Jack's Fourth Birthday

To The Paper Mill, a pub/restaurant on the canal at Apsley to lunch with Toby, Emma, Jack  & Finn for Jack's upcoming fourth birthday.

It was cold, otherwise it would be pleasant to sit at a table on the banks of the canal, but it wasn't warm inside. Even though there was a small log fire huge air-con vents, that the staff couldn't turn off, continuously blasted out cold air.

When the staff heard we were there for Jack's birthday they brought him a small cake with a lit candle which he greatly enjoyed blowing out.

Fin's Christening

 Dan and Krisie came to stay Friday and Saturday night then on Sunday we all  went to Aylesbury

to see Finley and his cousin Madeline christened by the same priest who had christened Jack.

Courtesy of Brionnie 

Courtesy Dan

Courtesy Krisie

Jack sat quietly through the ceremony.

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Mick

We all enjoyed seeing Brionnie & Mick.

First Daffodil

 

The first daffodil bloomed today, it would have been the third but the first two blooms were killed by  frost and can be seen lying on the ground.

In eight years the earliest has been 1 Feb (2020) and the latest 21 Feb (2025)

Alice in Blunderland

To Criccieth on Friday 2 January for The Starlight Players Pantomime  Cinderella in Blunderland. 

We stayed in Min y Traeth, a modern detached house in a close, but it was lacking champagne glasses, anywhere to hang towels in the en-suite bathroom, and a cutlery basket in the dishwasher. And it was cold, the wooden window fittings had warped.

Krisie was Front of House Manager and Dan was Stage Manager.

We saw Cinderella in Blunderland on Saturday night, after dinner at the Prince of Wales. It's a blast, so fast, with none of the standard tired pantomime tropes and with a huge energetic cast.

picture courtesy Dan

Written and devised by the team, it's a totally bonkers mashup of Cinderella and the denizens of Alice's Wonderland with Aladdin's lamp and Genie, Goldilock's Seven Dwarves, the Wicked Witch of the North and was that Tom Baker's Dr Who?

I loved it; it was the best Panto the Starlighters have delivered. So new, lovely costumes and a confident cast. The jive-talking high-fiving White Rabbit (Paula Carr) with his lighted shoes and bow tie dominated the stage, Awen Pritchard played a feisty Cinderella who wouldn't accept any sexist crap from anyone, her bearded Ugly Sisters (Paul Dunn & Dave Roberts) had jaw dropping dresses and I particularly enjoyed the King and Queen of Hearts, (Bryony Green & Swyn Williams), he with his jaunty curled moustache and roving eye and her with a haughty gaze and a penchant for chopping off heads. And then there's the Dormouse (Shon Williams) whose thunderous snores probably were heard in Porthmadog.

How will the Starlighters top this in 2027? I suspect they have a cunning plan.

picture courtesy Krisie

Sunday we had a roast with Dan & Krisie after they had cleared the Memorial Hall of stage props after the final show that afternoon.

picture courtesy Krisie

Monday we were joined by Caroline, Stuart and Elliott. Dylan's was closed that week for renovation so Dan & Krisie brought a takeaway from Sima Tandoori in Porthmadog.

Then home on Tuesday 27 Jan to a Deliverood Nando's

Lanzarote

 To Lanzarote and the Costa Calero hotel again, this time for 4 weeks from 15 December 2025 to 12 January 2026 with the intention of missing Christmas and New Year at home.

Lovely sun and very hot out of the shore wind.

View from our sheltered balcony

Established customs had to be maintained, such as the pre-dinner Cava-time.

And watching the Yellow Submarine submerge and surface at the entrance to the marina.

Christmas Day we had a visit from Santa on a camel.

We had sunsets to watch

Scenery to admire

Food to eat

with exotic fruits

and  wines to drink

plus this model of  Notre Dame made out of sugar and chocolate by the hotel's pastry chef to look at.

Goodbye 2025

 

Goodbye 2025

Hello

Finley George Robert May - born 19 May 2025

to Emma and Toby

Vaccinations:

 31 January - RSV Vaccine

  04 April - Spring Covid Vaccine

11 October  - Flu & Covid Vaccine

Travel:

Criccieth - 23-27 January

Lanzarote, Puerto Calera - 24 February - 9 March

Great Yarmouth - Tales of a Sommelier 21 - 24 March

Cannes- 25 - 28 April 

Great Yarmouth - Museum of the Broads 14 May

Viking Kadlin - Capitals of Eastern Europe (Vienna>Bucharest) 22 June - 8 July

Criccieth - 24-29 August

Viking Skaga - Paris & Heart of Normandy (Paris>Paris) 5-12 Sep

Riviera Thomas Hardy - Burgundy, the River Rhône & Provence (Avignon>Lyon) - 11- 18 Sept

Viking Osfrid - Portugal's River of Gold (Lisbon>Porto) 17-26 Nov

Lanzarote, Puerto Calera - 15 December - 12 January 2026

Goodbye

François Naudé - 10 Sep 1945 - 12 Aug 2025

Sofitel Hotel, Gatwick

 

We'd made the mistake of booking a Monday flight for our four weeks in Lanzarote. It left at 11:20 in the morning and to get to the airport at 09:20 on a Monday morning would have meant leaving much earlier then we were comfortable with.

So we stayed the night in the Sofitel at Gatwick  North. Wrong terminal, but only a short shuttle ride to the South Terminal.

We scoped out the journey to South Terminal check-in and decided to eat at Giraffe restaurant in the terminal. Their burger was excellent.

The hotel room was quiet, well equipped and comfortable.

Next morning, the check-in hall was in chaos with huge queues. It took ages, but surprisingly the lounge wasn't busy.