So good...

... to hear Colin laugh out loud when he is away on a trip.... there are so many dull moments and hours spent driving from one customer to another or 'treading water' overnight in another bland Travel Inn that he often sounds really tired and bored.  So it's really nice to hear him laugh, even more so when the joke is at my expense, I feel like I've done my bit to keep his spirits up.

Last evening I had a catch up with my crazy Polish girlfriend from the next village, this is at least the third time in 6 months we've managed to co-ordinate some us-time so we're on a roll! She is a coffee addict and driving so was on the large cappucinos, and I plumped for the medium white wine.. oh dear, what a lightweight.. two large glasses and I was anyone's.. well, metaphorically!  Animated catch up was the order of the day and laughter proved the perfect medicine for midweek tedium.

I was relating the story to Col when I got home, told him that we dipped out on food as it was too late, so I bought a bag of crisps expecting that she would share with me...'No, you eat them', she said, 'I only wanted food so you would be eating and I'd have chance to talk...'

.. now does that sound like me?? I can still here him laughing...poor thing, he still can't believe that it's only 5 weeks since we got back from our holiday.. a sweet distant memory...

Paris Jones!

Not sure how this will read if you aren't familiar with our Kate, but suffice to say she is a typical 13 year old, loves clothes, shopping, her girlie pals and her hair!  She likes to play the blonde card and hey, if it works, good luck to her.. there'll be plenty of years where she'll have to fend for herself I guess!

Yesterday evening everyone was put to work getting out office & workshops ready for a customer visit.  Col uses it as a way of getting painting / cleaning/ refurbishment done as otherwise we get the mañana mood.  Jordan took charge of the office and Kate took so long getting herself changed that she copped for the grim job.. cleaning the toilets!

Two layers of latex gloves and plenty of bleach later she came back into the house...'a human being should not have to do that job' she sighed..' I felt like Paris Hilton on the Simple Life'

... need we say more, she is so funny! Spent the rest of the evening talking about Jones Towers (as in the Hilton) and how 'Daddy would have to help her with that..'

Altered images..

Jordan has been having a real fun time with her camera lately, she's a member of a site called deviantart and is inspired by lots of the altered images she sees on there. 
Add to that a younger sister with designs on a modelling career and we have the potential for much creativity in the house..

Last evening Jordan had Kate wear some distressed (to say the least) fishnets and her (JB's) Converse shoes, and sit in her bedroom window..good start for Kate who decided the shoes were so uncool and that they made her feet look big..but she passed the first model test, that you wear and do as the 'creative director' wishes!!

A bit later, PhotoShop allowing, this is our new screen saver on the house PC.. so cool!

And in my dreams too... to wake up and see the sea from my bedroom window.. that's actually, I have decided, all I want for my old age, so that shouldn't be too dificult should it...mind you with house prices and the economy the way they are it may involve lots more years work and some house hunting  before I get there. 

Daft really as we live only 5 miles from sea on all coasts, but having lived probably less than 100 yards from the sea for all my formative years, it's just something I want in the future.

End of April?!

The first day of rain in a while has passed and the evening has crowned the day. Kate did a dance class and I passed by Penzance Harbour several times at teatime, looking great, flat calm (Harry Flatters to those in the know), high tide and lots going on with boats going back in the harbour. Kate is even looking forward to going out again, though she's leaning more towards fishing than actually getting in the water (Indian Ocean still too recent a memory) 

I did say to her that it was my intention to don a (good, thick) winter wetsuit and go snorkelling before I am 50 in September, that gives me options on finding the warmest day of the year I guess. I know it won't be quite like our island, but to snorkel a little off St Loy or Penberth would be just the perfect way to cool off this summer.

At one point I parked the car and ran along the quay thinking I'd just seen my brother on his boat, got closer and realised it wasn't him.. if it had been he'd have been guilty of using the old Grecian2000 to be honest, but it was just a glimpse!

All worked in my favour as when I turned around, there was Ross out on his kayaking instructor's course; odd to see him being 'led' so to speak, he's usually the one running something for the kids, but realised how proud I am of him and all his efforts to become more qualified over the years.  A long way from the kid I had to encourage so much to learn to swim!  

Kate did good at the weekend, took exams in Tap and Acrobatics as well as performance medals in both. It was quite fantastic the moves they have learnt, she is certainly very flexible!.. but quick too, hence the trouble taking the photos.

Jordan has just signed up for a Sail Training week in June, not sure who's most excited her or me.. I love living through my kids, no physical effort on my part, but it sure takes its toll on a nervous stomach!

Mmmmmm..

...ahhh, we always seem to have a photo of us two like this.. tried to copy a pic from 19 years ago to go alongside but 'bloody phone software' acting up!

And is it my imagination or are we getting to look like each other ? ....some people grow to look like their dogs.. just thank God we don't have a boxer!

I'm not 'so vain'

(...small homage there to my favourite Carly Simon track)

Spent a bit of time this evening sorting out a Picasa album to share with some of you..the scrapbook album below was okay but left a bit to be desired on the photo quality front..

I asked Jordan to add any photos she thought told the story of our trip.. and this is what she wanted to add.  It took a minute but I conceded, only after I'd added one of her..

We had such a fantstic time snorkelling everyday, Col & I even got up and were in at 8am for an hour or so before the kids even mustered for breakfast.  And one teatime we swam amongst 13 sharks within 30 feet of the shore and saw three stalk and then gobble up a decent size parrot fish!  Slight adrenalin rush there!

A lot of the time when I'm drifting along, face down watching the sweetjar that is 'life below the waves' I am thinking of blogging words and phrases..but somehow now it all seems a bit strange to write it now ...perhaps the best will have to go in my journalling and be kept for prosterity (maybe it will all read more appealing to the kids when it is nostalgia for them and not just Mum yapping on!)

You know I decided that the people who created 'Finding Nemo' must have been to the Indian Ocean.  As you come in close to the shore you swim over small corals full of those little humbug black & white fish, some as small as 1cm long. there's always a couple of less conspicuous brown fish keeping guard and I'm convinced we fell upon 'Humbug Nursery'

Best sights we had were a huge manta ray just coasting past out on the reef edge, and another day 6 eagle rays came out across the reef and spent about 10 minutes close to us, toing and froing, eating plankton in the current.

Oh, and the amazing turtle who let us watch him feed, came up, took a few lazy mouthfuls of air, followed by an effortless descent about 30 metres ... made a kind of mockery of us bulky humans, even the boys who had been working on their deep free diving sorties to see the coral ledges all week.

Maldives mini-album..

Had a great session at Just Scrapbooking on Saturday.. we made mini-albums from CD wallets and mailers, we all seemed to make hard work of it (as usual) but everyone went home with some fantastic little albums, and again, as usual felt like we'd like to do that again!  Don't know how Linda puts up with us!

I used a lot of the papers and tags / stickers etc from the K&Co. Ocean range, had them for a gift and (like spaghetti) no matter how often I use them, there is still more left. Yvonne used the pink sheets of the same range, but the albums are just so different.

I used photos from our holiday and they were mostly taken by Jordan, so I thought she's like this as a little momento and it'll be nice to send to Uncle Bill, Will & co so they can get a flavour of our trip... even the travelling home.

 

Mini album

Click on the photo and it will show you the pages.

Bare feet.

How cool are these little beauties?

I generally get a bit of stick for always wearing ear-rings when I'm snorkelling.. so this year I bought these cute little bare feet studs..so sweet....x

And wanted to share this nice little photo of JB and Kate, not often Jordan is on the other side of the camera... and boy, we both thought how much she looks like me, esp on the right..
..and Kate doesn't look uncomfortable in front the camera or the mirror does she!!

 

Time to reflect.

Well the week is done and dusted, we got through three work days after the epic journey home and the weekend is here!  We left Kuramathi at 4am UK time Monday and arrived in London 9pm, but it was 4pm the next day before chilly damp Newquay welcomed us home.. flip flops and cut off jeans were not quite the order of the day... but there is a promise of sun all weekend, and Zac already notched up a fishing trip today, so I guess summer is coming (cue a snow shower mid April asfamous last words kick in!)

Fab fab holiday, revisiting is soo good when you don't relish change like me (and at least a couple of the kids), we were relaxed as soon as we landed and the two weeks didn't fly by too fast.  I had so many blogging phrases and thoughts in my head, wish I had written them down... note to self.. take notebook next time...

Scrapbooking tomorrow so taking some time out to look at the photos and gt some ready for a mini album tomorrow. We managed to flood two of our waterproof cameras, but the cards were still good (phew), so Jordan was the main man where photos were concerned.

(Though yours truly took one above, my man and the crew!)

Lots of stories to tell, or at least blog for prosterity (the kids will be thankful for this one day), but for now a fave little pic to go with the blog below...I love my iPod when we travel, I don't use it much generally, so on a long journey it's like meeting an old friend..

Sand in my Shoes..

....heard this on my iPod on the way home on the plane.. and thought how great the words were, not to mention the sea sounds which chase behind you in the intro..a nice little ditty to kick-start my blogging when I get back home...

Two weeks away it feels like the whole world should've changed


But I'm home now....And things still look the same


I think I'll leave it till tomorrow to unpack


Try to forget for one more night .... That I'm back in my flat on the road


Where the cars never stop going through the night


To a life where I can watch sunset...I don't have time......


I've still got sand in my shoes


And I can't shake the thought of you

...well, it might be an island, but it sure does stay in your mind..more later xxx