The end of the Summer Holidays

The summer has ended and Dave has had to return to work – all very sad as I was getting quite into the routine of having a stay at home Dad. He is very handy although he is constantly telling me how busy he is and all the things he has to do.

Kevin and Kate became part of the family for about 10 days in August. It was amazing how they slotted in so easily. I am now trying to get Kev a job over here. Tayla adopted Katie as her best friend and poor Katie could do nothing without little madam. We had some great nights out too, sampling some delicious food and enjoying the Dave Bootle’s excellent tunes. I am sure that was not us dancing on the chairs – my my – the youth of today!

Dave is off to the Isle of Man next week for his hockey tournament. Formal gear is pink Bermuda shorts, blue tie and navy blazer, complete with long socks! They have been training pretty hard although I am not sure whether the captain is the fittest member of the team. They went for a run on the beach the other night and all the other guys came back, except Dave! Needless to day he was just behind them and Tayla was very happy to see her Daddy.
This weekend is a long weekend in Bermuda – Monday is a holiday, so we are hanging around here. I feel like I need a holiday even though the rest of my family have had a lovely long one. Our next trip is to Orlando in October for half term – Mickey Mouse here we come.

Tayla is good – she has gone back to sleeping well at night, and sometimes comes to my room in the middle of the night. When I say, "What is the matter?" she replies, "Mommy, I just wanted to see you!" As you can imagine, with that she promptly climbs into our bed and goes back to sleep. Thank goodness for King size beds.

The Fosters and a "raft-up"

APOLOGIES: TECHNICAL PROBLEMS HAVE DELAYED THE POSTING OF THESE PHOTOGRAPHS!

Since Tayla's birthday we have enjoyed a rather entertaining "raft-up" experience with the Bermuda Hockey players and a very special week with Pete, Jean, Chris and Michelle Foster.

A "raft-up" occurs when two or more boats moor against each other. This time we had eight and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. One then sits on a "noodle" with beer in hand for as long as possible. Tayla thoroughly enjoyed the attention and spent about three hours in the water. All this in the name of team building.......me thinks the Captain is doing a great job!

The Fosters then arrived after what can only be described as a shockingly poor flight. The words "never fly ZOOM" are very close to being branded all over the internet. Never-the-less it was fantastic to see them again and spend quality time together. We spent the week dodging the rain (a rather unwelcomed sight at this time of the year) and getting in as many child friendly activities as possible. The aquarium, dolphins, a day out on the boat, several beaches and one or two quite evenings (with sleeping children). Chris and Tayla took a couple of days to get to know each other and then played like brother and sister. Tayla did however teach Chris the word "NO".........mmmmmm these naughty 3 yr olds! The standards are slipping.

I am now madly trying to get some of my masters done - hence my procrastination at doing this blog - until Kevin and Kate Gillett arrive tomorrow.

Jobson's cove.

A day out on the boat.

Views from the Gibbs Hill lighthouse, behind our house.