUuJEXOlYsInBPJv-6QsmRhpYcZ_0E8aEnhaL-V6d9QiMqvlfZKpnzQ0-piKBwkVwxuJ2C4ZmZeMpW-709YQ-T0bQDNDJzhUHYnWLjndblqw/s320/ras%20cake%20bowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake mix</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-22vMzhbU_sdk-UNRTHJeI4pHWPjRiGYuOqdql-sDiLutY45JYiYz1FPzYWFLzPlx0NcO2VdowPkAuA0Y_XohbnlqtcV9T7PPhdOtl1uLrIROqg2Qm0T2fGgxdEIKIvqZctL9ZyeIAZnh3tLXVgL1le7pCpJmx3YN1U6bQRZ2mAlZLAyL7gNphKv0Q/s1609/ras%20on%20bed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="1609" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-22vMzhbU_sdk-UNRTHJeI4pHWPjRiGYuOqdql-sDiLutY45JYiYz1FPzYWFLzPlx0NcO2VdowPkAuA0Y_XohbnlqtcV9T7PPhdOtl1uLrIROqg2Qm0T2fGgxdEIKIvqZctL9ZyeIAZnh3tLXVgL1le7pCpJmx3YN1U6bQRZ2mAlZLAyL7gNphKv0Q/s320/ras%20on%20bed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lazing on someone's bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There were so many good days out when Rascal took over and ran the day - we would follow him anywhere. He was just a small dog, but he really could seize all the attention in most situations. On trips to the park, the beach or walking along the canal, one or more of us would always be playing or messing about with him and we all loved it as did he!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckjuD3YoKSjK_WojfIucJoEAchiZF5IcYczvAvIbcP8tWhRD_p46ofG8Xn6XDjg4yx2YKoEGyMyqeWufwJN2-rrPbH0qwEkQTmixpmMnbW3-50_3HuR-qgkNz-5mIMs3WeWM8_jASCFJKlFvqQLplQs6qF3BGTUdn0rbQMZTvzNzDg_pC0acVyHYjqg/s1366/ras%20at%20canal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="1366" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckjuD3YoKSjK_WojfIucJoEAchiZF5IcYczvAvIbcP8tWhRD_p46ofG8Xn6XDjg4yx2YKoEGyMyqeWufwJN2-rrPbH0qwEkQTmixpmMnbW3-50_3HuR-qgkNz-5mIMs3WeWM8_jASCFJKlFvqQLplQs6qF3BGTUdn0rbQMZTvzNzDg_pC0acVyHYjqg/s320/ras%20at%20canal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NZ-LqLGQI-LJAxb7wKs2Il5U3g1W-XGOyNlhi_gTo9tcb79BVKk-FD12tNgt-WSdwkV3tzYRCj5esmIuIFYZxGtq65ID012l-ruuWRu61Qb-6nqKspad9153eU_KGZx3MvjcyBh7h_dM1sxSMSiK6bLHhRz7N18y9Aos4kyQnoXYdLaK8JWdUsJVmA/s1595/ras%20dirty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1595" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NZ-LqLGQI-LJAxb7wKs2Il5U3g1W-XGOyNlhi_gTo9tcb79BVKk-FD12tNgt-WSdwkV3tzYRCj5esmIuIFYZxGtq65ID012l-ruuWRu61Qb-6nqKspad9153eU_KGZx3MvjcyBh7h_dM1sxSMSiK6bLHhRz7N18y9Aos4kyQnoXYdLaK8JWdUsJVmA/s320/ras%20dirty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtwdqQTV8cxfTfEYACkKiPVrZqYQt_gwo3JGyGArH1Z2jY8QnB5hvbRALtVitYvHOpJCkgTu1w8eML4DVQvNy1i6AKzOIeAM-Dwu-HCy-AOZRZj80K6Eh0agkf3cglNLbwJE_lACDOHNdTV5zmZUQRAQNb7tYd4u6Eg1fzGqlqEQJrlqDHLcR1bdqFQ/s3326/ras%20dunham%20park.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3326" data-original-width="1471" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtwdqQTV8cxfTfEYACkKiPVrZqYQt_gwo3JGyGArH1Z2jY8QnB5hvbRALtVitYvHOpJCkgTu1w8eML4DVQvNy1i6AKzOIeAM-Dwu-HCy-AOZRZj80K6Eh0agkf3cglNLbwJE_lACDOHNdTV5zmZUQRAQNb7tYd4u6Eg1fzGqlqEQJrlqDHLcR1bdqFQ/w178-h400/ras%20dunham%20park.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous day he jumped into the lake at Dunham park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1GSyAhQxHdlb9ytWw9qKoVTywe3LhTsVOs7HWK96AAa10bkBO2fVtfAuIaIj3jXNdhIIM2AzGLTTCeA_qFpunl0GPLzC41QWQXVmCNiHxIWO7q-OxnXI_ggZtKqLE1zt3Gp3ZqnY9j6ABvbr2BT13muPpMc0yjmbQ53QUiz3PY8_LPzz_8UA8JswEw/s2146/ras%20in%20eth%20sea.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2146" data-original-width="1508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1GSyAhQxHdlb9ytWw9qKoVTywe3LhTsVOs7HWK96AAa10bkBO2fVtfAuIaIj3jXNdhIIM2AzGLTTCeA_qFpunl0GPLzC41QWQXVmCNiHxIWO7q-OxnXI_ggZtKqLE1zt3Gp3ZqnY9j6ABvbr2BT13muPpMc0yjmbQ53QUiz3PY8_LPzz_8UA8JswEw/s320/ras%20in%20eth%20sea.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the sea!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />There are lots of photos of Rascal and in all of them, he is either eating, sleeping or being petted by one of us kids. Here he is with Chris and another with me - Both times being held almost like a baby. <div>The third photo is of the family on holiday and as usual, Rascal takes centre stage!</div><div><span style="color: red;">(Chris - </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He followed mum
into the sea)</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhMdApmz65z8oo5umwzHr-8-mj8dTzzI7HlR0lrUgWX4yh8uITk2scaqDgFWGsz3Oruo6HaNaUkETl0FpBkuFw56VDEsDHfCioeCWId10k7KroV-ltrZ3mQTwharjrsPLbwIG0CvOrqtNTQPCRaWB6vu7b5DHRrVQSgiEgNTKQYFITXlFNzzmsZoWkw/s1751/img046.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1751" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhMdApmz65z8oo5umwzHr-8-mj8dTzzI7HlR0lrUgWX4yh8uITk2scaqDgFWGsz3Oruo6HaNaUkETl0FpBkuFw56VDEsDHfCioeCWId10k7KroV-ltrZ3mQTwharjrsPLbwIG0CvOrqtNTQPCRaWB6vu7b5DHRrVQSgiEgNTKQYFITXlFNzzmsZoWkw/s320/img046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQBi-JpUtDhvjmuaVWzu6SVuLAZkWcwaxnIJbBFeavxcf2m8wu0Srh5nbjsGUskHcxHNg6nY4ED0qSQHylqZwONuE9uCXCrPPMWF1aTNIleSGzM8wyTzi1xz7vc-OumNcDgxMrLdeKy8jmU1b0Ex70is3q8r7CoIuJJ7Wk6cekptHfNuwAT-_ioVQLw/s1512/me%20and%20ras.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1512" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQBi-JpUtDhvjmuaVWzu6SVuLAZkWcwaxnIJbBFeavxcf2m8wu0Srh5nbjsGUskHcxHNg6nY4ED0qSQHylqZwONuE9uCXCrPPMWF1aTNIleSGzM8wyTzi1xz7vc-OumNcDgxMrLdeKy8jmU1b0Ex70is3q8r7CoIuJJ7Wk6cekptHfNuwAT-_ioVQLw/s320/me%20and%20ras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTWvSUFzQ-8whqYQrs0-dVcJWkYIPu2dIMG0tw_zlAvq4sRVOY9RV4IZbm00RXIE7vQHrwEKacdBZMu40i1NswUpRczfUMgjbONSunzGG_19FO1HsjlaQuAIf0cIGSiuVOOsgeC3tGdkmyLR5eMES-yy8ltMX2pVqb6GogU6wLLFx9DWu6rC9l14MJA/s1487/ras%20and%20family.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="1487" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTWvSUFzQ-8whqYQrs0-dVcJWkYIPu2dIMG0tw_zlAvq4sRVOY9RV4IZbm00RXIE7vQHrwEKacdBZMu40i1NswUpRczfUMgjbONSunzGG_19FO1HsjlaQuAIf0cIGSiuVOOsgeC3tGdkmyLR5eMES-yy8ltMX2pVqb6GogU6wLLFx9DWu6rC9l14MJA/s320/ras%20and%20family.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here is a funny photo, taken with Baby Michael. Rascal was probably about 10 years old by then but he still wanted to 'play' with Michael!(If you get what I mean!) <span style="color: #3d85c6;">(Gareth - H<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">e wasn’t trying to shag
him he just loved the baby bouncer. Rassie was very protective of the first
baby he’d come across and would not let anyone near him if he thought they may
be a threat.)</span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS20p_7W-Ztrt-mygEREXLUFTT4-GPREPG8kU4tAiwIF7yfPiKLcTKH3jwlNeMazmd35VbgyfoGXkB-qLcpJ-Gdcv80BQVvztXtrMhuatNZqc6zuyWcdhkA0eMtbdZvV3p07iAqfjjzH6yQeA8utqOurRD1xZYsXFvqalrjzMB_OAbMiegK34R4uihoQ/s1591/ras%20humps%20michael.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1591" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS20p_7W-Ztrt-mygEREXLUFTT4-GPREPG8kU4tAiwIF7yfPiKLcTKH3jwlNeMazmd35VbgyfoGXkB-qLcpJ-Gdcv80BQVvztXtrMhuatNZqc6zuyWcdhkA0eMtbdZvV3p07iAqfjjzH6yQeA8utqOurRD1xZYsXFvqalrjzMB_OAbMiegK34R4uihoQ/s320/ras%20humps%20michael.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This is one of my favourite photos of Rassie. It shows him sitting in the back of dads old Hillman Hunter, with the tailgate up. Just mellowing out on an old blanket, watching the world go by. He looks so happy!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIS58WAQ3mfyyVSWkNkm3lLwOolm3SKcj274ISOIZi-uYQFV4VMftbIonjf8-E7gNL93XMHRagGyE_YmQnzhHSC0nIUQzTGrbft-HScML-YoqNCzOFoWx3v1QmzJn2WJVm5RWakX0RiIA5rMzy6UMcnANHVchms4lFLxpWLm9KKN3-U494C7zN2Ig_Q/s1457/ras%20in%20hunter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1457" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIS58WAQ3mfyyVSWkNkm3lLwOolm3SKcj274ISOIZi-uYQFV4VMftbIonjf8-E7gNL93XMHRagGyE_YmQnzhHSC0nIUQzTGrbft-HScML-YoqNCzOFoWx3v1QmzJn2WJVm5RWakX0RiIA5rMzy6UMcnANHVchms4lFLxpWLm9KKN3-U494C7zN2Ig_Q/s320/ras%20in%20hunter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rascal had his one little box to sleep in in the kitchen, and he would use his nose to pull the sliding door open while we slept and escape into the house. So for years, we had a rolled-up newspaper that we would jam into the gap between the door and wall. This stopped the door from being moved and Rascal escaping. The last thing anyone said before bed, would be 'Is the paper in the door?'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are so many stories about Rascal it would be hard to remember them all. I hope Gareth and Chris have some to add. But the ones I remember most are when I used to take him for a walk and especially on Thursday evenings when I would take him to meet Mum and Nan from Bingo at St Hughes, just around the corner. We would walk into the Bingo hall, where around 100 ladies and a few men would be playing. Everyone knew us there and would watch as we wandered in through the crowds and sit down with mum and nan. Rascal and I would get loads of smiles and hellos from everyone and they all knew his name! He was so well known around the area it would have been difficult to ever lose him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Chris Little bastard would fuck off at every opportunity,
we had to 'net' all the hedge because he would find the smallest hole and be
gone, disappearing for hours in someone’s garden having a shit… )</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On one walk to bingo, I remember a big alsatian dog getting too close to me and being a bit nasty. I know Rascal jumped at the dog that was 3 times his size and scared it off. I have memories of Rascal lunging at its throat and hanging on, but that might just be a story that I made up.<span style="color: #0b5394;"> (Gareth I<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> think that was another
time on a Saturday morning after shopping… Dad warned the guy (It may have been
the same dog) but he just laughed. The dog broke free, leaned over Rassie and
he just bit and hung on to his throat for about 100 yds (Back gate to
Glastonbury Rd)</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-themecolor: accent1;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, I do know that that little dog was so protective of me and my 2 brothers that he would have done exactly that. He was a tough little fellah and if he could have had a dog tattoo it would have said 'Come on then! Try it and you will lose. or something to that effect. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rascal was about 11 years old when I joined the army in 1987 and I remember coming home one weekend a couple of years later and being picked up by dad from Piccadilly train station. On the journey home, dad told me that Rascal had been put down earlier that week. He had been ill for quite a time - with some kind of dog cancer. He had had trouble walking properly and his eyesight wasn't what it was when he was younger. He had put on a lot of weight too - no doubt due to all the biscuits, cups of sugary tea, cake mix and other garbage he ate! I don't think a day went by when he wasn't given a treat - probably at least one treat from everyone in the house, so no wonder he was a fatty! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Chris - He was very ill overnight = mum stayed up cuddling
him and at about 9;30 he had a massive heart attack and collapsed, me and dad
took him to the vet and he was put down with his head in my hands on the vet's
table. Mum wouldn’t come and instead stayed at home sobbing )</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He was a wonderful little dog though and I remember sitting quietly on the way home feeling sad that I wouldn't see him again. I am pretty sure that everyone else in the family felt it too. </div><br /><p>As well as Rascal, we had lots of other things to keep us amused in Manchester. The garden was always in use as long as we lived at 90 Moss Vale Rd. There were many games of cricket, lots of digging, climbing the drainpipes and all the usual daft games that 3 boys get up to. There were also plenty of places to wander to that were close by - We had the Cornies - a few old fields with concrete walls <span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Chris - it is actually part of the
100-mile fresh water tunnel from lake district to Manchester its where we get
our drinking water from)</span> around them that were at the end of Barton Clough School and sandwiched in between the motorway and Trafford Park. It was a great place to ride bikes. (I believe Chris hurt his leg falling off a motorbike in them when he was a teenager?) <span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Chris- no that was on the old
line in Flixton not the cornies</span>)There were lots of parks and play areas for kicking footballs around. and also a place that has now gone where at the edge of a farm there were some monkey puzzle trees that were great for climbing. The farmland there has now gone and been replaced with the Trafford Centre - a huge shopping mall. (<span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chris However
the monkey woods are still there as is the pond and this is now an activity
centre where you climb the trees still </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.peak.co.uk/trafford-treetop-adventures/">Trafford Treetop
Adventures | Peak</a> ) (rICK - This made me really happy - as I thought the trees were gone!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>When we were young dad would often take us out on weekends - To Tatton Park to Dunham Park where we would walk the dog or play in the small ponds. I do remember a 10-mile walk for Charity along the Bridgewater Canal when I was about 9 or 10 years old that was good fun. We got out a lot and even though we lived in a big city, the countryside wasn't far! It's only when I think back that I remember that mum didn't come along on a lot of these trips with dad. I guess that dad wanted mum to take a break sometimes and this was the opportunity she took. Dad would also take the 3 of us kids swimming at Urmston Pool on Saturday mornings. This was mums opportunity t have a lie in, I suppose, although I doubt she ever really had much rest. I still have weird memories of dad singing 'Brown Girl in the Ring by Boney M after every swimming session as we got changed in the changing rooms. I have no idea why he did this or why i remember it!</p><p>Mum worked so hard for us that I wish I would talk to her now and say thanks. Dad had a full-time job at the Ordnance Survey, but mum was the one who would be getting us kids ready for school and looking after us when we got home afterwards. Mum would also go to Gran's house every morning and have a brew with Gran and Grandad, before walking along Barton Road to the shops and getting shopping for us and Gran, before popping in on the way home again to drop it off. </p><p>When the schools were closed she would take at least one or two of us kids with her and it was during one of these stops that Gran told mum she hadn't heard Grandad move yet this morning. Mum went upstairs to find Grandad, (her dad) dead in bed. I never really got to know Grandad and didn't really understand what was happening, so asked if I could look and mum said ok. So that morning was the first time I ever saw a dead body. I am sure mum took it hard, but it wasn't totally unexpected, to be honest. (I don't recall if Chris and Gareth were there too) Chris<span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (Chris I was not sure on G) … </span><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Gareth Na I wasn’t there seen
enough of those badgers.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>Here are a couple of photos of Grandad with Gareth, Grandad with us 3 kids and a nice one of Gran and Nan enjoying a hot summer afternoon in the garden of 7 Norwich Road!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXDDc-VSd8Eo_8VZ_kba9fGRRlXA30cr2MM6O6HsFJEPMlMvf8IgOyzF4VkCQApOVZkq-ZSJa7v4z-GGVBsjNhODPEDJML5srCftDZj6hI9BWxmusw6JdwYIZSkmDnE6CKdi-bqiMKKTUddTDdVyG5pGehNDkOnJbDRJRjIkoV0uvDfltt3GyNMFs0Q/s1217/g%20and%20grandad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1217" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXDDc-VSd8Eo_8VZ_kba9fGRRlXA30cr2MM6O6HsFJEPMlMvf8IgOyzF4VkCQApOVZkq-ZSJa7v4z-GGVBsjNhODPEDJML5srCftDZj6hI9BWxmusw6JdwYIZSkmDnE6CKdi-bqiMKKTUddTDdVyG5pGehNDkOnJbDRJRjIkoV0uvDfltt3GyNMFs0Q/s320/g%20and%20grandad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHqRTfKFyWUCAhSFWDAcGIqOGoIfPeSBq5f5Atv9K0uWtvVbbKKJtnBNXq9HhXVLNEeSpwKn4cN4HhvaW80QDY_zBbFirguacN6wxnSIzl_MEXMUlpJL4WbSjmeENAmejGDC9oswh23qJ4_bpxItLZ_98TFhE8Ua3fzrGPfhvKRDqrCOD_uZSMBeYsg/s1247/grandad%20and%20us%20kids.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="962" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHqRTfKFyWUCAhSFWDAcGIqOGoIfPeSBq5f5Atv9K0uWtvVbbKKJtnBNXq9HhXVLNEeSpwKn4cN4HhvaW80QDY_zBbFirguacN6wxnSIzl_MEXMUlpJL4WbSjmeENAmejGDC9oswh23qJ4_bpxItLZ_98TFhE8Ua3fzrGPfhvKRDqrCOD_uZSMBeYsg/s320/grandad%20and%20us%20kids.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr3ffbAgRBTu47D42rkCQhc183YyCUoGeo90-gWlSmbXyg4E_kkhTKuw-cS1-nTmUErLn2_zLTX_RYNE6wUASmy7GwgrAIVzAWFo2RBNhZrCFpaZ7STc_55U-cGcwGW1AzvKjTvPJzCh3TgWOkrdkj1Vu1iy2AwAOkXHVaSRAcELClY2U6m_pJnwMUg/s1235/nan%20and%20gran.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1235" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr3ffbAgRBTu47D42rkCQhc183YyCUoGeo90-gWlSmbXyg4E_kkhTKuw-cS1-nTmUErLn2_zLTX_RYNE6wUASmy7GwgrAIVzAWFo2RBNhZrCFpaZ7STc_55U-cGcwGW1AzvKjTvPJzCh3TgWOkrdkj1Vu1iy2AwAOkXHVaSRAcELClY2U6m_pJnwMUg/s320/nan%20and%20gran.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Mum had two jobs as well as looking after the house - doing all the cleaning (hoovering every day) and washing all our clothes in an antiquated old washing machine and spinner. (Incidentally, when I was in Costa RIca with Buffy we found an old washing machine and spinner and Buffy was amazed that I knew what it was and how to use it!) - Mum's jobs were as a school dinner lady when the school was open and school cleaner when the school was closed for holidays. (<span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chris No- she started off as a cleaner for a few years and then moved into the kitchens – stopping cleaning –
probable when you were in 4<sup>th</sup> year or so</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">) <span style="color: #4472c4; mso-themecolor: accent1;">Gareth - Don’t
forget Nan worked there too for a couple of years)</span></span> Funnily enough, we lived so close to the school that we didn't actually have school dinners there - We would come home and make ourselves dinner whilst mum worked at school serving dinner to all our classmates! I would come home aged 7 or 8 and cook myself baked beans on toast on the cooker and then go back to school after watching the lunchtime kids TV programmes! When mum clean the school during the holidays we would often go to help, so I remember being aged about 9 or 10 and spending a few days of the summer holiday cleaning my own classroom!</p><p>Mum and dad did a great job with us kids though and the house was always clean - mum making sure of that and dad would do all the maintenance - fixing and decorating - I have lost count of how many times dad would get the wallpaper table out and redo the wallpaper in the house - although if you look at some of the pictures, there was a different taste in decorations back in those days. Just look at this photo of Gareth with the awful wallpaper behind him!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9zL8efeBZTuxraCfcE4e5PAl2qKPhGnxJWhlTZat7sw8vwaGCdSFguHhMIM8IykwaBSEc7J9KXlIMMpjWtxraBfNOn2qnQpLkkzaAr6Y2nm4WpN9JRGQ23i6f8koVyeA9fa4qgQMBEB-YzjyXl3_8H2K4k7YSWFvcmz6Q4IqI3ADCDi6aY8zCRCh3A/s1259/img039.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1259" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9zL8efeBZTuxraCfcE4e5PAl2qKPhGnxJWhlTZat7sw8vwaGCdSFguHhMIM8IykwaBSEc7J9KXlIMMpjWtxraBfNOn2qnQpLkkzaAr6Y2nm4WpN9JRGQ23i6f8koVyeA9fa4qgQMBEB-YzjyXl3_8H2K4k7YSWFvcmz6Q4IqI3ADCDi6aY8zCRCh3A/s320/img039.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>One of the things that mum and dad really did well was the holidays. So in the next instalment, I will tell you all about a few of them and the caravan we used to holiday in....</p><p><br /></p><p>More from <span style="color: #0b5394;">Gareth..... </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-themecolor: accent1;">A couple more photos for you…me and MY dog. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was always first up to do the paper round and I
used to let him out.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-themecolor: accent1;">He’d then come with me to Paynes Newsagent round
the corner and do the round with me until I got back to ours. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-themecolor: accent1;">I'd then drop him off and set off to finish my round
on the other side of the Motorway towards Davyhulme Park then past our school
out to Humphry Park before going through the Subway back to Paynes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #4472c4; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was only when I joined up in ‘84 and stopped
doing that with him that he got fat and unhealthy.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnGg7Iic1Fkatd3CWlhV9VlhNSYzoy7ysv_fuMGN4T5zbF57elyWXP-Efmb4I1CajKLzOlMg21OZhFJEPiw-ReLKGUtf6aaKQkalw4GYetNPm2Ia2h7MGGrYwTgRToysQ3KCDcIOawCQGNpxEohuXpWBRRvLmDVpIdiwtu4JM2shpROy-7kqVGnipjSA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="664" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnGg7Iic1Fkatd3CWlhV9VlhNSYzoy7ysv_fuMGN4T5zbF57elyWXP-Efmb4I1CajKLzOlMg21OZhFJEPiw-ReLKGUtf6aaKQkalw4GYetNPm2Ia2h7MGGrYwTgRToysQ3KCDcIOawCQGNpxEohuXpWBRRvLmDVpIdiwtu4JM2shpROy-7kqVGnipjSA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXnsyEYlry_e0_Bz7qrk9p_4VfIQeGMhDIpIh2F9ZtG8r8qQ8ObIUIro1O97qCwNK7k9mRjdMDSQVyW4dGUWjdomUlDxPwyJB8l9zTrr4zny1OANax0GHAHE0-3o6GYOysbX9r9QF7Azl4H95xcvBELVMzGil__FpydtyPV2iwXZ7UxzP2K-_Pz1v17Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="663" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXnsyEYlry_e0_Bz7qrk9p_4VfIQeGMhDIpIh2F9ZtG8r8qQ8ObIUIro1O97qCwNK7k9mRjdMDSQVyW4dGUWjdomUlDxPwyJB8l9zTrr4zny1OANax0GHAHE0-3o6GYOysbX9r9QF7Azl4H95xcvBELVMzGil__FpydtyPV2iwXZ7UxzP2K-_Pz1v17Q" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p></div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-55691814071311121782022-08-09T20:26:00.004+01:002022-08-09T20:26:40.631+01:00Trains, dinosaurs, face paints and fishing!<p> The summer has been good so far. After Ollie got better from the Hand, foot and Mouth and Hannah recovered from her illness everything has been going pretty well. </p><p>We have been spending a little bit of time with friends and neighbours. An early evening get-together in Mike and Rebecca's backyard was fun, with the kids playing around with water balloons. A few days later Holly came around to play with Hannah and had a great time. Unfortunately, they did decide that the exhaust pipe coming from our gas furnace was a pretty nice place to put some stones, so later that evening I had to cut the pipe with a saw to get out the small rocks and pebbles from inside and I have the new pipe and tools to make a complete repair when I get the chance, as I don't think the duct tape will suffice! Ollie's favourite thing at the moment is to wander around the neighbourhood picking up stones and sticks as well as taking in the cool artwork that has appeared in our back lane. Last week he attempted to lift some huge rocks and looked annoyingly at me as I watched and took photos of his efforts! Poor little pumpkin! haha</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/av0-NyNFjDU" width="320" youtube-src-id="av0-NyNFjDU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRtajgEyb5aCDHpO3D_nMlsoDSoqmrxuYirc6I0cKqbQZ03X0sZmwCYvN_ycfO1oypBHetFGP8abrhPtJ4_5b6dRtA1EnC8L59CTXYtMlR3qlMAcd0MkM5MTJYAnZUG9CNu8K9wnHBn6_s-W6Gy3NSTV5eUxQrA9OAleIhFXsHaHe2p-oWLd932ZWZg/s4032/20220728_174521.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRtajgEyb5aCDHpO3D_nMlsoDSoqmrxuYirc6I0cKqbQZ03X0sZmwCYvN_ycfO1oypBHetFGP8abrhPtJ4_5b6dRtA1EnC8L59CTXYtMlR3qlMAcd0MkM5MTJYAnZUG9CNu8K9wnHBn6_s-W6Gy3NSTV5eUxQrA9OAleIhFXsHaHe2p-oWLd932ZWZg/s320/20220728_174521.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7aBiTRJpl6VA7e6vJ-CysaRxTgFP7W1C40nuqfNHyj0uhDWJo_qxk1YPG4iA1tmqepqFqHYcOT51IndjjjEpsVQld8zYx87A2PJaFmn2vWfVqR2DFlbWVCQ199hy_rArg392ZUOgbl-qGxrhYTKw6hcJXfu5y1M4Cb25rYlvkG-_Pr_xr2TP-GVE2A/s4032/20220728_174513.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7aBiTRJpl6VA7e6vJ-CysaRxTgFP7W1C40nuqfNHyj0uhDWJo_qxk1YPG4iA1tmqepqFqHYcOT51IndjjjEpsVQld8zYx87A2PJaFmn2vWfVqR2DFlbWVCQ199hy_rArg392ZUOgbl-qGxrhYTKw6hcJXfu5y1M4Cb25rYlvkG-_Pr_xr2TP-GVE2A/s320/20220728_174513.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNbhSz33imk" width="320" youtube-src-id="WNbhSz33imk"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfmKTqGUQwfZur6FB6z0_-p7DaFeWGe0CbVFUmOOVAt0rrUT8-yrEEaLOJHoMCyXCcLmyB1qGFRdbuST9azqJl2nTwwExhwnx9uNj6Y1amb__1pRZey1DuYrpzVQRD06g_2okKwa3cTDwipf3IVwpWMnrdBgr5fpd_F5jaiP1iWT5mLJxpXsPTdgHXQ/s4032/20220713_194719.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfmKTqGUQwfZur6FB6z0_-p7DaFeWGe0CbVFUmOOVAt0rrUT8-yrEEaLOJHoMCyXCcLmyB1qGFRdbuST9azqJl2nTwwExhwnx9uNj6Y1amb__1pRZey1DuYrpzVQRD06g_2okKwa3cTDwipf3IVwpWMnrdBgr5fpd_F5jaiP1iWT5mLJxpXsPTdgHXQ/s320/20220713_194719.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard fun</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpNC5JFBk5hjnrmiMGYJJl2PnYzgpFuGkvSAicbh6p9H3VdTYHQ-Ks5f0FjlKqpcrExOZ0DZNVlkwOa1IzRXGbqmm8xcTdL-6iDf89GstmmK2-i3Uv6EROTO8T_rsMsz-E0pMQDHg-f4W2zQSDFerW5Y9IWeRfupSYTszVKtbMwF5Yi52RyLEyQS8oA/s4032/20220714_181951.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpNC5JFBk5hjnrmiMGYJJl2PnYzgpFuGkvSAicbh6p9H3VdTYHQ-Ks5f0FjlKqpcrExOZ0DZNVlkwOa1IzRXGbqmm8xcTdL-6iDf89GstmmK2-i3Uv6EROTO8T_rsMsz-E0pMQDHg-f4W2zQSDFerW5Y9IWeRfupSYTszVKtbMwF5Yi52RyLEyQS8oA/s320/20220714_181951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CRPpl0NboMKIXSgE3WW2k2GqrDPFgiXfx_INjZJ7G_cKpaxyNb0lSZIZl8TgsBZSl1JqYR6_NTULmG9Ze-bxs_G6pyR-Qj9QpNlvbRm0INagcJQf2_XvgyFV7eo3XM1_WevafknVNlfJo3KyMkWalATsopcFTJBvG_YhsJidXuGC2fgRYOQapSdqWw/s4032/20220714_183728.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CRPpl0NboMKIXSgE3WW2k2GqrDPFgiXfx_INjZJ7G_cKpaxyNb0lSZIZl8TgsBZSl1JqYR6_NTULmG9Ze-bxs_G6pyR-Qj9QpNlvbRm0INagcJQf2_XvgyFV7eo3XM1_WevafknVNlfJo3KyMkWalATsopcFTJBvG_YhsJidXuGC2fgRYOQapSdqWw/s320/20220714_183728.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pipe!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC4osri-AU9XWzop7AsA_T0JQb04Q0Py6Ottzxe-jicTMHvKwQuTUnwK2bGEUqU9gO1v_q_121mTAFz27vxU60JQ23zqg3z5vhyh1ek6zZXIUp6jkN37uEduW_xVCF5WpyeXMYPteupzkNvmBSIq2WV2mWfM76nU0NUj0KcZM4kWN67GfYwaIvTYkOw/s4032/20220714_183803.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC4osri-AU9XWzop7AsA_T0JQb04Q0Py6Ottzxe-jicTMHvKwQuTUnwK2bGEUqU9gO1v_q_121mTAFz27vxU60JQ23zqg3z5vhyh1ek6zZXIUp6jkN37uEduW_xVCF5WpyeXMYPteupzkNvmBSIq2WV2mWfM76nU0NUj0KcZM4kWN67GfYwaIvTYkOw/s320/20220714_183803.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stones! In the pipe. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />We also invited our mates Adam and Alena out to the cabin for a weekend. They came along with Jack and their new baby Norah and enjoyed a lovely couple of days on the island with us. Even though the lake is still flooded and you have to walk through a foot of water on top of the dock instead of lazing in the sun on top of it, we still had a fun time with the kids in the water. We also had a lovely afternoon boat trip with them and lots of bubble fun for the kids (and adults too)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2xUvI3_PPXebMTC2L1fqNCI2fflCwWccohzkb6nFSl6fQxaJWDrIUDwlSMA9pb6d7DzRN1SzMw63-wxElWC1sMHrOGmy32zaYMvHAwUF1m9PxMK__eR0z6cHknIfVGQrbNnQSvlM1cBW1av3orSySiACSVm_CRTxvRtZbd-mD1lZoefOgnToefTMNA/s2048/IMG_7765.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2xUvI3_PPXebMTC2L1fqNCI2fflCwWccohzkb6nFSl6fQxaJWDrIUDwlSMA9pb6d7DzRN1SzMw63-wxElWC1sMHrOGmy32zaYMvHAwUF1m9PxMK__eR0z6cHknIfVGQrbNnQSvlM1cBW1av3orSySiACSVm_CRTxvRtZbd-mD1lZoefOgnToefTMNA/s320/IMG_7765.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBpGECyxDr4GzuNgUv2kp0LqSsal7fpwPYz4BhYcqvW6SD21gVJHbofMFTPrzxbbDJ6P9mAHv4d9MOLC8KqiUC3_l6hFjin1RVM17wI-o1zuYf52lC2Otl6ADlbmRaM15KsE6IPBhnprdgR4ql1DXCCgRekupItlvnYPBgbhiEq8ciYXHOmAyWAy6Dw/s4032/20220716_103559.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBpGECyxDr4GzuNgUv2kp0LqSsal7fpwPYz4BhYcqvW6SD21gVJHbofMFTPrzxbbDJ6P9mAHv4d9MOLC8KqiUC3_l6hFjin1RVM17wI-o1zuYf52lC2Otl6ADlbmRaM15KsE6IPBhnprdgR4ql1DXCCgRekupItlvnYPBgbhiEq8ciYXHOmAyWAy6Dw/s320/20220716_103559.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCMhQtWracVJM4BYZ6FkpwoUncIvzL494RW2M7BrYxCSPaAfhOHP6yfle2J1Y70NC8jGweo69WYGsXkgHo2Pzj_QyzLhuKtc00U6J_TkU_pnnl2xG_Q-glsyLkHIer0ZrO5ZAwhs-4eH_aJIq092paOn3sgerX-T8zpDTbYLJj23VjfX1defhofwnWg/s4032/20220716_112752.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCMhQtWracVJM4BYZ6FkpwoUncIvzL494RW2M7BrYxCSPaAfhOHP6yfle2J1Y70NC8jGweo69WYGsXkgHo2Pzj_QyzLhuKtc00U6J_TkU_pnnl2xG_Q-glsyLkHIer0ZrO5ZAwhs-4eH_aJIq092paOn3sgerX-T8zpDTbYLJj23VjfX1defhofwnWg/s320/20220716_112752.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o7XW97hBmLQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="o7XW97hBmLQ"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8vTfLyEqnoq5ni2NXhH5l118ZcoJIQU5dZvXoqrZkTnQMH1snSaofMrZm1zDi2Upkbj14H5Tpbkc_5Y07Tm2L7axW_sN6JoyQuJ2WOzRqkpI7K-jM1hF_a4yagM_jXV6HLi31bVS4FGEf_4hyXPwYW_mheyBHfL_kB72yRMXPWB9gVm3k8l93kHkMw/s4032/20220716_195023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8vTfLyEqnoq5ni2NXhH5l118ZcoJIQU5dZvXoqrZkTnQMH1snSaofMrZm1zDi2Upkbj14H5Tpbkc_5Y07Tm2L7axW_sN6JoyQuJ2WOzRqkpI7K-jM1hF_a4yagM_jXV6HLi31bVS4FGEf_4hyXPwYW_mheyBHfL_kB72yRMXPWB9gVm3k8l93kHkMw/s320/20220716_195023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLRlpaziQflekcah9mnOpSrI45jcb8rec1MsS1Df1o0ONLo8vnepGHY8njbqXLXeGX908QOa3gNgu0VQzWn-viNikS5mbDk8Yv6i5n-VUvc3iSGt60Rf03Lk0mjolfKYkh-8bsAk9gweIgLGIna1IDNXbTFbWYCalBQt5iyKumjC0b88Lp9hHn61gEg/s4032/20220717_103727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLRlpaziQflekcah9mnOpSrI45jcb8rec1MsS1Df1o0ONLo8vnepGHY8njbqXLXeGX908QOa3gNgu0VQzWn-viNikS5mbDk8Yv6i5n-VUvc3iSGt60Rf03Lk0mjolfKYkh-8bsAk9gweIgLGIna1IDNXbTFbWYCalBQt5iyKumjC0b88Lp9hHn61gEg/s320/20220717_103727.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Back in the city, Buffy and I managed to spend a nice day at the Winnipeg Fringe, seeing 5 completely different but great shows all in one day while the kids were at daycare. We had missed Fringe for the last two years so it was great to get back to it. We also spotted a poster for a dinosaur show in the planetarium the following weekend too, so Buffy got tickets for herself and Hannah and I got to spend an afternoon with Oliver which was lovely.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkCyg4Wunyt1FxNW5zWmgh9qs5VwPntOQdm474cEKlZI6DQtMWSFhaLl_lj-D4JWJ0UsjedF4tkbBKyQqHI3I_XTXRvINYFNlTHhmKNu82foJ2d_ntioSfd5t8fmSIJo7AIzMigQML3hadFk5wqsgL2H6JUTZV1N8QGyA8o4Ppsp2isFlOtjE6CnYrg/s4032/20220719_141852.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkCyg4Wunyt1FxNW5zWmgh9qs5VwPntOQdm474cEKlZI6DQtMWSFhaLl_lj-D4JWJ0UsjedF4tkbBKyQqHI3I_XTXRvINYFNlTHhmKNu82foJ2d_ntioSfd5t8fmSIJo7AIzMigQML3hadFk5wqsgL2H6JUTZV1N8QGyA8o4Ppsp2isFlOtjE6CnYrg/s320/20220719_141852.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW5ulpMDH6ewAqgAaAFSvJM7yHy0SRecDqrPhmaDy574GyNgkX-qbC3aBZ7mIWp3AHczJYIfCGHcYUHqLu5JI9BW0_I6F_OUILCKJl3pKerDWqSIc2oxm6UU5TEQNl5nCLqGdcQsl0Z0q3F8Q54uyMDLL3SoQyVkPX7a8irPdo56qZ8V9fxMqwI3pJg/s4032/20220719_111556.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW5ulpMDH6ewAqgAaAFSvJM7yHy0SRecDqrPhmaDy574GyNgkX-qbC3aBZ7mIWp3AHczJYIfCGHcYUHqLu5JI9BW0_I6F_OUILCKJl3pKerDWqSIc2oxm6UU5TEQNl5nCLqGdcQsl0Z0q3F8Q54uyMDLL3SoQyVkPX7a8irPdo56qZ8V9fxMqwI3pJg/s320/20220719_111556.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJEik9DBKVSuqFpTbPmdhUyPg380tssVlPkLqCblAL8WqiyW-_sBt-E2az0_VuJmAy3uqwwP_74IDGMu9WZGEUNFHcRTcxCybewEgJnA9Jhxi_Od5NibFW5_6f226Is1mIdF5e9RO1iDPdvyzNKd71risxt0styuUhBiACB8gSZbwhnbxE3nKsto90A/s3088/IMG_3385.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJEik9DBKVSuqFpTbPmdhUyPg380tssVlPkLqCblAL8WqiyW-_sBt-E2az0_VuJmAy3uqwwP_74IDGMu9WZGEUNFHcRTcxCybewEgJnA9Jhxi_Od5NibFW5_6f226Is1mIdF5e9RO1iDPdvyzNKd71risxt0styuUhBiACB8gSZbwhnbxE3nKsto90A/s320/IMG_3385.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buffy and Han waiting for the dinosaur show</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuARoKYKnICKf123QZNkKbPsl2kAsY77Cx3hkItFmNimSXrSNTKP-tifha906bnfw9OiAfnp2XS8qIbwFAEZ14HLxZDfR-nW5V6xSRwH77w1Y8vsE3RJAaDzy2C85K-kfkI9PVPuhuvg8qj-d-VLEzLRCDHIrYP407lCY3pDsn9Acr8C1f7fajIzoB7Q/s3088/IMG_3383.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuARoKYKnICKf123QZNkKbPsl2kAsY77Cx3hkItFmNimSXrSNTKP-tifha906bnfw9OiAfnp2XS8qIbwFAEZ14HLxZDfR-nW5V6xSRwH77w1Y8vsE3RJAaDzy2C85K-kfkI9PVPuhuvg8qj-d-VLEzLRCDHIrYP407lCY3pDsn9Acr8C1f7fajIzoB7Q/s320/IMG_3383.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was all part of the biggest weekend of the summer!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday was a trip to the zoo which we all love, including the great new Butterfly garden. Plus the dinosaurs, horses, apes, tiger and of course the Polar bears and the northern lights movie </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then the afternoon was the Dinosaur show followed by an hour at the Kids fringe, where we met Buffy and Hannah. Both the kids loved listening to the music and Hannah got her face painted while Oliver got a sun tattoo on his arm! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH19VwQcklymwt1xAgvEp-f6USLs9R-nIDx0PgFppKatQbUPklW8b0EGtgg4mkfjBoL2WolYk_32WU2e7KozzIUwH2gD1DM8qlXnhIvP6hWvKquVq4M9slUHf0mye_6TDCmRywylf7PqE9P4BKwxClkuTMuL_I36R79jVR2Ky6197ttfG4LfUGqOFu3g/s4032/20220723_095240.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH19VwQcklymwt1xAgvEp-f6USLs9R-nIDx0PgFppKatQbUPklW8b0EGtgg4mkfjBoL2WolYk_32WU2e7KozzIUwH2gD1DM8qlXnhIvP6hWvKquVq4M9slUHf0mye_6TDCmRywylf7PqE9P4BKwxClkuTMuL_I36R79jVR2Ky6197ttfG4LfUGqOFu3g/s320/20220723_095240.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaKjemxqMrEcVpomxY_OE3AZih3nwkRocTxwf2WSxaR0CoPpnDZZnCRoRLbIhNBujja-Pk7HxSHIA7tMbHDKZgN-gBFQRjPVb4q0vPzBZnT7vad-ZZzBumRkUaCiwWrqTNHgnGxEfe1GQch9xgzl1SokKFT5AZDqcE-o0jXibHtBzXObF9N-srLNecg/s4032/20220723_094917.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaKjemxqMrEcVpomxY_OE3AZih3nwkRocTxwf2WSxaR0CoPpnDZZnCRoRLbIhNBujja-Pk7HxSHIA7tMbHDKZgN-gBFQRjPVb4q0vPzBZnT7vad-ZZzBumRkUaCiwWrqTNHgnGxEfe1GQch9xgzl1SokKFT5AZDqcE-o0jXibHtBzXObF9N-srLNecg/s320/20220723_094917.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kZv_Xjx3zFA" width="320" youtube-src-id="kZv_Xjx3zFA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPgVR0Hm_qD-uln3oxVj_mg5MaMiJXfHnhE5aRZekdbvvgsdAiibAjw-TKLV0kbLkqqefXqd9gPvw25nwqWfGBzp-EE0SYsE40cZIRSAxiN_u_dMVV82bM27fUaAZAfqcsrsKcMY3-Jm6ibcala5WLcR2PRxgJ4Kqv-RyeiFpw42qvkGcjiiyygx5Ag/s4032/20220723_095311.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPgVR0Hm_qD-uln3oxVj_mg5MaMiJXfHnhE5aRZekdbvvgsdAiibAjw-TKLV0kbLkqqefXqd9gPvw25nwqWfGBzp-EE0SYsE40cZIRSAxiN_u_dMVV82bM27fUaAZAfqcsrsKcMY3-Jm6ibcala5WLcR2PRxgJ4Kqv-RyeiFpw42qvkGcjiiyygx5Ag/s320/20220723_095311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The next day was another big one - A trip out of town to the Prairie Dog Railway, A quaint old wild western style private railway with carriages that are almost a hundred years old. It takes a leisurely trip North about 20 kilometres out of the city and drops you at Grosse Isle, where there is an old-style heritage house and school to visit as well as crafts, ice creams, a playground for the kids and some lovely local food on sale. We were there on Family Fun day so there was music and games for the kids and a magician too! We all had a lovely time except when we had to come back on the train and Hannah was upset because she had made a new friend that she had to say goodbye to!<div><br /></div><div>Here are a few more looks at a big weekend</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vjjFShZIVjE" width="320" youtube-src-id="vjjFShZIVjE"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgKHcaTqzjoYrX0Fg9RXAEKaikoP4qBvMZh4jV9leXV9ALGRGVcZh13IkWOoeVM5Je8H3OKL-r8-a5_8dMy05FITT_pGzp74Ix6S_c3kCTToVHvs4Z-fcpgBnmmSlA7dPDniYLNPmLC5mkApHfNJ_HquvBBWlK1KKAt1fudJzWl_jKgjMnT7XppU91g/s4032/20220724_125153.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgKHcaTqzjoYrX0Fg9RXAEKaikoP4qBvMZh4jV9leXV9ALGRGVcZh13IkWOoeVM5Je8H3OKL-r8-a5_8dMy05FITT_pGzp74Ix6S_c3kCTToVHvs4Z-fcpgBnmmSlA7dPDniYLNPmLC5mkApHfNJ_HquvBBWlK1KKAt1fudJzWl_jKgjMnT7XppU91g/s320/20220724_125153.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Tuh6Ey4lZVDeMuWYalPFVJw4CiPdqENHZBxOXYHBJBCgeLNbcjXOdiqVqNzA3PLCGpbbt99FG3Xhu5XXAQHPm5PJEUoyGp1kROpCafgg0Jy-lsdlqd0IEqxFeJ7Z4OHOuq7Kr1RAFvyDWmJzhXHgVz6aL8lIj_yBCrLq45ip4jieCSmiO0bmzRJhyg/s4032/IMG_3445.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Tuh6Ey4lZVDeMuWYalPFVJw4CiPdqENHZBxOXYHBJBCgeLNbcjXOdiqVqNzA3PLCGpbbt99FG3Xhu5XXAQHPm5PJEUoyGp1kROpCafgg0Jy-lsdlqd0IEqxFeJ7Z4OHOuq7Kr1RAFvyDWmJzhXHgVz6aL8lIj_yBCrLq45ip4jieCSmiO0bmzRJhyg/s320/IMG_3445.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyouXT01ExKIrew8PRT79v0uKbpHq2ur0RnpEdhUIh_DsLqaDby1UsbScDIuKEniWrgcZaWFT634m05A13xjh5VDKeRSkzNH3P7JseQb2vNoLPMy6jcStiU2Lqfu-bhNvti7cAoanPQgPUG7n1i0OGAWp9pgvIHImE4lVi-8PFWJgMDPxhmXaKCcq3A/s4032/20220724_104512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyouXT01ExKIrew8PRT79v0uKbpHq2ur0RnpEdhUIh_DsLqaDby1UsbScDIuKEniWrgcZaWFT634m05A13xjh5VDKeRSkzNH3P7JseQb2vNoLPMy6jcStiU2Lqfu-bhNvti7cAoanPQgPUG7n1i0OGAWp9pgvIHImE4lVi-8PFWJgMDPxhmXaKCcq3A/s4032/20220724_104512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVuPeIu8LxDM-sag4-B62zpEMbZyt9cKj87AST5QVN5jBsqiOcQdoMYbcIEWOxSYwNeDS0ixona7mQkCudgKLqbzU-fRBewmSVXA9TYd8zJfd_tRd4vYaEMG8ff59pyn-IaqwVpv9Qtq2SvUoIyvhYLPJ5ZAUX670cAV9N51Artal6eG3hnKIlsHppA/s4032/IMG_3396.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVuPeIu8LxDM-sag4-B62zpEMbZyt9cKj87AST5QVN5jBsqiOcQdoMYbcIEWOxSYwNeDS0ixona7mQkCudgKLqbzU-fRBewmSVXA9TYd8zJfd_tRd4vYaEMG8ff59pyn-IaqwVpv9Qtq2SvUoIyvhYLPJ5ZAUX670cAV9N51Artal6eG3hnKIlsHppA/s320/IMG_3396.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyouXT01ExKIrew8PRT79v0uKbpHq2ur0RnpEdhUIh_DsLqaDby1UsbScDIuKEniWrgcZaWFT634m05A13xjh5VDKeRSkzNH3P7JseQb2vNoLPMy6jcStiU2Lqfu-bhNvti7cAoanPQgPUG7n1i0OGAWp9pgvIHImE4lVi-8PFWJgMDPxhmXaKCcq3A/s320/20220724_104512.jpg" width="320" /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD05bUYGgVnVq3uhi8oNWnb_SkmJNOS30q_iXp4SO38O-ZcewjIP8ZVlgjlnS7wG6jsY2ViscXewXbTiOKvHXx4KCK8FF11kC2LV9LY-Itg3_W7c0HFVYRz4Oc07sm797nn7IdNZ5xwJLLnHj4eQoQc98uu38QVFsZAolqyz5BlQD-BVZvd3JoM-c2qA/s320/20220723_103842.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ90iahIE_53EpJD0QLTfKLeOsC5mEydlEdgsZ0bZj1jHHbVy-oSnI4knnqMZgQH3P3I-ttuxLtnxxqgENWkkSgnZx4pVMZH-CSWqwnAIDGIKAvvsAxMqChH1Fr3TQHm-BO20o6Pb_8FjT90xipCzE7INbt2ur53VHVZ80nN3931dy-13AWZeKk6wc7A/s4032/IMG_3398.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ90iahIE_53EpJD0QLTfKLeOsC5mEydlEdgsZ0bZj1jHHbVy-oSnI4knnqMZgQH3P3I-ttuxLtnxxqgENWkkSgnZx4pVMZH-CSWqwnAIDGIKAvvsAxMqChH1Fr3TQHm-BO20o6Pb_8FjT90xipCzE7INbt2ur53VHVZ80nN3931dy-13AWZeKk6wc7A/s320/IMG_3398.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM674aIB9f36pdxW55A11t53CjPh6zDENLnS-i5_QFa_fSv4JrGEIioeQwVfSLrytdbhI5A7afafW8XLpc31jVNN9b_ZFVB7K2ITSez4KJ515vuFwG2MkGop44KtzgzdDrIOM0iduIg4CIXWYSWhyl8tsHgvCYb-jlZDvZ_sEJv4PeBZA1iKtwFXiVaA/s4032/20220723_093112.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM674aIB9f36pdxW55A11t53CjPh6zDENLnS-i5_QFa_fSv4JrGEIioeQwVfSLrytdbhI5A7afafW8XLpc31jVNN9b_ZFVB7K2ITSez4KJ515vuFwG2MkGop44KtzgzdDrIOM0iduIg4CIXWYSWhyl8tsHgvCYb-jlZDvZ_sEJv4PeBZA1iKtwFXiVaA/s320/20220723_093112.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The big overriding feeling from the last few weeks is that we have had fun. Hannah and Oliver are getting along much better with each other but also with other people. Hannah in particular has been making new friends on a daily basis and with her starting Kindergarten next month we are very excited to see how she gets on with it. I suspect she will be nervous at first but I am sure she will grow into it. We have had only a couple of night terrors/tantrums from her recently so we are very happy about that!</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week at the cabin we also went on a fishing trip with Grandpa. Hannah was gifted a fishing rod for her birthday and it was decided that we should take it out on the boat while Grandpa went fishing and give it a try. The kids loved it and even though the one fish Grandpa caught had to be thrown back it was really nice to spend a morning on the lake and to see the kids having so much fun!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkWMFVUgma2Ino0305hn2a0uRJeHT1uzrmGHpg_Owq156wBaAIcTaZzCNgK7urzQiO43UA3oRB7IdlcfbRZm4EUBeuclXfq7Arcvb9RY02Pn9_bLA-tZT8Ul7s_crRuqZENMexxvToeMwSB976aBKOVve7Lgnt3SgEdoD280pNfxW5cgCGoZqdFcrWQ/s4032/20220801_110738.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkWMFVUgma2Ino0305hn2a0uRJeHT1uzrmGHpg_Owq156wBaAIcTaZzCNgK7urzQiO43UA3oRB7IdlcfbRZm4EUBeuclXfq7Arcvb9RY02Pn9_bLA-tZT8Ul7s_crRuqZENMexxvToeMwSB976aBKOVve7Lgnt3SgEdoD280pNfxW5cgCGoZqdFcrWQ/s320/20220801_110738.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWEzrZZLFo8PwzzEtEBP8Qe0h-XOsfx0j14hD_K7prKZkpvZpu0VdUkuvTpR8w_Nq89C7PfqYKBF0zD9GFlGLXrv6CvdVGul-Fiaw3UhVwix8AgJdEUQxT9btwUA5C8jSzMiNrpE1LYQk5FoGSfqT4YxhOFIFfB8t0yTf5ogpTS29BrO0_OVT_ed9zw/s4032/20220801_110302.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWEzrZZLFo8PwzzEtEBP8Qe0h-XOsfx0j14hD_K7prKZkpvZpu0VdUkuvTpR8w_Nq89C7PfqYKBF0zD9GFlGLXrv6CvdVGul-Fiaw3UhVwix8AgJdEUQxT9btwUA5C8jSzMiNrpE1LYQk5FoGSfqT4YxhOFIFfB8t0yTf5ogpTS29BrO0_OVT_ed9zw/s320/20220801_110302.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6N7B8rucg3e94zjaBfmRE9Sr7XRXnVJ2oB3oWvPopPZHswKnq5VJEQB-ATzvdBdHwIfaT1tfU4r3HG3Jq3Mrk-Th4bj6RldXI_MQwlXoT45pUU_r1-GR-CBKuZCLblIcJiFkTHAOCUHda1rH4uQfUQhQU_17fEB27nqjQXsWYhA05ryK3HLHbb81iEw/s4032/20220801_110735.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6N7B8rucg3e94zjaBfmRE9Sr7XRXnVJ2oB3oWvPopPZHswKnq5VJEQB-ATzvdBdHwIfaT1tfU4r3HG3Jq3Mrk-Th4bj6RldXI_MQwlXoT45pUU_r1-GR-CBKuZCLblIcJiFkTHAOCUHda1rH4uQfUQhQU_17fEB27nqjQXsWYhA05ryK3HLHbb81iEw/s320/20220801_110735.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRx3P2_xwupj11kfcIDI0XkdVSBkPXTQAE-dLqs95SZnhvA2czQgSiNhSEzmewxls1YFtXlsbfjpZ0OzcNqElJGq3RTA3O-YibEfdjWLwDpgUztWy-FFf-Lphgpv0Ltd09iwlGd0xrXahKo4UfEqIqW7p_Auny0_kvm_68b5UcvwyzitJ6w2kWsbz9CQ/s4032/20220801_111643.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRx3P2_xwupj11kfcIDI0XkdVSBkPXTQAE-dLqs95SZnhvA2czQgSiNhSEzmewxls1YFtXlsbfjpZ0OzcNqElJGq3RTA3O-YibEfdjWLwDpgUztWy-FFf-Lphgpv0Ltd09iwlGd0xrXahKo4UfEqIqW7p_Auny0_kvm_68b5UcvwyzitJ6w2kWsbz9CQ/s320/20220801_111643.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BOvPmtzCofI" width="320" youtube-src-id="BOvPmtzCofI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kkw6Cy35AEI" width="320" youtube-src-id="Kkw6Cy35AEI"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Things around the house have been busy too. The back porch needed a makeover, so one weekend when Buff and the kids went to the lake, I stayed behind for a couple of days and removed all the peeling paint and got things tidied up. We still have a bit of work to do, but with trips to the cabin and camping next weekend, it can wait! The only bad thing to happen with the porch was dropping a pole onto my toe. I was sure it was broken, but couldn't see due to the blood pouring out. But after it stopped I took a peek and it was just a cut! Yay. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR9q-LCx1F-rtMH89gWVqpvP-sI3mr8FDwteYWWnTy356174c7tmQ9O33h4V9fu9vSjGrEitvDlcVwsEcxT3s3UO1qeAN7dlSyA2ytcwP32dxfYfm05b6tUcudJZANk0_FS1EHGfvz87bp9LuOeytEowZOVPNof0A7L8d2Q7RRzfBzJN3aHHM4oVggA/s4032/20220730_102814.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR9q-LCx1F-rtMH89gWVqpvP-sI3mr8FDwteYWWnTy356174c7tmQ9O33h4V9fu9vSjGrEitvDlcVwsEcxT3s3UO1qeAN7dlSyA2ytcwP32dxfYfm05b6tUcudJZANk0_FS1EHGfvz87bp9LuOeytEowZOVPNof0A7L8d2Q7RRzfBzJN3aHHM4oVggA/s320/20220730_102814.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHYrXwtWpGL_e56L7JYWBzNxJYKtTZO8wgi5o-nqxedVkM_00wlHHeUMwK64j8c73y0DyhcRtMdXkOKI771yVBpBA9BeY9NUrU0C17aU3q5ejqrUU2UY9Q79E8b22BNNmByx9XJcldSj46ZmJ2LB6A4rnntc6I-pTYXbIOq5uiGBYMfUCltrjQL0Rww/s4032/20220730_094522_001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHYrXwtWpGL_e56L7JYWBzNxJYKtTZO8wgi5o-nqxedVkM_00wlHHeUMwK64j8c73y0DyhcRtMdXkOKI771yVBpBA9BeY9NUrU0C17aU3q5ejqrUU2UY9Q79E8b22BNNmByx9XJcldSj46ZmJ2LB6A4rnntc6I-pTYXbIOq5uiGBYMfUCltrjQL0Rww/s320/20220730_094522_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RT1YLABcAvbHalRdhQlqbT1pJfY9rV0a0giFSNETb_JJq7jKeqBUrq3QenJcp_Wjaa_K3GHH9n99xn7NAWsHXW8yVcgur5-D5CSqJ93IauR8HZky9_kzx7m_cp3d8l5Lf4-Ihwa00X1bxtUL6DOJH5DZyUW_9tj5CbAlDFK2Iim2ERG2a73WVqBVUQ/s4032/20220730_102805.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RT1YLABcAvbHalRdhQlqbT1pJfY9rV0a0giFSNETb_JJq7jKeqBUrq3QenJcp_Wjaa_K3GHH9n99xn7NAWsHXW8yVcgur5-D5CSqJ93IauR8HZky9_kzx7m_cp3d8l5Lf4-Ihwa00X1bxtUL6DOJH5DZyUW_9tj5CbAlDFK2Iim2ERG2a73WVqBVUQ/s320/20220730_102805.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqZ6Rdt_TxSA5KMVTnh8dm0m_eg7wVJpxtSUhN8pGE61ZrV-rtD-sOivJUCsJByBoTdlYXDJAjzlZ-TUWwvoHDTQFv_Qt_Cljq77SLFy82sw5pI4MvyfaWueqCEm6J-_yzj_JqnCT5YW2C7pOO5Nxj7htAPg6UdA5lFSxy6TCAa9eQzWgapMi2ly1Yg/s4032/20220730_201507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqZ6Rdt_TxSA5KMVTnh8dm0m_eg7wVJpxtSUhN8pGE61ZrV-rtD-sOivJUCsJByBoTdlYXDJAjzlZ-TUWwvoHDTQFv_Qt_Cljq77SLFy82sw5pI4MvyfaWueqCEm6J-_yzj_JqnCT5YW2C7pOO5Nxj7htAPg6UdA5lFSxy6TCAa9eQzWgapMi2ly1Yg/s320/20220730_201507.jpg" width="144" /></a></div>I have to mention the fact that Hannah is very much enjoying painting and colouring at the moment. So much so that she is always keen to paint me - Usually with make-up or nail varnish. At the moment I am sitting on my lunch break with sparkly coloured nail varnish on the fingers of one hand and all of my toes. I don't really mind and actually, it makes me smile that she likes doing it. She puts so much effort into being careful with her little tongue hanging out! It would help if we actually had some nail varnish remover at home though. Maybe I should add it to the shopping list!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrnRStWo3rZHAtNJcjWdjPh7NY2l6Kp3Iwbw3owLZXKFGtOu8r8qd3QJphxHjBW7wFZuuN5w1p3VwpJQzam-tb6S_gzyFUdQeQU3pI0UWIqoZTDLJcRez5uUjnNY6-LYhUubFy-xQuGXpebt-CLcyaw9Fbbaa3ksmtTGqUHE0SWRqRV1QUMhj0Z3N3Q/s4032/20220806_111029.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrnRStWo3rZHAtNJcjWdjPh7NY2l6Kp3Iwbw3owLZXKFGtOu8r8qd3QJphxHjBW7wFZuuN5w1p3VwpJQzam-tb6S_gzyFUdQeQU3pI0UWIqoZTDLJcRez5uUjnNY6-LYhUubFy-xQuGXpebt-CLcyaw9Fbbaa3ksmtTGqUHE0SWRqRV1QUMhj0Z3N3Q/s320/20220806_111029.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJ6xBV9M4KUVNpWroZxanPLZbahr_fyPaEewU6ILbJEBOdBnx1YLb_spHkEvbn8VBuT0BL_vj2eRWr9CTsWZftYVkxSvzz1xbMM9_mImCFaeN2E8oMgEla-gxNc-hE91VErnjmWMHAqRPhhIeaEJ3Mzq3vv1YeYrqC6bF_Q39r6cIxzjCe7xkCjqRew/s4032/20220806_112052.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJ6xBV9M4KUVNpWroZxanPLZbahr_fyPaEewU6ILbJEBOdBnx1YLb_spHkEvbn8VBuT0BL_vj2eRWr9CTsWZftYVkxSvzz1xbMM9_mImCFaeN2E8oMgEla-gxNc-hE91VErnjmWMHAqRPhhIeaEJ3Mzq3vv1YeYrqC6bF_Q39r6cIxzjCe7xkCjqRew/s320/20220806_112052.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQI58JAr7nQhbdtivXdTcegxtccO6IWR6PCWoSs2ju6wA12YTmoRs9N_pciUkbQqlLY8djfHW6a6rc0zSBfq5hbGEN6_zF7y4Vbi_JT61l0euLKOnUodZCAD4wJAxtn_4Zop_iXjVfU0ljV0w_f8lhaqEdIX9YFEHTttjnfZYIUvp7MKuHu2jigvMIw/s4032/20220806_112044.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQI58JAr7nQhbdtivXdTcegxtccO6IWR6PCWoSs2ju6wA12YTmoRs9N_pciUkbQqlLY8djfHW6a6rc0zSBfq5hbGEN6_zF7y4Vbi_JT61l0euLKOnUodZCAD4wJAxtn_4Zop_iXjVfU0ljV0w_f8lhaqEdIX9YFEHTttjnfZYIUvp7MKuHu2jigvMIw/s320/20220806_112044.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVixQKRzi8nSM7v5uH_1qMjJd7VasGv3Zy0kLt2LXresRnaXEOqDhQxVYnGJI9fNyDQSozIAFqG-yz9yjsmULiLk9eZe9Ix20hIWwaCC7RNfYtidXV9j6Glg5LNvh2p_B3eWNUI1-l5ZCkgNKEq4sHPWkHuUqdzTa9b9LiuKWGS9jxBVulHqsSqNcpQw/s2944/20220725_151813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVixQKRzi8nSM7v5uH_1qMjJd7VasGv3Zy0kLt2LXresRnaXEOqDhQxVYnGJI9fNyDQSozIAFqG-yz9yjsmULiLk9eZe9Ix20hIWwaCC7RNfYtidXV9j6Glg5LNvh2p_B3eWNUI1-l5ZCkgNKEq4sHPWkHuUqdzTa9b9LiuKWGS9jxBVulHqsSqNcpQw/s320/20220725_151813.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>The kids are just fantastic at the moment. They are hard work because they are kids, but they are both a lot of fun to be around. Whether it's Oliver trying to drink my beer or climbing everything, chattering away and giggling or Hannah making up games and songs and doing funny voices it's all a lot of fun and we are all at a better place than we have been in a long time. We are really looking forward to camping next week and then the rest of summer!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /> </div>rickdaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147375492903031396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3299004603631645087.post-6291646066129734182022-07-12T03:58:00.003+01:002022-07-12T03:58:51.102+01:00Blanket - GO AWAY!<p>It's been difficult to keep up to date on things the last week. Kids have been ill and cray cray!</p><p>Anyone who has had kids will know it's not all bubbles and glitter. More like bollocks and shitter!</p><p>No one really asks for pictures or stories of kids. But all you see online are the Instagram-made ready photos of a super kind and polite kids, holding up perfect balloons, wearing either super clean or super messy clothes, depending on the type of photo that mumsy or daddio are trying to show to the masses today. Kids are super cute and funny, behaving, smiling and doing the cutest things imaginable. I know this because these are the type of photos that I usually post on this super shitty blog. (Look at the past 3 years or so and you will see!) I don't have my kid goggles on, I know what I am - a super proud parent of abnormally normal kids, who for some reason (genetics probably) think that their kids are the bestest wittle bunny wunnies in the whole wide wor-urld! </p><p>Well, you do get a little bit of that from me, but I will also tell it as it is</p><p>I know that all kids are also fucking morons and little shits who don't listen, don't clean and actively create the most mess they can possibly make. Now take the average little moron and add a dose of illness, a bit of a cough and the fact that in these ultra-careful days you cannot give any kind of medication to a kid, except for gummy bear and banana-flavoured fruit juice, just in case you make a mistake and accidentally 'overdose them and actually cause them to sleep. </p><p>So that's where we found ourselves last week, on July 3rd. Hannahs's 4th birthday (the official one) out at the cabin at 4.30am with a pitiful little Hannah coughing, feeling hot but not feverish and unable to sleep unless one of us shared her bed. I took the hit and spent a quite pleasant couple of hours in her bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. But the next morning she was hot and bothered and even though we did manage to et her to Kenora for a little bit of shopping, some chips from the chip van and a small play in the local park, she wasn't herself. Then we also got Ollie up after his nap and saw that the small rashes on his legs that we discovered yesterday, has bloomed into what could be described as hideous large patches of melting skin - We decided that we should just take the hit and head off home a day early, so Hannah could rest and so that we could get Ollie to a doctor as soon as possible!</p><p>This was the beginning of a hard week. </p><p>That night there were tantrums from a very unhappy girl - Hannah screamed and kicked and refused any help for a large part of the night. This went on for nearly every night that week as she not only got more tired but as her cough got worse too. She did stop feeling so hot after Tuesday night, but it would take the rest of the week for her to recover any semblance of normality and all the while, our tiredness and frustrations grew. We know it was mainly down to being ill and being overtired, but she really was being a shit at times. Stubbornly refusing any help, ignoring is, shouting, screaming, kicking and throwing off blankets, pillows and clothes randomly, Refusing to eat and then screaming that she was hungry. All while refusing to really sleep of even stay in bed more than 2 minutes before screaming that she was cold, or hot or needed a pee, or a teddy or whatever the hell was in her crazy mind at the time. </p><p>Ollie meanwhile was dealing with his problem quite well. We had taken I'm t oa walk in and been diagnosed with some form of bad eczema, but while at eth walk in his doctor had managed to find us a spot for later that same day, so we went for a 2nd opinion and luckily just before had given him a diaper change, at which point his whole bum and ball area had also become enflamed with the same rotting flesh of the rest of his bottom half. The doctor saw this and told us without any doubt it was Hand, foot and mouth. A virus that created the skin lesions we were seeing and although a minor disease, it was one that is quite easily passed on and can cause blistering of the skin and inside the mouth and on the feet and hands too. Lovely. </p><p>So we went into lockdown for a few days - after being told that we needed to stay safe until he showed signs of recovery - which meant waiting. </p><p>Luckily, the only treatment he needed was a good wash and plenty of moisturisers. So as well as trying to do unhappy Hannah's cream for her face we were now also covering Oliver in 2 or 3 different types of cream depending on where the rashes were! </p><p>By Friday we had all probably a whole night's sleep on the week and things didn't look to be getting better any time soon with Hannah, although Oliver's legs looked like there had been some kind of miracle - The skin was literally peeling off with the moisturising and under was lovely and clean and natural-looking. This weekend was folk fest and Buffy who had had her tickets for months decided to take the kids on Friday on eth bus and see if she could get some life into them. It turned out to be a hard day for her as she ended up alone all day there with two kids who switched almost instantly from grumps to angels back to grumps without notice or reasoning. It was during the day that we received a message from Susan and Jon asking how the kids were and we didn't lie. We told them how things were going and they very generously offered to take the kids for a day over the weekend so we could get some rest. I cannot tell you how much we needed that 23 hours of pure joy and relaxation. </p><p>We dropped H and O off at just before 10 on Saturday and picked them up just after 9 the next day. On that day of rest, we went back to Folk fest ourselves and spent a lovely day relaxing on blankets listening to music and being adults again. The only screams we heard were from the crowd as they egged on the crazy danish Indie ban and the Japanese punk band who played alongside them at the first stage we found ourselves at. We enjoyed the freedom to take a beer anywhere on the festival site for the first time ever and we just loved almost snoozing in the little stages in the forests, before heading home early for a shower and a night without a monitor, knowing that there would not be screams or poops or any kind of tantrum from any room in the house that night. </p><p>We slept well. </p><p>We woke refreshed. </p><p>We picked up the kids and took them back to the folk fest - for a family day out and it seemed that the break did everyone good. Ollie who is a little hyper at the moment was in great form and Hannah had a great day - with only 1 tantrum - we did crafts in the kid's tent, had ice creams and made hats and wrist bands as well as ending up covered in paint from the kids painting tables. </p><p>It wasn't the best day ever - But the circuit breaker of yesterday had certainly helped us lose some of the built-up stress and we all enjoyed a pretty good day. </p><p>We headed home for a late bedtime and had been telling and asking Hannah all day to try to speak to us and to tell us what she needed instead of just screaming at us But at 1am we woke to hear Hannah screaming 'Mummy'. We thought it might be another tantrum, but when Buffy went in Hannah spoke just 3 words. '<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Blanket'</span></b>, which Buffy got and covered Hannah with. Then ' <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Go away</b></span>', which Buffy did. Back to our bed, with a wry smile and a sense of amazement that Hannah had taken our hopeful instructions so literally. </p><p>That was last night and today has been good. Hannah and Ollie were looked after by Mckenna - one of our lovely babysitters and these seemed to have a good day. I came home to find the kids and Buffy playing in the front yard and after dinner, I got to put a fun, happy Hannah to bed. She didn't even lose it when I eventually pulled the plug on books and games just after 8pm and left her to sleep. She is still testy at times, but she is 4 years old and discovering how she will deal with herself and authority in this big old world. </p><p>Oliver is also doing great - He just has sooooooo much energy at the moment and is into everything - It would be hard to look after him on his own with the amount of energy he currently has. Leave home for 2 seconds and he is on a table or up the stairs!</p><p>The weekend was great though - We all feel a lot like we are back on track after a hard week. We worried late last week that we were losing control of Hannah, but it seems that she really was just getting over the illness and tiredness and combined with her birthday and just growing up, she also had a hard week. I tell you what though, our kids really are the bestest wittle bunny wunnies in the whole wide wor-urld! So here's some really cutesy photos and stuff of them in the past week or so - including horrid photos of the Ollie miracle virus, which has now gone and one of me and dollie!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_XEPKONp9DeqmcTXQ3nEAq82i26J8U7KiqhW9_25t_g4sl_5DKyyY8b9N2m49OwWlcvuS5WoI4zMFurLV6H_49YV2k926FyGVQwZWMgrs48Vwl2_tFDd0OIJlpeXYGE6gLhm-7My9nSGK6-6daA8VoCTrGmFAd9YQGLvsFDQpqfJrkYK2dIWcmO36g/s4032/20220702_101216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_XEPKONp9DeqmcTXQ3nEAq82i26J8U7KiqhW9_25t_g4sl_5DKyyY8b9N2m49OwWlcvuS5WoI4zMFurLV6H_49YV2k926FyGVQwZWMgrs48Vwl2_tFDd0OIJlpeXYGE6gLhm-7My9nSGK6-6daA8VoCTrGmFAd9YQGLvsFDQpqfJrkYK2dIWcmO36g/s320/20220702_101216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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