Tuesday 31July

Swimming!
Today we got up fairly early and had breakfast watching TV. We did a bit more tidying up and then got goin to the Spectrum. Maddy was the dj on the way there and both she and Robert did some very good singing along to songs they'd learnt on Singstar.

The car-park was full but luckily the centre seems to absorb lots of people so the pool was not too busy.

Maddy and Robert played a great game called let's jump on dad in the small pool and then again in the wave pool. Robert had a go on the Splash slide, which he enjoyed, while Pat and Maddy went on the blackbury slide. After that there was time for a game of It, which was good fun.

Not surprisingly, the staff at Burger King had completely changed since last time, and there were lots of them too so we had lunch there. Maddy and Robert then both sat in the back of the car on the way home so they could play with their new Transformers action figures.

In the afternoon, Pat caught up with some stuff on the computer while Robert and Maddy played in their rooms with their rediscovered toys.

At about 5:30, Pat got a text from Danny saying they were going to the pub for an hour so we joined them for fruitshoots and budweiser. The kids had a great time running round the climbing frame.

We came home for Brainiac and toast and then two very tired small people went straight to bed, looking forward to a big day out at Legoland.

Robert's Report



Today we went swimming.It was great fun.On the way Maddy was incharge of the ipod and was not keeping it on random which was anoying,I like it on random,huf!When we got there it was hard to find a space,which made us worried because we thout the pool would be crowed and we would only get a short play in the pool,in the end it was very empty.We went in the shallow end first to play it.Then the wave mastion was on so we went and played in that pool for about half hour.After that I went on a slide while Maddy and dad played around,then when I came back Maddy and dad went on a different slide and I just waited for them to come back which took a long time.When they did come back we went back to the other pool and played it for a while then we just lazed around.We did that for 5 minutes then got out got changed and went to burger king for lunch and got a transformer action figer and went home for a little play then we watched brainiac while eating tea which was toast.

bye bye

Maddy's Letter

Monday 30July

Tidy up, Tidy up, Put it away!



Bit of a day off for the three stay-at-homers today. The meter-man got Pat up at 9, which was good because as he was standing in the drive, in his dressing gown and trainers, struggling with the garage door while the MM looked on with a seen-it-all-before kind of look, Pat realised the old bathroom shelves might fit in Maddy's room.

Before he could try them out through, the intrepid explorers phoned from Oz, which was very nice.

After breakfast, Pat measured up and found the shelves would fit, so Maddy 'carefully' made a big pile of all her stuff in the middle of the room so they could fit in. Then Rob got in on the act and put everything he owned in Granny's room to make room for the other bathroom shelves from Ashburnham.



Pat cut the other bookshelves in half too and screwed them to the wall above the kids beds, while they sorted their books out.













We had a quick lunch break and then got back to it. Well, Pat did - the kids had had enough and decided to play with all the fun stuff they'd uncovered. Then they got into their swimming trunks and ran around the garden for a while and bounced on the trampoline.

Pen came round to collect the keys and spotted a few baby fish.

Pizza, chips and peas for tea, followed by peaches and ice-cream. That healthy regime will be starting soon...


















Robert's Record
Today we had a big tidy up in our rooms, it was fun for a while till the hard work started I had to move evry teddy,pillow,cover ,sheet and book out of my bed and into Liams room, which made a big mess a very big mess,sorry Liam.I also had to sort out the books with Maddy for the ones that I wanted to keep and the ones that Maddy wanted to keep,the rest went to charaty.Then I moved everything from under my bed to grans room so dad could get the playstation under my bed then we stoped for lunch.After lunch dad got back to work me and Maddy played with some of our toys that we found while we were tidying up then me and Maddy got our swimming costumes on and got the water pistoll out and had a water fight,soon we got bored and scwertid the windows then we got cold and went in.Pen came round while me Maddy had our water fight I got changed as soon as we got in Maddy stayed in her swimming suit.Then we watched t.v till dinner which was pizza,chips and peas,we whatch the simsons.Then we went to bed with my three tedys
bye bye

Maddy's letter

Today me and robert tidyd up are room's. Dady helped us a little. Me and robert got two new shelves one for are books and the other for are toy's. Penny came round. After i finisht my room i asked robert if he wanted to get the water pistol's out. And he did want to get them out. But we coudnt yet we had to sort out some book's by seeying if robert or me wanted them and if we didn't we put it in the charoty shop pile. When we had finisht we went out side and got the water pistol's out. We didnt realy play water fighting we squrted water at each-other and squrted the window's. We got quite cold so we went in. We went in and watched tv then we had dinner and for dinner we had peas chip's and pizza. When we were eating we watched the simpson's then daddy started to do more work.

Sunday July29

Hever Castle

Bit of a lie in for Maddy and Pat but Rob was up at 6:30 as usual. How does that boy survive on so little sleep? Pat had stayed up way too late to finish the new Harry Potter (best of the recent bunch, since you ask) and was a bit bleary over breakfast.

Just time to make some packed lunches and set the SatNav before heading off to Hever Castle. The weather was behaving and there was no traffic. Even when we got to Hever, there was no traffic - looks like everyone else had more of a lay-in than Maddy and Pat.

We went straight round the castle, having first marvelled at the fat fish in the moat. Lots of Tudor stuff, suits of armour etc. Mildly diverting for the kids, quite interesting for Pat.

Then it was outside to find a wasp-free spot for lunch.

We were adopted by a little Sparrow/Wren(?) who kept darting out from under a hedge to collect the crumbs. It was scared off for a while by a coach load of eastern European teenagers and their two nun-minders as they photographed every inch of our lunch area, but reappeared when it quitened down again.

The maze was shut as it was seriously waterlogged. I remember last time I went there were some big puddles, suspect a lot of it was under water this time as the area floods pretty quickly.

After lunch we went to the water maze, which the kids loved and Pat avoided. Maddy managed not to get wet at all. Robert wasn't quite so lucky. There were getting cold so we had a look at the indoor model house enhibition - pretty impressive.We then wandered up to the adventure playground where Maddy and Robert climbed the tower in the fort/maze and then we headed back down to get a drink. Unfortunately it started to rain so we were just getting up to grab a table inside when two knights appeared on horseback - the jousting was about to begin!

We hurried back to the castle forecourt where the knights had taken up station and waited for King Henry VIII and his queen to appear and give a not-too-cheesy speech. We then followed the king up to the events field for the games.

The sun came out and the kids managed to get a place near the front. Robert loved it all - four knights jousting, fighting and generally hamming it up with a supporting cast of squires and serfs.

After standing watching the fun it really was time for a drink so we grabbed a table and filled up on fizzy drinks. Nothing quite like chemicals and sugar to get you moving again. So it was back to the water maze for one last run around (packed full of soaking wet kids and anguished parents worrying about their cars, ha ha ha) and then we went to the bookshop to get a wildlife book for Maddy and a footie book for Pat. Nothing for Rob so I 'owe him one'.

Maddy kept us entertained with on the way back by telling us every single animal in her new book. Hot-dogs, beans and chips for tea (vegetables? pah, who needs 'em) and the rest of Ice Age2. Must be bath and bed time soon.

I expect the kids are tired too.

Robert's Record

Heaver Castle was great!!! The jousting,the water maze and the little bird that stayed with us for the whole of the time we were eating our lunch, we called him plumpy. It was very very sweet. We went round the castle and found a lot of very intresting things like the paitings,weapons,furniture and a lot more. I hope we can go again to Heaver Castle and I'm sure if I do go again it will be much much more funer. Im so tired I could sleep in the streets,on the pavment.

bye bye

Maddy's letter

We went to heaver castle today and had fun! I like my new book. It's about animals that live in England. I hope mum had a good journey and that Liam and Lucy were not very bonkers. When we went to the water maze the second time my right side all got wet!

Saturday July28

After a day spent shopping, ironing and packing, Jess, Liam, Lucy and Mary were ready to go. The bags had been weighed to ensure they all sneaked in below the 20Kg limit and every item of clothing owned by Lucy had been reviewed before being packed or discarded. Rosy bear was put to bed in Lucy's suitcase whicle Liam helped get the top box back on the van.

Following a rough and ready baked potato and bean-mess meal, Jess went to do the on-line check-in at 5:30. Plenty of time before the flight left at 9 (checking in electronically meant they only had to turn up 1.5 hours before takeoff, instead of 3). Except... the flight wasn't eligible for elctronic check-in! Everyone in the van, NOW!

We got to Gatwick North Terminal at 6:15 and after numerous hugs all round watched the intrepid Bristows head for the terminal gates with their new bags trundling along behind them.

Back to the empty house for Pat, Rob and Maddy, who decided to make lots of noise playing Sing-Star. Then it was hot-chocolate and Ice Age 2 followed by bed. First big day out tomorrow ~ Hever Castle to see some jousting.