This has been a while coming, normally I have loads of time to write over the winter but we have not stopped!
In October we were visited by some dear friends and Mike went Dinghy sailing in the Plymouth sound for two days with Ian whilst I got to catch up with Tally. We spent a week up in Kent, visiting family and friends whilst Mike helped with 14th Tonbridge's sailing course over half term and the admiralty inspection.
We went and picked pumpkins (placed around a field) carved them. Had way too much cheese! And finished the week of with a lovely viait to explore Igtham Mote with Grandma and visots to see Mike's sisters and our neices and nephews.
November saw Mia and Jacob getting involved in their first Beaver and Cub parade for remembrance day. Mia became a seconder and then quickly progressed to a sixer. I got older again! and we welcomed our American sailing friends we met in Tréguier to Plymouth. We all went Ice Skating and spent the day going around the Eden project together. I was treated to a real American pumpkin pie as they celebrated Thanksgiving in England. It was nice to see them again reinforcing that even when we leave friends we will see them again.
Jacob also went sno tubing at the local dry slope with his Beavers, he really enjoyed throwing himself down the slope setting him in good stead for skiing after Christmas.
At the beginning of December we went to see Wales vs South Africa at the millennium stadium in Wales. Imogen's first experience and she and I missed the first two tries because she needed the toilet, parental joys eh!
We had a fabulous weekend with my Mum and Papa, memories to treasure especially their laughs at Paddington Bear 2.
We then spent the weekends visiting family and friends for Christmas which was lovely as always.
We had a boat party in the marina just before Christmas, mince pies and mulled wine from 4. What a turn out we were all sozzled by 9 and the boat was almost dry!
We celebrated New Years with friends just around the corner in Kingsand it was rather jolly although the weather did not play ball to allow us to sail round and anchor.
The first day of January, our New Years day walk, we manged to lose the middle Pirate. Lost in his own little world he had lost track of us and returned to where he knew was safe our friends house and waited while we franctically searched. The local community pitched in and within five minutes a description had been sent round and a search party gathered. Mike had found him just he couldn't tell me as the phone signal was non existance.
Then, it all came about so fast, we went off skiing for our third year. A different place again this year, always where the deals are, Saint François Longchamps. It seems a distant memory now but Imogen was her normal self and took time (the whole week) to get into her groove. The others flew, Jacob was desperate to try snowboarding but was too young for lessons so we hired a board and Mike passed on the basics he was quite happy going down the slopes on it. Mia skis beautifully and really improved her parallel turns and speed control this year, always waiting for me to catch up. (Although I did find it was easier this year too. Mike went back to skis for a bit but much prefers snowboarding.
When we returned we had a week to prepare for our new arrival. We welcomed Elsie our Portuguese Water Dog to the family. Some call us mad but then we were already! The next weeks were spent training our new puppy and getting together all her vaccinations so she could travel with us to Portugal at the beginning of March.
February saw the boat quarenteened all three little pirates got chicken pox, Jacob first who was a little under the weather and recovered and then two weeks later the girls went down with it and really suffered. Whilst the girls went down wirh it Jacob and Mike went for a sail on our friends boat to fly his spinnaker. They both had huge grins on their faces when they got back.
In March Jacob spent his birthday with his Beaver friends at the clip n climb he really does go to a wonderful group.
Then we started our Journey to Portugal via Southampton, France and Spain arriving the day before Mia's birthday.
As we travelled through France we stopped to catch up with my Auntie out there, unfortunately we missed the rest of the family. The children played with the Air BnB hosts children not understanding a word each other said but the pleasentries our children have picked up. It is amazing how they can just be together. As we made a fuel stop we made an accidental find of the most amazing chocolate shop, you could see them making all the easter eggs filling the moulds theh were huge. We may have brought some to test which were delicious.
We went to Portugal to help some sailing friends with a house sit. They have a beautiful place near the boarder to Spain. It feels completely remote but it is close to the most amazing towns. They are working to be self sufficient and have some great idea and methods. Unfortunately, their work commitments had thrown their original plans in the air so we joined them for just over a week and a half before we started exploring the rest of Portugal.
Off we went to visit the dinosaur footprints and the dinosaur museum in Lourinhã. We stopped in Lisbon for two nights and it is a beautiful city. The castle has amazing views and the atmosphere was magical in the evening.
Then we headed south as we booked the accommodation last minute we were limited in choice and we ended up in the Algarve. It was a stark contrast to the north especially the resort towns. However, what I love about Air BnB's is the variety of places we have seen and people we have met. We had a lovely place not far from Portimão, the people were friendly and we saw the cave beaches from the top of the cliffs beautiful clear waters that kept making us dream of cruising on the boat.
Easter Sunday we went to Serpa to share in their feista! And whay a feista it was there were Portuguese morris dancers, the floats went on for over 2 hours with an amazing variety. There was music all night and the most amazing fireworks display at midnight for half an hour with choreographed music played across the town. We have never seen a celebration like it and still the beers and glasses of wine were €1 each!
The final week we spent on the eastern side of the Algarve with my parents, there were beautiful beaches and amazing shells. We were all sad to leave but pleased to be coming home to plan the next adventures (and work and save).
We hope the winter has been kind to you all.
Much love
The Pirates xxxxx