Jenny, Bethany, 
Callum and Elsie came to spend the day with us and we certainly had a busy time. They arrived at 10:40 and we set off straight away for a walk to the cascades via the ox-pens. The weather was kind and the children enjoyed the walk and playing pooh sticks at the cascades (there was not a lot of water but it was still good). After lunch Bethany and Callum enjoyed arts and craft with Annie and playing with grandpa’s trains as well as playing several different games. The weather was still good so we went to Quennington Park and played on the old fashioned swings and roundabout etc. Then home for tea and baths before they set off for home. Grannie and Grandpa had a great time and I think the family Davidson did also.
The glorious Spring weather saw us camping in Shropshire for 4 nights this week. The area around Ellesmere was new to us but a brilliant choice by Annie. The campsite was delightful – perched on a hill with great views of the surrounding countryside. We enjoyed several 6 to 7 mile walks including sections along the towpaths of the Shropshire Union, Llangollen and Montgomery Canals. The reflections in the water on the Montgomery Canal near Maesbury were a delight. One of our walks took us to Grinshill and a beautiful small church before we climbed up to a viewpoint with amazing panoramas in all directions. We also visited Whittington and Chirk Castles. The latter was a magnificent country home with beautiful gardens. Of course the weather made it all the more special. We even had a hot air balloon overhead the campsite on 2 evenings. One observation about Shropshire is that all the stiles seem higher than anywhere else and some were clearly no longer used.
A selection of the photographs we took are shown below:
……………………Whittington Castle……………………………………LLangollen Canal…………………..
………………………Ellesmere…………………………………………….Chirk Castle…………………..
………………Chirk Castle Gardens……………………………………..Chirk Castle Gardens……………..
Chirk Castle Gardens
Hot Air Balloon over Campsite
…………………Grinshill Church…………………………………………..View above Grinshill……………..
……………………………..Reflections in the Montgomery Canal at Maesbury……………………………..
…………Montgomery Canal near Maesbury………………………………..Disused Stile…………………..
We
have just returned from 3 nights camping at Harford Bridge on the edge of Dartmoor (we were the only tent!). The weather was great for walking although it did rain in the middle of the third night. This trip was the first for our new tent – the same design as the last one but a couple of feet longer which greatly improved the space for sitting. We also tried out our electric hook–up which enabled us to use an electric kettle, a fan heater and electric light and what a difference it made – we were warm in the evening and could read!
We enjoyed 4 walks including one new circular walk from the campsite across farmland to Mary Tavy and back via tracks and a narrow but very quiet country road. The other walks were some of our favourites. First there was a walk to the church on top of Brentor. When we had done this walk before it had been raining or the clouds were low. Consequently, the views were not that good. This time they were fantastic and we could see for miles in every direction. The view shown is to the North East.
The second walk was to the
Dewerstone and then down a very steep and quite difficult path past the Dewerstone Crags before crossing the river and climbing up the other side of the valley. The photograph of the crags, taken from the opposite side of the valley, gives an indication of how steep a climb it was.
Our final walk was along Dr Blackall’s Drive with tremendous views of the Dart Valley and then returning through woods and across farmland and the Moor to our car and a welcome cup of soup. The walk may only have been 8.4 km but the ascents and descents certainly had our muscles aching.
This is the earliest in the year we have been camping in the UK but the weather, fan heater and electric light certainly made it very pleasant!
We had a lovely visit from Mark, Jenny, Bethany, Callum and Elsie today. They arrived for lunch and stayed until teatime. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty grim so we could not go out for a walk or play in the garden. The children didn’t mind as they loved playing with some toy cars, and an old Fisher Price toy house with furniture and people (although Callum enjoys putting cars in the berdrooms!). Callum also played with Grandpa’s model railway and is getting very confident controlling 4 trains at the same time. Whilst he was doing that, Bethany and Grannie made some lovely bookmarks for mummy and daddy. The children also love playing games with Grannie (and occasionally Grandpa). Elsie, of course, did not join in the games but did enjoy playing with the toys. She has changed so much since we last saw her a couple of weeks ago. A lovely visit – shame it had to end!
February has been a quiet month but we managed a few days in Cornwall staying at our regular haunt – The Crown Inn at Lanlivery just south of Bodmin.
The weather was great for walking and we managed 3 good walks before it was time to return home. The most enjoyable walk was a circular route from the small village of Lerryn. We had to cross the river but were fortunate that the tide was out and we could use the stepping stones otherwise we would have had to walk a bit further and go over the road bridge.
We followed the river for a couple of miles and then turned inland to go through woods and across open fields before returning to Lerryn.
We also had a good walk from the town of Polruan which is on the opposite bank of the River Fowey from Fowey itself. The walk provided stunning views of Fowey and the river but was hard on the knees as it was a typical coastal path – up and down and up and down etc. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it.
All in all a great three days.
This 
weekend we went to see Carly and Ian and their twins. We travelled around South America with Carly and Ian in 2006. The twins are gorgeous with individual personalities and were great fun to be with. Carly and Ian had prepared a magnificent lunch which we enjoyed whilst the girls had a nap (brilliant planning by Carly!). Unfortunately, the time went all too quickly and we had to do battle with the M25!
January
and early February have been quiet for us. We have had some snow – the latest fell last night. The previous snow fall had occured last Saturday afternoon when we were at the theatre in Salisbury. However, we got home to find that of the whole journey, Fairford had the deepest snow (8cm). Annie and I were out for supper and walked the mile to the other end of town. We both agreed that the walk was one of the nicest we had ever done – wrapped up warm, with the snow crunching underfoot, a nearly full moon and cloudless sky we met no cars and only a couple of other walkers. The down side was that we had to postpone a visit the following day to friends living just outside Watford. Even last night’s snow did not start to fall until we had got home from a brilliant day out in Stratford on Avon where we saw the RSC’s Taming of the Shrew (outstanding). 
We have just returned from 10 wonderful weeks in the USA. For the first week we stayed with Jo, Todd and family in San Jose. It was great to catch up with the children when they were not at school. We managed a trip to the seaside for Alexander and Oliver to do a spot of fishing off the pier, unfortunately without luck that time (on another trip after we had returned to the UK, both boys caught a fish, Alexander taking his home, gutting it and the eating it after Todd had BBQ’d it). 
Sienna, being the young lady, preferred more feminine pastimes. It was a great week and we celebrated Gerry’s birthday before we set off for Palm Springs.
Palm Springs was as lovely as ever although the weather was a lot cooler than average. We met up with many of our friends who live or winter in Palm Springs and enjoyed several drinks parties, dinner parties and trips out including the cinema and a visit to our favourite restaurant in Idyllwild with friends. Annie also hosted a traditional English dinner party in our bungalow. When we invited the guests they immediately asked if Annie would do Coronation Chicken as they had so enjoyed it the previous time they dined with us. Annie also joined in the aquarobics class held most mornings – not really a class but a chance for the ladies to have a long chat whilst doing some exercise in the water. Gerry used the time to swim and was up to about 1100m a session by the end of the stay. Most of the rest of the time was spent sitting by the pool or Christmas shopping when the weather was particularly grim (for Palm Springs) in the early part of December.
There
were, however, two high spots during the time we were based in Palm Springs. The first was a couple of days in Las Vegas. The purpose of the visit was to meet up with a friend, Penny, who lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. Penny, one of our travelling companions on our trip around South America in 2006, was holidaying in the USA and visiting Las Vegas. Since we had cancelled our planned round the world trip earlier in the year when we would have visited her, it was an opportunity to catch up that could not be missed. Apart from visiting the wonderful gardens of the Bellagio Hotel and enjoying the view from the top of the Stratosphere, we spent a day exploring Red Rock Canyon and the Botanical Cactus Gardens. The cacti had been covered in thousands of lights and decorations ready for the holiday season but were switched on (I assume for testing) prior to the official opening a few days after our visit. We had a great time!
The 
second high spot of our time in Palm Springs was a five day visit over Thanksgiving by Jo and family. (It is a fact that one of the first questions when we arrive in Palm Springs is “When are the grandchildren visiting?”).
As usual, the children stayed with us and this time Jo and Todd stayed in another bungalow rented from some friends of ours. Alexander, Oliver and Sienna love the routine of their stays in Palm Springs. 
They wake at around half past six, carefully open the door to our bedroom every few minutes until they are sure we are awake and then charge in and climb up the middle of the bed. Grannie and Grandpa enjoy a cup of tea in bed whilst the children (and us) enjoy some special ginger snap biscuits that we get from Trader Joe’s. After breakfast we head for the pool where the children swim and play for the rest of the day until the sun sets over the mountain. Showers, teatime snacks and then drawing, playing games, scooting around the neighbourhood, walking up Bug Mountain (where we look for bugs and other animals hence the name given by the children) or visiting the park precede supper and a quiet time before bed.
It was a great visit, especially Thanksgiving Day itself when we enjoyed a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Annie did an amazing job! 
We left Palm Springs to head up to San Jose on the 16th of December. Jo and Todd had decorated the outside of their house with lights and a Christmas tree as had most of the residents in their road. It is just a shame that none of our photographs did justice to the wonderful festive displays as you drove up to their house. Family P had also decorated the inside of their house and had the most beautiful tree in the lounge area. It was so perfectly shaped, you could be forgiven for thinking it was imitation!
What a great time we had in the build up to Christmas
,
trips to various parks, a house specially decorated with thousands of lights (raising money for charity), cooking sessions, ice skating, a visit to Winter Wonderland (a temporary fairground in downtown San Jose), and BMXing for the boys at a special cycle track.
All too soon it was Christmas Day.
It may have started early, but everyone was on great form. The children were excited and very happy – no fights or disputes for the whole day and lots of lovely presents to open and play with. A lovely brunch of Eggs Benedict kept us going until we all sat down to a full Turkey dinner with Crackers containing the usual hats novelties and jokes (Alexander took great delight in reading them out). It was a wonderful spread.
Thank you Jo for all your hard work. Later in the evening, after the children had gone to bed, both Annie and I summed up the day in one word – “perfect”.
Boxing Day (obviously not called that in the USA) dawned fresh but sunny and we all went to the park to play football for the lads and the climbing frames for Sienna when she wasn’t walking her new dog that walks on a lead and turns left and right at the press of a button (It is a toy not real) All too soon it was evening and the last night of our stay.
Thank you Jo, Todd, Alexander, Oliver and Sienna for a brilliant time.
And so our autumn sojourn to California came to an end.
The day after we arrived home, we headed for Jenny and Mark’s in Caversham to spend time with them, Bethany, Callum and baby Elsie who had grown so much in the time we were away. 
Then the icing on the already wonderful cake was the arrival of Martin and Louise. M and L had come back from Singapore for Christmas and it was the only opportunity for us to get together before they return. Jenny had prepared a lovely meal and we sat around the dining table chatting until we left to return to Fairford just after 10pm. The next morning, Jon and Jess rang to ask if they could drop in on their way back to Bristol. An unexpected but very welcome surprise – Annie managed to produce a lovely lunch (don’t know how as we had only done a very basic shop the evening we arrived home) and we sat and chatted until late afternoon. Lucy (the nurse) is working nights and we will catch up with her and hopefully Dr James in Bristol next week. It is just a shame that the only member of the family we will not have seen is son James. He had spent Christmas at The Nook and expected to see us before he had to go back to London. Unfortunately, we were a couple of hours late getting home (but that’s another story!) and so missed him.
All in all a fantastic Autumn and Christmas.
We will not be able to get the family all together this Christmas so with all the UK based family getting together at The Nook this weekend, we took the opportunity to celebrate an early Christmas.
We were blessed with a fantastically dry, sunny and hot day but still managed to enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch with lots of gorgeous food and crackers (typical British).
After lunch some were able to play boule while Bethany and Callum went for a cycle ride (they are both very confident cyclists!) Elsie decided that sitting in a harness attached to her dad was a much better way of travelling.
Thanks to everyone for making the effort to come to Fairford – we had a fantastic day.
We have just returned from 2 weeks exploring Albania and a small part of Macedonia. Click here to find out about our trip.
Bethany and Callum came to stay for a couple of nights. The weather was pretty grim on one day but we managed a lovely time with walks in the puddles, craftwork with Annie, making cakes with Annie, playing with grandpa’s model railway and dressing up.
The next day was quite different weather wise and we visited the Cotswold Farm Park. Bethany and Callum had a super time looking at some of the animals but mostly playing on tractors (electric and pedal power), bouncing on a big bouncy mat and climbing frames. 
We enjoyed a picnic and an ice-cream before heading back to Caversham.
Callum enjoyed pedal power but preferred the motorised tractors!
Granny and Grandpa then returned home exhausted(!) but having had a great few days.
