Holiday catch up

Well we're well and truly home from Middleton now, having enjoyed the rest of our holiday. A brief catch up on the rest of our week's activities is as follows:

Wednesday - a bit of a cold and blowy day, so perhaps not the best day to go to Carisbrooke Castle, seeing as it's built on the top of a hill! The keep and the castle walls were closed because of the high winds, but Jake, Grandad and I had a good time looking around the castle museum.

Thursday - a much nicer day today weather-wise, so we went with Mum and Dad to Brading Roman Villa, which Jake enjoyed looking around, and which had been made suitably interactive for the younger visitors. Digging was going on whilst we were there, so further discoveries were being made as we wandered around! We went on from there to Adgestone vineyard for lunch, and bought half a dozen bottles of white. Then Nicky and I took Jake on to Sandown to visit the new Dinosaur attraction (as well as a visit to the arcades and a game of crazy golf).

Friday - off to Shanklin today with Nanny and Grandad. More arcade fun (Jake now has more keyrings than he knows what to do with!) and a very nice pub lunch. Then we went to Godshill in the afternoon, and to the model village (of the model village of the model ...). Finally to Isle of Wight Pearl on the way back to the cottage. Mum and Dad got a late ferry home so that they could go to a wedding on Saturday.

Saturday - packing up day today, and we left the cottage at about 9:45, and spent the morning at Chessell Pottery. Jake's robot money box and Grandad's mug should be arriving in the post once they've been glazed and fired. Then it was off to Ryde (more arcades) for some lunch and for Nicky and I to have a quick wander up Union Street to the shops (Liz Earle) before heading back to Yarmouth for the ferry home. The roads were much kinder on the way back, and we were in at about 9pm.

IOW update

Here is the Tuesday evening update from Middleton cottage. I am watching a Bond film with Jake as he's discovered a stock of DVDs in the cottage library!
Today the weather has been somewhat mixed, showers from time to time, some of them quite heavy. Still it hasn't stopped a fair amount of garden badminton being played. Jake and my record is now up to a rally of 13 shots. Due to the weather we haven't had any major trips out, although Nicky and I did scoot over to Yarmouth for a little look around in the middle of the day.
Yesterday we (me. Nicky, Jake and Barley) went to Robin Hill. Barley thoroughly enjoyed herself, and by the time that we left she was worn out and actually keen to get back in the car so that she could lay down and go to sleep. We stopped off in Newport on the way back to collect some supplies for tea.
Our first full day, Sunday, had dawned bright and sunny and so me, Dad and John took Barley on a walk to the paper shop. Later we had a trip to Alum Bay, which was very windy - so much so that the chairlift wasn't running. Still we enjoyed some crazy golf, a go in the arcade, and filling up various containers with coloured sand!
Fingers crossed for some more sun tomorrow.

Arrived at Middleton

Well we're all safely at Middleton cottage, and very nice it is too. We all met up at the Lymington ferry terminal at five o'clock. Jake had been with N&G to visit Auntie Audrey for lunch on the way, but Nicky and I came straight fro home with the dog, in the rain, slowly!
Ferry crossing was horrid - the roughest I've ever known it and I think that we were all very glad to arrive at Yarmouth. We've settled in to our cottage, chosen rooms, unpacked and Barley has enjoyed exploring the garden.
We're hoping for some dry weather tomorrow, but we need to get off to sleep now as the tooth fairy should be arriving any time now - Jake has lost a molar!

IOW memories

I love the Isle of Wight, and I'm really looking forward to our holiday there. It's been a while - 18 years since our last holiday there, and 28 since my first visit. During that time I had 7 family holidays there at Boulders Lea, 4 choir holidays, and one holiday at the Cliff Tops Hotel in Shanklin. That last holiday in 1990 was rather special, as it was the first time that I went on holiday with Nicky, but I have wonderful memories of the family holidays that we had there in the early eighties. Here are a few things that spring to mind.

• As well as Mum, Dad, Bec and me, having a houseful of other visitors - Rew, Frances, Nan, Poppa, Uncle Fang, Robin, Jane, Dave ...
• Boulders Lea having the biggest garden in the world - a huge front garden with a long gravel drive, lots of trees and secret woodland paths, an enormous lawn, and a back garden that went all the way to the sea!
• Playing games in the garden - bat 'n' ball with a court marked out with rope. A later addition was a net made out of more rope between two oars from an inflatable dinghy.
• Fang took a great photo of Mum, Dad, Bec and me in silhouette, stood at the end of the garden. It was framed and on the wall at Mum and Dad's for a long time. Not sure if it's still up. Must get a copy of it from them.
• Thing - G-nith !! And I can still do it !!
• Not being able to get a Brown Derby from the Wimpey in Ryde.
• "Carry I out but don't bend I".
• Sitting in the car listening to the test match on the radio.
• Walking to the pub in Fishbourne and having lunch in the garden.
• Pestering my parents to take me to the arcades in Ryde, and to the Appley Pitch 'n' Putt.
• Having a sense of humour failure when the pitch 'n' putting didn't go according to plan.
• The model village of the model village of the model village of the .....
• The rooms on the top floor at Boulders Lea - mine at the front and Bec's at the back.
• Dad taking Minnie for her morning drag to the paper shop in Binstead. Me occasionally going along and buying a comic.
• Days on the beach at Grange Chine.
• Digging holes on the beach - a particularly large one dug by me and Dave when we realised that our music teacher was on the same beach!
• Getting a remote controlled car, and then getting in trouble for not letting Dave have a turn.
• Getting a nose bleed on a slide at Puckpool - I was sliding down and collided with some idiot child who had decided to climb up.
• Going to the craft centre at Arreton - Mum choosing photos to buy and Nanny buying me a leather coin pouch.
• Leaving my cricket bat on Sandown beach.
• Feeling sick on Mr McKenzie's boat.
• Dad making cooked breakfasts, and me going round with a pad to take orders. One year my regular order was two sausages and two slices of fried bread.
• Walking round nine holes of golf at Ryde golf club with Fang. Going there with him in his old BMW that smelled of pipe tobacco, and Mum and Dad picking me up before he played the second nine.
• Depending on the dates, looking out for new registration plates on 1st August - IOW plates ending in DL.
• Watching the fireworks at the end of Cowes Week.
• Stocking up on provisions at the International supermarket in Ryde. There was a stamp shop next to the car park and I got the Disney-themed stamps that were on display in the window.

It's lovely to remember those fantastic family holidays from many years ago, but I know that I shouldn't expect next week to be any sort of replica. That way leads to certain disappointment. Next week is going to be fantastic (come rain or shine!) and it's going to be so for all of its own reasons, not for any kind of reliving the past.

It's amazing to think that I was seven when I first went to the IOW, and Jake is already eight. When we had our family holidays there, I was the child, Dad was Dad and Poppa was Poppa. Now, Jake's the child, I'm the Dad, and Dad's Poppa! It's also worthy of note that my first trip to the IOW also represented, as far as I can remember, my very first departure from the mainland of the UK. Jake, by contrast, has already managed several trips to Orlando, Paris twice, Mallorca, Spain, a cruise around the Med and another cruise in the Caribbean. How times change!

I love the Isle of Wight!

11 weeks

11 weeks to go from today until we head off to Orlando, and our first visit "home" to the Animal Kingdom Lodge villas - we love DVC. (Not forgotten that we are going to IOW for a week in just a few days time, but countdowns to Disney are always fun!)

To mark the 11 weeks, here are 11 things that I love about WDW. Listing rides and shows would be easy, so here's 11 something elses!

1. It will always be a special place for us because we went there on our honeymoon.
2. Drinking a hot chocolate, sat by the bridge to Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom, watching a parade go by.
3. The Sassagoula River from Downtown to Port Orleans. Taking a Water Mouse out with Jake on Christmas Day was lots of fun.
4. Dinner at the California Grill at the Contemporary Resort followed by watching the Wishes fireworks.
5. Music in the parks - Do you remember, back to a simpler time, back to the watercolour days, that still run through my mind
6. Wandering around the World of Disney store at Downtown - spending far too much money!
7. Leaving through the International Gateway at Epcot and taking a stroll along the Boardwalk.
8. Getting beaten by Jake at the Fantasia Gardens mini golf.
9. Tracking down the picture of a six month old Jake at Leave a Legacy in Epcot.
10. Clam Chowder - Celebration or Cape May or Fultons Crab House - don't mind which!
11. Having a haircut at the Main Street barbers (one for me this, probably not for Jake after the red spikes incident!)

We love it!

What a Wall-E

We've enjoyed our weekend - went to the cinema at Bluewater yesterday to see Wall-E, the latest offering from Disney and Pixar. As Jake was with Nanny and Poppa, we treated ourselves to "Gallery" seats, and made the most of it by blagging two helpings of nachos, four muffins, four little boxes of choccies, three hot chocolates and a cup of coffee! As always, we were treated to a Pixar short before the movie. Didn't cause me to have trouble breathing like the Birds, but was splendid nonetheless - all about a magician and his hungry rabbit!

Wall-E was just lovely. I have a feeling we'll be off to see it again with Jake in tow.

Nicky has also been taking great delight in sharing a wally story of mine! Swag are running a competition, and to enter you need to provide a story about your marriage proposal, and so she sent this message:

Dear Swag!
I thought you might like to hear the story of my husband's proposal to me, back in 1993. A day which every girl dreams of and has imagined all the different romantic possibilities.....not quite how it turned out for me, and I have never let my husband forget it!!!
I was staying with my boyfriend's family in Winchester for the new year celebrations, and it was decided that on that particular day we were all going shopping to hit the sales. I came downstairs dressed in what I thought appropriate attire for serious retail therapy, to find Matthew and his parents dressed very smartly. My face must have said it all, because I was then informed that they were going to take us for lunch in a lovely hotel next to Winchester cathedral. I returned upstairs to change, a little annoyed that this lunch would eat into my shopping time.
On arrival in Winchester is was declared we would have lunch first, then shop. We all ordered and I was surprised at the light lunch that my usual, bottomless pit of a boyfriend ordered. When I quizzed him on this he just said that he wasn't that hungry. As our meals arrived Matthew, who was sat next to me, turned to me and said, "can I ask you something Nicky?" to which I responded, "you aren't having my chips, you should have ordered a decent meal....!" Then I looked up and realised both his parents were staring expectantly at me with big grins on their faces. I turned to look at Matthew and noticed a small jewellery box in his hand, which he then opened and asked...."Will you marry me?
Inside the box was a very unusual opal ring, which although stunning, was not exactly the rock that I had dreamed of. It was at this point that Matthew's Mum brought me thumping back to reality with a loud, "well?" Naturally I said yes, as Matthew and I were always meant to be together, and it had only been a case of when he asked, not if, but the unexpected nature of the moment left me reeling, and with a complete loss of appetite. Matthew having survived the nerve wracking moment, polished off his light meal and mine!
I left it a few months before moaning at Matthew about his shocking lack of romance, and how proposing in front of his parents was just not great, He has made up for it since though, we have been married for almost twelve years and have an eight year old son. Matthew soon discovered that any purchase from Swag would be well received and has added some sparkling diamonds to my collection. I still embarrass him on a regular basis by repeating the story to friends, in the hope that one day he may just surprise me again, but this time in style!!

I look forward to hearing from you if I win, maybe I should just send Matthew in to choose an appropriate rock!

I think it's just a matter of time before we collect first prize!

This evening I've been on the phone to Orlando to make some arrangements for our trip in October. We can now look forward to:

23rd - Not so scary Halloween party at Magic Kingdom
25th - dinner at Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge
27th - lunch at Canada in Epcot

Marvellous!