A tropical treat.

Following his foot operation, Phil and I decided we needed to get away from the approaching winter and headed to St. Lucia for some rest and relaxation.

We stayed at Windjammer Landing.  This Mediterranean-looking complex is spread over a precipitous hillside on St. Lucia's north-west coast, above a goodish, 200 yd long arc of palm-dotted brown sand beach.  The accommodation was amazing.  Our home for the next 11 nights was 301A on Hibiscus Lane with fabulous views, an extremely comfortable large bed and a hot tub on the terrace.

This was our apartment with the path to the pool

Ok, so when we finally arrived at the resort after a very comfortable flight.  Thank you British Airways

and a two hour transfer, we got stuck in the Castries rush hour, we went to Jammer's Bar and Restaurant right on the beach.  It was the perfect ending to a long day of travel.  Usually, we would end our nights down at Jammers after dinner because they had live music playing every night.  One girl singer sounded just like Adele, brilliant.  However, the steel band on our first night really got us into the Caribbean way of life.  Excellent.

Most days we camped out under one of the tiki umbrellas close to the bar on the beach

Really enjoyed the Mango Crush cocktails.  It's a rough life I know.

I was able to finish three books out there whilst topping up my tan.  We didn't spend any time at any of the 4 - 5 pools, except for my Aquafit class every morning with Wacky Jackie, the beach was our place.

At times it felt like we had the bay to ourselves, it was so calm and peaceful.

The sea was perfectly refreshing, not too hot and not too cold, great to walk out and take a dip in.

Every once in a while we would walk out to the hammocks hanging out over the sea just high enough to barely touch the water when you're lying in it. 

Also, very entertaining to watch other guests trying, gracefully, to get in and out of the hammocks.  The only downfall was the rock army you had to climb over on the way to the hammocks.  To avoid the "ouch" and "oohh" we wore sea shoes, kindly provided by Windjammers.  I am pleased to say the roped off swimming area had no rocks.  It also had a water trampoline with a log to run along and a climbing iceberg.

Whilst we were at Windjammers we did a couple of activities, after all, you can only sit on a beach for so long.  We went on the banana boat and tubing, great fun.  Phil sailed on the Hobie Cats every

day.

Not to mention the "extreme" day when I was with him in one of the larger Hobies and a gust of wind turned us over.  Fortunately, the boat boys came to our rescue.  All the staff are efficient and enthusiastic especially when they rescue you.  A common occurrence for Phil....

the previous day he was diving when the dive boat broke down!!!!!  He surfaced 200 yards away and the driver couldn't start the boat.  Fortunately, only a mile or so away from the resort.

I might like to cook at home, but when I'm on holiday.......I'm on holiday!!!!!  I just want to be wined and dined and not worry about a thing.

The Dragonfly Restaurant produced an excellent breakfast with a gorgeous view.

Jammers was our favourite place for lunch.  Excellent fish, jerk chicken wings and roti

Embers was also a lunch time beach option.  Very good and simple with a fantastic roast beef buffet on Sunday lunchtime.  Cooked just as Phil likes it - rare.

Our fine dining choice was the Upper Deck.  Highly recommend the Filet Mignon.  Our favourite restaurant, especially when we sat on the lower level.  Very romantic.

There was also a good Italian - Papa Dons - at the top of the resort.  Mini bus ride on 1:5 hill that was scary and huge storm whilst there.  The roof leaks!!!

On Tuesday at the Manager's Cocktail party there was great entertainment with limbo dancing and an amazing fire eater.  Also presented us with a bottle of rum and a t'shirt to celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary.  Thank you.

One of the books I read was The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies.  (In the hills of a romantic tea plantation, swathed in mist, the tea planter's wife would have lived an extraordinarily privileged life, but there is a predicament for her that would test all her assumptions about racial differences, and that would explore colonial attitudes and how they spelt such tragedy for her). 

So, feeling in the mood, we decided to visit The Pink Plantation House Restaurant.

This place is wonderful.  A beautiful old authentic St. Lucian Coffee Plantation house set on the Morne in a rainforest garden with humming birds, many ferns, palms and orchids, which frame the superb views over Castries harbour.

We were given the best seat in the house, right on the railings.  Michelle Elliot, the owner, is so lovely and is using the profits from the restaurant to lovingly restore the old lady.  The house is also a pottery and the shop is well worth taking time to wander around.  The ceramics are not cheap as everything is hand painted by Michelle but the items are high quality, full of vibrant colours and scenes.  It is a fabulous place.....brilliant view and really good food.  A lovely relaxing lunch.

What a fabulous holiday.......hopefully, one day we will return.

Thank you Phil, I am a very lucky lady.

Chloe's Crafty 4th Birthday Party

Chloe loves doing crafts.  She loves painting and drawing so Caroline thought it would be a really great idea to have a craft party.

Take a look at how it turned out!

Chloe is so excited.  It's time for her party.

I love this photo!  They are waiting for their friends to arrive.....

Let the fun commence........

The first activity was to personalise and decorate their own party bags.

The Treasure Box.  Let's discover what's inside:-

They had to transform a plain brown cardboard box into their own treasure box with the help of paints, gemstones and glitter....

Then it was time for a bit of fun....

Balls of clay then appeared to be modelled into four-legged creatures, spiders or monsters (well it was Halloween) with fluffy feathers and goggle eyes.  Well you get the idea.....

After a quick wash....

Time to eat....

Time to blow out the candles.....

Time to help clear up....

The children were so proud of their unique and treasured party bags, full of mementoes of a really special party.

The party was a success.  The children are happy, so the adults are happy too!  Fantastic.  I think the Mummies and Daddies had as much fun as the children!!!!!!

And after such a busy day, Grandad with a well earned glass of beer.  Cheers Chloe.

The Grape Escape

Clos Malverne is an award winning winery situated in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch in the heart of South Africa's wine industry.  It is a place of great beauty.  Food and wine are perfect partners and pairing them is even greater fun.

The restaurant is one that ticks all the boxes.  Sit back, relax and enjoy the jaw-dropping view - the vineyards begin only a couple of metres from your table.  Of course, you may be distracted by what's on your plate.

The view is truly panoramic, encompassing the vineyards and mountains.  Unfortunately, on the day we visited the clouds that menaced in the morning did so all day.

We elected to dine from the Food and Pairing Menu R298 per person including the wine and a glass of bubbles on arrival.  Have I got the decimal place in the wrong place or is that £15 per person!!!!!

For the 1st course we chose Chilli and Lime Seafood with prawn, mussels and calamari in a creamy chilli, garlic and lime sauce topped with salmon caviar served with Clos Malverne Sauvignon Blanc.

The chilli and lime seafood was a taste sensation.

The second course:-  Mini Springbok Pie served with pickled red cabbage and a red wine and juniper jus. Served with Clos Malverne Pinotage reserve.

Main course:-  Pan Fried Line Fish served with a lemon-white wine veloute, pea and mint mash, crispy potato straws and roasted tomatoes drizzled with lemon oil.  Served with Clos Malverne Sauvignon Blanc.  Cooked to perfection.

Dessert:-  Citrus Experience.  Lemon curd mousse, lime zest meringues, orange shortbread crumbs and a naartjie syrup.  Served with Clos Malverne Honey dew.

Fantastic food, service, ambience and setting.  Thank you Brandon for excellent service, you certainly went that extra mile for us to maximise our experience for which we are very grateful.

Who needs Michelin Stars when you can dine at places like Clos Malverne.  The food was absolutely superb and some Michelin Star chefs could learn how to provide great food and wine pairing without thinking they can charge a fortune.

WHAT A PLACE.  Would we go back - YES every week if we lived in Cape Town. Its now our favourite restaurant in the world .  Thanks for a wonderful meal.  South Africa is very lucky.

                                           The Restaurant at Clos Malverne Wine Estate,
                                            Devon Valley Road, Stellenbosch
                                            021 865 2022
                                            www.closmalverne.co.za

Rocha Brava. Sun, sea, sand and unspoilt natural beauty.

So, that's summer almost done.  Emmie has started school.  The nights are drawing in.  It's going to get cold, and dark, and stay that way until, ooh, April or so.  At least, it is in Britain but the sun's still shining in Portugal and the light on the Algarve is fantastic.  Looking up at the high blue skies never fails to raise my spirits.

We packed our bags and with Caroline, Chloe and James jumped on a flight to Faro and a weeks stay in a villa at Rocha Brava.  When we arrived at Rocha Brava I was surprised at the size of it.  It is huge BUT it doesn't feel big.  It's got a lovely friendly feel to it, very spacious and lovely and quiet.  The resort itself is very attractive, consisting of varying styles of villa and apartments set amongst pleasant gardens.  There was a beautiful pomegranate tree just outside our villa.

There are good facilities too including a supermarket, bars, 4 swimming pools, tennis, etc., so you could happily survive without leaving the resort.

But there is so much to see.  It's a region of hidden delights, of golden beaches framed by beautifully wrought limestone rocks.  Quite simply, a beach day in the Algarve cannot be beaten!  With so many fabulous beaches to choose from, the hardest part of the day was deciding where to go..........We slapped on the sunscreen, packed the buckets and spades and off we went.....

The first beach we visited was Praia de Centeanes.  A secluded dramatic cliff-wrapped beach

but our favourite was Benagil beach.  A stunning beach!

If you're a seashell collector this is the place to be.  Chloe collected quite a few big ones!

To be honest finding a place to park the car is quite a challenge as the beach is at the bottom of a very steep and tightly curved road but we managed quite easily.  (That's cos Phil was parking the car - well done Caroline!) but no steps to this beach.

If you are a good swimmer the famous cave is just a short swim away.  The only way to enter the cave is from the sea.  This is the free method, there are always boat tours from the beach.

Benagil Sea Cave:-

The natural beauty of this stretch of the Algarve coastline leaves you breathless.  Mother Nature has exceeded herself in carving a dome-shaped sea cave from the cliffs.  The sunlight streams through natural aperatures, acting as a spotlight on the constantly sea-cleaned fine golden sand.  Only 150 metres from the beach at Benagil Phil and Mike swam in from the sea at low tide.  Most people took a boat trip.  The sea temp. was 19 degrees.

There is a nice snack bar on the beach but just above Benagil beach is O Pescador.  A very charming restaurant with great views over the bay from the small terrace.  (You need to book to get these tables).

The service was excellent and so was the food.  We had the traditional Portuguese Cataplana with clams and seafood.

so good, nearly all gone, before I took a photo.

A very peaceful and relaxing place to dine (even with toddlers).

The Algarve is full of small simple restaurants where the taste of the fish - just caught, just grilled and drizzled with a local olive oil is wonderful.

A delightful restaurant just outside  of Rocha Brava (turn right and it's 100 yds down the road) is Restaurante Jardim do Farol.  A great atmosphere and very special service.  A family orientated place
where customers do come first.  Best to book as it is very popular.  Great food and good value.  The waiter brings out the fresh fish tray when you arrive and explains what they are and  how much.  Arguably, the best chocolate mousse too.  CASH ONLY.

We also loved the preserved carrots, Algarve style served with the bread and olives.  Here is the recipe.

300 grs of tender carrots
3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of  parsley
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1 teaspoon of anise
100 cc of vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Wash the carrots and peel them.  Cook them whole.  Then let them cool off.  Cut them up into not very thin round slices.  Peel the garlic and chop it up.

2.  Place the carrots in a suitable vessel.  Season with the garlic, paprika, vinegar, anise, salt and pepper.

3.  Marinate for several days before serving.  Enjoy.

It's only a 5 minute drive to the local Aldi or InterMarches supermarkets which was no bother at all, especially as Phil did all the shopping, but the restaurants are so close and such good value we didn't cook!!

We did, however, have a couple of take aways from Chicken George.  The menu is chicken, chicken or chicken and prawns with or without Piri Piri sauce and chips.  Salad optional too.  The chicken was great and excellent value.  (We phoned to place our order and allowed 50 mins).

It was a great holiday for young Jamie and Chloe.  They also loved the kids club at Rocha Brava with the lovely friendly helper and the playground with a super large slide.

Fabulous weather (except on Wednesday when it rained) and so much to do, we could have done with another week or two!  Hopefully, we will return.

The Very First Day of School

Grab the tissues - it's time for the big day.

Emmie sporting a slightly too big but pristine uniform on her first day of school.

and Chloe, who is getting ready for the big time learning by starting pre-school today - where she will leaarn by playing and exploring, taking part in sing-alongs, storytime, hands-on art projects and spread her wings in a group setting.

Because Emmie has already been to pre-school she already knows the ropes of how to get through a day at school and will know most of the children in her class.  I hope they become good friends, show
her (and she shows them) how to do things when she's confused, invite her to sit with them at lunch and play with her at playtime.  I hope Emmie and  Chloe will meet some wonderful children and have lots of fun with them as they grow up together.

Emmie has told me she has already met her teacher and likes her and I am sure she will teach her many interesting things.  I hope you love to read, because reading can take you to any place and any time - even places and times that don't exist.  I hope you love science and maths and discovering things about the world, because the world is so very, very interesting.

Starting school is a huge milestone for children and parents alike.  A child's first day at school can be crammed with emotions and it's just as likely to be the parents in tears at the classroom door as well as the children.

So send them in confidently, smiling, wishing them well then you can go and weep round the corner.  I did!!!!!  Photos of "my little ones". ........

And now I am a grandparent and I am looking forward to enjoying all the new experiences having a school-aged granddaughter will bring - the reading books she will bring home, the Christmas play, Sports Day etc., etc.

Emmie is ready to go.  She needs the progression and the social interaction.  She needs to find out about things without Mummy and Daddy and Helicopter Nanna (hovering) looking over her shoulder all the time and Gemma and Alun can start planning what they are going to do with their free time.

Enjoy yourselves.  She'll be back by 3.30 p.m.

You'll be fine. X
.