Sun and Spain

Just back from the most wonderful five days in Spain staying at the best B & B you will ever see...www.cortijodelsevillano.com

We took the boys back to Spain to have a family break in the middle of the half term and my goodness you would have thought we had won the parenting lottery. The B and B is run by Gail and Mick who the boys now consider their bestest new mates. Nothing to do with age here, more the ability to connect with little boy’s sense of adventure. Having arrived at 11 in the morning the lads were straight in the pool - freezing or not - once you have swam in the Mole a pool at the end of October holds no barrier to excitement. And all this before they had even met Kevin.

Kevin - well where do you start.

Kev is an English Pointer and hotel dog by profession. His hobbies include pointing at his ball (but always with his backside as opposed to his nose), walking around permanently with a ball in his chops, hanging around in the general area of small excited little lads at all times, wagging his tail in the most excited of welcomes and of course lying in the lap of comfort as the whole lot of us cuddle and snuggle up to his beautiful comedy face. I can quite believe he has his own fan club as if he doesn't Alf and Chas are about to start one.

Mick made the boys holiday by taking them for their first ever camp fire - men only and complete with ACDC on the stereo. I can’t believe we have never done burning sticks in our own garden, rectified now!

Food.

Food needs its own paragraph here.

Gail is now the new love of my husband’s life. One mention of Steak and Kidney Pudding (diamonds and pearls to J) and it was presented. I think the right statement here is 'now you're talking'. I have never eaten like it. Alfie took himself down to breakfast most mornings to partake of the choice on offer - cornflakes, and some small Spanish honey covered stars - and anything else his heart desires. Quite honestly there is a cookbook or gastro tour ready to explode in this place1

We came home chilled out and on landing at Gatwick, chilled through. We made straight for the end of the garden, built a campfire and cooked sausages. The UK version needs a bit of fine tuning - we could not see what we were eating and it was bonkers cold but - from sun to snow... all happy here

Where did that summer go...?

As you can see this blogging took a back seat as fun and sun took hold over the summer...

I don't even know where to start. So some simple highlights:

A scorching hot holiday in Spain
Every weekend at the Caravan, suspending the reality of work by leaving at 6am on a Monday to get to town in time
Feeling shattered but happy at work until a sausage sandwich took hold
Saying goodbye to best friends as they emigrated to Oz
Both sets of Canadian Outlaws visiting and playing
Stu swimming in the freezing cold sea with Charlie
Drinking a little too much wine in the Ship
Watching Brendan learn to ride his bike
Henry's tonsillectomy! (J has told the boys that the vet got the wrong end...hence Henry is Henrietta)
Crabbing and then making the car smell of squid
J setting up a football club
Chas and Alf learning to swim on holiday
The dogs discovering Plum and her chums
Alf staying up until 2am listening to bad Spanish rock on the beach
Swimming in the Mole after work
Deciding that I can get to Chichester from town after work

Then summer ends...

But, no worries here in the shed as the winter plans take over...

The cinema is back - watching films as soon as it is dark. Friday night after school is now cinema club time. We have had to do Pokémon a few times which is not the height of Oscar award winning class, but with little faces watching their giant silver screen in the comfort of the shed...worth every moment.

The football club is now Saturday mornings; I have even found myself rather happily making the tea. Afternoons are spent running around our newly flattened garden or those of our friends, and the fire is bristling away (maybe soon even able to use our own wood!). The seats are out down by the river and hide and seek begins in the wood.

warm and cosy, and about to eat roast chicken