Windy Wales May 2014

         

This weekend we went to Little Haven with the Center Parcs Gang. It should really be the Center Parcs Pensioners but Val  isn't 60 yet so that would be unkind.! 

The weather wasn't good but we managed to get out every day. It was wet and windy on Saturday so we went into Tenby for a mooch round.

 This was the deserted beach! It was so windy the sand was blowing every where. Within a few minutes we had sand every where, so,we pegged it up to the Lifeboat Station for a bit of shelter

This was the old lifeboat station which someone has now bought and turned into a private residence. It was on Grand Designs but we missed it. Could think of nothing worse personally . No where to park for a start🚗

We went to a place called New Gale. It was battered during the February storms and we wanted to see if it had recovered.

Hard to tell really. 

We found a  " message in a bottle" on the beach

                          

                  It took ages to get it out, we ended up smashing the bottle but it was just a soppy note about enjoying life etc etc, not a greeting from a far flung land !

              

  

It was really too windy to any proper walking but we did go to Barafundle Bay. It is a beautiful beach only accessible by foot. 

            

       

                           

 Rog and Charlotte nearly had their coats blown off them it  was so windy.

                        

Looks like it's the middle of winter! 

Afterwards we went to Solva. Its a beautiful little harbour and it was sheltered from the wind

There are a couple of pubs and a tea shop and a phenomenally expensive shop that is full of stuff that looks lovely but costs a fortune. Needless to say,didn't buy anything.

We did manage to get a walk on Sunday. We had to shorten the route as it was too windy on the cliff top. We had some fantastic views and even stopped on the beach for lunch

Malcolm and Med checking the map? There weren't too many choices!

Lunch.

The house we stay in belongs to Val's brother. From the garden you can walk straight onto the costal path and down into Little Haven.

                                   

Here we are enjoying the lovely weather

                  

On our last night we had dinner  in the pub overlooking the beach. We had watched the sun set and rushed out just in time to catch it

                                            

                                                    

While we were away Med celebrated his 65th birthday

                           

He put up with a lot of teasing that day but, as always , took it in good spirit.

Phoebe's 13 th Birthday April 2014 🎁

Today we headed over to Maidstone to celebrate Phoebe's birthday. James and Aimee were there with little Henry. Not seen him for ages and he is growing up fast

Happy cousins.

         💝   The birthday girl 💝

Nick did a lovely BBQ for lunch and thankfully it stayed dry long enough for us to eat and for little Henry to get outside in the sunshine

   

 

After lunch Phoebe opened her presents, mainly clothes, and then did a fashion parade. 

                

We bought her some hair wavers

I think she was pleased with them! Another favourite was this outfit from Aimee

                                    

I think she had a great time and I'm sure the clothes will get plenty of wear.

     Presents from Granny and Grandpa              

A lot of candles this year🎉

          

Happy Birthday Gorgeous. Hope you enjoy every second.

The Aldrich Gang April 2014

After we got back from Swanage it was a quick turnaround to get ready for Phoebe,Abigail and William. We love having them and we get to go to a lot of places that we normally wouldn't bother with. 

The weather was good so on the first day we set off for a picnic at Tilgate Park in Crawley.

We took some badminton rackets and a ball. Simples! 

             

     Badders anyone?

They played all afternoon, so did we!! Needless  to say, we were quite tired when we got home

Next day we went to the Science Park at Herstmonceux. We've been before but they still found enough to occupy themselves for the day.

Building a dam.

We went into the telescope dome this time. 

They opened the roof which was quite impressive. Unfortunately the presentation was just a bit too technical and I don't think the kids enjoyed it much. 

The last time we went we were told that there was an image of Albert Einstein, a bit of an optical illusion,that could be seen from a metal work globe of the Earth. We couldn't see it then but this year we did! 

Clever stuff ! 

Next day the kids did some craft.

 In the afternoon we went to Wet And Wild. We went last year on a rainy day during the summer holidays and it was rammed. However, this year we went on a sunny day and there were only about 20 kids in the whole place. Perfect.

         

                        

                 Water babies

              

The next day William got taken off to golf by grandad. The girls made up a dance

It was a beautiful day so we went outside onto the green and they had lots of space to practise.

So flexible, makes me feel as if I'm made of wood. !!!

                         

   

All too soon the week was over. We had a brilliant time.

Swanage with the Ellis Famliy. April 2014

The weather was not really very kind to us and we got a good soaking on more than one occasion. However , Madelyn had the time of her life.

Just digging has a timeless appeal and even in the rain she managed a smile.

 The sun did make an appearance and  Jo and Andy got to ride their bikes. 

                        

Kneesy does it!

Andy and his dad soaking up some rays.

We went to a place called Farmer Palmers. It was aimed at the under 8s so it was just right for Madelyn

 She had a whale of a time

 Feeding the lambs was a bit scary. They all rush out in a bunch and all go for the same bottle. They are really quite strong so she had to hang on tight.

Waiting for them!

Hang on tight!!

Jo and Andy had bought a little scooter with them for Madelyn to play on.

She can go really fast and has developed a fancy bit of leg work

Throwing stones at Lulworth Cove

                 

Where ever you go, my arm will be around you.