merry christmas

Wishing you

Love + Laughter

Health + Happiness

and

A few nice things in your Christmas stocking.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

X X X

up up and away

We started the weekend with a visit to the Oregon International Airshow.

Friday was the opening evening.  On a gorgeous sunny day, the blue sky was a perfect backdrop to the amazing flying skills of the pilots and their magnificent planes.  Incredible speeds and displays, stunts, parachutes, the Patriots, the US Armed Forces, and at the end of the evening a fabulous fireworks display.  The whole evening was filled with Ooooohs and Ahhhhhs!

Luca loved talking to all the super patient, polite and highly knowledgeable armed forces members, who answered his every question (and hundreds of similar ones for excited boys) and let him climb into tanks and hold their artillery.

Here's a few of my favourite photographs taken by the Huzz of those magnificent men and women in their flying machines.

Chocks Away!

goodbye london

Passing through London Heathrow Airport on the way back to the US.

A few last minute photos to be taken.

Thank you UK for a wondeful vacation.

You spoilt us with some Great British Summer sunshine (what a surprise and a luxury!).

a real english castle

Who can resist exploring a real castle when they visit England.   The nearest one to us was Arundel Castle in West Sussex.  Built at the end of the 11th Century, this castle is set in 40 acres of beautifully kept gardens and manicured grounds. With a drawbridge, Keep, Chapel, Portculis and unique artwork, tapestries, furniture, not forgetting the history and all Kings, Queens, Dukes and other monarchy that have passed through, Arundel has everything you could wish in a castle. Definitey worth a visit if you find yourself in beautiful Sussex.

Oh yes, there's plenty of armour, weapons, steep winding staircases, a dungeon and deep well to keep the kids interested. 

london calling

Playing tourist in London.

So great to show my kiddos around London and all the wonderful sights, sounds
buildings, history and the places I was taken to as a child.

Changing of the Guard

at Buckingham Palace.

spring break, so far

Scenes from the first couple of days of our Spring Break....

Daffs are a sure sign that Spring has sprung.

A little early mini chocolate egg indulgence!

Lots of Harvey walking to the parks and getting him to part with rather large sticks!

Great lookout!  This little girl is fearless.

First day this year at the coast.

A bit of big brother tackling going on here!

One man and his dog.

Harvey's first day on a beach.  

What couldn't he love - digging holes, running, splashing, eating seaweed!

Always something new to do and find at the beach.

Trying to pull a huge pile of sea kelp up the beach (as you do!).

a frosty morning

A very heavy frost greeted us on Sunday morning in our neighbourhood.

Absolutely stunning.

Beautiful

the christmas break

The Christmas trees (we had 2, we love them so) are down and looking sad and lonely out on the front porch waiting for the Boy Scouts to collect them tomorrow.  Decorations are packed away for another 11 months (it's not that long really is it?!).  Gifts have found their rightful place in closets, on bookshelves, in the bathroom waiting to be used for some quiet pampering time.

My favourite gift was a huge terrarium from the Huzz.  A beautifully made hand blown glass sphere from India, that the Huzz chose all the plants and arranged inside.  I've been wanting one forever and it now sits on our dining table for me to enjoy every day.

We've had a good Christmas break relax.  A trip to the movies.  Taking our pooch Harvey for his first walks out in the neighbourhood.  A family outing to see 'Peter Pan' at the NW Children's Theatre.  Lots of dinners with friends and lots of playing Bird Bingo (highly recommend this board game) and Jenga.  Nothing to much, but just enough.

The Huzz and I have started to enjoy the winter evenings with a couple of dvd box sets.   We are switching between the US and the UK!  First up is 'Homeland' (gripping and very 'now') starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis - I really cannot wait to watch the next episode this evening.   And 'Our Friends in the North' - a British TV drama series from 1996 telling the story of 4 friends from the North of England between 1964 and 1995.  A brilliant drama showcasing the early acting talents of Daniel Craig, Gina McKee, Christopher Eccleston and Mark Strong. The British Film Institute rated 'Our Friends in the North' number 25 in the top 100 Greatest British Telelvision programmes of the 20th Century.   Have you watched either of these?

We are trying to cut back on our Christmas indulgences but with a few treats still hanging around it may take a little longer than expected!  Oh well!

And so that's how we've been rolling this past week or so

Hope your 2013 has started well.  Happy Weekending.

2013.......

M A Y   2 0 1 3   B R I N G   Y O U


L O V E

L A U G H T E R

H E A L T H

H A P P I N E S S

P R O S P E R I T Y

P E A C E

A N D   A L L   G O O D    T H I N G S

H A P P Y   2 0 13   E V E R Y O N E