London here we go

We're at the airport waiting to board our plane to London. Unfortunately, the nice Honda we bought a few years ago has broken down, so we're going to get another car... I'll let you know how it goes. 

As I always need to post a picture, here's my sons' clock. These personal trainers sure eat a lot!

What time is o'clock-ish

This is a quick post because a cousin from Spain has messaged me to say he's in the region, could we meet, etc. So we're heading to Café de Paris to meet him and his wife in a while. Last time I saw him was in 1982! 

In other news, last night we went to a fabulous birthday party at the bar/café/restaurant on the beach. It was the owner's son's 25th. They had a free bar, loads of food, and a great band. Fortunately, the rain held back and only fell this morning. We had a great time.

The kids leave tomorrow at noon. The house is going to be very quiet...

Hi! Yes, I'm still here

I had a very long, very tiring journey home. Just about all my chosen modes of transport were delayed. I'm still getting myself back together. It's as hot here as it was on Miami, but we don't have A/C here... We've been spending a lot of our time on the lake.

Here's a picture of my farewell lunch and Dora's smily face. I miss her already.

Just to be wicked...

Dora made this cake today:

It's chocolate. Enough said. 

#littleprincess

This is our granddaughter! We're incredibly happy and can't stop smiling! Billy came up with the hashtag and posted this in a message to me last Friday, when they found out it's a girl:

Billy already talks to Sandra's belly, now he can read the books we sent them. They're by Ted Sieger, who created some of my all time favourite cartoons.

We're planning to go to Munich in October to celebrate Peter's 70th and to help Billy paint a mural based on Ted Sieger's "Wildlife" series.

Here's the happy couple, counting the days until December:

Halloween in Miami

They really went to town in Miami. We're definitely a TV family and have always enjoyed dressing up. I wish we could have been there to join them in the fun.

Laurita and hubby, then with the children, Thomas and Nina:

Lolô, hubby and daughter, then Lolô with daughter Julia.

Dora with Laurita's mother-in-law:

Silvia with Dora, Liz and Natalie:

Silvia with her girls:

Silvia looking fabulous!

A bunch of people at the street party: 

A funny thing happened when it was time to go home. Laurita took her nose off and lost it, so everybody spent ages looking for it! Luckily it was found and she could breathe a sigh of relief...

Swimming pretty

One of the passions of my niece's deceased husband was his tropical fish tank. It's quite large, over 7 feet long! There's a nice variety of fish and corals. I found it very relaxing to watch them.

A couple of Nemos:

 

The red fish with crazy eyes was nicknamed Charles Manson. There have been several of them. When they die, they're quickly replaced because they are my niece's favourite fish.

This prawn is a good friend of the big fish with blue lipstick. He vacuum cleans his friend very carefully, to keep his scales and skin pristine. The fish is normally a dull blue colour, but when the cleaning is in progress, he turns a brilliant silver.

The pictures were taken with the iPad, so the quality is not very good, but they'll have to do for now. Dora will post my camera and other bits very soon. I can't remember what's in the memory card!

Last full day in Miami

I'm flying back home tomorrow... Time flies when you're having fun, and a lot of fun I had with my wonderful family and our lovely CC. I missed Peter and the cats, can't wait to hug them all. Here's an Irish joke to keep us smiling:

This child has talent!

Dora's granddaughter drew herself drawing herself. She's only six! 

All for nothing

I spent three months on a semi-vegan diet and had my cholesterol tested just before my trip. I was seriously disappointed with the results. The LDL dropped by a mediocre amount, HDL went up by an even more mediocre amount and the triglycerides went through the roof. I put weight on my belly and other areas where I didn't welcome any weight, but not on my arms and my face. I'm no longer vegetarian and will eat all the nice things Dora and my nieces cook. They all eat healthily, so I'll be ok.

The only thing left to do is to be sarcastic after the disappointing test results:

Gremlins

The gremlins had infested Dora's modem and we have only just resolved the problem. We have to go out soon to pick up the children from summer camp, so this post is just to touch base. I haven't seen CC yet because I'm still jet lagged and finding my feet...

Lolô made a lovely lunch for us. Here are Dora, two of her daughters and the lunch:

A lovely birthday in a beautiful place

I have taken you to Collonges-la-Rouge before, but I hope you don't get tired of it. We have been there several times and never fail to enjoy it all over again through the eyes of the new visitors we invite to experience this magic little village. Collonges is a great place to visit with little children, as cars are not allowed, apart from residents' cars, and they're out at work until late in the day.

Our friends Hilary and Keith gave us a lift there and my niece Laurita arrived with her family soon afterwards. We had arranged to meet at the restaurant where we were going to have lunch before wandering around the village. Hilary took this photo:

The children, Thomas and Nina (six and three years old), were shy at first, but once we started walking in the village and I started showing them some interesting things, such as the ancient communal bread oven, they were hooked. 

Nina asked if I have an oven in my house, bless her...

Collonges is a mystical place, with many tales of witches, fairies and knights in shining armour. The local shops reflect this:

    Creperie of "The Pilgrim and the Witch"

They were fascinated with the very long walk the pilgrims took from Rocamadour to Santiago de Compostela and the hospitality shown by villagers along the route. Collonges, like our own village, was one of the many stops en route to Santiago, and the welcoming shells are still very much in evidence.

Thomas was particularly impressed with the redness of Collonges, built with the beautiful red stones peculiar to the area. The village looks like something out of a fairy tale.

We had a really lovely time and I enjoyed my birthday very much. It was also lovely to come back from such a magic place and enter another one, our very own WTIOC, to be greeted by your warm and loving wishes. Thank you, friends, you know how to make an old girl feel special!