Brittany in the May Half-Term (23rd - 30th May 2015)

On Saturday 23rd May we set off to France, minus Lucy, who wanted to stay at home and study for her AS Level exams.

Scott had booked 'the posh ferry' for us from Dover to Calais - where we get a really nice lounge, with drinks served etc.

We had fun waiting in the car before boarding - the boys were eating Chili Heatwave Doritos, Jack was happy playing with his brand new Nokia phone, and I was practicing videoing with my camera.

Nice views out the lounge windows in the ferry.

Le Havre - Half way from Calais to Bel-Air! I never get tired of taking photos of these bridges - love them!

We arrived at Bel-Air in glorious evening sunshine. Ken and Bev were there, and they have the place looking really good, with flowers everywhere. I love the old bike they had propped against the shed.

You can't beat sunny evenings on the lane.

On Monday 25th, we had a wonderful day lazing around a sunny Bel-Air.

Adding to my hand-sewn quilt, in the back garden.

A walk to the next commune.

View from the kids' room.

On Tuesday 26th, we drove to Le Bono, a commune near Auray, where we had walked to from Auray in the past. We parked up in the town, and walked down to the harbour, with the intention of picking up our route and going further out to sea.

A very old burial chamber, along the way.

We had a nice walk, finding new interesting bits.

We got to a place where the estuary opens out wide, and hung out there a bit before heading back.

We then drove to Auray and got icecreams from L'igloo, eating them in the usual spot.

While we were sitting there, we realised what manky shoes we all have!!

On Wednesday 27th, we went to Le Domaine de Kerguehennec, near Bignan, less than 10 miles away. We've never been before, and I was excited to go, after seeing pictures that Ken and Bev took on a visit they made here. It's owned by the council, and is a modern art centre.
I wanted to have a wander round first and then pick a place to sit, but the boys and Scott just wanted to set up camp and play football immediately. I felt pretty fed up, and so went for a walk on my own round the grounds and nearby lake.

The place is just gorgeous. I couldn't believe we live so close to it, and never knew about it!

When I got back to the boys, I sat on a grassy slope, reading in the sunshine on my Kindle. Scott didn't realise I'd got back for a while though.

On Thursday 28th, the boys helped in the garden, moving mud from the back garden to the banks in the front garden.

Ken and Scott also spent a while working out how to get a massive rock moved to the front garden too. I think in the end Ken had to use a trailer.

Ken and Bev have turned the end of the front garden into a vegetable patch, which was looking really good.

I finally made my quilt have a corner!

Ken and Bev taught Scott and I the game of Tens one evening, which we then taught the kids, and played addictively! It's such a funny game, seeing everyone's stress and excitement each round!!

On Friday 29th, our last full day in France, I went for a walk before breakfast to Yvon's wood. Everywhere was just looking beautiful, and the rhododendrons were in flower.

The first hydrangea to bloom in the whole wood!

The boys still chilling in bed.

We didn't really have a plan for the day, but the boys wanted to go and walk around the World War II ruins near the Surfing Beach, so we headed there. The main road through Plumelec was closed for a bike race. We drove a back way round, and along to the race car park, but we'd just missed the beginning of the race.

Had a nice time just ambling round the ruins.

I asked the kids if they knew the name of these bushes 'you know - the ones that were always in The Famous Five books', and here's Jack replying 'George Bush?' ...nearly!!

Then we decided to pop to the beach.

One of the nice things about this week was that the weather forecast was rubbish, and so we had no expectation of doing anything much, but actually, it was dry and warm all week. It was pleasant sitting in this spot on an empty beach, watching the boys play.

On the way back, we stopped off at a Dolmen which you can see from the main road. As well as the main one, there was a partially buried one, and one totally under the ground. They are dated circa 3500BC.

The underground one was totally pitch black, and quite scary! (The light in this picture was just form the camera.)

On the way back through Plumelec we stopped off to look at the Tour de France pictures painted in all the shop windows. They were clever - each related to the individual shop in some way.

The bicycle shirt bunting!

In the evening, Scott and I stayed up late having a really good talk, reflecting on life and all sorts.

We left first thing on Saturday 30th (driving past this gorgeous place a couple of miles from Bel-Air). France always seems to give us the most glorious mornings when we are leaving, which always makes it sadder to leave!

We had a straightforward journey home, via the Eurotunnel. The boys enjoying spreading out!

When we were nearly home, we saw some hot air balloons across the fields, and decided to go and chase them! We figured they were taking off from the nearby golf course, and drove down to it.

The hot air balloons were small ones, some with a kind of suspended seat underneath. We spoke to one guy as he was passing right over our heads, only he got a bit distracted and hit the top of a tree!
We had a lovely time watching them for a bit, then we drove to Tesco to get a few things for dinner the next day. Katy and Dan had texted and said they'd like to come by on Sunday afternoon on their way home from holiday in Holland!

Finally we made it home. Lucy wasn't there, as she was staying overnight at the Hirst's house. Ben had picked her up in the morning to go back to his, then they all traveled to Birmingham to watch 'The Lamb of God' performed by YSA at Birmingham Town Hall.
The house was covered pretty much all over with Lucy's revision notes!

The rest of May 2015 up to Half Term

On Tuesday 5th May, Scott and the Young Men did a cake decorating activity! Here's Scott skillfully decorating his cake!

Also on the 5th, Harry told me he had a hole in his shoe - he wasn't kidding!! Luckily there was an old pair of Tom's school shoes he could wear for a bit till we got him new ones.

After checking the seeds we planted every day for what felt like weeks, they finally sprouted!

On 7th May, Harry and I got on with weeding the vegetable bed ready for the seedlings.

We pulled out some nettles, and used them in vegetable soup!

On Friday 8th May, Scott took Jack and Tom on the ward Aaronic Priesthood camp in Fenstanton. They had a pretty good time!
I also made this triple layer brownie cake.

On Saturday 9th, we got on with changing round the kids' bedrooms. Lucy moved into the cabin, and we dismantled Harry and Tom's bunk bed, and started clearing up the utter mess!

On Sunday 10th, I went to Milton Keynes where I'd been invited to speak at church there. I got caught up in a traffic jam on the way, and needed to get a message through that I'd be late. I didn't have anyone's numbers, so texted Richard Malachowski, who texted James Fields-Davis, the Stake Young Men 's President, who was also speaking. By the time I got to church, they had switched the order of the speakers, so I spoke last.
I hadn't been set a topic to speak on, and when I was preparing, I felt that I should speak on stress, depression, and the atonement. I felt it was a good talk, but was surprised at the response I had after Sacrament Meeting. So many people came and spoke to me, and said that it was what they needed to hear. President Clayton told me to keep a copy of my talk, and said I had spoken scripture.

For Family Home Evening on Monday 11th, we wrote letters to the missionaries serving from our ward. Scott wrote each of them a lovely limerick! Here's his one to Sam Collings, serving in Western Australia...

On Tuesday 12th, I went to Dunelm with Jo Blackhurst, and ended up buying a patio set and two matching sunloungers. The patio was piled high with all the rubbish from the dismantled shed, climbing frame, and bunk beds etc, but I was keen to put up the new set, so put it up in the dining room! It was really nice having hot chocolate at it in the evening!

On Wednesday 14th, Lisa and Donna from school came over and had drinks round my patio set too!

The next day, the 15th, I had a new table delivered. I'd bid on it on eBay. It was brand new, made by two carpenter brothers in Bristol. They actually delivered it themselves, and were great! They said one of them had suggested the dimensions for it as an experiment, then built it and realised just how big it was!! It can seat 12. I'd also bought two more wooden chairs for £15 each at a second hand shop in town.

Harry demonstrating the size of it! I'd also bought a table cloth for it earlier in the week at Dunelm.
In the evening of the 15th, I took Harry to his school disco, and stayed for it, sitting on a school bench with Jo and Donna.

The growing pile of rubbish on the patio!

On Saturday 16th May, we went to Ikea in Milton Keynes to try and get new beds for Jack and Tom (Harry moved into Jack's room and kept his bed). We ended up not finding any we liked, but bought a few other bits instead.
In the evening, Scott and I went over to Richard and Jo Blackhurst's house for a meal and to listen to music on records. Richard had borrowed his sister's record player, and we had got our old records out the attic. Richard and Scott went and got Chinese take-out. Jo went to bed after eating, but Scott and I stayed till latish listening to music. My back was playing up still, so I set up camp on the floor with a blanket, and let Scott and Richard get on with it. I did get to listen to my Rosie Hardman L.P. though, which Uncle Paul gave me before he emigrated in the '80's. It was good to hear it again.

Sunday 17th was Ward Conference at Milton Keynes. We stayed for a while afterwards, so Lucy and Ben Hirst could hang out a bit.

On Tuesday 19th, Jo Blackhurst, Tom, Tom's school friend and I went to the cinema in Huntingdon to watch 'Meet the Mormons'. It was pretty good, and it was great being at the cinema with so many other church members! (The church had booked the screen for one showing of the film.)