Busy doing nothing in the sun

Normally in January we go ski-ing en famille but, unfortunately, this year many resorts have no or very little snow.  It's so depressing to see brown slush instead of dazzling white snow and the little ones need fluffy soft snow if they fall over.  So what to do instead....

The grandchildren stayed behind, school, and we headed off to lie around on a tropical beach, doing as little as possible.  Apparently, according to David Attenborough, mankind is essentially semi-aquatic.  Five million years ago, we weren't evolving on the savannas of Africa, but at the shoreline of a warm, shallow sea.  That's why we can hold our breath for long periods and don't have much body hair.  And it's why lounging on a tropical beach feels so natural.  (As yet, there's no Darwinian justification for cocktails).  January is when we feel most keenly the sheer daftness of where we live on the planet.  Thermal underwear is nature's way of telling us we are 30 degrees of latitude from our ancestral home.  So we chose the Caribbean and The St. James' Club in Antigua because the people are as sunny as the climate and there's a beach, a bar and reliable sunshine.

We stayed in a Reef Suite with a lovely large balcony.

The beaches are super and I really like that there are two sides.  Mamora Bay Beach

   and Coco Beach

and Alfred is always close by in the booze buggy with his permanent smile serving water, rum punch, wine and cold beer.

Although the bars are never far away.  The Mamora Bay Bar is the place for blended drinks.  A brandy sour, recommended by a fellow guest, was "powerful" to say the least.

When I could drag myself away from my book and sunbed, swimming laps in the sheltered Mamora bay, in the roped off swim area, was true bliss.  The resort has an ocean side path for running but I enjoyed walking along it to Aqua Aerobics  at the Reef Deck pool every morning and I didn't meet any joggers.

The highlight of this holiday for Phil was sailing the Hobiecats at the beginning of our holiday in a sporty breeze.  Wonderful fun, would be great to be allowed to sail over to the Coco beach side when there are light winds but we appreciate the need to keep the boats in sight in case they capsize.

  He also went Scuba Diving and saw black tipped sharks.

 If you want to be active there is always lots going on on Mamora Bay Beach - volleyball, paddle boards, kayaks, windsurfing.  My favourite, however, was just relaxing on Coco Beach in the sun with a drink and my book.

Oh and watching the Brown Pelicans putting on a great show fishing.  They are so graceful in the air and can be seen skimming within inches of the water in single file.  Apparently, the Pelican is a voiceless bird and can reach flight speeds of up to 26 mph.  They dive from a height of 60 -70 feet and air sacs under the skin cushion the impact of their steep dives and pop them up like a cork, always facing the wind, ready for take-off.  The large bills act as scoop nets.  Unfortunately, Pelicans appear to be on the decline, due to the increased use of pesticides found in the marine food chain.  This causes the eggshell to become thin and the eggs to break in the nest which are built on top of mangroves or on the ground.

Another interesting bird are the Bananquits (yellow birds).  They are constantly raiding unattended breakfast dining tables or trying to drink your left-over cocktails but they are very sweet.

We love Voilet's fish sandwich at the beach side grill - AMAZING - simple well cooked fresh fish.

And Cocos is a civilised haven with a superb view and in the evenings it becomes a Caribbean theme restaurant with conch, curry and beef rundown. 

The Docksider Grill was our favourite place for dinner, such a beautiful waterside setting.  Normally I roll my eyes at buffet especially as the food is always tepid but the freshly cooked food at the cooking station was good. 

The BBQ at Thursdays beach party was fantastic.  Just wish we were eating "the Ribs" again this Thursday with our toes in the sand and a Steel Band playing.  And the sky was full of dazzling stars and the planets Venus and Mars.

But, to be honest, on holiday I'm just glad someone else is doing the cooking and washing up!

Antigua is a wonderful island to visit and St. James' Club is a gem.  We plan to keep on going back as long as they let us!!!!

Oh how you've grown!

Our darling Jamie, oh how you've grown!  I cannot get my head around the fact that it's been three years since you came into my life.  It seems like yesterday you were toddling around, muttering words and sounds.  Now you are a full on boy who runs, jumps, sings, speaks in full sentences, asks questions and is constantly absorbing the world around you.

You spread such joy to those who know you.  You laugh contagiously.  You love your older sister.  Your imagination is running away to far away lands of trains and monster trucks.  Every day is a new adventure.  I want to weep when I hear you sing.  That little voice is just so precious.  Whether we're singing Down at the Station, Row, row, row your boat, I feel such joy that music makes you happy.  I hope it continues as you grow.  My favourite musical moment was when you climbed into our bed on Christmas morning and Grandad could only think of the words to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and every couple of lines, you piped in.  You rock every chance you get and love to play the drums and dad's guitar when Mummy will let you! You may just be a musician when you get older.

Most signs of my baby grandson have faded.  You smell different.  Your baby cheeks are almost completely gone.  There are no rolls of pudgy toddler.  You are my grandson.  My sweet, sweet boy.

As much as I miss the days that have passed, I am loving the moments now.  Especially when you throw those little arms around my neck.  Heart melting.

I am excited to see what lies ahead for you this year especially as today you start at Pre-School.  Not really sure you are looking forward to it but I know you will enjoy it.

Have fun.  Play hard.  Stay sweet.

Happy 3rd Birthday Jamie.  Everyone really enjoyed your party at Role Play.

Christmas 2016

As a child, I loved the entire month of December.  Oblivious to the stress of the adults bustling about around me.  I soaked up the spirit of the carols, the lights, the decorations, the food and everything else that heralds the approach of the big day.  I thought everyone else felt the same way.  As an adult, I now know that the demands of shopping, cleaning. decorating, cooking and wrapping can easily crowd out the joy of the season.  December 25th often feels less like a climax than a sigh of relief but I am a grandparent now and am enjoying all the delights of the festive season through the eyes of my lovely grandchildren.

So with Caroline, Mike and Gemma (unfortunately, Alun was working) we took time out from the hustle and bustle to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere and visited Kingston Lacy National Trust property.  Slowing down for a night or two keeps the family connected amidst the busyness, and recharges you for the tasks yet to be done.

  The house was beautifully dressed for Christmas.  The Spanish room and dining room were decked out in traditional Victorian ornaments, the centre piece of the whole experience being a 20 ft. Christmas tree with the sparkly lights reflecting off the crystal chandelier.

The dining room table was laid for lunch with menus out.

  It is a great idea to remove some of the more precious items and allow children to enjoy being in such a big house and lots of activities had been set up for the children around the house.  There was sherry and gingerbread on the way out and our visit to Father Christmas was great and very traditional.

  For the last four years the gardens at Kingston Lacy have been illuminated in the evenings by lots of delicate fairy lights and dramatic up lit trees.  The historic cedars are transformed by blue, purple, yellow or green lights, whilst the fernery is draped with delicate fairy lights like a magical grotto.  The children didn't want to leave. We realised that children don't get to walk in the dark very often these days and they were loving it.  So much trouble had been taken to make the house and garden magical.

Phil and I were also lucky enough to be invited to the grandchildren's nativity plays.  Ask me where I would rather be, and I'm not sure there is anywhere else.  Christmas shopping?  This beats that hands-down.  Watching telly?  Why would I want to do that?  Whether you believe this story or not, it's great theatre.  And it's got us all hooked.  The queues to get in started a good hour before the performances despite the rain.

And a surefire way to sprinkle some holiday spirit into the season and start the holiday with a warm glow is to get into the seasonal spirit at Emmie's school festive carol concert.  Excellent.  ( Sorry no photos of nativity or carol concert.  Not allowed on social media.)  But this was at the Captain's Club for lunch after the carol concert.

There was also great excitement when the Elf on a Shelf arrived in the grandchildren's homes early in December to watch over events.  Once everyone goes to bed, the elf flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa the activities, good and bad, that have taken place throughout the day.  Before the family wakes up each morning, the elf flies back from the North Pole and hides in a new spot.  The elf gets his magic by being named and being loved by a child.  However, the magic might disappear if he is touched.  The story ends on Christmas Day with the elf leaving to stay with Santa for the rest of the year until the following Christmas.

The grandchildren also celebrated the countdown to Christmas with advent calendars.  Behind every door there was a little treat or activity to make their day extra special.  Some of the activities included.  Today we will go ice skating:-

Today we will write a letter to Santa:-

Today we will wear new Christmas jumpers:-

Today we will have Reindeer Pancakes for breakfast:-

Caroline very kindly invited us to spend Christmas with them and decided we should sleep over on Christmas Eve so we could enjoy watching Chloe and Jamie together on Christmas morning.  Christmas is definitely more fun with children.  We also got the master bedroom (Caroline very kindly says it not right for Nanna and Grandad to have to sleep on a mattress on the floor!).  If I'm honest, this is my favourite night of the year.  And so the bait was set.  Bedtime story  The Night Before Xmas.

Kids in bed and actually sleeping - going to be a busy morning.

Jamie slept until 6.30 a.m. when the bedroom door slowly opened.  We said "Has Father Christmas been" and he replied "No not yet" and climbed into our bed for an adorable cuddle.  Chloe woke, with great excitement at 8 a.m.!!!!!!!

We all raced downstairs to see the beautiful Christmas tree lit up in all it's glory with stacks of presents piled high underneath.

Soon wrapping paper and brand new toys were strewn across the room.  When you have excited children eager to open up their presents on Christmas morning, it is bound to get a little bit crazy.

And what would Christmas be without the food, so steeped in tradition.  The kitchen is the true heart of the house, here is all the warmth and cheer where final preparations are made.  Mike's parents arrived and the food was carried through to the table.  All that was left to do now was sit, fill your plate, fill your glass and raise your voice to congratulate Caroline on the joy of a meal well done. 
It was an absolutely fantastic day.  Thank you.  The food was incredible.  The apprentice is now the Master.

Boxing Day was a beautiful sunny day so we joined hundreds of others for a good Christmas walk along the coast at Hengistbury Head to the Mudeford Sandbank which is recognised has having the most expensive huts in the country.  There are 350 beach huts and they sell within days of going on sale.  We saw a sale board for a dilapated one near a toilet block and thought we may be able to afford this.  So looked on the internet, £200,000 and it had already sold!  It did have stunning views of the harbour and The Solent but requires a 30 minute walk to get to it, a ride on a land-train or a short ferry trip.  Oh well, nevermind, let's put it on Santa's list for next year.  Trouble is I don't think a beach hut will fit down the chimney.

Gemma is well known for hosting fabulous parties and the next day it was all over to Alun and Gemma's.  Beautiful decorations, excellent food, wine and for Nanna bubbles.  From the lovely Christmas tree twinkling in the corner, to the inescapable fairy lights, it was all magical.  It's fun to play games and sing Christmas carols.  Many are becoming a lost art with TV, video games and computers filling children's time so it was so lovely to rekindle the Christmas tradition with the children doing a concert.  Well done.  Excellent singing.

and Emmie made these:-

Our last Christmas outing was to see the best-loved pantomime of them all.  Cinderella, with it's enchanting story, adorable miniature ponies, jealous ugly stepsisters.  We had a ball.

And driving home we stopped to look at the light display at Byron Road, New Milton.

Here's to doing it all again in 2017