Photos from Europe

Un petit garçon by James ( aka Jacques)

I went to the beach in France. I had a chocolate croissant (it was yummy). I'm going to explore the hotel (in Guernsey). I love my Mummy.

I like Sark by Tom

I got a beautiful dragon on Sark. I had a ride in a horse-drawn cart. We had a bumpy boat ride. It was a bit scary but I went to sleep anyway. James went to sleep as well but Mum stayed awake and felt sick. I lost another tooth. Hopefully the tooth fairy will come tonight!

Stranded in Saint Malo & other stories

We sadly farewelled our family of donkeys on the west coast of Ireland and made our way to Jersey in the Channel Islands. In a place with a large disparity between rich and poor it was somewhat confronting to see more drunken carousing than at home in Australia, including Alice Springs. People were literally spilling out of pubs and cafes to have a cigarette between drinks while flash cars and old bombs alike zoomed up and down the street. The island itself is very scenic and architecturally beautiful and we managed to find a pretty good playground close to our hotel.

Our 'foreign language' experience was fulfilled on the coast of Brittany in the old walled town of Saint Malo. It was VERY touristy and I never really succeeded in ordering the kind of coffee I intended (an expensive exercise). The beach there is lovely and once again a cold wind was no deterrent to Tom and James swimming in the sea. Worsening wind meant we had to delay our trip to the Island of Sark for a day. The least said about our 'emergency' accommodation the better. The only redeeming events of the day were the successful navigation of the workings of a French laundrette in French (by moi) - though the dryers even defeated various bashings by my feisty French co-washers - and some delicious baguettes for lunch. We were ravenous by then as I couldn't entice the kids (or myself) to eat the stale crusty bread from the hotel breakfast room - nutella from a spoon can only sustain a small boy for so long...

As expected, apart from a rough ferry crossing, Sark was lovely though the number of tractors (the only motorized transport allowed) has certainly increased over the past few years. We stayed with a local family in a beautiful country house complete with a giant trampoline. A gorgeous sunny day was,of course, followed by more wind and rain, though we have made it to Guernsey, our final stop before heading home.

Over the past week I've noted the absence of French children in public - an exception being the occasional couple accompanied by a solitary well-behaved child in a restaurant. Needless to say, it's made us feel rather conspicuous at times! We were rather relieved, therefore, to see a rowdy group of French schoolchildren on the Guernsey ferry which has now led us to believe that, while they may behave better with their parents, they are generally worse than Australian children on excursion.

Other notes:
The tooth fairy has yet to find Tom who has lost his second tooth - maybe we need to stop confusing her and stay in one place for a while!
James has recovered from a bee sting (the bee stepped on his foot!)and happily ate smoked haddock for breakfast.
Tom's potato zapper didn't make it through airport security.

Further items of attrition:
1 Swiss army knife (lost, not confiscated)
1 pair of pyjama pants
A few pieces of Lego
A woollen beanie
Assorted socks (none matching)
A muslin wrap

Don't call me Bunny by James

I fed the donkeys. We live in a house in Ireland with the donkeys. There's a dog called Dusty. I like exploring but sometimes I get lost. I love my Mummy. I've got a new hat.

There's a Donkey in the Meadow by Tom

I had a donkey cart ride and a horse cart ride in Killarney. They were both fun. We're staying where there are four donkeys I can look after. I give them carrots and apples. One is called Bessy and one is called Primrose. The babies don't have names yet but I called one Trotalot and James calles the other one Naughty because he won't let us touch him. We are going to the Channel Islands tomorrow.

James got some new toys by James

I got Mrs Bunny for Easter and some chocolate. I went on the merry go round in York on the upstairs boat and on the cart. I got some toys. I like pizza. And I like my mum. I miss my kinder friends. That's all.

Bumping car ride by Tom

On holiday in York I went on on some dodgem cars with d. I drove a little bit and d drove the rest. A guy with a teddy bear kept bumping into our car. And I went on a roundabout. On the roundabout there was a double decker bus and I went upstairs and rang the bell. I've been on a real double decker bus in Edinburgh. I went to the House of Illusions and I learned something about a card to scoop people up and splat them on the ground like a bug. There were interesting mirrors and shadows. I don't believe in ghosts.

Normal for Norfolk

(It's the name of a shop here... I'm also hoping it explains the kids eating scrambled eggs with their fingers!) The amazingly mild, sunny March weather has changed to well...grey. Even so, the boys have managed to paddle at the beach at Wells-next-the-Sea where we have been staying. We went to a small village called Hemingford Grey in Cambridgeshire and visited (by private appointment) The Manor, a house built by the Normans 900 years ago which was the inspiration for the Green Knowe series of children's books by Lucy M Boston. www.greenknowe.co.uk Tom was thrilled to see the toys and rocking horse which feature in the books (but sadly no ghosts). Lucy Boston's daughter-in-law still lives in the house and showed us around. We were sad to hear from her that Tom's Midnight Garden, also close by, is now a swimming pool. We stopped at Cambridge itself on the way home and Tom remarked that the provosts at Trinity College look like Thomson and Thompson from Tintin! Like Virginia Woolf, James found it very frustrating (and insulting) to have to (please) keep off the grass! In keeping with our 'Norman' theme, we explored Castle Acre Priory and Castle where the boys had great fun playing 'hide and seek' in the ruins. There is much less traffic here, some of it of the equine variety, though crowds are starting to build for the Easter long weekend. We're off to York and Scotland in any case - hopefully less popular with holiday makers...

James and the pebbled beach

By James I like the beach. There are pebbles instead of sand. I've got some Ben 10 toys. I met a cat called Tigger. I've been a bit sick but am better now. Mum said I ate too much chocolate! I'm eating a chocolate biscuit.

Tom's potato zapper and new friend

By Tom I'm having fun in the countryside. (Telscombe near Lewes East Sussex.) There is another squirrel here and some cats. I have made a friend called Lars who lives across the road. He goes to school for six hours on most days. Mum bought me a potato zapper! It's like a gun with potato bullets. Lars knows all about them but I had never seen one before. We are going to the beach today. P.S. I'm glad Mrs Martin is much nicer than Miss Trunchball from Matilda!

Of Dickens, drivers and dishwashers

Here we are in the heart of Dickensian London equipped with a dishwasher. We are only a few doors from where the inimitable 'Boz' penned The Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist. In the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth there are many reminders throughout the city of the continuing relevance of his work. We've been to his Bloomsbury home, a special Dickens exhibition at the Museum of London and the museum of the former Foundling Hospital, the work of which he was a supporter. Tom was very interested to know that Dickens was an insomniac (like him, unsleepable!)and thought of ideas for his stories lying awake at night. James especially liked a children's toy theatre on display, and the next day we went to the real thing to see a fantastic production of Roald Dahl's Matilda by the RSC. Drivers have featured prominently this first week, starting with the taxi driver who drove so erratically to the airport that James was sick before our travels had even started. There are also of course the tube drivers, double decker bus drivers and the ubiquitous black cab drivers. One type of driver less conspicuous in our area of London is the car driver. Perhaps it's the congestion charge or lack of parking, but it seems to be more a different way of living in a city; of occupying limited space. Although people have much less access to private space, particularly outside, we are really enjoying the many parks and gardens. Our favorite is Coram's Fields which includes a playground and small animal enclosure on the grounds of the former Foundling Hospital. Adults are only allowed entry in the company of a child so it's new to me as well as the boys. Outings to Hampstead Heath and Greenwich have also been enjoyable, especially in the seemingly endless early spring sunshine. There is a small school a block away from us where Tom noted the children wear red jumpers like he used to at All Hallows. We haven't actually used the dishwasher as we are so close to cheap but charming pubs and cafes. Besides, working out how to use the washer dryer was enough of a challenge! Three goats escaped from their enclosure at the playground this morning. There is a grey squirrel living in the rooftops. The boys have named him Little Grey Man .< a href="http://www.foundlingmuseum.com"> Photos to follow when technological issues are resolved.

Au Revoir

These are the two small boys with the suitcase (and a bit of carry on luggage) posing for a somewhat uninteresting but necessary entry to see if this actually works! We ARE getting excited (Tom has been exploring the Atlas wondering whether we can possibly accommodate a detour to Ancient Rome) and have a long list of things to organise before Friday. Weather forecast for our arrival is, as to be expected, wintry - but I figure the more we are wearing, the less there is to carry!