Reflection of our Summer Holidays 2016

July has certainly been Milo’s month as he passed his driving test and then passed the interview and entry tests for a job in Sainsbury’s in Attleborough. He is in the fresh products team swapping his tweed coat for a Sainsbury’s maroon thermal jacket and gloves in the middle of summer. By the end of the holidays he had earnt enough money for a new ‘techy’ style phone (far too expensive!!) and a new look of trendy clothes – shirts, bespoke shoes and ties being textured and bow styles. A picture of Milo ‘Man about town’ in his little car.

July has also been the month when our nephew Jake married the lovely Nicola. There was at least three best-men and I believe three bridesmaids, flower girl being India and Nicolas nephew as a page boy. They married in Banham church by the local vicar who was fabulous. He covered all prominent subjects of a young couple’s life being drink, sex and how married life works with risks of temptation, boredom and then how to look after each other, all wrapped up with the web address of the church at the end. A really great wedding sermon! The reception was back at Vanessa and Stevens in the garden, a marquee for afternoon tea and evening BBQ and a lot more friends came along. Picture of the lovely couple, then one of my favourite pictures of all the cousins and silly boys – Dylan and Finley. 

The first week of the school summer holidays and we took mum and dad on a narrow boat holiday with Jerry, I and Pirate Captain Dylan. We were on the Grand Union Canal from Leighton Buzzard travelled up the canal through at least 25 locks, the oldest iron aqueduct and then the longest navigating tunnel called Blisworth Tunnel. We then turned around on a ‘turning hole’ and came back covering a grand total of 20 miles.

Our Pirate Captain enjoyed the experience of walking the plank, sending out orders as he sailed the waters of the canal and his crew enjoyed the pleasures of the local pubs along the canal banks.

It really was a very different experience, incredibly slow, so slow people who walked were faster than us in our narrow boat, one not to have missed and to be repeated. I hope you enjoy the video I asked Milo to put together for me to give a feel of our holiday.

A couple of weeks later in August we took Jerry on his birthday trip to Edinburgh to soak up the atmosphere of The Fringe and attend the Edinburgh Royal Tattoo. The added surprise being we were meeting up with Eric and Sue in Edinburgh but Jerry didn’t know, they were supposed to be holidaying in Cornwall – well that’s what Jerry thought everybody else knew otherwise. Eric and Sue met us at the airport, they had driven up a few days earlier, and poor Jerry was floored in those few moments he couldn’t comprehend what was going on. It was funny and a relief, lying since May was hard going.

We started our trip with an open top bus tour of the city, taking in the many Fringe activities and shows on the streets as always it was a really interesting and easy way to capture the essence of the city. In the evening we went to the Military Tattoo and ‘WOO’ what a show, it was truly magnificent modern and mesmerizing, both Milo and Dylan (for as long as he could keep his eyes open) on the edge of their seats enjoying the show. The picture display on the side of Edinburgh Castle was as remarkable as the musical parades with a celebration to Bowie.

We spent the next day enjoying the cottage, in the middle of nowhere, being the hot tub with a few sips of wine! Going home we went via crossing the ‘Forth of Firth’ bridge to a small beach and paddled in really clear water. My funniest picture being the one below of Milo laying on the beach in August in his black jeans, tweed coat and scarf. He actually admitted to being too hot in the car travelling back to the airport asking for the air conditioning to be put on – a very rare moment! A great opportunist break.

Drinks in the Fringe

Edinburgh Military Tattoo Finale

Fabulous view

Enjoying the beach 

I had the last week of the school holidays off too and again took Dylan to London for the day with my lovely friend Val, we had a fabulous day together. Our aim being dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum and the London Eye. Dylan was really excited at the thought of the forthcoming experience starting with the train and underground trips, then when we discussed the plan with him and he heard the word ‘Kensington’ he informed us Peter Pan came from Kensington Gardens which then meant a detour to see the Peter Pan statue. Dylan’s pirate life is based on the antics of Captain Hook fighting Peter Pan, being very real in his life and to anyone around Dylan, so the statue became a must.

The dinosaurs were great fun, he enjoyed the roaring moving robotics dinosaurs best, insisting on being brought a dinosaur egg which has since been given birth too. We next hot-footed to find and admire the beautiful bronze statue of Peter Pan, Dylan was in-orr of the experience his face was a picture. On the London Eye Dylan was initially apprehensive as he sat in the middle of the pod bench, legs crossed tucked under him, holding on in case he fell out! It wasn’t long before he became brave and ventured around the pod recognising the landmark views, he particularly enjoys and recognises Big Ben. A really good fun day.

Dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum

 

Sitting next to his hero 'Peter Pan'

Enjoying the London Eye above Big Ben

Then the school holidays end and the boys are back to school, Milo in year 13 (last year of Sixth Form) and Dylan in year 2 and to the next class at Rocklands school. I returned to Sussex for the last week finishing on Friday, having partied hard with flowing champagne on the Thursday night with work colleagues in Brighton, and started at Wexham Park Hospital near Slough on the Monday – another posting for another day.

Hope you read to the end and have enjoyed my news