The downside of going on holiday is the masses of washing that accumulates.
Today was spent trying to get as much of it done as possible.
Popped out to do some shopping for the week and to get a new hoover and additional clothes dryer.
Lots of time spent putting things away and straightening the house out (and doing more washing) before we ate dinner, watched Shrek The Third and then headed off for bed.
Sunday, 31 August 2008
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Time to go home!
Pooh! A week goes by so quickly when you are having fun!
It was a fantastic week and even all the petty squabbling and strops didn't spoil things.
It was really misty when we got up:
Toni in front of the mist:
Waiting for the Sandbank ferry:
On the Sandbank ferry (with the shore approaching):
It was a fantastic week and even all the petty squabbling and strops didn't spoil things.
It was really misty when we got up:
Toni in front of the mist:
Waiting for the Sandbank ferry:
On the Sandbank ferry (with the shore approaching):
Friday, 29 August 2008
Swanage Day 7
Spot the pattern!
Went swimming again this morning and did the towel drying run.
Had a really lazy day after that.
Took our time getting ready, did a bit of preparation for leaving tomorrow and then we split into two camps.
Toni, Gemima and I went shopping (and then popped into a cafe) whilst mum, Shane, Sophie, Sam and Aaron went to the beach.
We then all met up and went for a lovely meal at an Italian restaurant before going back to our caravans and packing.
Hair back as normal again!:
Looking all coy:
Whose shake?:
EEK!:
Aaron and mum:
Awww:
Gemima:
Shane & Sophie:
The gang's all here:
Went swimming again this morning and did the towel drying run.
Had a really lazy day after that.
Took our time getting ready, did a bit of preparation for leaving tomorrow and then we split into two camps.
Toni, Gemima and I went shopping (and then popped into a cafe) whilst mum, Shane, Sophie, Sam and Aaron went to the beach.
We then all met up and went for a lovely meal at an Italian restaurant before going back to our caravans and packing.
Hair back as normal again!:
Looking all coy:
Whose shake?:
EEK!:
Aaron and mum:
Awww:
Gemima:
Shane & Sophie:
The gang's all here:
Thursday, 28 August 2008
Swanage Day 6
Swimming as usual this morning at not quite as early o'clock as the past few days. After tumble drying all the swimming stuff it was back to mum's caravan for breakfast.
After breakfast mum, Toni, Sam, Gemima and I went off to do some shopping at Somerfield. We had to go to Co-op to pick up some last bits and Sam and Gemima decided to play on the toy train outside (the same one that Sam was photographed earlier in the week). This time though Sam was riding on it and got told off by a member of Co-op staff.
Once we returned to the caravan we headed off to play Crazy Golf (which mum won). The kids then went on some rides (with Sam managing ot get himself told off for going on the motorbikes even though it wasn't clear that he shouldn't). He went to get his token back as he hadn't realised, the woman was trying to refuse when Toni went to the desk and was given an immediate refund LMFAO. Following this I then joined them on the bumper cars. When my token had run out and I was getting out of my car, Aaron decided to ram me (see bottom photo).
As people were starting to get hungry we went into a cafe for a late lunch. Toni, Sophie and I decided to do some shopping so Shane, Aaron and Sam went back to the caravan to go swimming. Mum pottered off to do her own thing and we met her at the pier before we headed back again.
Once back at the caravan Toni and mum chilled out with a jug of Pimms before Toni and I cooked dinner. Gemima was very tired and her ankle was hurting so we had an early night, although we did stay up talking for ages once Gemima had settled.
After breakfast mum, Toni, Sam, Gemima and I went off to do some shopping at Somerfield. We had to go to Co-op to pick up some last bits and Sam and Gemima decided to play on the toy train outside (the same one that Sam was photographed earlier in the week). This time though Sam was riding on it and got told off by a member of Co-op staff.
Once we returned to the caravan we headed off to play Crazy Golf (which mum won). The kids then went on some rides (with Sam managing ot get himself told off for going on the motorbikes even though it wasn't clear that he shouldn't). He went to get his token back as he hadn't realised, the woman was trying to refuse when Toni went to the desk and was given an immediate refund LMFAO. Following this I then joined them on the bumper cars. When my token had run out and I was getting out of my car, Aaron decided to ram me (see bottom photo).
As people were starting to get hungry we went into a cafe for a late lunch. Toni, Sophie and I decided to do some shopping so Shane, Aaron and Sam went back to the caravan to go swimming. Mum pottered off to do her own thing and we met her at the pier before we headed back again.
Once back at the caravan Toni and mum chilled out with a jug of Pimms before Toni and I cooked dinner. Gemima was very tired and her ankle was hurting so we had an early night, although we did stay up talking for ages once Gemima had settled.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Swanage Day 5
We were supposed to be getting up early today to go swimming but failed to get up on the third snooze and so were late, much to Sophie's disgust. To make matters worse, mum had gone missing. As Toni and I were getting the swimming stuff together I suddenly spotted a familiar hood sitting out on our balcony. Turned out mum was a bit cheesed off because Sam was back sleeping in her caravan living room and so she didn't get her early morning "me time" as she is usually an early riser.
She came in for a cuppa while we finished getting ready and then we all trundled off to meet Sophie and Shane (Sam had been dispatched to our caravan to collect swimming stuff but we told him to stay).
Atmosphere was a bit tense in the pool. We did manage to have a bit of a swim though (and Gemima is really improving). Went into the sauna with Toni, Shane and Sam for a short while. Toni had to go back to Gemima and so Sophie came and joined us. Sophie exited as Shane dumped a whole bottle of water on the coals, things got hot very quickly and I had to bail out. I did think I was going to be subjected to chicken calls from Shane and Sam but they dived out almost immediately after me. It was funny though and we plan to repeat it all tomorrow.
After swimming things all went a bit Pete Tong. There were issues with Aaron, Sam then got a total grump followed by Sophie freaking out and me having to talk to Steph for the first time in god knows how long which was no fun. Thankfully all issues were resolved fairly quickly and we managed to sit down and have a nice brunch together. Following this we decided to head into town and down to the beach. Sam had decided that he didn't want to do anything so got all grumpy again, Aaron then stormed off in a huff too so it was all looking a bit rocky for family fun.
We popped into a fab hippy shop and spent ages in there. Mum, Shane and Sophie got bored so they headed off to the beach. Toni bought a great bag and some great warm tops for Gemima. Next stop was a kitsch shop that specialised in lots of girly stuff like fairies and Hello Kitty merchandise. I could have spent a fortune on the Kitty stuff. Toni bought me a fab fairy t-shirt.
We then strolled down to the beach, gathering ice cream on the way and settled into deck chairs whilst the kids played.
As we were in town we decided to go for an Indian for dinner to save anybody having to cook and found a fab little restaurant called Masala (original eh? LOL). Fantastic meal and the price was pretty reasonable too. Sophie and Shane left before dessert to head back and get some urgent supplies in and the rest of us following on in a taxi.
Got back to mum's caravan very tired. Gemima had a shower and washed her hair and the rest of us drank tea and watched Big Brother (sad I know but we needed a catch up). After that Toni and I watched a bit of Alan Carr's Tooth Fairy Live before heading back to the caravan as it wasn't really suitable for Gemima. Sam and Aaron followed on once it was over (Sam has agreed to sleep back in our caravan so that mum can have her bit of peace first thing in the morning)
Thankfully I think (or at least hope and pray) that all the grumps are now worked through and dealt with so that we can just get on and enjoy what is left of the holiday.
Toni in a deck chair:
Me in a deck chair:
Gemima and Aaron by the sea:
A view from the beach:
The sea:
Aaron and Gemima:
Toni and I:
Sophie:
Mum:
Shane:
Sam doing a Mick Jagger impression:
She came in for a cuppa while we finished getting ready and then we all trundled off to meet Sophie and Shane (Sam had been dispatched to our caravan to collect swimming stuff but we told him to stay).
Atmosphere was a bit tense in the pool. We did manage to have a bit of a swim though (and Gemima is really improving). Went into the sauna with Toni, Shane and Sam for a short while. Toni had to go back to Gemima and so Sophie came and joined us. Sophie exited as Shane dumped a whole bottle of water on the coals, things got hot very quickly and I had to bail out. I did think I was going to be subjected to chicken calls from Shane and Sam but they dived out almost immediately after me. It was funny though and we plan to repeat it all tomorrow.
After swimming things all went a bit Pete Tong. There were issues with Aaron, Sam then got a total grump followed by Sophie freaking out and me having to talk to Steph for the first time in god knows how long which was no fun. Thankfully all issues were resolved fairly quickly and we managed to sit down and have a nice brunch together. Following this we decided to head into town and down to the beach. Sam had decided that he didn't want to do anything so got all grumpy again, Aaron then stormed off in a huff too so it was all looking a bit rocky for family fun.
We popped into a fab hippy shop and spent ages in there. Mum, Shane and Sophie got bored so they headed off to the beach. Toni bought a great bag and some great warm tops for Gemima. Next stop was a kitsch shop that specialised in lots of girly stuff like fairies and Hello Kitty merchandise. I could have spent a fortune on the Kitty stuff. Toni bought me a fab fairy t-shirt.
We then strolled down to the beach, gathering ice cream on the way and settled into deck chairs whilst the kids played.
As we were in town we decided to go for an Indian for dinner to save anybody having to cook and found a fab little restaurant called Masala (original eh? LOL). Fantastic meal and the price was pretty reasonable too. Sophie and Shane left before dessert to head back and get some urgent supplies in and the rest of us following on in a taxi.
Got back to mum's caravan very tired. Gemima had a shower and washed her hair and the rest of us drank tea and watched Big Brother (sad I know but we needed a catch up). After that Toni and I watched a bit of Alan Carr's Tooth Fairy Live before heading back to the caravan as it wasn't really suitable for Gemima. Sam and Aaron followed on once it was over (Sam has agreed to sleep back in our caravan so that mum can have her bit of peace first thing in the morning)
Thankfully I think (or at least hope and pray) that all the grumps are now worked through and dealt with so that we can just get on and enjoy what is left of the holiday.
Toni in a deck chair:
Me in a deck chair:
Gemima and Aaron by the sea:
A view from the beach:
The sea:
Aaron and Gemima:
Toni and I:
Sophie:
Mum:
Shane:
Sam doing a Mick Jagger impression:
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Swanage Day 4
Got up really early today. Toni woke the kids up wearing her swimming costume shouting, "Who's coming swimming" and was met with a blurry look from Aaron and Gemima whispering, "I'm coming mummy." We all went down to mum's caravan to find that Sophie was still wandering around in her pyjamas when she was supposed to be ready. We did all manage to get out by 08:55 to start our swim at 09:00.
Lots of swimming and splashing (and Sam and I took a quick detour into the sauna for a short while) before we all got out and headed back to mum's caravan. Mum had stayed behind as she was feeling tired and offered to make breakfast. Sophie, Sam and Shane wanted to do their own thing so they decided to have their breakfast and shoot off while Toni, Aaron, Gemima and I went back to our caravan to wash our hair and get changed.
Once we were freshened up we went to have brunch with mum before getting in the car and heading to Abbotsbury to go to the swannery there. It was VERY cold so Toni and I donated our sweatshirts to Aaron and Gemima. We didn't stay long due to the cold and then headed off to the Children's Farm. Weather had warmed up slightly and there was lots of stuff for them to see and do. Highlights for me were riding on a tractor and a mad five minutes on a see saw swing thing. Aaron and Gemima had a sit down and held and fed guinea pigs. The excursion ended with them spending 15 minutes in the ball pit.
We then headed back via Aldi (where Toni found Iced Gems) and a petrol station and met up with Sophie, Sam and Shane. Toni made a gorgeous dinner and then we played Happy Families. Toni and I popped out for a bit of fresh air and private time before returned to have a late night snack of cheese and fruit.
Aaron & Gemima tired before we even started:
Weird dude lurking in the herb garden. WTF is that all about?:
Swans and geese as far as you can see:
Toni, Gemima, Aaron & mum:
Me, Gemima, Aaron & mum
Toni, Gemima, me & Aaron:
Gemima ensnared by Aaron using the duck decoy:
Squeeky pigs:
Me driving a tractor:
Insane swing fun!:
Lots of swimming and splashing (and Sam and I took a quick detour into the sauna for a short while) before we all got out and headed back to mum's caravan. Mum had stayed behind as she was feeling tired and offered to make breakfast. Sophie, Sam and Shane wanted to do their own thing so they decided to have their breakfast and shoot off while Toni, Aaron, Gemima and I went back to our caravan to wash our hair and get changed.
Once we were freshened up we went to have brunch with mum before getting in the car and heading to Abbotsbury to go to the swannery there. It was VERY cold so Toni and I donated our sweatshirts to Aaron and Gemima. We didn't stay long due to the cold and then headed off to the Children's Farm. Weather had warmed up slightly and there was lots of stuff for them to see and do. Highlights for me were riding on a tractor and a mad five minutes on a see saw swing thing. Aaron and Gemima had a sit down and held and fed guinea pigs. The excursion ended with them spending 15 minutes in the ball pit.
We then headed back via Aldi (where Toni found Iced Gems) and a petrol station and met up with Sophie, Sam and Shane. Toni made a gorgeous dinner and then we played Happy Families. Toni and I popped out for a bit of fresh air and private time before returned to have a late night snack of cheese and fruit.
Aaron & Gemima tired before we even started:
Weird dude lurking in the herb garden. WTF is that all about?:
Swans and geese as far as you can see:
Toni, Gemima, Aaron & mum:
Me, Gemima, Aaron & mum
Toni, Gemima, me & Aaron:
Gemima ensnared by Aaron using the duck decoy:
Squeeky pigs:
Me driving a tractor:
Insane swing fun!:
Monday, 25 August 2008
Swanage Day 3
The morning started off slowly with Sam being the biggest culprit in the "go slow at getting up" stakes. I went into the living room chanting, "Wakey wakey sea slug" as he was all coccooned in his duvet. Gemima quite happily joined in the attempt at waking him up!
Aaron went out the back to bring in all the washing as we needed it to go swimming and Gemima drew her impression of him on the window (look closely):
Sam exercised some serious bad dress sense (or maybe he is auditioning to be the next Jay):
We popped down to mum's caravan and then all went to the pool for a morning swim. A good time was had by all although as we had started late we didn't get a long session. Following our swim it was back to mum's caravan for brunch. Toni and I went to our caravan to change our shoes while two sulky boys did the washing up.
After some minor huffings and a teenage couple bickering we headed off and took a steam train to Corfe Castle. We popped into a cafe for a drink but there were still a lot of miserable kids with us :o(
The castle:
The crazy gang:
Aaron, Gemima, Toni and mum:
After various new strops and huffs our party fragemented so I want up high into the keep and used my super digital zoom to catch a photo of the Corfe Castle Grumping Committee:
Gemima started getting a bit whingy and grumpy and Sophie decided to pull strange faces to try and make her laugh (which seemed to work):
Things cheered up briefly as we headed back.
Toni and I on the train on the way back:
Sam riding his very own train:
We popped into Co-op to get some bits on the way back and then Toni, mum, Sophie and Gemima got a taxi back to the caravan whist Shane, Sam, Aaron and I walked back (but via the chinese take away). Sam still wasn't very happy and opted out of ordering and food as he said he wasn't hungry, very unlike him.
We had dinner and then things just seemed to explode, lots of silly comments being taken the wrong way before Sam just took off and left the caravan. After a few minutes I went searching for him. When I found him we went for a really long walk and had an excellent chat and managed to sort out some issues that he had going on in his head at the moment (nothing really to do with the holiday thankfully). One of them I can sort out immediately which pleased him and the others we can work on so he seemed much happier.
We returned to the caravan and I made him something to eat before we had a round of Chase The Ace and then all went off to bed. Plan is to get up early tomorrow so we can get a decent swimming session in.
Aaron went out the back to bring in all the washing as we needed it to go swimming and Gemima drew her impression of him on the window (look closely):
Sam exercised some serious bad dress sense (or maybe he is auditioning to be the next Jay):
We popped down to mum's caravan and then all went to the pool for a morning swim. A good time was had by all although as we had started late we didn't get a long session. Following our swim it was back to mum's caravan for brunch. Toni and I went to our caravan to change our shoes while two sulky boys did the washing up.
After some minor huffings and a teenage couple bickering we headed off and took a steam train to Corfe Castle. We popped into a cafe for a drink but there were still a lot of miserable kids with us :o(
The castle:
The crazy gang:
Aaron, Gemima, Toni and mum:
After various new strops and huffs our party fragemented so I want up high into the keep and used my super digital zoom to catch a photo of the Corfe Castle Grumping Committee:
Gemima started getting a bit whingy and grumpy and Sophie decided to pull strange faces to try and make her laugh (which seemed to work):
Things cheered up briefly as we headed back.
Toni and I on the train on the way back:
Sam riding his very own train:
We popped into Co-op to get some bits on the way back and then Toni, mum, Sophie and Gemima got a taxi back to the caravan whist Shane, Sam, Aaron and I walked back (but via the chinese take away). Sam still wasn't very happy and opted out of ordering and food as he said he wasn't hungry, very unlike him.
We had dinner and then things just seemed to explode, lots of silly comments being taken the wrong way before Sam just took off and left the caravan. After a few minutes I went searching for him. When I found him we went for a really long walk and had an excellent chat and managed to sort out some issues that he had going on in his head at the moment (nothing really to do with the holiday thankfully). One of them I can sort out immediately which pleased him and the others we can work on so he seemed much happier.
We returned to the caravan and I made him something to eat before we had a round of Chase The Ace and then all went off to bed. Plan is to get up early tomorrow so we can get a decent swimming session in.
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