diedachse

[diedachse]

Mallorca

The early bird catches the worm....in Mallorca & there's nothing that can fault the 4am alarm call if it means breakfast in Palma!

Half term holidays are here. A spontaneous plan was devised and we have 5 days away from our normal routine.

Palma is so pretty. A maze of narrow streets, pretty shops and ancient buildings. Lots to see, much of which we decide to save until the end of our trip.

We get on the road in search of our hotel at the opposite end of the island. The scenery feels familiar. We're reminded of many trips to mainland Spain. A quick pit stop for supplies from Aldi & excitement to discover we can squeeze our own fresh (Spanish) oranges in the in-store juicer. Heaven in a bottle. More, more, more!

This sight is all I need. Blue skies and palm trees.

We've arrived at Playa Du Muro. The hotel is brand new. Everything we'll need for our stay is here. Beach, indoor & outdoor pools, spa, sauna & even a gym. There's no time to lose...

Time to relax before heading out for dinner. A short drive up the coast to Port d'Alcúdia where we watch a beautiful sunset and grab some decent food. Can't wait for the days ahead.

[diedachse]

Rookie

Meet Duncan (Dunkin'). He's recovering on the side of the pool. He's not having a great day. He keeps falling in & he can't swim.

Luckily, there are some Rookie Lifeguards on hand to rescue him, learning lifessaving skills - their new after-school club.

So much fun in and out of the water, learning survival and rescue skilks using ropes, floats and swimming techniques.

[diedachse]

Veg Night

A night out for & I'm off to school. It's an evening for parents of Year 8 pupils to expand their cooking skills with Riverford Organic Veg.

We learn how to slice safely, chop up an Asian inspired raw-veg salad and cook a tasty chickpea curry.

I am in veggie heaven. The kids may not thank me for this.

At the end of the lesson the 10 of us (all Mum's - where are the dads?) sit down together to eat the food we've chopped and cooked, and few glasses of wine to wash it down!

Lovely.

[diedachse]

First and last

Juno's first visit to Camber Sands when it's likely to be our last.

A weekend packing up the house, holding back emotions was made easier by a visit from Camberwell friends Ruth, Jacob & Sammy.

Former nursery friends reconnecting leaping off sand dunes.

Just a few final bits for the removal company to collect & it's farewell. At least the memories stay forever.

Making the most of the trip we head off on a mini adventure to discover new places, more beaches.

A bracing walk along the stoney beach at imposing Birling Gap.

A bike tyre, bottle, baseball cap, mobile phone keypad, tennis ball & rubber sole - the results of our 10m beach clean, the reality of human waste.

We warm up with pasties and hot chocolate at the sweet little National Trust cafe and brace the elements for a walk up to the lighthouse & back.

Brave faces. Perfect company. Little people making this all worthwhile.

[diedachse]

Fed Cup

The National Women's tennis tournament arrives at the kid's tennis centre. We went along to check out the action on centre court where we watched Katie Boulter comfortably beat her opponent, Ivana Jorovic in a fast paced & dramatic match - the first professional tennis competition the kids have watched.

An extremely professional set up, complete with press and TV commentators.

But so disheartened by the "Brits" around us....

Why, oh why?

[diedachse]

Kaiser Chiefs

The Kaiser Chiefs in Bath - not one we could miss.

What a great way to spend a Tuesday evening. More of this please!

[diedachse]

White February

Waking up on the 1st of February, and all is white.

Schools are closed.

There's only one way these next few days will go....

[diedachse]

Barry's

A new group fitness studio is opening in Bath. A team needs to be inspired. Friendships formed. There's one way to get the adrenalin going.....a trip to Barry's Bootcamp London.

Eight of us in a minibus, and time to make friends en route, then it's a 45 minute HIIT workout, showers and smoothies before getting back on the road once again.

Buzzing with ideas, the journey is alive with excitement and anticipation.

I can't wait to work alongside this great bunch of people at CLASS-Bath, opening on 18th Feb.

[diedachse]

County Cup

Another football competition for the Widcombe School football team, this time playing against schools across Somerset.

Sadly, no regional finals place for them this year. But a great few games played and a day out of school still made a superb day for them all.

[diedachse]

Tournament

A first for Archie - Badminton doubles tournament in Thornbury, Bristol. Organised by Community Badminton for local clubs from Bristol, Bath & beyond to take part in a friendly competition.

Matches were arranged by age-group, with a very decent standard across the board. They just missed out on a medal this time, but not because a lack of effort.

Well played boys.

[diedachse]

Five again

What seems like ages ago, the triplets made a return trip to Bath. Oodles of fun was had, during what seemed to be an action packed 5 days.

A theatre trip to watch the Scarlet Pimpernell while the boys went off to the rugby.

Trampolining, cinema trips, bowling and of course, there was ice skating too.

Rather slow to catch up. Apologies.

Plenty of fun and games during the build up to New Year's Eve, and so much laughter

It's always a delight to have this wonderful family around. Please come back again soon.

[diedachse]

Park Run

Our 2nd festive Junior Park Run. We simply had to get up and get out for our favourite jog around the bike track at Odd Down.

A final sprint at the end was the only way I could catch up with this little man. He even earned himself a PB!

And there's even time and energy for a kick-around with his friends afterwards!

[diedachse]

Getting Ready

Not everyone associates Christmas with paint rollers, but with guests on the horizon and an ever growing renovation list, there's nothing quite like setting yourself a goal to get the job done.

British designed and printed fabric meets a new German sewing machine as I tackle my first ever roman-blind project.

Colour scheme decisions

Transformation almost complete....

[diedachse]

Candlelit Carols

A quick catch up of our Christmas activities.

Friends of our local park - Henrietta Park organised carols by candlelight on 20th December. Open to everyone, we wandered across the dark park with our lanterns and followed the fairy lights into the memorial garden where a group of folk singers led us through a selection of well known and folky festive songs.

The homemade mince pies were an added treat.

One of the boys spent his time keeping the tealights lit, but with my enthusiastic singer by my side, finally, I began to feel a teeny bit festive.

[diedachse]

Moles

It's live music night & we are heading down to Moles to watch Bath Guitar School's student showcase.

Enjoy!

[diedachse]

White Horse

A spectacular evening driving home from a football match in Frome. I spot the Westbury White Horse on a hillside way ahead in the distance & manage to convince the kids we should take a closer look.

Perched at the top of the hill, a hopeful ice cream vendor is holding out for the last few visitors. Seriously though, it's freezing up here!

Such a spectacular spot, particularly with the oranges, pinks and blues of the setting sun.

I love these spontaneous detours, and the willingness of these boys to go with the flow.

This quick stop was a good reminder to keep on adventuring.

[diedachse]

Winners

An inter-school football championship turned out well.

16 schools took part, 6 matches played, 4 won, 2 draws and a place in the final for an uncomplicated 1-0 win. The last time the Junior School came back with the shield was 10 years ago.

So happy for the Widcombe Juniors Year 6 dream-team who go through to the South-West county finals in January representing B&NES (Bath & North East Somerset).

Good luck boys.